MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Chapter 1083: Space Exploration Ends

Anthony opened his eyes, then levitated down, his feet touching the ship’s floorboard with calm ease. ”It seems you all are done and satisfied with whatever you took,” he stated as he looked at the huge smiles on their faces, his tone carrying a faint hint of amusement.

”Hehehe, of course we are, how many King and Emperor Mana Rankers can boast of being as rich as us?” Bringer spoke, his eyes shifting to his space ring as he gazed at his treasures once again as though he had fallen deeply in love with them.

Anthony smiled and shook his head; of course, during his first few encounters with Space Bandits, he had searched through their aircraft, after all, one could never be too sure what these Bandits had hidden. But after about four to five searches, Anthony simply gave up as he came to the conclusion that these Space Bandits were simply too poor and weak to have anything that would interest someone like him who possessed a sign in system of unparalleled value.

And the Space Bandits he had just fought were no different from other Space Bandits, rich to others, yet utterly poor and insignificant to him.

Rider smiled as he interjected, ”How about we go around looking for some more Space Bandits and Pirates? I’m sure some are richer than these ones.” Greed flashed in his eyes for a moment as he spoke, unable to hide his growing interest.

”What a fantastic idea,” Tiara couldn’t help but add; finding Space Bandits meant more Apexus Mana Ranker blood for her, along with their treasure, it was a double win for her, so she genuinely loved the idea and found it hard to conceal her excitement.

”I can take you to more Space Bandits, if you are going to fight them yourselves, of course,” Anthony replied with a teasing smile, his tone light yet meaningful.

Everyone’s excitement was immediately deflated like a punctured balloon. They dared not take Anthony’s words lightly. They couldn’t even fight Origin Mana Rank assassins, so how could they possibly take on Planetary level Bandits without courting death itself?

”It doesn’t matter, this was a bountiful harvest,” Bryan stated, his golden eyes filled with satisfaction and quiet pride at what he had gained.

”Indeed,” Bringer added, his mind filled with anticipation. They all wanted to return immediately and begin practicing, experimenting, and going through whatever they had found with eager curiosity.

Anthony shook his head as he spoke, ”Well, I guess our Space Exploration ends here; you will simply have to see the rest of the Galaxy for yourselves when you reach the Apexus Mana Rank,” his words calm and encouraging, yet firm in their finality.

Bryan, Rider, Bringer, and Tiara stayed silent for a moment; they wanted to speak, after all, they had been enjoying the experience, from hopping on a sun, to walking on a moon, then entering various planets, and standing before reality warping galactic phenomena like nebulae and quasars that defied imagination.

But they did not voice their thoughts aloud; as Anthony had said, they could come here when they reached the required Mana Rank or simply ask their parents to bring them. It was, in truth, that simple.

”No problem,” Bryan was the first to speak, his tone steady and accepting.

”Thanks for the trip, who knows how long I would have waited to experience something like this,” Tiara stated as her eyes shifted toward a solar system at a distant end of the Galaxy, her gaze lingering with a sense of wonder.

They all thanked Anthony one by one again, as he had simply helped them far more than necessary, even when he didn’t have to do anything at all.

”Thanking me once is enough, but saying it repeatedly simply makes me uncomfortable,” Anthony spoke as he shook his head, clearly tired of hearing their repeated thanks and appreciation.

Tiara arched an eyebrow as she spoke, ”Well, this is the first time I’m hearing you say you are uncomfortable about something; that’s surprising,” a smile appearing on her lips as she spoke with mild amusement.

The others simply nodded in agreement, as they too were a bit surprised at Anthony using the word ”uncomfortable,” something that seemed out of character for someone like him.

”Well, I’m human, after all; there are things we like and things we don’t. I’m not a robot, you know,” Anthony replied with a light laugh, his tone casual and unbothered.

With that, he waved a hand, and a huge spatial vortex tore open in front of them, a portal leading back to the Blue Planet. Bryan was the first to walk forward, but as he was about to step through the portal, he stopped as he turned toward Anthony with a thoughtful expression.

”What about the Space Bandit ship? Can I have it?” he asked, curiosity evident in his voice.

Anthony simply shook his head as he replied, ”Although it might look impressive to you, that’s simply because you haven’t seen aircraft that can withstand the void. You can ask your father to show you one, or even any of your Imperial Apexus Mana Rankers to show you one,” his explanation calm and matter of fact.

As Anthony spoke, he waved a hand, and the ship in question was immediately erased from reality, as he had used Quantum Manipulation to degrade it into absolute nothingness, leaving not even a trace behind.

Bryan nodded, then turned and stepped through the vortex. Tiara followed right behind him, then Bringer, and finally Rider, who lingered for a brief moment before stepping through as well, leaving only Anthony remaining behind.

Anthony stayed still for a moment as he floated within the vast void; a faint smile appeared on his lips as he thought to himself, ’It sure is nice to meet up with old friends and catch up,’ he mused quietly.

His sky blue eyes shifted to the Galaxy, moving from one constellation to another, then from one phenomenon to another. ’I might miss the Acarnis Galaxy when I ascend to a higher Galaxy,’ he thought to himself, as he already knew the strange feeling, almost like a distant calling, that he had experienced upon reaching the Apexus Mana Rank was connected to ascending to an upper Galaxy.

But he still had many things to handle, so he couldn’t answer the ever-present call just yet.

He had to end the Divinora Galaxy, then perhaps he should wipe out the Demon race. Well, that was still under debate, as wiping out the Demon race would simply cause the tiered races to turn against one another in endless conflict. It was arguably better to leave a common enemy for them to unite against.

But at the same time... he did not truly care if the races wiped each other out, as he had no personal attachment to any of them.

’I wonder if Bryan and the rest will also ascend, or will they remain here,’ he thought to himself in silence. With that final thought, he stepped through the portal before him and vanished into the Blue Planet as the vortex closed behind him, leaving the silent void empty once more.