CLEAVER OF SIN

Chapter 882: Acker Steps Forward

The crowd sat speechless for a moment, then sighed as they couldn’t help but take in everything they had just witnessed. Asher had dominated yet again by simply evading throughout the entire battle and drawing his rapier only once, which was at the very end, and with a speed they couldn’t even follow. They couldn’t comprehend how someone could possess such remarkable speed, footwork, and effortless ease of motion. Truly, they found themselves enamoured every single time they watched Asher fight another student. It had become an expectation by now, yet somehow, he always found a new way to exceed it.Towards the end, they had all fallen for the trick Asher had set up. Every single one of them had believed that The Dominator had finally become injured and wasn’t so invincible anymore. Of course, they knew it was because of the Red Flag. But then, their assumptions were completely overturned when they saw Asher’s real body standing right beside Finch in a perfectly indifferent stance and lazy posture.

Of course, each of them was already familiar with Asher’s clones. He had used them twice before, once during his battle with Xal’Thar, and the second time when he became a salted fish, allowing the clone to act as his scout and effortlessly dealing with everything that came anywhere near his Luxury Tent.

But they simply hadn’t expected him to use it in this battle. They hadn’t even seen him activate it. Most of all, they didn’t know Asher could become invisible, as he had never displayed such an ability until this very moment. It was yet another hidden card revealed only when it served his purpose, making everyone wonder just how many more abilities the young man had concealed beneath that calm, indifferent exterior.

At this moment, they all came to understand that even Finch’s Good Luck ability, which had been working during work hours and off hours alike, seemed to become utterly useless during his battle with Asher. At the end of the day, however, he was still, in a way, fortunate because he was the only Top 16 Ranker, or even Top 8 Ranker, who would be leaving this competition without suffering a single serious injury. Even his Sword Savant had sustained only one injury throughout the entire battle.

So, at the end of the day, although Finch’s Good Luck hadn’t truly kicked in, it seemed that, in the end, he had still managed to get off rather lightly.

But that was simply because Finch had been friends with Asher for almost a year and understood exactly what he was walking into. There was no need to endure needless pain just to prove something to the countless spectators watching from the stands. Reaching this point of the competition and standing on this stage was already proof enough of his strength, and he had anything more left to demonstrate to those who sought entertainment above all else.

As for Finch’s cute, battle-loving little sister, Rachael Whale, while Finch was admittedly a little heartbroken that she had now discovered he wasn’t the strongest big brother in the world like she always believed, she would survive and eventually get over it. He had no intention of lying or manoeuvring his way around the truth. Reality was reality, and this particular reality had already been exposed. But of course, if Rachael found a way to lie to herself, he would simply shake his head and ignore it.

At this moment, Lior had already transformed into his soul form and returned to Finch’s soul. It would take the Emovira a good while to recover. After all, Emovirae and humans possessed entirely different biologies and could hardly be healed by just anyone with a healing ability. So, unless Finch found someone capable of healing Emovirae specifically, Lior was destined to nurse his own injuries. But at the end of the day, he would survive, as Asher had held back a great deal. If he hadn’t, Lior would have been split cleanly in half, and Finch would have simply followed him into death.

Finch sighed. He pushed himself off the green energy barrier and began walking away from the battlefield and into the tunnels of the Coliseum. But this time, Finch received no chants of love from his fan club. No, it wasn’t that they had forgotten about him; it was simply that someone else had put on far too grand a performance for Finch to matter at this particular moment.

Anticipation suffused the air once again as excitement swelled throughout the Coliseum, countless eyes lifting towards the sky. Nobody spared a glance at Arianna Haelight, who sat with one leg crossed elegantly over the other.

To them, the pinnacle of the Inter-Empire Competition was approaching. After Asher defeated this delusional Buddhist guy, it would finally be time for the two perfect representatives of the opposite sexes to clash.

Acker Holloway remained seated exactly where he was, as though he had never intended to make the first move, as though he too wished to remain and become the final opponent. The moment the two-minute countdown was about to expire, Acker finally let out a quiet sigh and spoke.

"May Buddha bring peace to the world after this," he said, his tone gentle as he rose to his feet.

His staff rested perfectly balanced across his shoulders as usual, as though space itself had locked it firmly in place. He gazed down at Asher before stepping forward and descending towards the ground, landing with gentle ease as his kasaya fluttered around him for a brief moment beneath the force of the wind.

Everyone wondered whether Asher would give the Buddhist some special treatment for using the White Flag against his elder brother, Thalric. Some hoped he would, while others simply didn’t care. They only wanted to witness outstanding action, breathtaking battle choreography, and overwhelming displays of ability, and that alone was enough for them.

Despite the losing streak of the five people before him, the delusional Buddhist remained calm and completely at ease. No tears fell from his eyes. After the single sentence he had spoken earlier, the monk hadn’t uttered another word.

Asher’s mind couldn’t help but return to what Kimberley had told him a few days earlier during the gala regarding Acker Holloway. Although the man constantly spoke about Buddha and preached against violence, the monk had never once held back whenever he stepped onto the battlefield.

At this moment, Asher could see a trace of seriousness hidden within the Buddhist’s tranquil eyes beneath that ocean of calmness, which was perfectly understandable. After all, to Acker Holloway, there was far too much riding on this very moment.

If he lost, there would be no more Buddha Temple, no more followers walking the path of Buddha. If he lost, then he would have failed his own way.

He took the Buddha Staff from where it rested upon his shoulder and stood calmly, poised and ready for battle.

Thomasinho and AlyxAtlas, the hosts of this tournament, hadn’t said anything until now. Seeing Acker Holloway step forward of his own accord without needing the television prompt simply made them smile.

AlyxAtlas’ voice boomed through the air as she delivered the same familiar one-word line.

"Begin."