MIGHT AS WELL BE OP Chapter 1002: Don’t Blame Me
Previously on MIGHT AS WELL BE OP...
In a flash shorter than a heartbeat, Aura Nova positioned herself right in front of Anthony, her velocity so rapid it warped the atmosphere with a whoosh that bent the air itself. Without any delay or second thought, the instant she materialized before him, her short sword lunged viciously at his eyes in a ruthless slash devoid of pity. Anthony kept his composure, eyeing the approaching strike steadily, his katana still sheathed at his hip, untouched, as if facing her demanded no such preparation.
Right as the blow neared contact, he shifted sideways with absurd simplicity. Accompanied by a crisp, cutting noise, Aura Nova’s short sword ripped through the empty space where Anthony’s head had just occupied. An enormous blade curve, forged from sheer wind force, erupted outward from the sheer might of her assault, annihilating whatever crossed its trajectory into oblivion. The packed air wailed as it burst apart, consuming scattered debris and etching a profound gash into the terrain behind him.
Yet Aura Nova pressed on without stopping. She shifted immediately, as if she had foreseen from the start that her initial strike would miss entirely. Her other short sword hurtled toward Anthony’s throat, blending deadly accuracy with fatal intent in the blow. But Anthony merely offered her a subtle grin while evading once more, the atmosphere yielding in his path as he glided with seamless poise.
Undaunted by her failed strikes, Aura Nova surged forward again. In the blink of an eye, she released a storm of slashes, over a thousand in number. Her arms became a haze, almost vanishing from sight, her weapons spinning a lethal mesh of metal and gusts. Her azure eyes stayed fixed on Anthony, eager to witness precisely how he would slip away from this relentless onslaught.
The abrupt surge in assaults didn’t surprise Anthony in the least. To him, it all boiled down to mere counts—one, two, a hundred, thousands—they were just figures, no more, no less. With that mindset, his pace quickened. His figure turned into a ghostly streak as he flowed, evading every blow the instant it launched, as if he had predicted it prior to its birth. Each sweep, each stab, each precise direction got bypassed with flawless precision.
The second he avoided the final strike, Aura Nova materialized at his rear. Her short swords cleaved the air like fragile parchment, one slicing from the right, the other charging from the left, both zeroing in on his neck for a severing blow.
Yet prior to the edges meeting skin, Anthony simply advanced half a pace. That lone movement had already pulled him clear of Aura Nova’s trajectory. No need to glance back at the threat; it felt like he had vision there, and given his extraordinary senses, he practically did. His vigilance enveloped the entire field, charting every gust shift and every pulse of combat resolve.
A slight furrow creased Aura Nova’s brow as her strategy crumbled. She had loosed a thousand blows, then struck from behind in a bid to startle him... but she couldn’t have guessed that Anthony belonged to those rare existences immune to ambushes.
Still, her setback didn’t halt her momentum. She advanced anyway. Now, she lunged with paired stabs, handling her short blades like a lance or foil. With a deafening crack, the atmosphere near her sword tips imploded as they zeroed in on Anthony’s back with unerring focus.
Once more, Anthony required no pivot. A casual sidestep sufficed, letting him evade with outrageous casualness, as if peering into tomorrow. Aura Nova’s weapons shredded the lingering echoes of his form, dismantling phantoms of speed instead of body and sinew.
The earth underfoot exploded from the collision, grit howling amid them from the raw power of their clashes. Fissures snaked across their barren arena, branching out in rough patterns as the landscape buckled under their velocity and power. Small rocks rose from the soil, hovering momentarily in swirling gales before getting hurled aside.
Anthony reappeared several paces distant upon landing lightly, a grin playing on his features as he savored this chase between predator and prey. He had to admire Aura Nova’s persistence and fighting spirit. Even aware her odds of triumph were slim, she assaulted without cease, acting as if victory was hers for the taking.
Before he could even react, Aura Nova closed in anew. She blasted forward, breaking the sound wall, the air shield exploding behind her. Her short sword whistled toward Anthony’s throat with deadly precision, its edge shining as it hovered just shy of spilling his life.
Anthony merely tilted his head back a touch, sidestepping the thrust like a mentor correcting an eager pupil. But as he moved, Aura Nova chained her follow-up without flaw. Her spare short sword was already thrusting, prepared for the miss. It barreled from the flank toward Anthony’s side, the rhythm perfect, the path ideal.
A smug curl touched Aura Nova’s lips. In her view, Anthony now had no option but to unsheathe his katana. Yet the instant after, her expression dropped as Anthony’s velocity spiked further. His shape fragmented into blurs as he evaded with smooth, refined ease, slipping past both weapons while keeping his blade sheathed.
His silhouette steadied into view as he halted a whole kilometer off, an easy smile on his mouth as he regarded Aura Nova with tranquil poise. Aura Nova’s gaze locked onto him right away, her vivid blue eyes clashing with his steady stare over the ruined expanse.
"Are you just going to keep dodging the whole spar?" she demanded, a hint of frustration coloring her voice. Though toying in combat held its thrills, she favored being the tormentor, not the one ensnared in the game.
"Your sword skills haven’t reached Lucian’s standard yet. Watch what you ask for, Aura Nova," Anthony answered evenly, his smile unwavering.
Aura Nova offered no retort. She detested chatter amid a grave fight where lives hung in balance. She’d only bantered with Lucian in their bout because stakes favored her then. Here, speech served no purpose. Deeds spoke volumes.
At that, her combat aura exploded from within in a fierce wave. Gales roared around her with frenzied might, twisting into wild eddies that twisted the atmosphere and shadowed the heavens overhead. Her very aura pressed down on the arena, as if the world itself bowed to her determination.
She refrained from invoking her Sword Intent. Wisdom stayed her hand. Talented as she was, she’d seen Anthony’s Sword Intent in action and recognized its dominance over hers. A head-on intent duel meant her defeat. Thus, for this clash, she’d battle sans it, trusting in her swiftness, her skill, and her unbreakable resolve.
Anthony let out a quiet sigh, feeling Aura Nova’s mounting combat aura. The air near him quivered faintly in kind, yet his face stayed at ease, "I hope you won’t hold it against me afterward or call me a bully, Aura Nova," he remarked with a light smile.