CLEAVER OF SIN Chapter 986: Recruit [GT Ranking Bonus - ]

Asher could only pause before he even moved as various presences made themselves known. From the sky, numerous portals tore open as almost fifty people dropped from them, their bodies landing upon the crowns of trees, while some landed upon the boiling earth as though they didn’t even notice it.

Asher remained silent for a moment. Although he was consumed by anger and guilt, his usual observant self couldn’t remain hidden for long as he noticed Roman numerals etched upon exactly eleven of them. But they weren’t the only ones, as another group had actual English numbers etched upon the backs of their palms. Then another group possessed actual English letters, from A to Z, etched upon their foreheads.

Eleven with Roman numerals, ten with English numbers, and twenty-six with English letters, bringing them all to a total of forty-seven people. Each branch stood directly beneath the other in the hierarchy. But this wasn’t all of their forces, as this was merely the small army they had brought for the battle.

As Asher made a headcount, Threshold VII spoke again.

"Too bad I didn’t see them burn alive," he stated, his tone filled with disappointment, as he had always wanted to see a Wargrave burn... and scream. That was art and music to his ears.

His eyes settled upon Asher as he smiled. As the last remaining Wargrave, Asher would have to do.

"Threshold VII, this isn’t the time... surely something is wrong here," Threshold IX spoke, his tone carrying a hint of suspicion.

Another Threshold, Threshold V, replied, "How can the Wargraves be so easily killed? If they were so easy to wipe out, then they wouldn’t be so feared," he stated, his eyes fixed upon the corpses before him.

The others agreed. They, the Convergence, hadn’t remained hidden for this long simply because they were powerful. They possessed the intelligence and cunning to back it up.

Although Threshold V had said that, none of them, not even Threshold I, Threshold II, or Threshold III, all of whom could match people like Azaron and Morthern, had sensed any ability being used. They hadn’t sensed even the slightest flicker of Astra Energy outside the supposed Sky Jet, even as they had watched the Wargraves explode apart in real time.

But what unsettled them was the sheer ease of it all. Were the Wargraves really that simple and easy to suppress?

"I don’t sense any deception," Threshold VI stated, his tone calm as his ability told him everything was exactly as it should be. After all, his own ability was linked to deception. Although it might seem like a minor ability, he was a Threshold, and Threshold VI at that.

Everyone’s eyes immediately turned towards Threshold I. She was the leader of the Convergence and, according to their information, someone capable of matching Azaron. She was the one who had unleashed the attack against the Sky Jet, yet they hadn’t expected her to wipe out the entirety of the Wargraves in a single strike.

While she certainly possessed the raw power to accomplish such a feat, they knew it shouldn’t have been possible against the sharp senses the Wargraves possessed. They should have been able to react, evade, or block. Yet, without offering any resistance whatsoever, they had all been erased, as though they had been caught completely off guard.

Some of them couldn’t help but swallow hard as they remembered exactly why she was, and remained, Threshold I.

"Then we shall proceed," Threshold I stated, her tone flat, although there was a faint glint within her eyes. Whether that glint represented satisfaction at having one-shotted the entire Wargrave family, or disappointment that Azaron hadn’t even managed to block a single attack from her, no one knew.

The Numbers and the Alphabets were disappointed. They had rejoiced when they were told they would be facing the entire Wargrave family, only to arrive and find that there was no battle left to fight. They couldn’t help but click their tongues. Sometimes, being too strong simply wasn’t any fun.

As they were distracted with one another, Asher’s voice came, colder than ice.

"Who are you people?" His tone was brisk as he stared directly into their eyes, his killing intent completely unhidden.

Threshold XI, who indulged in cannibalism, stared at Asher before speaking.

"Hmm... you possess a delicious body. At the right flame temperature, with the proper seasoning... and sauce... your meat would be heavenly." He stared directly into Asher’s crimson and violet eyes, not hiding his intentions in the slightest, as though he could determine Asher’s worth simply by looking at him, like some market vendor inspecting livestock.

Asher stared at the man but didn’t react, although his mind flickered with a strange sense of familiarity that he immediately ignored. He broke eye contact as though the man wasn’t even worthy of his attention, his gaze settling upon Threshold I as he instantly identified her as the leader. His expression alone made it clear that he expected an answer.

Threshold I answered Asher’s question as she began to speak. "The people of the Zarethorne Empire know us by a few names... the Maddened... the Consumed. But none of those names are what we call ourselves... You may call us the Convergence," she stated with finality.

The more Asher listened to her answer, the more realization dawned upon him as his mind replayed his interactions with Debro and everyone from the mission. His thoughts also replayed the information Malrik had once given him regarding them.

"We’ve come all the way here to recruit you, Tenth Sun," she added, as though she genuinely expected Asher to simply nod and follow her.

Hearing her words, Asher stood speechless for a moment before bursting into laughter. But it wasn’t the laughter he shared with his friends. It was the maniacal laughter of someone standing at the very edge of a point of no return.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" His voice echoed throughout the ruined battlefield as he stared directly at Threshold I. His laughter gradually died away before he asked, "So, let me get this straight. You wiped out my entire family, then tell me to join you, and you actually expect me to just nod and follow you?" His words were rhetorical, yet Threshold I answered as though she couldn’t detect that fact.

"Yes," her tone remained flat and utterly indifferent.

Asher couldn’t help but acknowledge that this woman definitely had a few screws loose.

"If your family weren’t so weak, they wouldn’t have been killed by a single attack from me, Asher Wargrave," she continued. "Humanity has reached its limit in terms of human evolution. We can no longer afford to wait another several thousand years to evolve into something greater." Her tone remained calm, as though she herself were living proof of the evolution she spoke of.

"I’m giving you the opportunity to become something more. With your Star Energy, you can achieve things beyond your greatest imagination. Even people who have remained unawakened their entire lives might finally awaken," she explained, her voice almost resembling the devil’s whisper.

"If your family had joined our cause, they wouldn’t have died here," she continued after a brief pause as she extended her hand towards him. "Join me, Asher Wargrave. I am certain you do not wish to end up like your family. They were weak. They didn’t believe. They refused to walk the path of evolution. But you... with your raw potential and your Star Energy... you shall evolve alongside us and usher Humanity onto a new path. A path where people no longer have to die fighting the Emovirae, nor can the Sinvairas continue hiding in the shadows and scheming forever," she stated with finality as she awaited his answer.

Not just her, but everyone throughout the devastated battlefield waited.

They all knew that if Asher rejected the offer, everything would take another turn. He would be captured, put to sleep, and experimented upon. And they all loved that outcome. They could do countless things to him once he was restrained. Rape him, harvest his seed to give birth to the next Wargrave, burn him alive, eat him to discover whether a Wargrave tasted any different from an ordinary Human... among many other things they considered minor amusements.