The gold radiating from Marcus looked like a flickering candle standing before a hurricane of shadows.
"DIE!" Marcus roared, channeling every bit of his 85.0 Blood Qi into a killing blow aimed directly at Asher's throat.
Asher didn't move. He didn't blink. He wanted to feel the impact.
BAM.
Marcus's fist slammed into Asher's chest. The sound was like a sledgehammer hitting a stone wall. The shockwave rippled through the floorboards, but Asher didn't fly back. He didn't even stumble.
[PASSIVE ACTIVATED: PAIN IGNITION]
[PASSIVE ACTIVATED: BURNING BLOOD]
"That's it?" Asher asked.
His voice was a low, terrifying rasp. His 19 Blood Qi was still technically low, but the Wrath sin was using Marcus's own kinetic energy to reinforce his muscles.
Marcus's eyes bulged. "No... I'm an S-Rank! You should be dead!" He pulled back for another strike, his face twisted in a mask of pure, jealous insanity.
"My turn," Asher whispered.
Asher's hand shot out—a blur of obsidian shadows. His fingers clamped around Marcus's throat mid-swing. The speed was so blinding that the Priest froze in his tracks.
"Stop!" the Priest finally managed to yell. "Asher Gray, release him!"
Asher ignored him. He lifted Marcus off the ground with a single hand. Marcus's legs kicked uselessly in the air, his golden aura sputtering and dying as Asher's dark Qi choked him.
"Do you feel it, Marcus?" Asher asked, leaning in close. "The 'worm' is holding your life in his hand. Where is your godhood now?"
In the crowd, the silence was absolute. The girls who had giggled were now pale.
"Release him!" a teacher shouted, flaring his Tier 4 aura to intimidate Asher. "Have you no respect for the rules of this school?!"
Asher looked at the teacher—the same man who had watched Asher get beaten for months without saying a word. The Wrath in his blood surged at the hypocrisy.
"The rules?" Asher asked, his violet eyes locking onto the teacher's. "Where were your rules when he broke my jaw five minutes ago?"
The teacher flinched. The killing intent radiating from the 19-point boy was heavier than his own pressure.
Asher turned his gaze back to Marcus. With a cold sneer, he drove his fist into Marcus's stomach. It wasn't a killing blow, but it was enough to shatter Marcus's ribs and send him flying back into the bleachers.
[NOTIFICATION: 50 SIN POINTS (SP) ACQUIRED]
Asher stood on the dais, the obsidian light slowly receding into his skin. He looked down at his hands, feeling the power vibrating in his soul. He was still at 19.0 Blood Qi, but he felt like he could tear the gymnasium roof off.
The Priest stepped forward, sweating. "Asher Gray... your awakening is... unprecedented. We need to notify the Association. You need to stay for the documentation—"
Asher didn't even look back as he stepped off the dais and walked toward the exit. The weight of the gazes—envy, fear, and confusion—meant nothing to him now.
"If you need me for your paperwork, you know where I live," Asher said, his voice echoing through the silent hall. "I'm done here."