Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 933: Soul

[Ding]

[Detecting a large influx of Astra Energy and a trace amount of Star Energy flowing into the Host’s soul]

[All protective parameters engaged]

[Influx halted]

[Permission required for continuation]

[Upon agreement, the system cannot guarantee the Host’s survival or what happens from this point forward]

Asher stared at the system within his mind as he was barely conscious, while pain simply flooded his entire mind, brain, and consciousness.

Although the system couldn’t guarantee what would happen from this point forward, Asher couldn’t afford to simply give up. The system had already told him earlier that death was a possibility and that various unknown side effects might occur, yet he had still bitten into the Fruit Of Dawn.

There was no going back now. He was either all in or all out. And if he died by soul explosion or whatever fate awaited him, then he would die knowing he had enjoyed his second life to the best that he could.

With that thought and unwavering resolve, he gave the system his answer.

‘Lift all protection from my soul and mind, and if possible, interrupt and interfere with any external power that isn’t from the Fruit Of Dawn that seeks to understand what is going on,’ Asher ordered calmly as his body bled ever so slowly, while burn marks steadily spread across his body despite his immense tolerance for heat and fire due to the existence of the StellarFlame.

Asher wasn’t letting his guard down. Although Azaron and the rest were here to protect him, he was still cautious about someone secretly scanning his mind, soul, or whatever else in order to understand the changes he was going through. Hence, he instructed the system to block or at least interfere with any such external powers.

[Ding]

[Affirmative, Host. Orders received]

[Lifting all restrictions and protection solely for the changes in relation to the Fruit Of Dawn]

The system chimed before the text vanished as though it had never existed in the first place.

And with that, the dam was lifted, and instantly a massive influx of energy tore into Asher’s soul like ants swarming toward sugar.

As the Fruit Of Dawn’s power spread, Asher felt his soul beginning to crack apart. Every memory, emotion, triumph, and regret flooded his consciousness all at once, threatening to drown his very identity. His mind expanded beyond the limits of his body, sensing the world as though he had become one with it.

The shattered fragments of his soul then compressed before reforging themselves into something denser, purer, and incomparably greater than before, while an indescribable clarity washed over his entire mind, almost as though he had attained some profound enlightenment bestowed by the world itself.

But one had to remember that within Asher’s soul lay something else, his soul-bound rapier, Virelass. The overwhelming energy slammed into her body in real time. Virelass was already aware of the system’s existence. Although she didn’t understand what it truly was, she knew Asher had granted it permission, so she offered no resistance and simply allowed whatever changes were coming to take place.

Her silver form brightened for a brief moment, almost as though she were about to assume a Human form, but she didn’t. Instead, she simply basked in the sensation accompanying the evolution. Unlike Asher, she felt no pain or suffering of any kind. She only desired to become stronger so she could continue helping Asher.

Although her current abilities were already extraordinary, she increasingly felt as though she was being left behind, as Asher was simply growing far too powerful for her present limitations. She needed to step onto a higher path, and somehow keep pace with Asher’s own utterly ridiculous standards.

The entirety of the soul-based evolution took only a few minutes. The very next moment, it was over. The Astra Energy flooding Asher’s soul ceased, yet a large amount of Astra Energy still remained, as even Asher’s soul refinement and Virelass’ own ascension hadn’t consumed all of it.

The next moment, the remaining Astra Energy found its next destination, Asher’s body. Not his Absolute Physique, as the Fruit Of Dawn could only evolve a single ability and nothing more. Instead, the Star Core Fragment began utilizing the leftover energy to reconstruct Asher’s physical body from the inside out.

Asher’s bones shattered in real time. His organs violently trembled, his brain buzzed, his flesh ripped apart, and his physical evolution truly began. His Astra veins weren’t spared either, as they too were broken down before being reforged alongside every other part of his body. However, the remaining Astra Energy wasn’t sufficient for Asher to break through from the Dust Firmstar Life Rank to the Spark Firmstar Life Rank, as both his body and soul were already far too monstrous.

And with that, regeneration emerged from whatever energy still remained. Every shattered bone, every torn ligament, every muscle fiber, every tendon, every blood vessel, every Astra vein, everything was reconstructed anew. Asher, who had only recently activated Limitless Physical Growth following his battle against Arianna Haellight, took yet another huge step forward on his endless journey toward the absolute peak.

Although only his physical attributes had increased without the Absolute Physique itself evolving, Asher now possessed the raw physical strength to match a Dust Voidstar Life Ranker. Yes, his physical capabilities had already increased earlier through Limitless Physical Growth, but that alone had never been enough, as the gulf separating a Radiant Wavestar Life Ranker from a Dust Voidstar Life Ranker was simply too vast and immeasurable to be crossed so easily.

And even with the Fruit Of Dawn, a miraculous treasure that had spent five thousand years growing beneath the influence of Star Energy, Asher could only elevate his physical strength to the level of a Dust Voidstar Life Ranker.

Asher felt as though his consciousness had finally returned. His eyes slowly flickered open as dazzling purple rays of light burst forth from them, illuminating everything before him. He instinctively looked around, only to discover that he was floating high in midair, not even realizing when he had left the elevated stage beneath him. With nothing more than a thought, his body slowly descended until his feet gently touched the earth once again.

Asher’s gaze swept forward, and the very first thing he noticed was how astonishingly clear the world had become, almost as though an invisible shackle within him had suddenly been broken. But that wasn’t all. Standing before him were the countless spectators who had witnessed everything unfold, every single one of them staring at him with expressions filled with pure, unrestrained shock and awe at what they had just experienced.

Previously, Asher could only read people’s emotions through their facial expressions and, to a certain extent, through Omni Perception. But right now, at this very moment, for reasons completely unknown to him, he could actually feel the emotions of everyone present as though they had been laid completely bare before him.

Shock. Awe. Worship. Envy. Jealousy. Happiness. Killing intent. Disappointment.

He felt every single one of them with astonishing clarity.

His purple eyes shifted toward the Empress of the Velkarin Empire, narrowing slightly as she was the only person emitting disappointment at that very moment, almost as though she had expected an entirely different outcome.

And indeed, she had, as right before her very eyes, Asher had succeeded.

For the time being, Asher chose to ignore her. Instead, he noticed that even his own thinking speed had undergone an extraordinary transformation, his thoughts flowing faster.

No one spoke. It was almost as though everyone instinctively understood that he needed time to process the changes and fully comprehend the gains he had acquired from the evolution he had just undergone.

Asher could feel the curiosity burning within everyone present. But they weren’t the only ones consumed by it.

At this very moment, Asher himself was burning with an equally intense curiosity.

_____