MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

As Selunara's and Shadow's attacks closed in, crimson arcs of fire infused energy tearing through the air, Lucian's lips parted slowly, his voice resounding with unhurried authority.

[Aegis Pulse]

He uttered.

A brilliant glow erupted from his body, energy surging outward in a radiant wave.

The air warped and trembled as the glow intensified, expanding with an ear splitting resonance.

The shockwave collided with the incoming arcs, shattering them into harmless sparks of dissipating energy.

The wave rippled forward, striking Selunara and Shadow with overwhelming force.

Selunara was flung through the air, her momentum broken as she spiraled backward uncontrollably.

Shadow, devoid of resistance, was hurled like a weightless object, its form scattering debris as it crashed into the ground.

The earth itself fractured under the impact, jagged cracks radiating outward from Lucian's feet.

Dust and shards of stone burst into the air, forming a chaotic storm that encircled the battlefield.

At the center of it all, Lucian stood motionless, his glowing body radiating a fierce yet controlled brilliance.

The remnants of the shockwave shimmered around him, distorting the air like waves of heat.

His calm, measured gaze swept over the aftermath, unshaken and resolute, as the battlefield fell into silence.

The air vibrated with tension as Lucian stood motionless at the center of the battlefield, the remnants of the shockwave from his [Aegis Pulse] still reverberating across the jagged landscape.

His body, glowing faintly from the pulse, remained calm, his eyes unwavering, a predator's gaze locked on his opponent.

Selunara, her form flickering in and out of sight, her cloak of shadows ever shifting, surveyed the battlefield with a calculated, deadly gaze.

Her shadow twin, a perfect echo of her every move, was already weaving between the terrain, preparing to strike.

For a moment, there was silence, a brief, eerie stillness in the air, before the storm broke.

Selunara darted forward, the shadows beneath her feet stretching like tendrils as she harnessed the power of a skill [Shadow Shift].

In an instant, she was gone, vanishing from sight and reappearing beside Lucian, daggers flashing with deadly intent.

The twin of her shadow, equally fast and unyielding, took another path, circling behind him in a deadly flanking maneuver.

Lucian, who had not so much as flinched, seemed to anticipate the strike.

His katana flickered with a swift motion, slashing upward to intercept the incoming blow.

With an almost lazy twist, he parried the first strike of Selunara's blade, sending it skittering off his weapon's edge.

The second strike, from the Shadow, came too close, but Lucian twisted his body impossibly fast.

His katana moved with preternatural precision, severing the shadow in half, its form scattering into a cloud of dark mist before it could even attempt to land a blow.

Selunara, momentarily thrown off balance by the loss of her second strike, leaped backward, her eyes narrowing as her feet lightly touched the ground, her stance shifting into an offensive position.

She wasted no time, she activated another skill [Dual Energy Resonance]

The energy between her and her shadow was now in perfect sync, amplifying both of their powers.

The ground trembled under their combined force as she launched into another attack, her shadow form speeding up, mirroring her movements in a perfect union.

Lucian's expression never wavered.

His katana was already in motion, cutting a precise arc through the air.

The attack came so fast that Selunara barely had time to react.

She twisted, raising her daggers to intercept the blade, but Lucian's katana was too powerful.

The blades shattered upon contact, sending shards of metal flying, and Selunara was sent spiraling backward, crashing into the ground with a violent thud.

Her breath caught, but there was no time to recover.

Without missing a beat, Lucian stepped forward, his katana held firmly in his hand.

A ripple of air preceded his strike as he moved with the swiftness of lightning, his blade flicking through the air with terrifying grace.

Selunara reacted in a heartbeat, using [Parallel Manifestation] to separate her material and shadow forms, hoping to confuse him.

While her physical body evaded the strike, her shadow counterpart manifested above him, plunging a sword downward, aiming for his neck.

Lucian's eyes flickered as he sensed the attack.

His katana cut through the air, leaving a trail of silver as it met the shadow's strike.

With a single motion, the shadow was dispersed, leaving nothing behind.

In the same instant, Lucian spun, his katana flowing in a deadly arc.

