MIGHT AS WELL BE OP Chapter 1076: Exploring Space-1

All eyes locked onto Anthony, eagerly waiting for his answer; in that instant, the sun, stars, moon, and the splendor of the starry sky no longer felt distant at all.

Anthony lay there in shock, unprepared for the conversation to veer in this direction; moments later, he just grinned and shook his head. Truth be told, refusing was impossible. Taking them up and back would take mere minutes for him, utterly effortless, akin to a leisurely walk.

"Alright, I'll bring you all along, so quit staring at me with those strange looks; you're all guys," Anthony said with a smile, still lounging relaxed on the aircraft, his voice casual.

Tiara appeared offended and retorted, "Hey, I'm a woman, you know," she declared, her eyebrows furrowing a bit in objection, obviously not ready to overlook the comment so quickly.

"And I'm in a relationship, so every woman counts as a man to me," Anthony shot back instantly, his comeback swift.

Bryan, Rider, and Bringer leaped up right away, thrill surging through them like a raging blaze, their prior calm crumbling in a flash beneath surging expectation.

"Let’s go!!!!" Bringer yelled into the darkness like a kid spotting Santa stuffing presents under the tree.

"When do we leave?" Rider inquired, his face splitting into a broad, unstoppable grin, his typical poise swapped for pure enthusiasm he didn't bother hiding.

Anthony shook his head while adjusting his stance and standing up, as the group was now all on their feet, their vibe infectious enough to stir him too, "When do you want to head out?" he questioned in a relaxed, playfully mocking voice.

"We're free right now, so this is ideal," Tiara chimed in without hesitation; passing up this chance meant uncertainty about seeing Anthony again soon—who could say if an urgent matter wouldn't pull him away? Better to seize the moment completely, even if unlikely, the mere idea made her refuse to wait.

"I agree," Bryan quickly supported Tiara's words.

"We concur," the twin Titans declared together.

"No issue then," Anthony replied smilingly.

Bryan abruptly recalled something and asked, "Do we need any prep? Like space suits or artifacts or whatever?" his curiosity evident.

"No need for that; those space suits wouldn't save you anyway," Anthony remarked calmly, his statement laced with quiet assurance, "let's move, just trail me," he instructed, then rocketed skyward in a blink, his form streaking through the air like a bolt of lightning.

The others wasted no time; they blasted after Anthony at top speed, slicing the atmosphere as if gravity had relented, although he eased his velocity to let them keep pace, his speed vastly superior. Upward they soared through the clouds at full throttle, carving paths of turbulent air behind.

Bubbling excitement shone vividly in their gazes, wild and irrepressible, yet Anthony stayed silent on it; his own last burst of such thrill came when departing Blue Planet initially, setting off for the Starborn Tournament, a fleeting recollection that crossed his thoughts then vanished.

Suddenly, Rider, Bringer, Tiara, and Bryan started decelerating, their velocity dropping fast and steadily, like the atmosphere had thickened abruptly, bearing down with an unseen crushing pressure.

"Gravity's intensifying, getting worse as we climb higher from the surface," Bryan noted, his voice hushed while awareness slipped from him mid-flight, his frame quivering faintly from the burden.

"We haven't exited the planet yet," Tiara murmured, her tone taut as she neared blackout from the crushing gravity and insane air pressure squeezing from every side.

Anthony merely flicked his hand, unleashing his mana in a rush that enveloped them all in a thick blue glow; instantly, their minds cleared sharply, the crushing load evaporating as if it had never been.

"You can't fly past this point, so I'll handle the flying ahead," Anthony announced, facing them with a firm voice.

Even though Anthony's words reached their ears, their minds failed to process them, with gazes locked solely on his mana. Its purity, density, mastery, and elegance were utterly divine, surpassing anything they'd ever seen.

'Father's mana isn't nearly this pure,' Bryan mused inwardly while his body soared higher under Anthony's command, briefly overlooking his near blackout from just seconds earlier.

"We are about to leave the planet," Anthony's voice rang out, jolting them from their stupor and wonder, pulling them firmly into the here and now.

Approaching the barrier shielding the Blue Planet, they slipped through it effortlessly under Anthony's guidance, as if it were nonexistent, crossing an invisible divide between their realm and the immense cosmos ahead.

Upon Bryan, Rider, Bringer, and Tiara beholding the galaxy... breathing escaped them entirely. Awe brimmed in their eyes as they gaped at the boundless vista unfolding, an infinity that crushed every prior fancy.

Planets sharing the Blue Planet's orbit caught their sight, alongside countless stars dotting the void like gems flung over ebony velvet; comets blazed through emptiness, black holes hovered as mute predators, suns blazed with inconceivable fury, moons glided in serene grace—they beheld it all, yet sensed it merely scratched the surface of reality.

Anthony observed them briefly with a grin, staying quiet, having foreseen their captivation, aware no phrase could encapsulate their vision.

"If you want to move around, just will it, and my mana will react to your will, just like how you usually fly or walk," Anthony explained calmly, granting them liberty amid his dominion.

His words barely faded when they all burst in different paths, darting to the celestial objects gripping their interest most, motions brimming with amazement and innocent eagerness.

"Oh my days... I’m standing on a fucking sun!!!" Bringer yelled in disbelief, staring at the star's surface raging over a million degrees Celsius, feeling zero heat. He knew for sure, absent Anthony's mana, death would've claimed him long before nearing, much less perching there.

Tiara fixated more on the moon; she touched down on it, grabbing a fistful of cosmic dust while eyeing it in total wonder, seemingly discerning its makeup—the elements and ores within—her inquisitiveness devouring her wholly.

Rider perched on a space boulder; countless others orbited nearby, too numerous for one glance. Like a kid bouncing on a trampoline, he hopped between them, chuckles bursting free in his unbound play. From asteroid to comet, then comet to meteor he vaulted, grin plastered wide without pause.

Elsewhere, Bryan planted feet on a planet's crust, gaping at it in reverence, brain reeling from the colossal magnitude and aura underfoot, as if beholding a holy marvel.

Anthony stayed mute, merely observing like a dad ushering kids to an epic theme park or dreamscape beyond fancy. He smiled softly, truly, deriving joy not from stellar grandeur, but their bliss, which then rivaled the stars' own radiance.