CLEAVER OF SIN Chapter 602: Friction Manipulation

Debro endured the explosion triggered by compressed space without a flinch, standing as firm and composed as if he were simply shrugging off a light breeze. He remained completely unscathed, seemingly unbothered by the violent detonation, which failed to leave even a single trace upon him.

Standing a distance away, Asher watched him closely, his mind racing to deduce the nature of Debro’s strange power. Each clash only deepened the mystery, leaving Asher uninjured yet perpetually frustrated. Time, however, was slipping through his fingers like sand; he knew he couldn't afford to linger, as hesitation in this do-or-die struggle would lead to his certain demise.

Lifting Virelass toward the firmament, Asher felt his Star Energy swell, resonating with a deep, thunderous intensity that vibrated throughout the surroundings. His command over this power sharpened instantly, his own spirit adapting to the crushing weight of the confrontation.

Lightning danced around his form, intense and crackling, turning his silhouette into a brilliant purple sun that cast a destructive glow. He channeled a massive torrent of Star Energy into the void above, imposing his absolute will upon the heavens.

Under his authority, the azure sky warped into a bruised purple, the laws of nature yielding to his command. From the depths of this violet expanse, a storm of lightning erupted, clashing violently against itself to form a roaring vortex that seethed with instability and malice.

Debro did not charge. Instead, he simply tilted his head, studying the swirling vortex with a calm, analytical gaze, prioritizing observation over alarm.

A massive, crystalline pillar of raw lightning surged from the vortex, descending with the speed and finality of divine judgment. Sensing the lethality of the incoming assault, Debro frowned; his instincts warned that he could no longer rely on his previous arrogance, demanding precise intervention instead.

He thrust his palm upward, and upon making contact with the electrical pillar, the attack vanished entirely, as if hitting an invisible, impenetrable wall. The lightning pulsed with frantic intensity, struggling to bypass the unseen obstruction, yet Debro’s hand remained steady and unyielding.

Asher frowned beneath his purple helmet. Having lived a past life as a student, he recognized that this was no simple barrier; the strike wasn't being blocked, but rather, discharged and neutralized. Realizing this, Asher cut the flow of Star Energy and lunged forward like a falling star, aiming for Debro while he was still managing the residual energy.

Suddenly, Asher felt his momentum vanish. The air resistance, previously negligible, magnified a hundredfold, pressing against him from every angle. Before he could react, Debro was upon him, a foot lashing out with crushing velocity and striking his jaw.

The impact tossed Asher aside like a pebble. While his Lightning Armour and Star Form spared him from injury, he found his own limbs suddenly unresponsive—his legs refused to obey his commands at the worst possible moment. Before he could recalibrate, Debro was back, his katana carving toward Asher’s neck with lethal precision.

Unable to move his body, Asher tapped into his space affinity and vanished in a flicker, narrowly evading death. The moment he reappeared, his motor functions returned. He surged forward once more, his resolve fixed on re-engaging the enemy.

As he closed the gap, however, his speed was shackled once again, his body dragging as if wading through thick sludge. He felt an unnatural friction sapping his every movement.

'Is he manipulating air resistance?' Asher pondered, but his senses immediately shrieked in warning. The surrounding space compressed, superheating until it erupted in a cataclysmic, sizzling explosion that slammed into him with unforgiving force.

Asher panicked and switched to his spatial phasing state, hoping to pass through the blast harmlessly. He realized his error too late; his instincts were still screaming, and the explosion tracked his path through the layers of space with terrifying, pinpoint accuracy, bypassing his phasing defenses entirely.

Thrown backward, Asher felt the fire scorching his insides. He spiraled through the air before slamming into a mountain fifty kilometers away, the impact shaking the very foundation of the earth.

Pain flared everywhere—his lungs, his skin, his very bones—yet a defiant smile remained beneath his helmet. Even as he cratered into the rock, Virelass hovered above him, and the Crimson Pact began the work of accelerated restoration.

Debro gave him no quarter. No warrior worth his salt would allow an opponent to recover. In a blur, he arrived before the dazed Asher, his katana descending like an incoming comet. Asher teleported again, escaping by the narrowest of margins.

Reappearing above a lake, Asher allowed Virelass to continue the healing process. He had made a grave mistake in judgement, opting for phasing instead of teleportation, but in his desperation, he had finally solved the puzzle. The realization settled in his mind.

It was friction manipulation.

Debro had immobilized him by stripping the ground of friction, and hampered his speed by cranking up the drag in the air. He had even countered Asher’s light-based illusions by sensing the disturbance of photons through his mastery of air molecules.

Debro had augmented his own speed through these same laws, and had redirected Asher’s lethal storm of lightning by simply sliding the energy away. He had even learned to warp the friction of space itself, allowing his attacks to permeate through Asher's phasing.

With nothing but the power of friction, Debro had rendered almost every tool in Asher’s arsenal obsolete. Only teleportation remained—the sole, unpredictable variable in a battle that was rapidly pushing Asher to his breaking point.