Selunara barely managed to leap backward, her body twisting in mid air, narrowly avoiding the lethal slash.

But she was not done yet.

She used [Echo Strike], striking from both sides in perfect synchronicity.

The twin daggers, now energized with the amplified power of her resonance, flashed from either direction.

Her shadow surged forward as well, delivering a secondary strike in perfect alignment with the first.

The two attacks came together, aiming to overwhelm Lucian's defenses.

Lucian's katana met both strikes in a single, fluid motion.

He didn't dodge; he didn't need to.

His blade moved with utter precision, intercepting the daggers at the perfect angle and with the force of a tidal wave.

There was a dull ring as the weapons collided, and Selunara's daggers splintered upon contact, the shards of broken metal scattering across the battlefield.

The force of the clash sent her sprawling backward, the impact shaking her entire body.

She coughed as she hit the ground, her breath shallow, the shock of the failed attack rattling her.

Her Shadow, now flickering at the edges of the battlefield, was no match for Lucian.

It was as though the man was able to anticipate everything before it even happened.

He moved forward again, his pace unhurried, as if he were savoring the battle, but Selunara knew better.

Her pulse quickened.

This was no longer a fight for survival, it was a fight to delay the inevitable. Find your next adventure on empire

Gathering her energy, Selunara called upon [Dimensional Split]

The air around her crackled with the surge of power as three more shadowy figures materialized, all mirroring her movements.

They moved in perfect unison, each form acting as a distraction.

The shadows came from all directions, filling the air with darkened figures that each held a single blade, each poised for lethal strikes.

Lucian raised his katana, his expression unchanged.

A slow exhale passed from his lips, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly as he observed the multitude of Selunara's attacks closing in on him.

But there was no fear in his eyes.

With a sharp motion, Lucian swung his katana in an arc so fast that the air itself seemed to split.

He slashed through the first shadow, the second, and the third, each one falling into nothingness as his blade moved in a seamless dance of destruction.

Each slash was calculated, precise, and merciless, cutting down Selunara's decoys with utter ease.

Selunara herself, already in the midst of moving, felt the ground shake as she realized her plan had failed.

There was no escaping Lucian's reach now.

Her shadow counterpart, which had been waiting for her to land the finishing blow, faltered and shattered, her remaining form barely holding itself together.

In that moment of hesitation, Lucian was upon her.

His katana flashed downward, aiming straight for her midsection.

With no more decoys left, there was nothing to protect her.

Selunara's heart raced in her chest, but her body, already battered from the previous blows, was no longer able to evade his attack.

Time seemed to slow.

Her hand reached out in a desperate attempt to summon something, anything, that could counter Lucian's inevitable strike.

She called upon [Phantom Phase] the only option she had left.

Her shadow form began to flicker and shift, turning intangible as it attempted to pass through Lucian's attack.

But Lucian was too fast.

His katana plunged into her side, cutting through her defenses before the phase could fully activate.

The blade cut through her flesh like a hot knife through butter.

Selunara gasped in agony as she felt her body torn apart.

The power behind the strike left her disoriented, unable to maintain her grip on the remaining strands of her shadow power.

Her vision blurred as she stumbled back, the last of her energy fading.

Lucian did not hesitate.

His blade moved again, and this time, there was no parry, no attempt to avoid the strike.

With a final, brutal motion, Lucian severed her head from her body, the clean cut silencing the battlefield with its finality.

Selunara's body crumpled to the ground in a lifeless heap, her shadow dissolving into the air as the last remnants of her existence faded into nothingness.

Lucian stood over her, his katana gleaming, still poised in the aftermath of the lethal blow.

His body was untouched, his expression still calm, as if the battle had not even been a challenge.

The wind picked up, swirling around him, carrying the remnants of the dust and debris into the air.

There was no emotion in his eyes, only the cold certainty of victory.

The silence that followed was deafening. Selunara was no more.

And Lucian? He had won, effortlessly, with no injuries, no exhaustion, and no hesitation.

He turned and walked away, his steps echoing in the stillness, leaving behind the broken remnants of a battle that had never truly been in doubt.