Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 322: Star Form

During the one month training period within the Star Academy’s specialized Training Facilities, Asher had not limited himself to perfecting only his mastery over the Lightning, Light, Space, and Gravity elements. Alongside them, he had devoted a portion of his time to studying the mysterious energy coursing within him, his Star Energy. To Asher, it was clear that this energy was worthy of becoming his trump card, especially since, in truth, he possessed none at the time.

But Asher understood something many failed to grasp, a trump card did not necessarily have to be a cataclysmic attack capable of annihilating a continent. True strength was not always measured in destruction.

A trump card, in its essence, was an unexpected move, one that turned the tide, caught the enemy off guard, and dealt real, decisive damage. It was the blade hidden behind a smile, the final strike delivered when all seemed lost.

One particular thought had occurred to Asher during his training, a seemingly simple question that changed everything: If Astra Energy can be used for physical augmentation by every warriors, then why can’t Star Energy be applied in the same way?

Driven by curiosity and the spark of innovation, he tested the theory. What followed was nothing short of evolution. By channeling Star Energy throughout his entire being, Asher experienced a meteoric rise in his physical parameters, his speed surged, his agility sharpened, his strength magnified, his reflexes enhanced, and even his attack range expanded to astonishing levels. It was as though his very existence had been rewritten on a higher plane.

Yet, unlike the conventional methods of Astra augmentation, where fighters typically coated their limbs, weapons, or specific parts of their bodies, Asher had gone far beyond. His enhancement was total. His eyes gleamed with star-like brilliance, his hearing expanded to the faintest vibration, his mind quickened to impossible speeds, and his entire being, down to the smallest cell, was suffused with Star Energy. He had transcended mortal enhancement and achieved what could only be described as a leap in existence.

He called this state; Star Form.

When the battle erupted at the Rivelle Barony, Asher had been sitting atop the vast golden Astra Dome he had previously constructed, a shimmering barrier of light that enveloped the entire Barony like a celestial shield. But the instant he saw the Baron standing on the brink of death, he activated his Star Form without hesitation. In that instant, his body blurred through space, teleporting directly into the fray to intercept the Goblin’s fatal blow.

Although Asher had managed to block the Goblin’s strike while in his Star Form, the force behind that single attack sent tremors through his arm. The pain radiated sharply, his muscles screaming as his bones strained under the immense pressure. The sheer weight of the blow told him everything he needed to know, he was barely holding his own.

His Star Form had indeed elevated him beyond the level of a Dust Blazestar Life Ranker, but even with this transformation, he was still not equal to a Grave Rank Monster. And not just any Grave Monster, the Goblin before him was one standing at the very peak of its rank, a creature honed by extreme battles, its strength refined to terrifying perfection.

Asher realized that while he might have matched average Grave Rank creatures, the Goblin, and the Minotaur that the Knight Commander was facing, were different. They were apex predators among their kind, monsters that had reached the summit of what their rank could offer and perhaps even transcended it.

’The Baron should stand up immediately. I can only maintain this form for two minutes,’ Asher thought sharply, his gaze locked on the Goblin. He knew recklessness would cost them both their lives. Even in his empowered state, he would not charge in blindly. He would move as one with the Baron, synchronized, deliberate, and efficient.

Moments later, as the Baron pushed himself upright and quickly assessed the situation, their instincts aligned. Without a word spoken, both men lunged forward. The air cracked and tore like fragile glass under the speed of their motion.

Asher refrained from using any of his elemental affinities. His Lightning, though powerful, would prove ineffective against a foe of this caliber. His Star Energy, on the other hand, was his most destructive force, pure, absolute, and radiant.

His rapier moved in a blur of blinding white, thrusting toward the Goblin’s heart with surgical precision. At the same instant, the Baron’s katana sang through the air, its sharpened edge cleaving toward the Goblin’s neck in a deadly arc.

Without even flinching, the Goblin reacted. Its green hands became streaks of motion as it pivoted gracefully, using the flat side of its katana to deflect both incoming strikes simultaneously.

The collision of their weapons produced another explosion of raw power, yet none of the combatants were caught off guard this time. No one was thrown back. They had all adjusted, all adapted, their bodies and instincts now attuned to the devastating rhythm of the battle. In a single exchange, they had evolved.

Then, as if the world itself couldn’t keep up, the three figures vanished from normal sight, replaced by trails of afterimages and streaks of light. The battlefield was filled with flickering phantoms, their movements so fast they seemed like echoes of ghosts waging war.

Each of them fought with desperation, but not recklessness. Asher fought with the awareness of time ticking away, only two minutes to end the monster before his form collapsed. The Baron fought with the weight of exhaustion and blood loss, knowing that his injuries would soon cripple him completely. The Goblin fought with cold determination, aware that its Astra reserves were dwindling fast, its regeneration limited if it sustained further damage.

This was no longer a clash of pride, it was a battle of survival.

Yet, despite the desperation, their blades did not flail wildly. Their strikes were calculated, their movements deliberate, honed by the razor’s edge between life and death. Every swing carried lethal precision; every parry and dodge teetered on perfection. The earth beneath them split and shattered with each impact, the air screaming under the sheer speed and force of their combat.

Within this maelstrom, Asher’s perception expanded further. The world around him slowed, every particle of dust, every vibration, every flicker of movement coming into sharp clarity. Everything looked different, clearer, more defined, and strangely beautiful. But there was no time for awe. His pure white eyes tracked the Goblin’s every move, reading it like an open book.

He noticed something crucial. The Goblin blocked the Baron’s attacks without hesitation but refrained from meeting Asher’s blade directly. It deflected or avoided his strikes instead.

’He’s afraid of the Star Energy,’ Asher thought. He wasn’t surprised. It was only natural. The Goblin could sense the danger instinctively, after all, Star Energy was the progenitor of Astra Energy, the source from which the energy stemmed.

’Tsk... I still can’t unleash projection attacks,’ Asher clicked his tongue in frustration. It had been two months since he had acquired the Star Energy, and yet he had barely trained it, distracted by mastering his multiple affinities. In truth, he had only begun training it a month ago, and even then, only once. His control was limited.

But now was not the time for regret. He pushed such thoughts aside and focused solely on the battle. His goal was clear, the end of the monster before him, and since he had decided to join the battle, he shall see it through.