MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Chapter 891: Weird People

“So, where to now? Are we going to the Timeline now or what?” Vega asked, her voice carrying obvious eagerness as she imagined herself tasting the dishes there. She wasn’t interested in whatever battle this group of friends would inevitably end up engaging in after the meal; food, at least for now, held far more appeal than battle.

“Since we have nothing doing, let’s head there now,” Anthony stated calmly. His tone was relaxed, almost indifferent, as though the decision carried no weight at all. Everyone nodded in agreement, none of them seeing any reason to delay further.

“No problem, but we have to first stop by the Celestial planet. I need to pick up my girlfriend,” Aaaninja explained casually.

“Then I will go bring Veronica,” Lucian spoke. The moment the words left his lips, he vanished from his position entirely. A couple of seconds passed, barely enough time for most to register his absence, before he reappeared at his former spot. This time, however, Veronica floated calmly beside him, her body enveloped in the soft glow of his mana.

Anthony stared at the space where Lucian had vanished and reappeared, his gaze lingering for a brief moment longer than necessary. Others might not have noticed it at all, or perhaps they had seen something but failed to grasp its significance. Anthony, however, was intrigued.

Before Lucian Darkheart vanished, he had clearly marked a point in space, though the action itself had been subtle, then returned to it with Veronica in tow. The execution was smooth, precise, and refined.

‘It’s similar to my position marker ability,’ Anthony thought to himself. He had originally gained inspiration for that ability through Minato, and now, right before his eyes, Lucian was using what appeared to be the exact same concept. After a moment, Anthony dismissed the thought. There was no need to overthink it; his days of obsessively overthinking almost every little thing were long behind him.

Veronica immediately left Lucian’s side and floated toward Vega. Although the two of them had their differences previously, their issues had long since been settled, even before the meeting had begun in earnest. There was no lingering problem between them now, only a quiet understanding.

“Let’s move then,” Aaaninja replied. He waved his hand, and space itself twisted in response. A portal spiraled open, its surface rippling unnaturally as it revealed a path leading back toward the Celestial planet.

“Wait! I thought you only had the Time affinity. How come you’re manipulating space?” Kingsley asked, staring at the portal with open disbelief. His confusion was evident; what he was seeing contradicted everything he believed he knew.

Vega didn’t need to ask. Her Eyes of the Universe had already revealed the truth to her. The same was true for Aura Nova, whose Omniedit innate ability allowed her to instantly understand the nature of Aaaninja’s manipulation over space.

“I have a skill called Temporal Replication,” Aaaninja explained without even turning to face Kingsley. “It allows me to replicate things I’ve seen through time, as long as I understand them.”

What he didn’t say, because there was no need to, was that this ability was extremely limited and absurdly time-consuming. Despite how powerful it sounded, he almost never used it. The effort required often outweighed the benefit.

With that, Aaaninja stepped through the portal. Lucian followed right behind him, a wide grin stretched across his face. He had already planned to copy as many abilities as possible from the Celestials he would encounter. Anthony and the rest of the group followed shortly after, stepping through the portal just before it snapped shut behind them.

The instant the portal closed, a man stepped out from between the layered seams of reality itself. He wore a perfectly tailored suit, a white mask obscuring his face, and a hat resting neatly atop his head. This was StreamGhost, a being who loved to record everything and anything. There was no way a battle of galactical conquest would occur without him being present to document it. After all, most of what he recorded eventually became part of galactic history, assuming the galaxy deemed it worthy enough to remember.

“Damn, that was good material,” he intoned with a bright smile as he reviewed the interactions between Anthony and his friends through his camera. Aaaninja and the others hadn’t sensed him at all, but Anthony had. Anthony simply hadn’t bothered to acknowledge him; he had no interest in speaking to that persistent stalker.

“Tsk, where was I when the Starborn Tournament was going on? I should have recorded that… such material wasted,” StreamGhost complained to himself. His Omnipotence allowed him to travel back in time and record it if he wished, but he never did. To him, such footage would be fake. The true essence of the moment would already have been lost.

He sighed. “And that stupid boy called Null Anthony, he sensed me but couldn’t even call me out to introduce his friends,” he clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Still, I have to say, he has a very weird group of friends… and they’re all uniquely powerful. No wonder people say birds of a feather flock together. Truly a perfect idiom for them.”

He spoke aloud without realizing it, a habit he had long since developed due to the fact that no one could see or sense him.

“Besides, why was that Lucian guy smiling so weirdly?” he muttered, placing a hand beneath his chin in thought. “I’m sure he’s planning something.”

His gaze sharpened as another thought surfaced. “And that Aaaninja guy… he seems even more powerful than the last time I saw him. Being able to cross into another Timeline at his age, and at this level of power, should be impossible for anyone within this galaxy.”

He shook his head. “Sigh… whatever. I’ll just label them as weird people who were birthed in the wrong galaxy.”

Decision made, StreamGhost straightened. “I’m sure there are plenty of things on the Celestial planet for me to record,” he mused. “Besides, I must follow them to that ramen Timeline. The battle for Team Captain will be happening there. Even if I missed the Starborn Tournament, its major players are all present now. There’s no need to film side characters.”

With a casual wave of his hand, a portal tore open, leading straight toward the Celestial planet. Although the planet was covered in countless runes and protective formations, they were no different from paper before StreamGhost’s eyes and power.

After all, how could anyone stand against Omnipotence and Omniscience? Stepping through the portal, he vanished, continuing his stalking mission, unseen and unanswered.