MIGHT AS WELL BE OP-Chapter 315: Chance

Forty eight hours elapsed in the blink of an eye as Anthony and Lucian playfully sparred with Aaaninja.

When the appointed time arrived, everyone was once again teleported out.

But this time, the atmosphere was different.

There were no floating seats.

The champions stood at a measured distance, positioned precisely as dictated by the Overseer.

And unlike before, no ancient screen appeared to inscribe their names.

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Anthony and Aaaninja stood opposite each other, separated by a few hundred meters.

Above them, the Overseer hovered, his piercing gaze fixed upon both combatants.

"The time for the final match has arrived, after weeks of watching ants scurry about, clashing in their little battles. But I must admit… you are rather entertaining ants"

His condescending tone resonated through the air, reaching every ear, a reminder of the vast power that loomed above them.

"This is the finals. The element of surprise should be at its peak here. So push each other to the brink, bleed, kill, scheme, scream"

The Overseer’s voice rose, teetering on the edge of madness, each word laced with an unsettling fervor.

His proclamation felt like the ramblings of a lunatic, yet no one dared to speak.

Silence reigned, thick with anticipation.

Then, with a final, twisted smile, he uttered one last command.

"Entertain me"

And with that, he vanished in a flash.

Anthony and Aaaninja stood motionless.

Neither moved. Neither spoke.

Aaaninja radiated confidence, his presence commanding, yet Anthony remained unfazed, standing with an air of casual indifference, as if none of it truly mattered.

It was Aaaninja who finally shattered the silence.

"Shall we begin, then?"

Anthony responded with a faint smile, then shook his head, exhaling as if sighing in quiet resignation.

Then he spoke.

His tone was casual, calm, utterly unshaken.

"You know, whenever I’m about to fight someone, I usually give them a chance"

With that, Anthony took a step.

Then another.

Each footfall echoed, the sound crisp and deliberate, reverberating through the still air.

His movements carried the poised grace of an emperor descending from his podium to address his people, measured, regal, yet laced with an unspoken lethality.

"As a courtesy"

He continued, his voice smooth yet edged with quiet authority.

"A chance to show me what they have. A chance to unveil the unexpected. A chance… to entertain me"

Anthony’s pace remained unhurried, his presence both effortless and imposing.

"And I won’t lie, you and Charles Evander made me play a few expected cards"

His words wove through the space between them, lingering, as if daring Aaaninja to seize the moment.

"You both have entertained me the most since my journey began. But do not let the enlightenment you’ve achieved deceive you into believing you now stand as my equal or now stand above me"

Anthony’s piercing, gem like blue eyes gleamed, as if peering directly into Aaaninja’s soul.

"I have given you a chance, to show me what you have. The same chance I extend to every warrior, a gesture of respect for their dedication and effort. Yet, never once have I had to face any of them a second time after their defeat"

There was no arrogance in his tone.

No pride.

No hubris.

No ego.

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No condescension.

Only an eerie calm, his voice carrying the serenity of inevitability.

"Yet here you are, standing before me a second time"

Anthony’s voice was steady, unwavering, a decree from an unshakable force.

"The chance I grant exists only once. After that... it is all Null"

His words carried the weight of finality, like a judge passing sentence upon one who had dared to defy the natural order.

With that, Anthony closed the distance, stopping mere meters from Aaaninja.

Then—alarms.

Not in Aaaninja’s mind alone.

No.

His very soul screamed.

His instincts shrieked in protest.

His body recoiled in silent terror.

His very existence trembled as an unseen force gripped him.

Yet there was no killing intent.

No aura of death.

Nothing tangible, nothing he could grasp, only the overwhelming certainty that something was terribly, irreversibly wrong.

Aaaninja reacted instantly.

Mana surged from his core, flowing like a tidal wave through his body.

The time elements in the air trembled, resonating with his emotions, bending to his will.

He was moments away from unleashing an attack, an overwhelming force of temporal might.

Then—a voice.

Not just in his ears.

In every ear.

It did not echo.

It did not reverberate.

It simply was a paradox of slowness and swiftness, transcending the very forces he sought to command.

Then came the words.

[Quantum Manipulation: Absolute Stasis]

Then, it happened.

The world froze.

Light halted mid motion, suspended in the air like crystallized fragments of existence.

The clouds stood motionless, their drifting forms arrested by an unseen force.

The flow of mana ceased, its currents locked in place.

Even thought itself was shackled.

Consciousness froze.

The trembling time particles in the air stilled, their rhythm snuffed out in absolute stillness.

Every living being halted.

The delegates.

The champions.

All frozen in place.

The very concept of motion was obliterated.

And at the center of it all, Anthony stood untouched.

His control was infallible.

Then Anthony spoke, though no one could hear him.

"You’ve already put up a good fight. There’s no need to repeat it. Enlightenment changes nothing against the certainty of outcome"

And with that, he whispered:

[Quantum Manipulation: Soul Sleep]

The moment the words left his lips, Absolute Stasis unraveled.

Time resumed.

The world breathed again.

Light continued its journey.

Mana flowed.

Thoughts and consciousness surged back into existence.

To everyone watching, nothing seemed amiss.

Their eyes remained locked onto Anthony and Aaaninja, unaware that anything had transpired in that infinitesimal void between moments.

Then, shock.

A collective gasp rippled through the air as the scene before them registered.

With a hollow thud, Aaaninja’s body collapsed.

Unconscious.

Motionless.

A soft cloud of dust lifted where he fell, swirling in the wake of silent finality.

No one understood what had just happened.

One moment, Anthony was speaking.

The next, Aaaninja lay unconscious.

It didn’t make sense.

There had been no attack.

No movement.

No shift in mana.

Nothing.

The Overseerer, who had moments ago preached about unexpectedness and surprise, remained floating, motionless.

This was different.

Far beyond what even he had anticipated.

The stunned gazes of the delegates slowly turned toward the Blue Planet’s representatives.

But they, too, sat frozen in shock, unable to comprehend the impossible.

The Overseerer appeared before Anthony, his presence abrupt yet almost… hesitant.

Then he cleared his throat.

Awkwardly.

"That was… unexpected. Normally, the final battle is always… well, it doesn’t matter"

His tone shifted, growing louder, more authoritative.

"NULL ANTHONY. CHAMPION OF THE BLUE PLANET, IS NOW THE WINNER OF THIS ROUND OF THE STARBORN TOURNAMENT!"

And with that declaration, it clicked.

A HUMAN had won.

A human had claimed the number one ranking.

It was impossible.

It had never happened.

The weight of it was staggering.

The resources, the prestige, now belonged to a human.

Millions of eyes drilled into Anthony, their gazes filled with disbelief, shock, and even envy.

But he simply stood there.

Unconcerned.

To him, their gazes were nothing more than fleeting whispers in the wind.

Then, the Overseerer spoke again, his tone carrying an undeniable finality.

"A celebration will be held in a few hours. Prepare yourselves accordingly. Attendance is not optional. Anyone who fails to appear… will be executed on the spot. This marks the end of the Starborn Tournament"

And with that, he snapped his fingers.

In an instant, every champion vanished.

But unlike before, where they would reappear in the familiar expansive cottage, this time, they found themselves scattered across the barren planet.

Alone.

The tournament was over.

Yet, for some, the true test had only just begun.