MIGHT AS WELL BE OP Chapter 998: Changes

All eyes bulged in utter astonishment when they suddenly appeared back on the once-ruined planet, restored to perfection as if its total destruction had been a mere mirage wiped clean from reality. Naturally, figures like Anthony, Klaus, and Amara stayed completely unaffected unless they chose to shift, their core being anchored in a profound steadiness that rose above any outer forces or twists in space.

No one dashed up to Aaaninja with inquiries, as all grasped that post-breakthrough—much less back-to-back ones—a period of adjustment was vital to handle the swift and intense surges in mind, body, soul, abilities, skills, and techniques, since every facet had transformed in ways defying normal grasp, calling for exact fine-tuning and quiet inner harmony.

Aaaninja lifted his hand, sensing boundless power surging inside him, like a bare punch from him, devoid of any energy boost, could crumble the entire Galaxy and turn its myriad stars into mere drifting space debris.

Yet he wasn't naive enough to think his strength had reached that level for real; he realized it was just the misleading rush of power from such quick and massive growth, a false feeling sparked by his sudden expansion, and once he mastered and integrated that power fully into himself, the mirage would fade away, revealing only his genuine, steady might, polished and unyielding.

Thanks to Aaaninja's outrageous and nearly supernatural aptitude and command over his form, it barely took him a full minute to settle into these swift and deep shifts, his whole self adapting with seamless grace, as if such massive advancement was exactly what his essence was built to embrace.

'My mind races at incredible speeds now,' Aaaninja mused inwardly, for his thinking had never been sluggish before, but currently, it flowed at speeds beyond compare, pushing past his old mental boundaries, where choices that once needed a fraction of a second now formed in nearly no time at all, wrapping up before he even fully noticed them.

'Mana without end,' Aaaninja reflected, turning his focus to his mana core, where he sensed it overflowing with fierce and mighty mana surges, expansive and limitless like an eternal sea squeezed into one spot. The mana he held before this instant couldn't even match a single percent of his current reserves, the gap so vast it made his past self seem utterly trivial.

That was the chasm between the Apexus Mana Rank and all lesser Mana Ranks, a leap so total it reshaped the basics of being itself.

'My Eyes Of Genesis appear to have advanced,' Aaaninja pondered as his hand moved to brush his eyes, detecting the subtle, hard-to-describe vibe lingering in them. Aaaninja recalled that his Eyes Of Genesis had shifted a bit while he lay unconscious; he'd spotted it right upon waking, and now, with the Existence evolution bestowed by the Heavens upon hitting the Apexus Mana Rank, his Eyes Of Genesis had upgraded further, hitting a sight level that broke through its old bounds.

Sure, not to some wildly extreme extent like the shifts in his mana and physique, but that hardly mattered—any upgrade to the Eyes Of Genesis delivered huge and priceless gains, regardless of how minor it looked at first glance.

Usually, even when idle, the Eyes Of Genesis let Aaaninja view others moving a tad slower, thanks to his unique time sense differing from theirs, enabling sharper insight and grasp of the world. But this time, it wasn't just slower; everything dragged so much that they looked utterly paused, locked in time's ceaseless stream.

Light's travel appeared sluggish, mana's flow seemed sluggish, even the tiny bits making up substance seemed to freeze, their activity dropping to nearly nothing under his watch.

'I'll need to check each power the Eyes Of Genesis offers and gauge their enhancements,' he considered, then his gaze turned to Altheria, but the instant it locked with hers, his entire view twisted and bent under his sight's command.

His left Eye Of Genesis automatically started revealing her history like a film playing out clearly before him, every scene sharp and vivid, without draining even the tiniest bit of mana. His right Eye Of Genesis displayed her future too, yet unlike the usual broken and partial glimpses from the Eyes Of Genesis, this future streamed on without breaks, whole and unbroken.

Aaaninja observed both timelines unfolding together, comprehending them at once, all while staying fully anchored in the now. His consciousness, ideas, and awareness could peer into past, present, and future simultaneously, at no expense whatsoever, free of any mix-up or clash.

Aaaninja turned his eyes to Anthony, and the innate power kicked in right away, but just as Aaaninja neared something useful, Anthony's history and destiny slipped completely from his view. Aaaninja raised a brow faintly, yet he nodded to himself, realizing Anthony had surely countered it somehow.

And yes, Anthony had—the second Aaaninja looked his way, the system alerted him, prompting Anthony to deploy his Authority Of Information; the Perfect One, to seal off the details entirely and without fail.

Aaaninja looked next at Amara and Klaus, but unlike with Anthony where a glimpse teased before the block, here he caught zero from the start, as if their very presence pushed back his probe outright. Then his eyes went to Lucian Darkheart, and the system guarded him at once, no delays, blocking any peek.

Aaaninja reached a verdict: even though this innate power was mighty, others held their own tricks to fend it off. Still, Aaaninja knew he could amp it up by channeling mana into it, boosting its force and maybe piercing those barriers.

Though piercing Anthony’s, Lucian’s, Amara’s, or Klaus’ shields would require testing later, when the right moment and setup arose.

Aaaninja knew his advancement hadn't come out of nowhere; he traced it to the River Of Time earlier flooding his body with mana, propelling his being to climb the mana rank with effortless might.

'I haven't yet sifted through the recollections from what I gained after pulling that insight from the River Of Time,' Aaaninja thought, since he'd gotten a total uplift, with no part of his self lagging or uneven, each element honed to fresh heights of wholeness.

A subtle grin touched his mouth, as cultivating and advancing felt downright habit-forming, stirring a thrill that could drive even the idlest soul across worlds to chase improvement, shatter their ceilings, and seize the infinite paths awaiting beyond their present state.