MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

"You've been stroking your katana way too much recently. Are you itching to go swinging your katana again?" Warlord Brontagar asked as he glanced at the katana sheathed in a black and red scabbard, lying flat across Warlord Raelith's lap.

Warlord Raelith smiled. Obsession seemed to flicker in his eyes for a brief second, like a spark that had found dry wood.

"Well, I'm having a sparring session with the Supreme Monarch's son. Although the date hasn't been officially set yet," Warlord Raelith replied eagerly, a hint of excitement creeping into his tone.

"You're sparring with an Ecliptic ranker? I didn't know you were into bullying juniors," Warlord Brontagar remarked, raising an eyebrow in mock disapproval.

"It's not bullying. We're going to be suppressed to the same rank. Besides, he proposed the spar, not the other way around," Warlord Raelith replied in his defense, slightly frowning.

"It doesn't matter, Raelith. The difference in battle experience is simply too overwhelming for a mana-rank balance to actually make a difference during the spar," Warlord Brontagar continued, utterly unconvinced by Raelith's words.

"You wouldn't understand. After all, you don't use the katana. You only use your fists to brute-force your way through things," Warlord Raelith replied, a slight smirk forming on his face as he started imagining the sparring session in his mind.

"Yeah, and you simply use your katana to slash through things. I knew you were obsessed with that weapon, but this goes beyond obsession, you know," Warlord Brontagar retorted, narrowing his eyes as he gazed at Raelith, who just kept staring at his katana with his deep blue eyes, gently stroking its hilt like it was a living extension of his soul.

"Did you place a bet on who would win?"

Warlord Aerenya finally spoke. Her voice was calm as her eyes left her tea and shifted to Raelith.

"We didn't place any bets," Warlord Raelith answered, his eyes now turning toward Aerenya.

"Why do you ask?" he added, his voice curious.

"Because I think the situation can still be used to our advantage," Warlord Aerenya replied with a gentle but cunning smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

Warlord Brontagar and Warlord Raelith paused for a moment, their minds processing her words.

"I see..." Warlord Brontagar muttered slowly.

"I'll have him place the footage of the Supreme Monarchs' battle as a wager," Warlord Raelith spoke, the idea forming in his head.

"Even though he doesn't have it, he'll have no choice but to ask the Supreme Monarch for a recording," Warlord Brontagar intoned, his tone shifting as they both caught on to her plan.

"But the Supreme Monarch is set to leave in a few hours, so I'm hoping you'll find him and place the wager and spar with him before then,"

Warlord Aerenya said with another smile, this one sharper than the last.

Warlord Brontagar and Warlord Raelith exchanged a glance. It was a mutual understanding, both of them now planned to take advantage of the spar.

As Warlord Raelith was about to rise and go search for Anthony so that the plan could begin, a voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

'Come. Anthony wants the Katanamanship spar to hold now.'

Warlord Raelith froze in place, recognizing the voice instantly. 'The Supreme Monarch,' he thought.

"What is it?" Warlord Aerenya asked, noting the sudden stiffness in Raelith's posture.

"The Supreme Monarch just contacted me. Anthony wants the spar to happen now,"

Warlord Raelith responded.

"It seems we are in luck then," Warlord Aerenya replied, her tone calm but pleased.

"Yeah... But I'm sure the Supreme Monarch will be watching. Can we even make such requests in her presence?" Warlord Brontagar's voice echoed with concern.

"We can simply make the bet without actually saying what we want. Then when Anthony loses, we can state our demand," Warlord Aerenya stated confidently, like someone who had already thought of every possible scenario and outcome.

"The Supreme Monarch cannot be kept waiting. I will be heading out now," Warlord Raelith said, rising to his feet.

"Let's go together. I'd like to see what genius talent the son of two Supreme Monarchs holds,"

Warlord Aerenya said, also rising.

Warlord Brontagar didn't speak. He simply stood, and the three Warlords turned into blurs of motion, streaking forward toward Mitchelle's castle.

As they reached the gates, before they could even step in, a portal shimmered open before them. The three Warlords calmly stepped through, recognizing it instantly as Mitchelle's portal.

When they opened their eyes again, the Warlords found themselves in a massive clearing. Trees spiraled high into the skies, their canopies spreading outward like a domed fortress of green. Mountains stood at the edges of the forest, encircling the area like ancient sentinels.

Anthony and Mitchelle could be seen sitting, on nothing but thin air.

"We greet the Supreme Monarch," the Warlords said in unison, bowing deeply in respect.

"You are here, Warlord Raelith," Mitchelle said, her gaze now shifting to Aerenya and Brontagar behind him.

"It seems you both are here to watch," she added smoothly.

Anthony's feet touched the ground, his blue eyes meeting Raelith's with a spark of anticipation.

"I'm looking forward to this," he said simply.

"So am I," Warlord Raelith replied with a wide grin. Seeing it, Anthony couldn't help but return the smile.

"But before we begin, how about a wager?"

Warlord Raelith asked cautiously, his eyes subtly flickering toward the Supreme Monarch to gauge her reaction.

"What wager?" Anthony asked, his curiosity somewhat piqued.

Seeing that Mitchelle gave no reaction, Warlord Raelith continued, "The loser has to do something for the winner. Of course, it's nothing outrageous."

Anthony raised an eyebrow in mild confusion.

"What do you have in mind?" he asked.

"You'll know when you lose," Warlord Raelith replied calmly, his smile unchanging.

'When I lose, not if I lose. Interesting.' Anthony noted the phrasing in his mind.

"No problem then, Warlord Raelith," Anthony replied, his voice just as calm.

"Are you both ready?" Mitchelle's voice cut through the atmosphere like a quiet command.

"Yes, Supreme Monarch," Warlord Raelith responded. Anthony simply nodded.

Mitchelle's Aetheris Codex appeared in her hand as she began casting a spell.

[Sealing Art: Soul Chain Deathmatch]

In an instant, mana surged. Ethereal chains burst forth, binding and connecting both Anthony and Raelith.

Anthony instantly felt it, his mana vanished completely, like it had never existed. His intent was gone, his aura absent. But more than that, even his physical strength had vanished as though sealed away. Every skill, every ability, gone.

Raelith felt it too. The sudden absence of all the power they had come to rely on.

"This sealing spell ensures that you have no mana or any other form of energy. No skill. No abilities. Nothing at all. This spar is purely physical and only through the katana. Also, you both now possess the same level of physical strength and speed. Whatever boost your awakened physique grants you is now obsolete," Mitchelle explained, her voice calm and firm.

'So we have the same physical strength... Even the boost from my Beginning of All Things Physique is sealed. Mom is really making this only about the katana,' Anthony thought.

A pebble appeared in Mitchelle's hand as she said, "The moment this pebble hits the ground, begin."

Anthony and Raelith's hands moved to their katanas, resting at their sides. But they didn't draw them yet. Tension seemed to fill the air.

Mitchelle flicked the pebble. It soared upward, high into the air. Time seemed to stretch, the weight of gravity slow and deliberate.

Then — 'clack.'

The pebble struck the ground.

In that instant, both Anthony and Raelith vanished from where they stood.