Saat Asher mengabaikan titan kayu raksasa beserta serangan gelombang kejutnya, ia berteleportasi tepat ke arah Nomor Empat. Tubuhnya muncul di atas bahu titan itu dalam sekejap. Begitu tiba, rapiernya menyambar dengan kecepatan menyilaukan, mengarah untuk menebas kepala pria itu di tempat.
Namun, Nomor Empat bereaksi seketika. Hanya dengan sebuah pikiran, sulur-sulur yang membentuk titan itu melesat ke atas dan menyelubunginya dalam penghalang sulur yang tebal dan berpilin. Rapier Asher berkelebat bagai garis kabur, meremukkan penghalang itu hingga berkeping-keping. Namun, saat ia melakukannya, penghalang sulur tersebut langsung tumbuh kembali, dengan mudah menyamai kecepatannya seolah memiliki kehendak sendiri.
Asher segera menghilang dari tempatnya berdiri, lalu muncul di dalam penghalang itu. Karena pria itu bersembunyi di sana, Asher tinggal berteleportasi masuk. Namun, tak ada siapa pun di dalam. Nomor Empat sudah lenyap, tubuhnya ditelan titan raksasa itu. Begitu Asher muncul, gelombang sulur berduri lainnya melesat keluar dari penghalang, seolah Nomor Empat sudah menduga ia akan berteleportasi ke sana.
Asher tak repot-repot menghindar. Tubuhnya berubah menjadi ilusi dan menembus setiap serangan; tiap duri melintas tanpa melukainya, seolah ia berada di luar jalinan kenyataan. Sekali lagi, ia menghilang dari tempatnya berdiri, lalu muncul di atas titan kayu raksasa itu dan melayang dengan tenang. Sebelum titan itu sempat bertindak atau bereaksi terhadap kehadirannya, arus Energi Astra yang sangat besar mengalir melalui urat Astranya. Afinitas cahaya berkilat di telapak tangannya, sementara foton berkumpul semakin cepat dengan kekuatan yang mengerikan.
Tanpa jeda, Asher mengarahkan telapak tangannya ke bawah. Berkas cahaya emas raksasa melesat turun dengan kekuatan dahsyat, seolah langit sendiri turun tangan. Sinar cemerlang itu menghantam titan kayu tersebut dengan daya penghancur yang melenyapkan. Bagaikan pisau membelah mentega, titan kayu raksasa itu seketika hancur menjadi serpihan dan kemudian lenyap sepenuhnya.
Berkas itu terus meluncur tanpa ampun, menghantam Nomor Empat yang tak sempat menangkisnya. Tanah di bawah kakinya terkoyak oleh pancaran Energi Cahaya yang dahsyat. Jeritannya mengoyak tenggorokan, tetapi tenggelam dalam dengung serangan yang menyilaukan itu.
Sebelum Nomor Lima dan Nomor Enam sempat memahami apa yang baru saja terjadi, serangan Asher lenyap saat ia tiba-tiba menghentikannya. Nomor Empat kini hanya tinggal bayangan dari dirinya yang dahulu. Tubuhnya hangus, babak belur, dan nyaris tak bisa dikenali. Tulangnya patah, dagingnya tercabik, dan darah berhamburan di tanah rusak di bawahnya.
Namun, daya hidupnya yang ulet membuatnya tetap bertahan meski mengalami luka separah itu. Tanpa ragu, dengan rasa sakit yang terus mengalir melalui tubuh dan pikirannya, ia mengaktifkan salah satu skill miliknya.
Penguras Vitalitas
Skill ciptaannya sendiri yang memungkinkannya menyembuhkan diri dengan menyerap vitalitas langsung dari pepohonan dan tanaman. Energi Astranya mengalir ke luar, menyelimuti medan pertempuran saat ia berusaha menguras vitalitas pohon-pohon yang tersisa di luar area itu. Efeknya langsung terasa. Aura hijau bercahaya menyelubungi tubuhnya, sementara luka-lukanya mulai pulih dan menghilang di depan mata.
Namun, Asher tak tinggal diam menyaksikan pria itu pulih. Ia bergerak; tubuhnya berkelebat dari tempat ia melayang dan berteleportasi tepat di hadapan Nomor Empat. Sebelum pria itu sempat berkedip, pandangannya mendadak miring. Yang terlihat olehnya hanyalah kilatan perak.
Kepalanya melayang di udara sebelum jatuh ke tanah dengan bunyi gedebuk keras. Sesaat kemudian, tubuhnya menyusul, ambruk ke bumi dengan suara berat dan hampa. Darah menyembur deras bagai pancuran merah dari pangkal leher tempat kepalanya tadi tersambung.
