MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Chapter 688: Sunburst

Anthony remained composed on the surface, but within, his mind spun at a speed that bordered on madness. Countless thoughts within his thought compartments raced simultaneously, each dissecting the current situation in ridiculous detail. He sought desperately to understand the unfathomable truth before him: why none of his abilities were working against Klaus.

This was not just perplexing, it was infuriating.

It had to be remembered that both Infinity and Sense Dome were not ordinary abilities. They were abilities refined, honed, and augmented by none other than The Limit Breaker himself. Powers designed to defy existence, to step into realms where common sense failed. But, Klaus bypassed them with the ease of breathing, as though he himself stood shoulder-to-shoulder with The Limit Breaker upon that impossible plane of existence.

Anthony’s mind traced back, recalling a thought he had once entertained: information could be used as a weapon. And at this very moment, the truth crystallized.

Now he understood.

Since Klaus possessed detailed knowledge of his abilities, those very powers had become useless against him. Anthony could not yet explain the mechanics, how mere knowledge rendered his skills obsolete, but the logic aligned too perfectly to dismiss.

And indeed, Anthony’s deduction was correct. Klaus was using information itself as a weapon, dissecting every move before it could unfold.

Klaus had guessed the inner workings of Sense Dome’s freezing effect, rendering it meaningless. He had observed Infinity from the time Anthony first employed it back in the Omni Peak Academy, unraveling its mysteries with frightening ease. As for Absolute Stasis, that technique could immobilize countless foes, but Klaus stood on such a transcendent plane of existence that no such law could bind him.

Anthony’s infinite regenerative ability was already working to seal his wounds. His flesh knitted back together, torn muscle reformed, and veins closed, yet abruptly, the healing ceased. The regeneration stopped as if the ability had exhausted its function. But Anthony knew better.

He attributed it to Klaus weaponizing knowledge of even this ability against him, disrupting the process on a conceptual level.

Still, Anthony was not perturbed. His simply moved into another attack.

[Quantum Manipulation: Particle Disintegration]

A sphere of pure white energy blossomed in Anthony’s palm, its intensity swelling with a force that warped the very air. The energy flattened into a perfect circle, vibrating with power so sharp it seemed to tear at the laws of matter itself. With a flick of his hand, Anthony unleashed it.

A column of pure annihilation shot forward, a beam of disintegration that resembled a javelin hurled by the heavens themselves. Its passage erased mana from the atmosphere, shredded the air into ribbons, and made trees vanish into nothingness. The ground disintegrated into powder as the beam rushed toward Klaus.

But Klaus stood unmoving, utterly calm. Not even a ripple of alarm crossed his expression. Slowly, almost lazily, he raised his katana. With composed precision, he swung once.

The instant blade met beam, the impossible happened. The column of disintegration split into two perfect halves, each fragment erupting outward with apocalyptic intensity. The realm itself trembled as the explosion spread across the horizon, devouring the realm in an apocalypse of collapsing skies and screaming earth.

Dust and haze rose in columns. A dome-shaped cloud blossomed upward before curling into a massive mushroom of ruin.

Through the thunderous aftermath, Klaus’s voice echoed, quiet yet carrying a sharpness that cut through chaos itself.

”If this is the ability you planned to use against the Demon King, then I must admit, I am quite disappointed.”

From within the haze, Klaus stepped forward with regal composure, emerging unscathed, as if he were the creator of this apocalypse rather than its victim. His presence radiated inevitability, the embodiment of calm dominion.

Up until this point, he had not used a single offensive ability. Not one. And yet, he held the undeniable upper hand in their short but merciless exchange.

Anthony’s eyes narrowed. Even Quantum Manipulation, a force that unraveled reality itself, had made no difference.

Sense Dome triggered instantly, Anthony’s perceptions screaming at him in warning. But before he could react, Klaus’s toes dug into the ground, exploding forward with the momentum of a nuclear detonation. His foot collided with Anthony’s chest like a meteor striking a planet.

Anthony’s body tore backward, blasted across valleys, colliding with a mountain. Stone ruptured and shattered as his body punched through the mass, bursting out the other side in a cascade of rubble and dust.

But Anthony halted himself midair, steadying his form. He floated silently, injuries mapping his body, but his regeneration was already disabled. That advantage was gone.

But he didn’t really care about it.

Time particles bent around Anthony in shimmering waves. He knew he could not manipulate them to affect Klaus, but that was not his goal. His focus was himself. By accelerating the flow of time within his body, he could sharpen his speed, his reflexes, and his thought processes to levels far beyond the natural limit.

And just as he finished, Klaus appeared once more, his movement a blur that tore through the air. His fist rocketed toward Anthony’s jaw with unstoppable momentum.

This time, Anthony twisted his body aside. The spot where his head had been shattered like fragile glass beneath the impact, space itself cracking under Klaus’s blow.

Anthony did not bother to block or parry. He knew he could not match Klaus’s strength. Survival lay in movement, in avoiding the storm rather than confronting it.

But Klaus did not relent. His speed spiked again, a step faster, a shade sharper. His knee soared upward, aimed at Anthony’s waist with crushing intent.

Anthony’s time manipulation burned through mana at an impossible rate, but he did not care. His reserves were infinite. He stepped backward with graceful precision, narrowly evading the strike.

This time, he retaliated. Blue flames ignited across his fist, glowing with the wrath of a dying star. With explosive force, he punched outward, his strike carrying the promise of destruction.

Klaus’s eyes narrowed at the flames. And in a rare deviation, he did not block. He dodged. With measured ease, he slipped aside, the strike passing harmlessly into the space.

Anthony’s lips curved upward into a smile. He had noticed it too. Klaus had chosen not to clash with those flames.

With a thought, Anthony detonated.

A sunburst of blue flames erupted from his body, expanding outward in a blinding sundering blue explosion. He stood at its epicenter as flames swept through the land in all directions. Trees incinerated, mountains blackened, and the very ground charred into obsidian as the blue inferno burned everything within kilometers. The flames melted, shredded, and destroyed without care for what lay in their path.

Anthony’s heart steadied. These flames were not his creation. They were Romulus himself. The Divine Flame could not be catalogued, studied, or understood by Klaus. No amount of information would change that fact.

And Romulus was not someone Anthony believed Klaus could surpass.

Through the storm of fire, Klaus emerged once again. Unharmed. Unburned. Walking through the inferno as if it were no more threatening than a summer breeze.

”Impressive,” Klaus murmured, his tone calm yet edged with curiosity. ”I have never before witnessed such a flame.”

His gaze lifted, locking onto Anthony.

”But it is futile. Anthony, though your talent is undeniable, though you wield an arsenal of powers few could even dream of, you still lack time. Time to grow. Time to reach the level where you might, perhaps, injure me.”

Anthony stood silently, watching Klaus advance. Then, faintly, he smiled.

He knew Klaus was right. As much as Anthony loved to think of himself as the protagonist, he was not delusional. He understood that no convenient plot armor would bridge the gap between them here. Klaus stood beyond him, an unreachable peak, for now.

But, that didn’t mean he no longer had any cards to play against Klaus.