CLEAVER OF SIN Chapter 1241: Angelic Fall

At the Velkarin Empire, various people, men, women, children, rich, poor, adults, old, young, all could be seen walking in various directions, each going about their lives as they lived in this age of war.

Merchants rolled their carriages forward with boxes and crates of goods on them, while roadside sellers shouted prices and the names and effects of their items in order to attract buyers.

Children who didn’t go to school, understand how the world worked, or undergo their awakenings could be seen running innocently as they smiled and giggled among themselves.

Some chased butterflies, while others chased each other as they played various childhood games.

The same scene repeated itself for millions upon millions of kilometres across the entire Velkarin Empire, as it spanned an extremely wide area.

But then, everyone paused the next instant as darkness began to encroach upon them. They frowned, unable to understand why it was suddenly turning dark. It was barely noon, and now the sun was retiring for the day?

Their heads snapped upwards in curiosity, wonder, and reflex, in order to understand what was happening.

But many didn’t stand around to look at the sky. The moment it became dark during the day, they immediately took off on foot, on various horses, and by whatever means they had available.

In a world like this, something like night suddenly descending wasn’t anything good. It was best to run first, then ask questions later. Danger always existed, and the first to leave was definitely going to live... but at this moment, that might not hold true.

Those foolish enough to wonder if some sort of eclipse was happening couldn’t exactly see the moon blocking the sun, nor did they see anything clearly.

But they could somewhat make out a figure, a silhouette of some kind... and a ridiculous amount of Astra Energy?

Above the Velkarin Empire, Azaron stood, Ender trembling frantically in his hand as he pointed it towards the sky. His Astra Energy surged like an untamed ocean, his Nebula Affinity coming alive as the entire beautiful sky turned pitch-black.

The clouds seemed to transform into various natural gases, the entire sky turning into a Nebula as countless starlights appeared within it. The once-blue expanse had become an eerie cosmic landscape, its vast darkness swallowing the daylight.

Azaron stared downwards, his eyes containing nothing but coldness, his lips parting as he spoke.

As those words left his lips, he pointed his spear downwards towards the Velkarin Empire.

With that motion, the entire Nebula hummed as it received a command. From the Nebula, millions of incandescent, brilliant-white pillars of pure erasing Plasma descended with maddening force and sheer volume.

The citizens who had stopped to wonder if an eclipse was happening didn’t know what was happening before a blinding pillar of Plasma dropped on their heads with pinpoint accuracy. Their eyes, senses, and perception couldn’t follow its speed. They couldn’t even scream, as there was simply no time.

They were all erased in utter totality.

And with that, titanic explosions of scorching Plasma erupted outwards in menacing tongues of flame. Buildings were erased, towns were wiped out, streets were burned off the map, and territories were torn from the Velkarin Empire. The resulting shockwaves swept through the surroundings, leaving nothing but devastation in their wake.

The One Above All didn’t just attack a particular part of the Empire; he had attacked every single location at once without a shred of care.

Ducal Households and Territories. Imperial Palace. Viscount Territories. Count Territories. Baron Territories. Villages. Commoners.

Everyone immediately broke into a sprint, screams erupting into a massive wave of sound. But before some could even get far, an explosion from the Plasma in the sky slammed into their bodies, erasing them.

Children tripped over their feet in sheer fear. They had been oblivious until today, but their lives and understanding of the world were about to change as their friends died before their very eyes.

They called out to their parents, but it was futile, as their parents were already dead, and before they could rise to their feet, another pillar of white Plasma dropped on their heads with machine-like precision.

Panic spread throughout the Empire, blurs filling the streets as people rushed into their homes and closed the doors and windows, as though that could save them from the man after them.

But it couldn’t, as the next moment, entire buildings were blown out of existence, carving deep ravines into the ground.

Azaron remained in the sky. He didn’t shout, he didn’t speak, he didn’t cry; he simply wiped out millions without batting an eye.

Children? Women? Newborn babies? Old grandpas and grandmas?

It didn’t matter... and it was an indiscriminate attack, so it came with no special treatment of any kind.

Azaron’s technique seemed to possess some sort of readjustment feature. If the Plasma Pillar targeted a normal person, it used as little power as possible, but enough to erase their existence. If it was a Soulstar Life Ranker, it packed more power, tearing through their enhanced bodies like a hot knife through butter and erasing them just as easily as the unawakened.

The Velkarin Empire responded within a couple of seconds, its response swift. Various shields, domes, and barriers were rapidly erected over various territories. Not just that, the Imperial Palace also unleashed an Empire-wide Barrier to block the enemy’s attack.

But who were they up against? Whose attack were they trying to defend against?

Azaron’s eyes shifted towards the Barrier encompassing the entire Velkarin Empire. Ender vanished from his right hand. He clenched his fist lazily, and with that, his fist swung downwards with the force of a cannon.

The air compressed around his fist, trembling heavily. The space around Azaron’s fist followed suit, threatening to collapse, while sound waves followed. Then, the next moment, an incomprehensibly powerful spatially compressed shockwave tore downwards with titanic might.

BOOOOOMMM!!!!!

It slammed into the Barrier, which shook as the shockwave consumed it. As it shook, Azaron simply gazed at it with utter calmness. There was no doubt in his eyes that it would break. He might have lazily punched at it through a shockwave, but that was all the flimsy Barrier needed from a man of his calibre.

The next moment, cracks started appearing upon the Barrier and began to spread out like a plague before it finally shattered for good. Shards of the Barrier fell into the Empire like cherry blossoms, then dissipated into motes of light.

And with that, the Angelic Fall Technique continued its massacre, tearing through other smaller barriers as the brief peace didn’t last more than two seconds before chaos resumed.

Various powerhouses couldn’t react instantly to Azaron’s presence, as they were defending their territories.

From the Imperial Palace, a presence erupted like a storming sky. The figure tore through the palace, a storm of black Lightning erupting from his body and forming a gigantic Barrier that spanned the entire Velkarin Empire, but this time, it was made of nothing but pure black Lightning.

The figure didn’t hesitate; he shot towards the sky, and behind him, five other figures followed in tandem. In less than a second, they all stood upon the Lightning Barrier.

The figure was none other than Emperor Horace Sol Virelle.

He was the one who had deployed the Lightning Barrier through his own power. He stood with his hands behind his back as his coat danced to the rhythm of the wind, his eyes containing nothing but anger as his expression reflected his fury.

Although he was hardly one to fight, it didn’t change the fact that he was a Radiant Crownstar Life Ranker himself.

Behind him stood five Crownstar Life Rankers, each a member of the Imperial Knights, ready to serve and die for the Emperor.

"Duke Azaron of the Zarethorne Empire, explain yourself."

Emperor Horace spoke, his voice anything but pleasant or welcoming.

Azaron halted his Angelic Fall attacks, not because the Lightning Barrier could hold him back, but simply because he was acknowledging the presence before him, the cause of his presence here.

Azaron’s eyes turned towards Emperor Horace, his golden eyes meeting the man’s black eyes as he spoke.

"And why should I?"

He asked, uttering a simple four-word sentence, each syllable conveying his sheer indifference.

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