MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

As the Second Supreme Monarch's body vanished into the rift, Anthony's gaze turned toward the Fifth, Eighth, and Ninth Supreme Monarchs, who looked at him calmly… aside from the Eighth Supreme Monarch, who had a wide, unrestrained smile on his face. Anthony was his son, his baby monster, and that baby monster had just displayed a level of power and ability that defied logic itself. Michael's pride was evident, shining brightly in his eyes like a sun unclouded by doubt or fear.

Anthony, however, did not return the smile. His sky-blue gaze shifted from the Fifth, Eighth, and Ninth Supreme Monarchs and moved beyond them, pausing on the First, Third, Fourth, and Seventh Supreme Monarchs who were also watching him. Outwardly, they appeared calm, stoic even, but within, their minds and bodies trembled ceaselessly beneath the pressure of what they had just witnessed.

Anthony could see it clearly, the faint flicker of fear in their eyes. They feared him. They feared his power, the unknown that now stood before them in the form of their junior. But Anthony felt nothing about it. Their fear was meaningless to him, as unnecessary as the breath of wind passing through an empty void. He had no need for their reverence or their dread.

In the next instant, his figure vanished from where he stood. Space twisted as he reappeared some distance away, standing precisely between the First, Third, Fourth, and Seventh Supreme Monarchs on one side, and the Fifth, Eighth, and Ninth on the other.

He did not turn toward anyone in particular when he spoke. His voice came out calm and unhurried, yet the stillness it carried was enough to chill some of them to their cores.

"Let's leave. I'm already done," he said simply.

The First Supreme Monarch gave a slight nod in acknowledgment of Anthony's words. Raising a hand, he commanded the very fabric of void and time to bend to his will. Reality responded obediently, and in the next moment, a portal tore open beside him, swirling with ethereal light and shadow. He looked once more at Anthony, offering a brief nod of understanding, before stepping through. Without hesitation, the three beside him, the Third, Fourth, and Seventh Supreme Monarchs, followed swiftly, their forms swallowed by the portal's light.

But the portal did not close. It remained open, its swirling form humming softly in the vast silence of the galaxy.

"I will join the three of you soon," Anthony said, his gaze turning toward the Fifth, Eighth, and Ninth Supreme Monarchs. His words were calm, carrying no emotion. The three simply nodded in response. Then, in a streak of light, they vanished from their spot, entering the portal left behind by the First Supreme Monarch.

Pausing for a moment, Anthony closed his eyes. His consciousness reached outward, tracing the delicate thread of connection between the half-soul he had imprisoned and the other half that resided within the Second Supreme Monarch's body. The next moment, his eyes opened, but his sky-blue irises no longer saw the vast galaxy before him. No, his sight pierced beyond it, crossing space and distance as though such concepts were meaningless.

At that moment, Anthony possessed a bird's-eye view of the Second Supreme Monarch's situation. He observed quietly, watching as the man struggled to comprehend and manipulate the volatile nature of chaos energy. Anthony did not interfere; he merely watched. His attention shifted as the scene before him changed, now showing the Second Supreme Monarch locked in battle, a fierce clash he won with unsurprising ease, relying purely on his physical prowess and refined swordsmanship. No chaos energy. No skills, no talents, no mystical powers, only pure, disciplined combat.

'A Supreme Monarch is still a Supreme Monarch,' Anthony thought with faint amusement. He had no intention of stripping the man of his battle experience; doing so would only make things dull. For now, the Second Supreme Monarch was his star performer, his reluctant actor upon the grand cosmic stage.

Severing the connection, Anthony's vision returned from the Abyss to the vast, star-filled expanse surrounding him. Galaxies stretched endlessly, glowing softly like scattered embers of divine creation. For a brief moment, silence reclaimed the void.

He made a mental note then, to learn from the mistakes of beings like the Second Supreme Monarch. Pride and arrogance were fatal flaws, useless burdens that could lead even the greatest of beings to ruin. Anthony swore he would not fall into that same trap. Yes, he possessed countless overwhelming abilities. Yes, he had the backing of ???, Romulus, and the Limit Breaker. But he would not pin his survival or future upon any of them.

After all, who was to say that there had not been another reincarnator before him, one who had once entertained these same beings? Perhaps that reincarnator grew arrogant, believing themselves untouchable, believing that ??? would step in to save him from death. But in the end, arrogance only led to destruction.

Anthony had long concluded that ??? would hardly or never intervene in anything unrelated to his system sign-in rewards.

After all, Seraphim had died once, even after Anthony had begged Romulus for help, the Divine Flame Spirit had done nothing. Then there was the matter of Vega's Bloodline Awakening, during which ??? had also chosen not to interfere. Although ??? seemed eccentric, perhaps even playful in their interactions, Anthony had already realized the truth: the being was simply bored.

If Anthony were to die, ??? would likely reincarnate another person in another universe and continue watching, using them as a new source of entertainment to pass the time. It would be no different than how Anthony himself now intended to watch the Second Supreme Monarch whenever boredom crept in.

'There is nothing special about me,' he thought quietly. Before his reincarnation by ???, he had been nothing more than an ordinary man on Earth, one among millions, living from hand to mouth, moving only between work and home, trapped in the dull rhythm of mediocrity.

His thoughts drifted back to the moment ??? had told him he possessed a golden soul, something rare and extraordinary. Though Anthony's understanding of souls could not possibly match that of a Timeless Being, he had suspected even then that ??? might have been lying.

But did he care? Not in the slightest. Even if ??? had fabricated the entire story, Anthony would still have accepted the reincarnation offer without hesitation. After all, who in their right mind would reject such a chance?

Being a source of entertainment for a cosmic being in exchange for unimaginable power, such a trade was obvious. A simple, rational decision. Anyone in his position would have done the same.

So, to sum it up, there was truly nothing special about him. If arrogance or carelessness ever caused him to fall like the Second Supreme Monarch, ??? would simply replace him or perhaps slumber for a few eras, just as the Limit Breaker often did.

"I wonder if I will ever reach ???'s level," Anthony mused silently. With the Beginning of All Things Physique, said to be second only to ???'s own, he knew he possessed enough talent to approach such a height. But when, or how, he would reach it was another question entirely. For now, he could only take things slowly, walking his path one step at a time while savoring the journey toward the summit.

"Ascending beyond ??? and reaching the Author's level would be even harder," he admitted inwardly.

Whenever Anthony had spoken of his goal as "the peak," he never meant ???'s level. What he sought was something higher, the real transcendence itself. To reach the Author, the ultimate source, the one who existed beyond even the divine script that governed fate and existence.

'And if there is no Author…' Anthony left the thought unfinished, letting it fade into the endless void.

"Sigh… I'm overthinking again," he murmured softly to himself, shaking his head as a quiet exhale escaped his lips.