MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Chapter 314 Sentence

As the Overseer departed, Anthony resumed the familiar routine that had long since become second nature.

With a practiced motion, he conjured the cottage once more.

He and Aaaninja settled into the quiet ambiance of the living room, though Lucian was notably absent.

Without hesitation, Aaaninja retrieved a selection of potions, swiftly consuming them to mend his wounds, replenish his stamina, and restore his depleted mana.

Then, without a word, he transitioned into meditation, his ever closed eyes undisturbed by the world around him.

Anthony remained silent.

A faint smile played at his lips, yet he offered no words, only the quiet comfort of his presence.

”Youʼre as confident as ever, arenʼt you?”

Aaaninjaʼs voice was steady, his eyes remaining closed as he directed his words toward Anthony.

”Is there a reason I shouldnʼt be?”

Anthony responded languidly, his tone carrying an air of effortless ease.

”Are you looking down on me?”

Aaaninja asked, his voice as composed as ever.

Anthony shook his head before replying.

”I donʼt look down on anyone, nor do I look up to them. I simply donʼt care about most things”

”If you truly donʼt care about anything, then why not simply forfeit the match?”

Aaaninja smirked as he shifted from his lotus position, crossing one leg over the other. His left leg rested atop his right, and he leaned back, propping his head against his fist, which sat atop the armrest.

Anthony exhaled softly before responding.

”Well, you could say I have no interest in the resources we stand to gain. I donʼt even know what they are, nor do I particularly care. But Iʼm afraid I must disappoint you, there are a few things in this life that matter to me. And failing my parents is one of them”

Anthonyʼs smile curled into a smirk as he continued, his tone laced with quiet amusement.

”Besides, I doubt youʼd let me forfeit so easily. Your pride wouldnʼt allow it, not after already losing to me. I imagine you want the satisfaction of defeating me fair and square this time”

At Anthonyʼs words, Aaaninjaʼs brow arched slightly.

”I do not carry the so called pride that other top races cling to so dearly”

He replied, his voice steady, almost measured.

”If I did, my pride as a Celestial wouldnʼt even allow me to converse with a human. And you are right, I do want the satisfaction of defeating you. But not out of pride. Victory simply means Iʼve grown, that Iʼve surpassed someone who was once stronger than me. Itʼs a testament to my progress and advancement, nothing more”

His tone was firm, as if ensuring there was no room for misunderstanding.

”Understood”

Anthony replied simply.

He had always known Aaaninja was different from the others, lacking the arrogance that so often accompanied strength.

He was merely teasing him.

”I have to admit, you and Lucian are truly something else”

Anthony mused, his tone carrying a hint of amusement.

”Sometimes, I wonder if Iʼm even the protagonist of this story”

Aaaninjaʼs eyes narrowed slightly.

”What do you mean?”

He asked, curiosity lacing his voice.

Anthony chuckled.

”Donʼt play dumb. The two of you were bending reality like it was childʼs play, rewriting it as if it were the simplest thing in the world”

For a brief moment, a look of shock flickered across Aaaninjaʼs face, only to vanish just as quickly.

”You knew…?”

His voice, though composed, still carried traces of disbelief.

”How did you sense it?”

Anthonyʼs smirk deepened.

”Hoohhh… Others may not have noticed, but donʼt lump me in with them”

Anthony said, his tone dripping with confidence.

Aaaninjaʼs mind raced, thoughts accelerating as countless possibilities flooded his mind.

Even the esteemed delegates from various planets had failed to notice it.

Yet Anthony had.

What he and Lucian had done was beyond comprehension, something even the Aetherians, a race renowned for their mastery over reality itself, could not achieve.

The Aetherians had merely scratched the surface of realityʼs fabric, brushing against its outermost layer.

But Aaaninja and Lucian… they had reached deeper, into some essence of existence itself.

As Anthony and Aaaninja conversed, a shift in the air alerted them to another presence.

They turned just as Lucian strode in, his movements effortlessly confident.

”Yo!”

He greeted with a casual smile, dropping into a seat without hesitation.

Anthony smirked.

”Back from the land of the dead, I see”

”I sure am”

Lucian chuckled.

”The healers worked fast, just a snap of their fingers, and I was back to my peak”

”No hard feelings about the loss, right?”

Aaaninja asked, his tone casual as he glanced at Lucian.

Lucian shrugged.

”Yeah, itʼs nothing. Wins and losses come and go. Though…”

He smirked, tilting his head toward Anthony.

”Iʼm pretty sure that rule doesnʼt apply to him”

Aaaninja chuckled but then paused as a lingering question surfaced in his mind.

”Oh, right, I meant to ask. Before you passed out, you said, ʼI should have knownʼ What did you mean by that?”

Lucian leaned forward, plucking a fruit from the table before answering.

”Those words werenʼt meant for you”

Lucian said, inspecting the fruit with an easygoing air.

”They were for the author of this story”

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Aaaninjaʼs brow furrowed.

”Seriously, why are you and Anthony so obsessed with this whole ʼauthorʼ and ʼstoryʼ nonsense? I swear, if this is some human affliction, I might have to start searching for a healer, just in case yours arenʼt advanced enough to treat mental conditions”

Anthony and Lucian merely shook their heads in unison, offering no response.

Lucian casually munched on his fruit before turning to Aaaninja with a curious glint in his eyes.

”So… are you confident in winning this time?”

Aaaninja met his gaze, pausing for a moment before responding with a question of his own.

”Your tone makes it sound like Iʼm destined to lose again. Why is that?”

Lucian chuckled, his expression unreadable.

”Nothing much. Just a simple question, no harm in asking”

Aaaninja studied him for a moment before smirking.

”For someone whoʼs only just met Anthony, you seem to trust in his abilities a little too much. Are you sure you arenʼt—”

Before he could even finish the sentence, a crushing wave of Lucianʼs presence erupted into the room, thick with unspoken warning.

”I dare you to complete that sentence”

Lucian said, his voice dangerously low.

”I fucking dare you!”

Aaaninja, rather than intimidated, looked thoroughly amused as he took in the sudden shift in atmosphere.

”You do realize youʼre sounding a little too defensive, right?”

Aaaninja mused, a smirk playing on his lips.

”Iʼve noticed the way you look at Anthony since the first time you saw him... I have to say, I donʼt jud—”

Before he could finish, a blur of motion filled his vision, Anthonyʼs fist was already upon him.

Aaaninjaʼs instincts flared.

His body vanished in a flicker, just as Anthonyʼs punch crashed into the couch.

BOOM!

The furniture exploded into splinters beneath the sheer force, the shockwave rippling through the room.

Before Aaaninja could fully regain his footing, another threat was already upon him.

Lucian was there, waiting.

His knee shot forward in a brutal arc, aiming straight for Aaaninjaʼs temple.

Yet, with a deft, fluid motion, Aaaninja twisted out of the way, his movements effortless.

”Whatʼs suddenly gotten into the both of you?”

Aaaninja asked, his expression genuinely perplexed.

”Why are you attacking me out of nowhere?”

Lucianʼs eyes burned with irritation as he gritted his teeth.

”Because you dared to entertain such thoughts about us”

Anthony scoffed, folding his arms.

”Bring your sister to me, and Iʼll personally show her my moves”

Aaaninja barely had time to react before both Anthony and Lucian vanished in a blur of motion.

They had decided, Aaaninja needed a lesson for his audacity.

Yet, amidst their shared intent, there was one thing they both agreed on completely.

Both Anthony and Lucian cursed the Author in unison.