MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

When Romulus arrived, his mere presence bore down upon the onlookers with an overwhelming force, suffocating the very air around them.

No longer did they kneel.

They prostrated themselves, pressed flat against the ground, as if the weight of existence itself demanded their submission.

None among them could fathom the identity of this enigmatic being.

His name did not echo through the annals of history, nor was he whispered of in the most clandestine or ancient records of their clans and bloodlines.

In that moment, even the memory of two mere humans summoning entities of such unfathomable magnitude had not been fully been registered in their minds.

As Romulus arrived, a flicker of surprise crossed the Spirit King's face, a rare and almost forgotten expression.

For countless ages, he had maintained absolute mastery over his emotions, his composure unwavering through the passage of time.

Yet now, in mere minutes, he had been shaken twice.

The first was his inability to retrieve any information on Anthony, an anomaly beyond his comprehension.

The second was the arrival of Romulus, a presence so profound that even he, the eternal sovereign of spirits, could not suppress his astonishment.

Not since the day Charles had summoned him had he experienced such a moment of disbelief.

The shock etched upon the Spirit King's face was unmistakable, yet as swiftly as it appeared, it vanished.

His mind whirled, processing torrents of information in mere nanoseconds.

Then, turning his attention to Romulus, the Spirit King spoke:

"You are from outside"

He did not pose a question or seek confirmation; he merely stated the fact as though it required no further validation, his tone as absolute and unyielding as the truth itself.

Although visibly shaken, the Spirit King maintained an outward calm, even as turmoil churned within.

As one of the earliest beings in the galaxy, he possessed knowledge of many hidden truths.

Yet, he knew nothing of this particular entity, its origins, the moment it arrived, or how long it had lingered.

In that instant, his only certainty was that the being hailed from beyond.

Even if the entity had been present for only a fleeting moment, the Spirit King would have sensed its presence or gleaned some hint of its nature.

Then, a thought flickered through his ancient mind, and a smile crept across his face.

The reason for that smile was unmistakable: the promise of battle.

As an ageless being, wearied by the ceaseless monotony of existence, he rarely encountered adversaries capable of challenging his formidable power.

Even when such opponents emerged, conflict was often avoided due to the dire consequences that typically followed.

Romulus, too, seemed eager to test his mettle.

Despite having contended with demons during Anthony's century long training, an experience he scarcely regarded as a fight, he now appeared ready to engage, his muscles primed for the contest ahead.

"Who are you?"

The Spirit King finally inquired.

Romulus fixed his gaze on him, momentarily silent despite the temptation to answer with arrogance.

At length, he replied succinctly.

"Romulus"

His voice resonated, imposing, commanding, and unequivocally dominant.

Words were superfluous; both combatants were here solely for battle.

Their summoners had called them forth, and as beings defined by power and pride, neither could afford to retreat.

The conflict was no longer waged on behalf of their masters, it had become intensely personal.

"We should step out"

Declared the Spirit King, his tone brimming with anticipation for a long awaited duel, it had been an eternity since he last engaged in combat.

Romulus surveyed the surroundings and nodded.

If the battle were to unfold on this barren planet, many of the onlookers would meet their end.

Although they held little regard for their lives, they were not inclined to slaughter indiscriminately.

Moreover, their summoners, Charles and Anthony, remained on this desolate world.

In an instant, both Romulus and the Spirit King vanished.

The moment they moved, a blinding light erupted in their stead, nearly overwhelming every onlooker with its brilliance.

They seemed to have traversed the space between in a flash, moving with a speed that defied even the light itself.

Those who had been forced to the ground slowly rose, their labored breaths and trembling souls mirroring the quivering of their bodies.

They strained their eyes, searching in vain for any sign of the two beings' whereabouts.

In that fleeting moment, as the entities seemed to materialize amid the void of space, the entire galaxy shuddered in anticipation.

Ancient beings, whether still among the living or relegated to myth, turned their gaze toward the unfolding spectacle.

Their dormant powers ignited, encasing their domains in radiant auras of protection, preparing to stave off the impending catastrophe these two formidable forces threatened to unleash.

Those who had sought eternal slumber to escape the tedium of existence stirred from their rest, awakening solely for this solemn ceremony.

The Spirit King and Romulus felt the weight of countless gazes upon them, yet they remained unmoving, locked in a silent, unyielding stare.

Breaking the stillness, the Spirit King spoke once more, his voice measured yet resolute:

"We should restrict our power so as not to bring ruin upon the galaxy"

Though his spirit burned with the eagerness for battle, he would not risk shattering his own home.

Romulus acknowledged these words with a simple nod.

Then, with a mere thought from Romulus, the barren planet hosting the Starborn Tournament was instantly enveloped in a golden Intent, as though shielding it from impending devastation.

Although Romulus had been nerfed the day he was bound to Anthony through the system, it did not mean he was irrevocably tethered to Anthony's power.

Had that been the case, Romulus would have spurned the entire notion of embarking on his power journey anew, with nothing to gain.

As a being of his stature, Romulus could effortlessly revert to his full strength with nothing more than a mere thought.

Meanwhile, Anthony's All Seeing Eyes strained to their utmost capacity as his piercing blue gaze fixed upon the two combatants.

He was on the cusp of witnessing Romulus initiate his movement for the very first time.

In that moment, a resonant voice echoed within Anthony's mind:

"Feast your eyes, boy. I shall reveal why I am the inaugural Divine Flame in existence"

With those words reverberating in Anthony's consciousness, both Romulus and the Spirit King vanished from sight.