Tatapan Asher beralih kepada Nomor Lima dan Nomor Enam, yang kini menatapnya dengan wajah muram. Asher tak langsung menyerbu. Sebaliknya, ia menyapu medan pertempuran dengan pandangan perlahan. Kotak-kotak emas yang sama masih tampak tersebar di udara dan ruang.
Ia tak menunjukkan reaksi terhadap kotak-kotak itu. Mata ungunya kembali tertuju kepada dua lawan yang tersisa, tetapi Nomor Lima sudah menghilang. Begitu tatapan Asher beralih ke salah satu kotak emas, Nomor Lima langsung bergerak. Pedang lengkungnya mendesing ke arah tenggorokan Asher, berupa kilatan baja hitam.
Namun, serangan itu sia-sia. Berkat Persepsi Omni, Asher sudah melihatnya bahkan sebelum pria itu sempat melancarkan serangan sepenuhnya. Rapiernya terayun ke atas tanpa susah payah, menepis serangan itu dengan ketepatan anggun. Dalam gerakan yang sama, kakinya menghentak bumi dengan kekuatan menggelegar, menembus penghalang angin saat melesat ke pelipis Nomor Lima.
Namun, pria itu menghilang dari tempatnya berdiri. Seekor monster tiba-tiba muncul menggantikannya. Dengan kekuatan yang sanggup meremukkan tulang, kaki Asher menghantam tengkorak makhluk itu. Kepalanya meledak bagai semangka kelewat matang. Darah berhamburan ke wajah dan tubuh Asher, tetapi ia sama sekali tak bereaksi.
Sebaliknya, ia kembali melesat maju. Kecepatannya membelah medan pertempuran hingga ia tiba di hadapan dua lawan yang tersisa dalam sekejap, seolah ruang ikut terdistorsi. Rapiernya menari menuju tenggorokan Nomor Enam dengan ketepatan mematikan.
Nomor Enam bereaksi seketika. Begitu mendengar angin mendesing dan merasakan penghalang anginnya pecah, ia langsung bergerak. Kotak emas muncul di bawah kaki dirinya dan Nomor Lima.
Namun, sebelum kotak emas itu sempat menelan mereka, Energi Astra Asher berdenyut dalam kendali sempurna saat ia memanfaatkan afinitas spasialnya. Kotak di bawah kaki Nomor Enam langsung lenyap, digantikan sebuah batu biasa dari medan pertempuran.
Mata Nomor Enam membelalak, dipenuhi keterkejutan dan kengerian. Ia hanya bisa menyaksikan bilah Asher kian mendekati lehernya setiap saat. Ia tahu dirinya tak bisa menghindar. Ia tahu dirinya tak bisa menangkis.
Maka, Energi Astra dalam tubuhnya melonjak putus asa saat ia membentuk penghalang Astra di hadapan dirinya, berharap bisa menahan serangan itu walau hanya sekejap dan mengurangi daya hantamnya cukup lama agar ia sempat bereaksi.
Namun, Asher tak terkecoh. Begitu merasakan Energi Astra sedang dimanipulasi, ia langsung bertindak. Ia membaca niat Nomor Enam semudah membaca pikiran seorang anak. Sekali lagi, ruang tunduk pada kehendaknya. Ruang di sekitar Virelass melengkung dengan tenang saat Asher mengayunkannya ke depan. Tepat ketika bilahnya hampir menyentuh penghalang, rapier itu menembusnya seolah penghalang tersebut tak lebih dari udara tipis.
Rapiernya membelah tenggorokan Virelass dengan suara basah yang menggetarkan dunia. Suara logam beradu dengan daging yang mencekam menggema di seluruh medan pertempuran. Sebaris garis perak tipis seketika muncul di leher Nomor Enam, seolah sejak awal garis itu memang ditakdirkan berada di sana.
As Asher ignored the colossal wooden titan and its shockwave attack, he teleported directly toward Number Four, his body appearing atop the titan’s shoulder in a blur. The moment he arrived in place, his rapier flashed forward with blinding speed as he aimed to decapitate the man where he stood.
But Number Four’s reaction was instant. With a mere thought, the vines that made up the titan shot upward, covering him in a thick, swirling barrier of vines. Asher’s rapier flashed in a blurry streak of speed as he reduced the barrier to splinters in real time, yet as he did, the vine barrier simply regenerated, matching his speed effortlessly as though it possessed a will of its own.
Asher immediately vanished from where he stood, his body flickering into existence within the barrier itself. Since the man had decided to hide within it, he simply teleported into the vine barrier. But Asher met no one within; Number Four was already gone, his body swallowed by the colossal titan. The moment Asher appeared inside, another wave of spiked vines shot outward from the barrier as though Number Four had already expected him to teleport into it.
