MIGHT AS WELL BE OP-Chapter 957: Self Actualisation
"What of my second weakness you speak about?" she finally spoke as she asked the question, and to her, this was a far bigger issue than the first. She was the strongest person on the Dusk planet, a title that once meant absolute supremacy and unquestioned dominance, but this wasn’t the Dusk planet anymore, this was the grand Galactic stage, vast and merciless, filled with countless races and ancient beings who stood on levels of power where even Rain, who had been the strongest person on the Dusk planet before she was even born, couldn’t attain, couldn’t challenge, and couldn’t even begin to touch no matter how hard he tried.
"It is again linked to your Omniedit ability," Lucian replied without the slightest hesitation, because if Aura Nova were an enemy, he wouldn’t waste his time explaining so many things or offering guidance with so many words, he would simply kill them swiftly and be done with it without remorse, but Aura Nova was a friend of his, both within his life and probably even outside of this novel-like existence, as he was oddly sure that he and whoever the owner of this Aura Nova character was were definitely friends somewhere online, communicating casually on the other side with the Author as though all of this were merely an elaborate game.
"While your Omniedit ability is overpowered and absurdly broken, you lack the finesse that should come naturally with transitioning between each Command or between each attack, there is always the slightest bit of delay between every action and every command you issue. You lack that ease, that mastery, that gentleness and grace that comes with power on this stage," he explained calmly and patiently as he smiled at Aura Nova, not mockingly, but like a teacher genuinely hoping his student would finally understand.
Aura Nova simply listened as she was told that an ability she had trained for centuries, an ability she had polished endlessly with pride and confidence, was still something she lacked control over, that she lacked finesse, that she lacked grace. That while she possessed these qualities to some degree, it still wasn’t quite enough on the grand Galactic stage and at this terrifying level where even the smallest imperfection could decide life or death.
"These are your weaknesses, Aura Nova, you have brute-forced your way through everything until now, but that approach won’t work going forward, and against the incoming Twelve-Winged Angels and their God, you have to change. You have to fight people face to face, think and strategize mid-battle, think of how to defeat them without just dropping some huge, overwhelming attack and ending everything in one go like you’ve always done," Lucian advised as he offered her not only criticism but also a path forward, his tone firm yet sincere.
"Besides, one of the reasons you are this inexperienced isn’t only because of your brute-force attacks, but also because of your Dusk planet as a whole," Lucian continued without pause, "you never left your planet, you never truly explored beyond your sky, but I had already left mine the moment I turned twenty. Even Aaaninja had left his numerous times, we’ve all seen different worlds, fought different species, experienced different forms of combat, hence why we stand here today," he explained in a calm, almost reflective tone.
Although Anthony had barely, or perhaps never, left his planet at all, Anthony didn’t count, because Anthony was a complete anomaly who broke every rule. After all, Anthony was smart enough to ask ??? for a battle experience ability, which granted him combat experience that surpassed that of everyone present combined, to the point where even Gods themselves paled in comparison to him when it came to pure battle instinct and accumulated knowledge.
To Lucian, in terms of battle experience alone, only the likes of ??? and Romulus stood above Anthony.
How could Aura Nova ever expect to win against such a person if she was this helpless even against Lucian?
"If you are able to truly do these things as I’ve stated, then you will undergo a total rebirth, remember, for now, you only possess raw power and nothing else," Lucian stated in finality, his voice steady and absolute, leaving no room for misinterpretation.
And indeed, he had tried his best to help her, offering solutions instead of mockery. Although he understood that the owner of this Aura Nova might probably feel frustrated reading her character lose and get educated so harshly, Lucian understood that this was absolutely necessary for her growth, because comfort never forged strength.
If Aura Nova could be reborn, if she truly took a step back and followed his advice and didn’t try to cheat-code her way through everything again, then he and even Aaaninja might eventually fall behind her.
She possessed that much talent, that much terrifying potential, but the Dusk planet had been both her greatest cage and her greatest limitation, a small pond that convinced her she was the ocean itself, but now it was finally time to spread her wings now that she had stepped onto this wider universe.
Aura Nova closed her eyes for a moment as she remained completely silent as though a great veil that had been covering her vision for years had finally been lifted. Lucian didn’t attack Aura Nova, not because he was some honorable warrior bound by principles, nope, he was far from that, if she had been an enemy, he would have killed her the very instant she exposed such an opening without hesitation.
But he understood that she seemed to be in a state of realization and actualization, even though it wasn’t some profound Enlightenment like the one Anthony’s parents attained or the True Enlightenment that Aaaninja had acquired, her current actualization was still something significant, something rare, and something worth respecting.
After a quiet moment, she opened her eyes, and her sky-blue eyes seemed brighter and clearer as though she could finally see herself in a way and state she had never perceived before, as though layers of arrogance and blind confidence had been peeled away. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞
"Thank you, Lucian Darkheart," Aura Nova stated, her voice filled with sincerity and genuine gratitude that carried no pride.
"You’re welcome, I’m looking forward to battling you the moment you achieve your true self," Lucian replied as he was indeed looking forward to it with real anticipation.
The next moment, Aura Nova smirked slightly as she spoke, "don’t mistake this moment by thinking I’m giving up," she stated firmly, making her stance absolutely clear.
"I would never think of you so low, Aura Nova," Lucian stated with a small smile as though he was quietly enjoying this entire exchange more than the fight itself.
Aura Nova didn’t reply to him anymore and immediately went straight toward her greatest Command.
Omniedit Command Root Access Mod—
But before she could even finish activating it, before the command could fully manifest, she suddenly paused as Lucian was now standing directly behind her, impossibly close, as he calmly sheathed his katana with a sharp clack sound that echoed far louder than it should have in the still air.
"It was fun battling this version of you, Aura Nova," the moment those words left his lips and his katana fully clicked into the scabbard, Aura Nova’s body split perfectly in half as Lucian had cleanly divided her from head down to lower body with a single invisible slash that had already occurred before she even realized it.
With that, Aura Nova lost with a flawless and merciless bisection.
A battle that was supposed to be filled with madness, destruction, and world-shattering attacks instead ended quietly with words, understanding, and an actualization that cut deeper than any blade ever could.
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AUTHOR’S NOTE: Well, I know this battle didn’t go as everyone expected.
