MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Charles observed in silence as his summons were ruthlessly annihilated by Anthony's summons.

He watched as Bellion's sword carved through them with merciless precision, their blood pooling beneath him like a crimson river.

Hela was thrown around like a ragdoll by Beru, her struggles futile against his overwhelming power.

Glug, despite his resilience, teetered on the brink of defeat, unable to match Igris' mastery over Sword Intent.

Yet, Charles remained unmoved.

He did not scream.

He did not charge into battle.

He did not demand answers from Anthony.

He simply sat there, his silence heavier than any words.

He noticed that none of his summons had truly perished, they were left barely clinging to life, as if spared deliberately.

It wasn't an unfamiliar sight.

He and his summons had endured countless battles, witnessing devastation time and time again.

But that didn't mean he saw them as mere tools.

Far from it.

The battle wasn't entirely one sided.

It wasn't just raw strength that set Anthony's summons apart, it was their endurance.

Their stamina seemed limitless, and even when they were struck down, they simply rose again, resurrected by the boundless depths of Anthony's mana.

Charles' summons, however, were different.

They were living beings, creatures with souls.

They could truly live, and they could truly die.

Charles' gaze locked onto Anthony.

The only way to turn the tide in his favor was to engage Anthony directly, himself.

His summons were spent, and there was no one left to send in his place.

Yet… he found himself unwilling.

Too troublesome....he was just too lazy to move.

He exhaled, a weary sigh escaping his lips at the thought of having to personally step in.

He had only seen Anthony fight once before, against Orion.

'Judging by that battle, Orion's mana cultivation was at Sovereign Rank, around level 3… which means Anthony should be at the same rank, but likely at level 8 or 9'

He pondered the thought for a moment, then simply shook his head.

With a slow, deliberate motion, Charles rose from the seat Hela had provided earlier.

A sword materialized in his grasp, drawn from his space ring.

As a summoner himself, he understood one fundamental truth, summons would continue to rise unless their master was stopped.

And in this battle, that master was Anthony.

The moment the sword appeared, the languid aura surrounding Charles vanished.

His posture shifted, muscles coiling, body instinctively adjusting as if preparing for the inevitable clash.

Yet, externally, nothing seemed to change.

No grand movement.

No dramatic display.

Only his aura told the story.

It sharpened, no longer the aura of a mere summoner, but that of a sword master ready to carve his own path.

Anthony, with his All Seeing Eyes, perceived something far beyond the surface.

If before, Charles had the presence of a newborn baby, weak, unimposing, now, he was something entirely different.

A superhuman.

Muscles that hadn't been there before seemed to manifest out of nowhere, his physique shifting in an instant.

It wasn't just an illusion or a trick of perception, his very being had changed.

Charles now stood at the Transcendent Rank.

But only physically.

His mana remained at Emperor Rank, Level 9, a stark contrast between his body and his energy.

Yet, that difference only made him more enigmatic, more unpredictable.

In the blink of an eye, Charles vanished from Anthony's sight, reappearing directly in front of him.

His sword sliced through the air, aimed straight for Anthony's chest in a swift, lethal arc.

The blade tore through the space where Anthony had stood, but instead of blood splattering, the figure before him dissolved into nothingness.

'An afterimage'

Charles thought, the realization striking him like a thunderclap.

His sword had felt like it cut through flesh, yet nothing had remained.

'How is this possible?'

Charles' mind raced, disbelief settling in.

He had reached the Transcendent Rank, his physical form had been honed to its peak.

Even if Anthony was at the Hyperion Rank, there should have been no way for him to dodge so effortlessly.

Yet, the afterimage was all that remained.

Charles' gaze shifted, and he saw Anthony seated comfortably in the exact spot he had just vacated.

"How did you suddenly get so strong?"

Anthony asked, his voice laced with genuine intrigue.

But Charles, unmoved, replied with a question of his own.

"How did you dodge?"

The two stared at each other in silence, neither answering the other's inquiry.

Finally, Anthony stood from Charles' seat, the ring on his finger shifting seamlessly into a katana.

"I guess the loser will answer to the winner"

Anthony said, his lips curling into a knowing smile.

Without another word, he blurred into motion, his figure vanishing as he sped toward Charles with incredible speed.

