MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Chapter 814: Art Of Ignoring People

Anthony, Vega, and Kingsley rose from their seats as they stepped away from the bar, preparing to proceed to their next unknown location on the tour. As usual, they encountered members of various other races during their journey through the immense structure of the building. Each sighting served as another reminder of just how diverse and vast this place was.

”I think this is the largest structure I’ve seen in a long while,” Vega said as she walked, her tone a mixture of awe and casual curiosity. Anthony nodded lightly as he replied, ”Same.” His response was understandable; after all, this colossal building had been constructed to hold millions of people without strain. The sheer scale dwarfed anything they had seen before.

Soon, Anthony’s eyes drifted toward a side path that seemed to descend underground. He noticed that a significant number of people who had walked past them turned and entered that direction, as though drawn by some invisible attraction. Something about it caught his curiosity.

”Let’s check it out, then,” Kingsley said as he also noticed Anthony and Vega’s shifting gazes. With a simple nod from the other two, the trio turned left and stepped through a doorway that appeared shrouded in complete darkness. Yet within Anthony’s perception, the darkness shrank back instantly, as though it feared to impede his sight.

A long flight of stairs spiraled downward, and without pausing, Anthony began to descend with calm steps. His footfalls met the polished marble with steady, rhythmic echoes. Vega and Kingsley followed closely behind, their eyes sweeping over the dark surroundings. As soon as they reached the final step, Anthony’s attention shifted to a door ahead of him.

Upon opening the door, a surge of blinding light flooded the darkness behind him, momentarily overwhelming it. For a split second, it felt as though he had stepped into an entirely different building, but he knew he was still deep within the same structure. His gaze moved to the side and landed on an enormous arena that stretched so far it nearly dissolved into the horizon. Encircling it was a massive floating seating structure suspended in the air with impeccable symmetry.

Kingsley’s eyes widened slightly as he took in the sight. Kingsley admired the colossal formation for a moment, though the fascination in his golden eyes faded quickly, replaced by his usual calm demeanor. Vega, however, remained as impassive as ever. Without wasting unnecessary time, the three climbed a set of stairs leading upward toward the floating seating arrangement.

Upon arriving, they noticed a man belonging to a race unfamiliar to them. The moment he spotted them approaching, he spoke in a commanding tone, ”Humans, move to your designated area.” He pointed toward a section off to the left. Anthony, Kingsley, and Vega followed the direction indicated, their expressions turning mildly curious as their sight took in what awaited them.

Anthony’s sky-blue eyes scanned the seating structure. Some races were clearly segregated into separate regions, while members of the stronger or more noble races sat together with a sense of shared prestige. The division was blatant, yet unsurprising. Status, strength, and race determined everything here.

Neither Anthony, Vega, nor Kingsley uttered a word. They remained unmoved by the segregation, it meant nothing to them. Sitting with these so-called superior races offered them no benefit, and therefore no reaction was necessary. They simply turned and continued toward the section designated for humans.

Climbing a smaller set of ascending seats, they arrived at another part of the floating structure. There, the scene was painfully clear: every human present was kneeling. All of them were bowing before a man from a top race. He was not from one of the top ten races, yet he was still undeniably part of a superior lineage.

This was the same sight the trio had glimpsed earlier from afar. There was no outward pressure forcing the humans to kneel, not a shred of oppressive presence lingered in the air. That meant only one thing: the man had ordered them to kneel, and they obeyed. Anthony watched silently with a flat expression. He had not expected any of the humans here to resist. How could they? They were weaker. But what puzzled him was the contradiction, why segregate them into their own section only to invade that space and force them to kneel?

Around the arena, similar scenes unfolded, members of other races kneeling before individuals far stronger than them.

The silver-haired man sat cross-legged with his hands interlocked atop his knees, his attention fixed on the battle unfolding below. His silver hair and matching eyes amplified his charm and authority. As though sensing three new presences, his gaze shifted from the arena to Anthony, Vega, and Kingsley.

His gleaming silver eyes met Anthony’s sky-blue ones, Vega’s ethereal purple, and Kingsley’s golden irises. He held their gazes steadily, as though silently commanding them to bow and knee like the rest of their race.

Anthony stared at the man for a moment before breaking eye contact. His gaze drifted toward the kneeling humans. He could see their emotions clearly, anger boiling beneath humiliation, the clenching of their teeth, the frustration etched deep within their minds. Yet it was all useless. Without strength, none of those emotions mattered.

Anthony did not blame them; not everyone was blessed at birth or fortunate enough to gain power through an encounter with a divine being. But even as he watched them, he felt nothing. They were human like him, yes, but ultimately strangers. Their suffering did not tether him emotionally.

He remembered the Starborn Tournament. Orion had once warped reality itself, summoning humans mid-flight from airplanes and skyscrapers only to drop them from high in the sky. Orion’s intention had been simple: to force Anthony to save them and thereby create an opening to exploit. But that plan had failed utterly. Anthony had not bothered saving a single one. Thousands died that day.

So if anyone here intended to bait him using humans again, they were doomed to fail.

With a quiet mental sigh, Anthony turned away and walked as though he had not seen the silver-haired man at all. Vega and Kingsley followed close behind, silent and unbothered.

But the moment they took their second step, a heavy presence erupted. It slammed into the area like a thunderous shockwave, dense as a mountain. They did not need to look to know it came from the silver-haired man. Yet the oppressive presence was useless. It washed over them without slowing a single one of their steps. They continued forward, unshaken, and sat down casually in the nearest row of seats.

However, the pressure devastated the already kneeling humans. Many collapsed fully, their bodies slamming against the floor as if struck by a crushing burden. Blood streamed from the noses and eyes of the stronger ones who managed to remain upright.

”Human,” the silver-haired man finally spoke. ”Are you blind? Or simply as stupid as the rest?”

His words echoed across the arena. There was no disdain, not because he respected them, but because one does not speak to an ant with disdain.

The kneeling humans shifted their eyes toward Anthony, Vega, and Kingsley, silently begging them to kneel and relieve the pressure crushing them. But if there was one thing the trio had learned since arriving here, it was the art of ignoring people.

And so, they simply ignored him.