MIGHT AS WELL BE OP Chapter 972: Storm Given Form

Lucian and Aaaninja surfaced on the expansive ocean, their forms slicing the waves like embodied tempests, resembling dual disasters spawned from celestial fury. Their swords clashed relentlessly with unyielding power and savage continuity, every blow smashing into the following one without break or mercy, igniting sparks and shockwaves at each contact.

Beneath their stance, the ocean howled and thrashed wildly, surging skyward in massive jets and crumbling barriers of watery ruin from the sheer might of their clashes, yet Aaaninja and Lucian paid no heed whatsoever, their faces impassive and remote, as they struck one another mercilessly and without regret, ignoring the surrounding world as if it had vanished entirely.

Aaaninja’s blade whipped out, and right away a colossal sword beam, powerful enough to shatter the heavens into pieces, ripped toward Lucian with doomsday velocity.

Lucian showed no doubt, refusing to evade or shift aside, and declining to pull back; instead, he confronted the assault directly with his counterstrike, his katana slashing ahead with total resolve. For a brief instant, the universe swelled with pressure and packed energy before exploding in apocalyptic might and a ruinous surge that warped the atmosphere and fractured noise.

One strike wiped out the whole sea, the ocean floor cracking open while far-off coastlines crumbled and fell as waves raged outward, sword gashes carving profound wounds into the revealed land, though Lucian and Aaaninja had vanished already, as if they’d never existed there.

They materialized atop a massive tree’s peak, their weapons flashing like paired serpents of refined metal as they thrust at each other’s necks simultaneously. Lucian smoothly switched from offense to guard with flawless accuracy, blocking Aaaninja’s blow that targeted his throat precisely.

As soon as Aaaninja’s sword veered off, Lucian struck back instantly, his katana howling at Aaaninja’s torso in a ripping stab that could split space open. Spotting the approaching threat, Aaaninja calmly lifted his blade’s broad surface at the ideal second to intercept it without rush or alarm.

A massive explosion of power burst forth on impact, the tree under them creaking from the immense strain before breaking down and exploding into myriad wood fragments, with gravity pulling them down as the duelists dropped from above. The instant their soles touched soil, they surged into motion once more without stopping, as if the descent was just part of their ongoing duel.

Aaaninja’s sword hacked at Lucian’s arm with deadly swiftness and overwhelming might, Lucian’s gaze following the assault’s path with chilling sharpness, his limb lifting to counter as his katana streaked up, and with a resounding clang, steel grated against steel in a fierce metallic scrape and sizzle.

The soil under their boots caved in from the strain, fissures like spiderwebs radiating everywhere, then the terrain shook wildly from the power in their frames, but Aaaninja and Lucian ignored the chaos erupting below them right then.

In the following blink, existence flickered and they disappeared, leaving only fading echoes of their forms as their pace outstripped sight. Lucian unleashed a rapid barrage of fatal cuts, millions in count, each flowing perfectly into the subsequent one in a seamless series of deadly purpose. Aaaninja’s gaze gleamed slightly upon spotting the onslaught of blades.

He met it directly.

With supreme skill, he shifted to guarding sword arts, deploying counters, wards, and redirections in nonstop sequence, his wrist and weapon blurring so fast they seemed on the verge of phasing from the world.

Sword traces and glowing streaks ripped and gouged the ground below with furious intensity, fissures gaping wide and reaching upward as if the world was being vivisected.

Once his defense ended, Aaaninja closed the gap to Lucian in under an eye’s flutter, his advance quick, exact, and completely noiseless, and upon reaching, he struck at Lucian’s core without pause. Lucian’s awareness locked onto the threat, his balance adjusting instinctively, his torso, legs, hips, and whole form gliding aside as he evaded with a master’s fluid elegance.

Yet Aaaninja appeared to anticipate his dodge, his footwork altering right away like foreseeing events, his sword stopping short then redirecting course to chase the very route Lucian had taken, but now the sharp edge targeted the throat straight on as he aimed to sever his head in place.

Lucian refused to hesitate, showing no flicker of shock, his reactions and senses firing up, velocity surging through his limbs as he retreated with exact poise and sidestepped the cut with no excess motion, but he didn’t just avoid—he countered in the same instant.

Aaaninja sought to advance his push, but immediately flipped to guarding as Lucian’s katana flashed up from underneath in a sweeping side cut. Aaaninja responded in a flash of speed, his neck twisting away as the air ripped and wailed past his ears from Lucian’s blade grazing the spot his head had filled moments before.

Lucian Darkheart advanced without delay, adopting a fierce posture, but this round his weapon stayed put; rather, his leg launched from the ground, slamming sideways at Aaaninja’s head with devastating power.

Aaaninja’s sight shifted as he swung his sword to clash Lucian’s boot with the blade’s side, a shock of dull force erupting in rippling gusts that flung rubble all around. Keeping his grip tight on his weapon, Lucian followed up right away, his katana jabbing at Aaaninja’s side from the flank with pitiless aim.

Aaaninja swiftly shoved Lucian’s leg away while gliding to counter the new threat with impressive and perfect simplicity, but just as their swords neared another clash, Lucian twisted his strike’s path at the final second, redirecting from the side to the chest with pinpoint accuracy.

Aaaninja’s eyes sparked briefly as his awareness extended and honed, assessing all options in a flash, understanding he was trapped. From his position, blocking, deflecting, or evading wasn’t feasible at his speed, nor could he counterattack for shared ruin.

At that thought, his Sword Intent blazed fiercely to the fore, swirling about him like a wild blaze, and he faded from his spot as if wiped from being.

Lucian’s thrust cleaved through void, parting it like thin parchment under his sword’s might, the weave of existence yielding to his edge, but soon after, the emptiness started mending, weaving closed as if denying the gash he’d made.