MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

The moment that last word left his mouth, he willed his ability into existence.

[Quantum Manipulation: Absolute Stasis]

Every single form of matter within the secret realm instantly froze, as though time itself had stopped for them all.

Light halted in midair, caught in the act of reflection and movement. The wind stilled. Space froze. Time halted.

Every form of energy flowing within the secret realm was locked in suspension. Thoughts froze. Consciousness ceased.

The Supreme Monarchs above, all of them, froze as if the very universe had paused with them.

It didn't matter if it was the First Supreme or the Last Supreme. All of them, regardless of their status, rank, or pride, were frozen under the effect of Absolute Stasis.

Anthony observed it all with indifferent eyes. He had never planned to waste his time on flashy, useless attacks.

He moved, a step, then another, walking calmly toward the Second Supreme, who stood with blood-red eyes and long crimson hair.

The man stood at an impressive eight feet tall. Yet Anthony's footfalls didn't echo across the ground, even sound had halted.

Arriving before the man, Anthony unsheathed the katana hanging at his waist. But he knew the blade on its own could never hope to cut through the skin of a Supreme.

Then it came.

Flames, blue, searing, divine. The First Divine Flames.

They engulfed Anthony's katana completely. Normally, any weapon touched by these flames would be consumed in an instant, reduced to ash. But Anthony's katana was no ordinary weapon. It carried an indestructible effect that allowed it to resist even godlike energies.

With a swift, practiced motion, Anthony raised the flame-wreathed katana, then brought it down in one fluid, decisive slash.

Like a hot blade through butter, it cleaved through the Second Supreme's shoulder, severing his entire right arm with ridiculous ease.

But the hand did not fall. Blood did not splatter. The Second Supreme's face did not contort in pain. Everything remained frozen, perfectly still.

Anthony calmly sheathed his katana, stretched out his hand, and removed the severed limb from the Supreme's body. He turned around and walked back toward his original position as if he had never moved.

No blood trailed behind him. No sound followed. No shift in energy betrayed what had occurred.

Then, with a single thought, reality resumed.

Consciousness returned. Thoughts resumed. Time surged forward. Space regained its flow. Light danced and shimmered once again, reflecting and refracting. Air resumed its gentle passage through the realm.

Everyone blinked, confused. They were just about to wonder what had happened, when suddenly their thoughts halted again, this time in shock.

Anthony held something in his hand, something dripping blood.

A hand.

Eyes widened. Mouths opened. Gazes instantly snapped to the Second Supreme Monarch, who stood frozen, not from time manipulation, but from pure shock.

His right hand was gone.

He hadn't felt pain, he was above such a primitive response, but he had still lost a limb. And for a being like him, that meant everything.

Blood didn't splatter for long. Within seconds, another arm regrew, as expected of a Supreme. But that wasn't the point.

The point was, he had lost an arm.

An arm to an Ecliptic-ranked child.

And he hadn't even realized it had happened.

Could his pride survive such humiliation?

Above, the other seven Supreme Monarchs fell into deep, stunned silence. Their thoughts raced.

'Did he freeze time? But that's impossible. The Second Supreme's power level is too high for time to be frozen around him. Was it an artifact? No... even the Null family seems genuinely surprised at this moment.'

The First Supreme Monarch's mind moved like a supercomputer, calculations flying, deductions forming, but still, he couldn't come up with an answer.

Then something pulled him out of his thoughts. A disturbance below.

The Second Supreme's rage had erupted.

His pride simply could not allow such a slight to go unanswered. His fury exploded like a supernova.

He moved at terrifying speed, crossing the distance between them in an instant, his claws now only centimeters away from Anthony's head.

But suddenly, a blue energy barrier flared to life around Anthony, encasing him in a glowing sphere of protection.

With a sickening boom, the Second Supreme's claws slammed into the barrier. The impact echoed like a drum of doom, but before he could react, a sword descended from above, aimed directly at his neck with pinpoint precision.

The Second Supreme reacted with supernatural speed. His hands shot out, claws extended to intercept the descending blade.

But it was futile.

Michael's sword tore through his arm like a scissor through silk. Blood erupted into the air, crimson and shining, but before it could hit the ground, it twisted into a dozen blood swords, each one aiming for Michael's heart.

But before the swords could even move, lightning fell from the heavens.

A barrage of blinding, divine voltage slammed into everything. Space shattered upon impact, and the earth below them caved.

But neither Michael nor Collins paused, they pressed the assault.

From above, the First Supreme Monarch's voice rang out like a divine decree:

Stop

The Second Supreme instantly froze, obeying the command.

But Michael and Collins did not.

Michael's sword cleaved clean through the Second Supreme's neck. The head floated briefly, then hit the ground with a soft, final thud.

Collins' lightning followed immediately after, bathing the body in white-hot voltage so intense that the body ceased to exist, reduced to dust.

"Didn't you hear me when I said stop?"

The First Supreme's voice thundered again from above.

At those words, Sword Intent erupted from Michael, slicing through space, shredding everything in its path. His eyes burned with fury as he looked up.

"Where was your 'stop' when my son was attacked?"

Michael's voice echoed like thunder, his Sword Intent intensifying with every syllable, as if daring the First Supreme to try him.

Collins remained silent, but he didn't need to speak. The stars above didn't even dare flicker as lightning drowned the entire firmament.

Then, from the blood on the ground, something moved.

The crimson liquid morphed, reshaping, twisting, until it formed a complete vampiric figure.

The Second Supreme Monarch, alive again.

Before the First Supreme could respond to Michael's challenge, another voice echoed from above. But it wasn't just the voice, it was the sun that came with it.

"Second Supreme," Mitchelle's voice rang out, clear, serene, deadly. "I hope you've sent your last words to your descendants."

And then,

The sun in her hand detonated.

It expanded outward in a brilliant, blinding explosion of divine light, swallowing the entire secret realm in a blast of world-ending force and destruction.