MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Chapter 1112: Handicap

Anthony’s eyes turned to Rider as he spoke, ”I remember I owe you a favour, what do you want, I want to grant it before I leave,” he asked, his tone calm.

”I will tell you after our spar, for now let’s just enjoy ourselves at the impossibility called Null Anthony,” he replied, his voice carrying a hint of excitement.

”Fine by me,” Anthony replied with a shake of his head, ”but, I will limit myself heavily, since you guys are at the King Mana Rank, aside from Bringer who is at the Emperor Mana Rank, I will limit myself to the entry Master Mana Rank,” Anthony stated with a smile, his confidence ever-so present.

Master Mana Rank was three whole major ranks below them, it was literally the next rank after the Mortal ranks, and Anthony was also limiting himself to level 1, a restriction that would cripple all, but for him, it was merely an adjustment.

But did Tiara and the rest complain? Definitely not, instead, they welcomed the handicap Anthony was putting on himself, if possible, he should even handicap himself more to the F-rank he used to display when he was in school, a thought that lingered amusingly in their minds.

With a command to the system, Anthony lost his physical stats, and mana... well, he technically possessed infinite mana, but Anthony wouldn’t be needing that, as he would be using mana that Level 1 Master Rankers should be able to use, restricting himself with deliberate precision.

”Ready?” Anthony asked as he entered a martial stance with a wide smile across his face, his posture relaxed yet perfectly balanced.

Without hesitation, the Storm Brothers stopped limiting themselves, their bodies bulging as their forms expanded, muscles swelling as their bodies grew, skin stretching until they stood at twelve feet tall, their presence imposing as befitted true Titans.

Tiara also got ready, Bryan’s eyes sharpening as they both drew their weapons, their auras flaring subtly as they prepared for the clash ahead.

A pebble appeared in Anthony’s hand, then he threw it into the air, he didn’t need to explain, everyone understood that the pebble hitting the ground would be the signal for the battle to begin, a simple yet effective initiation.

The moment the pebble struck the earth, the four of them vanished from where they stood, the earth shattering under their feet as they blurred towards Anthony, their speed tearing through the air with violent intent.

Bryan came from the side, his body appearing in a flash of golden lightning, his sword covered in aura, further boosted by his golden lightning; he hadn’t achieved the Intent yet, but his power was still formidable. With a wind-tearing swing, he slashed upwards diagonally at Anthony’s chest, his attack swift and precise.

Tiara came from behind, her sword covered in aura as she boosted herself with blood energy, while also manually enhancing her blood flow to push her speed to its limits, her blade ripping the air to shreds as she aimed at Anthony’s neck with lethal intent.

The Storm Brothers came in from the left and from the right, their fists collapsing wind and the sound barrier alike, their bodies also enhanced by aura, boosting their attacks to a ridiculous degree, their strikes carrying overwhelming destructive force.

Truly, it was a pincer attack... but still, it was useless.

Anthony’s mana flowed, and immediately he tapped into the earth element, the earth beneath his feet parting as he vanished into it as though he were a mole. The moment Anthony was gone, Tiara and Bryan’s attacks collided into each other, the Storm Brothers’ punches also tore into each other’s chests.

With a booming sound, each side was torn backwards like rockets as they had attacked each other instead of Anthony. Their bodies collided with trees, but they immediately caught themselves, yet it was too late, Anthony was already in motion, his presence shifting across the battlefield.

He arrived before Bryan first, who seemed to be the most troublesome for some reason, his speed a blur, Bryan’s reaction instantaneous, the moment he sensed a presence, he acted. He slashed again, pouring more mana into his lightning-infused strike, but it was useless as Anthony simply stepped to the side as though it was the easiest thing in the world.

With that, his mana-enhanced fist thundered into Bryan’s chin with earth-shaking force. The impact tore him upwards, but before he could ascend high, Anthony immediately caught him by the ankle whilst he was midair, then slammed him into the earth with wicked force as though he were a ragdoll ten consecutive times. After that, he threw Bryan to the side without a second glance.

The moment he threw Bryan away, all that filled his vision was a huge foot that was thicker than tree bark swinging towards his face. Anthony didn’t dare to catch the attack, his body simply snapping backwards, his spine bending until he became parallel to the earth as he dodged, he felt the wind pressure, now as sharp as razors, brush against his face.

The forest behind him was immediately blown apart under the force of that missed attack. But before Anthony could raise himself from his bent position, Tiara immediately appeared from the shadow Anthony’s body cast against the ground, her timing perfect, her blade thrusting towards his heart from behind with deadly precision.

Anthony couldn’t help but admire their coordination, after they had attacked together at the same time and paid the price with miserable failure, the four of them had already adapted on the fly, attacking at the perfect moment and opportunity, such was their brilliance and talent.

Anthony only made people like these seem untalented because he was a... cheater, a truth he acknowledged without shame.

But still, she had underestimated Anthony.

Tiara’s sword tore through Anthony’s back, piercing through his heart and bursting outwards from the front of his body, but before Tiara could rejoice at the thought of landing an attack, she froze as she felt pain bloom across her body and mind, sharp and undeniable.

’What happened?’ she asked herself as she watched her hand, which was holding her sword, fall to the ground, it had been severed at the elbow with terrifying precision.

When she had attacked, Anthony had simply phased through the strike, then also manipulated the shadow from which Tiara had sneak-attacked to retaliate against her instead. Although Anthony rarely used his shadow ability, the fact remained that he could manipulate it however he pleased, a silent yet deadly capability.

Tiara sank back into the shadow as she fled, as a Vampire, it wouldn’t take long for her to heal, her form dissolving into darkness as she retreated to recover.

Before Anthony could move, Bringer, who had attacked earlier with a kick, attacked again, this time his elbow snapping outward towards Anthony’s body with enough force to pulverize a mountain, his strike carrying devastating intent.

Anthony was about to move, but the next moment, he felt space freeze him in place, his body momentarily restrained. He traced the mana source, his eyes landing on Rider, who had used a skill he got from a skill book to lock Anthony in place, in order to allow his brother to land a decisive attack, their coordination reaching a new level.