MIGHT AS WELL BE OP-Chapter 422: Riddle-1

The Executioner hovered mid-air, his voice echoing with eerie calm as he began to speak.

"The rules are simple: the first team to solve three riddles wins. Straightforward, isn't it?"

Anthony and the demon facing him gave a silent nod in acknowledgment.

But before the moment could settle, four additional demons rose and strode forward, joining the one who had addressed Anthony.

Anthony glanced at the newcomers, a flicker of understanding in his gaze.

'They're all on the same level'

Seraphim observed silently as she watched from a distance.

And indeed, the newcomers exuded an aura equal to that of the first demon, each one a formidable presence.

"You have an unlimited number of attempts for each riddle"

The man continued, his tone composed, almost indifferent.

"However, each riddle must be answered within one minute"

He spoke without so much as a glance at the four newly arrived demons.

Silence followed.

No one dared interrupt; all eyes remained fixed on him.

"Now, for the first riddle"

He declared, the ever-present smile tugging at his lips.

He watched with quiet amusement as raw energy coursed through Anthony's team, tense, volatile, and on the verge of eruption.

"I am your path, though I never move.

I am shaped by steps you've yet to prove.

You walk me daily, blind to my face.

But if you run backward, I stay in place.

What am I?"

As the final word left the man's lips, silence fell once again, this time heavy with thought.

Minds began to churn.

Though no timer was visible, those at this level possessed a subconscious awareness of time's passage.

They could feel the seconds slipping by.

Reynold's brow furrowed.

Frustration welled within him as his thoughts spun aimlessly, refusing to crystallize into an answer.

His mind, usually sharp, felt sluggish, unresponsive in the face of the riddle's elegant complexity.

Five seconds passed in tense silence before Anthony's voice cut through the stillness.

"The future"

He said calmly.

All eyes turned to him.

Then, almost in unison, their gazes shifted toward the white-haired Executioner, who remained suspended in the air, his posture unchanged, his expression unreadable, until he gave a slight nod, his ever-present smile deepening.

"Correct"

He confirmed.

A wave of relief rippled through the group.

Dale exhaled sharply, while a quiet smile tugged at Reynold's lips, both of them momentarily freed from the weight of uncertainty.

"Nice one, Captain. Didn't know you were this sharp"

Dale said with a grin, patting Anthony's shoulder with casual camaraderie.

"Of course he is"

Seraphim replied, her tone matter-of-fact.

"It was his intelligence that guided us through the floors"

Kingsley remained silent.

He neither smiled nor nodded, his expression unreadable, his presence still and unmoved, as though the riddle had done nothing to stir him.

A soft chuckle broke the moment.

It came from a female demon standing off to the side, her red eyes gleaming with amusement.

"You do realize you need three correct answers, right?"

She said, her voice silken and mocking.

"You've only solved one"

She spoke with a calm confidence, entirely unbothered, as though the outcome had already been decided.

Seraphim turned toward her, a faint smile curving her lips, sharp, deliberate.

"You're not even supposed to be here"

She replied coolly.

"Shouldn't you be warming someone's bed, draining them of life? That is what succubi are for, after all, just sex and pleasure, nothing more"

The demon's expression wavered, the gleam in her eyes dimming for a brief moment.

The succubus opened her mouth to deliver a biting retort, but the Executioner's voice cut cleanly through the tension.

"Need I remind you"

He said, tone still calm but with a hint of steel,

"That every correct answer must be accompanied by a clear explanation. If your reasoning lacks logic, if your answer is merely a guess, then it will be considered incorrect"

At his words, the succubus's smile returned, slow and knowing.

Her confidence seemed to reignite as she shifted her gaze, along with everyone else, toward Anthony.

He stood composed, hands clasped behind his back, utterly unfazed by the scrutiny.

Sensing the weight of their stares, Anthony began to speak, his voice steady, unhurried, and precise.

"From the first line, 'Path though I never move' — the future is a path we all move toward, yet it remains still. It doesn't come to us; we walk toward it"

Anthony began, his tone composed and deliberate.

"'Shaped by steps you've yet to prove' — our future is molded by the actions we have not yet taken. It is uncertain, shaped by choice and consequence.

'Blind to my face' — we cannot see what lies ahead; the future is always hidden from view.

And finally, 'Run backward, I stay in place' — even if we look to the past or try to retreat, the future doesn't follow. It remains ahead, untouched"

Anthony's voice faded into silence, his explanation hanging in the air with quiet authority.

At that moment, his divine intelligence became unmistakably clear, he had dissected the riddle line by line, offering not just an answer, but the reasoning that gave it weight.

Everyone who listened to Anthony's reasoning couldn't help but nod in agreement.

It was logical.

Almost painfully so.

There was no grand twist hidden within the riddle, no elaborate trick or layered meaning.

Just clarity.

Simplicity.

Precision.

"While there are other plausible interpretations"

The Executioner said, his voice cool and measured.

"This is by far the most coherent explanation I've heard. One point to your team, then. It seems you're not just handsome, you've got a mind to match"

He smiled faintly, the amusement in his tone unmistakable.

Anthony gave a subtle nod in acknowledgment, unfazed by either the compliment or the attention it drew.

The demons clicked their tongues in frustration, unable to arrive at the answer.

Five seconds should have been enough to gather their thoughts, yet none of them could piece together the riddle's solution.

"Now, the second riddle"

The Executioner announced, his voice steady.

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the gathered participants before continuing:

"My first breath was your last.

Your final cry, my echo cast.

I follow always, yet I lead.

Born in silence, I plant a seed.

What am I?"

With that, the Executioner fell silent once more, his eyes observant, watching as the group fell into thought once again.

Time seemed to slow, the weight of the riddle pressing down as minds raced to unravel its meaning.

Anthony wasted no time.

His mind immediately seized upon the answer.

He wasn't even relying on thought acceleration; if he had, he would have arrived at the solution within a second, the moment the Executioner's voice fell silent.

Four seconds passed before his voice broke the stillness, his tone flat, yet certain.

"A memory"