MIGHT AS WELL BE OP-Chapter 970: I don’t lose

Lucian Darkheart Versus Aaaninja Chronisynth Eternos

As their numbers appeared on the screen, another wave of silence stilled the air in suspension as though something immense was descending from the sky itself, pressing invisibly upon every shoulder present and forcing even the most restless among them into an unnatural stillness.

Although some of the people here had just met one another a few hours ago or a few days ago, they weren’t dumb or oblivious to their surroundings, they already knew some form of tension... well, not exactly tension but something heavier and far more complicated, existed between Aaaninja Chronisynth Eternos and Lucian Darkheart.

Some were smart enough to figure out it was something that happened during the Starborn Tournament, as for those who hadn’t figured it out, they simply didn’t care and only wanted to see some action, because at the end of the day, spectacle mattered more than context to most spectators.

Aaaninja’s rainbow coloured clock-like eyes shifted towards Lucian, the prismatic irises rotating faintly like intricate gears measuring time itself, who simply stared back at him with his black eyes, dark and unfathomable like a bottomless abyss, the anticipation and tension in the air seeming to rise with every passing millisecond as their eyes met and locked together without retreat.

The katana on Lucian’s waist trembled faintly with anticipation as though it had a will of its own, as though the blade itself recognized the opponent before them and hungered for another clash. A slow smile appeared on Lucian’s lips, calm yet sharp, the moment was finally here, he could finally battle with Aaaninja again, he had been waiting for this moment for three whole years, three years of growth, training, and quiet preparation for this exact confrontation.

As for Aaaninja, he sat calmly, his entire demeanor expressing composed indifference, like a still lake undisturbed by wind. But he wasn’t a fool nor an idiot blinded by arrogance. While his true target for this entire spar was Null Anthony, it didn’t mean he didn’t recognise how strong Lucian Darkheart was, during their battle in the past they had both gone back and forth repeatedly, exchanging attacks in narrow margins before he finally won by catching Lucian off guard for a split second that decided everything.

Although he had gotten stronger since then, over a hundred times stronger in fact through endless refinement and brutal self-discipline, Lucian had also grown at a terrifying pace, after all, why would only he progress while Lucian remained stagnant, that thought alone was absurd. Growth was never exclusive to one person.

Anthony smiled faintly, his eyes shifting to meet Aura Nova’s, and the moment their sky-blue eyes met, they smirked knowingly, and a bowl of popcorn appeared in their hands as though conjured by instinct. They didn’t need to be told to know that a huge battle scenario would play right before their very eyes, something worth watching down to the smallest detail like an unfolding legend.

Altheria and Veronica glanced at each other, each silently rooting for their man, although they weren’t the ones battling, their eyes and chests burned with anticipation and pride, to them this was practically a battle of the strongest boyfriend between the two, an oddly personal rivalry wrapped within a spar.

Although Lucian Darkheart had lost in the past, the past meant nothing, now was now, then was then, and strength in this world was measured by the present moment, not by old records etched in fading memory.

Zachary and Riven’s eyes met across the arena, the both of them former rivals growing up, rivals between Human and Celestial bloodlines, their competition once fierce and unrelenting, and now their children seemed to have inherited this same rivalry naturally as though it flowed in their veins. Both absolutely believed in their sons without the slightest doubt as their eyes remained locked onto the two seated men below.

Aaaninja Chronisynth Eternos rose from his seat with the effortless grace of a ruler walking down a few flights of stairs to address a gathering of subjects, every movement precise and elegant. Without a word, he took a step, and the moment he did, gravity tore him downwards as he fell upright, his hand clasped calmly behind his back as though even gravity itself was merely a tool at his disposal rather than a force acting upon him.

Lucian Darkheart didn’t hesitate, he smirked, then rose from his own seat as he allowed gravity to reclaim him as well, his coat fluttering softly. His figure appeared beside Aaaninja midair for a brief instant, smirking at him with challenge written plainly across his face, then he vanished from that position, and within a couple seconds both reached the earth below, landing with such deft control that they completely defied the momentum they had gathered upon falling.

They stood a few meters apart, boots lightly touching the ground, and remained silent as they stared at one another for a while as they waited for the signal from Klaus who was officiating the spar, the distance between them small yet feeling immeasurable.

"We finally meet again," Lucian’s words cut through the silence like scissors through silk, his tone gentle and calm but carrying undeniable weight.

He bore no grudge towards Aaaninja Chronisynth Eternos, he considered Aaaninja a genuine friend after all despite everything, he simply wanted to challenge someone he had lost to before, nothing more, nothing else. There was nothing darker behind it. No resentment. Just the honest desire to overcome himself.

Just like how Aaaninja wanted to challenge Anthony, he too was doing the same. Both of them were here for the same purpose, chasing improvement through conflict.

"It seems so," Aaaninja replied, the apathetic expression on his face vanishing as a smile broke onto his lips. He was tempted to say something similar to what Anthony had said to him three years ago, and what Kingsley had echoed a few hours ago, but he decided against it, that would just be him copying another man’s flex and that didn’t suit his at all.

"I recognize your resolve, too bad it would get you nowhere," Aaaninja continued, his smile ever so present, his body still relaxed, his eyes wide open, as he stood with the confidence of a man who could already see the end before the beginning.

"You do know that underestimating me could get you killed," Lucian Darkheart replied with a gentle chuckle, his voice light yet layered with quiet warning.

Aaaninja shook his head as he replied, "that would be insulting to you. While my target is Anthony, it doesn’t mean I’ve become such a fool that I don’t recognise a strong opponent," his words cool and calm, free of mockery.

"What will you do when you lose?" Lucian Darkheart asked as he stared at Aaaninja with perfect focus.

"Me considering the option of me losing means I never once believed in myself, and I don’t lose," Aaaninja answered as he shook his head yet again, his belief in himself and his own power absolute and unshakeable, bordering on faith.

Lucian Darkheart smirked at those words, sometimes he genuinely wondered if Aaaninja Chronisynth Eternos was another reincarnator like him but was simply too good at hiding it.

"Confident, huh?" he stated as he glanced at the sky for a brief second, then his black eyes shifted towards Aaaninja yet again, his demeanor changing as though he was transforming from a friend into an enemy in real time.

"I hope your loss doesn’t affect our friendship, or you in general, after all you are going to lose to Anthony and I," with those last words, his entire demeanor shifted completely as battle intent rose skywards in dark waves that made the air scream and tremble, invisible pressure radiating outward like the roar of a storm.

Aaaninja didn’t reply, he simply smirked, Lucian had always told him that he would lose against Null Anthony, he had never believed it. With that smile still present, his own battle intent rose into the air, sharp and radiant, clashing violently with Lucian’s as their wills collided like opposing tidal waves, sending off screeching sparks into the air and distorting the space around them.

The next moment, the air seemed to still unnaturally, then shattered as a booming voice tore through the frozen atmosphere with authority.

"Begin."