Chapter 593: Unknown
Asher’s face remained as expressionless as stone as he moved. There was no flicker of emotion, no hesitation, no visible strain, only a cold focus that bordered on sothing inhuman. Unlike Debro, who had the luxury of entertaining useless and disturbing thoughts mid-battle, Asher could not afford the sa.
A single lapse in concentration, a montary disruption in rhythm, or even the slightest delay in reaction, and he would bleed. Of course, he could always heal, but that was not the point. Who truly knew the limits of Debro’s so-called love? The man could, at any mont, simply decide to kill him and call it a day, masking it beneath that sa twisted affection he so casually displayed.
Asher’s eyes danced within their sockets with unnatural speed and precision as he read every attack Debro unleashed. With Star Energy enhancing his eyes, brain, central nervous system, synapses, and every fiber of his being, his perception had reached a level far beyond that of ordinary enhanced humans. Signals fired faster, thoughts processed sharper, reactions executed cleaner. He could follow, react, and barely keep up with the man standing before him.
But Asher knew the truth... he was barely holding on.
His instincts, refined through countless battles and sharpened by survival itself, had saved him far too many tis to count. They acted before thought, before logic, before conscious understanding. Although Debro was clearly holding back, Asher could feel the terrifying force behind every strike slamming into his body with bone-crushing intensity.
Each clash sent vibrations through his arms, into his shoulders, and down his spine, threatening to tear him apart from the inside. If not for the Star Energy reinforcing and protecting his body at every mont, he would have been injured a hundred tis over, if not outright destroyed.
Asher did not know what level of tempo or catastrophe this battle would escalate into once Debro decided to beco serious. The man had already erased a staggering ten kiloters of forest with what could only be described as a casual attack, while Asher could barely replicate that destructive output, and only with the aid of Star Energy.
He ca to a harsh and undeniable realization; even with Star Energy, he could not bridge the gap between their Life Ranks.
Two Major Life Ranks.
The difference was not sothing that could be overco with effort alone. It was an abyss. A chasm that separated them on a fundantal level.
He wanted to shift into his Star Form, to draw upon one of his greatest trump cards, but it had a strict and unforgiving ti limit. He could not afford to activate it carelessly, nor reveal it prematurely without gaining anything in return. He needed certainty, certainty that when he used it, it would matter.
Besides... it was still unknown whether Star Form would even be enough to deal with Debro.
Asher could only thank his Stars that he had not been foolish enough to rely on Astra energy. If he had, he would have been rendered unconscious from the very first clash, unable to even stand within Debro’s overwhelming first slash.
Although Asher could not consciously entertain thoughts like Debro, because the intensity and speed of the battle denied him that luxury, his subconscious worked relentlessly beneath the surface. Sowhere deep within, sothing stirred. A realization. A need.
He had to find sothing, he had to break through, because at this mont, he was on the losing end.
Although he possessed what could be described as "infinite" Star Energy, his body was still bound by physical limitations. His stamina was not endless. His endurance, while monstrous, had a limit, and that limit was being approached with every passing exchange.
His body dissolved into a phantom as he dodged yet another attack from Debro, the violent displacent of wind from the missed strike slamming into his face like a physical blow. The pressure alone was enough to distort his features, yet he ignored it completely.
He countered instantly, his rapier flashed downward with fluid precision, targeting Debro’s kneecaps in a calculated attempt to limit his mobility. But Debro simply took two steps back, his movent simple, efficient, and utterly absurd in its effectiveness. There was no wasted motion, no unnecessary effort, only perfection.
Asher did not hesitate, he followed, hiis body blurred forward as he erased the distance between them once more, pressing the attack like an unrelenting storm that refused to give his opponent even a mont to breathe. At such close range, his eyes flickered sharply as he mirrored Debro’s earlier sword skill.
His wrist moved, and in the next instant, five thousand sword lights converged upon Debro, each one precise, sharp, and carrying lethal intent.
But Debro smiled, amused. There was a clear, unmistakable satisfaction in his expression as he watched Asher replicate his own attack. To him, this was not a threat, it was entertainnt.
The mont the attack descended upon him, Debro responded, his wrist flickered, and he mirrored the skill. But where Asher unleashed five thousand strikes,
Debro unleashed seven thousand effortlessly.
Five thousand erupted outward to intercept Asher’s attack, eting each strike with perfect accuracy, while the remaining two thousand surged toward Asher’s position with terrifying speed. Debro’s control was beyond ridiculous, it was absolute.
And when the attacks collided, the world erupted, a blinding cascade of silver explosions tore through everything, devouring the battlefield in overwhelming destruction. Thirty kiloters of forest vanished in an instant, obliterated with such force that the land itself seed to fracture under the pressure. Massive chasms split open, the ground twisting and collapsing as though reality itself could no longer withstand their power.
The explosion was titanic, a pocalyptic. Beyond anything that could be reasonably asured or understood. Neither of them paid attention to the dust or smoke that consud the battlefield. At this level, vision was aningless, but the mont Debro unleashed his seven thousand strikes, Asher had already moved. Before the two thousand attacks even reached his previous location, he was gone.
In the very next instant, his rapier was already streaking toward Debro’s skull from behind, the angle perfect, the timing flawless, the intent lethal.
But Debro was unsurprised, he moved like a man who had already seen the future unfold. Without even turning, he stepped slightly to the side. Asher’s blade cut through empty space, the air exploding outward from the force like an overfilled balloon bursting under pressure.
Still without turning, Debro slashed backward. Effortless and precise... but his blade t nothing, Asher had already vanished again, his body flickered back into existence beside Debro, reappearing at the perfect mont. Debro’s eyes snapped toward him instantly, sharp and aware, but the mont their gazes locked,
Asher acted, with ruthless efficiency, he flung sand directly toward Debro’s face. A crude tactic, a desperate one, but necessary. Debro tilted his head slightly, dodging the sand with insulting ease, as though it had never posed even the slightest threat.
But that single mont, that was all Asher needed, his rapier flashed as he slashed forward with overwhelming force, aiming to cleave Debro in half from the waist. But just as the blade was about to connect, a flash of silver appeared. Debro’s katana intercepted the strike with chilling ease, halting the attack as though it had never held any aning.
Then, he pushed, just slightly, and that was enough.
Asher was sent flying backward like a ragdoll, his body thrown violently through the air by the sheer force of the impact. Yet even then, he recovered almost instantly. The mont his feet touched the ground, they skidded across the shattered terrain, carving deep lines into the earth before he forced himself to a halt.
His head snapped upward toward Debro’s position, but what filled his vision was not Debro himself, itwas his katana, descending toward his shoulder with lethal, undeniable intent.
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