MIGHT AS WELL BE OP Chapter 1022: Touch

The Angels ceased all restraint; instantly, their aura erupted like a detonating, planet-shattering nuclear device. As their multiple presences expanded, the world where Irene stood, along with its celestial neighbors, ballooned outward and disintegrated, obliterated by the overwhelming pressure of the Angels' mere existence until only stardust remained.

Nearby astral bodies fractured like delicate glass ornaments subjected to invisible hammers, their outer crusts rupturing and scattering into vast trails of debris. This left only a graveyard of planetary husks drifting in the silent, empty vacuum of the Galaxy.

Without pause, their Faith Energy bloomed across the void, a golden radiance enveloping their forms. They appeared increasingly holy, casting Irene in the light of an irredeemable witch deserving of the torch for defying the sacred order.

The sheer brilliance of their divine aura glowed like newly birthed suns igniting the heavens, transforming the surrounding gloom into a sea of brilliant gold. As their wings spread with majestic grace, it felt as if the very essence of divinity had taken physical form. To any distant observer, these beings resembled a council of living stars gathering to condemn a solitary sinner facing their divine judgment.

Their preparations complete, both sides charged recklessly. Irene surged forward as a streak of pure blue, while the Angels became golden blurs, fueled by their respective galactic energies. Reality grew distorted around them; unable to withstand their velocity, space itself rippled, leaving warped trails in the wake of their impending clash as if the fabric of existence struggled to endure the onslaught.

Irene delivered a blow laden with world-crushing force. Her opponent, a divine warrior seasoned by countless celestial wars, stood his ground with unshakeable conviction. He struck back, his golden eyes glowing with a fervor born of blind devotion to HIM.

In that moment, the Galaxy seemed to grind to a halt. Time froze, as if reality paused to observe their collision. Then, a blinding white light exploded outward, consuming vast swaths of the void. Time resumed with a snap, and Mana collided with Faith Energy in a cataclysmic roar, sending shockwaves rippling through the dark like a dying star collapsing into nothingness.

Nearby constellations were obliterated instantly. Clusters of stars vanished like candle flames stifled by a sudden tempest, their light snuffed out forever, leaving only a cold, empty void where brilliant celestial formations had once shimmered.

Neither combatant retreated; they remained locked in a stalemate, like two titans refusing to yield. While they stayed gridlocked, the remaining nineteen Eleven-Winged Angels moved, their wings beating in unison as they traversed the void with lethal, space-bending speed.

Irene’s body reacted instinctively, her thoughts and focus accelerating to their zenith. Senses sharpened beyond the supernatural, she calculated countless outcomes in a split second. She deflected the Angel’s initial strike, ignoring him entirely as she redirected her attention to the new threats, her motions displaying the refined efficiency of a veteran tempered by endless life-or-death struggles.

Her blue-enveloped fist collided with an incoming blade, parrying it against its blunt edge. The divine metal shattered under the sheer weight of her strike, the weapon snapping in two. A metallic shriek echoed through the vacuum, resembling the final cry of a collapsed star, and fragments of the sacred steel tumbled aimlessly into the abyss.

The Angel’s expression froze in shock, but Irene offered no reprieve. Snatching the broken blade, she lunged at the Angel’s throat. A true veteran, however, quickly recovered; the Angel beat his wings, hitting peak speed as he dodged with a maneuver of elegant, ceremonial precision.

Irene’s lunge met only air. Suddenly, a second Angel manifested beside her, his heel descending toward her neck with apocalyptic force. Her reaction was instantaneous; she braced her muscles, raising her forearm to absorb the blow.

Another titanic impact sent cosmic winds howling, and her body was propelled sideways like a streak of dying starlight. The collision warped space itself, sending ripples through the void like waves upon an invisible sea.

Her arm bone shattered upon contact, yet Irene felt no concern. As an Apexus Mana Ranker, standard injuries were trivial; unless her very essence was targeted, she could readily ignore such damage, her regenerative power allowing her to function despite catastrophic harm that would have claimed any lesser being.

Regaining control, she twisted sharply to dissipate her momentum and skidded to a halt. Before she could react further, a humming sound vibrated in her ears, her intuition flashing with danger as she snapped her gaze upward.

A third Angel loomed above, a beam of concentrated light descending with the intent to vaporize her entirely. Irene’s mana surged, forming a blue barrier above her head, and when the beam struck, the resulting explosion of energy sounded like a thunderclap ripping through the silence of space.

Irene realized she could not linger; her mana shield was already straining under the immense pressure. Instantly, she bent space to her will and teleported. The moment she vanished, her barrier failed, and the beam tore violently through the space she had just vacated.

Though Crimson Irene lacked elemental affinity, she wielded teleportation through mastery of ancient skill books. With her vast wealth and standing, she had acquired numerous abilities to compensate for her lack of specialization, relying on pure tactical ingenuity and versatility to turn the tide of battle.

She did not jump to a distant point but instead blinked directly toward an Angel who had been observing her defense. Caught off guard by her sudden shift in position, the Angel was left defenseless as she moved with ruthless fluidity.

Her hand blurred toward him, coated in a verdant, healing energy. Upon touching the Angel’s face, her energy bypassed his Faith barrier like a digital virus, and moments later, his head swelled grotesquely before rupturing like an overripe melon under insurmountable pressure.

Gore, golden blood, and bone fragments drifted into the vacuum, serving as grim proof of Irene’s terrifying efficiency.

In mere heartbeats, Crimson Irene had thinned their ranks from twenty to nineteen, displaying a level of lethality faster than any warrior from previous invasions. Within this clash of giants, she proved herself a force that even the most powerful beings would fear.

The headless corpse of the Angel lost its gravity, drifting like a discarded piece of rock in the cosmic sea. Its once-dazzling wings hung limp and silent as the brutal battle raged on around it.