A rush of blood slammed into Tessai's skull, ringing in his ears like a war drum.His bones creaked under the pressure, existing fractures groaning—splintering wider.
The crowd stared, stunned.
"Did… did Saint Zerei just—?"
Their whispers died instantly as Tessai turned his glare on them.
Blood poured from his nose, dripping past his fingers as he pinched it shut, eyes locked on Asher.
Shock didn't begin to cover it.
He should have killed him with that axe. He knew he had. The timing, the angle—it was perfect.So how?
Those movements… they weren't possible for a Sleeper. The way Asher dodged in mid-air—it was like someone had pushed him.
'His aspect?'
Tessai wasn't sure. Asher's punches weren't normal either. Even with a full saturated core, one can't hit punches that hard so he had assumed it was a physical enhancing aspect.
He narrowed his eyes at Asher. His nose was still bleeding even though his body was supposed to be as hard as a rock in this state.
Asher didn't seem to be bothered by the cold.
Tessai's lips curled.
"What an amazing opportunity…"
His axe materialized again in a flash of blue steel, blood dripping from his hand, splattering the ground beneath him.
"I get to rob another talented brat of their future."
Asher bit his lip, glancing at his clenched fist. It was trembling. The adrenaline was wearing thin.
Despite Tessai having a fully saturated core, Asher – 400 fragments shy of a full core – was still confident he was about the same if not higher in physicality.
This was definitely due to his lineage.
No doubt.
But in terms of experience… it wasn't even close.
Tessai was someone whose aspect allowed him to slow others moments down, make his skin as tough as stone and make the atmosphere around him cold.
That was the primary reason Asher couldn't knock Tessai unconscious despite punching him twice in the same relative area.
'How am I supposed to hurt him?'
The answer was simple.
He just had to cut down a stone.
A memory sparked into existence as Asher's eyes narrowed.
It was a Qing Dao, neatly fitted into a black sheath with random intricate golden patterns.
Tessai lunged forward, axe raised, his grin maddening. Asher inhaled deeply, grounding himself.
His hand gripped the hilt.
Eyes closed.
He could sense the contours of Tessai's brawny figure bringing the axe down on him, as
The blade sang.
A piercing frequency tore through the air, heard by none but its target.
Tessai flinched mid-charge, teeth clenched in pain as the sound drilled into his ears, like nails on a black board.
Asher parried the axe, bringing the Dao closer to his chest, pointing the front at Tessai's heart.
Tessai gritted his teeth, the sound continuing to distract him as he realized it was too late.
Asher speared it at Tessai looking at him. But to his shock, Tessai didn't dodge!
Time slowed as the blade approached his heart. Asher clenched the hilt, using gravity to redirect the hit to Tessai's right abdomen.
He clicked his tongue as the blade only left a shallow cut.
He messed up.
A fist hit him square in the chest as the armor around the area tightened.
crashing through several bystanders and slamming into a wall.
Asher hit the ground hard, coughing up blood, vision spinning.
Across the room, Tessai winced, clutching one ear—pain etched across his face.
The blade trembled in Asher's hand.
Memory: [Cicada's Cry]
Memory Rank: Awakened
Memory Tier: III
Memory Type: Weapon
Memory Description: [There was once a swordsman who believed that killing should be quiet. But his blade disagreed. Each time it drank, it screamed—not for blood, but to be remembered. The sound was never heard by crowds, only by the condemned. In time, no one recalled the man. Only the cry.]
Memory Enchantments: [Wail of One], [Crack in the Silence].
Currently, both the enchantments were helping him:
[Wail of One]: When unsheathed, the blade emits a high-frequency sound only a chosen target can hear. It causes sharp discomfort, disorientation, and growing psychological strain.
[Crack in the Silence]: Repeated exposure to the cry weakens mental defenses, making the target more vulnerable to illusions, fear, or emotional instability.
But people, can grow used to it...
Tessai's jaw tensed as he pulled his hands from his ears.
"Nice trick, boy," he growled. "That could've killed me."
He smirked.
"Exactly what I expected."
Before Asher could react, the axe came down again, glowing frost-blue, whistling through the cold air.
Asher shifted to dodge—But froze.
There were people behind him.
'Shit.'
He braced, sword raised with both hands, catching the crushing blow. Wood splintered beneath his knee as he dropped down, shouting:
"MOVE!"
The crowd scattered, panicked.
Tessai laughed, pressing harder.
"You never killed anyone have you?!" his voiced boomed against Asher eardrum. "That won't get you too far brat... After all, it harder to keep someone alive than killing them in battle!"
Asher gulped, blood trickling onto his face.
His blood.
Tessai grinned further looking at this, growling as he put all his weight onto the axe as the wooden flooring beneath Asher crunched.
'Dahila, now!'
Tessai's eyes widened as swung his head to the side.
Asher slid the Dao along the axe, redirecting Tessai's weight. He threw the scabbard upward and tightened his grip.
'I just need to cut stone.'
The Azure Blade whirled overhead. Asher surged forward, slashing at Tessai's chest.
Tessai gritted his teeth at the two incoming attacks.
In a moment, Tessai, gritting through the disorientation, ducked, blocking Asher's attack with the flat part of the axe as he pushed the blade up, consequently deflecting the Azure blade. Yet, Asher grinned.
Tessai's face grew in discomfort as the high pitched sound obstructed his earing. 'Why is he laughing?'
Then
—CRACK!
Something heavy slammed against Tessai's skull from above.
His vision flickered.
In the blur, Asher twisted, reversed his grip, and drove the Dao down, carving a line across Tessai's chest.
Reflexively, Tessai lifted his axe again—but Asher was faster.
A sharp kick to the fresh wound— And the lieutenant flew back, crashing into the wall, axe clattering beside him.
Tessai's vision dimmed.
'Sly… monster…'
That was his last thought before darkness took him.