Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 840: Abandoned City

Asher felt the earth beneath his feet as space gradually stabilized around him. His purple eyes opened gently as he took in his new surroundings, and surprisingly, it wasn’t a forest as usual... which came as a surprise to him, since anytime he reappeared during one of these events, it was usually within a forest.

Around Asher was a city... an abandoned one that was utterly devoid of any life whatsoever. Streets stretched out into countless alleyways, while buildings rose toward the sky in varying heights, skyscrapers numbering in the tens, high-rise buildings in the hundreds, and ordinary duplexes spreading throughout the landscape. Cars of various types could be seen parked silently along the roads, including ambulances, utility trucks, tankers, and even fire trucks, all abandoned exactly where they had once been left.

The ground beneath his feet was made of asphalt, while street poles also rose throughout the city, though they weren’t illuminated as the sun still hung overhead.

This was their battlefield, a literal city.

Asher’s eyes rose toward the sky, and there he could see something resembling a massive dome that seemed to prevent them from leaving. Asher’s gaze followed the dome as it pulsed downward, encasing everyone within several kilometres of space, ensuring that the students would have enough room to fight while still encountering one another every once in a while.

The next moment, a flash of light appeared above the enormous dome as the twenty-four-hour countdown holographic timer materialized. Asher gazed at it for a moment. It hadn’t started counting down yet, meaning that the Inter-Empire Competition seemed to have granted the students a couple of minutes to do whatever they wanted before the battle officially began.

Asher removed his gaze, shifting it toward Teo Swig, who was standing beside him. Nodding at the young man, he began to speak.

"Since we are now teammates, let’s introduce ourselves and our abilities, since we’ve been granted a few minutes to do just that," Asher stated calmly as his purple eyes met Teo Swig’s black ones.

Teo Swig nodded before speaking. "As you already know, my name is Teo Swig, third-year Rank 1. My ability is called Elemental Overlord, which basically grants me affinity for the four basic elements: Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. Fire and Air are the two affinities I have the highest control over since I prioritize them for attack power and movement efficiency. But Earth and Water aren’t far behind, as I never abandoned them, so they are also quite powerful, only a single step behind," he explained calmly, his voice carrying a deep bass that could charm almost any woman.

Asher simply nodded. Not everyone possessed unique abilities in this world. Many people simply possessed elemental affinities. But it didn’t matter, because at the end of the day, how powerful someone became depended on how much control they had over their own element.

Asher didn’t look down on Teo Swig simply because two of his elements were stronger while the other two were a step behind. He understood that not everyone was as outrageous as he was, capable of training all of his elements simultaneously while still finding time to cultivate and strengthen his Astra veins, refine his weapons mastery, and improve various other aspects of his strength.

"I’m Asher Wargrave, first-year Rank 1. I possess various affinities like you: Fire, Lightning, Space, Light, and Gravity. I possess equal control over each of them," Asher began to speak. "And best of all, our affinities don’t clash too much, as the only element we have in common is Fire, which is sometimes unique depending on the user."

Teo Swig simply nodded his head and said nothing more.

The moment Asher and Teo Swig fell silent, a heads-up display appeared before them with a single instruction written across it.

"Choose a team name within ten seconds, or one will be chosen for you."

And with that, the ten-second countdown began.

"Any ideas or suggestions?" Teo Swig spoke without turning toward Asher.

"Not really. Just fill in whatever you want," Asher replied as he stopped paying attention to the heads-up display before him.

Teo Swig thought for a brief moment before simply selecting a team name: Too Easy.

Since he didn’t know what to name the team, he simply picked what Asher had said over a day ago when one of the Hosts had asked him to speak. With that, the heads-up display vanished. Another flash of light appeared above the dome, where the point rankings for this round could now be seen, displaying the names of the various teams participating.

Asher and Teo Swig stood upon the roof of a high-rise building, the wind whipping through their hair as they remained in the open. Quite a few students seemed to have gone into hiding the moment they arrived. Asher could also spot others remaining completely exposed, some sitting atop the roofs of abandoned cars while others leaned casually against them with unmistakable airs of superiority.

"We should stay together, no more than two to three hundred meters apart from each other," Asher began to speak. "And if you need my help, just whisper my name," he stated.

"Sure," Teo Swig replied calmly.

There was no strategy or anything. What strategy could there even be? Seeking cover? Ambushing others in order to steal kills? Neither he nor Teo needed any of that.

"It’s starting," Teo Swig stated as he drew the glaive strapped across his back, his eyes focusing on the timer as it finally began counting down in earnest, signaling the official start of the round.

The very next moment, both Asher and Teo turned simultaneously as they each blocked an attack that came from behind. The deafening sound of metal meeting metal thundered outward in a heavy crash. The roof beneath them cracked in the next instant, and moments later, they all plummeted through the ceiling and into the building below.

Asher’s eyes fell upon their opponents. They were humanoid masses of darkness that moved with the ruthless efficiency of seasoned assassins. The timer had barely begun to count, yet the two shadowy beings had already launched their attacks without the slightest hesitation.

’Rank 6 and Rank 5,’ Asher immediately calculated. The one attacking him seemed to possess the strength of a Rank 6, while the one attacking Teo possessed the power of a Rank 5.

Asher deflected the dark daggers to the side, his body blurring as he unleashed a powerful kick toward the Shadow Assassin’s head. But the Shadow Assassin simply phased through the attack as Asher’s foot struck nothing but empty air.

Asher didn’t react. It would have been strange if someone capable of manipulating darkness or shadows couldn’t accomplish at least this much. He immediately tapped into his Space Affinity, Astra surging through his Astra veins as he instantly compressed the surrounding space before violently exploding it outward.

The Shadow Assassin was struck immediately by an attack it couldn’t even perceive, let alone follow. Its body shot backward, tearing through office chairs and tables, each one shattering into splinters, while countless A4 papers scattered wildly through the air amidst the devastating impact.

Teo Swig, on his end, immediately created a barrier of air that sealed the Shadow Assassin within. But the Shadow Assassin simply vanished, its body stepping out from one of the surrounding shadows inside the office. However, Teo Swig was already there, almost as though he had sensed exactly where the Shadow Assassin was about to emerge.

Brilliant flames immediately engulfed his glaive, and without a shred of mercy, he slammed it downward upon the Shadow Assassin’s head. The Shadow Assassin instantly raised its twin daggers to block the devastating strike.

With an ear-shattering boom, the attack exploded outward. The walls, the windows of the high-rise building, the entire floor, and everything surrounding them were immediately torn asunder by the overwhelming destruction. The Shadow Assassin didn’t survive the blow, as Teo Swig had ended it with a single attack, its body dissipating into countless wisps of darkness.

His eyes snapped toward Asher’s direction, only to discover that Asher had already ended his own opponent by simply compressing the space surrounding the Shadow Assassin until its body collapsed under the sheer pressure, killing it where it stood without granting it even the slightest opportunity to escape.

It had taken less than a minute since the battle had officially begun, yet both Shadow Assassins had already been eliminated with overwhelming ease, leaving behind nothing except destruction and the lingering fluctuations of Astra energy that still hung heavily within the air.

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AUTHOR’S NOTE: Sorry for the delay. This author fell ill. I have already typed the remaining three Chapters and will release them at the usual release time.

Thanks for your patience.