Lucian's body appeared at the location he had anchored, his form completely intact, his flesh unblemished and his clothes pristine, as though nothing had ever touched him. His entire being, body, soul, and existence itself, had been rewritten in an instant by a single ability. The laws that governed reality bent obediently to his will, restoring him as if the violence he had endured moments earlier had never occurred.

But before he could even draw a single breath, Anthony was already upon him. Anthony's foot tore through the air like an arrow loosed from a divine bow, compressing the space around it as it descended toward Lucian with merciless speed.

Lucian moved to block, instinctively raising his arms, but it was utterly futile. Anthony's foot slammed into his jaw with the force of an exploding war drum. The impact echoed violently as Lucian's body was launched sideways, spinning through the air like a broken kite cut loose from its string. Bone cracked, shock rippled through his skull, and his vision blurred as he was hurled away.

Even as his body flew, Lucian activated his own ability. He refused, utterly refused, to remain on the beaten and battered side of this battle.

Existence Deletion

Mana erupted violently from his body as he tore through the air, his will sharpening to a singular, merciless point. Without warning, without buildup, without spectacle, the space Anthony stood upon was erased. Not destroyed, deleted. The location, the matter, the concept of that place itself vanished without mercy. There was no mana fluctuation, no explosion, no distortion of air or light. There was simply… nothing. Total erasure.

Lucian's body smashed into the ground yet again with catastrophic force, gouging into the earth as his momentum struggled to die. His body screamed in protest as it skidded across the terrain, finally coming to a brutal halt. His head snapped upward immediately, his eyes locking onto the place Anthony had occupied moments earlier.

He needed to know. Had the attack landed?

And indeed, reality at that location had been deleted entirely. Existence itself had been carved out, leaving behind a void so absolute it seemed wrong to observe. Nothing remained, no dust, no air, no light. Only true nothingness.

Then footsteps echoed.

From that void, Anthony stepped forward.

His foot pressed down upon nothing, yet it landed as though solid ground existed beneath him. Step by step, he emerged from the absence itself, walking with calm ease, as though nothingness had been something he himself had created, and mastered.

Lucian's mind faltered. He had deleted Anthony. No, he had deleted the space around Anthony and Anthony himself. The ability had worked flawlessly on the environment, yet it had failed to touch Anthony himself.

Lucian didn't know how to react.

In the span of a blink, Anthony was suddenly standing directly before him, face to face, his presence overwhelming in its quiet dominance.

"Let's end this, shall we?" Anthony said calmly. "I believe I've given you enough chance and time." It was the first time since the battle began that Anthony had spoken directly to him.

"Enough chance and time…" Lucian repeated the words silently. In every sense, they sounded arrogant, words that should have been soaked in hubris. Yet there was none. Anthony's tone held no mockery, no pride. Only certainty.

Anthony didn't wait.

A punch tore in from the side. Lucian felt as though a comet had slammed into his ribs as Anthony's fist connected. His body folded instantly, organs screaming as he endured the blow. Even so, he forced himself to counter, his own fist racing toward Anthony's face.

But Anthony simply stepped to the side with effortless grace. He caught Lucian's arm, one hand gripping the wrist, the other locking the elbow, and spun him over his shoulder. Lucian's world inverted before Anthony lifted him and slammed him into the earth with overwhelming force.

The impact was titanic.

The ground exploded beneath Lucian's back, a ravine yawning open as spiderweb-like cracks tore outward in all directions. Pain detonated through his spine, white-hot and all-consuming. Before he could even gasp, Anthony raised his foot and stomped downward toward Lucian's head, as though intending to crush it entirely.

Lucian reacted just in time.

He rolled desperately to the side, narrowly escaping death, and forced himself to his feet in a single motion. His eyes snapped toward Anthony; too late.

Anthony was already there.

His forefoot thundered into Lucian's chest with deafening impact. Lucian spat blood violently as he was hurled backward, his internal organs collapsing under the force. Bones cracked. Flesh ruptured. Yet his regeneration activated immediately, snapping his body back together even as he flew.

Twisting through the air, Lucian landed hard, his feet carving deep trenches through the earth as he skidded backward. Without hesitation, he rocketed forward again, launching himself at Anthony like a living bullet.

His leg rose toward Anthony's head in a vicious arc.

Anthony took a single step back. The attack missed as though it had never been close. Anthony dropped his center of gravity and swept Lucian's legs out from under him with a low kick. Lucian lost his footing instantly, his body crashing downward,

Before he could even hit the ground, Anthony's fist fired outward like a cannon. It tore into Lucian's spine. Bone shattered effortlessly, snapping like fragile glass against stone. Lucian's body was lost to inertia once more, ricocheting violently through trees, splintering trunks and pulverizing stone before finally coming to rest several kilometers away.

Before Lucian could even rise from the ravine he lay within, Anthony was already there again. His fists rained down with swift, precise brutality. His movements were flawless, his strikes blurring upward and downward with the ruthless efficiency of a master boxer.

Chest. Lungs. Kidney. Stomach. Ribs. Jaw.

Anthony's fists became an endless stream of devastation. He did not pause. He did not hesitate. Lucian could only lie there, beaten and broken, as his body absorbed the storm of blows. Pain flooded his senses, overwhelming his mind with raw information.

Anthony did not check to see if Lucian was alive.

He knew. He could still hear his heartbeat.

Even as the blows landed, Lucian's regenerative ability worked furiously, repairing injury after injury as it was forced into overdrive. For a split second, Lucian managed to catch his breath.

Reality Anchor

He vanished instantly, yet again, but the moment he reappeared Anthony was already there. His knee slammed into Lucian's jaw with devastating force.

Lucian crashed into the earth once more, his body embedding itself into the ground. Anthony landed lightly beside him, walking forward with calm, measured steps.

Lucian stayed on the floor, he didn't know what to do anymore. His mind raced through attacks and abilities, cycling desperately through every option available to him. Yet he knew, deep down, that none of them would work. None of them could overcome Anthony.

After a long moment, his lips parted.

Event Rewriting

He poured everything into it.

Since he could not defeat Anthony by force, he attempted to rewrite the outcome itself. He forced the concept of his victory into reality, bending existence with sheer will. Reality trembled with madness, twitching and warping as it bowed his will. His mana burned violently as he poured every last drop into this final attempt.

Anthony did not react. He simply stood there, watching calmly as Lucian tried to impose the impossible.

Minutes passed. Lucian's mana ran dry.

Reality did not move. It did not bend. It did not obey.

Lucian fell silent. His eyes lifted to meet Anthony's sky-blue gaze one final time.

"It's my loss," he said quietly.

And with that, Lucian Darkheart had lost.

______

AUTHOR'S NOTE: With this chapter, I've made up all missing chapters. You will still be getting four chapters tomorrow and the day after, sponsored by Aura Nova's magic castles. (My fingers hurt, send gifts!)

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