MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Anthony and the Executioner continued their relentless clash, neither giving an inch.

Frustration built within Anthony as he struggled to grasp the nature of the strange energy the Executioner wielded.

'System, what is this energy?'

He asked, his voice sharp.

[Ding]

[It is an energy from a higher galaxy. It surpasses both mana and Intent in power]

Anthony clicked his tongue in irritation.

As Anthony processed the revelation, a fist slammed into his gut with overwhelming force.

His ribs shattered, his lungs ruptured, an explosion of blood poured from his mouth, painting the air in crimson.

But the Executioner wasn't finished.

Before inertia could even begin to take hold, the Executioner's fist shot out again, this time aiming straight for Anthony's head, ruthless and merciless.

Anthony's instincts kicked in.

Seeing the incoming strike, he teleported in a blur, narrowly evading the devastating blow by mere inches.

The moment Anthony arrived at his new location, the Executioner was already there, a cruel smile tugging at his lips.

It was as if he had arrived before Anthony.

"Your control over space is so lacking, you might as well announce your new location to everyone"

The Executioner taunted, his voice dripping with amused mockery.

Before Anthony could respond, the Executioner's blade surged forward once more.

The air split in two.

The very fabric of space itself cracked under the force of the strike.

Anthony's eyes widened in shock as the blade hurtled toward his neck, its edge gleaming with the promise of death.

Without a second thought, he called upon his Time element.

He could feel the weight of the moment, the urgency, the dire necessity.

Slowing time for beings like the Executioner seemed like a fool's hope, but Anthony didn't need much.

He just needed a fraction of a moment.

The Time element responded to his desperate call, and for a heartbeat, everything around him seemed to decelerate, the blade moving with agonizing slowness.

Time returned to its natural flow, but that fleeting second was all Anthony needed.

In that fleeting moment, Anthony activated Spatial Mark, vanishing without a trace.

The technique left no spatial fluctuations, no indication of his departure.

In his place, a stone materialized, only for the Executioner's blade to cleave through it effortlessly, like a hot knife slicing through butter.

But Anthony had already reappeared at another location, fully healed, his body unscathed.

The Executioner's eyes glinted with newfound interest.

"Hooo..You seem to possess many secrets. Time, Void. I suppose I'll be taking you alive then"

A smile spread across his face as he spoke, the words laced with a dangerous promise.

A voice suddenly rang out from the side, one that Anthony was all too familiar with.

It was Kingsley.

Frustration etched across Kingsley's face as he realized his Concep abilities had no effect.

The Executioner could react to even his Pulse Steps.

But Kingsley wasn't one to give up easily.

With a grim resolve, he decided to bring out his other movement technique, one skill he had kept hidden for a moment like this.

Zero Step Displacement.

His voice echoed through the air, and then, he was gone.

Where he had stood moments before, only an empty space remained.

Kingsley was already directly in front of the Executioner, his foot raised high, aimed straight for the Executioner's face.

BAM

The air around them detonated as Kingsley's foot collided with the Executioner's face, sending a shockwave through the hall.

But something was off.

Inertia didn't act.

It was as if the force itself hesitated, unsure of how to move the Executioner, or perhaps... it wasn't enough to budge him at all.

And indeed, the force wasn't enough.

Although the blow landed with a resounding impact, it was too weak to even make the Executioner flinch, let alone damage him.

He remained unmoved, as if the attack had never happened.

The Executioner's hand shot out with lightning speed, aiming to catch Kingsley's leg mid-air.

But Kingsley was already gone.

He was already beside Anthony, a knowing smirk on his face.

"Interesting"

The Executioner murmured, brushing the dust from his face with an air of nonchalance.

"You two just keep surprising me"

His smile never faltered, the amusement in his eyes growing sharper.

"It seems I'll have to keep both of you alive. You two wield so many secrets. It's almost as if the anomalies of the galaxy have gathered together"

The Executioner's gaze shifted to Kingsley, his sword slipping from his hand and floating back into position with a fluid grace.

"A movement technique even I couldn't sense"

His voice trailed off, a note of intrigue in his words.

"It seems my imprisonment here was truly worth it"

He paused, considering the technique.

"Zero Step Displacement"

He spoke the name with a certain reverence, as if recognizing something far beyond ordinary skill.

This was yet another broken ability under the Divine Kata Talent.

Kingsley's technique wasn't teleportation, no, it was something far more profound.

It allowed him to traverse from one point to another without any physical motion at all.

Reality itself simply agreed that Kingsley had always been at the location he appeared.

This unique manipulation of reality rendered any form of sensory perception or ability useless.

It was the very reason the Executioner had failed to react.

At the Executioner's words, neither Anthony nor Kingsley responded.

They simply moved forward, the ground cracking and buckling beneath the overwhelming speed of their advance.

"You know it's futile, yet you still persist... How amusing"

The Executioner mused, a bored smirk creeping across his face.

"But unfortunately, I'm already bored of this charade"

In an instant, Anthony appeared directly in front of the Executioner, his katana swinging in a deadly arc aimed straight for his heart.

But the Executioner's reaction was nothing short of flawless.

With immaculate precision and effortless grace, he slapped Anthony's wrist, sending the katana spiraling from his hand and into the air, helpless.

But before the blade could even begin its descent, Kingsley had already appeared mid-air, his hand snatching the katana from the air with fluid motion.

Kingsley's body instantly adapted to the katana, his grip becoming one with the weapon.

With a fluid motion, he brought the blade down in a powerful slash, aimed directly at the Executioner.

But the Executioner didn't even flinch.

In a single, effortless motion, his left hand shot out, catching the katana between his index and middle fingers with the finesse of a master.

With just the slightest shift of his fingers, he attempted to shatter the blade.

But the katana didn't crack.

It remained unscathed.

"Another interesting factor... A weapon I can't damage?"

The Executioner mused, his voice tinged with genuine curiosity.

Before Kingsley could react, the Executioner's hand instantly shifted from the katana to his neck, his grip tightening with lethal intent.

On the Executioner's right hand, Anthony dangled by the neck, struggling to break free.

On his left, Kingsley was held with the same cruel precision, both men powerless against the sheer grip of the Executioner's strength.

"Let's get this over with, shall we?"

The Executioner said, his voice calm, almost detached, as if this moment was nothing more than a mere inconvenience.

With a swift motion, he flung Kingsley to the side, sending him crashing against the wall with bone-crushing force.

"Freeze"

The word fell from his lips like the decree of a god, a command that resonated with the very fabric of reality.

As if their existence itself had been suspended, Kingsley, Dale, Reynold, and Seraphim all instantly froze in place.

Time seemed to halt around them, their bodies locked as if they had never moved to begin with.

"Initially, I wanted to transfer my soul into yours after I've killed you"

The Executioner's voice was cold, his gaze fixed on Anthony, analyzing him as though he were nothing more than a puzzle to solve.

But Anthony's eyes remained unwavering, his composure unbroken.

"But your mind... it holds so many secrets. I'll have to devour your soul instead, if only to explore these memories and unravel the truths hidden within"

The Executioner's tone shifted slightly, darkening, as though the decision had already been made in his mind.

Then, with a finality that rang through the air, the Executioner spoke one last time.

"Reincarnation Art: Perfect Soul Record Transfer"

His eyes flared with a sudden, terrifying glow before dimming, the irises closing as if the world itself had been sealed within them.

Anthony's own eyes, in contrast, began to glow subtly, responding to the energy that coursed through him.

He too closed his eyes, as if matching the Executioner's actions, preparing for what was about to unfold.