Three Divine Wishes: Yes, I'm OP!

As Melvin disappeared mid-charge, Krax’s eyes narrowed in the same instant.

The frozen central yard still held the silent cemetery of ice statues, their shattered forms glittering under the dim light. For a single breath, the only sound was the soft crackle of expanding frost.

HUMMMMMM!!!!!!

Then Krax’s full Tier 38 output detonated outward without restraint.

In that moment, the full force of it burst from him in a wild, unrestrained rush. The air seemed to cave in on itself before blasting outward in a sudden, explosive release.

Without hesitation, he slammed his fist straight into the hard, frozen ground.

BOOOOOOM!!!!

A shockwave ripped through the stronghold, surging outward in every direction.

The stone walls creaked as they split and buckled under the force, while the frozen corpses scattered, exploding into shimmering clouds of icy fragments that sparkled briefly before drifting to the ground.

The ground itself heaved upward in expanding rings of shattered rock and white dust.

The force continued outward, racing beyond the stronghold walls and across the surrounding plains of the Eastern Continent like the first tremor of a continental fracture.

Inside the Dream Land created by the mask, Melvin felt the surge like a physical blow.

’Shit...’ He thought inwardly as the sudden spike of raw power slammed into him without warning, hurling his body backward through the dream-space.

Before his back could meet any surface, he twisted in one seamless motion, boots finding footing against the shifting stone as he converted the force into a sharp rebound.

WHOOOOOSHHHHH!!!!!

He launched forward again with even greater speed, the faint flicker of surprise already vanishing from the portion of his face visible beneath the mask.

Before arriving here, Melvin had gotten a bit careless... All because he hadn’t taken the time to gauge Krax’s power beforehand properly.

Nor had he truly investigated the faction of the Barbarians.

Only after his last conversation with Akasha, now two weeks past, did things begin to shift.

Melvin’s mindset had reshaped, his focus turning toward how he could become a better King and lay the foundation for a future empire.

And... it wasn’t that he came here thinking he was invincible... he was simply confident in his own abilities.

’So... his overall output is less than mine...’ He thought to himself briefly.

Even so, Melvin found himself slightly behind in terms of the recent upgrades Akasha’s pantheon had received.

His aspects remained at the Above Origin rank, but despite that, he wielded a God-ranked sword and possessed complete mastery over Sword Aura—an advantage that granted him a direct boost of +14 to his battle power.

Along with the Dreamer’s Mask... his total power only reached Tier 52.

’Unless he has another method up his sleeve...’ He shoved the thought aside as he closed in.

’I’ll just finish this fast.’

With that, his eyes gleamed behind the Dreamer’s Mask as he watched Krax climb out of the crater left by his punch.

HUMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!

[Sword Aura (Tier 21)]

In that moment, Melvin’s Sword Domain swept across the ruined stronghold and a short distance beyond its broken walls.

Within that domain, the very space became... deadly.

Thousands upon thousands of invisible blades took shape in the air, their edges humming with Melvin’s full power output...

A heartbeat later, the number swelled into the tens of thousands, each sword turning with cold, independent precision before the entire swarm locked onto Krax and launched forward in a coordinated storm that filled every angle of approach.

WHOOOOOSHHH!!!!!

WHOOOOOOOSHH!!!!!!

Still in this moment... Krax could see nothing at all. Not Melvin, not the swords... but he could feel the power behind it.

The pressure arrived without warning—dense, precise, and absolute—settling over his skin and sinking into his bones like the weight of an entire mountain range pressing downward.

The air itself seemed to tighten around him, as though the domain were slowly closing a fist.

’What...’ He thought as he had never seen something like this... quite literally.

However, he wasn’t willing to sit and wait for death... That wasn’t the Titan way.

In this moment, he understood one single thing... Melvin had come prepared to end him quickly and thoroughly.

However, that was not something he feared...

"If you’ve come to kill me..." He muttered, "Then bring it on, bastard!"

[Absolute Strength (Origin)]

HUMMMMMM!!!!!!

In the instant his words ended, power detonated around him in a wild, uncontrolled surge, roaring outward from him like a caged beast finally released.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

He abandoned any attempt at precision and began punching the space in rapid, violent arcs....

Each blow driven by the raw conviction that overwhelming strength could break even the most perfect technique.

Every strike released a crushing shockwave that slammed into the invisible storm of blades with the sound of mountains colliding.

SHHKKKKK!!!!

SHKKKK!!!!!!

Some of the swords shattered on contact, dissolving into scattered motes of sword intent.

Others slipped through the gaps and cut deep—thin, burning lines opening across his arms, shoulder, and ribs as ice-edged steel bit into flesh.

Blood welled and froze almost immediately along the edges of the wounds.

’System... why the hell can’t I see hi—’ Krax had started to speak to his system, certain the last of the attack was over, and there was no longer any danger.

But before he could finish the thought, Melvin materialized silently behind him, his sword already in motion, sweeping in one fluid arc toward the side of Krax’s neck.

As the blade traveled, his Battle Art showed its prowess.

HUMMMMMM!!!!!

Icy afterimages trailed the swing, and a sudden localized blizzard erupted from the motion, swirling frost that clawed at Krax’s vision and slowed his limbs.

In that same fractured instant, his System acted on its own initiative.

[Decree of Oppositional Power (Celestial (Attack))]

HUMMMMM!!!!

A wave of internal shock swept over Krax as the Decree fully came into effect, without him uttering a single word of declaration.

Even so, it wasn’t his own will that had triggered it... after all, every Decree came with a predetermined declaration from the very start.

Unlocking a Decree meant inheriting that fixed phrase, which in turn unleashed its base effect.

More often than not, cultivators would tweak and embellish these declarations, adding their own touch as long as it aligned with the Decree’s core nature.

In this instance, however, his system had activated the default, unaltered form of the Decree.

Any force directed against him would now be answered by a greater opposing force.

CLANGGGGG!!!!!!

BOOOOOOM!!!!!!

In that instant, Melvin’s sword slammed into the wall mid-swing.

The shock rattled both his arms, and behind the mask, his teeth gritted as he pushed against the unyielding surface, straining to force the blade through.

His boots scraped and dug into the frozen ground, seeking every ounce of leverage, but the wall refused to give way.

[Host... take this opportunity to attack! Use the point of contact he has made with the barrier as a tracker.]

His system gave the best advice it could think of in this moment, because... even it could not understand why Melvin was seemingly invisible.

And even without such words... Krax was already moving.

[Frostheart Physique (Above Origin) (Tier 1/21)]

HUMMMMM!!!!!

In that instant, his battle power surged to Tier 42, and he simultaneously called upon his affinity.

[Strength Affinity]

BOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!

He twisted sharply, channeling all his focus into a single, powerful punch aimed at the space where Melvin had been.

The blow carried the combined surge of his skill and affinity, cutting through ordinary defenses as if the gap between them had vanished entirely.