CLEAVER OF SIN Chapter 581: Merge

Number Six watched her life slip away in an instant. Once, she had considered herself unstoppable thanks to the powers from her golden boxes. These allowed her to teleport seamlessly across places, deflect assaults coming her way, and become nearly impervious inside them. Truthfully, she hadn't fully grasped the hidden vulnerability to forces that didn't require touch, and when Asher uncovered and struck at that weakness without mercy, it hit her like a deep, horrifying revelation.

Her head detached gradually from her neck, blood spraying out in a savage curve. Yet before her body could fully crumple to the ground, Asher moved on. His form spun with deadly accuracy, shoulder pivoting, foot anchoring, and strike lunging ahead at Number Five, as if he planned to dispatch all three in one horrifying minute.

Number Five was moments from rescue by Number Six. A golden box had already materialized under his feet just before, set to engulf him and whisk him from harm. But upon Number Six's abrupt demise, all golden boxes across the field exploded into myriad sparkling golden specks, fading into the atmosphere like vanishing starlight.

Still, Number Five boasted the sharpest and quickest combat instincts and reflexes of the trio. The second Number Six perished, he responded instantly. His figure disappeared from its spot, replaced by another subdued beast as a decoy. Asher's rapier sliced through the beast without any opposition, as if it were merely tender tofu.

Number Five rematerialized far off in the distance. Earlier, he had balked at using his beast-taming power's ultimate skill. The cause was straightforward: activating it demanded sacrificing his years of life from start to finish. Though the toll felt vague, it was actually a steep penalty, since nobody chooses to shorten their own existence, regardless of how minor the slice seems.

Now, though, he couldn't afford to waver. His two comrades had been eradicated with frightful speed. Unless he moved at once, he'd surely follow them.

With a crisp snap of his palms, the portal for his beast storage ripped open ahead. From it burst three gigantic Mark-class beasts. One was a huge wolf exuding fierce heat just by existing. The next was a gigantic avian monster with mighty wings and razor-edged talons. The final one was yet another snake-like behemoth, its scales shining with dark menace. All reached the peak of Rank Five in the monster ranking system.

Without a trace of delay, Number Five's command rang out over the field with somber resolve.

In the instant that followed, the three beasts contracted fiercely, their vast shapes folding in until they looked like spheres the size of tennis balls. Those radiant orbs hurtled ahead and crashed straight into Number Five's torso.

Number Five bellowed at full volume as immense strength and Astra energy flooded rampantly through his frame. Alterations to his physique started right away. His form swelled hideously as silver hair sprouted over his flesh, the wolf's wild traits emerging on his visage. Enormous claws protruded from his hands, each seeming able to rip meat like fragile threads. Pointed teeth grew next, elongating in his jaws.

The change didn't end there. His stature shot up swiftly until he loomed almost three meters high. Then the avian fusion's effects kicked in.

The next instant saw huge wings erupt explosively from Number Five's wide back, extending with awesome grandeur. Simultaneously, a lengthy tail from the serpent sprouted from his rear. Verdant scales spread across much of his body, layering over the wolf's hair. The wolf's teeth now dripped with toxin as the snake's venomous essence blended perfectly into them.

!!!

Number Five let out a thunderous howl brimming with doomsday rage and insanity. By combining the three beasts, it was like his reason had shattered completely. And that was indeed the grim downside of the power. With three distinct psyches and awarenesses clashing in one vessel, each with conflicting urges and drives, his psyche splintered from the strain, hurling him into lunacy and a nightmarish self-doubt.

Number Five's crimson eyes fixed on Asher's location. His heat-sensing sight zeroed in on the foe right away. Without squandering time, like a ravenous predator fueled by raw frenzy, Number Five advanced.

Yet that one stride granted him velocity beyond his prior limits. The wolf's innate agility and the bird's wing-driven thrust meshed ideally, driving his pace to a horrifying peak.

Asher didn't linger to marvel at the beastly shift. Light essence coursed into his limbs, building force in his leg. Moments later, he streaked ahead, his form propelling like a bolt from a celestial archer's string. His rapier thrust out at an approaching overhead claw swipe.

And with a world-shaking clash, a shriek of grinding steel and savage chaos burst forth as blade clashed with talon. Seamlessly, the fighters surged to insane velocities. The fight's rhythm escalated swiftly with each tick. In the following beat, they lifted off the surface and ascended into the heavens.

Number Five's wings thrashed mightily against the wind, while Asher glided and twisted with effortless scorn for gravity, countering each assault as if they were mere annoyances.

At this sight, Number Five's talons flared with roaring fire. He raked wildly at the air, sending scorching claw surges howling through the clouds at Asher.

Asher veered aside smoothly, evading the blow with ease. In the same flow, he released a barrage of breeze-shaped sword waves, wielding Hillary's rapier method with perfect precision. But Number Five's quickness had soared dramatically. With a mighty flap of wings, the hybrid horror blinked out of position, his hulking shape turning into a faint streak.

Asher gave chase without delay, yet Number Five wouldn't let the gap narrow. His wings pumped once more, and suddenly the plumes on them launched like lethal darts, every one packed with massive mass and impact.

Asher weaved through the air with elegant poise, as if the upper realm was every bit his territory as the fray below. In a flash, he materialized right in front of the beastly Number Five anew, his rapier already arcing on a fatal course for the neck.

Number Five's lupine senses blared alarms. With a booming cry, he swiped out with his fiery talons. But prior to the talon and blade meeting, Asher flickered away again, his shape reemerging behind the hybrid horror via a twist in space.

Before, Number Five could detect the subtle waves of spatial shift whenever Asher warped or bent space. But in his current state, he wasn't fully himself anymore; his broken mind blocked him from sensing or countering Asher's jumps properly.

Nevertheless, the beastly frame and reflexes tried to respond, but it was far too late.

Golden glow wrapped Asher's rapier as it plunged in a perfect curve. With graceful poise and chilling simplicity, the edge cleaved straight through Number Five's skull, the form parting as the head came loose from the body, and soon the remains tumbled from above. Halfway down, the combined shape unraveled into four entities—man, wolf, bird, and snake—all meeting the same severed-end doom.

With a deafening impact, their forms slammed into the soil beneath, their vital fluids gushing and seeping into the dirt, blending in a macabre red pool that evoked some dark ceremony's close.

And thus, Asher stood as the sole survivor on the field, hovering over the slaughter, gazing at his defeated rival with serene, detached violet orbs.

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