MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Chapter 565: Formal Introduction

It was Seraphim who spoke. She rose gracefully to her feet and began walking toward Vega with a calm and welcoming smile on her face.

She seemed completely unbothered by Dale, who was still sweating profusely on the ground, clearly overwhelmed by what had happened earlier.

”The name’s Seraphim,” she said as she introduced herself with a slight bow of the head.

”I’m Vega,” Vega responded politely, returning the smile with one of her own.

”It’s nice to finally have another woman on the team. It’s such a headache dealing with these men on a daily basis,” Seraphim said with a long, exaggerated sigh as if to emphasize her frustration.

”I understand your plight. Men are indeed bothersome,” Vega replied without hesitation, her voice light with amusement.

Seraphim nodded in agreement, then turned to face the rest of the team as she began to introduce each member one by one.

Although Anthony had already told Vega about all of them, she didn’t speak up or interrupt. Instead, she watched silently, pretending to know nothing and allowing Seraphim the opportunity to do the introductions formally.

”You see that phoenix over there? His name is Reynold. He uses a rapier and specializes in both flames and lightning,” Seraphim explained as she pointed in Reynold’s direction.

Reynold simply smiled from his seat and said, ”Nice to meet you.” He didn’t dare approach. After witnessing whatever Anthony had done to Dale earlier, he thought it best to stay seated and not test his luck.

”Nice to meet you too,” Vega replied kindly, nodding at him.

”Don’t go too close to him, though. Although he uses a rapier, he might try stabbing you with a different type of rapier,” Seraphim added gently from the side, casting a knowing glance at Reynold.

”Hey! Don’t tarnish my image like that,” Reynold interjected quickly, but Seraphim had already moved on and was ignoring him entirely.

Vega laughed softly, perfectly understanding the innuendo hidden in Seraphim’s playful jab. The mood was relaxed, and it was easy to blend in.

”And here, we have the enigmatic Kingsley, one of the strongest in the team. We haven’t really seen the full extent of his abilities yet. Every part of his body is a weapon. He doesn’t use any mana, but his sheer power eclipses everything,” Seraphim continued, now gesturing toward Kingsley with a gentle smile.

”Hello. Nice to meet you,” Vega greeted with genuine interest.

Kingsley’s golden eyes met her violet ones for the briefest of moments, and he simply responded with a single word: ”Same.”

One word. Nothing more. Nothing less.

”Forget about him. He’s always like this,” Seraphim said quickly, dismissing the awkward silence that followed his short reply.

Vega already knew this, of course. Anthony had spoken to her about Kingsley, about how he carried immense burdens on his shoulders. She had once asked Anthony what kind of weight Kingsley bore, but he had only said that it wasn’t his story to tell.

”And here,” Seraphim went on, ”we have the katana-obsessed boy: Spectre. He uses lightning and wields a katana. He also has space affinity, I’ve seen him teleport a few times during our spars.”

”Long time no see, Vega,” Spectre said with a slight smile, his gaze resting on her. He had figured it out from the very beginning, he knew she would be the new addition to the team.

”It’s been a minute,” Vega replied smoothly.

”You know each other?” Seraphim asked, clearly surprised by their familiarity.

”Indeed we do,” Spectre said flatly, as though it was no big deal.

”We’re from the same training year. We trained in the same unit for the entire year,” Vega added.

”We were also promoted to the Corporal military rank together,” Spectre continued.

Seraphim’s eyes shifted to Vega as she spoke. ”You were a Corporal-ranked soldier?”

She had seen Spectre and Clement in Corporal military uniforms before, but not Vega. She had simply assumed that Vega was a Captain ranked soldier from the very beginning, given the confidence she carried.

’Being the son of a Supreme and having the backing of three of them sure comes with many connections and a ridiculous amount of freedom,’ Seraphim thought to herself, slightly amused.

’I wonder what people like Dale would do if they had such power and privilege,’ she mused again, before shaking her head and deciding to push such thoughts aside.

”Yeah, I literally just became a Captain ranked soldier minutes ago,” Vega said with a bright smile, making no effort to hide it.

Seraphim nodded in response, then turned her attention to Clement, who sat silently. Shadows and darkness coiled protectively around him, embracing him like a living veil.

”And that is Clement. He uses a dagger and possesses the darkness element. Although he doesn’t talk... much,” Seraphim explained softly.

Vega’s purple eyes turned toward Clement. His head turned as well, and the shadows covering his face receded just a little, revealing his expression. He nodded once, then allowed the darkness to consume him again completely.

Unlike Kingsley, who at least said a word, Clement didn’t utter anything. A nod was all he offered.

Vega didn’t comment. She had spent an entire year with Clement and knew him on a level that most didn’t. Even if she spoke, Clement might not reply. He might just disappear.

Seraphim then turned her gaze toward Dale, who was still lying on the floor and unable to stand. She sighed before introducing him. ”And the vampire on the ground is Dale. He uses a spear and has both the blood and darkness elements.”

Once the introductions were complete, Seraphim grabbed Vega by the hand and dragged her away for some much-needed girl time. Anthony could only watch as Seraphim practically snatched his girlfriend from him.

He shook his head and sank into a seat next to Reynold. Without much thought, he activated Authority of Severance, and reality shifted around him. Threads of connection rose, extending from everyone and everything around him.

With a single thought, the threads he had previously severed within Dale were reconnected.

Dale, who had been sprawled out on the floor moments ago, suddenly felt his vision return. His voice, too, came back. He let out a deep sigh as he slowly got up to his feet. He didn’t speak. He simply walked to the sofa and sat down heavily.

If there were a hole in the ground nearby, he would have gladly jumped into it. He felt completely humiliated in front of the new teammate. The shame was unbearable. He felt like crying.

”So... You said yes when Dale asked you about a mission. What’s the deal with that?” Reynold asked. None of them had been in any real combat since the fall of Military Base Alpha-6. The itch to fight was growing unbearable.

”I don’t have the details yet,” Anthony replied honestly. ”I’ll be meeting the Warlord tomorrow to receive the full briefing. Once I have everything, I’ll gather everyone and explain.”

Reynold nodded his head in understanding. Since being pulled out of their intense training regimen, the team had done nothing but sit around and talk among themselves.

And just like that, the hours passed by in a blur.