CLEAVER OF SIN Chapter 574: All Swiftstar Life Rankers

A deafening roar echoed with a massive crash as the broken mountain slammed into the battlefield with devastating power, sending tremors ripping through the area while clouds of dust, rocks, and smoke engulfed everything for several meters all around. The earth shook under the immense force, with chunks of stone flying chaotically over the ravaged landscape.

Once the dust started to dissipate and the heavy fog slowly lifted, Asher spotted a lone silhouette atop the ruined mountain's summit, his form steady and at ease, his stance perfectly poised. He had dispatched Number One, Number Two, and Number Three with disturbing simplicity.

Even though Number Two and Number Three wielded quite challenging powers, they posed no real threat to his superior prowess and intellect. Asher remained quiet, his violet gaze sweeping from one ravaged part of the woods to the next, as if hunting for the three survivors still concealed somewhere in the wrecked field of battle.

The formerly thick woodland lay in ruins from the prior skirmishes, strewn with snapped trees, fractured logs, and debris cluttering the soil. He figured the leftover foes would emerge right after he took down any of the initial trio, yet they held back even now.

“Are you three seriously going to hide forever, or what?” Asher called out from his perch on the demolished mountain, his tone steady and quiet, but projecting clearly to reach their hiding spots amid the destroyed terrain.

Yet his taunt drew no reaction, like they were intentionally dragging things out for Debro to wrap up his fight against the Rank 6 Emovira in another section of the woods. Their restraint felt deliberate, not born of fear. Asher gave a faint shake of his head at their silence. He fell quiet too; he wasn't one for chatter in combat regardless, and empty talk meant nothing when steel and strength ruled the day.

With that in mind, his Star Energy surged from his frame, flowing out like a hidden wave that blanketed the nearby space, revealing all within his perception as if stripped open.

The technique swept quietly across the battlefield, gliding over splintered trees, busted stones, and hanging dust veils. Asher instantly detected three concealed auras roughly a kilometer from his spot. They were expertly masking their energy traces with iron discipline, but such stealth meant nothing to his Star Energy.

He stayed silent. In a flash, he disappeared from his position via seamless teleportation. Reappearing in an instant, his rapier whistled through the air in a deadly stab aimed straight at Number Four’s brow, the edge slicing with horrifying accuracy and swiftness.

Number Four showed no alarm. Rather, he countered with an icy poise that revealed his vast combat savvy and veteran status. His spear materialized in his grip as if it had always been ready, intercepting the thrust along its length in a quick deflection. A surge of metallic power exploded as steel clashed on steel in a burst of flying sparks, the impact echoing sharply through the woods.

Asher held off on a follow-up strike. He vanished again from sight. This round, he warped toward Number Five, his rapier whipping out in a fatal sweep with alarming pace to sever the man's head clean off.

Yet Number Five seemed to anticipate Asher's approach, especially after the ambush on Number Four had flopped just before. Number Five's scimitar flashed up in a dark streak, blocking Asher’s cut with seemingly casual flair.

Unlike Number Four, though, he struck back without delay.

Right after deflecting the blow, he flowed into his own assault. His scimitar streaked sideways with brutal velocity, ripping toward Asher’s midsection in a savage riposte. But Asher kept his cool. His face stayed serene as he activated his spatial affinity, his form flickering past the incoming slash before firing off a precise lunge at Number Five’s chest.

Still, Number Five was prepared for such a maneuver. He had observed Asher's fights against the opening three attackers, so he knew full well about the phasing trick. As Asher slipped through the slash and countered with a pierce, Number Five was already shifting. He evaded aside with incredible nimbleness, his elbow smashing forward like a launched projectile at Asher’s skull.

A glint of astonishment crossed Asher’s eyes. Number Five proved far too sly. The scimitar lingered right at Asher’s side, compelling him to hold his phased form. Number Five apparently figured Asher couldn't evade two threats at once. Thus, the blade stayed locked on Asher’s flank while the elbow drove at his cranium, as if making him pick between guarding his noggin or his torso.

But who claimed Asher needed to pick?

Number Five's guesses were off the mark.

Capable of phasing his whole body at will, Asher effortlessly slipped through the elbow bash like it was nothing. Simultaneously, his knee slammed ferociously into the guy's gut with colossal might.

Number Five hurtled back from the sheer power of the hit, his frame soaring through the sky. But before smashing into a close-by trunk, he contorted mid-air like a nimble feline, touching down with a smooth, elegant footfall.

Asher's gaze tightened a bit; he could tell right away that his knee blow had inflicted no harm on Number Five. The fellow had obviously countered with Astra Energy precisely at contact, nullifying the blow without effort.

In mere moments, what began as a surprise assault had escalated into a blisteringly fast and lethal back-and-forth between the fighters.

Asher skipped teleporting after Number Six, the woman who had nabbed him from the inn before, since she had quit lurking and emerged into view.

Asher's eyes sharpened more as he assessed the scene closely. Number Five and Number Four matched Number Six at the Firmstar Life Rank. He had first thought they sat at the Swiftstar Life Rank like Number One, Number Two, and Number Three, but that assumption was incorrect.

‘So the first three were Swiftstar Life Rankers, while the last three are Firmstar Life Rankers. No wonder they didn’t make a move when the first three died,’ Asher mused inwardly as he regarded Number Four, Number Five, and Number Six with steady calm.

Both groups locked eyes without a word, grips tight on their arms. Number Four gripped a spear, Number Five brandished a scimitar, and Number Six clutched twin daggers that shimmered softly in the fractured sunlight piercing the damaged woods.

No one let loose their aura. No one initiated.

They just lingered there with poised tranquility, as if biding time for the tiniest flaw in Asher’s guard. Spot any minor slip, and they'd surely lunge like beasts on injured quarry.

Asher's awareness sharpened deeper still; he wasn't just eyeing them—he was vigilantly scanning for whatever wild awakened powers these three might unleash. While Number Six’s talent appeared tied to the enigmatic golden box from earlier, it clearly went beyond merely summoning that device.