Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 623: Preparation For An All Out War

The moment Asher appeared, he couldn’t help but click his tongue in annoyance. ’What is it with the Wargraves forcefully teleporting everyone?’ he thought to himself with mild irritation, as he was growing increasingly tired of it. Malrik had forcefully teleported him back to the Wargrave Estate, and now the Great Elder had forcefully thrown him out of the Library by casting him into a portal without the slightest regard.

But he knew it was because he was too weak; if he were strong enough, he would have been able to resist the teleportation altogether.

He turned towards the Library door, his Omni Perception allowing him to clearly observe what was happening inside. Great Elder Morthen was explaining the situation to the other seven Elders with a grave expression. The next moment, before Asher’s very eyes, they all vanished from where they stood, as though they all possessed some form of instantaneous teleportation ability.

Asher didn’t need to guess; he already knew they were either rushing directly towards the capital or heading straight to Malrik’s current location, wherever that might be at this moment.

Asher sighed, then turned and began to walk away. This was the most he could do. He had no means of contacting Azaron to inform him of the situation; he could only hope that the matter would somehow reach the man’s ears in time. As Asher walked, his body suddenly came to a halt as another presence blinked into existence near him, it was Yveric.

’Does everyone possess teleportation abilities these days?’ Asher thought to himself with faint disbelief. But Yveric hadn’t arrived through teleportation; Crownstar Life Rankers were simply that fast, their movements indistinguishable from teleportation to those who were weaker and possessed slower perception.

The moment Yveric appeared, he spoke, ”Tenth Sun, might I ask what is happening?” His tone was calm but edged with urgency. Although he didn’t know the details, he had sensed Asher’s forceful return, accompanied by the First Sun’s golden-orange energy. Then he sensed Asher head towards the Library and meet with the Great Elder. The Great Elder had summoned the others, and they had all departed in haste.

Although he hadn’t heard the conversation, he knew something significant was unfolding, and it almost certainly had something to do with Malrik. His best guess was that it was connected to whatever had caused Asher to lose consciousness two days ago.

Asher sighed and explained everything to Yveric without omission. The man stared at Asher for a moment, his expression unreadable, before nodding slightly as he spoke, ”The Elders will take care of the issue. Thank you for the information, Tenth Sun. I will also make preparations,” he stated calmly, before vanishing from where he stood in an instant.

’Preparations?’ Asher thought to himself, confusion flickering through his mind. What preparations could the man possibly be making? Surely, he couldn’t leave the Wargrave Estate. But before Asher could dwell on the thought any further, he suddenly sensed an immense surge of energy erupt above the entire Wargrave Estate.

Asher vanished from where he stood, his figure appearing midair in the next instant. His eyes shot upwards, and all he saw was a massive golden dome that covered the entirety of the Wargrave Estate, radiating an overwhelming presence.

The Wargrave Knights immediately sprang into action. Thousands of them appeared above the golden dome, their auras surging as their presence peaked towards the sky, their weapons drawn and ready for combat at a moment’s notice.

This single movement sent a ripple throughout the entire Wargrave Ducal territory, which spanned hundreds of kilometres. People immediately began to panic as they saw the enormous dome enveloping the Wargrave Estate. Surely, if the Wargraves were fortifying themselves, then something catastrophic was approaching.

With that realization, everyone immediately ceased whatever activity they were engaged in and rushed back home, slamming their doors shut in fear and urgency. However, the smarter, stronger, and more daring individuals chose a different approach, they kept their shops open and subtly increased the prices of goods, speculating that war might be imminent, and thus demand would surge.

Of course, these merchants couldn’t outrageously inflate their prices, or the Wargrave Knights, or worse, the Duke, might pay them an unwelcome visit.

Another titanic explosion erupted above, and yet another massive golden dome expanded outward, this time covering the entirety of the Wargrave territory. Thousands of Knights appeared across the land; some floated in the air while others stood firmly atop rooftops. At the borders, the Knights immediately took over identity verification duties from the guards previously stationed there.

War machines and siege engines were deployed without hesitation. Even heavy artillery was positioned with meticulous precision, while enormous mechanical crossbow constructs were mounted onto the ground with astonishing speed and efficiency, as though the Wargrave Knights had rehearsed this exact procedure countless times over.

Asher floated in the sky, silently observing everything unfolding beneath him. He couldn’t help but consider that perhaps the Wargraves were overreacting. Yveric had effectively prepared for a full-scale war without the slightest delay or hesitation.

Although Asher wasn’t the Emperor, he understood that the Empire could not afford to descend into internal conflict at this moment. His thoughts drifted back to the mission he had seen at the Star Academy, about another Empire disguising itself as bandits to infiltrate their borders.

Surely, if they detected even the slightest hint of internal conflict, not just one Empire, but all three rival Empires would seize the opportunity. They would fan the flames of chaos and attempt to plunge the Zarethorn Empire into turmoil. While they might not be able to completely annihilate the Empire, the damage inflicted would make the word ’catastrophic’ look cute in meaning.

’Sigh... I was supposed to leave in five hours with Lyra. I hope this will be over by then,’ Asher thought to himself with a quiet sigh.

His gaze shifted downward as he observed people scrambling into their carriages and carts, frantically whipping their Enduron horses and ordinary horses alike as they rushed back home. Mothers and fathers clutched their children tightly in panic as they fled, desperation evident in their movements. It was nothing short of a stampede, the ground trembling beneath the sheer number of people running in fear.

No announcements were made, no explanations were given, nothing at all. Yet everyone within the world of Crymora was far too familiar with war and death not to understand what was coming.

Asher simply shook his head. He was certain that no battle would take place here. He was confident that Yveric had reached the same conclusion, but it was always wiser to remain cautious. After all, who knew? The Emperor might simply decide to abandon all restraint and launch an all-out purge against the Wargraves, regardless of the consequences and the rivers of blood that would follow.

’Sigh... this is why I never fantasized about reincarnating like other otakus and weebs. There is simply too much death, carnage, and destruction in any world anyone transmigrates or reincarnates into,’ Asher thought to himself with a weary sigh.

With a slight shake of his head, he vanished from where he floated.

While everyone else was preparing for an all-out war, he was going to relax and eat. After all, he couldn’t exactly fight on an empty stomach.

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AUTHOR’S NOTE: Hehehe, more super gifts, please, and let the world descend into flames. Muahahaha.