MIGHT AS WELL BE OP Chapter 1072: Black Sheep

"Anthony, I remember asking how strong Vivian and the others are right now, but you didn't answer," Rider pointed out, recalling the earlier question Anthony had overlooked.

Anthony himself had no idea, so he quickly consulted his OP system and got the details flooding into his thoughts without delay.

"The answer I'm about to share might shock you all," Anthony remarked with a serene smile, his face revealing none of the bombshell he was holding back.

"With that grin on your face, I'm betting they've surpassed the Emperor Mana Rank," Bringer said with a sigh, steeling himself for the incoming surprise.

"Just spit it out already—you've stunned us with your insane feats today, so what's one more rank gonna do?" Bryan urged, staring at Anthony as impatience gave way to eager curiosity.

Shaking his head, Anthony replied evenly, "Everyone's reached the Apexus Mana Rank," delivering the news like it was no big deal, not a revelation that shattered their views on progress.

A heavy silence gripped the control room, leaving everyone slack-jawed and frozen, the impact of his revelation sinking in deep.

"You... you're joking... aren't you?" Tiara stammered, her voice quivering with raw shock even as she fought to stay steady.

Anthony stayed quiet, letting them absorb the truth, his unflappable calm only heightening the dreamlike absurdity of it all.

"That can't be possible," Rider chimed in from nearby, his forehead creased in deep confusion as he grappled with the impossible info.

"I figured you were the sole freak, but now they're all freaks too," Bryan muttered in astonishment, shaking his head like he could shake off the nightmare.

"Has reaching Planetary level become a walk in the park? I always thought it took millennia, yet Anthony and his crew hit it at just twenty," Bringer exclaimed, blending awe with irritation in his tone.

After a brief pause, Tiara ventured, "Perhaps it's because of the Military—they're all in it," she suggested, clutching at any straw to explain the madness.

"Tch, if the Military could do that, the Demon race would be history by now, and every soldier would be Planetary-level," Rider countered with a tongue click, rejecting her idea outright. "Sigh, I regret even asking," he groaned, utterly swamped by it all.

"What's Evelyn up to these days?" Bryan inquired, reeling from her Planetary breakthrough while he lingered at King Mana Rank, the divide seeming vast and unbridgeable.

As soon as Bryan posed the question, it dawned on the group that he'd once harbored feelings for Evelyn—no rocket science needed to predict he'd seek her out in the Military.

Looking straight at Bryan, Anthony explained, "She's training with my grandmother now, her official disciple, so she's likely honing healing techniques and related skills at this very moment," he shared openly and casually, holding nothing back.

Bryan pondered silently for a beat before nodding; he'd pursue her anyway, and if rebuffed, he'd climb to Planetary level first, no matter the years it demanded.

No mind-reading required for Anthony to grasp Bryan's intentions, but he held his tongue—Evelyn and Bryan's love tangle was their business, and he wanted zero involvement.

Ideally, they'd wed and start a family soon; Anthony grinned inwardly at the thought of playing the lavish uncle, showering kids with lavish presents, then he banished the whimsy and regained his poise.

Bringer opened his mouth to say something, but suddenly he, Rider, Bryan, and Tiara sensed dire warnings shrieking through their souls, minds, and bodies, a crushing peril surging over them unseen.

They barely had time to blink before a colossal blast thundered in their ears like divine wrath, its power shaking the entire aircraft and farther still.

Stunned and disoriented for an instant, clarity hit them all at once: assassins.

No speculation needed—they knew Anthony had thwarted the strike on their craft, and though cloaking tech hid it, such overwhelming might pierced through effortlessly, nullifying all stealth.

Anthony stood up from his chair. "I will handle them, you are welcome to watch if you want to," he declared calmly, his features morphing into a different guise—after all, spotting his real face would make the assassins flee at once, but Anthony yearned for some amusement at their expense.

Afterward, he drifted up to the aircraft's ceiling, his form slipping through it without resistance before he planted himself on the empty sky, balanced as if the heavens formed a sturdy platform under his soles. The Storm Brothers and Tiara’s guards had arrived already; spotting Anthony left them puzzled since his face was unknown, though they recalled his outfit from before. Anthony communicated mind-to-mind, commanding them to fall back, and they complied right away without a second thought.

Anthony’s gaze settled on the four silhouettes hovering in front of him, their auras firm and crushing; each operated at Origin Mana Rank, spanning different tiers, but all radiated undeniable might.

"Step aside, Human," one declared, an Elf clutching her bow with poised assurance, eyes piercing like daggers.

On Blue Planet, assassins weren’t limited to cloaked shadows darting with daggers, poisons, and such; any hired slayer counted as one, no matter their look or tactics.

"Aren’t you all too old and strong to be bullying children?" Anthony quipped with a playful edge, his mouth twitching into a smirk as he eyed them utterly fearless.

They sensed Anthony’s power; after all, the mighty always spot their peers. The other guards had withdrawn because of him, and he’d conjured the barrier that halted their previous strike, yet for now, they still thought they possessed the edge.

"I will not repeat myself," the Elf warned, lifting her bow to shoot, her murderous aura seeping faintly into the atmosphere.

The remaining three readied for assault, their presences pulsing softly; one a Zombie, another a Werewolf, and the final a Fairy—a bizarre and clashing lineup.

Anthony had to confess, this marked his first glimpse of a Fairy turned contract killer; known far and wide as a peaceful folk rarely glimpsed by the world, yet clearly, even among pure flocks, a dark outlier appears—and this one faced him directly.