MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Anthony's eyes widened in astonishment.

It was now his turn to confront this unfathomable reality.

With a single glance, he pierced through the layers of Charles' cultivation rank, nothing could escape his gaze.

He had even observed the very measure of Charles' age when it was taken.

While cultivation rank held little to no significance in this moment, the age he had witnessed rendered it inconceivable for Charles to possess Sword Intent.

What Anthony remained unaware of, however, was that Charles possessed an extraordinary talent, one so remarkable that it was the very reason behind his seemingly lazy demeanor.

The day Charles awakened, he discovered he had inherited a rare and almost mythical ability known as Omniphase.

This anomaly of a talent granted Charles the ability to wield every power of his summons with nothing more than a mere thought.

No incantations were required, no preparation was needed, and there was no cost or cooldown period, simply no limitations at all.

Omniphase granted Charles the ability to harness not only the physical strength and battle experience of his summons but virtually every aspect of their abilities, everything, that is, except their mana.

This was the true extent of Charles' overwhelming power, a force so immense it rendered him almost invincible.

It was precisely this capability that had cultivated his perpetual laziness.

With the battle experience of his summons embedded within him, Charles had no need to engage in combat himself.

His only task was to cultivate and summon ever more powerful beings.

Yet, it was this very complacency that kept him bound within the Emperor rank.

Were Charles able to tap into the mana of his summons, he would have no need for cultivation at all, for his potential would surpass any realm with ease.

It was due to this unparalleled talent that Charles wielded the physical strength of the Transcendent Rank, effortlessly adopting Glug's formidable physique as his own.

Even the Sword Intent was drawn from Glug, while the battle experience he possessed was accumulated from every single summon he had ever called forth.

However, these abilities were not permanent.

Although Charles could utilize them at will, free from any cost, he could only do so as long as his summons remained alive.

Once any of them perished, their abilities were lost to him, leaving him unable to tap into the strength, knowledge, or power they had granted him.

Thus, Charles could only draw upon the abilities of those who still breathed.

Suddenly, Anthony erupted into laughter.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA"

Clutching his stomach, he laughed unabashedly.

Here he was, an embodiment of impossibility in his own right, yet he had just dismissed the notion of someone else wielding such broken power as impossible.

"Apologies"

He said, wiping a tear from his eye as the laughter subsided.

"I just had a thought. Shall we resume our fight?"

As he spoke, his presence shifted, a change so subtle yet profound.

He no longer stood as merely a man but as the very embodiment of a sword itself.

Sword Intent erupted from his being, flowing like a torrent into the blade he wielded.

His presence grew weighty, suffused with the very essence of a warrior's will, as he too manifested his own Sword Intent, ready for the battle ahead.

From the moment his father, Michael, imprinted Sword Intent onto Anthony's very being at the tender age of ten, Anthony had been able to wield it effortlessly.

Unlike others, Anthony was not bound by any of the universal laws or chains that governed most beings.

He was not required to first comprehend Aura or any other form of energy, he was an Anomaly.

He could tap into any and all types of energy, even Chaos, the exclusive domain of demons.

And Sword Intent, in its essence, was merely another form of energy to him, one he could command as easily as breathing.

Charles' eyes narrowed, his shock palpable as he witnessed Anthony's own manifestation of Sword Intent.

At first, Charles had believed that his overwhelming Transcendent physical strength would easily overpower Anthony, only for the young man to meet him head on, unyielding.

Then, thinking he had gained the upper hand, Charles unleashed his own Sword Intent, confident that he had cornered Anthony at last.

But then, to his astonishment, Anthony countered with his own Sword Intent, unflinching, as if the very idea of being outmatched had never crossed his mind.

The air crackled with an electric tension as Charles and Anthony stood at opposite ends of the ruined street, their presence alone warping the world around them.

The city's skyline loomed like an ancient monument, but the ground beneath them had begun to tremble, groaning under the weight of what was about to unfold.

A vast expanse of glass and steel stretched toward the heavens, yet in this moment, it seemed as though the very fabric of reality was ready to tear apart.

