CLEAVER OF SIN Chapter 596: Types Of Love

With calamitous power, Asher’s rapier slashed through the atmosphere, driving into the earth with such titanic force that the soil churned backwards, finding nothing to impede its path. A violent reverse-wind howled as a massive fissure tore open before him, as if the world itself had been split in two. Earth-shattering tremors rippled outward, sending devastating shockwaves to everything within reach.

As his frame came to a sudden halt, Asher didn’t require an explanation; he knew his strike had entirely missed its mark. He had been convinced that he had secured his victory while the enemy underestimated him, but it appeared that felling a peak Wavestar Life Ranker was far from the simple task of dispatching assassins who crumbled without a fight.

Asher stood in absolute silence, the aftermath of his failed assault roaring around him like a living tempest. His form emitted Star Energy, subtly masked as Astra energy, deep and immense beneath its restrained shimmer. For the first time in an age, clarity washed over him as their duel paused, providing a fragile, fleeting reprieve from the intense exchange.

His hidden thoughts ascended to his conscious mind with newfound lucidity. A smile gradually crept across his features, his inherent, battle-hungry nature surfacing with raw intensity. This was what he had sought all along—a rival capable of driving him to the very edge of his limits. It seemed this deranged wretch, Debro, was the ideal instrument for that purpose.

His grin widened, and his combat intent spiraled upward, the thrill of the fight coursing through his veins like an adrenaline spike. He began to march forward with measured, calm steps, emerging from the swirl of debris and pulverised rock that his missed attack had whipped into a violent vortex.

Each step was deliberate and heavy, echoing with a rhythmic cadence that suggested he possessed boundless vitality, his demeanor remaining steadfast despite the carnage surrounding him.

Debro waited ahead, his hands clutching his own throat, a look of profound shock carved into his face. Though he remained entirely uninjured, untouched even by a stray graze, the terror of his narrow escape remained rooted within him.

What if he hadn’t dodged in time?

What if the attack had caught him off guard?

What if he had been a heartbeat slower?

A deluge of doubts swirled within Debro; his fingers lingered on his neck as if to affirm his head was still anchored to his body. Slowly, his dark eyes rose to meet Asher’s purple gaze and the unhinged, wide grin plastered across his enemy's face.

The twisted affection he had harbored moments before flickered like a candle trapped in a raging gale, unstable and volatile. Love manifests in many forms, and all can evolve into something far more malignant. There is gentle love, but there is also toxic and wicked devotion; it seemed the time had come for Asher to suffer the darker spectrum of this bond. Tender affection was no longer viable in this clash of titans.

Sigh... if only a soul had been present to warn Asher to prepare for what was coming. He was in for a tumultuous ride.

What a pity.

In a heartbeat, Debro vanished. The very ground he stood upon lacked the time to react; it neither reverberated nor buckled, as those reactions were simply too sluggish. By the time the terrain could respond, Debro was already upon Asher, his strike mid-motion, with the wind’s displacement trailing a full second behind.

His katana lunged for Asher’s chest with blinding swiftness, moving with such ferocity that even Asher’s Star Energy-enhanced reflexes couldn't keep pace. Just as he hovered on the brink of being carved open, his Battle Intuition, Instinctive Adaptation, and Optimal Movement Efficiency sparked to life like three stellar ignitions, synchronizing his reaction and motion into a seamless execution.

Asher’s rapier blurred upward in front of his chest as if by teleportation, successfully intercepting the lethal strike. The ensuing collision was a masterpiece of madness, the impact smashing into Asher with the momentum of a battering ram. He was blasted backward like a projectile from a high-velocity weapon, his body hurtling through the air and shattering hills and ridges in his wake.

Yet, Asher showed no hesitation. He disregarded the agony, the blood, and the devastation. Reaching his feet with a wide, manic leer, he stood once more. Virelass was already mending his form; every injury was sealed before it could truly take root, denying the damage any permanence.

The moment Asher stabilized, Debro arrived anew, his blade descending like a falling star. Asher reacted in kind, his techniques triggering once more to facilitate a precise sidestep.

However, it was merely a feint.

As Asher shifted, Debro’s strike re-calibrated mid-arc, altering its path with terrifying fluidity. The next instant, the katana kissed flesh with a sickening wet sound. Crimson blood sprayed, painting the battlefield in violent hues as Asher’s left arm was cleanly severed, hitting the earth with a final, heavy thud.

Asher did not cry out. To him, the loss of a limb was inconsequential.

Instead, he counter-attacked.

With a feral swing of his rapier, a monumental eruption of Star Energy exploded outward, reminiscent of a nuclear detonation. The wave of force expanded violently, obliterating ten kilometers of terrain, reducing the landscape to scorched ash and molten ruins. The soil liquefied into lava, the earth irredeemably scarred.

But it remained futile.

Amidst the wreckage, Debro stood unblemished, as if the Star Energy held no dominion over his existence, failing to even bruise his spirit. His foot struck forward with blinding speed, a dying star collapsing, aimed directly at Asher’s gut with unstoppable momentum.

Asher’s inner techniques flared again, pushing his physiology to the limit.

It was too late.

While those talents had sufficed against the likes of Blue, they were hollow against the sheer magnitude of Debro. The gulf between them was too vast, the disparity in their power too overwhelming. Unless Asher could push his speed to a transcendental level, these abilities would remain insufficient. They were not absolute; they could not rewrite reality.

The strike connected.

With the impact of a heavy cannon, Debro’s foot collided with Asher’s torso, a force capable of erasing vast stretches of land. Asher felt his ribs cave in with an agonizing snap, his chest collapsing under the pressure as he was tossed away like a discarded doll, the reverberating force of the blow coursing through every fiber of his shattered being.