MIGHT AS WELL BE OP Chapter 986: Friend

Aaaninja Chronisynth Eternos released a heavy sigh while gazing at Lucian Darkheart, who shut his eyes and embraced his impending end. He lingered in silence briefly; through the Eyes Of Genesis, the life essence fading from Lucian's frame came into sharp focus, along with his Mana Rank plunging at a horrifying pace, tumbling relentlessly like the universe was methodically stripping away his very being, one stratum at a time.

For a fleeting instant, Aaaninja's chest constricted with emotion. Across his whole existence, real companionship had always escaped him, since his ridiculous and matchless genius left everyone else trailing far behind. Folks who approached him merely aimed to exploit him for their own gains, and Aaaninja paid them no mind, brushing them aside with calm apathy and a breezy lack of concern.

Lucian counted as one of just two companions Aaaninja had ever formed in his lifetime. Indeed, over the full century of his being, only Anthony and Lucian had earned that status. Yet now, just as he had at last found bonds he could trust without doubt or barriers, one lay dying before his very eyes, his essence draining away like grains slipping through invisible grasp.

His defeat at Lucian's hands didn't breed resentment or shift his view in the least. On the contrary, Lucian stayed his steadfast ally, and no loyal companion would idly witness another's demise without challenging the heavens, the earth, and destiny's cruel design to halt it.

At that resolve, a massive surge of mana erupted from Aaaninja's mana core. Even though the fight had drained every bit of his reserves, his beheading followed by revival had replenished him to full strength. The atmosphere howled as if shredded by unseen talons, worlds quaked in their paths, stars grew faint and far-off lights wavered while mana scorched through spacetime's weave, twisting the cosmos beneath its overwhelming force.

Aaaninja's words boomed through the crumbling void as he invoked a key ability;

Causal Nexus Control

Instantly upon triggering the ability, time's essence quivered with delight and awe, then twisted and enveloped both him and Lucian in swift obedience to the profound command woven into the method.

Causal Nexus Control granted Aaaninja command over the threads of cause and effect, shaping results by tweaking the connections that tied events in sequence. Right then, he aimed to guarantee Lucian's survival and the recovery of his Mana Rank. Aaaninja summoned his Eyes Of Genesis anew, propelling the Causal Nexus Control's might to dizzying heights never before achieved.

Around the pair, time warped with savage intensity; it rushed forward, then slowed to a crawl, then disappeared altogether only to snap back in shattered segments, acting wildly as if uncertain of its own flow.

Suddenly, Aaaninja's Eyes Of Genesis burst forth in a horrific spray of gore and fragments, but he showed no sign of distress. In the blink that followed, fresh Eyes Of Genesis reformed flawlessly, taking the place of the ruined pair. Yet the toll went further; he started spewing thick, shadowy blood that marred the emptiness.

Still, Aaaninja pressed on without pause. He channeled even greater mana into the ability while clenching his jaw, his gaze streaming red unceasingly, his nostrils leaking scarlet, his eardrums bursting, his lips spilling crimson, his chest searing like it was on fire, his pulse throbbing under brutal pressure, his mana core shaking as though on the verge of breaking apart. Even so, Aaaninja wouldn't yield. Suffering was just discomfort; he could bear it, a small cost for thwarting the unavoidable.

But despite every effort, nothing succeeded. After all, he battled the rebound of a force whose nature escaped his knowledge entirely. Though immensely strong, he lacked the might to rewrite a fixed result operating on a plane far beyond his grasp... for the present.

'I must summon the River Of Time,' he decided inwardly, linking to it right away without a second's pause.

The River Of Time possessed awareness. Even if it appeared as a streaming waterway, that didn't imply a lack of thought or understanding. From the start, the River Of Time had observed closely; its concealed watch had locked onto Lucian the instant he unleashed that mysterious and supremely potent power. In truth, that power had surpassed even the River Of Time itself, and as the embodiment of chronology, few forces could outmatch its dominion and strength.

Usually, the River Of Time stayed neutral in worldly matters, merely watching as occurrences followed their fated course, yet now it chose to act at Aaaninja's plea—and out of sheer intrigue. Moments later, it answered Aaaninja, dispatching its message through the endless expanse.

Aaaninja's brow furrowed at once upon hearing the River Of Time's reply. It urged him to forsake efforts at full restoration, covering Lucian's Mana Rank, his techniques and powers, and his dire wounds for the interim. Given the backlash's origin lay on a tier above them both, all focus should pour into safeguarding Lucian Darkheart's survival alone. With that goal achieved... they'd tackle the rest in due course.

Aaaninja ground his teeth. Without his techniques and powers, would Lucian keep his sharp-tongued, boldly assured nature? Without his Mana Rank or the strength that shaped his core, would he truly be the same?

Yet Aaaninja recognized hesitation's peril. He consented without delay, and the River Of Time launched into action at once. A colossal rush of Temporal Quanta ripped across the Galaxy as a vast, radiant, ceaseless golden stream unveiled itself in the cosmos. From its depths emerged a titanic, immense golden orb of sight, forged wholly from Continuum Specks, Momentshards, Hourglass Grains, Temporal Granules, Time Atoms, and Chrono Dust, every particle gleaming with ancient command.

The very next heartbeat brought cascades of temporal forces and tiers Aaaninja had never imagined, pouring down from the celestial eye. They surged into him, overwhelming his form with unfathomable might, along with Principles and Ideas whose existence he hadn't suspected until now.

Aaaninja's thoughts, spirit, flesh, and vision overflowed with vast potency. His awareness swelled with insight until it threatened to burst his mind from the burden, yet the River Of Time bolstered and shielded him, keeping his intellect whole through powers defying human bounds.

Armed with what felt like endless mana and limitless wisdom at his fingertips, Aaaninja's mouth opened as he uttered words, his Eyes Of Genesis advancing still further with their clockwork designs spinning—the right one whirling smoothly clockwise, the left circling exactly counterclockwise—marking harmony with eternity's fundamental stream.