The first strike came in an explosion of force, a blur of steel against steel as Anthony, his katana gleaming like a sliver of moonlight, lunged forward with devastating speed.

His blade sliced through the air with a sound that split the atmosphere itself, the sheer power of his Sword Intent warping the space around the tip, bending it with deadly intent.

Charles met the blow with the swiftness of a storm, his sword rising to intercept with a clash that rang out like a thousand bells of war.

The impact sent a shockwave that shattered the windows of the buildings around them, cascading glass to the ground in a glittering shower.

Neither moved back, neither gave an inch.

Their swords locked in a deadly dance of sparks and force, the clang of steel deafening in the city's hollow heart.

In a flash, Charles spun, his sword a blur of polished steel aimed for Anthony's neck, but Anthony was already there, his katana arcing in a seamless counter, slicing downward with the grace of a predator.

The blades collided again, but this time, Charles was forced back, the shock of the collision reverberating through his entire body.

His feet slid against the cracked asphalt, carving deep trenches in the road as the force of Anthony's strike continued to drive him back.

Without hesitation, Charles pivoted, his foot striking the side of a nearby truck, launching himself into the air.

He came down like a meteor, his sword raised high, ready to cleave through everything in its path.

The ground cracked beneath him as he landed, the sheer force of his descent sending a ripple through the street, the pavement shattering into jagged shards.

Anthony was already in motion, his katana sweeping across in a horizontal slash that carved through the air like a blade of wind.

The two forces collided again in a blinding explosion of energy.

The shockwaves rippled through the city, causing entire buildings to groan and shudder, their foundations cracking like brittle bone.

Glass rained down from shattered windows, as if the city itself were weeping under the weight of their fury.

Each blow was a hammer, each clash of steel an earthquake, and the very streets seemed to bend under the force of their conflict.

Charles retaliated with a flurry of strikes, each one more brutal than the last.

His sword blurred, cutting through the air in a series of devastating arcs, each one carrying the weight of a mountain.

But Anthony was always there, his katana moving with an impossible fluidity, parrying and countering in one seamless motion.

The two blades sang through the air like predators circling, every movement precise, every strike purposeful.

Anthony's sword flashed as he shifted his stance, delivering a barrage of quick, calculated slashes that blurred the line between reality and illusion.

Charles, his eyes narrowing, adjusted his grip, his sword rising to meet the onslaught.

With a single motion, he stepped inside Anthony's reach, his blade darting forward with a precision that left no room for error.

For a moment, it seemed as though Anthony would be overwhelmed, but in an instant, he was gone, his body vanishing in a blur, a ghost in the wind.

Charles swung, his sword cutting through nothing but empty air.

A crack of thunder followed as Anthony reappeared behind him, his katana already descending.

The slash was swift and brutal, but Charles spun just in time, his own blade meeting Anthony's in a clash of power that nearly split the heavens.

The force sent another shockwave cascading through the city, a ripple that shook the very foundations of the skyline.

The battle raged on, a storm of violence and fury that left nothing untouched.

Buildings crumbled beneath their feet, entire blocks collapsing as if the earth itself could no longer bear witness to the ferocity of their battle.

The streets were torn asunder, the roads cracking and splitting like veins under the strain of their swordplay.

Traffic lights exploded in showers of sparks, cars and trucks flung aside as though they were mere toys in the path of their wrath.

Charles struck with the ferocity of a tempest, each blow bringing the world around them closer to ruin.

Anthony countered with the precision of a blade honed through years of discipline, each motion a calculated stroke of genius.

But in this moment, there was no end, no victory to be claimed.

The city was being consumed by their Sword Intent, an unstoppable force of nature unleashed upon an unsuspecting world.

And still, they fought, neither yielded, neither retreated.

The battle stretched on, beyond time, beyond reason.

The world burned around them, but in the heart of the chaos, there was only the clash of steel and the unrelenting force of their Sword Intent.

A war for the ages, a battle that would leave the city broken and empty, but no victor to claim the crown.