MIGHT AS WELL BE OP Chapter 1010: Kneel

Upon hearing Klaus's statement, neither Anthony nor Aaaninja charged at one another like fierce rivals. Instead, they both remained motionless, gazing at each other with entirely contrasting looks on their faces. Anthony maintained his subtle, assured grin that appeared permanently fixed, emanating a serene assurance as if the result of this showdown had been predetermined ages ago.

In contrast, Aaaninja's face showed something entirely opposite. Indifferent. Blank. Nearly vacant. He gently shut his eyes for a short instant, drawing in a soft breath before reopening them. For three full years, he had anticipated this very instant. Three years filled with relentless practice, three years of deep contemplation, three years spent mentally reliving that one humiliating loss time and again.

He had pondered it extensively. He had envisioned it in his dreams. He had prepared rigorously for it. And now... the moment had arrived at last.

While Anthony clashed with Aura Nova, Aaaninja hadn't paid close attention to the skirmish. As others watched the duel with wonder and eagerness, Aaaninja turned his focus inward, experiencing his personal evolution. His combat abilities had advanced, his technique mastery had become more precise, his expertise had been honed, and his sheer might had soared to levels he once deemed unattainable.

'This time... victory will be mine,' he resolved inwardly, his determination solidifying like forged iron.

Though he realized the battle wouldn't be straightforward—after all, he and Anthony had both ascended to the Apexus rank—he held firm belief that he would prevail in the end. Even without access to his River Of Time Personification skill anymore, as it was a once-only power, that was irrelevant now. It had fulfilled its role back then. What counted presently was all the growth he had achieved since.

Aaaninja's hand darted to the blade at his side as he readied himself to advance. His stance adjusted faintly, his sinews coiling in anticipation of the surge forward.

Yet before he could budge an inch, Anthony uttered, his voice steady and relaxed, 'Do you remember what I said to you during our previous encounter, Aaaninja Chronisynth Eternos?' Anthony inquired, using Aaaninja's complete name without pause.

For a fleeting second, Aaaninja's forehead creased a bit before his indifferent mask settled back in place. He offered no reply, staying quiet, as if the query had never been aimed at him.

Of course, he recalled it vividly. How could he forget the final words that echoed as he slipped into darkness under Anthony’s Soul skill? That scene was burned indelibly into his recollections.

'I mentioned that I offer each person just one opportunity. Only one,' Anthony went on evenly. 'And what leads you to believe that's altered, Aaaninja Chronisynth Eternos?'

He halted for a moment, the inquiry obviously meant to provoke thought rather than seek an answer. 'Do you believe your enhanced combat skills and powers have now leveled the field between us, or maybe even surpassed me?' Anthony pressed, his tone remaining composed and deliberate. 'They haven't, Aaaninja. Not due to any disdain for your efforts. Not from belittling your gifts. Not from underestimating you. But purely because... that's the reality.'

Aaaninja stayed mute. His grip clenched firmer on his sword's handle while he absorbed the words. He had nothing to say to Anthony. No counterpoints. No defenses.

But he possessed a response, one delivered through action. In the span of an eye's flutter, he disappeared from his spot. The very next heartbeat, his blade hurtled down toward Anthony’s skull, slicing the atmosphere with horrifying velocity in a flawless curve designed to bisect Anthony from crown to sole.

Anthony regarded the approaching strike with composure. Aaaninja's velocity had surged. His might had grown. His brute force had amplified. Even his basic swordsmanship had achieved superior polish.

Nevertheless... it remained insufficient.

Anthony merely extended one finger in an effortless, somewhat indolent gesture, as if he possessed infinite time to respond, as if the River Of Time had decelerated to match his pace. Then, with a devastating roar like thunder, Aaaninja’s sword collided against Anthony’s fingertip.

The atmosphere burst apart the instant they connected. A massive shockwave burst forth from the clash, gales howling in furious bursts as layers of pressurized air ripped across the arena. The terrain shuddered under the raw intensity of the blow.

Still, Anthony didn't retreat a single pace. He held his ground perfectly. Immaculate. Unyielding. Unaffected. The soil under his boots didn't even crater from the colossal blast of the assault. Anthony had absorbed the full blow solely with his unprotected form.

Aaaninja's gaze sharpened a touch as he assessed the occurrence. Without a sound, he blurred out of sight once more, his form streaking in a haze of speed that outshone any prior displays on the field. Within a flash, he rematerialized a few meters back, resuming his earlier stance.

'I get that you won't acknowledge it without witnessing the real gap separating us, Aaaninja,' Anthony stated serenely while dropping his lifted arm to his flank, 'so for the moment... I'll reveal just a fraction of it.'

Before Aaaninja could respond, an immense aura exploded from Anthony’s frame. It rocketed skyward with the rage of a tempest, its weight quaking the essence of the isolated realm they occupied. The whole dimension around them shook fiercely, as if on the brink of total disintegration.

The previously serene azure heavens swiftly shifted to a crimson hue under Anthony’s dominant aura. The overhead clouds detonated outward like they'd been hammered by an unseen power. Even prior to any downpour, the vapor formations were utterly annihilated from being.

Forests. Peaks. Streams. Ponds. All features in the vicinity were obliterated into absolute void merely by sharing the realm with Anthony’s aura. The isolated plane strained to rebuild the ravaged landscape, its principles striving to mend the lost elements. Yet nothing could reform before Anthony’s overpowering aura erased it anew.

Aaaninja remained rooted, shocked, his composure fracturing just a fraction as his Eyes Of Genesis ignited on reflex. Via those fractured orbs, he discerned what normal perception missed.

Anthony’s aura wasn't aimed at him at all. Anthony had merely released it toward the heavens and ambient void.

Even then, Aaaninja sensed it—a mere sliver of it. And that scant portion unveiled a horrifying fact; the divide between them was boundless. A separation so immense it defied measurement beyond cosmic scales.

In the sight of his Eyes Of Genesis, Anthony’s aura appeared as a gigantic, spectral likeness of Anthony, a vast soul projection that loomed over reality akin to a heavenly mass.

The silhouette rivaled a sun in scale. It peered down at him with tranquil, azure irises. Aaaninja Chronisynth Eternos could merely gape, trapped in a mix of reverence and incredulity.

'Is this... merely a portion?' he pondered wordlessly.

Before another idea could solidify in his thoughts, the enormous spectral Anthony uttered;

The lone utterance bore the gravity of unbreakable decree. And right then, Aaaninja’s legs buckled forcibly into the soil beneath with cataclysmic might, the surface caving under the immense burden of the directive.