MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Chapter 1018: Garden

Within the breadth of the Acarnis Galaxy, on a planet billions of light-years away from the location where Anthony and the rest were holding their friendly spar, a woman could be seen sitting in quiet solitude. On this planet, mana flowed gently and calmly, almost to a rhythmic and hymnic tune as it moved through the atmosphere like an unseen melody.

Across the planet, birds chirped softly as they flapped their wings through the tranquil skies, butterflies danced through the air without the slightest care, and flowers filled every inch and corner of this place with vibrant colors and delicate fragrance.

This planet belonged to a woman whom everyone on the Blue Planet knew as ”The Everlasting One,” or as ”The Saintess of the World.”

Crimson Irene, wife to Null Collins, mother to Null Michael, and grandmother to Null Anthony.

This was the location, the place she usually stayed whenever she wanted to be alone, usually after countless healing sessions that drained both her mind and spirit. At this moment, since she was not with her family members, she had decided to come here and stay for a while, enjoying the serenity that this hidden sanctuary provided.

Only her husband, her son, and her daughter-in-law knew of this place. Even the Crimson family, which she had originally hailed from on the Blue Planet, did not know of this location. Even Anthony himself did not know that this place existed.

Within a vast garden overflowing with flowers of countless varieties, Irene could be seen sitting peacefully with her eyes closed as she wore a flowing white robe that seemed to complement her title perfectly. The robe shimmered faintly under the soft light of the sky, as though the fabric itself carried a quiet serenity.

Her hair was bright crimson, the signature color of the Crimson family lineage, cascading gently down her back like flowing silk. She sat with remarkable peace and stillness, as though her consciousness was reaching toward a deeper state of existence. Mana coiled around her body like a gentle current, moving slowly and harmoniously as though it wished to merge with her very being. The surrounding atmosphere seemed to respond to her presence, as if the planet itself recognized her and welcomed her tranquility.

For a time, everything remained silent, but suddenly, her meditative state ended.

A faint look of confusion appeared upon her face, subtle yet unmistakable. Her eyes fluttered open slowly, her crimson-colored eyes once again gracing reality with their presence, shining with quiet wisdom and depth.

Her lips parted slightly as she spoke, her voice calm and steady, ”there is no need to hide. Show yourselves.” Her tone was light and completely unbothered, as the confusion that had briefly crossed her expression vanished almost instantly.

She had sensed a sudden presence, a sudden energy, that was the source of her earlier confusion. Nobody was supposed to know about this place. The secrecy of this planet had been maintained for years without a single flaw.

But since it had already been discovered, there was no point wasting time, it was better to confront the intruder immediately. If it was someone who had merely stumbled upon this world by coincidence, or someone seeking help or a healing session, she would simply heal them and afterward move her planet to another location within the Acarnis Galaxy.

Problem solved.

As those words left her lips, the intruder, or rather, intruders, responded to her request.

Reality itself blinked, space rippled outward as though the fabric of existence had been disturbed, and in the very next moment, twenty Eleven-Winged Angels appeared within the air above the garden. Their massive wings expanded outward as though they had been born to rule the heavens themselves, radiating an overwhelming presence. Their bodies glowed with pure white and golden brilliance as an aura of holiness radiated from them, filling the sky with an oppressive divine pressure.

Yet none of these twenty Eleven-Winged Angels spoke, no, they did not dare to, because leading the operation was a being that eclipsed anything any of them present could ever hope to achieve in power.

A Twelve-Winged Angel.

For the briefest of moments, Irene’s expression flickered, but only for a moment, in the next instant, her face returned to its absolute calm state.

Of course she knew about the Angels. Of course she knew about the battle that had spanned the galaxy, a battle that her son, her grandson, and her husband had fought merely days ago. News of that confrontation had traveled swiftly even through the vast reaches of the Acarnis Galaxy.

She had not attended that meeting because her husband, Collins, had told her it might become dangerous. And indeed, it had become dangerously so.

”Oh Lower Being, Rejoice, For You Are Now Under The Presence Of I, Solvarion Sylthorin Aethryx. You May Kneel Before Me As I Address You, Oh Lower Being.”

The Twelve-Winged Angel spoke with a calm tone that was arrogant yet paradoxically benevolent, as though he believed his words to be a form of mercy rather than arrogance.

Irene did not react, she simply remained where she was, seated within the garden, calm and indifferent.

But that calmness only existed on the surface, as within her mind, countless thoughts and calculations were already unfolding. Plans formed rapidly, possibilities examined themselves one after another.

For example, how did the Angels find this place?

That question alone was deeply troubling, but the most important thing bothering her mind was something else entirely. The signal she had been trying to establish with her family was not connecting.

Not even once.

She was not foolish enough to misunderstand what that meant. These Angels had clearly cut off every possible form of communication, most likely through some unknown ability or divine artifact. Meaning she was stranded here, alone, surrounded by the enemy.

Seeing Irene not react to the presence of their leader, the remaining Eleven-Winged Angels frowned. Their previously holy expressions and gentle smiles vanished almost instantly, twisting into visible anger and indignation. After all, how dare a lower being ignore the presence of a Twelve-Winged Angel? A being that stood at the apex of their Galaxy.

”What are you here for?” Irene finally asked, her tone was flat, uncaring, and completely unbothered despite her current situation, as though fear and death were concepts that held no weight in her heart.

And in truth, they did not. Although she was not a warrior or someone who walked the battlefield, Irene had witnessed countless deaths throughout her life. She had watched lives slip away in her arms, even while she was actively trying to save them.

There had been times when people died before she could finish healing them. Times when she simply was not strong enough. But those had been her early days, when she was still learning what it truly meant to be a healer. After all, she could not simply awaken one day and instantly possess the ability to save every single person who approached her.

She was not a god, she was merely human.

Still, she was certain that the Angels had come here for a reason. They would not specifically target her without purpose. But she could already guess why they had come.

It was either because of her son, Michael, or because of her grandson, Anthony. Those two had an uncanny ability to cause trouble wherever they went.

”How Dare You Question An Apex Of The Divinora Gala—” One of the Eleven-Winged Angels began to speak furiously, his voice filled with rage and indignation.

But before he could even finish his words, the Twelve-Winged Angel, Sylthorin Aethryx Solvarion, simply raised one hand, the gesture was small, effortless, but it immediately silenced the Angel.