Asher vanished from his spot.
All three immediately became alert, focusing on their surroundings.
A moment later, Asher appeared above them and launched three mana spearsâone at each of them.
The three quickly summoned their swords and destroyed the spears aimed at them.
But before they could react further, Asher vanished again and appeared right behind Noah.
Noah noticed him instantly.
But Asher vanished again and reappeared in front of Adam, who was still looking toward Noah where Asher had just disappeared.
Before Adam could react to Asherâs presence, Asher punched him in the gut and then reappeared a short distance away.
"Donât focus on attacking, focus on defending. Attack only when you see your opponents are distracted or when youâre sure it will hit them," said Asher with a smile on his face.
"I really hate your smile. You were better with that expressionless face," said Adam, who had just recovered from the attack.
Asher only smiled at his response and vanished.
Then, the place where Asher had been standing a moment ago was destroyed by a mana spear.
Asher then reappeared at some distance away and looked at his previous position. He said to Aria, who had fired the projectile,
"I could have died if that had hit me."
Aria remained indifferent and replied, "I was sure you would dodge, since you never let your guard down like someone else," as she glanced at Adam.
Adam could only stay silent at her comment, as it was his fault.
"So how long will you keep holding back? Your mana will run out before ours if you keep teleporting like that," said Aria in an indifferent tone.
Asher smiled at this, and soon a heavy wave of mana pressure was directed at all three of them.
The heavy mana pressure spread around them.
The air itself felt denser, like it was pressing against their bodies.
Adam narrowed his eyes. "So he was holding back that much..."
Ariaâs expression didnât change, but her tone turned a bit sharper. "Donât underestimate him. Focus."
Noah tightened his grip on his weapon. "Yeah... I can feel it now."
Asher stood there calmly, still smiling faintly. The pressure coming from him didnât weaken at all.
"Good," he said. "If you canât handle this much, itâll be over faster than I expected."
Then he vanished again.
All three of them reacted immediately this time, not trying to track him blindly anymore. They spread out slightly, ready to defend instead of chasing.
"Left!" Noah shouted.
Asher appeared where he pointed, but instead of attacking directly, he shifted his body and slipped past their timing, forcing them to adjust.
Aria clicked her tongue. "Heâs breaking our rhythm..."
"And testing it at the same time," Adam said.
Asher reappeared at a distance again, still looking relaxed.
"Better," he said.
Asher then lunged toward Noah, who immediately focused on him, ready for any attack. Asher summoned his mana blade and slashed at him, but his movements became sluggish, allowing Noah to easily defend with his sword.
Asher retreated and glanced at Aria, saying, "Annoying."
At his reply, Aria looked amused.
Asher then became serious and lunged at Noah again, using mana to fully enhance his physical abilities as he clashed with him.
Noah was soon overwhelmed by Asher. A wind arrow then came from Adamâs side, but Asher used his free hand, coated it in mana, and destroyed the incoming attack. At the same time, his mind was being attacked by Aria.
Asher then vanished and reappeared behind Noah, who could not react in time. Before he could respond, he was met with Asherâs kick to his back, coated in mana, and was sent falling to the ground.
Without any pause, he appeared behind Adam and attacked him with a mana blade, which met Adamâs sword. But Asher then followed up with his free hand.
At that moment, Adam retreated, and Asher vanished again. Adam looked behind him, but Asher reappeared in front of him and punched him in the gut and then in the nose, causing Adam to faint.
Asher then turned toward Aria. She said, "Itâs enough for training."
Asher stopped immediately, the mana pressure around him fading as quickly as it had appeared. The oppressive weight lifted, and the air returned to normal.
He looked at Adam for a moment, then shifted his gaze back to Aria. "Heâs weaker than I expected."
Aria walked forward slightly, glancing at Adam before replying. "You didnât hold back at all at the end."
Asher shrugged. "You told me not to waste time."
A short silence followed.
Noah slowly pushed himself up, wincing as he sat. "That last hit... was unnecessary."
Asher glanced at him. "You were still conscious."
Noah opened his mouth, then closed it again, unable to argue.
Aria then said, "Youâre annoying. You intentionally fought at close range so the others couldnât fire projectiles at you, since there was always a chance you would vanish and end up hitting your teammates instead."
Asher just smiled, then bent down and healed Adamâs bleeding nose.
Adam then opened his eyes, looked at them, and said, "Not this situation again... I hate this."
He then stood up.
Aria continued, ignoring Adam, and said, "Your battle style is more suited for fighting alone, but since youâre an assassin, that shouldnât be a problem. But what about your healing capabilities?"
Asher then looked toward Noahâs arm.
Noah trembled when he noticed Asherâs gaze directed at it and quickly said, "Donât even think about it."
"But I didnât even say anything yet," said Asher with a smile.
"Whatever. Iâm not getting my arm cut off," said Noah while hiding his arm behind him.
Asher then summoned a mana blade in one hand and cut off his other hand.
The severed hand floated in the air as Asher controlled it with mana. He then reattached it without any change in his expression.
"I can also regenerate it, but it takes more mana," Asher said while moving his hand to show that it was functioning perfectly.
Silence filled the area.
Noah stared at Asherâs hand with a horrified expression before slowly taking a step back.
"...What is wrong with you?"
Adamâs face twitched slightly. "You cut off your own hand just to explain it?"
Asher looked at him calmly. "You asked about my healing capabilities."
Meanwhile, Aria kept staring at Asherâs restored hand. Unlike the others, she wasnât shocked by the gore itself, but by how casually he had done it.
"There wasnât even hesitation..." she muttered.
Asher flexed his fingers once before the mana blade disappeared. "Hesitating would only make it hurt more."
"That is not the point," Noah said instantly.
Adam nodded in agreement. "For once, I agree with him."
Asher only tilted his head slightly at their reactions, as if he genuinely didnât understand why they were disturbed.
"Why hesitate or fear it? Itâs not like I would lose my hand."