MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Chapter 1038: At Another Military Base

Kingsley watched as the portal snapped shut behind Anthony and before him. He sighed as he shook his head, ’so strong he has nothing to train,’ he thought to himself as Anthony’s words replayed in his mind like a broken musical box, endlessly echoing with a peculiar, almost unsettling persistence that refused to fade no matter how much he tried to dismiss it.

Although Anthony had said those words with a straight face and a flat expression, Kingsley took those words seriously, far more seriously than one might expect from such a seemingly casual statement. Although he didn’t understand how strong Anthony was at full power, he understood that if Anthony had said such a thing, then he wasn’t joking, and that alone carried a weight that could not be ignored, especially coming from someone like him.

”I guess even Vega understands this, which is why she immediately ran into training the moment we were back,” he murmured to himself. With a thought, he lifted himself into the air, his body lying flat on nothing but space in utter suspension, a surreal stillness surrounding him. Since Anthony had told him to wait, he would, it wasn’t like he had anywhere else to be or anything else to do, and so he allowed himself to drift there, suspended between action and idleness.

At a different location, on a different planet, light-years away from Military Base Alpha-9, this planet was another Military Planet, one overseen by Null Collins, its vastness stretching endlessly beneath the sky, filled with structured order and concealed power.

A portal tore open midair. Through the portal, Anthony stepped out with calm ease, his sky-blue eyes falling on the clouds and blue sky, taking in the familiar yet distant atmosphere with quiet composure. Normally, when an unknown figure appeared in the sky, alarms were supposed to blare out, and the aerial defenses were supposed to be automatically activated, but none of that happened, as Anthony was currently hiding his presence through the skill, Concealment, making his arrival completely unnoticed.

His senses swept the entire planet, locking onto Null Collins and Crimson Irene with precise accuracy, but before he moved to them, his eyes landed on the Tower of Knowledge. Anthony remembered this tall tower with supposedly a hundred floors, its existence steeped in mystery and significance.

’I should probably go see that guy,’ Anthony thought to himself, as he remembered hearing about the supposedly most mysterious person in the military; the Soulpen Sovereign, the man who rejected the title of a Supreme Monarch and chose instead to defend all Towers of Knowledge across all nine Military Bases simultaneously, a feat that bordered on the absurd.

After a moment of thought, Anthony shook his head and decided to forget about it, the man was probably an old, boring person with nothing particularly engaging to offer him. With that thought, he vanished from the sky as he appeared within the building where he had sensed Collins and Irene. He appeared directly within their room, after making sure he wasn’t walking into something he wasn’t supposed to walk into, maintaining at least a minimal level of courtesy.

The moment they sensed his presence, their eyes snapped towards Anthony’s direction, Collins and Irene were both stunned and surprised, as Anthony had never visited their Military Base before... well, he never visited anyone’s Military Base to begin with, making his sudden appearance all the more unexpected.

”And to what do I owe this honor?” Collins asked as he gazed at Anthony from the couch he was sitting on, his tone carrying a mixture of curiosity and mild amusement.

”Don’t say that to my grandson,” Irene spoke as she gazed at Collins. Turning towards Anthony, she spoke warmly, ”Come give Grandma a hug.”

Anthony walked forward and sat beside Irene, giving her a hug. Irene ruffled Anthony’s hair with a motion filled with affection and unmistakable love, her expression softening in a way that only family could bring out.

But Collins didn’t seem to be having it, as he simply wanted to spend some alone time with his wife. ”So, what do you need?” he asked, his impatience only barely concealed.

Anthony smiled as he spoke, ”Can’t I just come over to visit my grandparents?” he asked, his tone light yet carrying an undertone of mischief.

But Collins simply stared at him, unimpressed. Seeing Collins’ reaction, Anthony turned his attention to Irene and asked, ”So, how are you doing, Grandma? Anything fun happening?”

”Nothing interesting, except healing, and healing, and more healing,” Irene replied with a huge sigh, ”and when you all went for that Galactical meeting, I was stuck hiding,” she added as she shook her head, clearly dissatisfied with the monotony.

After a moment of pause, she added, ”But I guess at least something interesting happened for once, as I was attacked during my hiding,” she continued, a faint smile appearing on her lips, one that hinted at something far more intense beneath the surface.

An expression of shock appeared on Anthony’s face. Throughout the twenty years of his life, this was the first time he was hearing about his grandmother being attacked. He didn’t bother asking stupid questions like if she was fine, she obviously was, besides, he was sure his grandfather had also acted.

Irene, seeing Anthony’s shock and interest, went on to explain everything that happened without hiding anything, speaking with clarity and precision. About the Angels looking for Collins, and how she had killed about eleven Eleven-Winged Angels by herself, and also the appearance of the Twelve-Winged Angel, whose presence alone carried an oppressive weight.

Before he could even ask how Collins had survived against a Twelve-Winged Angel, he was told that the Angel simply left without personally acting even once, a detail that only deepened the mystery.

’What did Dad do to attract the attention of these Twelve-Winged Angels?’ Anthony thought to himself, but after a moment of thought, he shook his head, it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that if he came across one, he would wipe them out, it was as simple as that, his confidence unwavering.

’Well, Father is with Klaus at the moment, so even if the Angels found him, they would be jumping to their own deaths,’ Anthony thought to himself, reassured by that fact.

But still... these winged freaks dared to attack his grandmother?

’It seems these Twelve-Winged Angels need to be taught a lesson,’ Anthony thought, tempted to summon this particular Angel right here and now and torture him to death... but he didn’t, he would save him for the grand finale, where it would matter most.

’But damn, to think Grandma could fight, didn’t see that coming,’ he thought to himself. Although all her skills had come from skill books and artifacts, it didn’t matter, the fact remained that she could fight, and evidently, quite well.

After a moment of discussion, Anthony made his reasons for coming known, which Collins simply acknowledged with a nod and then threw a bunch of Supreme Monarch-grade missions at Anthony, each bearing the unmistakable stamp of a Supreme Monarch’s seal, as though silently telling him to leave already.

”You seem in a haste to get rid of me, Grandpa,” Anthony spoke as he simply waved his hand, the mission scrolls vanishing into his system inventory. At this point, Anthony no longer wore space rings to conceal the system inventory, having no need for such measures anymore.

Collins simply sighed and shook his head. He had already seen Anthony enough; they had been together during the Galactical meeting, and even during the spar. Now, his wife needed his attention, not his grandson, and that was something he made abundantly clear without needing to say another word.