Chapter 633: gaannum
The world froze. Space, ti, life, death, thought, mind, and consciousness, all of it seed to halt, as though reality itself dared not move.
From the exact point in space where Lilithra had been erased, a faint mote of black light flickered into existence, subtle yet terrifying in its quiet radiance. That lone mote multiplied, splitting into countless others, each shimring with an unnatural depth. Then, without warning, the number swelled violently, climbing in an imnse, unstoppable wave.
The mont Anthony’s eyes caught sight of this, his figure vanished from where he floated, reappearing far away in the vast expanse of the Blue Planet’s sky, putting as much distance as possible between himself and that expanding darkness.
A blinding black radiance, paradoxical in its nature, as if capable of erasing not just light but the very concept of life, erupted outward in a cataclysmic wave. It poured forth like a colossal ocean that had been restrained for eternity, now suddenly released from its chains.
Yet, just as the black light reached the peak of its outward motion, it halted mid-air. Space itself seed to tense. Then, without the faintest warning, the tide reversed, surging back inwards. The colliding waves of darkness slamd into one another with the force of celestial oceans eting in fury, rging into a single colossal form.
From that chaos erged the outline of sothing humanoid, a shifting, flickering silhouette of brilliance entwined with fathomless blackness.
The radiance collapsed. The blinding light vanished in an instant, and in its place, a man appeared. He stood, or rather, floated, with unshakable composure, black hair cascading softly, eyes as dark as the void itself. His presence embodied the very definition of calm.
If one were to rely glance at him, they would assu he was human.
They would be wrong. Utterly wrong.
At his ergence, the Blue Planet trembled violently, as though the world itself had sensed its own impending demise.
Across the skies, those who were airborne at that precise mont plumted without resistance, crashing towards the earth as though the heavens themselves refused to hold the weight of these beings together with the new presence.
Those who witnessed his arrival felt sothing invisible crash into their very souls. Knees buckled instantly. But this was not the oppressive pressure of an overwhelming aura like Lilithra’s, it was sothing far worse.
This was the inevitable subjugation brought about by the man’s re existence.
On the streets, in the fields, atop mountains and deep beneath oceans, every citizen of the Blue Planet felt their knees slam into the ground.
Next ca their heads. Their foreheads pressed against the soil, tile, stone, or whatever surface lay beneath them, as if compelled to bow before a god whose gaze they dared not et.
And it was not selective. No one was spared. Vega, Kingsley, Spectre, Clent, the Domain Leaders, each and every one knelt in the sa posture, as though it was the most natural act in all existence.
At that mont, not a single person continued watching the StreamGhost livestream.
An incomprehensible tide of dread gripped the entire world. It was not just fear, it was a primal recognition of the absolute. Earthquakes and shockwaves rippled endlessly as though the very foundation of reality protested his presence.
The man in space finally moved. It was not an elaborate gesture, rely the shifting of his eyeballs. But the direction of his gaze was unmistakable, it landed directly on Anthony.
Anthony, the sole being entirely unaffected by this suffocating phenonon. The only one still floating in the sky, calm and unmoving, watching.
His face was tranquil, but his thoughts were not.
His mind was already working with cold precision, constructing scenarios, counterasures, and probabilities.
Within the ever-present sphere of his Sense Do, Anthony’s ntal Calculation ability was fully active, operating at a level that would shatter any mortal comprehension. Infinity roared at full overdrive.
Threads of reality itself blood into existence as his Authority of Severance filled the surrounding space, manifesting nurous pathways and possibilities.
He understood instinctively, this man was not Lilithra. This was sothing altogether different. Stronger in ways that no re rank or classification could asure. Anthony would not dare to relax his guard simply because he had slain a Demon ranked the weakest among a hundred.
With but a thought, Anthony invoked the Authority of Information. But the result ca instantly, failure. And there was only one reason that Authority could fail: when the target’s power dwarfed his own.
It did not disturb him. Authority of Information’s verdict of inferiority did not an defeat was certain. There were always ways. Always.
Then the man’s eyes shifted. For the first ti, their gazes t.
Anthony’s mind summoned a single thought, a proverb: “Stare too long into the abyss, and it will stare into you.”
Those black eyes… they were the Abyss. Not a taphor, not an exaggeration, the Abyss itself.
In that instant, an unfathomable force crashed into his mind and soul simultaneously, clawing, reshaping, corrupting. It sought to turn him into sothing other, sothing demonic.
But it was useless. Romulus and the System’s presence flared within him, their combined strength rendering the intrusion powerless.
And just as suddenly as it had co, the force vanished, as though recognizing the futility of its own effort.
Anthony understood, the man had not done it on purpose. This had occurred simply because their eyes had t. Nothing more. Nothing less.
It was as if the Abyss itself had administered a silent test, determining whether he was worthy of holding the man’s gaze.
The man spoke at last, his tone as calm as the still sea.
“It seems one of my subordinates has truly fallen… It has been a gaannum.”
He did not look at Anthony as he continued. “I cannot even sense her. So… your wish to climb to the Above was never fulfilled before your death… Lilithra.” His words drifted as though spoken more to the void than to anyone present.
Anthony’s Perfect One skill surged into full force, its defensive capabilities tightening. Sothing, or soone, was trying to probe him, to tear away layers of concealnt.
The man raised an eyebrow, faint surprise flickering in his abyssal gaze.
“Interesting. To think even my World Knowledge skill would fail to uncover you.” A faint smile touched his lips.
World Knowledge. The ability to gather every piece of information within any planet upon which he stood with nothing but a passing thought. A skill that had not failed in eons, until now.
Anthony remained silent, letting the man speak freely. His instincts told him that words now were worth more than actions.
Deep down, he knew, if this man truly wished, today could mark Anthony’s first genuine death since his reincarnation. And while his Infinite Regeneration could restore him even from the smallest fragnt of matter, it did not an he was eager to test the limits of that ability.
He was not afraid of dying, not truly. His soul was bound to the eternal protection of Romulus. To kill Anthony completely, one would first have to destroy Romulus. And that was no simple feat.
“Who are you?”
Anthony’s lips parted at last as he finally spoke, his voice steady despite the oppressive weight pressing down on the atmosphere.
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