Published at 7th of July 2026 8:57 am

Chapter 873: Next

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

With the signal given, Lawrence didn’t hesitate and immediately moved into action. She tapped into her tangible illusion ability. Her Astra energy boomed outward as she created hundreds of illusory golden-armoured Knights wielding various weapons. They didn’t merely appear in front of Asher; they surrounded him from every direction, forming a complete encirclement that left no obvious avenue of escape.

Catherine Shatterdust was the daughter of a Duke from the Thalvorn Empire. Her ability was Inertia Manipulation, which simply allowed her to do two things: instantly accelerate something or reduce its speed to a complete halt.

Her own Astra energy erupted from her body as she immediately applied her ability to Lawrence Shade’s illusions, and with Lawrence Shade’s illusion ability making them tangible, she accelerated them to the greatest extent her ability would allow.

With this method, they could at least try to stall Asher for a while.

In a blur, well over a two hundred golden-armoured Knights charged toward Asher at blistering speed, their weapons drawn as they launched coordinated attacks from every conceivable angle. Swords, spears, axes, halberds, and greatswords descended simultaneously, leaving almost no room for an ordinary person to evade.

Asher didn’t move. He didn’t even spare the incoming Knights a glance, but he acknowledged their presence nonetheless. With nothing more than a single thought, Astra energy flowed calmly through his body as he called upon gravity. Instantly, gravity multiplied dozens of times over. The charging Knights abruptly halted mid-charge, their armoured bodies trembling before collapsing to their knees one after another. Cracks rapidly spread across their golden forms as the pressure crushed them from every direction, the tangible illusions proving incapable of enduring such gravitational force.

Then, with a loud burst, their bodies exploded into countless fleeting motes of golden light as every Knight was destroyed.

Although the illusions were tangible, the Knights possessed nothing truly substantial. They had no abilities of their own, no battle instincts, no techniques, and no adaptability. No matter how real they appeared, they were ultimately nothing more than illusions given temporary form.

The very next moment, Asher casually stepped to the side as he avoided a spear thrust that shot toward his back. His calm purple eyes settled upon Catherine Shatterdust as her spear effortlessly pierced through the space where his spine had been only an instant earlier. With her Inertia Manipulation enhancing her speed, the force behind the thrust was immense enough to punch straight through any Rank 6 being.

’He dodged? How?’ Catherine thought to herself in complete shock.

Not that she had expected her speed to surpass Asher’s, but Lawrence had cloaked her with her illusion ability, rendering her completely invisible.

’He can see me...’ The realization suddenly dawned upon her as she found herself staring directly into Asher’s calm purple eyes.

Before she could even blink, Asher was already moving. The instep of his foot shot toward her face with crushing momentum. Catherine’s reaction was instantaneous as Astra energy surged through her body once again. She immediately activated her Inertia Manipulation, desperately attempting to reduce the speed behind Asher’s kick before it reached her.

But... it was impossible.

How could her ability possibly reduce the speed behind someone at Asher’s level so effortlessly? Simply because she possessed Inertia Manipulation didn’t mean she could arbitrarily stop anyone in existence. If that were truly possible, she could casually immobilize or even kill Crownstar Life Rankers, something that was obviously beyond her current capabilities.

Asher’s foot slammed into Catherine’s face, the impact launching her backward like a missile fired from an artillery cannon.

Don’t hit women? Don’t attack a woman’s face? If women didn’t want any of this, then they could simply stay off the battlefield. Asher’s hands were certified gender-neutral.

Catherine’s body thundered into a high-speed train. The impact was brutal as her body tore clean through the metallic carriage, ripping through reinforced steel as though it were paper. The tremendous collision knocked the train completely off its tracks, sending it careening uncontrollably before it crashed into another section of the station and exploded in a cataclysmic blast.

Asher’s eyes snapped to the side as he saw Lawrence creating ten illusions of Asher himself, every single one of them a flawless replica down to the smallest detail. Asher couldn’t help but smile faintly at the sight. This was the first time he had ever seen someone create clones of himself with such accuracy.

