Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 887: An Actual Prayer [Golden Gachapon Bonus Chapter]

Through the churning haze of smoke, dust, and clouds of fumes, Asher could be seen standing with a calm expression. Everything around him was gone. Trees? Wiped out. Oceans? Dried up. Mountains? Erased. The land? Sinkholes had replaced nearly ninety percent of it.

The air was choking, as though oxygen itself no longer existed. The earth beneath Asher’s feet sizzled as lava replaced everything in sight.

Ahead, Acker could be seen, his body leaning against the green energy barrier, which was the only thing that had survived. He panted heavily, his body covered in countless slashes and tiny cuts, blood flowing from every wound, yet he remained standing through sheer willpower alone.

Normally, his Infinite Regeneration would have kicked in, but unfortunately, he didn’t have any Astra energy left, as his regeneration relied entirely upon it. His reserves, despite being monstrous, weren’t infinite. The reason he had burned through them so swiftly was because he had manifested eighteen meteors, which, when combined, matched the power of a Radiant Wavestar Life Ranker.

It was a one-time attack, and now he was completely spent. Too bad he couldn’t unleash such an attack continuously.

Acker heard the sound of Asher approaching. He slowly raised his bald head, his bloodshot eyes blurred and stained with blood. He could barely see at this moment, yet he could still make out enough to realize that Asher had emerged from such titanic destruction without the slightest sign of discomfort, making the Buddhist frown ever so slightly.

The Flickering Dawn aspect of the Song Of Virelass technique wasn’t just an ordinary technique; it was an exceptionally dangerous one. Even Asher himself had been amazed when he first conceived it, and calling it dangerous was an understatement no matter how many times he thought about it. It had taken him quite some time to create, but in the end, he had succeeded.

Flickering Dawn was a rapier technique that worked by manipulating light photons themselves. It was the reason everyone had suddenly gone blind for that brief instant. Asher’s rapier technique had seized complete control over every light photon within the surrounding area before converting each one into a sword line. Every single sword line, further empowered by his Astra energy, became powerful enough to injure a Wavestar Life Ranker or any Rank 7 being.

This was an attack that was almost impossible to block because it originated from every conceivable direction and every point in space.

With an attack that spanned hundreds of kilometres, where could Acker Holloway possibly teleport to where light photons didn’t exist? It was only natural that he had ended up in such a miserable state. In fact, he was fortunate that his eighteen meteors could combine to match the power of a Radiant Wavestar Life Ranker. Had they not possessed that level of strength, Asher’s Flickering Dawn rapier technique wouldn’t have prioritized destroying the meteors; it would have focused entirely on Acker Holloway himself.

Asher had no words for the Buddhist standing before him. Truly, he was surprised. The man had displayed one exceptional ability after another, even revealing a Green Flag. Truly, he was a ridiculous genius beyond all measure.

After all, among every opponent Asher had faced so far, only the Buddhist was strong enough to force him to expend a significant portion of his Astra energy. One couldn’t command every light photon within a one-hundred-kilometre radius, convert them all into sword lines, and empower each one enough to injure a Wavestar Life Ranker with merely a negligible amount of Astra energy.

Asher had poured seven percent of his Astra energy into that attack, an amount he was already recovering in real time.

Acker’s bloodshot eyes met Asher’s purple ones. He looked as though he didn’t want to do something, as though he was reluctant to use the final trump card he still possessed.

“Please… give up… don’t make… me do this,” Acker spoke, his voice heavy, as though every word demanded tremendous effort.

Asher arched an eyebrow, wondering whether Acker was actually pulling his leg. He couldn’t help but wonder if the Buddhist was simply trying to deceive him into surrendering.

‘How many trump cards can one person actually possess?’ Asher thought to himself.

The Blessing Of Buddha, the Green Flag, the eighteen meteors, any one of those could have served as a final trump card. Yet the Buddhist still spoke as though he possessed one last resort beyond them all.

Seeing that Asher had no intention of forfeiting, Acker spoke once more.

“You leave me no choice.”

As he uttered those words, he dropped to his knees and slowly closed his eyes. He pushed through the pain ravaging both his body and mind as his injured hands, covered in deep gashes, rose once more into a prayer gesture.

But this time, he was kneeling, and for the first time… he offered an actual prayer.

“O Great Buddha, Thy Follower Has Failed You. Thy Follower Has No Choice But To Pray For Your Interference. Thy Follower Knows He Is Unworthy, But Bless These Mortals With Your Holy Presence, So They Might Believe In Your Existence.”

The moment the prayer ended, there was no familiar surge of Astra energy that usually fueled Acker’s delusional abilities. There was simply… nothing.

It was as though his Chuunibyou ability had truly reached its limit. After all, could such an ability really create a god solely for Acker Holloway?

Asher stood silently where he was. He made no attempt to move. He wanted to see where this would lead, his curiosity preventing him from rushing forward to defeat the defenseless Acker. He wasn’t the only curious one. Every human across the planet of Crymora burned with anticipation.

This was the moment that would either expose Acker as nothing more than a complete fraud… or usher in the dawn of an entirely new era.

But after several seconds passed and nothing happened, that curiosity gradually began to fade. People started questioning what they had truly expected, after all, gods didn’t exist.

But in the very next moment, the heavens trembled as though something was forcing its way into the planet itself, yet was simultaneously being restrained by something else. The clouds overhead began spiraling inward, as though an unseen force were drawing them together to create a portal.

As the portal slowly formed, an indescribable presence seeped from within it. It felt holy. It felt benevolent. It welcomed all. It forgave all.

The spectators couldn’t help but rise to their feet in utter shock. Their imaginations ran wild as they wondered what kind of being would emerge from such a portal. Some couldn’t help but think of Angels, for such concepts existed within Crymora.

The Crownstar Life Rankers wore deep frowns instead, as even they had been rendered speechless. Their focus reached its absolute peak, their senses stretching to their utmost limits.

If a god truly existed and was descending from the Great Beyond, wasn’t this the perfect opportunity to uncover clues?

Yet none of them dared make a move. Their gazes remained fixed upon the portal as they analyzed every single fluctuation surrounding it, space, time, the void, Astra energy. Their minds raced endlessly.

Asher was the most shocked of them all. He stood rooted to the spot, utterly speechless.

‘This guy… actually summoned a god?’ he thought to himself.

Through the portal, a being descended.

He stepped down from the heavens upon blooming golden lotuses, his flawless ivory-gold skin radiating divine light. His serene face bore gentle, flawless features, half-lidded golden eyes, long earlobes, and a faint smile that embodied infinite wisdom. Dark curls crowned his head beneath a radiant golden halo, while flowing white-and-gold robes shimmered like liquid sunlight.

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