Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 502: Trick [Bonus Chapter]

The sounds of two fists meeting echoed violently throughout the open space as they moved in a blurry phantom of afterimages, too swift for the other students to properly see or even follow, their heads only snapping in the directions where they heard the sharp, thunderous sounds of collision, but all they ever caught sight of were shattered wind barriers and ruptured air currents because Asher and Instructor Jude were already gone by the time their eyes adjusted, their speed climbing higher and higher with every exchange of attacks like two storms competing for dominance.

Every part of their body became a lethal weapon, hand, palm, side palm, knuckle, fist, knee, footheel, elbow.

They all tore outward with deadly force and terrifying intensity as they collided with one another in relentless succession, each movement calculated, precise, and merciless. Both moved like apex predators who knew not the concept of forgiveness when they spotted prey, their instincts sharpened to the extreme, their minds stripped of hesitation, their bodies flowing with cold, unfeeling efficiency that bordered on mechanical perfection.

They only targeted vital organs, heart, eyes, lungs, chest, ribs, head, neck. They didn’t slow for any reason, not for the watching students, and certainly not to give their opponent even the slightest chance to keep up or recover, because in real combat, a single moment of hesitation meant death, and both of them understood that truth better than anyone present.

An endless rain of techniques tore outward, punches met parries, kicks met dodges or subtle steps back. A jab met a block, a hook met a duck, a knee met an elbow. None landed any definitive attack for the moment as though they were equals locked in perfect balance, but Asher wasn’t stupid enough to believe they truly were, because deep down he could feel it, the faint but undeniable gap between them that refused to disappear.

He didn’t dare hold back, not even slightly, he threw everything he had at the man without reservation, every ounce of speed, strength, and skill pushed to its absolute peak, but the Instructor still carried the same relaxed grin whenever he dodged or parried, and in return he retaliated with casual yet overwhelming efficiency, forcing Asher to remain on constant defense.

Asher didn’t hesitate to dodge, he didn’t dare take even a single attack head-on, because he knew that one clean hit from someone of Jude’s caliber could shatter bones or rupture organs instantly.

The world became a blur of motion within their eyes as they met yet again at a single point in space, the wind collapsing under their might as the air itself screamed for mercy, shockwaves bursting outward and flattening the surrounding dust as though reality itself struggled to contain them.

There was no augmentation, no Astra energy, no techniques, no abilities or flashy skills, just pure and refined hand-to-hand combat stripped to its most fundamental and brutal form, the kind of combat that tested nothing but instinct, reaction speed, experience, and raw mastery.

Instructor Jude’s knuckles screamed toward Asher’s eye as though he intended to explode them within their sockets, the attack so sharp it split the air apart, and Asher swiftly stepped to the side with the smallest margin to spare, but as he moved his foot left the earth and screamed upward toward Instructor Jude’s jaw with the crushing force of a cannonball, the counterattack launched without hesitation.

Instructor Jude immediately drew back his arm, his head snapping to the side as his entire body flowed as one seamless unit as he dodged, his muscles rotating with fluid grace to Asher’s flank, and his fist erupted outward, tearing toward Asher’s ribs as though he intended to crush his organs and bones with explosive, pulverizing force.

Asher’s purple eyes snapped toward the incoming attack, calm and razor-sharp, and his right hand moved instantly as he grabbed onto Instructor Jude’s wrist, using it as a handhold, lifting himself out of the strike’s path with absurd agility, his body somersaulting through the air as he dodged with finesse and control that seemed almost weightless.

Instructor Jude’s blue eyes tracked Asher, who flowed over his head from above like water, and Asher, without even landing, compressed his muscles tightly, his hand snapping backward like a drawn bowstring as he channeled force and power into his fist before punching outward into the air. The wind stretched backward like a taut trampoline before bursting outward as a shockwave tore toward Instructor Jude’s body with violent pressure.

Instructor Jude, seeing the incoming blast, simply raised his palm, and with a casual wave of it, shattered the attack as though it were nothing more than fragile scraps of paper, the shockwave dispersing harmlessly around him.

The moment Asher landed on the earth, Instructor Jude moved, and in a blur he closed the distance instantly, his smile widening as though he were enjoying himself far too much, unleashing a burst of fifty successive fist attacks, each streaking toward different parts of Asher’s body with mechanical precision and terrifying speed.

Asher’s eyes tracked every single one of them without fail, his stance shifting immediately as his legs parted and the ground beneath his feet sank inward from the pressure, channeling strength into his legs before that power flowed upward from his legs to his waist and then to his hands as he punched outward to meet every attack with ridiculous ease and speed, his arms turning into nothing but echoes and overlapping blurs of motion.

Ravines tore through the open space, earthquakes rumbling outward as their attacks met midair again and again, dust billowing into the sky and air, cloaking everything in a thick haze, but Asher and Instructor Jude seemed able to sense each other regardless, through the cloud of dust and churning debris, streaks of purple and white tearing into one another flared repeatedly as they moved in snake-like motions and unpredictable patterns.

Instructor Jude closed the distance again, his fist rocketing toward Asher’s chest with the booming force of a missile, but before it could land, Asher’s hand flicked forward and threw something small and loose toward the Instructor’s eyes.

Sand.

Instructor Jude noticed it, the grains barely a second away from splashing against his face, but he didn’t react with panic or retreat, he simply met it head-on as he calmly closed his eyes, trusting his other senses completely, and even with his vision gone, he still attacked Asher regardless, his fist continuing forward with absolute confidence, but this time, Asher didn’t dodge, he simply remained in position, watching closely.

But before the punch could connect, the clock suddenly rang out as the five-minute timer came to an end, the sharp ringing sound echoing throughout the open space like a signal that snapped reality back into place.

Both Asher and Instructor Jude stayed silent for a moment, the dust slowly settling around them, "nice spar, Tenth Sun, good trick with the sand," he stated casually as he opened his eyes, the same relaxed grin returning to his face. Asher simply nodded without replying.

He had thrown the sand for a particular reason, because if Instructor Jude had dodged to either side, then Asher would have immediately capitalized on that opening and pressed the advantage, but it seemed Asher had been too optimistic, as Instructor Jude saw through it effortlessly, after all, he wasn’t a man at the Crownstar Life Rank for nothing, and if anything, he possessed a ridiculous amount of battle experience that far surpassed Asher’s own.

The rest of the students could only stare in silent awe, their throats dry and their minds struggling to process what they had just witnessed, they had battled the Tenth Sun earlier and lost, but now they could clearly see that he had been holding back back then. Back then, they could at least see a blur or a phantom of movement, but during his spar with the Instructor, they saw absolutely nothing, not a blur, not a phantom, not even a silhouette.

"Alright, that’s it for now, let’s begin the class," Instructor Jude stated casually as he immediately started instructing the students as though nothing extraordinary had just occurred.

Asher also fell in line quietly as he received his own lessons based on the spar he had just had with Instructor Jude, his mind replaying every exchange as he analyzed each flaw and mistake, already planning how to grow stronger.

_____

AUTHOR’S NOTE: My fingers are hurting... And yes, it’s that time of the month. Please do remember I need all your golden tickets, and our top 10 goal is still ongoing, and 30 bonus Chapters are still waiting to be earned. Or should I make it 60 bonus Chapters if we get to the top 10?