MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Chapter 564: Kneel

Anthony rose to his feet. With a single thought, space bent, and a blue portal opened up before the both of them. Without saying a word, Anthony stepped through, and Vega followed closely behind him. The portal snapped shut the moment they both stepped inside.

In what looked like a luxurious sitting room, another portal appeared, and Anthony and Vega stepped out from within. Looking around carefully, Vega and Anthony found no one present in the room.

”There is no one here,” Vega spoke calmly, her voice echoing slightly in the quiet space.

But Anthony didn’t respond. Instead, multiple portals suddenly opened above them, just beneath the ornate ceiling of the sitting room. From those portals, his teammates dropped down abruptly, as though they had been forced through, and indeed, they had been.

Anthony smiled as he saw them, easily noticing that they were all prepared to fight the moment they fell through the portals. Spectre and the rest, upon recognizing the familiar room and Anthony’s undeniable presence, immediately dropped their guard. They landed expertly on their feet with smooth, practiced ease.

”Hey, Anthony, why did you bring us here? Are we finally going on a mission?” Dale asked, crashing straight into the soft sofa before him as he plopped down. Anthony could see the sweat glistening on Dale’s body slowly evaporating under the subtle effects of his mana control.

It was very clear Dale had been training intensely.

”Long time no see. We haven’t seen you in over a week. That’s unlike you. Did you hide away to train in secret?” Seraphim asked as he eased himself onto the sofa with a sense of calm familiarity.

”Yes to all your questions,” Anthony casually replied. But before he could continue, Dale interjected excitedly, ”Great! So, what’s the mission about?”

Vega stood silently at the side with a gentle smile on her face, watching the interaction unfold as though they couldn’t even sense her presence.

Anthony simply ignored Dale’s impatience and gestured toward Vega, who stood beside him. ”This is our new teammate,” he said clearly. ”Her name is Vega.”

Everyone’s gaze shifted to her at once. For reasons unknown to them, they had somehow failed to acknowledge her presence earlier. But now that their eyes were fixed on her, various thoughts surged through their minds. And Vega, with her sharp perception, could see it all clearly.

Her mere presence, her elegance and beauty, seemed to devour their thoughts and senses like a black hole, pulling everything inward.

”Goddess...” Dale and Reynold murmured at the same time. They looked like they were ready to drop to their knees and worship such an overwhelming beauty, such a commanding presence.

Even Seraphim wasn’t spared from the effect. She had longed for another female on their team, having been the only woman among a group of men who constantly displayed their masculinity in all forms.

But now, she felt an unsettling shift within herself, as though her place in the team had been suddenly challenged.

She could feel it clearly, she had lost, both in terms of appearance and power. The presence Vega exuded wasn’t something anyone could replicate or fake. It was raw, it was real, and it was radiant.

”Nice to finally meet you all,” Vega spoke softly.

But to the others, it sounded like a divine proclamation, a decree from above. Even angelic voices seemed to pale in comparison to hers.

Their eyes then snapped away from Vega and turned toward Anthony. Somehow, their combined presence, Anthony’s and Vega’s, seemed to complement each other perfectly, as though designed to be together.

”A...are you human?” Reynold stammered, unable to hold back his curiosity. He could sense the trace of human blood running through Vega’s veins, but the question still escaped his lips.

Vega didn’t answer. She merely smiled gently, understanding that the question was rhetorical. There was no need to respond with words.

Dale suddenly rose from his seat and began to approach Vega with slow, graceful steps and a smile befitting a seasoned playboy. His vampiric charm surged, clearly trying to impress.

”The name’s Dale,” he said with a deep voice, extending his hand toward Vega as though requesting hers.

Anthony stood quietly at the side, observing without reacting. Vega smiled and gracefully raised her hand, placing it into Dale’s.

Just as Dale bent forward to plant a kiss on the back of Vega’s hand, he froze mid-motion. His vision abruptly vanished, swallowed by darkness. When he tried to speak to raise alarm, no sound came from his throat.

His voice had disappeared too.

Before he could even attempt to move or process what was happening, he collapsed to his knees with a heavy slam, his ankles giving out underneath him.

’What is happening?!’ Dale screamed internally, panic rising within.

Vega turned her gaze toward Anthony. She didn’t need to ask; she already knew Anthony was the cause behind whatever was happening to Dale.

And indeed, Anthony was responsible. How dare Dale even think of kissing Vega’s hand, let alone actually try to do it? Anthony had quietly used the Authority of Severance to sever the lustful intent behind Dale’s gaze, which had been aimed at Vega’s divine face.

Then he severed Dale’s voice, one he deemed unworthy of reaching Vega’s ears. As for Dale’s ankles? Hmph. Let him kneel. He should bow to Vega, after all.

Everyone could see the confusion painted across Dale’s face as he remained kneeling. None of them could understand what was going on, until Anthony finally spoke.

”Vega is my girlfriend. You might lose something else if you continue displaying such behavior,” Anthony said, his voice edged with a tone none of them had ever heard before.

His words sounded like a thunderclap in their ears.

It all clicked in their minds at once. They suddenly remembered Anthony introducing her to them before, he had shown them her face using an illusion. But even the best illusion could never compare to the overwhelming reality of seeing Vega in person.

As for Dale, who was still kneeling, the moment he heard Anthony’s warning about possibly losing something else, his thoughts shot straight to the equipment dangling between his legs. Sweat poured down his back in sheets as an icy chill traveled through his spine.

”Who would have thought your girlfriend would be the one joining as the new team member?” a voice remarked from the side, filled with both surprise and admiration.