MIGHT AS WELL BE OP Chapter 1001: Long Lost Cousin
Previously on MIGHT AS WELL BE OP...
"However, I concur—it's indeed time to kick off the subsequent round of this spar," Anthony declared once more, his eyes shifting back to Klaus right after addressing Aaaninja.
Upon catching Anthony's statement, Klaus merely shook his head, a playful grin spreading across his face, obviously delighted by the youthful vigor on display. Amara stayed quiet, merely present to observe and savor the evolving drama. With nothing else demanding her attention, her endless quests for aids to awaken Vega's bloodline had concluded long ago, eliminating those interstellar journeys, conflicts against mighty Empires, and clashes with frantic Civilizations all in pursuit of a remedy for her child.
At present... she had become a homemaker... what a bizarre and whimsical twist.
Truthfully, both she and Klaus functioned as homebound guardians... or more precisely, supremely dominant homebound guardians. Opportunities to relish spectacles like this—where prodigies of such immense promise collided without restraint—were far from commonplace.
"Hmm... each clash so far has been pure spectacle," Veronica chimed in, her face beaming with a wide grin, "I'm dying to know who's up next, the suspense is killing me," her tone brimming with clear thrill and eagerness.
"No point overthinking it—the upcoming fight will pit Null Anthony against Aura Nova," Vega announced steadily from nearby, her violet gaze drifting to Aura Nova, who rested beside her in serene quietude.
Aura Nova offered no response, merely curving her lips into a subtle smile at Vega's declaration, since she had reached that unavoidable truth well before it was voiced.
"Eh? What makes you so sure?" Veronica inquired with keen interest, fixing her eyes on Vega, evidently captivated by the girl's assurance.
Yet prior to Vega's answer, Altheria interjected, "Isn't it plain as day?" She posed the question with a short pause, fully aware it needed no real reply, "Lucian and Aaaninja won't be battling right away, having just wrapped up their own duels, so the following confrontation has to involve Null Anthony, Aura Nova, and Sky Kingsley," she elaborated smoothly, one leg draped gracefully atop the other, "except Aura Nova and Sky Kingsley already dueled in the initial bout, thus this one is destined solely for Null Anthony and Aura Nova."
Veronica paused briefly, absorbing the logic, before nodding in comprehension, her enthusiasm surging higher still, for nowhere else could she behold combats of this epic scale free from fears of peril, devastation, or unforeseen fallout.
Aura Nova kept her composure, her azure eyes sparkling with eager resolve and subtle resolve. Even though it was widely assumed she'd probably fall to Anthony, that fact failed to erode her self-assurance or her drive to engage, merely because Anthony had proven himself the mightiest there didn't imply she'd shy away from their matchup.
She yearned to directly confront Anthony's prowess firsthand, despite having glimpsed his strength in fights against Sky Kingsley and Lucian Darkheart, the difference between distant observation and personal immersion was vast and profound.
Her azure gaze turned in Anthony's direction, yet he didn't return the look, absorbed instead in banter with Lucian Darkheart and Aaaninja, the three chatting about topics they insisted "women" couldn't grasp, their demeanors loose and easygoing.
"I've often pondered if you're perhaps a hidden relative of Anthony's, like a sibling or cousin?" Vega couldn't resist questioning with curiosity, "considering you share those identical azure eyes perfectly," she mused further.
Those remarks drew a gentle chuckle from Aura Nova, though she'd encountered plenty of folks with blue-tinted irises, hers had always stood out... singular in an indescribable manner, matched only by Anthony's precise hue and luster, along with Mitchelle, the source of Anthony's own striking gaze.
"Were that the case, I'd likely boast even greater strength than now, since Anthony's merely twenty yet wields such immense might," Aura Nova answered with a light headshake, following that reasoning, as his supposed older sister, she ought to surpass him in power by rights.
"That holds water," Altheria responded evenly, her attention moving to Michael, Mitchelle, and Collins, who lounged nearby with neutral faces. Her mind raced with speculations on the formidable strength and heritage of the Null lineage that spawned such awe-inspiring beings.
'Curious what their original progenitor was like,' she pondered inwardly, knowing that dynasties of such staggering dominance typically stemmed from one root—a trailblazing figure of cataclysmic force, with descendants claiming mere echoes of that colossal inheritance.
Altheria's musing on this was one Anthony had never once considered, uninterested in any shadowy progenitor from ages past. Such obsessions belonged to vast, timeless clans with endless offshoots, not the Nulls, whose dominance thrived vibrantly in the now, embodied by their mere five members.
With a snap of his fingers, Klaus summoned the holographic display as always, capturing the group's focus immediately. Even with foreknowledge of the combatants, they adhered to tradition, letting the interface perform its role.
Digits from one through five materialized and whirled swiftly, lacking any real tension this round since the result was predictable, and true to form, it halted on a pair of figures.
One against Four.
At last, Anthony's azure eyes met Aura Nova's, subtle smiles gracing their features, and in an instant's flash, they disappeared from their spots, materializing amid the barren expanse underneath. Without delay, Klaus flicked his fingers anew, forging a fresh domain on the spot, given how Aaaninja and Lucian had utterly ravaged the prior arena.
"Looks like your reason for attending this gathering is already satisfied," Anthony remarked steadily, positioned several paces from Aura Nova, his stance at ease and assured.
A faint smirk played on Aura Nova's lips, her warrior spirit igniting steadily and palpably, yes, her aim in joining the Galactical assembly had been to encounter Anthony, Aaaninja, and Lucian, and now her top target, Anthony, faced her squarely.
"Hooo... I figured you might extend the same proposition to me as with Kingsley, or instruct me the way you did Lucian," she teased mildly, locking eyes on him with steadfast intensity.
"Should you desire my guidance, just request it, and I'll naturally refuse," Anthony shot back in a humorous vein, his face serene yet assured.
"Begin," Klaus's command sliced through their banter without effort, as if their lighthearted talk held no interest, eager only to behold the impending collision of supreme talents and earth-rending force.
As Klaus's order resounded through the domain, Aura Nova surged forward instantly, seeing no cause for further postponement, bridging the gap to Anthony in a mere heartbeat, her advance swift and resolute.
____