MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Chapter 784: Apexus

Six months had passed within the Alpha-9 military base, and in that span of time, much had transpired. For one, Anthony had turned twenty years of age. Yet, he had not been present to celebrate the occasion with anyone. The entirety of those six months had been spent within the Divine Realm, where Anthony had locked himself away in relentless training, refusing to step outside even once.

No one had seen him, neither his parents nor his grandparents, not even his teammates. Only Vega had caught a glimpse of him, as Anthony had granted her permission to enter the Divine Realm twice. On her third attempt, however, Vega too had secluded herself within the Divine Realm, dedicating her time to training in a separate building not far from Anthony’s.

Reynold, Seraphim, Dale, and Kingsley, who had not seen Anthony in half a year, simply continued taking missions without him. They understood that such tasks were meaningless to him now, for Anthony had already ascended to the Planetary level. Vega had also informed them that Anthony was in closed-door training, which only confirmed what they had already expected.

Everything within Alpha-9 remained largely normal, aside from the surprising news that reached the military base at Alpha-2. There, it was announced that their Supreme Monarch had retired, and that the Guardian of the Tower of Knowledge had assumed command in his stead. It was a piece of news that stirred quiet murmurs across the base.

Anthony sat in a lotus position deep within the stillness of the Divine Realm. He had long lost count of how much time had passed. Instead, he had instructed his system to notify him when six months in the physical realm had elapsed. Time, however, flowed differently here. While only six months had passed in the galaxy, centuries had already slipped by in the Divine Realm.

Under normal circumstances, with the Divine Realm’s highest possible time dilation, only half a century should have passed. But, Anthony had gone beyond such limits. Drawing inspiration from the Shard of Time that Aaaninja had gifted him a while ago, he purchased his own, one far more potent. However, the stronger shard required monthly renewal through his system points, a cost Anthony paid without hesitation. After all, he had little else to spend those points on, and they replenished each month regardless.

He had no true grasp of how absurdly powerful he had become. With every passing century in this accelerated domain, Anthony had driven himself past exhaustion day after day, resting only when his body was on the verge of collapse. He had taken full advantage of his system points, his Limitless talent, and every divine privilege available to him.

His Authority of Severance had been refined to an unimaginable degree. His Quantum Manipulation had advanced to such an extreme that Anthony no longer knew if he was still a wolf in sheep’s clothing, or something far greater hiding among mortals. He had trained with every piece of knowledge his bloodline and physique granted him, mastering every weapon and wielding every element with frightening ease.

As for cultivation, Anthony now stood at the absolute limit of what the galaxy could offer. Before his seclusion, he had reached the peak of the Transcendent Mana Rank. Now, he had ascended into the fabled Apexus Mana Rank, the highest known rank in existence within the galaxy.

The progression of Mana Ranks was as follows:

Transcendent → Exarch → Initial → Origin → Ascendant → Dominion → Apexus.

At the Apexus Mana Rank, there existed no subdivisions, no levels, no increments from one to nine, as was the case with the other ranks. The Apexus rank stood alone, complete and indivisible.

Every being who had reached the Planetary level resided within the Apexus Mana Rank. Yet, as always, that did not mean all such beings were equal in strength. When Anthony crossed that threshold, he had undergone a profound transformation. Something deep within him stirred, a subtle, distant calling. It was faint, nearly imperceptible, yet he could feel it echoing from somewhere beyond comprehension, beckoning to him.

’Don’t other Apexus feel this?’ Anthony wondered silently.

It was a question that had plagued him for some time. If so many Planetary-level beings existed, why had none of them ascended beyond the known galaxy? Was it possible they were unaware of higher galaxies? Or did they know of them but lacked the means to reach such realms? Perhaps they understood the way but chose to remain here, choosing to reign as titans in a small pond rather than become minnows in an ocean of giants.

Anthony suspected that the strange calling he felt was somehow connected to the existence of these ”upper galaxies.” The thought had not come to him through logic or speculation, it arrived instinctively, as though the calling itself had whispered its truth into his consciousness. Still, he had chosen not to answer it. Not yet. There were things he still needed to do, responsibilities yet unfulfilled.

He knew nothing of the so-called upper galaxies, nothing of what awaited beyond the fabric of his own. Why, then, did this mysterious pull target only him? Why did it feel alive, as though the galaxy itself were beckoning him forward?

Even if he wished to heed the call, what would that mean? Would he have to abandon everything, his parents, his grandparents, his teammates, and the world he had fought to protect? And what of Vega? Would she, too, hear the same cosmic summons? Anthony wasn’t sure. Yet he suspected that, should Vega ever desire to ascend, Klaus could easily bring her there himself.

’Klaus should be a galactical-level powerhouse,’ Anthony thought. He had always known Klaus was unfathomably strong, far beyond what words could express. By comparison, even with all his recent growth, Anthony knew he had not yet touched the power level of a galactical being.

’No need to overthink it,’ he finally told himself. ’The galactical level is still far beyond my reach. For now, I must focus on what lies ahead.’

He exhaled slowly, his aura calming. ’I need to arrange a few things, see how everything and everyone is, before I even consider answering whatever it is that’s calling me.’

Anthony’s gaze drifted to the side, where Vega was training. Three of her clones were cultivating alongside her, their synchronization near perfect. Mana shimmered around them like liquid starlight. Each motion Vega made was elegant yet deadly, her control precise, her aura resonant with strength.

Her progress had been remarkable. With her three clones cultivating simultaneously, Vega had reached the Ascendant Mana Rank, already advancing to Level Seven within that stage. Anthony could sense her steady climb toward the peak, her presence burning brighter with each passing day.

A faint smile curved his lips. For the first time in centuries, centuries to him, at least, he felt a quiet satisfaction settle in his heart. He had come far, further than anyone within the galaxy could imagine. Yet, in the silence of the Divine Realm, Anthony understood something vital.

This was not the end.

It was merely the beginning of something far greater, a threshold to a truth that only the stars themselves seemed to whisper.

And somewhere beyond those stars, something waited.

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AUTHOR’S NOTE: The cultivation rank auxiliary Chapter has been updated.