MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Chapter 888: Motto

“As you’ve noticed, I have the ability to control Time, as I was born with the Time affinity,” the First Supreme Monarch stated calmly. “I’ve come this far on my own, but I seem to have hit a ceiling, a wall, and I need some help to break through this barrier.”

He paused for a brief moment, his gaze subtly shifting as he tried to gauge Aaaninja’s reaction. Yet Aaaninja did not react in the slightest. He neither frowned nor smiled, simply maintaining a blank, unreadable expression as he listened in silence, his presence calm.

“You are the only person I’ve ever seen manipulate and control Time to such an extent,” the First Supreme Monarch continued, his voice lowering slightly. “So I am here to ask for a favor… to beg you, even, to teach me, to guide me… at least… something… anything.”

His voice trailed off toward the end, straining just a little despite his effort to remain composed. Still, his expression did not waver. He went straight to the point without beating around the bush. He did not sugarcoat his words nor attempt to cloak them in pride. He stated the truth as it was. He had reached a ceiling, and he needed help with that ceiling.

If Aaaninja rejected him, then he would simply have to look for other ways, no matter how long or difficult those ways might be.

Aaaninja remained silent for several seconds. The silence stretched, heavy yet not uncomfortable, before he finally spoke.

“What about Anthony?” Aaaninja asked.

The First Supreme Monarch arched an eyebrow in confusion, clearly not understanding the Time Celestial’s question.

Seeing his confusion, Aaaninja clarified, “Anthony also possesses an affinity for Time. I’m sure his control is also immaculate. Why didn’t you ask him?” he asked evenly.

The First Supreme Monarch had never truly seen Anthony manipulate or control Time in any meaningful or explicit manner, so he didn’t know the full extent of Anthony’s abilities in that regard. At the same time, he couldn’t openly say that, nor could he bring himself to lie.

After a brief pause, he finally spoke. “Anthony called you the best when it comes to Time manipulation and control. That was how I came to know about you.”

Silence passed between them once more after those words were spoken. Although Aaaninja did not show it outwardly or comment on it, he felt good hearing that Anthony thought so highly of him. It wasn’t that he sought Anthony’s validation or approval, nothing of the sort. It was simply respect, pure and untainted.

Aaaninja finally reacted, letting out a quiet sigh. “So,” he said, “what are you giving up?”

His words caught the First Supreme Monarch completely off guard. He had been mentally preparing himself for rejection, bargaining, or indifference, but not this. For a moment, he was simply stunned. Aaaninja seemed to have agreed far too easily.

“I’m sure you know nothing is free within this galaxy, or any other galaxy,” Aaaninja continued calmly. “So, what are you willing to pay for this knowledge?”

The First Supreme Monarch’s eyes narrowed slightly. Yes, he was wealthy. In fact, he possessed countless treasures, ancient artifacts, and rare resources beyond imagination. But could any of that truly move someone like Aaaninja Chronisynth Eternos? Definitely not.

His mind began to spin at supernatural speed. His senses swept through his spatial rings as he frantically tore through everything stored within them, searching for something, anything. He had received a positive answer; all that remained was to pay for it… just to pay.

Yet the more he searched through his thoughts and possessions, the more evident it became that he had nothing, absolutely nothing, that could please a man of Aaaninja’s caliber.

“So you have nothing…” Aaaninja stated quietly, his low tone reverberating faintly as his gaze settled on the Dragon before him.

The First Supreme Monarch felt something tighten within him. Frustration? Despair? Helplessness? He couldn’t even describe it. His goal was standing right in front of him, yet he couldn’t take it. He couldn’t claim it.

How long would it take him to find something that someone like Aaaninja would find even the least worthy? A decade? A thousand years? The more he thought about it, the more his draconic heart constricted painfully at the realization of his own inadequacy.

Aaaninja sighed once more. Without saying another word, he closed his eyes. The next instant, he left that particular layer of reality altogether, leaving the brooding Dragon behind. His consciousness merged seamlessly with the River of Time.

When Aaaninja’s consciousness flickered into place, his eyes were met with an ever-flowing river containing every color that had ever existed within Time itself. He could hear countless voices, laughter, deaths, screams, cries, snores, hiccups, sneezes. They were all echoes of people’s pasts, presents, and futures, converging into one endless continuum.

Aaaninja’s gaze settled on a particular child running around joyfully, chasing a butterfly. Time surged forward. The child grew up, became a doctor, and yet, ironically, fell ill with cancer and died later down the line. His eyes shifted again, landing on another child, this time a girl. She was born into a family of swordmasters, yet her true talent lay with the spear. Because her family practiced only the sword, she never realized the dormant gift within her. Years of abuse and neglect followed, and eventually, she committed suicide. A great talent lost, just like that.

Yet Aaaninja was not here for any of that.

He had only one thought in mind, the so-called First Supreme Monarch. Closing his eyes, he channeled his thoughts and intentions toward the River of Time.

The River of Time happily obeyed. Like rippling water, gentle waves spread across its surface as the scenes before Aaaninja vanished. The laughter, the cries, the screams, all disappeared until only a single image remained.

The First Supreme Monarch.

Aaaninja watched his life from the moment he was born. He saw his interactions with others, how he treated people, how he rose to become the strongest Dragon on the Blue Planet, how he joined the military, and how he eventually became the First Supreme Monarch. He observed everything, especially how the Dragon had learned to manipulate and control Time entirely on his own, without guidance or inheritance, since none of his predecessors had ever possessed a Time affinity.

Aaaninja couldn’t help but find the Dragon a bit strange. Through the River of Time, he could feel the man’s pride, unyielding and sharp, yet intertwined with genuine humility. Dragons were a race defined by sky-high pride, yet this one seemed unbound by such racial limitations.

The Dragon had lived his entire life by a single motto: There is always someone stronger. There is always someone better.