MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Chapter 1216: The Sword Ruler

At the direction they were looking, a man who possessed an aged face that bore a few wrinkles stood with his hands clasped behind his back. His eyes were as blue as anything, as though they were the very genesis of the colour itself. His hair was white with age, yet it retained an elegant appearance as it was tied into a ponytail that ran down his back. Draped over his body was a pristine white kimono that matched his aged hair, and hanging from his waist was a katana.

He was the owner of the wooden talisman Anthony had used prior to his Ascension. Of course, the moment Anthony activated it, the man had simply arrived here. In fact, he had been here even before the members of the Four Great Clans arrived. Yet he hadn’t made a move. He knew how things worked. He knew Ascendants were usually bullied and forced into Slave Contracts.

He wanted to see how this Ascendant would handle the situation. He wanted to see if this Ascendant would simply bow to the Slave Contract. He wanted to witness the amount of fight and struggle he could put up before he eventually lost.

It had all been a test.

Just because an Ascendant used his talisman didn’t mean he would drop everything in his life and come rushing to save them. He wanted to see what they were truly worth with his own eyes first.

And he had to admit… he was impressed, exceedingly so.

But that wasn’t the real reason why he had interfered. Truthfully, he had intended to interfere regardless of how Anthony performed, even if Anthony had simply decided not to resist and instead accepted the Slave Contract without a second thought like a fool.

Silence passed between the five of them as the Asura, Rakshasa, Yaksha, and Garuda remained where they stood without uttering a single word, the frowns on their faces deepening with every passing moment. They contemplated whether to take a step back or not, but could they really retreat? This was their territory, and this mission had been personally assigned by their Lords. Could they truly step back without offering at least some resistance?

Although the man before them hadn’t said anything about poaching the Human for himself, yet they knew that was exactly where things were heading. After all, would a man of such unfathomable power simply interfere because he was bored and had nothing to do, right?

They immediately cupped their right hands over their left fists as they bowed ever so slightly in greeting.

“We greet The Sword Ruler,” their voices overlapped, steady yet undeniably strained.

The Sword Ruler remained silent for a moment before giving a faint nod. “The boy comes with me,” he said, his tone flat, as though he were issuing an order rather than making a suggestion.

The frowns on the other four faces deepened even further.

“We don’t mean to sound disrespectful to The Sword Ruler, but this is an Ascension Territory belonging to our Four Great Clans, and I’m sure the Human Race has territories of their own scattered throughout the Realm,” the Asura stated.

The Sword Ruler slowly floated downward, his feet touching the ground with effortless grace before he began to speak in a serene tone.

“I’m sure I don’t need to explain how our Realm works. Indeed, this is your joint territory, but what is stopping me from acting? Rules? Laws? Ownership? I’m sure you know the strong simply take whatever they want whenever they wish,” he said calmly. “So… are you going to defend your territory to the death or not?”

As he spoke, a suffocating sensation of death gripped everyone present. Their hearts began to beat wildly. Of course, they knew they were no match for the man before them, but they had at least wanted to offer some resistance.

And indeed, they knew the truth behind The Sword Ruler’s words. Rules? Laws? Regulations? Those were merely things that kept the weak in line. Anyone powerful enough simply didn’t care about such things.

Besides, they all knew of The Sword Ruler’s reputation. He wasn’t exactly the type of man who left his enemies alive. Every enemy he had ever faced had met their end, together with their descendants, their entire bloodlines wiped out, all beneath his sword alone.

“We will relay this matter to our Lords,” the Rakshasa stated as cold sweat soaked his back. He knew that a single attack was all The Sword Ruler needed to kill him.

The Sword Ruler nodded before replying, “No problem. And if your Lords can’t take a step back because of a single Ascendant, then they are welcome to wage war against me.” His demeanour remained calm as he spoke about taking on the four Lords as though they were nothing more than ordinary people.

“You may leave,” The Sword Ruler stated, his blue eyes shifting away from them.

“Thank you, Sword Ruler,” the four of them bowed and thanked the man despite him clearly being the one in the wrong.

But alas, only power dictated who was right and who was wrong.

With that, the four of them vanished with their tails tucked between their legs, moving at full speed and not daring to remain any longer. After all, to them, The Sword Ruler could simply decide to change his mind and kill them all just to keep things quiet.

The Sword Ruler’s eyes turned toward Anthony. He could see the boy battered with injuries of every kind. Yet he neither panted nor gasped for breath. His eyes remained perfectly clear as he stood calmly without uttering a single word.

The Sword Ruler knew that Anthony was just about to pull out another card from his arsenal, but he, The Sword Ruler, had decided to interfere at that exact moment. After all, he couldn’t have Anthony exposing all of his cards just minutes after stepping into the Upper Galaxy. That wasn’t ideal.

Anthony didn’t move. He remained exactly where he was. He could already guess that the man before him was the owner of the wooden talisman. Although it was comforting to see the face of a fellow Human at this moment, and although it was good for the so-called backer to finally appear, Anthony remained cautious and vigilant.

After all, the man standing before him had chased off the other four with nothing but words alone.

Anthony remained silent, as though waiting for the man to speak first. Yet the two of them seemed locked in a silent standoff as they simply stared at one another without either side showing any intention of breaking the silence.

The Sword Ruler was amused. He could clearly perceive the caution Anthony was concealing so perfectly. It was impossible to hide such things from his eyes, and personally, he liked it. It meant the young man before him wasn’t someone who could be easily deceived or swayed by anyone who displayed even a little bit of power. In a Realm where strength alone dictated everything, such caution was not merely admirable, but essential for survival. He had seen a few geniuses perish because they trusted too easily.

Seeing that Anthony was never going to speak first, The Sword Ruler spoke calmly.