MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Chapter 729: Inadequacy

Without so much as a knock or a word of warning, Seraphim, Kingsley, Dale, Reynold Celement, and Spectre all stepped into the room simultaneously. They had been stationed on the same island as Anthony, and naturally, they had sensed the sudden surge of familiar energy signatures, Anthony’s and Vega’s, just moments ago.

”Where in the world did you two disappear to for an entire week? The Warlords were asking about you. We were called in and questioned!” Dale blurted out almost immediately, his voice echoing through the chamber.

”Hey,” Kingsley greeted casually as he shifted his weight, moving with quiet ease before sitting down on the nearby couch without saying another word.

”Wait, Vega,” Seraphim interjected with narrowed eyes as she gave Vega a full, exaggerated once-over. ”Why does it look like you’ve gotten even more beautiful?” she asked, half-suspicious, half-intrigued.

Anthony and Vega both sighed softly, the same expression of mild exasperation crossing their faces.

”We went to celebrate Vega’s birthday,” Anthony replied in his usual calm tone, leaning back slightly on the bed.

”A birthday celebration that lasted an entire week?” Reynold asked, his brows raised skeptically. ”Happy birthday, by the way.” he intoned as his gaze shifted to Vega briefly.

”We were only away for five days, to be exact. No need to exaggerate,” Anthony responded smoothly.

Vega smiled faintly at Seraphim’s earlier comment before answering in her characteristically serene tone. ”It’s not exactly that I became more beautiful,” she said, her lips curving upward in quiet amusement, ”but my charm has increased quite a bit.” Then, turning toward Reynold, she added, ”And no, we didn’t spend nearly a week just celebrating a birthday. We went to visit my parents.”

At those words, the entire room seemed to freeze. Every expression stiffened instantly, and all attention drifted from the first part of her statement to the far more shocking second part.

Isn’t this... a bit too fast? they all thought simultaneously.

How long had Vega and Anthony been together? A few months at most, and already he had met her parents? That was a monumental step, even for them.

”Wait, are you two getting married?” Seraphim suddenly blurted out, her curiosity exploding before anyone else could speak. ”Has Anthony proposed already? Or, oh my stars, Vega, are you pregnant? Tell us everything right now!”

Anthony and Vega exchanged glances, their amusement barely concealed.

”Are you not getting a little too excited about this?” Anthony asked, raising an eyebrow, a small smirk tugging at his lips.

”Who wouldn’t be?” Dale chimed in without hesitation, his grin wide and teasing.

”Well,” Anthony exhaled with a slight sigh, ”I’m sorry to disappoint, but your excitement is for nothing. Vega and I aren’t getting married, I haven’t proposed, and she’s definitely not pregnant. So, don’t let your imaginations run wild.”

The room collectively deflated with an audible silence, each of them wearing expressions of mild disappointment.

”Why do you all look disappointed?” Vega asked curiously, tilting her head slightly as though she genuinely couldn’t understand the sentiment.

”Anyway,” Kingsley interrupted from his seat on the couch, his calm voice cutting through the awkwardness, ”why did you go to meet Vega’s parents then?”

”Just to make my existence known,” Anthony explained in an even tone. ”That’s all. Nothing more, nothing less.”

He didn’t mention anything about Vega’s bloodline awakening. It wasn’t his story to tell, and he wasn’t the type to speak on another’s behalf. If Vega wanted them to know, she would reveal it herself.

”Well,” Seraphim said after a brief pause, her tone softening, ”we didn’t know about your birthday, Vega. If we had, we would’ve prepared something special for you.”

Vega smiled politely before replying, ”Meh... there’s no need for that. I’m sure none of you really care about birthdays anymore, considering all of you are over a century old. And though I’m only twenty, it’s the same for me. Next year, you don’t need to bother yourselves, I’ll be perfectly fine without it.”

Her words left the team momentarily speechless. They exchanged glances among themselves, silently wondering how someone as young as Vega, barely two decades old, could already hold such a detached view of something as simple as a birthday. Still, they respected her opinion and didn’t press the matter further. One by one, they nodded in quiet agreement, choosing to let it go.

”So, Anthony,” Dale suddenly spoke up, his grin returning, ”when are you finally going to battle Kingsley? I’m sure everyone here is dying to watch that fight.”

At his question, realization struck everyone in the room. They had nearly forgotten that Anthony had promised Kingsley a duel, a friendly yet potentially catastrophic one.

Anthony’s gaze shifted toward Kingsley, who still sat calmly on the couch, his expression unreadable. A slow smile spread across Anthony’s lips before he tore his gaze away and looked back at the rest of his team.

”Well,” Anthony began with an amused tone, ”we’ll be battling soon enough. But even if you wanted to watch, you wouldn’t be able to.”

”Why’s that?” Seraphim asked, leaning forward with interest.

Anthony’s smile deepened slightly. ”Because Kingsley has already reached planetary-level combat power. The shockwaves alone would kill you before the battle even began. So, I’m sorry, but if you were hoping for a front-row seat, you’ll be disappointed.”

The air in the room froze. Every face turned toward Kingsley in utter disbelief. He sat there with the same composure as before, unbothered, almost regal in his calmness, as though Anthony’s words had been nothing more than casual conversation.

Dale, Spectre, Reynold, Clement, and Seraphim all exchanged wide-eyed looks. They could hardly process it. Kingsley, who they rarely saw train, who always seemed to prefer meditation or quiet observation, had become a planetary-level powerhouse?

None of them doubted Anthony’s statement, however. They all knew Anthony’s strength and honesty. If he said it, it had to be true.

Initially, they had assumed Anthony would simply suppress his power during the duel, lowering his level to match Kingsley’s. That was, after all, common practice across the galaxy when warriors of vastly different strengths sparred. But now? Now they realized there would be no such adjustment. Kingsley had risen to stand on the same level as Anthony.

Before they could even process that revelation, Anthony added casually, ”Even Vega has reached planetary level.”

This time, every gaze snapped away from Kingsley and landed squarely on Vega. She stood elegantly by the window, smiling faintly, her demeanor calm and confident. She wasn’t the least bit bothered that Anthony had shared the information, it wasn’t exactly a secret, and she had nothing to hide.

The team was speechless. Within their small unit, there were now three planetary-level beings: Anthony, their captain; Vega, his partner; and Kingsley, their silent powerhouse.

’Aren’t planetary-level beings supposed to be rare?’ they all thought in disbelief. ’Aren’t they supposed to be the stuff of legends, Supreme Monarchs in their own right? How did it suddenly become so... common?’

Their thoughts spiraled further as they recalled that just a week ago, Vega had participated in the Forsaken Cult Purge Mission. At that time, she had been powerful, yes, but nowhere near planetary level. Now, after a mere five-day absence, she had returned even stronger than before, transformed entirely.

The weight of the realization sank into everyone’s hearts. An unspoken pressure filled the air, one that had nothing to do with aura, but everything to do with pride and competitiveness. They could feel themselves falling behind.

If such vast differences in power levels continued to emerge within the team, then one harsh truth became clear: they would no longer be able to take on missions together.

And for the first time in a long while, even the most confident among them felt the creeping sting of inadequacy.