But while they bore his appearance, they didn’t possess his essence. They weren’t... him.

His hand rose as he casually performed a martial chop through the air. Instantly, with a deafening boom, a crescent-shaped slash of compressed wind erupted outward, tearing through the clones like a sledgehammer smashing fragile eggs. None of them could withstand even a fraction of the attack before being completely obliterated.

Before Lawrence could even move out of the way, she felt the attack reach her. It tore into her stomach, the warped wind pressure ripping through her skin and flesh as she was violently launched backward, her body smashing through pillars and massive metal beams before finally being sent hurtling across the station.

Unlike Catherine, she never intended to initiate any close-quarters combat. Teo Swig had specifically warned her against doing so during the ten-hour rest period should she eventually find herself facing Asher. She had taken that warning seriously. After all, Teo had once been Asher’s teammate during the previous round, making his advice more valuable than anyone else’s.

Her body finally came to a stop as she ricocheted heavily onto the ground. Blood poured from her mouth as violent coughs wracked her body, every breath sending another mouthful spilling onto the floor. Her internal organs were literally on the verge of collapsing. Even through the unbearable pain, her black eyes remained fixed upon Asher as she struggled to comprehend how he could inflict such damage with nothing more than a simple wave of his hand from such a distance, seemingly without even using any visible Astra energy.

She suspected it was some kind of martial technique, but even then...

Asher had basically used the same martial technique he had previously used against the little Golem. The only difference was that this time he had poured slightly more power into the attack since Lawrence was considerably more durable than the little Golem had been.

With just one attack each, Asher had completely incapacitated both Lawrence Shade and Catherine Shatterdust.

Catherine had already fainted from the kick that landed squarely across her face. Lawrence’s internal organs, meanwhile, were rapidly failing after the attack had torn through her stomach and ravaged her insides.

Gazing at Asher while she remained sprawled across the floor, her lips slowly parted as she forced out a single sentence.

"We forfeit."

The moment those words left her lips, she lost consciousness. She saw no reason to continue suffering. While the synergy between her and Catherine might have worked against the majority of opponents, Asher simply wasn’t part of that majority.

With that, the first battle came to an end. It had taken Asher less than a single minute to win without taking a single step forward or backward.

His purple eyes slowly rose toward the five remaining seated geniuses as he spoke calmly,

"Next."

The crowd didn’t cheer. Instead, they held their collective breath as they wondered who would be the next person to step onto the battlefield.

An eerie silence spread among the students as countless pairs of eyes met Asher’s calm, shimmering purple gaze.

Finally, Isaac Wrath Chillstorm rose to his feet. His body plummeted from the sky like a descending meteor, tearing straight through the upper layers of the underground train station before landing with force that blasted open a massive ravine and sent an enormous cloud of dust billowing throughout the battlefield.

He had always wanted to fight a Wargrave, or a Finch. In truth, he simply wanted to fight anyone strong. He wasn’t the type of person who shied away from battle merely because his opponent was stronger... well, unless it was a genuine fight to the death.

His golden hair shimmered beneath the station lights as his equally golden eyes burned with excitement. He slowly settled into a martial stance, every fibre of his being focusing entirely upon Asher as he patiently waited for the signal to begin. A broad smile spread across his face while a surging battle intent steadily rippled outward from his body.

Seeing this, Asher’s calm expression finally broke into a smile as he likewise assumed a martial stance.

If there was anyone more interested in this particular battle than everyone else present, it was Ryaen Silvershade. To her, this wasn’t merely another match, it was an invaluable opportunity to learn countless things. Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she watched with rapt attention, determined not to miss even the smallest movement either of them made.

"Begin," Thomasinho stated.

And with that, the two Martial Masters exploded into pure speed.

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AUTHOR’S NOTE: Hope you love the new change. Hehehe! This way, Asher can fight everyone.

Also, you are all welcomed to bless this Author with a Super Gift as the month comes to an end.

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