Asher did not bother to dodge. His body simply became illusionary as he phased through every single attack, each spike passing harmlessly through him as though he existed outside the fabric of reality itself. He vanished immediately from where he stood once more, appearing above the colossal wooden titan as he floated with effortless calm. Before the titan could even act or react to his presence, an enormous current of Astra energy surged through Asher’s Astra veins, while light affinity flickered upon his palm as photons gathered with rising speed and terrifying force.
Without missing a beat, Asher pointed his palm downward, and a gigantic golden beam of light tore downward with ridiculous force, as though the heavens themselves had chosen to intervene. The colossal beam of radiant brilliance slammed into the wooden titan with erasing force, and like a knife passing through butter, the colossal wooden titan was immediately reduced to shards and splinters before vanishing in totality.
The beam continued downward without mercy, slamming directly upon Number Four as the man failed to block in time. The earth beneath Number Four’s feet tore apart under the intense light energy beam, his scream tearing violently through his throat, yet it was drowned beneath the overwhelming humming sound of the incandescent attack.
Before Number Five and Number Six could even react to what had just occurred, Asher’s attack vanished as he abruptly halted it. Number Four seemed to have become a mere husk of what he once was. His body was charred, battered, and barely recognizable; bones were broken, flesh torn apart, and blood splattered violently across the ruined ground beneath him.
But his tenacious vitality allowed him to continue living despite such devastating injuries. Without hesitation, and with pain coursing relentlessly through his veins and mind, he activated another skill of his.
Vitality Drain
A skill he had created himself that allowed him to heal by sapping vitality directly from trees and plants. With that, his Astra energy flowed outward, blanketing the battlefield as he attempted to drain whatever trees remained beyond their battlefield. The effect was immediate and dramatic; he was instantly covered in a glowing green aura as his injuries began to mend and vanish before the naked eye.
But Asher did not simply stand and watch him recover. He moved, his body flickered from where he hovered, teleporting directly before Number Four. Before the man could even blink, his perception of the world violently tilted as all he saw was a flash of silver.
His head soared through the air before hitting the ground with a heavy thud. A moment later, the body followed, collapsing onto the earth with a dull, lifeless bang as blood splattered violently like a crimson fountain from the stump where his head had once been connected to his neck.
Asher’s eyes shifted toward Number Five and Number Six, who were now staring at him with dark frowns upon their faces. Asher did not immediately rush forward. Instead, his gaze drifted slowly across the battlefield, and he could still see the same golden boxes scattered throughout the air and space.
He did not react to them. His purple eyes simply shifted back toward the two remaining opponents, but Number Five was already gone. The moment Asher’s gaze had shifted toward one of the golden boxes, Number Five had reacted instantly. His scimitar screamed toward Asher’s throat in a blur of black steel.
But it was futile. With Omni Perception, Asher had already seen the attack before the man had even fully initiated it. His rapier swung upward effortlessly as he parried the attack aside with graceful precision. In the same motion, Asher’s foot left the earth with thunderous force, tearing violently through the wind barrier as it shot toward Number Five’s temple.
But the man vanished from where he stood, and in his place, a monster suddenly appeared, replacing him in an instant. With bone crushing force, Asher’s foot slammed into the creature’s skull with an unforgiving impact. The monster’s head exploded like an overripe watermelon beneath the blow. Blood splattered violently across Asher’s face and body, yet he did not react in the slightest.
Instead, he shot forward again, his velocity ripping through the battlefield as he arrived before the remaining two in a flash of motion that seemed to distort space itself, his rapier danced toward Number Six’s throat with lethal precision.
Number Six’s reaction was instantaneous. The moment she heard the wind scream and felt its barrier shatter, she reacted immediately. Her golden box appeared beneath both her feet and Number Five’s feet.
But before the golden box could swallow them whole, Asher’s Astra energy pulsed in perfect control as he tapped into his spatial affinity. Immediately, the box beneath Number Six’s feet vanished entirely, and in its place appeared nothing more than an ordinary stone from the battlefield.
Number Six’s eyes widened in pure shock and horror. She watched helplessly as Asher’s blade drew closer toward her neck with every passing moment. She knew she could not dodge. She knew she could not block.
And so, her Astra energy surged desperately as she formed an Astra barrier in front of herself, hoping to stall the attack for even a split second and mitigate its force just long enough to react.
But Asher did not fall for it. The moment he sensed Astra energy being manipulated, he reacted instantly in the spur of the moment. Reading Number Six’s intentions as easily as one would read a child, space bent to his will once more, the surrounding space warped calmly around Virelass as Asher swung her forward, and at the precise moment his blade was about to meet the barrier, his rapier simply phased straight through the barrier as though it were nothing more than thin air.
His rapier sliced cleanly through her throat with a world wrenching squelch. The chilling sound of metal meeting flesh echoed across the battlefield as a thin silver line swiftly appeared across Number Six’s throat, as though it was always meant to be there from the beginning.
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