MIGHT AS WELL BE OP Chapter 1068: Congratulations

"He’s dead," Anthony declared bluntly, his tone stripped of all feeling, as if he had just swatted a worthless bug instead of snuffing out a mighty powerhouse.

Bryan, Rider, Bringer, and Tiara gaped at Anthony in bewilderment; they hadn’t caught him lifting a finger, yet he announced the man’s demise. Did they question him? Not even a little, not after the incredible feats they’d already seen him pull off up to this instant.

Tiara’s gaze dropped to her hand; there gleamed her engagement ring on her finger, handed to her personally by Elara Bloodmoon. She and Drake both wore these artifacts, binding them together somehow; if one perished, the other would sense it via the ring. The instant Tiara fixed her eyes on her engagement ring, they flew wide in horror as she saw the blood-red hue fade rapidly into utter colorless dullness, every spark of its past glory drained away like the very essence of life.

The rest, spotting Tiara’s shocked look and her stare locked on the ring, needed no words from her; they grasped its purpose right away, a favored item among devoted lovers to track each other’s life force in this brutal, merciless world. After all, you might revel in joy and forge bonds today, only for that person to vanish or die tomorrow, leaving just hollow echoes of loss.

"I guess this is the part where I say congratulations for your freedom," Bryan remarked from nearby, a grin tugging at his lips, his voice breezy with a trace of sincere relief on her behalf.

Tiara’s eyes remained glued to her engagement ring, but Bryan’s words ignited a real smile across her face, one that had been absent for far too long. An unseen burden suddenly lifted from her heart, her thoughts, and her frame; true freedom surged through her, unseen in years, as if binding chains had at last been smashed to pieces.

Her gaze lifted to meet Anthony’s, overflowing with thanks as she uttered, "I honestly can’t thank you enough, Anthony," and truly, she couldn’t. No fitting way existed to repay him; how does anyone thank an omnipotent force who casually rewrote their fate in one effortless stroke?

"You’ve already thanked me," Anthony responded, shaking his head while a subtle smile curved his lips, his manner offhand, as if his feat was utterly trivial to him.

Rider, struck by a sudden thought, interjected, "but what of the Blood Queen? Would she rage that you didn’t hurry to your almost-husband’s side right when he died?" he inquired calmly, raising an inescapable, perfectly reasonable point.

Tiara merely shook her head in reply, "for the past five years, I’ve never faked that I loved her or her son; I’ve always made it known that I hated the both of them, I never hid it," she affirmed steadily, her voice firm without a shred of fear or doubt.

"That must have taken some titanium balls, flaunting your hatred for the Blood Queen so boldly; only a handful dare that, and usually it’s those matching her in power," Bringer noted, visibly awed despite the peril such defiance typically brought.

"Well, I knew she needed me and wouldn’t touch me over whatever scheme she was cooking. Besides, it wasn’t like I sought out ways to insult her; I’ve always been upfront that I never liked her or her son, plain and simple," Tiara explained with a smile savoring her fresh liberty. She couldn’t stop envisioning the Blood Queen’s explosive wrath, the torrent of blinding fury erupting within her this very moment.

Tiara felt certain Elara already sensed her son’s death; Vampires could forge blood ties with their offspring at will, detecting if kin lived or perished through unbreakable bloodline bonds impossible to fake or break easily.

"I see," Bryan murmured, slipping into deep reflection.

"Although I don’t know how intelligent the Blood Queen is, what if she suspects you?" Rider pointed out, his dark eyes flicking to Tiara, his face pensive and guarded.

"Suspect me? Why would she?" Tiara wondered aloud, perplexed, her brows furrowing faintly as she mulled over the idea.

"Well, after departing the Vampire Domain and rendezvousing with Anthony, your fiancé suddenly dies under mysterious circumstances with no clear cause on that very day. Peculiar, wouldn’t you say? She could easily suspect you exploited your ties to Anthony to escape the engagement," Rider explained steadily, his logic far too sound to simply dismiss or reject.

Tiara frowned briefly as his words weighed heavily on her thoughts, but before she could reply, Anthony interjected.

"No need to overthink it. If the Blood Queen truly reaches those conclusions later, she’ll come to me for answers, and should she strike without proof, driven only by maternal feelings, I won’t hesitate to dispatch her along with the whole Vampire Domain to join their duplicitous Prince," he declared with effortless poise, like chatting about an everyday matter.

Anthony knew full well that if Elara Bloodmoon harbored the doubts Rider described, she’d act decisively; after all, a mother’s devotion demanded respect and couldn’t be downplayed.

For a brief instant, everyone stared at Anthony; they’d been struck dumb repeatedly since encountering him today, each of his declarations carrying a crushing force tough to disregard.

"Aren’t you talking about killing strong and important people way too casually?" Bryan couldn’t resist questioning, gazing at Anthony with incredulity in his voice.

Anthony just chuckled lightly before replying, "that’s because I have the strength to support my claims, Bryan." He paused, locking eyes with Bryan, then posed, "between me and your father, who do you think holds the edge in power?" It was a pointed query. "If he outmatched me and I were merely some ordinary planetary-level human, would he have received me so warmly?" he inquired with an easy grin. "Exactly, I can casually mention erasing a full Domain or slaying your vaunted elites because I wield the might to make it happen," he concluded firmly, utterly nonchalant.

His declaration silenced the group momentarily, his unshakeable assurance hanging thick in the atmosphere. Then Bringer let out a sigh, admitting, "honestly, if I were in your shoes, I would have become outrageously arrogant."

"Well, it’s a good thing you are not," Rider remarked with a soft chuckle, lightening the mood a touch.

With a casual wave of his hand, Anthony summoned a bottle of wine and five glasses onto the table, as if pulling them from nowhere. "Shall we toast to Tiara’s newfound freedom?" he suggested smilingly, sparking a series of drinks that transformed the heavy air into one of ease and release.