Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 894: Peak Physical Attacks [Golden Gachapon Bonus Chapter]

In a blip that seemed to fracture time itself, they both appeared at a point within the space-time continuum, rapier and short swords screaming toward each other. The moment both weapons met, time seemed to drag as though it had halted, then snapped back into place as dazzling white light consumed everything within a sixty-kilometre radius.

Things weren’t just destroyed anymore, they were ravaged beyond recognition, as though some sort of world-ending bomb had been unleashed.

But the two behind the destruction moved with sheer ignorance and world-shaking talent, their bodies becoming blurs that smeared through both reality and space. One a blur of purple, the other a blur of black, as they intertwined and continuously slammed into each other without separating, like a pair of scissors.

Within this fraction of a second, both had already unleashed thousands of attacks, yet they didn’t slow down. They simply moved.

Asher’s purple eyes danced within their sockets as he read and traced every attack Arianna unleashed, his own rapier flashing constantly to meet every one head-on. Although Asher hadn’t said a word until now, he was being suppressed through sheer speed and strength. Something that surprised Asher. Even so, he didn’t break his concentration. He simply reacted to everything Arianna threw at him as though he could see the future.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Their efficiency rose with every passing moment as though they fed into each other’s swordsmanship, as though they comprehended something new simply by watching the other move their blade.

Asher’s rapier blurred upward as he met Arianna’s blade once more, the force behind the attack throwing him backward as he skidded a few metres, his legs carving trenches into the earth.

Arianna closed the distance with a thrust toward Asher’s throat, her speed utterly unforgiving. But just because she was faster and stronger didn’t mean Asher was helpless. No, he welcomed her instead. His rapier sang upward as he caught the blade by its side and redirected it with ease. But Arianna never relied on just one blade. Her second short sword cleaved through the air toward his stomach.

Asher immediately took a step back as he moved to dodge, but Arianna had anticipated it, as that was the only direction anyone could dodge in that situation. Her short sword rotated within her hand with dexterous ease as she stabbed into Asher’s stomach.

Flesh parted, blood splattered into the air. Arianna Haellight had drawn first blood.

But Asher didn’t react to the injury. He had endured far worse. He didn’t even allow Virelass to heal it. He simply ignored it as he retaliated, Virelass swinging upward toward Arianna’s abdomen. Arianna’s eyes flashed as she read through the attack, her body leaning backward without taking a single step. But Asher simply recalibrated. His previous attack had merely been a feint, and with wicked smile upon his lips, he tore through Arianna’s waist. Flesh split apart as Arianna’s blood dripped onto the ground.

In less than a second after sustaining an injury, Asher had retaliated as though he were making a statement.

Their eyes met. They seemed drunk, intoxicated by the battle they were unleashing. They grinned at one another before vanishing from their positions once again as they moved at the peak of their base speed.

Arianna’s swordsmanship appeared graceful and smooth, yet any Swordmaster would recognize the ferocity and precision hidden behind every swing, slash, stab, and thrust. She never aimed anywhere that wasn’t meant to end her opponent in a single instant.

She truly was a One-shot Queen.

At a speed that tore through space itself, she appeared before Asher, her short sword thrusting toward his forehead with speed beyond his normal reaction time.

Asher’s senses screamed, Instinctive Adaptation surging through his body as he immediately dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack. But the moment he dodged, his Battle Intuition tingled as he predicted Arianna’s next move through the rhythm of her previous attacks. Optimal Movement Efficiency flickered as he instantly dodged again, avoiding the sideways stab from Arianna the very moment he foresaw it.

But Arianna was unrelenting. She immediately unleashed a chain of attacks, her blades blurring as one hand executed slashing motions while the other unleashed thrusts. With that, she delivered thousands of dual-variation attacks upon Asher at point-blank range, as though daring him to either dodge or defend.

Although Asher was currently losing in terms of speed and strength, the Absolute Physique wasn’t for show.

