MIGHT AS WELL BE OP Chapter 933: How Arrogant

Lucian’s form flickered as his body shifted into a total defensive posture. Every part of him—his shoulders, waist, feet, and hands—operated in perfect synchronization, mimicking the movement of a finely tuned machine. Each adjustment was deliberate, and every shift was executed with surgical precision. Aware that Anthony had transitioned his combat style, Lucian adapted to the change without a moment's delay. He could sense the mounting pressure and tension accompanying every strike Anthony delivered; the sheer weight of the swings bore down on him like a crushing, invisible force, yet he embraced the challenge without a second thought.

His earlier promise to hold nothing back was no empty gesture. At this moment, he was pouring everything he understood about the katana into the fray. Every foundational principle, every honed movement, and every lesson etched into his very marrow through a lifetime of combat was being utilized. Despite this, Anthony parried his efforts as if they were nothing more than a gentle breeze. Lucian remained unfazed, however. He was well aware of the monstrous nature of the man before him. He had always known. Even so, he refused to simply roll over and accept defeat just because Anthony was the protagonist of the multiverse.

Tracking every sword strike with terrifying accuracy, Lucian’s dark eyes darted within their sockets. He parried, deflected, and blocked with relentless focus. Yet, there was one action he refused to take: he would not dodge. Such a move had no place in the fundamental defensive arts of the katana. To forsake the core principles of the blade was to lose oneself, a compromise Lucian would never make.

’Is he testing me?’ Lucian questioned internally as he began to decipher Anthony’s true motives. After all, no one in existence understood Anthony as deeply as he did.

’How arrogant,’ he thought, a wide grin spreading across his features.

He couldn't deny the exhilaration he felt under this intense pressure. Without such a burden, how could a Cultivator grow? Without facing adversity, how could one ever advance? But he wasn't merely content to play the role of the defender. He was determined to demonstrate the true essence of Lucian Darkheart. He stood there as a side character who refused to be forgotten in the shadows. He was there to defy the protagonist—no, he was there to challenge the very author of his fate.

With that internal vow, his entire aura underwent a transformation.

His presence sharpened, becoming as keen as a blade freshly pulled from its scabbard. His speed accelerated to an impossible level, shattering the laws of logic and perception. With a single stride, Lucian vanished. It seemed as though reality itself was too slow to track his movement. A heartbeat later, he had already closed the distance to Anthony’s side, his katana whistling through the air in a lethal arc meant to rend flesh.

Anthony’s instincts blared a frantic warning. Guided by his current katana style, his body twisted with supernatural fluidness. His own blade became a blur of crimson light as it swept upward, colliding with Lucian’s steel in a violent, echoing clang that shook the battlefield.

Lucian was relentless, however; he transitioned into a second strike instantly, weaving it into the first without a gap. Anthony parried the blow with ease, his combat instincts bordering on true clairvoyance. Lucian remained undeterred. Like a gale howling through the midnight sky, he lunged forward, chaining a third attack to the previous two in a flawless, unending sequence.

Anthony’s eyes widened slightly.

His sky-blue gaze glowed as he analyzed Lucian’s patterns as clearly as if they were written in bold text. Three strikes had been unleashed within a fraction of a nanosecond. For almost anyone else, defending against such speed would be impossible, but Anthony was different. His grip tightened on the hilt of his katana, his muscles bulging as he flicked his wrist in a singular, circular motion. With that lone gesture, he neutralized all three attacks at once.

Lucian was entirely unbothered.

He had anticipated this outcome. To believe he could wound Anthony with a mere handful of strikes was nothing short of a delusion; one might as well expect a pig to take flight. Without missing a beat, Lucian adjusted his stance and drove a lethal thrust toward Anthony’s knees. The sheer power of the blow caused the air to warp and groan, sounding as if the atmosphere itself might tear asunder.

Leaping into the air, Anthony evaded the strike while simultaneously parrying the blade. His body rotated cleanly over Lucian in a midair flip. But Lucian did not let the opening pass. As Anthony hung in the air, Lucian’s hand moved upward like a lightning bolt. His katana transformed into a haze of crimson light as he unleashed a torrential storm of slashes—over a thousand strikes delivered in a mere millisecond.

Time appeared to grind to a halt.

Suspended upside down, Anthony saw the attacks converging on him from every angle. Panic did not touch him; instead, a smile touched his lips. His style shifted instantly while still in the air, the primal instincts from before vanishing as he entered a completely different state. His wrists moved in a flash, creating a continuous, melodic ringing as metal clashed against metal. With breathtaking elegance and insulting simplicity, he parried every single strike before his feet even grazed the earth.

The moment Anthony landed, Lucian was already upon him.

It was as if Lucian had foreseen exactly where Anthony would touch down. However, Anthony had anticipated that very prediction. He struck first, initiating his counter before Lucian could even complete his move, despite Lucian arriving at the spot first. Reacting instantly, Lucian parried the thrust aimed at his skull. He didn't stop there; using his katana, he attempted to lock Anthony’s weapon in place, intending to wrench it from his hand.

To Anthony, such a maneuver was child’s play. His fingers and wrist flickered with subtle speed. The katana seemed to dance between them in slow motion. Grinning, Anthony released his hold on the sword entirely, only to snatch it out of the air with his left hand. In that same heartbeat, he launched a barrage of lightning-fast strikes. Lucian didn't flinch. Moving like a phantom, his body flowed between the blows, parrying every one of them simultaneously.

The ground beneath them disintegrated into chaos. Sword gashes ripped into the earth as if carved by celestial forces. Great chasms of varying depths opened up under their feet, the terrain unable to endure the ferocity of their duel. Even the air seemed to vibrate in fear, as if terrified of being extinguished by their blades.

The pair appeared before a mountain, then vanished. They flickered atop a tree, disappeared again, and materialized on a distant hill. A moment later, they were standing upon the surface of a vast lake. They traversed battle zones like lightning bolts piercing the dark, never halting their movement and never losing their rhythm.

Anthony unleashed a wide horizontal arc aimed directly at Lucian’s throat. In less than the blink of an eye, Lucian deflected the blow, sending the redirected force crashing into a mountain range in the distance. Peaks shattered and crumbled into dust under the weight of the residual Qi.

And so, the clash continued.

This was the true battle of the katana: a display of absolute madness, uncontrollable fervor, and the endless collision of iron and will.

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