MIGHT AS WELL BE OP Chapter 935: Decapitation

Blood erupted from Lucian’s wound, a violent spray painting the air as his flesh was shredded. He didn’t linger like a shocked amateur or freeze in disbelief. Instead, his form became a blur of motion as he retreated, boots scraping against the stone, leaving long trails of crimson across the floor as he put distance between himself and Anthony.

Once clear, he paused only for a fleeting second to glance at his torso. He observed the jagged wound and exposed muscle, cataloging the severity with cold detachment. In the following heartbeat, his natural regeneration took hold. Flesh wove back together with impossible speed, bones snapped into alignment, and fibers reconnected as if the damage were being erased from reality. Within a moment, the injury had vanished without a trace.

’I couldn’t even track his movement,’ Lucian mused, his expression hardening as he processed the exchange. He struggled to comprehend how Anthony’s velocity and power had spiked so drastically, surpassing his own perception in an instant. The injury itself didn't shock him; he had made peace with that reality long ago. He knew better than anyone that facing Anthony without shedding blood was a fantasy. That was never the issue.

The true concern was how rapidly the gap between them was expanding.

Lucian had already pushed his own physical limits, drawing out more of his latent strength than he usually dared. He had anticipated that Anthony would match his pace. He had even prepared to be pushed to the brink. What he hadn't foreseen was Anthony eclipsing him so effortlessly, doing so without a word, without doubt, and without any apparent strain.

Suddenly, Lucian’s instincts didn't just tingle—they screamed.

There was no subtle warning. Only a primal roar of danger.

’He’s coming,’ Lucian realized.

The thought had barely registered before agony exploded through his entire being—nerves, mind, and brain all firing at once as Anthony’s blade flashed again. This wasn't a mere graze or a shallow cut. His entire left arm was severed, lopped off in a ruthless arc that left no room for hope.

Lucian blurred away once more, the very air distorting as blood geysered from the stump of his shoulder. The pain was excruciating, but he dismissed it. Pain was a secondary concern. In less than a second, a fresh limb began to sprout; bone solidified first, followed by weaving muscle and then skin, the arm fully restored before his feet had even finished skidding.

However, as he arrived at what should have been a safe perimeter, his breath hitched.

Anthony was already standing there, waiting calmly.

It was as if he had predicted Lucian’s speed, his path, and his final position with perfect clarity, as though every possible escape route Lucian could take was already mapped out in Anthony’s mind.

For the third time, Lucian’s instincts shrieked.

He began to doubt if his reflexes could keep up any longer.

’How did he get here so fast?’ Lucian thought, a flicker of disbelief finally touching his mind.

The answer arrived in the form of cold steel.

Anthony’s katana ripped through Lucian’s midsection, carving through his stomach and intestines in a brutal, surgical strike. Blood sprayed outward, staining both the air and the earth. But this time, Lucian didn't flee. He didn't retreat or attempt to create space.

No. He held his ground.

As his wounds snapped shut yet again, Lucian forced himself beyond his limits. The world slowed to a crawl, dragged down by the sheer intensity of his focus. He pushed his speed, strength, and awareness to the absolute peak of his physical capacity, his muscles screaming under the pressure as time seemed to dilate.

In that frozen moment, Lucian swung toward Anthony’s throat, putting every ounce of his soul into the blow. His goal was simple.

Decapitation.

Anthony’s katana rose effortlessly, parrying Lucian’s blade and knocking it aside as if he were batting away a child’s toy rather than a killing strike. It was a casual, insulting dismissal. In the same fluid motion, Anthony’s blade flashed again, mirroring Lucian’s own strike with terrifying accuracy.

Lucian could only watch the incoming steel. He couldn't understand how the momentum of the fight had shifted so violently toward Anthony. He couldn't fathom the source of this overwhelming power. But one fact became undeniable in that instant.

He had hit a wall. Within his current state, there was no more room to grow. No way to dodge. No chance to block.

Unless...

With that final thought, Sword Intent exploded. It surged from Lucian’s core, drenching the clearing in black energy that clung to his body like a spectral cloak. The atmospheric pressure spiked instantly. His speed reached absurd levels and his strength followed, his perception stretching so far that the world nearly stopped. Space itself seemed to recoil from his presence.

Then, in a single blink, he vanished entirely.

Anthony’s slash whistled through empty air. The missed strike rampaged across the terrain, leaving total devastation in its wake. The earth split wide, sections of the ground were erased, and the air detonated with the force of the swing. Shockwaves followed, shattering everything nearby and leaving nothing but ruin.

Anthony paused for a brief moment. Then, his gaze shifted to the side.

There, amidst the rubble, stood Lucian. His body was wreathed in dense, black Sword Intent, his presence heavy and undeniable. His dark eyes locked onto Anthony with absolute focus. For the first time in the duel, a fully realized form of higher energy had entered the fray.

Anthony remained silent. Instead, he simply smirked and took a single step. That step bridged the entire distance instantly.

Appearing before Lucian, his foot lashed out like a speeding train. Before Lucian could react, Anthony’s forefoot slammed into his chest. The impact sent him hurtling backward like a broken kite, powerless against the sheer force.

Lucian was battered, but his Sword Intent absorbed the worst of the damage at the final moment. Twisting in mid-air, he regained control of his body. When he finally hit the ground, his feet dug deep furrows into the earth, the ground groaning as he ground to a halt.

His head snapped back from the force. The moment he looked forward again, he saw a katana already inches from his neck, slicing through the air horizontally. Lucian didn't hesitate; he ducked immediately, the blade whistling through the space where his head had been. The landscape behind him exploded from the force of the missed swing.

Anthony gave him no room to breathe.

The rhythm of the fight belonged to him now, and he was clearly relishing it.

If Lucian didn't fully adapt, he would be crushed. Anthony’s missed katana adjusted mid-air, the horizontal sweep transforming seamlessly into a vertical drop. The blade plummeted down like a spear cast by a god.

This time, Lucian met the challenge. He flooded his body and weapon with even more Sword Intent, unleashing every scrap of power he possessed. His sword flashed upward in a violent burst of black energy. The two blades slammed together, grinding against each other like clashing titans. The battlefield was swallowed by a massive plume of smoke as Sword Intent roared outward, consuming everything.

Lucian had finally adjusted his pace. Yet, even now, Anthony had not yet unleashed his own Sword Intent.

He countered Lucian’s empowered strikes with nothing but raw steel and physical might, acting as if such power was hardly worth acknowledging. Lucian reacted with a flurry of counterattacks, his speed reaching levels he had never before touched, each strike honed with lethal intent.

Anthony met the onslaught with a knowing grin. Then, he vanished, leaving behind only a fading afterimage and the cold realization that the true battle was only just beginning.