MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Chapter 876: Impossible Path

Aura Nova’s eyes shifted toward Aaaninja, Anthony, and Lucian as she spoke, her gaze calm yet quietly inquisitive. “So now that you’ve seen my abilities, what do you think?” she asked. A faint smile rested upon her lips as the words left her mouth.

Although by nature she was a composed woman who always carried herself with utter poise, indifferent to most matters that lay outside her personal interests, deep down Aura Nova felt a sense of pride, pride in her abilities and in her power. It was not the shallow arrogance of one who looked down on others, but rather the confidence of someone who understood exactly what she was capable of.

For a brief moment, Aaaninja, Anthony, and Lucian remained silent. The air itself seemed to linger in that pause, as though waiting for someone to speak first. Eventually, one of them broke the silence.

“I wouldn’t deny it,” Lucian finally said, his tone casual yet sincere. “Your abilities are ridiculous. Being able to warp the deepest layers of reality according to your thoughts, with your only true limitation being mana… that’s insane.” He paused for a moment before continuing, a small smile forming on his lips. “But it doesn’t change the fact that, between the two of us, we don’t actually know who’s stronger.”

Lucian’s smile widened slightly as he added, “If you want, we can decide who’s stronger right here and now. No need to keep waiting for the author to decide the perfect time for us to clash.”

Hearing Lucian’s words, Aura Nova smiled. Truthfully, she did want to battle him. As for his last statement, however, she showed no outward reaction. As a voracious reader, she had long since encountered characters who constantly broke the fourth wall. It wasn’t shocking to her in the slightest. She simply accepted it at face value, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

“This is neither the time nor the place, Lucian,” Aaaninja interjected calmly. “The time for our battle, and our rematch, is almost here, so just chill.” His gaze shifted away from Lucian and settled on Aura Nova as he continued, “That said, I agree with everything Lucian said. Given your ability, I’d also love to see how you manipulate time particles and shape them into a separate fragment of reality. A battle between us might very well be the key for me to take another step forward in existential level.”

He paused deliberately, allowing his words to sink in and ensuring that everyone present understood exactly what he meant.

And of course, when Aaaninja spoke like this, no one doubted him. If he said that he would improve after battling Aura Nova, then that was exactly what would happen. His growth was as natural and inevitable as breathing.

“But I have to say,” Aaaninja added with a slight smile, “I love what you did with the flip-flops. All I can say is, it’s unique. Truly.”

“Thank you,” Aura Nova replied, her smile calm and genuine. Then she continued, her tone light yet teasing, “So the two of you are sticking to the idea that we won’t know who’s stronger until we actually battle, huh?” Her smile slowly turned into a smirk as she spoke.

Her sky-blue eyes shifted, meeting Anthony’s. He floated there with a calm, almost relaxed smile, as though the entire conversation had little effect on him. “What about you, Anthony?” she asked. “Do you also agree with them?” By the way she spoke, it was clear she already expected his answer to be yes.

Anthony shook his head slightly. “No,” he replied simply. “I don’t.”

Everyone froze.

For a brief moment, it felt as though time itself had stuttered. Even Aura Nova paused, her expression flickering ever so slightly as she was caught off guard by his response. It wasn’t what she had expected, not from him.

“Hoo…” Aura Nova finally said, a smile slowly returning to her lips. “It seems Anthony thinks I’ll win against him.” Her tone was light, almost playful. Although Lucian and Aaaninja had claimed they were roughly equal in strength to her until proven otherwise, Aura Nova herself had never fully agreed with that assessment.

“When did I ever say you were going to win against me?” Anthony’s voice echoed calmly from the side.

“But you just said th—” Kingsley began, about to point out Anthony’s earlier words, only to be cut off.

“I know exactly what I said,” Anthony interjected smoothly. “I said that I disagree with Aaaninja and Lucian’s words.”

The air seemed to still once more as realization dawned on everyone present. Anthony had said he disagreed with their notion, but that didn’t mean he believed Aura Nova could defeat him. On the contrary, it meant something far more straightforward.

He was confident in his own victory.

“It’s as you’ve come to understand,” Anthony continued, turning his gaze toward Aura Nova. “Although you might want to battle Aaaninja and Lucian, I stand on a different level entirely from the both of them. You have no hope against me or my blade, no matter how deep your ability reaches.”

Despite the sharpness of his words, Anthony’s tone remained calm, brisk, yet paradoxically friendly. He made no effort to sound condescending, stating what he believed to be nothing more than fact.

“I’m the wall Aaaninja seeks to scale,” Anthony added, a faint smirk forming on his lips. “And realistically, he won’t be able to surpass me unless I die or something equally absurd. As for Lucian, he accepted his fate the very first time we met. That’s why he never challenged me, not even during the Starborn Tournament.”

His words might have sounded insulting to an outsider, but if Aaaninja or Lucian took issue with them, the solution was simple. All they had to do was fight him.

Lucian’s lips twitched slightly at the mention of his name. Indeed, from the very first moment he had met Anthony, he had never once challenged him. Why would he? He already knew about the absurd cheats and ridiculous abilities Anthony possessed. On top of that, Anthony was the Main Character. Winning against him was even more impossible than becoming a Higher Being overnight.

Aaaninja, on the other hand, remained completely unbothered by Anthony’s words. He had never hidden his intention to one day defeat him. If anything, Anthony’s presence only fueled his drive further.

Aura Nova floated silently, her sky-blue eyes locked onto Anthony’s, eyes of the same color, yet carrying an entirely different weight. This was the first time in her entire life that someone had addressed her like this. For the first time since her birth, Aura Nova felt… small. Not weak, but undeniably lesser in comparison.

Still, deep within her heart, she refused to back down. She wouldn’t abandon the challenge simply because of a few words, no matter who they came from.

“Just give up while you still can,” Lucian said from the side with a sigh, shaking his head as he glanced at Aura Nova. “Don’t walk the same impossible path as Aaaninja.”

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AUTHOR’S NOTE: Met a lot of authors today, realized how small and insignificant I am, lol.

Anyway, expect the second chapter around 9 am China time… will try to release it then.