MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Chapter 496: Next Saintess?

Space bent faintly as Anthony materialized upon a separate floating island.

As soon as he arrived, his piercing blue eyes caught sight of a dagger slicing through the air, aimed directly at his throat without hesitation, as though already expecting him to appear there at that very moment.

’Still the same’

Anthony mused inwardly, a subtle smile flickering in his thoughts as he observed the weapon’s arc.

At the final instant, he shifted a half-step backward, allowing the blade to whistle harmlessly past where his neck had been moments before.

The assailant pressed forward with another swift strike, his movements laced with exceptional finesse.

A second dagger glinted in the light as it arced toward Anthony’s eyes, fast, precise, and unforgiving.

Yet Anthony remained motionless.

He made no attempt to evade, his posture calm and composed.

Just as the blade was about to pierce flesh, it halted, suspended mere inches from his face.

The attacker had stopped of his own volition, his hand frozen in place.

”Anthony”

The name slipped from the attacker’s lips, laced with disbelief.

The shadows cloaking his form unraveled like smoke, revealing a boy standing at 5’9”, sharp-eyed and composed.

It was Clement.

”Nice to see you again. It’s been a while. Still attacking first and asking questions never, huh?”

Anthony’s voice was calm, steady, his gaze fixed silently on Clement.

Truth be told, he hadn’t expected to find the boy here, let alone in military uniform.

He had always assumed Clement would drift toward the Assassin’s Guild, or perhaps build one of his own from the ground up.

Clement remained silent, struggling for a response. Words had never been his strength, he was worse than Kingsley in that regard. At least Kingsley spoke on occasion. Clement, however, rarely said anything at all.

Anthony broke the silence, his tone calm but edged with quiet reproach.

”You do realize this is a military base, right? Nearly everyone here is either a soldier or part of the Logistics Division. What would’ve happened if you’d actually killed someone?”

His gaze remained steady on Clement, the question hanging in the air like a quiet accusation.

”Well, the base is on edge after the destruction of Alpha-6. Someone appearing behind me without notice was enough to trigger alarms”

Clement replied evenly, his tone composed and flat.

Darkness began to coil around him once more, enveloping his form until he seemed to dissolve into it, an extension of the shadows themselves, as though he had never stepped into the light.

Anthony exhaled softly and shook his head, a faint trace of amusement tugging at his lips.

’That might be the most words I’ve ever heard him say in one breath since he became my subordinate’

He remarked inwardly, still watching the shifting shadows that masked Clement’s presence.

Anthony’s gaze shifted to the side.

A tall figure stood quietly nearby, 6’1”, with a katana resting at his waist. His long black hair cascaded down his back, matching the deep, quiet intensity of his eyes. His presence was calm, yet beneath that stillness pulsed a restrained aura, subtle but formidable.

”It’s been a while, Spectre”

Anthony said, a faint smile curving his lips.

He could sense it clearly, the tightly contained power within Spectre.

Without the aid of his unique eyes, even Clement’s cultivation would have gone unnoticed. That was the kind of precision both of them carried, hidden beneath layers of silence.

Spectre had ascended into the Ecliptic Mana Rank, standing steadily at Level Seven. Though he had yet to reach its peak, there was no mistaking the pride in his stance, the quiet confidence of someone who had earned every step through discipline and steel.

Clement, on the other hand, was another anomaly entirely. With his mastery of elusive soul techniques, he had advanced into another realm while defying conventional expectations, The Zenith Rank.

A rank even Anthony had not yet stepped into.

It wasn’t that anything barred Anthony from ascending. The path was clear. He simply hadn’t chosen to step into it yet.

But Clement hadn’t just touched the Zenith Rank, he had carved his way to Level Three.

’The rest of the group should be around the same rank as Spectre’

Anthony mused, his gaze thoughtful.

His subordinates had always advanced in tandem, their progress strangely synchronized, as if an unseen thread bound their growth together.

Clement’s advancement, however, didn’t surprise him in the slightest.

Among the ten, Clement was undeniably the biggest anomalym, the greatest cheater of them all.

If Anthony hadn’t personally read Clement’s memories before granting him power, he might’ve genuinely believed the boy had reincarnated too.

”So, you all decided to join the military. Why?”

Anthony asked as they began strolling across the floating island.

Spectre walked beside him, his steps steady, eyes scanning the horizon as he answered.

”After you told us we were free to do what we wanted, we gave it a lot of thought. Starting an organization or guild just felt impractical. Too much hassle, management, logistics, the constant need for resources”

He paused briefly, then continued with a tone of quiet realism.

”And even if we did recruit others, it would take years for them to grow. They don’t have the same access to the Divine Realm that we do. Their progress would be slow, painfully so. Meanwhile, we’d be stuck waiting”

Anthony listened without interruption, his expression calm, thoughtful.

He understood Spectre’s reasoning perfectly.

The effort required to establish and sustain an organization, the logistics, the constant oversight, the endless supply chains and resource hunts, wasn’t worth the time or stress for any of them. Not when they operated on an entirely different level.

Their subordinates, as loyal and well-trained as they might be, simply couldn’t keep up.

Founding such a guild would have eventually turned into a charity work, ultimately ineffective.

In the face of real threats, the gap in power would leave their recruits helpless, unable to support them in any meaningful way.

”So, we decided to join the military”

Spectre continued, his voice steady as they walked.

”Figured we might even run into you one day and wipe out a few demons together. Though I didn’t expect the military to be split into nine different bases. Well, eight now”

Anthony gave a slow understanding nod.

He too had assumed the same. Like many, he had thought there was only one military base and it was located on the Blue Planet.

”So who didn’t join the military?”

Anthony asked, his curiosity piqued. If they had all abandoned the idea of forming an organization, he wondered what paths the others had chosen.

”Almost all of us did. Only Donna and Vivian chose a different route. The rest of us are stationed across various bases”

Spectre replied simply.

Clement remained silent, as expected.

He moved like a phantom, one with the shadows, a living embodiment of silence and darkness. He spoke only when necessary. And when not, he faded into the background, a presence more felt than seen.

A perfect ghost.

”Even Evelyn? She’s a soldier too?”

Anthony asked as they stepped beneath the forest canopy. Birds fluttered overhead, startled by their presence, the air filled with soft chirps that quickly faded into the distance.

”Not exactly. She isn’t really a soldier in the traditional sense. Last I heard, she became the First Apprentice under the Saintess Of The World. Spends most of her time healing wounded soldiers or studying the biology of different races. She told me she’s burned through her mana reserves more times than she can count”

Spectre let out a short laugh, he shook his head as he spoke, which was unlike him.

’So Grandma took Evelyn under her wing. Trying to make her the next Saintess?’

Anthony thought silently.

It made perfect sense.

The title Saintess Of The World suited Evelyn in every possible way. Her golden hair shimmered like sunlight, her eyes radiated warmth and purity, and her beauty, immaculate and serene, felt untouched by the world’s cruelty.

And then there was her Light Magic.

Gentle yet powerful, divine yet human, it wrapped around her like a celestial veil, making her seem less like a mage and more like an Angel who had simply chosen to walk among mortals.