MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Blood seeped from numerous orifices across Orion's battered body, a testament to the brutal punishment he had endured.

Bones lay shattered, flesh torn as if by jagged edges, and bruises marred his form in grotesque patterns.

His skull was partially caved in, several teeth were missing, and his nose lay broken and crushed, grotesquely bent inward.

His jaw hung at an unnatural angle, dislocated, while his fingernails clung desperately to his fingers, held only by strips of torn flesh.

A deep, unmistakable imprint of a fist lingered on his abdomen, the remnants of Anthony's earlier devastating blow.

Orion's motionless body sprawled on the ground, unconscious.

Here and there, his muscles twitched involuntarily, a reflexive response to the overwhelming force he had been subjected to.

His form was stained in a grotesque palette of red, brown, and black, a grim mosaic of blood, dirt, and the aftermath of relentless assaults.

Anthony's piercing blue gaze remained fixed on Orion's battered body, an unflinching expression of dominance etched into his features.

With a deliberate and graceful motion, he lifted his planted foot from Orion's face.

Blood poured freely the moment his foot was raised, yet, curiously, not a single drop clung to Anthony.

Despite the copious flow from Orion's wounds, the crimson tide seemed incapable of staining Anthony's pristine form.

Without a backward glance, Anthony turned and began to walk away.

As his first step landed, red flames erupted beneath his feet, spreading in fiery arcs.

The inferno advanced, devouring and melting the expanse of ice that stretched for kilometers, the frozen terrain succumbing to the heat.

Anthony's steps were unhurried, each one precise and measured.

Yet, even as the fire consumed everything in its path, it conspicuously avoided Orion's broken body, leaving him untouched by the blazing inferno.

Moments later, the Overseer intervened, extinguishing the flames as if resetting the battlefield.

Anthony, unbothered by the scene behind him, ascended effortlessly into the air and returned to his seat.

He sat with an air of calm detachment, as though the chaos he had left in his wake was but a trivial display of power.

The crowd sat frozen, their minds struggling to process the scene that had just unfolded before them.

Anthony had become an enigma, a dark horse who had shattered their expectations and achieved what they had believed to be impossible.

To the untrained eye, it might have seemed as though Anthony and Orion were evenly matched, but everyone present had weathered countless battles.

They knew better.

Anthony had released only the precise amount of strength needed to match Orion, nothing more, nothing less.

Not a single injury marred his body, and his expression showed no signs of strain or exhaustion.

His movements had been calculated, his demeanor calm, his dominance undeniable.

One thought echoed in their minds as his age surfaced in their collective consciousness.

Seventeen.

'How is this possible?'

It was the sole question plaguing them, gnawing at the edges of reason.

They doubted their own eyes, yet they could not deny what they had witnessed.

Anthony's every movement carried the unmistakable mark of millennia of battle hardened experience.

His attacks, defenses, and parries were executed with a precision that spoke of a warrior who had fought through countless lifetimes.

But how could a boy, no, a mere child, possess such mastery?

Even if he had been fighting every single day since birth, it defied all logic, all reason.

And yet, there he stood, the embodiment of the impossible, leaving them questioning the very fabric of what they thought they knew.
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They could only arrive at one conclusion.

A monster.

To call Anthony a genius would be an understatement, an insult to his talent.

He hadn't just matched Orion's mastery with the spear, he had elevated the spectacle by switching to a katana during the final quarter of the fight.

His skill with the blade mirrored his expertise with the spear, leaving no doubt that his proficiency spanned multiple weapons.

Whispers of doubt began to ripple through the crowd.

Some speculated that the Soul Prism, which determined age and physical measurements, must have been flawed.

How else could they reconcile the impossible?

But as one question faded, another arose, cutting through the haze of disbelief.

What is Anthony's mana rank?

The Starborn Tournament had no cultivation rank restrictions, only age mattered.

By all known logic, a 17 year old, no matter how exceptional, should only be at the Master rank.

And yet, Anthony's overwhelming power suggested otherwise.

Their gazes shifted toward another figure seated in the top ten: another human competitor.

Out of the elite ten participants in this tournament, three were human, Anthony, Lucian, and the enigmatic figure shrouded in mystery.

Regardless of how the next battles unfolded, all three had already secured a place among the honored few, earning their rewards by reaching this stage.

The remaining matches would merely decide their standings within the top ten, but even that carried its own weight and prestige.

Anthony's presence now loomed larger than ever, his mystery deepening with each passing moment, leaving those present to wonder just how far his power could reach.

"You just couldn't resist, huh? Had to pull off a curb stomp"

Aaaninja remarked, his tone laced with dry amusement as he glanced at Anthony, who had just arrived at the floating seats.

Anthony raised an eyebrow, turning his gaze toward Aaaninja.

"You know what a curb stomp is?"

He asked, genuinely surprised.

It was a term infamous in his previous life, one he never expected to hear in this new life.

Even if it existed here, he assumed it would be known by a different name.

But Aaaninja had said it with the exact same phrasing, down to the smallest inflection.

Anthony paused for a moment, considering the oddity, then decided to dismiss it with a mental shrug.

"I just couldn't resist"

He replied, his face utterly deadpan.

The delegates from the Blue Planet watched proudly as their champion ascended to the top ten, a moment of triumph for their world.

This marked only the third time in their history that their planet had achieved such a feat.

Even if Anthony were to lose any of his upcoming matches, it hardly mattered; his accomplishments had already etched his name into their annals of glory.

"I have to say, I'm not sure if your son is truly human or if you adopted him from somewhere"

Iserios Von Deathwrath, the Dragon King, remarked with a weary sigh, his gaze fixed on Anthony's battle replay.

"Are you certain your son isn't possessed?The level of battle experience he just displayed goes far beyond mere battle IQ"

Baldor Ironhammer, the Dwarf King, chimed in, though his words were accompanied by a hearty laugh.

"I'm more interested in when he'll reach our level"

Gorath Storm, the Titan Patriarch, said, his booming voice tinged with excitement.

His blood boiled at the thought of a worthy opponent.

"I can't wait to have a true, heartfelt battle with him"

"If he were possessed, the Soul Prism would've detected it already"

Aurelius Ignis, the Phoenix King, interjected calmly.

His expression remained neutral, but his mind drifted to Scintilla.

'I hope she doesn't do anything reckless'

He thought to himself, oblivious to the truth, Scintilla was already dead.

Yet, even if he knew, Aurelius wouldn't act on it.

The Null family was here alongside him, their presence their innocence.

He wouldn't suspect them, even if the truth were laid bare.

Michael, Collins, and Mitchelle sat in silence, their faces adorned with knowing smiles.

The other delegates' musings didn't warrant a reply.

There was no doubt in their minds that Anthony was their blood, their pride.

After all, Anthony had explained his Battle Experience Skill to them after the Bloodbath Tournament.

Should they question their son and grandson simply because he was a once in a lifetime genius?

To them, the other Blue Planet delegates were merely envious, their pride stung because such brilliance hadn't emerged from their families or bloodlines.

The trio had no illusions about Anthony's power after witnessing his display, they knew he was still operating beneath his real limits.

So their confidence remained unshaken.

They stared ahead with quiet determination, fully expecting Anthony to emerge as Rank 1.

To them, anything less was simply not an option.