Anthony's katana descended from above with formidable force, an unstoppable surge of power.

Charles reacted instantly, his wrist and elbow rising to meet the strike in a block.

The clash was deafening, a resonating clang that seemed to shake the very air around them.

The ground beneath Charles' feet buckled under the weight of Anthony's strike, sinking slightly as if the earth itself had felt the impact.

'Impossible'

The thought flashed through Charles' mind as a tremor pulsed through his body, his muscles protesting against the overwhelming power.

He quickly regained his stance, deflecting Anthony's katana to the side with a swift motion, though his balance faltered for a split second.

Without hesitation, he launched his own attack, his sword cutting through the air with lethal precision, aiming for Anthony's exposed shoulder.

But Anthony was already there, his movements unhurried, his presence as calm and steady as a rock in a storm.

His piercing blue eyes locked onto Charles' with a chilling intensity, as if seeing through him, staring straight into his very soul.
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In a sudden flash of light, both warriors vanished from sight, their movements so fast they seemed to blur into nothingness.

In the span of a few milliseconds, their blades collided thousands of times.

The sound of steel against steel rang out like waves crashing against jagged stone, a sharp, resonating clash that echoed across the battlefield.

Sparks of fire flew from their blades, painting the sky with fleeting strokes of brilliance as they moved, each strike a flash of light, each parry a dance of destruction.

They moved in perfect harmony, their swords meeting with such precision and force that it was as if they were magnets drawn together by the sheer intensity of their battle.

Their duel was a brutal elegance, each strike a fluid stroke upon an invisible canvas of war, each movement a work of art, forged in the heat of combat.

Anthony flowed like a shadow, his sword whispering secrets of death with every cut, a ghostly presence in the whirlwind of battle.

But Charles was always there, unwavering, his blade intercepting every strike from Anthony with an unyielding determination.

No matter how fast or fierce Anthony's attacks came, Charles met them with a response, his sword an unbroken wall against the storm.

Charles' mind raced, analyzing each of Anthony's movements in rapid succession, searching for a gap, a weakness, anything he could exploit.

And then, his dark pupils fixed on a fleeting opening, a momentary flaw in Anthony's attack.

A rare chance.

Without hesitation, Charles struck.

His blade darted forward like a serpent, swift and merciless, aiming to exploit that single weakness.

But in the blink of an eye, Anthony reacted.

He didn't defend.

He didn't parry.

He simply dodged.

'A trap'

The realization hit Charles in an instant, but it was already too late.

Anthony's katana was already in motion.

The blade flashed like a shooting star, quick, unrelenting, and merciless.

Charles' instincts flared, his body reacting before his mind could fully process the danger.

He raised his sword in an attempt to block, but he was slower this time.

His weapon barely managed to close the gap before the strike came crashing down.

With immense force, Anthony's katana tore through Charles' chest.

The impact was devastating.

His clothing and armor, though sturdy, did little to stop the ferocity of the blow.

Charles was blasted backward, sent careening by the sheer force of the strike.

His body rocketed through the air, tearing through walls and shattering glass with each violent collision.

Blood spilled from his mouth as he was flung, the world spinning wildly around him.

But despite the chaos, Charles' reflexes kicked in.

He steadied himself mid air, gathering his strength.

His feet scraped across the asphalt as he landed, grinding to a halt, managing to maintain his footing.

Charles' gaze fixed on Anthony, who stood motionless, a knowing smile playing on his lips.

No matter how vast Charles' battle experience was, it could never reach the level of Anthony's.

Anthony could read Charles like an open book, knowing exactly what he was searching for, the slightest opening to exploit.

And so, Anthony did what only the truly experienced could do.

He offered it.

"You really are surprising, you know"

Charles muttered, his voice tinged with a mix of admiration and frustration.

As the words left his lips, his injuries began to heal, immediately, effortlessly.

His wounds closed up with no cost to his mana, as if his body simply refused to be broken.

"I wonder if you can match this as well"

The moment Charles' words fell from his lips, a heavy, familiar presence surged around his sword.

It was a presence unlike any other, a force that those who had encountered it would never forget.

The air seemed to grow still, tense, as if the very atmosphere recognized the weight of what was about to come.

Charles had activated his Sword Intent.