Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 498: All Versus One-1

Asher stared at Instructor Jude with a calm firm gaze, refusing to break eye contact because he had absolutely no reason to do so. His purple pupils met the Instructor’s sharp blue ones, the two pairs of eyes locking together in a silent clash of presence and pride, as though they were both sovereign beasts standing at the peak of the same jungle, neither willing to yield nor submit even an inch to the other.

"It seems you finally remembered you had an Instructor within the Star Academy," Instructor Jude spoke with a wide, almost teasing smile as he gazed down upon Asher due to the noticeable height difference between them, his posture relaxed yet faintly domineering.

"Good morning, Instructor Jude," Asher stated calmly, his tone flat and composed, yet still carrying a faint trace of respect that showed he understood the boundaries between student and teacher despite his indifferent demeanor.

Instructor Jude paused for a moment, clearly expecting more from him, and when Asher did not continue speaking, he tilted his head slightly before asking, "That’s all?" He continued staring at Asher as though waiting for further explanation, his expression suggesting that such a simple greeting was insufficient.

Asher could only sigh inwardly before speaking again, the breath leaving his chest slow and controlled as he replied, "My training took longer than I planned for, hence why I haven’t attended class throughout the time I’ve been within the Star Academy," he stated, his voice steady and unhurried, neither defensive nor apologetic.

Asher knew perfectly well that Instructor Jude already knew this information, yet he still made him say it aloud for reasons that remained unknown to him. Although he personally felt there wasn’t much he could truly gain from the compulsory class lessons at his current level, it didn’t mean he disrespected the Instructors in any way, because someone like Jude could very well be at the Crownstar Life Rank and besides, the man had only been charging him one point per class session he missed, which subtly showed the trust and leniency he had placed in him, something that Asher did not overlook or take lightly.

Instructor Jude nodded his head slowly as he accepted the explanation without further probing. He already knew Asher had been on the Academy grounds the entire time, after all, only students who were officially assigned to missions were exempted from the point charge for missing classes, and Asher clearly hadn’t left the premises.

"Since you’ve been in training for quite a while now, I’m sure you’ve made enough progress, right?" Instructor Jude asked casually, his hand resting on his waist as he stood with a calm and confident demeanor, the corners of his lips curling upward with quiet curiosity.

Asher hadn’t exactly trained his hand-to-hand combat actively, as he had spent the majority of his time refining his elemental affinity applications and polishing his rapier technique with near obsessive focus, but still, he simply nodded at Instructor Jude’s question, even though he knew his close-quarters combat hadn’t improved much, choosing silence over unnecessary explanation.

’Maybe I should create a hand-to-hand technique...’ Asher thought to himself as he casually played with the idea within his mind, considering how useful such versatility might be in unpredictable battles where weapons or elements couldn’t be relied upon.

"Hoo... I would love to see your progress then," Instructor Jude stated with a huge smile, his expression almost childlike as though he had just discovered a brand-new toy to entertain himself with. Asher couldn’t help but sigh mentally at that sight, because no matter what progress he made for now, it still wouldn’t be enough to measure up to someone like Instructor Jude, whose experience and power were on an entirely different plane.

But Instructor Jude seemed to consider this as he continued, "But don’t worry, you won’t be sparring against me," he added with an amused smile, and for the first time in a while, his blue eyes left Asher and shifted toward the other students gathered within the open training space.

"So, who would love to challenge the Tenth Sun?" Instructor Jude asked, his blue eyes dancing from student to student with open interest. But none of them volunteered, and they all remained silent and docile like domesticated cats, not daring to meet Instructor Jude’s blue gaze because none of them wanted to spar with Asher and suffer an inevitable defeat.

Ryaen Silvershade remained silent as well; she didn’t volunteer because she saw no need to get beaten up for free in front of everyone. It was a thankless and humiliating task that offered no benefit whatsoever. Even the Royal Twins, Vaelric and Vaelra, refrained from moving forward. Although hand-to-hand combat wasn’t their specialty, it wasn’t Asher’s either, yet that fact alone didn’t give them any confidence.

Besides, they had all seen how frighteningly good Asher was in hand-to-hand combat, as he had dominated everything on the very first day of class with effortless ease and overwhelming physical control. And with that shared memory lingering in their minds, silence blanketed the entire place like a heavy fog

Instructor Jude, meeting their silence, simply sighed as though he had expected this outcome from the very beginning. Asher was simply a monster in their eyes, and only a fool would try to challenge him willingly. So, he didn’t urge them or insult them, because one of the most important ways of living a long life and not dying early was knowing when an opponent was prey and when they were the predator.

And Asher was undoubtedly the predator here.

Instructor Jude spoke again, "Hmm... it seems no one wants to battle the Tenth Sun," he paused for a moment as his smile slowly turned into a mischievous grin, as though he was about to flip their stubbornness completely on its head, "How about everyone challenges him at the same time, the Tenth Sun versus everyone present," Instructor Jude added as a huge smile stayed plastered across his face.

At his words, everyone’s faces twisted into frowns, their expressions darkening instantly, because none of them wanted to end up as a purple, human-shaped piece of charcoal like the Royal Prince had become before.

Asher himself didn’t react outwardly, his expression remaining as calm and indifferent as ever, but inwardly he sighed quietly, fully understanding that Instructor Jude was intentionally stirring up trouble for his own amusement. Still, he said nothing and simply remained silent, accepting the situation.

The students didn’t protest either, because this was the direct order of an Instructor, and what could they possibly say or do against that authority. The answer was simply nothing.

"Don’t worry, if y’all lose, I will step in and test the Tenth Sun myself," Instructor Jude added with a bright smile, his blue eyes shifting back toward Asher as though he too wanted to personally witness the extent of the boy’s progress.

Asher shook his head lightly in defeat, realizing he couldn’t wiggle his way out of this situation no matter how he tried. He didn’t know whether the Instructor was subtly punishing him for missing class for over a month or if the man was simply entertaining himself at their expense.

’Hmm... fighting everyone together,’ Asher mused at the idea. He wasn’t afraid; in fact, he didn’t believe he would lose even if they all attacked him simultaneously, and most of all, he hadn’t battled anyone for the past month aside from the Prince, whom he had ended with a single decisive attack. But with this spar, at least, he could finally move freely, clash bodies, exchange blows, and enjoy the familiar sensation of his attacks detonating against his opponents like contained explosions.

A small, almost imperceptible smile appeared on Asher’s lips at that thought, faint yet genuine, ’At least I can stretch a bit,’ he mused quietly to himself.