Perfect Muscle Memory activated. Optimal Movement Efficiency flared. Instinctive Adaptation boomed. Battle Intuition surged. Each of them ignited like supernovas as Asher’s body entered a state of absolute perfection.

In a motion that seemed to fracture time itself, he sheathed Virelass before instantly unsheathing her once more as he vanished. His hand became a blur as he met every attack, his feet dancing endlessly as he moved, his senses reading both the nearest strike and the next incoming one. His eyes remained wide open as he didn’t dare blink, his brain overworking as it raced at unimaginable speed, his body brimming with limitless potential.

Around Asher, destruction continued as madness annihilated everything within a sixty-five-kilometre radius before everything finally stopped as he too came to a halt.

Ahead of him, Arianna watched in amazement, her eyes sparkling at the scene before her. She knew the maximum speed and strength Asher could achieve. She knew that even if he had defended against most of those attacks, he still should have suffered lacerations, gashes, and numerous other injuries across his body. Yet he had emerged without so much as a scratch.

Although her Genesis Archive ability wouldn’t work on Asher, it didn’t mean she was useless without it. Genesis Archive was merely an ability, not the source of her own genuine Monster level talent. And at this very moment, through sheer talent alone, she had glimpsed a few things.

But just because she was amazed didn’t mean Asher was going to wait for her to snap back to reality. In a blitzing burst of speed, he appeared before her, his rapier moving faster than sight, faster than sound, faster than thought as he aimed to bisect her in half at the waist.

But Arianna was ready. Her twin swords rose, her hands becoming streaks of motion as she immediately blocked. But the moment she did, Asher’s wrist twisted. Using his rapier, he slammed both short swords to the ground before stepping on them. But before he could capitalize, Arianna was already moving. Her hand shot upward like a spear as she attacked without either of her short swords.

Without taking a step, Asher leaned backward, moving just beyond the reach of Arianna’s fingers. But the moment he did so, Battle Intuition, Optimal Movement Efficiency, and Instinctive Adaptation activated simultaneously as he immediately snapped his head to the side. The instant he did, one of the short swords he had supposedly pinned beneath his foot appeared back in Arianna’s hand at the very last second and thrust through the space where his head had been.

That had been her plan all along, since she could teleport her swords back into her hands.

Arianna’s eyes flashed as she admired Asher’s absurd reaction speed and instincts whenever fatal danger approached. But her admiration didn’t slow her down. Her second short sword teleported, she caught it midair, and immediately slashed through Asher’s leg with sickening ease, blood splashing across the ground. But she didn’t even spare it a glance. She simply moved like a cat as she slammed the sole of her foot into Asher’s chest, all within the same fluid linking motion.

Asher’s body shot backward, crashing into a car two kilometres away, his back tearing through a lamppost before slamming into the wall of another high-rise building. Cracks spread outward, yet the building somehow remained standing.

Although Asher felt the pain, he didn’t react to it. His purple eyes met Arianna’s amber-gold ones as she smiled at him. Although neither of them spoke a word, they both knew that Arianna had dominated this exchange.

Asher could no longer ignore his injuries. The latest wound had struck his knee, which would reduce his movement speed. With that, he allowed Virelass to heal the injuries across his body.

Seeing this, Arianna’s Astra Energy stirred as she activated the ability of her right eye, Genesis, immediately using a healing skill she had analyzed in the past. Her own injury instantly sealed shut as though it had never existed.

But she didn’t stop there. She immediately cloaked herself in Astra Energy as she enhanced her body, her body now bright golden.

Seeing this, Asher smirked. He didn’t use Astra Energy, as doing so would only narrow the physical gap between them if Arianna was already augmenting herself with Astra Energy.

With that, his Star Energy came alive, still disguised as Astra Energy. With the augmentation, Asher’s physical parameters entered an entirely different domain.

The battle was about to continue.

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Chapter sponsored by Sluggish_slug

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