MIGHT AS WELL BE OP Chapter 1038: At Another Military Base

Kingsley observed the portal closing abruptly behind Anthony and right in front of him. With a sigh, he shook his head, thinking, ’so strong he has nothing to train,’ as Anthony’s words looped repeatedly in his mind like a damaged music box, echoing endlessly with a strange, persistent unease that lingered no matter how hard he tried to push them away.

Even though Anthony had delivered those words with a serious face and neutral tone, Kingsley regarded them with grave seriousness, much more than such an offhand remark might suggest. While he couldn’t grasp Anthony’s full strength, he knew that if Anthony claimed it, he meant it—no joke—and that truth held immense weight, particularly from a figure like him.

"I suppose Vega gets it too, which explains why she rushed straight into training the instant we returned," he muttered to himself. With a mere thought, he rose into the air, body floating horizontally on empty space in perfect suspension, enveloped by an eerie calm. Since Anthony instructed him to wait, that’s what he’d do—no other place to go, no other tasks demanding him—so he hovered there, caught between motion and stillness.

Far away, on another planet light-years from Military Base Alpha-9, lay this military world under Null Collins’s command, its expansive lands sprawling boundlessly under the heavens, brimming with disciplined order and hidden might.

A portal ripped open in mid-air. Anthony emerged through it with serene poise, his sky-blue eyes scanning the clouds and azure sky, absorbing the once-familiar, now-remote ambiance with tranquil poise. Typically, an unidentified presence in the skies would trigger blaring alarms and auto-deploy aerial defenses, but nothing stirred—Anthony had masked his aura via the Concealment skill, rendering his entry utterly undetectable.

His perception scanned the whole planet, pinpointing Null Collins and Crimson Irene with sharp precision, yet before heading their way, his gaze fixed on the Tower of Knowledge. Anthony recalled this towering structure said to boast a hundred levels, shrouded in enigma and importance.

’I ought to check on that fellow,’ Anthony mused, recalling tales of the military’s most enigmatic figure: the Soulpen Sovereign, who spurned the Supreme Monarch title to guard every Tower of Knowledge across the nine Military Bases at once—a near-impossible achievement.

After brief consideration, Anthony dismissed the idea with a headshake; the guy was likely just some dull old-timer offering nothing captivating. With that, he blinked out of the sky, materializing inside the structure housing Collins and Irene. He entered their room directly, after confirming it wasn’t an intrusion on private matters, upholding basic politeness.

Instantly sensing him, their gazes whipped toward Anthony. Collins and Irene stared in stunned surprise—Anthony had never set foot in their Military Base... or any other, for that matter, amplifying the shock of his abrupt arrival.

"And to what do I owe this honor?" Collins inquired, eyeing Anthony from his couch seat, his voice blending curiosity with faint amusement.

"Don’t say that to my grandson," Irene chided Collins with a look. Turning to Anthony, she said warmly, "Come give Grandma a hug."

Anthony approached and settled next to Irene, embracing her. Irene tousled his hair affectionately, her face softening with the deep love reserved for kin.

Collins, however, wasn’t thrilled, craving private time with his wife. "So, what do you need?" he pressed, his impatience thinly veiled.

Anthony grinned as he replied, "Can’t I just come over to visit my grandparents?" his voice playful with a hint of teasing.

Collins met his gaze steadily, unamused. Noting this, Anthony shifted to Irene, asking, "So, how are you doing, Grandma? Anything fun happening?"

"Nothing interesting, except healing, and healing, and more healing," Irene answered with a deep sigh, "and when you all went for that Galactical meeting, I was stuck hiding," she added, shaking her head in clear frustration at the tedium.

After a brief pause, she continued, "But I guess at least something interesting happened for once, as I was attacked during my hiding," a subtle smile curving her lips, suggesting deeper intensity lurking below.

Shock flashed across Anthony’s features. In his twenty years, he’d never heard of his grandmother facing an assault. No need for pointless queries like if she was okay—she clearly was, and surely his grandfather had intervened too.

Noticing Anthony’s astonishment and curiosity, Irene recounted the full tale without omission, detailing it clearly. The Angels hunting Collins, her solo slaying of eleven Eleven-Winged Angels, and the emergence of the Twelve-Winged Angel, whose aura exuded crushing pressure.

Before Anthony could question Collins’s survival against a Twelve-Winged Angel, Irene revealed the Angel departed without striking once, adding layers to the enigma.

’What did Dad do to draw these Twelve-Winged Angels?’ Anthony wondered inwardly, but he dismissed it quickly—what mattered was encountering one meant their annihilation, plain and simple, his resolve ironclad.

’Well, Father’s currently with Klaus, so should the Angels locate him, they’d be courting doom,’ Anthony reflected, comforted by the thought.

Yet still... these winged abominations had dared assault his grandmother?

’These Twelve-Winged Angels deserve a harsh lesson,’ Anthony seethed inwardly, itching to summon that Angel here for torment... but he held back, reserving it for the climactic showdown where it’d count most.

’Damn, never imagined Grandma could battle like that,’ he mused. Sure, her abilities stemmed from skill books and artifacts, but results spoke—she fought, and fiercely well.

Following some talk, Anthony revealed his visit’s purpose, which Collins accepted with a nod before handing over stacks of Supreme Monarch-grade missions, each sealed authentically, as if urging him to depart posthaste.

"You seem in a haste to get rid of me, Grandpa," Anthony remarked, waving his hand to store the mission scrolls in his system inventory. By now, he ditched space rings to hide the system, seeing no point in pretense.

Collins sighed and shook his head. He’d seen plenty of Anthony lately—at the Galactical meeting and the spar. Now, his wife demanded his focus, not his grandson, a priority evident without utterance.