CLEAVER OF SIN Chapter 600: Four Minutes

Asher moved with an intensity and quickness that blasted past every boundary he had ever breached, whether in his current life or the one before.

His rapier weaved as if it were a river, steady yet unpredictably wild, a relentless stream of destructive precision that refused to yield. Fearful of losing his opponent in the chaotic fray, he dared not pause, hesitate, or even glance away. In a clash of this magnitude, losing sight of his adversary for a heartbeat was tantamount to death—an error he could not permit under any circumstances.

He thrust forward with enough ferocity to incinerate noble domains, the sheer kinetic pressure tearing at the air and carving through the terrain like a fated catastrophe. Yet, Debro merely parried with his katana, moving with such effortless grace that it appeared as though he had foreseen the strike from leagues away, treating it as nothing more than an inevitable, choreographed motion.

Debro countered instantly, his blade cloaked in Astra energy, his movements a blur of golden light. His strike was devastating and void of the mercy he had once shown; his intent was now absolute and entirely unrestrained.

Asher’s eyes glowed with a fusion of golden and violet radiance, his perception stretched to the breaking point. Though he could track the incoming blow, his own speed was falling behind. As the realization of the disparity grew, his Instinctive Adaptation and Optimal Movement Efficiency surged forth like twin supernovas. He hurtled to the side at the final millisecond, the slash whistling past where his neck had been, serving as a chilling reminder of how narrowly he had escaped destruction.

Asher didn’t need someone to point out the obvious; he could feel his own lag. Even when utilizing all his augmentations, he remained noticeably slower and weaker, the gap between them refusing to shrink despite his total commitment.

He had previously relied on Instinctive Adaptation and Optimal Movement Efficiency, but his lack of speed had rendered them ineffective. Now that he possessed the velocity, it still wasn't enough to dictate the rhythm of the duel. Asher realized he couldn't lean on these two abilities forever; they were truly monsters, beings that ignored the conventions of logic, and one minor misstep would lead to his instant annihilation.

He parried another thunderous impact, the vibrating force threatening to shatter him from within. Through sheer willpower and physical reinforcement, he held his ground, redirecting the momentum in a single fluid gesture to turn his defense into an offensive strike.

Asher struggled to comprehend why the disparity between himself and Debro remained so massive and insurmountable. It was far beyond his expectations. He had once felled a Rank 6 Monster while in his Star Form—a feat proving his immense power—yet here, he could not overcome a being just a single Rank higher.

He was channeling Star Energy, Star Form, Lightning Armour, and Light affinity, stacking every possible buff in a desperate bid to bridge the chasm. Regardless, his efforts barely allowed him to survive, let alone seize control of the engagement.

The sensation was numbing, a disorienting pressure clawing at his concentration. Yet, he forced himself to remain calm, bracing against the stifling weight of the battle.

His Star Form was temporary, limited to a five-minute window that loomed over him like a countdown to his demise. If he failed to break through within that time, he faced the grim prospect of needing another reincarnation, a terrifying thought lurking in the back of his mind.

Should he survive, Asher understood he would have to abandon his habit of casually fighting across different realms; this clash forced him to face limitations he had yet to conquer.

With a flicker of thought, he invoked another affinity to resolve his speed deficit, a move calculated amidst the madness. Gravity shifted to his command, the invisible grip of the world loosening upon him. His speed surged, his movements becoming fluid and explosive.

Asher didn’t waste the new velocity; he moved to catch Debro off guard, his speed nearly doubled. His rapier flashed—a streak of lethal intent—as the tip screamed toward Debro’s throat with such power that it warped the air and threatened to tear the very fabric of space.

Debro’s eyes widened, a rare crack appearing in his composure as he absorbed the shock. He had assumed Asher had revealed his full arsenal, and the sudden, unpredicted burst of speed caught him momentarily off-balance.

As the rapier tip neared his throat, the world seemed to lurch into a state of unnatural, viscous drag. Debro’s Astra energy erupted with a violent roar, and in an instant, he vanished, as if reality had scrubbed him from existence.

Asher’s blade cut only through empty air. A wave of violet lightning shrieked outward, accompanied by a vortex of Star Energy, turning everything within a thirty-kilometer radius into ash. The earth was torn asunder, the landscape reshaped by the sheer ruinous energy of the missed strike.

Asher’s eyes stretched wide in shock. He had expected at least a grazing blow, a minor victory in this overwhelming duel. Instead, Debro had performed the impossible yet again, evading the strike entirely without a single scratch.

His mind, dialed to its peak by his Star Form and lightning augmentation, raced to deduce how such an feat was possible. He could only reach one conclusion: Debro had finally unveiled an awakened ability, a power hidden until this very moment.

However, Asher remained in the dark about the nature of this power. He had detected an Astra energy fluctuation, but that provided no tactical insight, leaving him at a dire disadvantage. Ignorance was as lethal as the lack of power, and it appeared that even if Debro’s ability affected speed, he hadn't yet seen its true potential.

To compound his worries, a minute had already drained from his Star Form. He had only four minutes remaining to solve the puzzle, to overcome his foe, and to stay alive. With only four minutes left to avoid losing the family he had finally found, his desperation ignited into a singular, burning resolve.