MIGHT AS WELL BE OP Chapter 991: ???’s Thoughts-2
Previously on MIGHT AS WELL BE OP...
In the instant that followed, a grin spread over ???'s mouth while he gazed at the endless emptiness encircling him, the very void trembling with faint waves in response to his uncommon smile.
"Why the smile?" Romulus inquired, truly puzzled about what might entertain ??? right then.
??? paused for a short while before replying, "For the first time since I brought you and your brothers into being, for the first time since eternity unfolded endlessly ahead of me, I feel... excited," he said in a serene, reflective voice.
Romulus froze in shock for a brief second before a subtle grin touched his own mouth, as he fully grasped ???'s perspective. ??? would probably pour his focus into probing this figure called LORDTEE, chasing the enigma with the fervor he once used to shape reality itself.
"It looks like there could be someone matching my power without me even realizing it," ??? went on, his tone even but tinged with clear fascination.
"Or maybe he doesn't exist, and you'd just be squandering your effort," Romulus shot back right away.
"Or perhaps this LORDTEE is the Author that Anthony keeps mentioning," ??? responded effortlessly.
Romulus raised an eyebrow. "So you've got two main ideas: one, a peer with your strength that you never sensed, maybe neither of you could detect the other; two, that LORDTEE is this so-called Author," Romulus summed up steadily.
??? gave a nod. In the first idea, he spotted quiet similarities between Lucian and Anthony.
Their common fondness for anime, their passion for stories and made-up tales, their early deaths, their later rebirths, and even gaining their own systems—it all seemed strangely balanced. It was like some other entity, just as weighed down by forever and dullness, had reborn Lucian the way ??? had reborn Anthony.
That thought alone sparked his guesses.
??? couldn't ignore the rush surging through his vast and steady mind. Just the idea of something outside his sight, something odd and overlooked, sparked a wave of thrill in him. The unfamiliar, so scarce in his life, proved addictive.
He wasn't some close-sighted Heavenly Dao that would label Lucian Darkheart forbidden just because his Omniscience faced a small test, nor would he try to wipe out Lucian to avoid unexpected results. Instead, the oddity captivated him.
"What if it turns out to be nothing in the end?" Romulus pondered aloud.
??? went quiet, recognizing that chance. Yes, it might all fall apart into simple luck. "Well, at least I'd have kept busy and found something fun to chase for a bit," he reflected softly, shaking his head with light humor.
Romulus dipped his head in agreement, and quietness filled the void once more. His mind wandered to Lucian as past moments played back, every encounter Anthony had described with the young man.
'Is there really an Author?' he questioned inwardly. In the Starborn Tournament, Lucian acted like he'd known Anthony ages before they met properly, like he held secrets he shouldn't. Romulus let out a gentle breath, nearly weary from pondering a human's depths.
"Why not try the power yourself?" Romulus proposed. "Since you gave it to him and Lucian pulled it off, you ought to manage it too. Or better, have Lucian use it again so you can follow its source."
??? just shook his head. "Lucian Darkheart can only call on that power once and that's it. Even Aaaninja can trigger his River Of Time Personification just one time. Unless Lucian rebuilds that power from his own insight later, which won't happen soon, if at all, I have to handle this search on my own," he clarified. Though his explanation sounded firm, no annoyance colored his voice. Rather, he savored the independent hunt.
He'd uncovered fresh amusement outside of Anthony and his companions.
Romulus let out a quiet sigh then nodded. "I figure you'll set off right away," he remarked.
"Of course. Why let any time slip by?" ??? answered as a smirk-like twist appeared on his blank, void-shaped visage.
"Fine then. I'll watch that kid, Lucian Darkheart, more closely," Romulus announced.
"No need for that," ??? said evenly, and with those words, he faded from the emptiness, plunging straight into his probe. As soon as he vanished, a soft smile appeared on Romulus' face. He felt glad that ??? had at last stumbled on something to fill his boundless life.
Romulus stayed a little longer before he also melted away from the void. This round, though, he didn't show up on Vega's head. He went straight back to Anthony's soul realm.
On the world where Anthony and his group had assembled, Klaus and Amara sat in total quiet. While the rest hurried to Lucian Darkheart and Aaaninja Chronisynth Eternos, they held their spots, though for completely separate causes.
Amara stayed put since she lacked any tight ties to Lucian, Aaaninja, or their kin. No connection or duty pushed her to go.
Klaus, though, drowned in reflections that twisted through a whole other layer of thought. His brain whirled as he tried to make sense of the spectacle he'd just seen. The last moves from Lucian and Aaaninja soared past every rank of strength he'd known in his lengthy years.
The River Of Time at least rang a bell for him. Its presence, while puzzling, didn't feel totally foreign.
But Lucian's power dragged him into much deeper musings. Klaus had never bumped into anything so removed from the basics of being.
Even as Lucian suffered the rebound, Klaus had ended up totally stuck, pinned by a crushing grip that locked him down. He couldn't remember the last time he'd known such powerlessness, the last time anything had barred him from all motion.
Right before the bout started, he'd confidently said everyone should bring out their complete set of techniques and powers, promising to bring them back if needed. But suppose Lucian had actually perished? Suppose Aaaninja hadn't stepped in? Suppose Anthony had held back? Suppose the River Of Time hadn't stirred? Lucian Darkheart would've died on his watch.
As for the strange tome Lucian had called forth, Klaus didn't linger much on it. He couldn't make out its front or the text inside; it all looked fuzzy and out of reach, not just for him but for all there, even ???.
So Klaus slotted the book into a superior tier of might he hadn't reached yet. Still, one puzzle stuck in his head: how did youths like Lucian and Aaaninja snag such baffling powers?
'This new batch is way too freakish,' he thought with a inward sigh, since he sure hadn't wielded such scary skills at their stage.
Amara kept quiet, but she could spot exactly what weighed on her spouse without digging into his mind. She'd always read Klaus easily, grasping his inner storm just from the small changes in his look.
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