MIGHT AS WELL BE OP Chapter 991: ???’s Thoughts-2

In the instant that followed, a grin spread over ???’s face as he gazed at the endless void enveloping him, with faint waves stirring in the emptiness as if echoing that uncommon look.

"Why the smile?" Romulus inquired, truly puzzled about what might entertain ??? right then.

??? paused for a short while before replying, "I think this is the first time since I brought you and your brothers into being, the first time since eternity started unfolding ahead of me, that I feel... excited," he said in a serene, reflective voice.

Romulus froze in surprise for a brief second before a subtle grin touched his own mouth, as he grasped exactly what drove ???’s words. ??? would probably turn his focus to probing this figure called LORDTEE, chasing the enigma with the same fervor he once poured into shaping reality.

"It looks like there could be someone matching my power without me knowing," ??? went on, his tone even but tinged with clear fascination.

"Or maybe he doesn’t exist, and you’d just be throwing away your time," 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 brother with your kind of strength that you never noticed, and maybe you both couldn’t sense each other; two, that LORDTEE is this so-called Author," Romulus summed up steadily.

??? gave a nod. In the first idea, subtle similarities showed up 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 another entity, weighed down by forever and dullness just as much, had reborn Lucian the way ??? had reborn Anthony.

That thought alone sparked his guesses.

??? couldn’t ignore the rush flowing through his vast and steady consciousness. 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 thrilling.

He wasn’t some closed-off Heavenly Dao that would label Lucian Darkheart forbidden just because his all-knowing sight got a slight push, nor would he try to wipe out Lucian to avoid surprises. Instead, the oddity captivated him.

"What if it turns out to be nothing in the end?" Romulus questioned pensively.

??? went quiet, accepting 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, giving his head a light shake with mild humor.

Romulus agreed with a nod, and quietness settled over the emptiness again. His mind wandered to Lucian as past moments played back, every encounter Anthony had described with the youth.

’Is there really an Author out there?’ he pondered. In the Starborn Tournament, Lucian had 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, nothing more. Even Aaaninja gets just one shot at his River Of Time Personification. Unless Lucian rebuilds it through his own insight someday, which won’t happen soon, if at all, I’ll have to chase this on my own," he clarified. Though his explanation sounded firm, no annoyance colored his voice. In fact, he savored the independent hunt.

He’d uncovered fresh amusement outside Anthony and his companions.

Romulus let out a quiet sigh then nodded. "I guess you’ll head out right away," he said.

"Of course. Why squander even a sliver of time?" ??? 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 void, plunging straight into his probe. As soon as he was gone, a soft smile crept onto Romulus’ face. He felt glad that ??? had at last stumbled on something to fill his endless days.

Romulus stayed a little longer before he too melted away from the emptiness. 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 over to Lucian Darkheart and Aaaninja Chronisynth Eternos, they held their spot, though for completely separate causes.

Amara stayed put since she lacked any tight ties to Lucian, Aaaninja, or their kin. No pull or duty urged her to go.

Klaus, though, drowned in reflections spinning on a whole other layer of thought. His brain whirled as he tried to make sense of the scene he’d just seen. The last moves from Lucian and Aaaninja soared past every power rank he’d met in his lengthy years.

The River Of Time, at least, rang a bell for him. Its presence, while puzzling, wasn’t fully strange.

But Lucian’s power pushed him to dig much deeper. Klaus had never met anything so removed from the basics of being.

Even as Lucian suffered the rebound, Klaus had felt totally locked down, gripped by a crushing hold that pinned him still. He couldn’t remember the last time helplessness like that struck, the last time anything stopped him cold.

Right before the fight kicked off, he’d confidently told them all to bring out every trick and power they had, promising to bring them back if needed. But suppose Lucian had really fallen? Suppose Aaaninja hadn’t stepped in? Suppose Anthony had held back? Suppose the River Of Time hadn’t kicked in? Lucian Darkheart would’ve died on his watch.

As for the strange tome Lucian had called forth, Klaus didn’t ponder it too much. 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 as a superior force 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 strengths back in their years.

Amara kept quiet, but she could tell exactly what weighed on her spouse without diving into his mind. She’d always read Klaus easily, catching his inner storms just from the small changes on his face.

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