MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Chapter 781: My Damian

Three days passed in a flash. During this time, Anthony had done absolutely nothing productive. He either lay sprawled across the couch like a lazy, jobless man whenever Vega went out with Veronica, or he spent the time with his teammates, drinking, laughing, and chatting about everything and nothing at all.

At this particular moment, Anthony sat by the wide crystal window of his quarters, his elbow resting lazily on the sill. His gaze drifted downward, piercing through the air as it settled on the soldiers below. From his vantage point, he could see the steady rhythm of their movements, some soldiers entering their military aircrafts while others prepared to depart on their respective missions. The faint hum of the engines reverberated faintly even from afar, blending into the quiet calm of his room.

Anthony wasn’t sure when he would be taking another mission. After all, with his current strength, such tasks seemed almost meaningless. Missions that once held excitement or challenge now felt trivial, mere distractions rather than necessities.

‘Come to think of it,’ Anthony mused to himself, leaning back slightly, ‘I’ve been in the military for over a year now, and I’ve only taken two missions. That must be a record, right?’

A faint smirk crossed his lips at the thought, though deep down, he knew those two missions had been anything but ordinary. The events that had followed each one, whether before, during, or after, had always been unpredictable and filled with chaos. Every mission seemed to carry a certain “uniqueness” that ordinary assignments lacked.

‘I wonder when the next arc will begin,’ he thought idly, his expression distant as his eyes followed a group of soldiers marching across the open grounds below.

‘Tomorrow marked the beginning of a new month, and’ Anthony’s thoughts shifted. ‘Tomorrow, my system points will finally refresh,’ he muttered inwardly. ‘It’s been a while since I’ve felt this broke.’

He chuckled faintly at the absurdity of his own thoughts. It wasn’t as though he truly needed those points at the moment, not with the power he possessed. Still, there was something satisfying about seeing that number increase. It had become his own private way of measuring wealth, a personal standard that had nothing to do with material possessions. For Anthony, true wealth was reflected in the abundance of his system points.

His gaze shifted slightly to the side, and there sat Vega, relaxed on the couch, a soft glow of light reflecting off the surface of her phone screen. She appeared utterly absorbed, her expression calm as her fingers moved swiftly across the screen.

‘Funny,’ Anthony thought as his eyes lingered on her. ‘We both come from families of immense power and influence, yet here we are, still clinging to simple, mundane things.’

Many people, once they reached a certain level of strength, ceased to care for the mundane aspects of life. The internet, phones, even food became irrelevant luxuries to most. But Vega was different. She still loved these things. She still visited restaurants, enjoyed long walks, explored aquariums and museums, and cherished the kind of ordinary experiences that most transcendents had long forgotten.

Anthony’s lips curved into a small, contented smile as he thought about it. His eyes slowly lifted from her to the drifting clouds in the vast blue sky outside the window.

‘Isn’t this what I once prayed for in my past life?’ he thought quietly. ‘To live freely, to love simply, and to enjoy peace?’ The thought filled his chest with a warmth he couldn’t quite describe. It all felt so surreal.

Then, suddenly, a sharp ripple of emotion brushed against his senses. Anthony’s brows furrowed immediately, and his head snapped toward Vega. He could feel it, her emotions had fluctuated abruptly.

“What is—” he began to speak, but before he could even finish, Vega vanished. One moment she was there, the next she was gone, leaving the space beside her empty as the faint afterimage of her mana shimmered briefly in the air.

Anthony frowned, his eyes narrowing slightly. Without wasting a second, he expanded his Sense Dome, his vast perception sweeping through the military base like a wave. Instantly, he locked onto Vega’s presence. She was in Veronica’s room.

His vision sharpened as his gaze pierced through the walls of the room, focusing on the scene within. What he saw made him still for a moment.

Inside Veronica’s room, Vega was holding her best friend in a gentle embrace. Veronica’s dazzling white eyes were flooded with tears as she sobbed uncontrollably into Vega’s shoulder. Vega didn’t yet know what was wrong, but she held her tighter, her expression soft but worried. She patted Veronica’s back slowly, waiting patiently for her to find the strength to speak.

After a moment, Veronica finally managed to stammer out her words, her voice trembling so heavily it sounded as though she were choking on her own grief. “He’s dead… Vega… He… h-he has left me… he’s gone. The demons took him… they took him from me.”

Vega’s frown deepened immediately. Her thoughts raced through the names of every important man in Veronica’s life, her father, her brother, her… lover. But before she could ask, Veronica clarified in a broken whisper, “The demons… they took my Damian.”

At those words, Vega’s expression darkened even further. She didn’t need to be told what had happened; she could already piece it together. Damian had left on a mission a few days ago, Veronica had mentioned it. If he was gone now, it could only mean one thing: he had died on duty.

Although Vega wasn’t sure whether what Veronica and Damian shared was true love in its purest form, especially since Damian had been her third boyfriend, she wasn’t heartless. She didn’t judge. Instead, she simply tightened her hold, gently wiping Veronica’s tears. But no matter how many times she wiped them away, new tears replaced the old, flowing endlessly down her pale cheeks. Her white eyes glistened like jewels, even in sorrow.

“Vega… I’ll be gone for a few weeks,” Veronica managed to say between shaky breaths.

“Where will you go?” Vega asked softly, though she already knew the answer. Veronica wanted to grieve, to be alone, to heal in her own way.

“I don’t know,” Veronica said bitterly, her voice barely above a whisper. “I just… I need time. It seems we won’t be having that double date we planned anymore.” She laughed faintly through her tears, the sound hollow and painful.

As she spoke, her trembling fingers brushed across her cheek to wipe away the moisture. Her mind wandered back, back to the day, barely four days ago, when she had teased Damian about meeting the soon-to-be Supreme Monarch. She remembered his nervous smile, his laughter, his warmth. Now, all of it was gone.

Anthony exhaled softly and withdrew his gaze from the scene. He had seen enough. Though he wasn’t particularly close to Veronica, he had met her several times. He didn’t care much for Damian, whom he had never met, but he couldn’t deny the pang of sympathy he felt for Veronica’s pain.

‘Life is indeed fragile,’ he thought to himself. His mind drifted further. ‘Do immortals truly die? And if they do, is their death the same as a mortal’s, or is it something far more profound?’

The questions lingered in his mind, echoing quietly. After a moment, he sighed and dismissed them. He was still far from such levels of existence. Even with his vast lifespan, Anthony knew he wasn’t truly immortal, not yet.

He leaned back against the chair, his blue eyes half-lidded. ‘It seems,’ he mused, ‘the author has decided to end the month with this chapter. Hopefully, he remembers to wish his loyal readers a happy new month in advance.’

With that final, humorous thought, Anthony closed his eyes, his figure slowly fading as he vanished into the Divine Realm, leaving behind the quiet hum of the base and the sorrow that lingered in the air.

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AUTHOR’S NOTE: Happy new month, everyone! Since we’re coming to the end of the month, shower this greedy author with your gifts and golden tickets. Shall we start the next month with a fire mission?