MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Chapter 695: Bloodline Awakening-1

Anthony and Klaus stood upon the barren surface of the desolate planet, both men lost in their own intricate threads of thought.

Klaus’s mind wandered to the inevitable moment when he would one day engage in a full-blown battle with Voryss, the thought filling him with a dangerous sense of anticipation. Anthony, however, pondered something entirely different, he wondered about the distant future, a time when his power would ascend to such heights that his very presence alone, without a gesture or movement, would be enough to bring an entire galaxy to its knees, shattering it into ruin.

”So, you possess the Primordial Human Bloodline,” Anthony said at last, his voice calm, measured, and factual. His tone carried no trace of question, only certainty.

Klaus, shaken from his contemplations, turned his gaze toward Anthony. A faint smile curved his lips as he replied, ”So, you already know about it, huh?” His words carried a mixture of acknowledgment and faint amusement.

For a brief moment, silence stretched between them, heavy yet unbroken.

Then Klaus continued, his voice low but edged with curiosity: ”Many think of me as some kind of unfathomable mystery, a being wrapped in secrets and shadows. But if you ask me, aren’t you the greater mystery here? Tell me, how did you come to possess a Perfect Human Bloodline, and not just that, you wield various rule-type skills and abilities as if they were gifts you were born with. To me, you are the greatest unknown I have ever encountered. And your battle instincts and experience... Even if you had been fighting since the very moment your soul first stirred as a fetus in your mother’s womb, it should still be impossible for you to match me. There should be no reason, no justification for your growth, yet you stand here as my equal.”

Klaus’s tone grew sharper as he spoke, the temptation swelling within him, an almost overwhelming desire to pierce into Anthony’s hidden past, to unravel the secrets buried within the young man. The more Klaus thought about it, the less sense it made.

Anthony’s parents could not possibly have bestowed him with the abilities he displayed in their battle, nor the unparalleled mastery that set him apart from even the most gifted. The source of Anthony’s power remained an enigma, and this unsettled Klaus in ways he rarely admitted.

Some might have arrived at the easy conclusion that Anthony was the reincarnation of some ancient sage, perhaps an immortal who had lived for countless millions of years, carrying his memories and experiences into this new life. But Klaus dismissed such assumptions. Anthony carried himself differently, his movements, his words, his very aura bore no trace of pretense. There was no deception in the way he acted, no false mimicry of ancient mannerisms.

He was wholly himself, and therein lay the true mystery.

Hearing Klaus’s words, Anthony merely smiled. He offered no excuse, no fabricated story. In another circumstance, he might have conjured a plausible explanation, but Klaus was far too sharp, far too sensitive, to be deceived by empty lies. To lie before Klaus would only invite disaster. Silence, Anthony realized, was the only response worthy of the moment, the only shield capable of withstanding such scrutiny.

Klaus studied Anthony’s silence, then exhaled a long sigh. He abandoned his attempt at probing further, though in his heart he silently promised himself that one day, perhaps sooner rather than later, he would unravel the truth behind Anthony’s existence.

For now, however, he let the matter rest.

Raising his gaze, Klaus looked into the deep blue sky above, his black eyes cutting past the planetary barrier and into the infinite tapestry of stars that stretched beyond. His thoughts shifted. ’Can Vega truly keep pace with someone like this?’ he wondered.

Though Klaus had always prided himself on Vega’s immense potential, the sheer talent Anthony displayed threatened to... and eclipsed her entirely.

’I must increase her training,’ Klaus resolved. ’And perhaps it is time I begin to subtly weave the Concepts and even fragments of Rules into her skills and abilities. Only then can she hope to stand in the same arena as this boy.’

At last, Klaus spoke, his voice calm as he answered Anthony’s earlier remark. ”Yes, I possess the Primordial Human Bloodline. As for how I came to acquire it, let’s just say the process was not as difficult as one might imagine.” His tone carried an edge of secrecy, as though to remind Anthony that some truths were not meant to be given freely.

Anthony listened without interruption, his eyes also lifting toward the endless blue expanse. The wind whispered across the barren land, brushing against their skin, fluttering their hair and garments. The two men stood tall, their postures regal, their expressions carved with calm determination, exuding an aura that declared to the universe itself: We fear nothing, not what has come, nor what shall come.

Anthony was not surprised by Klaus’s admission. He had already guessed the truth. But his thoughts drifted to one of the unique blessings of his own Perfect Human Bloodline, that any child born of his flesh and blood would inherit the Perfect Human Bloodline without exception. By that logic, should Vega not possess at least the Perfect Human Bloodline, or perhaps even the Primordial Bloodline that Klaus carried within himself?

And yet, throughout his time with Vega, Anthony had sensed nothing. Not the faintest trace of such power stirred within her.

But speculation could only carry him so far. Instead of indulging further in fruitless thoughts, Anthony chose to address Klaus directly.

”Shouldn’t Vega also possess at least the Perfect Human Bloodline?” Anthony asked, his voice sharp with curiosity. ”Yet I have sensed nothing from her, nothing that resembles either the Perfect or Primordial blood. Did you seal it away from her for some reason?”

Klaus shook his head, answering without hesitation. ”If she truly possessed a bloodline of that caliber, why would I ever seal it?” His tone was flat, practical, carrying no hint of deception.

Anthony tilted his head slightly, a subtle crease of confusion marking his brow. Before he could press further, Klaus continued.

”Though I possess the Primordial Human Bloodline, my wife Amara holds the Supreme Human Bloodline. It is a powerful inheritance, yes, but one of lesser quality than yours and my,” Klaus said, his voice echoing with subtle regret. ”And it is precisely this difference that prevents me from ever truly battling her. No matter the nature of her attacks, the sheer disparity in bloodline rank renders all her efforts against me futile. Even the most lethal strike would break upon me like waves against stone.”

Anthony’s keen perception did not miss the faint resonance of guilt that threaded through Klaus’s words. It was not anger or shame, but rather the quiet ache of a man who resented the limits placed upon the one he loved. Amara, bound to the Supreme Human Bloodline, could never rise to the heights Klaus himself had reached, and the chasm between them could never be bridged.

”As for Vega,” Klaus continued after a pause, ”we conceived her after both Amara and I underwent the upgrade of our bloodlines. But her true bloodline has yet to awaken. Thus, we cannot say with certainty what she carries. All we know is that when the time comes, it will emerge as one of three possibilities, Supreme, Perfect, or Primordial.” His words hung heavy in the air, certain yet uncertain at the same time.

’So, Vega’s bloodline has not awakened yet,’ Anthony murmured inwardly. He had long assumed that a bloodline of such magnitude would naturally awaken at birth, but clearly, he had been mistaken.

’What could possibly be holding her back?’ he wondered, a frown etching its way across his face. The thought unsettled him deeply.

Just as Klaus loathed the fact that Amara was shackled to the rank of the Supreme Human Bloodline, Anthony despised the idea that some hidden force dared to restrain Vega from reaching her full potential. Both men, though standing on opposite ends of a mystery, carried within them the same burning dissatisfaction, that those they cherished were, in one way or another, being denied what rightfully should have been theirs.