MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

As the crimson, blinding light of the exploded sun receded, the Supremes came into view. Barriers of various types shimmered over each of them as they shielded themselves from the Ninth Supreme's attack.

The First Supreme remained seated, along with the Third, Fourth, and Seventh Supremes.

Their gazes turned toward Crimson Mitchelle, whose flowing crimson hair danced with the rhythm of the wind. The strands caught flecks of light, rippling like fire given form, like war given grace.

From the clearing, the Second Supreme emerged, untouched. His body was pristine, unmarred by the devastation that had just occurred.

"You've made your point, Fifth, Eighth, and Ninth Supreme Monarchs," the First Supreme spoke, his golden-ringed eyes glowing with a soft, yet commanding, brightness.

Mitchelle's gaze shifted calmly to the First Supreme as she replied, "Should I attack your own son just to get my point across, oh First Supreme?"

The First Supreme was revered as the strongest, having battled most of the other Supreme Monarchs and stood undefeated. Even Null Collins had lost to him in all their past sparring sessions.

But that was then, and this was now.

Besides, Mitchelle and the Null family couldn't care less about the First Supreme at this moment. Someone had attacked their son, and they would pay the price.

During the Bloodbath, Mitchelle had once killed Alala, a vampire whose daughter had participated in the Bloodbath tournament, just for daring to send killing intent in Anthony's direction. Now, a Supreme had launched an actual attack.

She would not let this go unanswered. Her wrath was not the kind that came in shouts or storms. It came in silence, in inevitability, like nightfall swallowing the horizon.

Aside from the Null family, the rest of the Supreme Monarchs couldn't believe their ears.

The Ninth Supreme had actually spoken about attacking the son of the First Supreme Monarch.

The First Supreme, cloaked in thick, swirling haze, instantly frowned. In the past, he would have subdued everyone with overwhelming force and brought an end to this entire fiasco.

But times had changed.

He knew better than anyone that the Fifth, Eighth, and Ninth Supreme Monarchs had climbed to his level, or possibly even taken a step beyond it.

The others might not yet realize this truth. But he did.

Before the First Supreme Monarch could respond to Mitchelle's words, the Third Supreme's voice thundered across the heavens.

"Ninth Supreme, you dare disrespect the First?"

His aura surged gently as he spoke. Though he had planned to sit back and watch the unfolding drama, respect for the First Supreme had to be upheld.

"I understand your son was attacked by the Second," the Third Supreme continued, "but you saved him in the last second."

He concluded as his aura rose to its peak. What he now unleashed was nothing like the restrained energy they had used against Anthony earlier.

Back then, they had shown mercy. After all, at the end of the day, Anthony was still a junior.

But now?

Now, the Third Supreme's aura drenched the heavens in a decaying force, cold, ancient, and absolute. It pressed on the sky like the hand of death itself, as if history had come alive to remind them of who the Supremes truly were.

To the side, the Seventh Supreme's aura also exploded outward. Her legs crossed one over the other as her piercing eyes stared straight ahead.

She didn't speak, but her expression conveyed everything. She agreed with the Third Supreme.

Not far off, the Fourth Supreme did not say a word. Instead, he leaned back even further into his seat, relaxing more comfortably, as if a proper show was about to begin in earnest.

His fingers drummed slowly on the armrest, each tap like the countdown of fate's drumbeat.

Before Mitchelle could offer a response, a voice echoed from the side in a burst of laughter... maniacal, resounding laughter.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

It was the Eighth Supreme Monarch, Null Michael, the Sword Saint.

All eyes turned toward him as he hovered in the air, laughing like a madman.

Michael's black eyes shone with unhinged brilliance as he gazed down upon everyone present and spoke:

"It seems the madness of the Null family has been forgotten just because we climbed to the rank of Supreme Monarch."

Everyone's expressions instantly darkened.

Although the members of the Null family were small in number, if there was one thing they were known for, it was the sheer madness they displayed whenever their loved ones were harmed.

Just like when demons had summoned Anthony and his classmates into their own territory during the Omni Peak Academy exams, Mitchelle had tortured every demon present with every element in her repertoire before erasing them from existence.

Just like how Michael had once obliterated an entire planet when he merely heard that Anthony was 'trapped' with a Demon Monarch.

Just like how Collins had nearly wiped the entire Omni Peak Academy off the map when he feared Anthony wouldn't return alive from a demon scheme.

The Nulls were not a family bound by reason. They were bound by blood. And blood demanded retribution.

Yet they still allowed their kin to experience life's dangers, to be tempered in its fire and forge their own paths forward.

The Soulpen Sovereign knew this. It was one of the reasons he had given Anthony the Fountain Pen, a powerful artifact that could literally bring someone back to life.

Zhyravel knew it as well, which was why he had stepped back the moment he learned Anthony bore the Null name.

"It seems time has eroded this memory," Michael continued, voice suddenly quiet but no less chilling. "And I shall refresh it once more... permanently this time."

At those words, the Supremes knew the time for speeches was over.

All at once, they activated their barriers. A creeping sense of dread washed over every single one of them.

Michael's hand moved, ever so slowly, toward the sword hanging at his right side. As he gripped it, the blade hissed against the heavens, its edge sliding with a sound that chilled the very air.

Then Michael's lips parted.

NOVA RUIN.