MIGHT AS WELL BE OP Chapter 955: Frozen World

"Let's keep going; I'm certain the readers and onlookers are weary of our chatter," Lucian declared, his mana surging upward and twisting around him like a vital current, dense and oppressive, winding and unwinding as if an aware sea that heeded solely his command.

'Readers?' Aura Nova pondered inwardly, puzzled briefly until her passion for books clicked in, helping her grasp it, 'he's imagining we're in some story and toying with the fourth wall,' she reflected silently and pushed the notion aside since it was utterly impossible for them to be inside a book or similar, the concept far too ridiculous and illogical even for one used to bizarre realms and distorted worlds.

That idea faded, sharpening her concentration completely, her mana surging skyward like a boundless ocean surge, immense and limitless, its force expanding in unseen waves that warped the atmosphere and made the area near her vibrate with subdued, potent menace.

"One more tip: why don't you slip into that unique mode you pulled against Kingsley and we can bypass all this back-and-forth striking," Lucian's tone rang out, steady but mocking, his mana thundering aloft as if a serpent stirred from slumber, the air's weight intensifying relentlessly while structures nearby quivered and creaked, their bases quaking beneath just his aura's burden.

Aura Nova paused quietly before answering, "Did someone ever mention you have a real talent for inviting doom?" her query sincere and nearly casual, yet under that serene facade a keen bite remained, for if she flared up easily, she'd be raging hotly right then.

"Hmm... yeah, I've heard that lately," Lucian shot back with a grin, laid-back and somewhat youthful, since his system had warned him of it not long ago, the recollection passing through his thoughts like a private jest meant just for him.

Aura Nova said nothing further, merely shaking her head while she swiftly triggered her Omniedit power, her face shifting to icy detachment as if the scene ahead was merely a rough sketch ready for alteration.

Her mana burst from her center in frenzied rage, her locks whipping fiercely to the gale's pulse and cadence as existence twisted at her whim and yielded to her order like delicate crystal molded by hidden forces.

In the instant that followed, the heat in this isolated realm spiked to a wild, immeasurable level, structures, vehicles, and the pavement nearby dissolving into molten rivers as all things started to melt into a fiery red wasteland.

The atmosphere split, then broke apart right after as countless suns ignited across vast distances in the heavens, their count far exceeding a thousand, every one flaring with matching frenzy and glow, tiny stellar bodies emitting ruinous warmth and holy splendor. At Aura Nova's mere intent, they hurtled toward Lucian's spot like godly projectiles, their paths scorching through the void.

The immense pull from such a massive assault pressed down on Lucian's form, a smothering power that could crush peaks, yet he remained unmoved. For him, the onslaught fell short of any real threat; it felt far too feeble, too trivial, akin to lingering under a gentle spring gust.

As soon as those notions crossed his mind, his mana countered the incantation, causing the soaring heat to crash down abruptly, introducing a chill that was profound and utter. Blasts of warmth and frost collided wildly as if Aura Nova's and Lucian's energies were directly warring, two overlords vying for control of the shared territory.

All the stars Aura Nova had summoned instantly iced over from Lucian's magic, their fiery exteriors hardening into still orbs of pale rime, while the melted edifices that became magma solidified completely, the whole area turning frigid, wrapped in perpetual frost as if the flow of time had halted its sigh.

Lucian grinned wickedly while he promptly mimicked a technique Anthony once unleashed on him. Though not via his Absolute Copy gift, his inherent and absurd aptitude let him execute it with eerie accuracy, as if the method had originated from him all along.

Lucian's mana boomed across the firmament and vapors as if the skies were on the verge of crumbling, the celestial vault quaking fiercely while the fabric of reality shuddered with delirious force, then it fractured with a thunderous crack, the emptiness yawning broad and complete as a colossal, enormous jaw emerged in the shadows.

The jaws parted wide and at once the sucking force yanked Aura Nova ahead with tremendous velocity and might, like quarry hauled powerlessly into the gullet of a primordial monster.

Aura Nova responded fast, her mana surging about her frame as she steadily invoked her power devoid of any alarm, her gaze keen and assessing.

Right then, the powerful tug halted abruptly as if it had been a mere illusion, then Lucian's incantation itself crumbled, the abyss folding shut, the massive mouth disappearing along with it, and in a flash, the world normalized, the ripped continuum mending like a gash compelled closed by invisible fingers.

Immediately after, Aura Nova's gaze jerked aside, spotting Lucian advancing on her with a blade targeted at her throat just as she'd fully nullified his prior strike from existence. Yet she wasted no time, her reflexes kicking in as she arched back to evade, the edge slicing the breeze and the spot her throat occupied moments before, trailing a piercing hiss.

Yet precisely then, the Lucian she'd evaded dissolved completely as if unreal, and a new one materialized directly next to her with a katana already descending. Aura Nova required no warning; she realized Lucian had tricked her, the initial thrust she'd sidestepped merely a mirage, and she'd been duped like a novice.

With Lucian's katana nearing her throat, she warped the continuum to her desire and shifted away, but it proved too slow, Lucian's weapon slicing her shoulder like a blade through meat, severing her entire limb without pity. The noise of tissue ripping and crimson spraying saturated the space between them as her detached arm dropped to the earth with a dull, nauseating impact.

The instant Aura Nova rematerialized elsewhere, Lucian's voice resounded.

The power at once pinned Aura Nova down, and he materialized there once more as if he'd foreseen her every move, treating her like a mere novice in his presence.

His katana struck out again and with a swift slice, Aura Nova's other hand soared free, though once more she'd evaded and broken free of the Dimensional Lock power, eluding beheading twice consecutively through raw intuition and realm-bending skill.

Her form reemerged suspended in the air, and as she did, she'd already healed as if the loss of both appendages hadn't occurred. She hovered there wordlessly, gazing at Lucian below, who bore a serene grin with his katana holstered, appearing nearly at ease, as if their savage clash had been just a light exercise.