MIGHT AS WELL BE OP Chapter 973: Infinitesimal Instant

Aaaninja materialized several kilometers distant, having traversed that vast expanse in the blink of an eye, with the earth under his boots fracturing softly from the sudden shift. His gaze locked fiercely on Lucian's position, where the man remained poised, a broad and unchecked grin spreading across his features as he returned the look with steady assurance.

Lucian held his ground in quiet poise, like one fully immersed in the moment, and truly he was. He poured forth all his abilities in homage to the blade, baring every bit of technique, purpose, and gut feeling without holding back, while Aaaninja confronted it all directly, never wavering or pulling away, and Lucian had to concede inwardly that this clash thrilled him more than any in years—maybe even longer—the rush of facing a true peer stirring a deep, wild fire inside.

Aaaninja proved worthy of the challenge, showing clear growth from their prior meeting, his actions keener, his strikes more precise, his focus much more polished than earlier, yet despite that progress, no matter how honed he had grown, Lucian already glimpsed the subtle shape of his triumph woven into the battle's unyielding current.

With just a mental command, Lucian's Sword Intent took form.

It surged and raced through him like a furious flood, overwhelming his frame and his katana in an irresistible surge, infusing every sinew and fiber with immense power, his Sword Intent dark as an endless void devoid of stars, contrasting Aaaninja's pristine white like untouched winter powder, the opposing energies embodying total opposition, like shadow against brilliance brought to life.

The atmosphere wailed as the two warriors maintained utter quiet, their Sword Intents not yet engaging in the open air, no flares or impacts sparking between them, rather they eyed each other from afar as if timeless rulers assessing a rival's value, their sheer auras sufficient to shake the realm.

Aaaninja uttered nothing, no sound escaping his mouth, but his stare intensified as he abruptly quickened the fight's pace and beat, seeming eager to wrap it up swiftly and turn toward Anthony, his subtle urgency plain to see.

In the following moment, Time particles swirled about him, heeding his command and summons like eager offspring rushing to their maker, clustering and spinning around his form in gleaming warps that twisted sight.

Lucian, having mimicked a bond with Time through his familiar techniques, detected the abrupt change right away, and he wasted no instant in response. Instantly, dark bolts erupted from within him, crackling over his shape in wild, booming streaks. They thundered fiercely across the heavens and winds, the noise low and crushing, as if the breeze shattered like thin crystal.

Lucian's Sword Intent amplified his Lightning element's potency even more, making him appear as a shadowy thunder deity gracing the field of combat, endless surges of might, velocity, and ruin flowing into him, his aura warping the surroundings as if the natural world recoiled from nearness.

Words passed between neither Lucian nor Aaaninja, each quietly shifting the conflict's rhythm and flow, both aware that the upcoming clash would transcend mere blade work into something vastly greater, and so they prepared to continue.

Existence flickered briefly, yet in that fleeting fraction of a second, they vanished, gliding past veils of reality like ghosts beyond human grasp.

Accompanied by a earth-shaking bellow and a cataclysmic blast, they crashed together in total frenzy, their weapons smashing with such raw power that the isolated realm of their duel teetered on the edge of oblivion, fissures racing through the heavens like shattered panes, though it endured somehow.

In their initial colossal impact, Aaaninja's form flew back, Lucian's strike driving him over the terrain with relentless drive, as the assault's strength had evidently crossed into a whole new domain.

Aaaninja's soles carved into the soil at once, gouging furrows in his wake until he skidded to a stop. Lucian offered no words, merely seizing the upper hand ruthlessly, materializing in front of Aaaninja amid a streak of thunder flashes, his katana plummeting downward like heavenly retribution.

On this occasion, Aaaninja avoided a direct block, for while the Time element had vastly boosted his fundamental velocity, awareness, and reflexes, it failed to enhance his brute power or bodily force, whereas Lucian's Lightning element elevated all those facets at once, sealing every gap and magnifying his whole essence.

Aaaninja darted aside nimbly to evade the blow, yet even with his streaking and impressive swiftness, Lucian pierced the feint and matched it without strain, his senses just as keen, his katana whistling toward Aaaninja's throat as the gap between them dissolved once more.

Aaaninja triggered Temporal Acceleration without delay, the flow of time grinding to a halt around him as the world dragged into sloth, Lucian's pace plummeting sharply, the once-menacing bolts now drifting slower than a falling petal in Aaaninja's sharpened view, his Sword Intent elevating the technique past its usual bounds.

Under this elevated sense, Aaaninja's sword streaked in a hazy silver curve, and with a mighty ring, he deflected Lucian's strike aside. As Temporal Acceleration pulsed, he surged forward, his velocity surpassing what Lucian's Lightning and Sword Intent could rival in standard conditions.

His weapon dashed at Lucian's throat, seeking to conclude the duel decisively, and a crisp silver streak parted Lucian's neck smoothly. Yet the instant it connected, Aaaninja's brow creased slightly, sensing no yield, no feel of slicing meat or skeleton. His head whipped sideways, catching only the hazy sight of Lucian's katana in motion.

Lucian had countered Aaaninja's lunge at the final tick by passing right through the blade, weaving through dimensions as if his form lacked substance, thereby safeguarding his neck completely.

However, Lucian ramped up his velocity once more this round, twisting gravity to nullify its pull on his mass, lightening him to a feather's burden, and additionally propelling his pace higher as he neared true levity, every stride as buoyant as vapor.

Aaaninja's gut screamed in warning, for under usual terms he could have evaded or countered via Temporal Acceleration alone, but Lucian's fresh velocity stripped that edge away, placing him in a sphere where he could rival Temporal Acceleration outright.

Yet he possessed further tricks in reserve, being a wielder of time at heart, and yielding was out of the question.

The very next beat saw him unleash another power, Temporal Deceleration, and right away the Time particles across the isolated space dragged all nearby motion to a ponderous halt, Lucian's advance shedding swiftness with each tiny tick, the whole arena mired in heavy languor.

Aaaninja seized the opening at once, his Temporal Acceleration paired seamlessly with Temporal Deceleration, the former skyrocketing his quickness and insight to insane heights while the latter hampered his surroundings, forging a vast imbalance ripe for his dominance alone.

His blade whipped out with savage might and unyielding accuracy as he sought to hack off Lucian's skull anew, at once the bite of steel into tissue burst forth as a gruesome rip resounded in the breeze, crimson spraying in fierce sprays as a limb arced into the clouds, lopped off at the joint.

It belonged to Aaaninja himself.

Strangely and against all odds, Lucian Darkheart had flipped the tide in that tiny sliver of time and struck the opening wound.