Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 617: Research Purposes

In a blur, Asher appeared, and the next moment, Virelass appeared beside him. Noticing their presence, Malrik turned his head towards Asher as he asked, "Done checking up on your maid?" his tone casual, yet carrying a subtle undertone of curiosity.

"I am, we may leave," Asher replied with a calm and composed tone, "but you might need to bring me to the Thornvein County first, I can get you to the battlefield from there," Asher added.

The Star Academy had given him a teleportation scroll that led him to a forest, from which he got to the Thornvein County by tracking a carriage; there was no way he could simply get there from the Wargrave Ducal territory without assistance.

’I will need a detailed map of the Empire or something like that, I simply don’t know the road to a lot of places,’ Asher sighed to himself, his thoughts flowing with quiet dissatisfaction, ’it should be easy to obtain, the Wargraves would certainly have one... unless they don’t care about maps,’ he shook his head lightly in thought.

Malrik rose from his seat as he spoke, "No problem then, I will advise Virelass to return to your soul though," he stated as he walked towards Asher with measured steps. Asher simply nodded his head, and the next moment, Virelass sheathed herself within her scabbard, sliding in with a fluid and natural motion as though she had always belonged there.

Malrik stared at Asher’s scabbard for a moment, his gaze lingering with faint intrigue. After staring at it for a brief while, he shook his head as though dismissing a passing thought. Before Asher could even speak or ask why he was staring at his scabbard, he felt a touch on his left shoulder, and in the very next instant, he felt as though the world had swallowed him whole, then compressed and exploded with him within its stomach; the next moment, it felt as though the world had regurgitated him... it all felt strange, distorted, and uncertain, as though reality itself had folded and unfolded around him.

The next instant, Asher felt his senses snap back into place. Light flooded his vision, he felt the sensation of touch return to his body, he could smell the faint scent of burning earth, he could hear the distant rush of wind. The moment his vision adjusted, he found himself floating within the air, completely shrouded in Malrik’s crimson-orange Solar Energy, the energy wrapping around him like a protective cocoon.

Asher’s eyes shifted downwards, and right below him was the Thornvein County. They had arrived here in a single second under Malrik’s ridiculous speed. Asher could not help but consider how fast individuals at the Crownstar Life Rank truly were, faster than light? He did not know; he had no proper way to quantify such absurd levels of speed.

His eyes then shifted to the energy cloaking him; he did not even need to ask. He knew with absolute certainty that without it, he would have died instantly, as there was no conceivable reality in which he would have survived movement at such terrifying speed without protection.

He, who had been feeling somewhat satisfied and even proud of his own progress, now suddenly felt a quiet sense of dissatisfaction creeping into his mind, as Malrik had effortlessly displayed a level of power that dwarfed his own.

"You don’t need to keep me afloat, Big Brother, I can fly on my own, you know," Asher’s voice came with a faint sigh as he spoke.

Malrik simply nodded, and the crimson-orange energy cloaking Asher vanished immediately without resistance. Asher remained afloat through Astra energy Perfect Control, stabilizing himself effortlessly within the air.

"Let’s move then," Asher stated, and with that, he shot forward like a rocket, leaving multiple bursts of sonic booms in his wake, the air itself shattering behind him, causing the residents of the Thornvein County to raise their heads in alarm and fear of a sudden attack or invasion.

Malrik simply followed beside Asher with casual and almost lazy ease. He did not speak; he simply flew as though he did not exist, leaving no sonic disturbances, no ripples, nothing to indicate his movement, as though the world itself parted for him. Minutes passed, and soon, they arrived before the battlefield, a forest, or at least what remained of it.

Asher floated above the destruction brought about by his own hand, over a hundred kilometres devastated in utter madness. The molten ground was still present even after two days, heat radiating heavily, smoke still churned into the sky in slow spirals, ravines scarred the earth, chasms and sinkholes stretched endlessly outward, while sword marks and slashes filled what little remained of the forest.

Asher could not help but smile faintly at the might of his own power. If he had not fought Debro, he would never have known he possessed such overwhelming destructive capability hidden within him.

Malrik simply whistled at the sight, then spoke, "It seems you are more monstrous than I gave you credit for," he stated as he floated downwards, his feet touching the molten earth, yet the heat dared not burn his shoes nor affect him in any visible way. Malrik simply walked around, his blue eyes shifting from one part of the battlefield to another, carefully observing everything with quiet attention.

Asher did not know what Malrik was searching for, but he simply remained in the air in silence, watching. After searching for a while, Malrik found nothing, not even Debro’s corpse. It was no mistake; the organisation had certainly taken it. As a Wavestar Life Ranker, Debro certainly knew a thing or two; although not part of the top echelon, he likely knew something, or at least had guessed or overheard rumours among members of the organisation.

Malrik simply shook his head, then took out a recording device and began recording the devastation in silence. As for why he was recording, it was undoubtedly to show it to their father, Azaron. With that done, he flew back into the air with effortless grace.

"Found anything?" Asher asked with a calm and steady tone.

"Nothing, although the battlefield wasn’t erased or cleaned, ’The Maddened’ organization was certainly here. After all, all the corpses, there is not a single one left, not even the carcasses of Number Four’s tamed monsters and beasts," Malrik stated as he recorded again from a bird’s-eye view, ensuring nothing was missed.

"Why are you recording the battlefield?" Asher asked, wondering what Malrik could possibly intend to do with battle recordings of people like him and Debro, who, in the grand scale, were still insignificant.

"Research purposes," Malrik stated before the recording orb vanished into his space ring.

Asher stared at him, not believing him in the slightest, but he said nothing. What could he possibly even say in response to that?

"It seems we are done here," Asher stated with a soft sigh, his gaze lingering over the destruction one last time.

"We are," Malrik intoned simply.

As Asher was about to fly away, Malrik’s voice came once more, "You seemed so proud of your destructive power, how about I show you mine?" he suggested, a wide, almost playful smile appearing on his face as his blue eyes met Asher’s purple ones.

"What do you mean by show me yours?" Asher asked, his brows narrowing slightly. Malrik’s words could mean a variety of things; what if Malrik immediately attacked him here just to demonstrate his overwhelming power? After all, this was literally an endless expanse of trees, mountains, and hills, a perfect place for destruction without notice.