MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Chapter 823: Extreme Check

Another glance was sent towards him, but this time he simply ignored their stares this time, unbothered to return it as he once did before. He had simply seen no need to speak yesterday. After all, to him, it seemed like Anthony and Aura were the only ones doing the talking yesterday.

”Aaaninja and Lucian are already here,” Anthony replied to Bill’s question after staring at the man for a moment.

”So they’ve finally arrived, huh? Why didn’t you go meet them?” Charles asked, arching an eyebrow as a faint smirk tugged at his lips.

Anthony shook his head slowly. ”I’m sure they’ve already sensed my presence. They should be coming here after they pick an apartment,” he replied.

Charles nodded in acknowledgment. During the Starborn Tournament, he had not once interacted with either Anthony, Aaaninja, or Lucian. Instead, he had maintained a distance, savoring the exquisite teas and delicacies his butler summons had served him, enjoying them quietly between his battles.

”They should be here any moment, then,” Charles said, his tone calm but carrying a subtle anticipation. Anthony’s nod confirmed his agreement.

”You know he is going to challenge you to a rematch, right?” Charles added suddenly, his voice cutting through the air with the certainty.

Anthony smiled faintly, a slow, knowing curve of his lips. He did not need to be told. He already knew. Aaaninja had lost twice to him, and Anthony was certain that the man’s determination would drive him to return for a rematch, regardless of the odds.

”If he hasn’t found a solution to the method I used to defeat him during our last match, then the rematch is futile,” Anthony replied, his voice devoid of arrogance, entirely free of pride, stating only the undeniable facts with calm certainty.

”And if he has? If he has found a solution?” Aura interjected suddenly, her voice imbued with curiosity.

Anthony shook his head gently, a faint, knowing smile gracing his expression. ”I wouldn’t say anything on that. After all, actions speak louder than words, right?” His hand reached toward Akira, lightly playing with her ears, a subtle gesture of amusement.

As Vega prepared to speak, Anthony preemptively interjected, adding, ”And the both of them are already here.” His head tilted to the side, and there they were, Aaaninja and Lucian, stepping into the lobby with an air of calm authority, their every movement suffused with effortless grace.

Behind them, their respective team members moved with almost ritualistic precision, each step mirroring the calmness and ease of their leaders. The instant Aaaninja and Lucian entered the space, the atmosphere shifted instantly, charged with a tension that was almost tangible.

Eyes flicked toward them, subtle but unavoidable, though none dared to retract their gaze entirely. Everything seemed to pause, as if the very world awaited the next movement of the white-haired man whose rainbow-colored, clock-like eyes seemed to pierce the soul itself.

Who didn’t know Aaaninja Chronisynth Eternos? No, that was the wrong question.

The proper question was far more daunting: Who dared not to know him?

Unlike Anthony, Lucian, or even Charles, who had remained relatively unknown prior to the Starborn Tournament, Aaaninja was a figure already shrouded in legend. As the son of a Celestial, one of the most formidable races in the galaxy, he had been thrust into the public eye from birth.

His lineage alone brought attention, his parents renowned as some of the most powerful entities within the Celestial hierarchy. Yet even that was merely the foundation of his popularity.

Then there were his eyes, those arresting, impossible eyes that seemed to momentarily halt the galaxy itself upon their first opening.

Talent? Check. Handsomeness? Check. Wealth? Double check. Influential backing? Check. Raw power? Triple check. Charisma? Extreme check.

Billions of women would do anything to be with him, millions of men wouldn’t hesitate if he asked them to climb into his bed. He was just that popular and influential.

Without hesitation, the crowd surged forward. Mid tier races, top tier elites, low tier newcomers, it mattered not. All moved instinctively to greet him, a magnetic pull of deference and awe that transcended societal divisions. Attendance at the Starborn Tournament was irrelevant; Aaaninja’s fame had been forged long before.

Yet, unlike the past, when he had been compelled by his father to accept formalities and political courtesies from the older generation mere minutes after encountering them, this time was different. Zachary was absent, preoccupied with matters at the building where the older generation resided. There was no patriarchal hand guiding him to accept these ritualized greetings. Aaaninja was free, unburdened.

With a mere thought, mana pulsed outward in gentle, undulating waves. Time particles shimmered and twirled around him, gleefully responding to his command, as though awakening from eons of dormancy to finally obey their master. With an imperceptible gesture, Time itself seemed to halt, freezing everyone within the lobby. Human, Vampire, Cryonid, none could move, not even the bartender who had been mid-pour.

But, though their bodies were immobile, their minds remained intact. Aaaninja’s control was precise, a surgical manipulation of reality itself. Among the frozen, some remained unaffected, as though perched above Time’s reach.

Anthony, for one, smiled at the display, completely untouched. Aura tilted her head with curiosity, her eyes shining with interest as she studied the masterful display. Vega, ever unsurprised, continued sipping her drink, observing without any outward reaction.

Kingsley’s eyes narrowed, the edge of surprise cutting through his otherwise stoic demeanor, he had not expected Aaaninja to possess Time affinity just like the First Supreme Monarch. Bill and Charles, however, were firmly held in place, frozen by the inexorable grip of Time itself.

Aaaninja did not speak. He simply turned, his gaze tearing toward Elyndra, Altheria, Veronica, and Valak. With a single thought, he released them from Time’s restraint. Elyndra and Altheria reacted minimally; they had grown accustomed to such displays when Aaaninja was perturbed by someone’s intrusion.

Veronica and Valak, however, remained riveted, their eyes locked onto him as though staring at a celestial predator. Their minds, shifted back to Lucian’s prior warning about Aaaninja’s abilities and powers.