Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 549: Invisible Talisman

Asher stared at his photon clone that had taken his place, then nodded, but he didn’t move immediately, he simply remained where he was as he wanted to know if any of the assailants would come rushing in, as he wanted to confirm they hadn’t sensed anything; if anyone came rushing in, he would immediately replace his photon clone, and although the cell was dimly lit, the light photons were more than enough for what he required.

Besides, Asher would be using Star Energy for everything he was about to do from now on, meaning every skill and ability would be more powerful than usual; as for the reason he had abandoned Astra energy for now, what if someone sensed it and traced it back to him, although he possessed Perfect Astra Control, he was being cautious at the moment.

Asher sent a will to his clone to inform him if there was any development within the chamber, with that, Asher turned and walked away, his steps as silent as ever, but he also covered his feet in Star Energy to lower detection, a subtle yet effective technique the Star Academy had taught in their assassination class, a lesson many underestimated until they needed it the most.

Asher didn’t rush, as he walked to the steel bars of his cell, he phased through them as he moved directly to the man who had seen through his escape plan, he phased into the man’s cell, studying him silently as he remained invisible, after a moment, Asher stopped observing the man as he sensed nothing different, no fluctuation of energy, no shift in breathing, no hidden vigilance concealed beneath feigned ignorance.

’I wonder what kind of chamber is over three hundred meters wide,’ Asher thought to himself as he walked through the chamber, as he wanted to go beyond the range his Omni Perception had already shown him and confirm its boundaries with his own senses. Getting to the location of the Adventurers, and as Asher had counted earlier, they were exactly twenty, not nineteen, not twenty-one, but twenty in total, each confined in their own restricted space.

But their condition was extremely cruel, they had obviously been here for more than two weeks, and they were barely getting any food or water. Although their bodies were powerful due to Astra energy, the body couldn’t magically continue functioning without enough or any sustenance for two whole weeks, regardless of cultivation or Life Rank, as starvation was a universal law that even the strongest could not completely defy without preparation.

Asher shook his head then turned away as he couldn’t watch anymore, as malnutrition would probably kill these Adventurers first before the assailants ever needed to intervene directly. Within minutes, Asher reached the door which the deranged man from earlier had exited through, the door was thick, heavy, and metallic, so much so that one needed to be an awakened individual of considerable strength to push it open through sheer force alone.

Obviously Asher didn’t push the door open, he simply phased through it, the moment he did, his purple eyes came into contact with a new scene, before him were a group of people who were laughing like maniacs as they discussed with one another in crude, unrestrained tones.

Asher didn’t speak, he simply stood where he was, Star Energy shrouding his entire body as he watched calmly and without emotion. If there was one thing Asher noticed, it was that they all seemed to have tattoos on their faces. It wasn’t a particular diagram or unified symbol, but different types, as each person seemed to have drawn and written whatever they wanted, chaotic lines, obscure symbols, warped letters.

But from that alone, Asher could already come to the conclusion that this was an organisation and not some random group that had banded together out of coincidence or desperation. And it seemed one of their requirements was a tattoo on the face, a mark of allegiance, individuality within collective madness.

Asher’s purple eyes danced through the new room he had arrived in as he did a head count, ’about fifteen of them on this floor alone,’ he thought to himself, his mind cataloguing every face, voice, body shape, muscle mass, posture, breathing rhythm, and even the way their eyes shifted during conversation, ’they are all at the Blazestar Life Rank,’ Asher thought as he read their presence, although he couldn’t read their sub-Life Rank as they weren’t revealing it openly, it didn’t matter to him as he was only trying to gauge his enemies and estimate the level of resistance he might encounter.

Although this particular room and the chamber in which they held the prisoners had been separated by a single wall, Asher couldn’t even hear anything when he was within his cell, these people were making enough noise to be heard clearly, yet he had heard nothing.

’A noise cancellation barrier?’ Asher thought to himself as he let his Star Energy spread out from his feet in a controlled and refined wave, and immediately he saw various invisible talismans embedded within the wall that seemed to stop every vibration and sound from spreading out of the room, absorbing and nullifying it entirely.

At the same time, Asher frowned, if he hadn’t spread his Star Energy, he wouldn’t have sensed it at all, within a shadow in the corner of the room was what seemed like a being covered in total darkness, hiding within as though lying in wait. Although one might misunderstand and assume that this person hiding within the shadow was against their group, but Asher thought otherwise, the person hiding simply stayed in place without vigilance of any kind as though they were a natural part of this group, their concealment not defensive, but habitual.

’What is the name of this group?’ Asher thought to himself as these people seemed far too organised and deliberate in their structure, his eyes shifted to the left side of the room, and there sat another man who was staring at various heads-up displays, and on these displays were the images of prisoners, the villagers, and the Adventurers, as the man watched them in real time with a smile as though he were watching a form of twisted entertainment.

Asher could see the man was focusing on the display that showed his photon clone and the villager from earlier who had claimed he knew Asher was about to escape.

’Just as I thought, they had both visual and audio surveillance of the place,’ Asher thought to himself as he stared at the display that showed his photon clone. The man who was watching the screen seemed to want "Asher" to reply to the Villager’s words, even when minutes had passed without any reply, the man still watched with a wide grin as though he wanted to see "Asher" attempt an escape, as though anticipation itself was feeding his amusement.

’I will take advantage of their silence talismans,’ Asher thought to himself as a plan formed in his mind, precise and efficient. If these people had put up their invisible talismans on the wall to cancel noises, then he would take advantage of it and kill them while trying to make as little noise as possible, ensuring their own precaution became their downfall.

After all, these talismans couldn’t block what came from an explosion of sufficient magnitude, nor could they suppress the vacuum that followed absolute annihilation.