CLEAVER OF SIN-Chapter 597: Sick Skull

Asher lay with a battered body within a sinkhole, coughing up blood, but his grin never left; he rose ever so slowly as he shifted into a kneeling position. He could hear Debro approaching ever so slowly, like he was the king of the battlefield, and indeed, at the moment, he was. He stopped two meters away from Asher, staring at his regenerating body with a calm gaze.

Silence reigned between the both of them as they simply stared into each other’s eyes, as though silence conveyed more words than any form of speech, a heavy, suffocating stillness pressing down upon the battlefield as neither made the slightest move, the tension between them stretching taut like a thread on the verge of snapping, as though the very air itself held its breath in anticipation of what would follow.

But Asher wasn’t just staring; he was acting. This was the moment he had been waiting for, for the equilibrium to break, and now it had; he immediately acted, using his Perfect Astra Control. He manipulated the light photons entering Debro’s eyes and put the man into another illusion, executing the skill with flawless precision, leaving no room for hesitation or error as his mind worked with chilling clarity.

Without missing a beat, he shot forward from his sinkhole like an arrow let loose from a bow, his body a mere silhouette, his rapier screaming towards the man’s neck with ridiculous speed, the force behind his movement tearing through the air with a sharp, piercing shriek that echoed faintly across the fractured terrain.

Although it might seem as though him putting Debro in an illusion was a surefire way to win, he knew it wasn’t; people like Debro possessed ridiculous danger and sixth sense, and even though under an illusion, they could still sense danger and react, their instincts honed to a monstrous degree through countless battles and near-death experiences.

Which was why Asher had waited until this moment, the moment he was close enough, the moment Debro had let his guard slack ever so slightly because he had thought he had everything under control. This was simply the perfect moment; even if the man managed to sense him, Asher could still at least tear off a chunk of his neck, hence tilting the battle in his favor, even if only marginally.

The moment his rapier was barely centimeters away from tearing Debro’s head off his neck, Debro’s hand simply blurred upward with ridiculous speed, and he immediately caught Asher’s rapier between his index and middle fingers as though it was the easiest skill in his arsenal to execute, his movements devoid of strain or urgency, as if he had all the time in the world.

Asher stood stunned, shocked, literally speechless, his mind momentarily blank as disbelief surged through him like a tidal wave, refusing to accept what his eyes were clearly witnessing.

Debro hadn’t reacted like someone who had reacted based off his sixth sense or reacting to his danger sense. He had reacted as though he had seen the attack coming from a mile away, and indeed, he had, his calm demeanor betraying an awareness that far exceeded mere instinct.

Asher didn’t know how to react; he couldn’t understand it. Aside from the fact that his plan had just been crumpled like a sandcastle beneath a crushing tide, he couldn’t understand how Debro was suddenly immune to his light-based illusion skill, the very foundation of his strategy now rendered useless before his eyes.

It had surely worked the first time; why it didn’t work now, Asher couldn’t understand. If it had something to do with Debro’s ability, then surely the first time Asher had used the illusion skill on him, it shouldn’t have worked, yet it had, which only deepened the confusion gnawing at his thoughts.

Debro stared at Asher, who stood before him with an indifferent expression, as he spoke, "While your photon-based illusion skills are commendable, they wouldn’t work on me anymore," he stated with a bored tone, his voice carrying an unsettling certainty.

And before Asher could even blink, he felt a fist sink into his just-regenerated gut. His stomach seemed to implode inward with immense force and weight as he was torn backward yet again, his body ricocheting on the ground like a pebble across a lake’s surface, each impact sending jolts of agony coursing through him.

For the first time, Asher met someone who had figured out his illusion skill and solved it after experiencing it just once... such was the immense and deep experience of battle veterans on this level, their ability to simply adapt on the fly during battle truly remarkable, almost terrifying in its efficiency.

Asher clutched his stomach as he spat out another mouthful of blood, Virelass working in overdrive to heal him and suppress his pain, the regenerative force struggling to keep up with the damage inflicted upon his body.

Debro walked forward once again with a calm face, his eyes indifferent as he spoke, "What’s so wrong with loving me?" he asked, "Are you so willing to die than to be with me?" His voice heavy and loud, echoing with a strange mix of obsession and frustration.

"I’m a Wavestar Life Ranker, not a weakling. I’m rich, I’m tall, I’m handsome, with some significant influence within the organization I serve," he continued to speak, "so why... why must you reject me so stubbornly," his tone wavering between disbelief and irritation as he sought an answer that would satisfy him.

Asher rose to his feet, his clothes torn, bloodied, his hair dirtied, his face covered in black soot and mud, looking nothing like the noble he was, his once-pristine appearance now reduced to that of a battered warrior barely holding himself together.

His purple eyes shifted towards Debro, his mind working through various answers on how Debro had bypassed his illusion skill, but he still replied, his voice echoing with an exasperated tinge as he was tired of hearing Debro repeat this shit to him like a broken radio on a loop, his patience long since worn thin.

"If the answer isn’t obvious to you, then you are simply dumber than I gave you credit for," he stated, "I’m simply not into men; get that through your sick skull," he added with an irritated tone, his words sharp and unfiltered.

In his past life as Ethan back on Earth, he obviously knew about gay people, but he wasn’t homophobic, nor did he care about who gay people slept with; he simply couldn’t care less about it since it had nothing to do with him.

But having some old man constantly talk about love and confess love to him was irritating, pushing him closer to the edge with every passing second.

"So you are willing to fight me to your death, over being with me, huh?" Debro asked as he started to laugh hysterically, like a man who had gone mad and insane, his laughter echoing unnaturally across the battlefield, devoid of sanity.

Asher couldn’t understand what was happening; how had a mission that had been about saving a few villagers turned into this sick scenario, this twisted confrontation that defied all expectations.

But whatever, this moment was an opportunity, and he didn’t plan on wasting it; capitalizing on the opening of Debro laughing like a man who had gone mad from being rejected by his crush, Asher simply entered Star Form, his resolve hardening as he prepared to push himself beyond his limits once more.