CLEAVER OF SIN Chapter 764: Buddhism [GT Ranking Bonus - ]

Kimberley could only grit her teeth and walk forward to catch up with Asher, who had already moved ahead of her. Asher stared at her for a moment before shaking his head with a smile. Of course, he wasn’t going to actively introduce Kimberley to Malrik. Why would he? He wasn’t being paid to do so and had no particular reason to make it happen.

But if he happened to see Malrik standing in a corner somewhere or something of that nature, he would naturally walk over and greet him. Since Kimberley would likely be standing beside him at the time, he would introduce her simply because she happened to be present.

"So, I have a question. If the Thalvorn Empire is special because of its ridiculously advanced technology, and the Velkarin Empire is special because of its own unique race, and we of the Zarethorne Empire are special because the Blessed Land or Cursed Land lies within our borders, what makes your Vandross Empire special?" Asher asked calmly, as it seemed that one thing or another made every Empire unique.

At that question, Kimberley frowned. Personally, she had never thought about it in that way before. Her mind spun as she tried to come up with an answer, but nothing came to her. It was as though her mind had handed her a completely blank sheet of paper.

Asher himself knew there was nothing particularly special about the Zarethorne Empire. He had simply used the Blessed Land to make it sound as though they possessed something unique, as he wanted to know if the Vandross Empire had anything distinctive like the Thalvorn Empire and the Velkarin Empire did. And now he had his answer. Kimberley’s current expression was all the clue he needed.

’So, two normal Empires and two unique Empires. Way to balance it,’ Asher mused to himself as he walked.

’Great taste in music, by the way,’ he thought as he listened to the melody being played at a low volume while people conversed and formed connections.

Asher’s eyes turned towards Kimberley, who still seemed to be thinking about what made the Vandross Empire special. Seeing this, he spoke.

"So, we’ve met the ultimate geniuses of the Velkarin Empire and the Thalvorn Empire. Why not show me the genius of your own Empire?" His voice remained calm as he attempted to pull Kimberley out of her endless train of thought.

Kimberley turned towards Asher as she spoke. "What about the Zarethorne Empire? You haven’t shown me your people’s ultimate genius." She arched an eyebrow.

Asher paused for a moment before looking around, trying to find Thalric and Teo Swig, but neither of them seemed to be within a kilometre radius. The hall was simply too massive, designed to accommodate several thousand people after all.

"Well, I’m sure you’re already aware of the Ninth Sun, Thalric. He’s one of our ultimate geniuses. Then we also have another genius, Teo Swig, although neither of them seems to be close by at the moment," Asher spoke as his eyes returned to Kimberley.

"You aren’t counting yourself? I thought you said I should always bet on you," Kimberley stated as she stared at Asher.

Asher merely smirked as he replied, "Adding myself to the scale simply breaks it. You can think of me as the dark horse of this tournament."

Kimberley stared at Asher and simply shook her head at his shameless boasting, choosing not to say anything. Time would tell. After all, the tournament was likely to begin the day after tomorrow, with the tournament officials allowing everyone to retire and rest tomorrow after this ongoing gala.

"Anyway," Kimberley began, gesturing with her head towards a particular direction, "that is our ultimate genius," she stated.

Asher followed her gaze, his eyes settling on a... bald boy?

A bald boy could be seen holding a blackish-brown staff as he walked. He was dressed in yellow monk robes, and around his neck hung two different strings of beads. One consisted of large beads resembling Shaolin monk prayer beads, numbering eighteen in total. The second consisted of smaller beads known as Mala beads, numbering one hundred and eight.

The boy held one hand in front of his chest as though he were praying while he walked. As he moved, he repeatedly spoke a single word.

The bald boy glanced ahead for a moment, and tears fell from his eyes as though he could somehow sense the sins of the world. Then he continued walking, not bothering to wipe away the tears as they seemed to vanish on their own the moment they reached his jawline, with not a single drop touching the floor.

"His abilities are a bit... unique, as we’ve never seen anything like him before," Kimberley explained, restraining herself from going into too much detail regarding her Empire’s ultimate genius. The last thing she wanted was for Asher to relay the information to his own companions and allow them to devise countermeasures.

Asher stayed silent for a moment, wondering whether some sort of Shaolin monk had somehow found his way into Crymora. If there was one thing Asher knew about this world, it was the absence of God or any divine figure. No one prayed to God, blamed God, or even referenced a deity. They only referred to the Stars or the Heavens, which they believed were essentially the same thing, and they still didn’t pray to both.

But now...

Someone was praying directly in front of him, as though Buddha had somehow found his way onto this planet.

"All I can say is that he is a unique case. He seems to always pray for the dead, tell people not to sin anymore, and also tries to help children and other people whenever he can," Kimberley explained, careful not to reveal too many details.

Asher stayed silent for a moment before speaking, "what is his view on killing people then? Murder is murder no matter how you justify it. So, does he kill his enemies?"

Kimberley immediately wanted to laugh the moment Asher asked that question.

"Weirdly enough, he tells others not to kill under any circumstances, but he’s always decisive whenever he fights. Then, after he kills someone, he simply asks for forgiveness from whoever Buddha is," she replied, barely holding back her laughter as she saw the blatant double standard behind it.

Asher simply smiled and shook his head, choosing not to judge. However, his mind was already constructing theories regarding the abilities the boy before him might possess. Abilities linked to monks, martial arts, spiritual disciplines, and perhaps even fantastical powers.

’I wonder if he can summon Buddha,’ Asher mused to himself.

Although it was meant as a joke, if this bald guy could actually summon Buddha, they might as well hand him the reward immediately. Fighting a deity, or even a projection of one, would simply be impossible.

Still, Asher couldn’t help but wonder how someone could awaken such an ability.

"What’s his name?" Asher asked, wondering if his name was somehow linked to Buddhism as well.

"Acker Holloway," Kimberley replied calmly.

Hearing the name, Asher nodded. The name made sense. Obviously, the boy’s parents weren’t monks, so there was no reason for him to possess some deeply spiritual monk-related name unless he had chosen to change it himself later in life after his awakening.

Unlike Arianna and Issac, whom people flocked towards in droves, Monk Acker attracted no fanfare. He simply walked alone with steady, measured steps, seemingly indifferent to the attention of the crowd around him.