Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 595: A Checkmate Move

Asher couldn’t help but click his tongue subconsciously as he missed yet again, the faint sound escaping him almost involuntarily, betraying the irritation that simmered beneath his otherwise controlled demeanor. They had both traded thousands upon thousands of attacks, yet none of them had managed to injure the other in any meaningful way.

To an outside observer, it might have seemed as though they were perfectly equal, locked in a deadlock of overwhelming skill and power, but Asher knew better, he was not naive enough to believe that illusion. He understood that he was the one being led, the one being measured. The balance that currently existed between them was fragile, temporary, and destined to shatter at any moment, and when it did, he knew it would not favor him.

The thought pressed heavily against his mind, forcing him to acknowledge a harsh truth, he needed to gain an edge before that inevitable moment arrived, or he would be crushed the instant the scales tipped.

Dodging Asher’s attack with precise and minimal movement, Debro exploded into action, his retaliation unfolding with blinding force and speed. His katana arched towards Asher’s knees with calculated ease, the trajectory clean and efficient, aiming to sever both legs with a single, merciless strike.

Asher’s reaction was anything but slow; it was instantaneous in every sense of the word. His body responded before conscious thought could even form, his instincts honed to a razor’s edge as he immediately leaped into the air. The katana passed beneath him with a sundering whoosh, slicing through the space where his knees had been just a fraction of a moment prior, the sheer force of the swing sending ripples through the air.

As he ascended into the air, Debro’s chained attacks followed without pause, his movements flowing seamlessly into one another as he unleashed another series of sword flashes aimed at the airborne Asher. But the sky was as much Asher’s domain as the earth below. His body twisted and spun as though the air itself were solid beneath his feet, his control over Star Energy allowing him to defy gravity and anchor himself within empty space.

With precise, almost ethereal movements, he flickered through every incoming silver katana slash, each dodge executed with effortless grace, his form weaving between attacks as though dancing through a storm of blades. Moments later, he descended and landed with a deft, controlled touch, the ground barely reacting to his return.

But the instant his feet made contact with the earth, Debro was already there, appearing before him like a demon lying in wait, his presence overwhelming and suffocating. His katana sang as it cut through the air towards Asher’s shoulder, the blade carrying a deadly, cleaving intent.

Asher sidestepped with a swift and fluid motion, not allowing himself even the luxury of thought before reacting. But the moment he evaded, Debro mirrored his movement perfectly, repositioning himself into Asher’s new space as though he had predicted the exact path he would take.

In a sudden burst of speed and violent momentum, Debro unleashed a storm of attacks, each strike descending with crushing force. The barrage collapsed upon Asher like an avalanche, sharp and suffocating, as though it sought to reduce him into nothing more than shredded remnants. Asher didn’t need anyone to tell him, he could feel it clearly. Debro was raising the tempo, slowly but undeniably, tightening the pressure with each passing moment.

Asher reacted immediately, his body moving on instinct alone, but his reaction had been marginally slower this time. Debro’s mirroring had caught him off guard, disrupting his rhythm. While he managed to block several of the incoming strikes, others slipped through the gaps in his defense, grazing and striking his body.

But he did not bleed. The Star Energy coating his form acted as a protective barrier, dulling the attacks before they could pierce his flesh, though the impact still reverberated through him.

Without hesitation, Asher flickered backwards, creating distance between himself and Debro, retreating rapidly in an attempt to regain control of the pace of the battle. He crossed nearly a kilometer in a blink, the environment blurring past him, but the moment he did, his senses screamed in warning. In an instant, he turned, his rapier slashing sideways with explosive speed. The moment Virelass cut through the air, another thunderous clash erupted outward as Debro appeared exactly where the strike landed.

At Asher’s new position stood Debro, the man positioned as though he had always been there, as if Asher had simply moved into his domain rather than escaping it. Debro didn’t pause. His dexterity surged into motion, and with a subtle twist of his fingers and wrist, the katana that had been caught by the rapier flowed effortlessly, rolling along the blade, gliding across the back of his palm, and settling back into his grip in one seamless, fluid motion that spoke of absolute mastery.

In the very next fraction of a second, a deadly arc followed, his attack crashing towards Asher’s collarbone with devastating intent. This time, Asher didn’t step back, nor did he attempt to parry, it was simply too late to use his rapier effectively in any defensive capacity.

Instead, his body reacted instantly, shedding weight as he ducked with astonishing speed, his reflexes pushing him beyond normal limits. But he didn’t merely evade. The moment he lowered his stance, he drove Virelass forward in the same motion, stabbing towards Debro’s heart with lethal precision.

Debro, seeing his own attack fail while another raced towards his heart, remained completely composed. This was far from his first battle, and panic had no place within him. His body twisted fluidly, almost unnaturally, as though he were made of water, allowing him to slip past the incoming stab by a hair’s breadth, the blade missing its target by the smallest of margins.

But the moment he moved aside, Asher followed. He mirrored Debro’s motion perfectly, just as Debro had done to him moments earlier, refusing to let the man escape unchallenged. In the same breath, he redirected his attack, aiming for Debro’s Achilles with explosive speed and precision, seeking to cripple his movement in a decisive strike.

Debro didn’t dodge. Instead, his response was immediate and grounded in absolute confidence. His foot moved forward and came down heavily upon Asher’s rapier, pressing it into the earth as though it were nothing more than a piece of scrap metal. The force behind the stomp pinned the blade completely, rendering it immovable, denying Asher any chance of reclaiming it through brute strength.

Asher didn’t hesitate, nor did he attempt to wrestle Virelass free. He understood the futility of such an action. Debro stood at the peak of his Life Rank, a Radiant Wavestar Life Ranker, and contesting him in pure strength would only lead to failure. So instead, Asher made a decision without a moment’s delay.

He abandoned the blade entirely.

His body surged upward from below like a launched missile, his fingers snapping forward like a claw aimed directly at Debro’s throat, his intent clear and mistaken.

Debro reacted instantly, preparing to evade with his usual calm precision. But the moment he initiated his movement, Asher’s attack method shifted within that same infinitesimal instant. Virelass, which had been pinned beneath Debro’s foot, vanished, disappearing as though it had never been there, and reappeared within Asher’s hand. His fingers wrapped tightly around the hilt as he drove the blade forward, stabbing towards Debro’s throat at point-blank range with merciless accuracy.

It was a checkmate move.

A flawless attack designed to end the battle in a single decisive moment.

Debro’s eyes widened slightly in genuine shock as he registered the incoming strike. For the briefest instant, he had forgotten a crucial detail, he was facing a Wargrave, and a Wargrave’s weapon could never truly be sealed or restrained. It would always return to its master.

He had made a mistake.

A glaring, undeniable mistake.

As the blade closed in, mere centimeters from tearing into his skin, his perception stretched beyond its limits. The world around him seemed to drain of color, everything fading into muted tones as time itself appeared to slow. The air vanished, sound disappeared, and reality blurred into indistinct smears as his speed surged to an unimaginable level. And in that final, infinitesimal fraction of a moment, just before the blade could claim him, he moved.

As though he had erased himself from existence, Debro vanished from that space, dodging the attack at the very last millisecond.