Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 666: Information-2

Malrik stayed silent, his legs crossed over the other as he watched Asher being swallowed by his own thoughts; he didn’t rush him, Asher had received a great deal of heavy information just today, from the moment he woke up after his battle with Debro, and it was only natural that he needed time to process everything.

After a moment, Asher gazed at Malrik and spoke, "You can continue, Elder Brother."

Malrik nodded and continued, "Throughout history, they’ve gone around assassinating people of power across all Empires, which personally I don’t understand; if they have a goal, why not just stay behind the scenes and complete the goal?" Malrik shook his head as he spoke, "but the Wargrave family have personally come into contact with them three times, the ones that I know of," he added.

’Three, one attacked Wuthenya, so who were the other two?’ Asher thought to himself, not bothering to ask, as he knew Malrik would explain.

"The first was Grandfather; he was ambushed and killed by three Sinvairas, and during the fight, he almost killed the three of them. The second was the one who attacked Wuthenya. The third confronted Father after his battle with Valentine, the Assassin Guild Leader," Malrik stated, his tone calm, as though recounting something that did not carry the weight it actually did.

Asher’s eyes narrowed, ’Grandfather...’ he thought to himself, ’how much power does one have to possess to be ambushed by three Sinvairas and still almost wipe out the three of them?’ he couldn’t help but imagine the monster Azaron’s father must have been, a figure whose strength likely bordered on the incomprehensible.

’One confronted Father...’ Asher thought to himself, but something felt off; how could one Sinvaira confront Azaron while three had ambushed Azaron’s father? Although he didn’t know exactly how strong any of these individuals were, Asher still liked to believe that Azaron was among the top five strongest within the Empire, so the disparity intrigued him, prompting him to ask.

"They didn’t fight; it was an unexpected meeting, as Valentine had secretly been in contact with the Sinvaira, so at his death, the Sinvaira sent a projection to kill whoever killed Valentine, only to meet Father. But they didn’t fight; there was no need, as the Sinvaira was merely a projection. While they could deal with other Crownstar Life Rankers with their projection, definitely not a man on Father’s level," Malrik explained, his words steady and unhurried.

Asher was stunned again, ’Are Crownstar Life Rankers suddenly so weak? Dealing with Crownstar Life Rankers with just their projections alone?’ the more Asher heard, the more absurd it all began to feel, his understanding of power being overturned piece by piece.

Asher sighed as his mind worked relentlessly, piecing things together in silence as he arrived at another conclusion, one that demanded verification, no matter how uncomfortable it might be to ask.

"I can already assume that you killed the Sinvaira that attacked Elder Sister, so I will ask, how is it possible you killed such a being?" he met Malrik’s blue eyes as he asked, "I’m simply curious... are you hiding your power, Elder Brother?" his words carried a seriousness that had not been present before.

Malrik had once joked that he was above the Crownstar Life Rank; although he hadn’t said it explicitly, it had been heavily implied. Additionally, he had stated that Sinvairas were born at the Crownstar Life Rank and then grew stronger, but Asher understood that this could simply mean they were born at the Dust Crownstar Life Rank and not at the Radiant sub-Life Rank, which stood at the peak of all Life Ranks.

Malrik stared at Asher with a calm expression, their blue and purple eyes meeting, one seeking answers, the other seemingly unwilling to reveal the true depth of the power he possessed, his silence speaking far louder than words ever could.

"You are just at the Swiftstar Life Rank; get to the Crownstar Life Rank," Malrik spoke as his usual smile appeared on his lips, as though the answer to everything lay within that single statement.

’Is this guy a regressor, or perhaps he is sealing his power or something?’ Asher couldn’t help but think to himself, his mind racing with possibilities, none of which he could confirm.

"Does Father know you are hiding or sealing your strength, and also, why are you sealing it?" Asher asked; despite Malrik neither confirming nor denying his earlier questions, he still phrased his current question as though Malrik had already admitted to it.

But Malrik didn’t bother replying anymore; he simply sat there, his mysterious demeanor unchanged, as though he derived some form of amusement from watching Asher speculate and go in circles without ever reaching a definitive answer.

Asher couldn’t help but feel a trace of frustration as he stared at the smile that refused to leave Malrik’s face, a smile that seemed to hide more than it revealed.

’But if he got to the Crownstar Life Rank at twenty-nine and is currently thirty-two years old, how did he advance so much in just a few years? I thought the higher the Life Rank, the harder it was to progress?’ Asher thought to himself, this being the greatest mystery to him, which was also the reason he had previously asked Malrik which sub-Life Rank he was at when they had visited his battlefield.

"One last question," Asher spoke as he exhaled, recognizing that he was simply too weak to force information out of Malrik. He was only receiving this information about Sinvairas because he had traded for it, and the information about ’The Consumed’ organization because he had fought someone associated with one of their branches.

"I’m all ears," Malrik replied, his tone casual, yet attentive.

"Is there a rank above the Crownstar Life Rank?" he asked, as that seemed to be the only plausible explanation, an answer that perhaps only those who had reached the Crownstar Life Rank had the right to know.

"Maybe... the real question is, what are you willing to sacrifice to climb to that rank?" Malrik spoke as he rose to his feet; with ease, he turned and began walking towards the door. Pausing, he turned to Asher, "No need to ask a lot of questions that you can’t influence, even if you have the answers, little brother. Like I’ve always said, just get to the Crownstar Life Rank as fast as you can," he smiled again, but this time it was a smile an elder brother gave to a younger sibling. He waved at Asher as he stepped out of the room, leaving those words lingering behind.

Asher sat in silence; Malrik had avoided his questions once again, as though answering them would invite calamity of some sort. ’The Crownstar Life Rank,’ Asher thought to himself; this wasn’t the first time Malrik had told him to reach that realm, as though something awaited all those who arrived there.

’What am I willing to sacrifice...’ Malrik’s words echoed in Asher’s mind; he didn’t understand... he was simply too weak to understand, a mere nano fish incapable of playing in the same waters as whales.

And with that, the room was filled with silence and Asher’s restless thoughts, stretching endlessly into the unknown.