MIGHT AS WELL BE OP-Chapter 988: What Are Friends For?

Lucian Darkheart, who was still kneeling, opened his eye, his black gaze falling upon Anthony, who stood as though nothing in existence could contest with him, because he simply was that powerful; Lucian’s gaze then shifted to Aaaninja Chronisynth Eternos, who was floating beside Anthony, unconscious.

Lucian Darkheart did not know how to feel, a storm of emotions rippling through every fiber of his being, after all, it was not every day that one’s friend and rival destroyed an entire Galaxy to save them. Honestly, he had accepted his death, for he had done something beyond the beyond, something that Anthony, the main character, and even ??? had not accomplished; he had broken the fourth wall, shattering the very narrative constraints that bound their existence.

Lucian stayed silent, he did not speak for a moment, a simple "Thank you" seemed woefully inadequate, almost insulting in the face of what Aaaninja had just done, but it did not matter, Aaaninja was unconscious at the moment and could not hear any expression of gratitude even if it were spoken.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," Anthony spoke with a smile on his face as he stared at the kneeling Lucian. Lucian did not move, he remained where he was, still trying to process the lengths to which Aaaninja had gone for him, "planning on kneeling forever?" Anthony asked, his words finally snapping Lucian out of his spiraling thoughts.

Lucian rose to his feet with a smile as he spoke, "Thank you," he stated, as it was the only thing he could say, there was nothing he could possibly do to match what Anthony had done for him, nor was there any equivalent gesture that could balance such an overwhelming debt. Anthony simply smiled, after all, his friend had just survived True Death, a concept that transcended ordinary mortality and erased even the possibility of return.

Lucian Darkheart’s black eyes shifted toward the unconscious Aaaninja, and seeing Lucian’s gaze, Anthony spoke, "don’t worry, he is merely mentally exhausted, after all, one does not simply connect with the River Of Time without some form of negative impact, although I would not exactly call fainting a negative impact," Anthony replied in a reassuring tone that carried a faint trace of admiration.

Lucian nodded his head in understanding and said nothing else. He had already guessed that in the beginning Aaaninja had not suffered any form of backlash after using the River Of Time Personification skill because Aaaninja had died, thereby directly bypassing the backlash entirely, besides, even if the guy had been meant to receive any repercussions, the River Of Time itself would have mitigated it for him.

"Don’t stand there looking all stunned and emotional, that is not the Lucian Darkheart I know," Anthony stated as he stared at the still dumbfounded Lucian.

Lucian stayed silent for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing, "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" His laughter resounded through the planet they were within, echoing across fractured atmospheres and numerous shattered debris, "honestly, I am so grateful and happy I could kiss both you and Aaaninja right now," he stated as his usual smile and confident demeanor returned as though it had never left, as though death itself had been nothing more than a fleeting inconvenience.

"There he is, back both in body and mind," Anthony replied as he placed a hand on Lucian’s shoulder, Lucian Darkheart’s smile remaining firmly in place at Anthony’s words, his presence subtly stabilizing as though reaffirming his existence.

[Welcome back, Host]

The usual mechanical tone of the system echoed in Lucian’s mind. Hearing the system’s chime, Lucian smiled inwardly as he replied, ’welcome back, system, it feels good to be alive.’

[It is indeed, Host]

The system replied as though it could perceive and even mirror the happiness its Host was experiencing, its digital cadence almost resembling something akin to relief and happiness.

"It seems my permanent vacation to the land of the dead has been cancelled," Lucian stated as he shook his head with a gentle laugh that carried both irony and genuine gratitude.

Anthony chuckled at his words, "it seems it has," he shook his head as he laughed, both of them conversing as though they had not just witnessed the obliteration of an entire Galaxy, as though cosmic annihilation was merely background noise to their camaraderie.

"I have a question," Lucian spoke as a thought suddenly occurred to him, his expression shifting into one of mild curiosity layered over lingering confusion.

"Ask away," Anthony replied without missing a beat, his composure unwavering as always.

"Why did you not come earlier? I mean, with the method you used to help me regain my abilities and Mana Rank, you could have used it to stop the backlash, right?" he asked as he stared directly at Anthony, his tone neither accusatory nor resentful, merely inquisitive.

Anthony arched an eyebrow, then shook his head with a smile, indeed he could have used his Authority Of Severance to sever the backlash just as he had done earlier, but he had refrained because he believed Aaaninja was already handling the situation perfectly well, so he did not see the necessity to interfere, it was only after he realized that Aaaninja had reached his absolute limits and could proceed no further that he finally chose to intervene, stepping in at the precise moment when intervention became inevitable.

"I simply did not want to intervene and steal Aaaninja’s spotlight," Anthony replied lightly with a smile that was both playful and sincere.

"I see, that makes sense," Lucian spoke, although Anthony had been described as a narcissistic boy from the very early Chapters of the novel, it did not mean he craved attention from others at every opportunity, his confidence did not equate to insecurity, nor did his overwhelming power demand constant validation.

"I know I have said this before, but thanks again," Lucian stated, his tone more serious now, layered with profound gratitude and unspoken respect.

"Bruh, what are friends for? Besides, I am sure if I am dying one day, you would also save me, right?" Anthony replied with a smile, because to him, saving Lucian, who was a friend, was not a monumental act worthy of praise, it was simply the standard of true friendship, and anything less than that would not qualify as genuine friendship.

’Is this a red flag?’ Lucian thought to himself as he arched an eyebrow, he could not even fathom the possibility of Anthony dying, after all, the guy was outrageously broken and absurdly overpowered.

An explosion that came from the obliteration of an entire Galaxy, tearing through the void and spanning countless light-years, had done absolutely nothing to him because it fundamentally could not bypass his Infinity, a conceptual defense that rendered both conventional and unconventional destruction meaningless.

But still, he replied, "of course, you do not even have to ask, even if I have to destroy the Universe to achieve that," he stated with a smile that carried ultimate conviction.

Anthony simply smiled and nodded, although he had spoken those words earlier in jest, he too did not truly believe he could die, well at least not within this Acarnis Galaxy, the Upper Galaxy was an entirely different board game altogether, governed by higher laws and more terrifying entities, but for now, within the confines of their current cosmic stage, death was little more than a distant and almost theoretical concept.