Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 622: Great Elders

Asher walked down the long hallway in steady, slightly hurried steps as he headed towards the library. After walking for a moment and turning through several corners, he came to a stop before a huge door.

He remembered that when he had first transmigrated, he had been afraid of being exiled and assassinated by his siblings. He also remembered that he had met Thalric, the Ninth Sun at this precise location; with his perfect memory, he recalled the exact words Thalric had spoken to him back then.

Asher shook his head lightly, as though to dispel those unnecessary thoughts. He didn’t have the time to be reminiscing. For all he knew, Malrik could already be clashing with the Emperor at this very moment; he had to hurry up. Of course, he didn’t know if the Elders and Great Elders would attempt to stop Malrik or choose to support him instead, but that didn’t matter, backup was backup, regardless of their intentions or stance.

Without further hesitation, he pushed open the massive door and stepped in with a calm expression. The moment he entered, the first person he saw was the Librarian, who, as usual, was seated on his chair with his leg resting lazily on top of the table, embodying a level of carelessness that seemed almost deliberate. A book rested in his hand, held with casual familiarity, as though he couldn’t be bothered by anything happening in the outside world.

The man possessed black hair streaked with strands of white, a clear sign of his old age and the countless years he had lived. His green eyes were focused on the book in his hand, dim and calm, exactly the same way Asher remembered the man from before. He was one of the three Great Elders, Great Elder Morthen Wargrave.

Seeing Asher step into the Library, Morthen Wargrave slowly lifted his gaze from his book. He wasn’t shocked by Asher’s presence in the slightest; he had already known that Asher was within the building right from the moment Virelass had brought him back two days ago.

"It’s been a while, Asher," Morthen stated as he stared at Asher with an indifferent expression, his voice calm and gentle.

"Good morning, Great Elder," Asher greeted respectfully, lowering his head slightly, not daring to show even the slightest hint of disrespect.

Within the Wargrave, an Elder was the sibling of the Primarch, while a Great Elder was the sibling of the former Primarch, meaning that Great Elder Morthen was Asher’s grand-uncle, the brother to his grandfather, who had once stood at the pinnacle as the Primarch.

"Morning. Here to read again? I haven’t seen you here since your awakening ceremony," Great Elder Morthen stated as he continued to stare at Asher, his tone casual but observant.

Asher’s mind couldn’t help but drift briefly to the World Map he had thought about earlier. It might exist somewhere within the Wargrave Library, or perhaps it didn’t, but now wasn’t the time to concern himself with such matters. He would inquire about it later. Great Elder Morthen, who was deeply engrossed in books and knowledge, would most likely know about it.

"Unfortunately, I’m not here to read, Great Elder. I’m here to seek your help with an urgent matter that might affect the entire Wargrave," Asher stated with a calm and composed tone, though the seriousness of his words was unmistakable.

The moment those words left his lips, Great Elder Morthen’s indifferent expression shifted subtly into one of seriousness, his entire demeanor undergoing a sharp transformation. The atmosphere within the Library grew heavier by the second, as though an invisible pressure had begun to descend upon everything present.

"Boy, you better think before you speak. Matters affecting the entire Wargrave aren’t to be spoken so lightly," he stated, his voice carrying a cold edge as his green eyes began to shimmer faintly while he stared directly at Asher.

Although within the Wargrave a law existed that Suns and Moons couldn’t harm each other, Great Elder Morthen wasn’t a Sun; he was Azaron’s uncle and possessed the authority to punish Asher as he saw fit if he deemed it necessary.

Asher didn’t hesitate or falter; he spoke immediately. Although he didn’t start from the beginning, he chose to reveal only the most critical piece of information first, "The First Sun might be going to attack the Emperor; he could already be on the move as we speak,"

The moment Great Elder Morthen heard those words, he froze in disbelief, as though his mind refused to accept what he had just heard. His thoughts churned rapidly, processing the implications with remarkable speed. He didn’t need to think much to understand that Malrik was most likely going after the Emperor because of something the Emperor had done to one of his siblings, after all, everyone knew just how overprotective Malrik could be.

"What happened? Leave not a single detail," Morthen commanded in a cold, dangerous tone.

Asher held nothing back. He explained everything clearly and concisely, omitting nothing of importance, and the moment he finished, Great Elder Morthen was left utterly speechless. He couldn’t believe what he had just heard. His eyes flashed with a sharp green light in the next instant. He didn’t particularly care about the Emperor’s memory-reading ability; what truly mattered was that the Emperor had dared to use such an ability against a member of the Wargrave family.

In that moment, he fully understood why Asher had come rushing to him. Indeed, this matter affected every Wargrave as a whole, as Malrik’s actions would inevitably be seen as the collective actions of the entire Wargrave family, regardless of whether Malrik acted alone or not.

The next moment, a crystal ball materialized within his hand from his space ring, without the slightest hesitation, he crushed it. The instant it shattered, the air itself seemed to react violently, it shook, twisted, screamed, and exploded outward in an overwhelming blast of force that sent Asher flying backwards like a ragdoll. However, just before he could crash into any of the towering shelves, his body froze mid-air, completely immobilized, as Great Elder Morthen restrained him effortlessly in place.

Despite the violent eruption of air and pressure, not a single trace of destruction touched the Library. Every book, every shelf, every surface remained perfectly intact, as Great Elder Morthen had shielded everything with absolute precision and control.

Asher’s eyes snapped forward, his Omni Perception flaring to life as it detected the sudden appearance of seven new presences within the Library.

They were the Great Elders and the Elders.

The Great Elders were two in number; with Morthen, they became three. The Elders were five in number, bringing the total to eight Elders now present within the Library.

The moment the Elders appeared, their overwhelming presence filled the air in suffocating silence, as though the very oxygen within the Library had grown heavy and choking. Although Morthen hadn’t spoken a single word to them, they already understood that something was wrong, something significant was either happening or about to unfold. After all, Morthen had used an emergency artifact capable of forcefully summoning everyone, regardless of where they were, a measure that was never taken lightly.

Great Elder Morthen’s eyes shifted sharply towards Asher as he spoke, "You may leave, let us handle this." His tone was authoritative, leaving no room for refusal.

Before Asher could even respond or utter a single word, a portal tore open beneath him, swallowing him instantly as he sank into its depths. Outside the Library, near the grand doors, another portal opened abruptly, and he was forcefully ejected from it. Regaining control over his body in an instant, Asher twisted mid-air with practiced ease and landed firmly on his feet, his balance flawless despite the sudden displacement.