MIGHT AS WELL BE OP Chapter 1016: Abnormal Ones [Bonus - ]
Previously on MIGHT AS WELL BE OP...
"Ah... I never imagined this instant would arrive. It felt endless," Veronica murmured with a heavy sigh, clutching a massive teddy bear that dwarfed her frame while she voiced her thoughts.
"Indeed, considering how those duels dragged on, I figured it would go forever," Altheria replied, sighing too, having relished every bit of the spectacle.
Veronica gave a nod before continuing, "Well, what's next? Following that intense clash, we ought to venture out somewhere to unwind and take it easy," she proposed, her voice revealing her familiarity with such downtime. After all, much of her time alongside Vega involved hopping between worlds.
Altheria agreed with a nod to Veronica's suggestion. Veronica promptly shifted toward Vega to inquire about upcoming arrangements, yet Vega beat her to it. "Perhaps another day. I doubt there's time for that sort of outing right now," she said evenly, not rejecting the notion outright but noting how occupied everyone would become shortly.
Altheria raised an eyebrow, curious about what demands awaited them, and found herself compelled to question, "How come?"
"Seclusion," Aura Nova interjected ahead of Vega.
The realization struck Altheria and Veronica at once. This clash involved phenomenal prodigies; it was inconceivable they wouldn't extract valuable lessons from one another's confrontations.
Their assumption proved correct. Nearly all those gathered had reaped benefits. While Lucian merely awaited the system's completion of its analysis, that didn't negate his individual advancements. His engagements with Anthony and Aaaninja yielded profound realizations and insights impossible to overlook, necessitating his retreat into seclusion to fully absorb them and elevate his grasp even higher.
The reason for Aura Nova's seclusion was already clear to all, leaving no doubts. Regarding Aaaninja, despite his recent breakthrough, he possessed concepts and notions to implement in practice, along with elements requiring personal reflection, plus the strength and wisdom from his latest advancement.
Kingsley stood apart no differently. He needed to hone the Martial Rhythm, and beyond that, though he neared flawlessness in close-quarters fighting, he recognized his inferiority to Anthony in sheer skill and precision.
Yet gains weren't exclusive to the combatants. Virtually everyone benefited. Riven, Vespera, Zachary, Nyxss, and even Rain had acquired insights. As members of the Older Generation, observing a contest of such caliber inevitably sparked some comprehension or epiphany.
Vega too had harvested rewards. Her Eyes of the Universe served no mere ornamental purpose; akin to Anthony’s All Seeing Eyes, they operated ceaselessly without fatigue or repercussion. Thus, she too had profited immensely from this exchange, possibly surpassing what many could fathom.
Finally, in a startling turn, Klaus and Amara—entities who transcended galaxies effortlessly—had also derived value from this tier of confrontation. Under normal circumstances, it defied possibility... or rather, it ought to have. However, Lucian Darkheart and Aaaninja Chronisynth Eternos rendered it feasible through their Personification abilities.
Through these two powers, Amara and Klaus—for whom even a minor power increment demanded endless ages—now caught a brief but irrefutable peek at supremacy eclipsing their own. Upon emerging from seclusion, the very fabric of existence could tremble in terror and refusal at their accomplishments.
Concerning Veronica and Altheria, their relative frailty prevented any perception or comprehension of the events. The duel transcended even their wildest conceptions. Despite scrutinizing every instant, they remained unable to derive benefit. After all, progression didn't allow leaping from novice to expert then to master. They needed to master basics before advancing, and these two still grappled with fundamentals. How could they fathom such elevated might?
Still, they weren't alone in reaping no rewards.
Anthony himself drew no insights from this bout, owing to his overwhelming strength. One might contend he should have gleaned from the Personification abilities, much like Amara and Klaus did by observing... yet regardless of his extraordinary aptitude, the identical limitation that hindered Veronica and Altheria constrained him as well.
LORDTEE’S PERSONIFICATION and RIVER OF TIME’S PERSONIFICATION weren't phenomena the present Anthony could penetrate merely due to his gifted nature. These were faculties demanding knowledge of concepts yet out of his reach. Naturally, should he attain the capacity to grasp those elements, his impeccable recall would let him revisit Aaaninja and Lucian's ultimate displays and extract desired wisdom from that episode.
Altheria and Veronica exchanged sighs while conversing. "Do we even belong in your company? Tsk, we're the ordinary ones amid this group. The rest of you are the freaks," Veronica lamented, sighing in complete resignation.
Anthony and the others halted briefly at her remark, then erupted in laughter over Veronica’s quip. It wasn't the initial instance anyone labeled them as such.
"Sure, sure, laugh it up. Someday I'll reach your heights and beat every one of you," she declared, clearly in jest, as she harbored no illusions about such an outcome.
Her words prompted fresh peals of laughter from the group, transforming the prior aura of combat and ruin into one of mirth and camaraderie among companions, as if the duel’s remnants had dissolved into oblivion.