CLEAVER OF SIN Chapter 1020: An Apology [GT Ranking Bonus - ]

~5 minute read · 1,170 words
Previously on CLEAVER OF SIN...
Asher grappled with his anger and disappointment towards Azaron, reflecting on his family's actions and comparing them to fictional narratives. Meanwhile, Azaron and Azazel shared a moment where Azaron accidentally referred to Azazel as a friend. Azazel declined an invitation to the Zarethorne Empire due to his daughter's return. Before parting, Asher gave Arianna a dagger, allowing him to teleport to her location anytime.

Asher stared at them as they left. After staring at the spot where Arianna and Azazel had just left, he shook his head.

"I didn’t know you were a player, Junior Brother. Already setting up plans with Arianna, huh?" The Sixth Sun, Ezekiel, stated with a wink.

Asher simply ignored him, as he had nothing to say. If he denied it, it would only make Ezekiel talk about it more, and if he accepted it, the man would tease him to no end.

Seeing Asher not reply, Ezekiel shook his head as he spoke, "You are no fun, Junior Brother," a small smile on his face.

The Wargraves began to walk towards each other as they began to talk about their own departure. Since Azazel had gone, it was now their own turn to leave, and the Zarethorne Empire was millions upon millions of kilometers away.

"So, how are we getting home?" Xavienne asked. "Will Great Elder Morthern open a portal directly towards the Estate?" Her tone was calm and inquisitive.

Morthern shook his head as he replied, "I wish I was that powerful, but alas, even I don’t possess enough Astra Energy to bend space to such a degree." He released a sigh.

Although they were powerful, they weren’t all-powerful. If they were, they would just teleport home with a thought.

Azaron, who had been silent, spoke, "No need to keep contemplating, the youngest would get us home," his tone calm and flat.

At his words, eyes snapped towards Asher, who simply nodded and explained how his Position Marker worked to all of them, although they already had an idea, since they had all watched the True Awakening, after all.

"So all we have to do is touch any part of your body, huh?" Thalric asked, his question rhetorical.

With that, he placed his hand on Asher’s shoulder. The moment he did, the other Wargraves began to place their hands on various parts of Asher’s body. Mary simply stepped on Asher’s foot, while Morgana simply touched his forehead with a finger.

Asher felt a bit weirded out with this many people touching him at the same time. But at least, it wasn’t like they were touching him inappropriately or anything of the sort.

Azaron was the last to move, his eyes shifting towards a distance, his eyes crossing kilometers as though he could see something or someone waiting for him there in an ambush. But in its truest sense, he couldn’t see anyone or even sense anyone, but his outrageously powerful sixth sense told him that millions of kilometers away, the Sinvairas were lying in wait. It was just a simple feeling, but Azaron knew his feeling was and had never been wrong.

To Azaron, this was his chance, a perfect chance to avenge his Father, the chance to fulfil one of his goals that had kept him moving forward. But he felt conflicted; he couldn’t just abandon his family at this moment and leave in order to chase his enemies.

He knew even if he told them to go back, that he had something else to handle, nobody would go back. Even if he ordered them on the authority of the Primarch, after all, they would all instantly guess that the Sinvairas were lying in wait.

After all, nobody would simply go back and watch their own Father, sibling, and nephew take on the Sinvairas, let alone they who were the Wargraves.

But, with the Wargrave lineup here, couldn’t they take on the Sinvairas? Azaron wasn’t sure. He wasn’t naive enough to believe the Wargraves were invincible. If they were, his Father, Nazak, would have been alive to see his grandchildren.

Even if he charged straight at the Sinvairas, at what cost? He would avenge his Father, yes, but what if he lost a Son? A Daughter? A sibling? An Uncle or Aunt?

What if he lost multiple people at the same time, just to avenge his Father? It wasn’t a price he was willing to pay. It was a stupid sacrifice, an unnecessary one.

His mind couldn’t help but flicker towards Malrik’s Soul-bound katana, Solaris. Surely, the Katana should be able to inform them of deaths prior to the moment, right?

But Azaron wasn’t willing to take such a risk. Why? Simply because every ability in existence has a weakness or limitation. Meaning, even Malrik’s had a limitation or weakness. Azaron didn’t know exactly what they were, but through the past decade and a half, he had been able to come up with one.

While Solaris could sense deaths and crippling injuries of Malrik’s loved ones, did such an ability extend to Malrik himself? Could Solaris sense the death of its own Master? If Malrik was to die in this fight, who would know?

On top of that, it seemed Malrik himself hadn’t thought of this weakness... well, at least Azaron thought so.

So, even if it was guaranteed that everyone survived, what was the guarantee that Malrik survived? Azaron couldn’t afford to lose him.

So, while his goal, his vengeance, his hit list, awaited him in the distance, he couldn’t charge towards it.

Although he could make Asher teleport him back here after teleporting everyone back to the Wargrave Estate, he knew that Asher would still spill the beans to the Great Elders even if he, Azaron, ordered him not to.

He closed his eyes for a moment, clenched his fist, and murmured to himself under his breath, "I’m sorry, Father. I hope you can forgive me."

But wherever Nazak was, he would understand, as if he were in his son’s shoes, he would make the same decision.

The Great Elders and Malrik followed Azaron’s eyes as they stared into the distance. But they sensed nothing, and they couldn’t help but be confused. Malrik tried reading the entire environment through the rays that came from the Sun itself, but his range was not infinite.

The Great Elders and Malrik knew that something was definitely there. And it didn’t take them more than a couple of seconds to come to a conclusion: The Sinvairas.

But they said nothing. If Azaron wasn’t making a move, then they understood.

With that, Azaron pinched Asher’s cheek with deeply hidden coldness in his eyes and heart. And with that, Asher activated the Mark in his room. The moment he did, they all vanished in less than a Femtosecond.

And with that, silence returned to the entire battlefield, leaving only scars, those one would heal over time, and those that would never heal.

And as for the Sinvairas, they would continue to remain in hiding, waiting to ambush a group of people that were already gone. Only if they knew their ambush had already been exposed, and Azaron had already decided to go back because he wasn’t blinded by revenge.

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