CLEAVER OF SIN

"So, question one: why are you here, and how did you get here?" Asher asked as he began his interrogation, his sharp purple eyes piercing into the trembling man before him.

"I'm… I'm a criminal," the man stammered, his voice uneven and strained. "I was taken by the Knights after I killed a couple of people. But the Star Academy offered us something else in exchange for our execution. We were told that if we could battle some of the students and win against at least two who were on our same level of strength, then we would be free to go. However, we were explicitly told not to kill any of the students, only to injure them as much as we wanted." His words came out rushed, almost frantic, as though he feared each syllable might be his last.

Asher slowly nodded, his expression calm, but his thoughts sharp. He had already come to the same conclusion, but he needed to be absolutely certain.

'The Star Academy is really using us as their blade to cut down their criminals,' Asher thought, his mind darkening. 'Interesting. So now, I'm battling not only Emovirae, but criminals as well.'

"Second question," he continued without hesitation, his voice measured. "Do you know the location of other criminals, or perhaps how many there are in total?" He leaned forward slightly, his tone carrying the weight of command. If the man possessed even a shred of information, it could save Asher valuable time.

The criminal shook his head violently, his eyes darting about before locking once more on Asher's gaze. "I… I don't know. I was only teleported here with my own crew. We weren't teleported together with anyone else," he answered, his voice trembling, his black eyes reflecting fear beneath the glow of Asher's purple ones.

'They must have accounted for the possibility of students questioning the criminals,' Asher mused internally. 'Of course they would. Nothing the Academy does is without calculation.'

"What of the other criminals? Were they also sent in groups of three, or in some other kind of grouping?" Asher pressed.

The man swallowed hard, his throat bobbing nervously. "I don't know… maybe… maybe not… I'm not sure. I was only with the other two because they were my killing partners before we were caught," he admitted, his words tumbling out clumsily.

Asher's eyes narrowed. 'So then, I might still meet these criminals in pairs and groups.'

He pressed forward. "Last question. Were there any places you were explicitly told to avoid?" His voice dropped lower, colder. This was important, perhaps more important than anything else he had asked so far.

If there were places criminals were warned to avoid, then that meant danger… or opportunity. To Asher, it could mean points just waiting to be claimed.

The man's response came quickly, almost eagerly. "Yes, yes, yes! We were given a map with some places marked on it, places we were told to avoid in the next five hours as we moved." He fumbled clumsily with his pocket, his hands shaking as he produced a small parchment, a crude map scribbled with markings.

Asher accepted it, unfolding it carefully. His lips curved slightly into a thin smile as his eyes scanned the contents.

'The Star Academy is truly cunning,' he thought grimly.

Others might see this as fortune falling into their laps, but Asher did not. To him, this was just another piece of the Academy's greater scheme.

The old man earlier had said there was no way to track other candidates, that fate alone would decide encounters. But now, it was clear that those words had been nothing but lies, smoke to conceal the truth.

If this man carried a map, then surely others did as well. And if other candidates discovered those criminals and took their maps, then naturally, all those guided by the same markings would eventually collide.

And when that happened, chaos would erupt.

There were several locations marked, not just one. Which meant that in the end, fate still played its role, if two chose the same destination, they would meet. If not, paths would diverge. But the Academy had set the stage, ensuring conflict was inevitable.

"Can I go now?" the man asked suddenly, his voice breaking the silence. Asher had drifted deep into thought, and the nervous plea pulled him back.

"You can," Asher replied evenly. He pulled the arrow from the man's back with practiced ease, releasing him from its hold.

The criminal blinked, stunned. He had not expected Asher to honor his word. The chance of betrayal, of Asher killing him the moment he had gotten the information, had been very high. After all, it's what the man himself would have done.

'Naive child,' the criminal thought silently. Aloud, he forced a shaky, "Thank you."

But before he could even cross a good distance, Virelass flashed in a streak of cold steel, and blood sprayed across the clearing as his head was severed cleanly from his shoulders. His body crumpled to the earth, lifeless.

Asher didn't even glance back. "Let's move, Virelass," he said quietly to his rapier. "As a transmigrator, I'm meant to finish first in this exam." His words were calm, certain, as his body vanished in a streak of purple lightning, his speed surged.

On the way forward, he encountered more criminals. But Asher didn't blink, didn't hesitate. He had no questions left to ask, and no time to waste dragging battles out.

If it were another time, perhaps he would have lingered, enjoyed the fights. After all, he had endured half a year of nothing but training, rigid discipline with no true action. He might have welcomed the thrill of combat.

But now? Time was not his ally.

Whenever he heard even the faintest rustle of leaves, his rapier was already there, thrusting with lethal force into the source. Criminals caught only the brief flash of purple and white before their heads were separated from their bodies, soaring through the air.

The Emovirae were no different. For Asher, they were nothing more than obstacles. One strike was enough; one blow, and they were gone.

Most he encountered were merely Grade 1 or Grade 2, far beneath his level. He cut them down effortlessly, each one reduced to ash and silence by a single devastating strike.

As he moved, Asher's points skyrocketed. His ranking shifted at a breathtaking pace, soaring from eighth to third in what seemed like the blink of an eye. His blade tore through all who opposed him, human and Emovirae alike.

'Strange,' Asher thought as another woman's body crumpled lifelessly, her head rolling across the ground like a discarded ball. He didn't even spare it a glance.

Since entering the forest, not once had he encountered a monster or a beast. Not a single one. No tracks, no roars, not even a lingering scent. Nothing.

'It seems we are only being made to fight criminals and Emovirae,' Asher reasoned. His gaze sharpened, but his lips curved into a faint smirk.

Because in the end, it did not matter. Be it beast, man, or monster, it was all the same to him.

Everything would fall before his blade.

Everything always did.