Klaus' voice echoed from above, "Null Anthony, wins," his voice snapped Lucian out of his thoughts, and Lucian simply rose to his feet. With a thought, he activated his Event Rewriting ability, and with that, the dust on his body vanished as though erased from existence itself, his torn clothes reversing their damage as the threads stitched themselves back together until they were perfect yet again.

His mana was immediately replenished as though he had never even used a single unit of it, filling his core to its absolute brim, while his stamina was brought back to its peak despite the fact that he hadn't even truly been exhausted. It was as if the entire battle had been undone, as if time had briefly flowed backward solely for his sake, restoring him to a flawless state.

"I hope this doesn't affect our friendship." Anthony's voice came from the side, a small smile on his face. Not a mocking smile or one filled with arrogance, just a pure, friendly smile that held no trace of superiority or pride, the kind of smile someone gave naturally without thinking.

"Of course it won't," Lucian replied as he shook his head. He wasn't that shallow. If this spar affected his friendship with Anthony just because he lost, then he had never considered Anthony a friend right from the very beginning. "Besides, I have Aura Nova to blame for this," he continued, his tone light yet faintly accusatory, "if she hadn't tricked me with her words, I wouldn't be in this situation."

Aura Nova hadn't really tricked him, not in any true sense, but he would never say that aloud. It was simply easier to shift the blame elsewhere than admit that his own pride had nudged him into a hopeless battle. It was all Aura Nova's fault, or at least that was what he preferred telling himself.

But although he lost to Anthony, it didn't mean he learned nothing. Throughout the battle against Anthony, he had been in absolute focus, sharper than he had ever been before. Lucian watched every move Anthony made with painstaking attention, analyzing each gesture, each breath, each flicker of mana. He tried to glean something, to learn, to see through anything at all, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant.

Who better to learn from than the son of ???, the possessor of The Beginning Of All Things Physique, which was said to be ranked second only to ???'s by the author himself. He was also the possessor of the Primordial Bloodline that granted ridiculous, almost unreasonable abilities.

And indeed, after the spar, he had come to understand a few things, subtle realizations that lingered at the edge of his thoughts, though he needed a bit of time to properly comprehend and attune them to himself.

Just because his innate ability was Absolute Copy, making him spend most of his time searching for abilities to copy, didn't mean that he lacked a ridiculous natural talent of his own. On the contrary, his instincts, perception, and adaptability were on par with Aaaninja and the rest, perhaps even greater in certain aspects.

"Nice to hear that. After all, I would be sad to lose a friend like you," Anthony replied with another smile. "Also, it seems you're already back to perfect health… your Event Rewriting ability is really too overpowered," Anthony sighed as he spoke, the sound carrying a faint mix of admiration and helplessness.

His thoughts shifted to how Aura Nova had also returned back to full health and perfect condition by just using one ability, and to Kingsley, whose physique was just as ridiculous and unreasonable. Everyone around him was monstrous in their own way and form, each possessing something that completely shattered the concept of normality.

"I don't know if you're mocking me or not," Lucian couldn't help but reply, "after all, you aren't injured, and I'm sure your mana reserves weren't even touched, nor was your stamina." He stared at Anthony from head to toe, scrutinizing him carefully, before shaking his head with quiet resignation.

"It seems you've gained a lot from our spar," Anthony stated as he slowly began to levitate off the ground, gravity seemingly losing its hold over him as though he existed in a separate layer of reality.

Lucian didn't wait. He also levitated, rising smoothly into the air, a small smile appearing on his lips. "I'm sure whatever I gained won't be enough to win against you now or in the future," he said calmly, not mincing or hiding his words. He had no reason to hold such thoughts back. Other people might be ashamed to admit something like that, but not Lucian, because he understood Anthony better than anyone else present.

Anthony chuckled as he shook his head. "Well, that much is true." His tone was playful and lighthearted, neither arrogant nor condescending, yet he meant every word with absolute sincerity.

"Has anyone ever told you that your words sound arrogant?" Lucian replied from the side as they flew gently toward the direction where Klaus and the rest of the observers were waiting.

"Am I?" Anthony asked as he arched an eyebrow, genuinely curious rather than offended.

"You're not. I just said your words sound arrogant, not that you are," Lucian clarified with a small shake of his head.

"Well, I guess I see your point, but I don't care about the opinions of those I don't care about," Anthony replied with a shrug of his shoulder, his indifference plain and unapologetic.

Lucian simply nodded without another word as he already knew this side of Anthony. He knew Anthony was neither a saint nor a villain. After all, during their battle, Anthony had summoned an incalculable number of planets, entire worlds pulled into existence like toys. It went without saying that within those planes, trillions of lives existed on each of them, countless civilizations living and breathing.

But Anthony didn't care; he had summoned them anyway, and he had wiped them out with his own hands without hesitation. Anthony didn't care, and their deaths had nothing to do with him in his mind.

But did Lucian have any issues with this? Definitely none. After all, he too had the same view and thoughts as Anthony. If he truly cared about lives, he would have gone out of his way to save the residents of those planets, to protect those fragile existences, but he couldn't care less anyway.

"Do you think you're battling Aaaninja next?" Anthony's question came from the side. Everyone had battled except Aaaninja. It was obvious the next battle would be his turn, and he would be facing one of them sooner or later.

A smile broke onto Lucian's lips at the mention of Aaaninja, a faint spark of anticipation flashing in his eyes. "I hope so… I have an account to settle with him."

"Just because you lost once against him? Does that mean you also have an account to settle with me?" Anthony asked, amused.

"Like I said earlier, I'm sure whatever I do against you is futile. Why waste my time chasing the impossible like Aaaninja is doing?" Lucian replied, his expression subtly changing, becoming calmer and more rational.

Anthony stayed silent for a moment before he followed up, "But what if you challenging him again is also a form of chasing the impossible?" he asked quietly.

Lucian stayed silent for a moment as though seriously considering Anthony's words. He understood what Anthony was saying. Anthony was basically saying he was living with a double standard. He expected Aaaninja to understand the futility of fighting Anthony, yet he never considered whether his own efforts might also end in futility. Just like how Aaaninja wanted to win against Anthony, he wanted to win against Aaaninja, yet he expected Aaaninja to simply give up against Anthony.

After a moment of silence, he replied, "We'll see about that," and with that, he shot forward with greater speed, tearing through the storm barrier as though he were running away from any further questions, leaving only turbulent air and fading thoughts behind him.

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