MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Anthony floated with a calm composure, his very presence radiating a serene dominance. A faint yet confident smile curved his lips, and his blue eyes shimmered like priceless sapphires as they locked onto Lilithra.

He had just finished eradicating her entire league of loyal pets, beings who had followed her for countless centuries, without so much as breaking a sweat. Some among them had been Monarchs in their own right, capable of unleashing destruction on worlds.

But, before Anthony's Infinity and Sense Dome, their attacks had proven utterly useless, their resistance crumbling like sand in the tide.

Around Anthony, the corpses of the fallen hung suspended in the void as though time itself had frozen them there, a gruesome gallery that could have been the work of a serial killer who had wiped out the population of an entire planet in a single night.

Organs, innards, shattered bones, severed heads, and mangled limbs drifted weightlessly in a silent crimson ballet. Blood floated in pools around him, each droplet glistening in the dim void. And yet, Anthony stood at the center, untouched, as though all of this chaos had been nothing more than a passing inconvenience.

His gaze shifted downward to the katana in his hand. The blade emitted a faint hum, as if the weapon itself was purring in delight, drinking in the carnage. Anthony's smile deepened, and with deliberate grace, he slid the blade into its sheath.

His eyes returned to Lilithra. Now, there was a change in her expression, a faint but undeniable trace of fear.

It was almost unthinkable.

She was a being who had walked existence for over a million years, wielding powers that had broken empires and reduced false gods to ash.

She possessed numerous life-saving artifacts, each of them a trump card against death itself.

But all of them were locked within her space ring.

Anthony knew this. That was precisely why he had sealed her space ring from the moment their battle began to stretch. He had no interest in discovering what kind of apocalyptic artifact she might unleash. There was no reason to continue battling an opponent who could no longer keep pace with him.

He took a single step in the void. Here, there was no ground, no air, no sky, only the endless emptiness of space. Yet, somehow, his footsteps echoed.

Then he took another.

And another.

And another.

Lilithra instinctively stepped back. For the first time in countless eons, she felt the cold, suffocating grip of true fear. It was as though Death itself had taken on a human form and was walking toward her.

When was the last time she had been afraid of anyone outside the Demon King's Demon Monarch Ranking?

The answer was simple, never.

But she knew. She could not escape.

Run?

Teleport?

The exits were sealed, the space around her bound. And the way this human boy moved, the calmness in his stride, spoke volumes. He still had reserves of mana vast enough to keep going indefinitely. That in itself was a mystery she could not fathom.

She drifted back and touched down on the jagged surface of another moon, her movement as light as a whisper. She stopped there, standing still. The fear in her eyes faded, replaced by a calm acceptance.

She had always known this day would come. She had always assumed it would be by another demon, one strong enough to take her coveted Rank One Hundred position.

She had never imagined it would be a human. A child, no less.

"What no—" Lilithra began to speak, but she never finished the sentence. Anthony was already in front of her, his speed defying logic.

His fist drove into her abdomen with the force of a collapsing star.

The impact churned her insides, and she coughed up black blood. But before the momentum could even carry her backward, Anthony twisted his body with effortless grace, his footheel snapping upward into her chin. The strike dislocated her jaw instantly.

Lilithra crumpled to her knees, nerves screaming with pain. But she did not cry out. Her eyes remained wide, fixed on Anthony.

She could not comprehend why he was beating her. Why not simply end her?

The truth was, Anthony had intended to end it swiftly. But the moment she had spoken, he struck without hesitation. She was a demon, there was no telling what hidden technique or forbidden spell she might unleash with her final breath.

Lilithra's body weakened, her aura fading like dying embers. She did not resist further. She understood the futility. Anthony did not mock her, nor did he deliver some grand speech.

He knew that if he had been reincarnated as a demon, he would have followed the same ruthless path. In the end, there was no such thing as true righteousness, only survival and strength.

Gripping her neck firmly, Anthony's body blurred into a streak of blinding white light. In the next instant, he reappeared high above in the skies of Blue Planet, the world he had deliberately left untouched during their battle.

The inhabitants below stared upward, their minds drowning in awe and reverence. In their eyes, they were insects before him, no, less than insects.

They had just witnessed the impossible. These two beings had clashed, shattering worlds, collapsing stars, tearing apart moons, ripping open black holes, and rending the void itself.

Some fell to their knees instantly, bowing in reverence. No one dared see Anthony as they once had. In their hearts, he had transcended mortality, he was a god. This day, this moment, would become legend, its tale carried through the ages.

Across the globe, social media erupted in chaos. New pages, forums, and group chats appeared by the thousands. In mere seconds, a global cult had begun to form, devoted entirely to their god, Anthony.

Within moments, millions had joined. Within another second, the number surged to billions. Then, the entire internet crashed under the sheer weight of traffic, leaving only one platform, StreamGhost Livestream, functioning.

Anthony felt the collective gaze of the world upon him, but his focus swept past them. His eyes pierced through domains, and he saw that their leaders had already dismantled the Forsaken Cult.

Raising his hand, there, Lilithra was, still alive yet utterly limp in his grasp.

The world understood without needing words.

They knew he was about to end her, permanently in front of them all.

"Who would have thought," Lilithra said softly, her tone almost wistful, "that I would fall to the hands of a human. A mere child, of all things."

Her voice was calm, without even a hint of pleading. "Death comes for us all. No one is truly immortal."

Her gaze hardened. "But hear me, human. When you kill me, be prepared for what comes next. You may have won this round… but you have already lost the next."

She closed her eyes, ready to receive the final blow.

Anthony did not question her cryptic warning. Enemies would always come. Even if he spared her, others would rise. One more made no difference.

From his palm, blue flames bloomed in to reality like a lotus. It radiated serenity, yet the moment they touched her skin, that serenity was replaced by ravenous fury. The fire consumed her entirely in the blink of an eye.

Anthony would never kill Lilithra with something as simple as decapitation or brute force, demons of her rank often had resurrection contingencies.

Only complete annihilation would suffice.

An erasure from existence itself.

The flames devoured her completely. Not even ashes remained.

For a heartbeat, the world teetered on the edge of celebration. Victory was theirs. Relief began to swell in the hearts of billions.

But then — it came.