MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Chapter 845: Third Tear

Riven, who had been prepared to intervene moments earlier, relaxed slightly when he realized that the Netherborn race was not going to escalate Aura Nova’s blunt tone into a conflict. Seeing the tension ease, he decided it was the right time to speak.

”Aura Nova,” he called out calmly, his voice gentle and direct, carrying neither authority nor dominance, only sincerity. ”Can you tell us how you closed the Tear in reality?”

Aura Nova’s sky-blue eyes shifted toward Riven. She knew fully well that he was Lucian’s father, though she was not exactly friends with Lucian... not yet, at least. Her expression remained poised as she responded, ”Is that a question, a request, or an order?” Her tone mirrored Riven’s flawlessly, cool and unhurried.

Riven smiled, unfazed. He did not take her words as a sign of disrespect; after all, no one had the right to demand another’s secrets. Even among the strongest, knowledge was currency, and forcefully obtaining it was always an option, but rarely a wise one. At this moment, Aura Nova was unimaginably important. She was the only person capable of closing the Tears in reality. Any schemes, any plots, any ambitions had to be delayed until all three Tears were sealed.

What happened after that would depend entirely on Aura Nova’s own strength and her ability to survive the inevitable covetousness that would follow. And even though the older generations hid their intentions well, they were not foolish enough to kill the only being proven capable of closing the Tears. If the Galaxy ever faced another rupture, they would need her again.

”It is simply a question, and a request,” Riven replied, maintaining the same warm smile. ”You may decline if you wish.”

”Then I will respectfully decline,” Aura said without the slightest shift in tone or expression, as if reciting a fact rather than refusing a plea.

Riven nodded, unsurprised. The outcome had been predictable. Only a fool would hand over a power so incomprehensible and so rare. Before he could speak further, Zachary’s voice cut in.

”Do you still have enough power to close another Tear?” Zachary asked bluntly, wasting no time. ”As you know, there are three Tears. You’ve closed one... so do you still have enough mana and strength for the other two?”

”I will have to see the Tears first before I say anything,” Aura Nova responded instantly. In truth, she desired to observe the remaining Tears herself. She wanted to compare them, were they identical in structure? Did they possess unique properties? Were their functions aligned or entirely distinct?

Zachary’s head snapped toward the Overseer, who still hovered silently before the point in space where the first Tear had once existed. He seemed wholly absorbed in examining the now-stabilized zone, as though hoping to find a trace, a mark, even the faintest residue that might explain Aura Nova’s method. But he found nothing. For all his mastery over space and void, all he perceived was simple normalcy. Space was merely... space and void was merely... void.

”Overseer.” The sound of his title snapped him out of his contemplation. His head turned sharply toward Zachary, the source of the call.

”What is it?” the Overseer asked, his tone flat and clipped.

”The other two Tears,” Zachary began, ”are they the same as the one Aura Nova just closed?”

The Overseer remained silent for a long moment, pondering his answer before speaking. ”To me, yes. But to her, who seems capable of understanding what the rest of us cannot... they might not be the same.” His expression did not shift as he admitted this, but the weight of the statement settled over the group like an anchor.

Zachary immediately turned to Aura Nova, who gave a single confirming nod.

”Then let’s move,” Zachary intoned. ”We don’t have all the time in the Galaxy.”

The Overseer sighed deeply, his mana surging outward once more as millions of portals materialized across the cosmic sky. They swirled with spatial might, each linked to the second Tear in reality. Without hesitation, everyone stepped through; they already knew their destination.

Within seconds, they arrived thousands of light-years away, at a location marked by another Tear in reality. The unstable zone surrounding it flickered with chaotic pressure. The stationed Voidwalker soldiers approached at once, but they had nothing useful to report. After a brief exchange, the Overseer dismissed them through another portal.

Aura Nova wasted no time. Her sky-blue eyes gleamed with a soft light as she gazed at the Tear, allowing her reality-piercing perception to run through its structure. But almost immediately, her expression dimmed with disappointment. The second Tear was exactly identical to the first, down to the smallest metaphysical detail.

She released a soft sigh. With a casual wave of her hand, mana erupted from her core in a terrifying yet controlled surge. The unstable zone trembled, then abruptly stabilized. Moments later, the Tear collapsed inward, shrinking and compacting until it crystallized into another small cat kibble food piece.

This time, she did not feed it to Akira. Instead, she stored it neatly inside her space ring.

Turning away, Aura floated past the gathered powerhouses. Their eyes, as before, were filled with awe, and something darker. Not all of them were merely impressed; some had already begun to desire her physical form. She felt their lust clearly, their minds screaming it even if their faces remained composed.

Aura said nothing. Instead, she shifted her gaze to the Overseer. Understanding her unspoken cue, he opened millions of portals once more, all converging on the final Tear in reality. The group moved through as one.

They emerged before the third Tear.

The moment Aura’s eyes fell upon it, she arched an eyebrow, this time in genuine surprise. Instantly, she noticed a difference. Unlike the first two, the third Tear carried an unfamiliar quality, a distorted resonance unlike anything she had seen.

But while Aura observed in silence, others reacted far more violently.

A wave of soul-wrenching screams tore through their minds, a force identical to what they had felt before, yet far more intense. The sensation of imminent death crashed into them like an overwhelming tide. Their bones, their spirits, their nerves, all trembled under the oppressive pressure. The deathly premonition echoed not only through their bodies but through their hearts, minds, and very cores of existence.

This Tear... was different. And it was far, far more dangerous.