MIGHT AS WELL BE OP Chapter 1080: Space Bandits-2

Anthony halted briefly, his finger gently tapping his chin as if seriously pondering the offer, prompting the Space Pirates to grin—they admired people like Anthony, who seemed sharp enough to recognize their predicament and accept their spot in the vast order of things.

Bryan, Bringer, Tiara, and Rider merely shook their heads while silently pitying these bandits; they understood Anthony far more deeply than the Space Pirates and knew he was likely contemplating something totally unrelated to their suggestion.

Indeed, Anthony paid no heed to their proposal at all; to him, this seemed like the ideal opportunity for some roleplay. He envisioned himself as the overbearing Young Master, bellowing lines such as: "Do you know who I am?" "Do you know who my parents are?" "Courting death?" "My master will wipe out your family!" "Commoners and peasants!"

Those phrases raced vividly through his thoughts, yet unfortunately, Tiara, Bryan, Bringer, and Rider stopped him from acting it out; he'd crafted an aura of supreme power, and yelling such absurd lines now would demolish that reputation completely.

'Maybe another time,' Anthony pondered inwardly, a subtle spark of humor flickering in his mind.

"I have a better deal," Anthony declared at last, his voice steady with a touch of mischief, "how about I give you four of them, in exchange for something?" he proposed nonchalantly.

Bryan and the others froze in shock at his remark; such a response from Anthony was utterly unforeseen. After a short pause, they shook their heads—he was undoubtedly jesting, true to form.

"In exchange for what?" the octopus-headed one inquired, his voice tightening faintly as intrigue sparked in his eyes.

"Four of your own guys; seems like a perfect trade," Anthony responded with a casual shrug, presenting it as a utterly fair swap.

Rider, Bringer, Tiara, and Bryan exploded into laughter instantly; what had they anticipated? This was quintessential Anthony, perfectly in line with his nature.

"It seems we have nothing to talk about, sigh," the octopus-headed one remarked, shaking his head while releasing a soft sigh laced with mild regret.

"Then come get them," Anthony said bluntly, quiet mirth weaving through his tone.

Yet even as he uttered those words, the Space Bandits held their ground aboard their ship, glaring at Anthony with overt murderous intent, their stares keen and scheming.

Several minutes dragged on in heavy quiet, the atmosphere taut but stagnant, until Rider finally broke the hush: "Why aren't they coming? I thought they would attack immediately."

The others nodded in agreement, mirroring his bewilderment and puzzlement.

"That’s because they can’t come over here, look around you," Anthony explained evenly, maintaining his stare at the Space Pirates, his tone firm and certain.

Tiara and the group scanned their surroundings, comprehension striking them in an instant; they stood amid black holes, quasars, nebulae, and countless lethal cosmic forces—any Space Bandit venturing here would perish outright, defenseless.

"But shouldn’t that tell them that you are strong, since you are able to withstand this with your mere mana alone?" Tiara posed, her query sharp and apt.

Anthony gave a slight shake of his head before replying, "If you see a pig flying, would you believe it, or would you suspect someone is aiding it somehow?" he questioned serenely.

"The latter," Tiara answered promptly, yet realization dawned on her the very instant she spoke. In this case, Anthony played the role of the pig, and to the Space Pirates, some artifact was surely assisting him.

Noting that Tiara and the rest had caught his point, Anthony dipped his head faintly and pressed on, "They’ve only seen so many weak Humans, probably those below their level in combat prowess, so their minds can’t possibly accept the reality of someone like me existing. Well, not that I blame them," a subtle smile graced his lips, infused with understated poise.

He pivoted toward Bryan and the others then, instructing, "Put on the glasses; I’ve temporarily upgraded them to the Planetary level so that you can watch. My mana will also automatically react to my movements so you can follow the battle, even if we leave this area," and with no further delay, he surged ahead, hurtling toward the Space Bandits at blinding velocity.

Bringer and his companions couldn't resist pondering just when Anthony had enhanced their glasses, yet after a short while, they shrugged it off and slipped them on. The moment they did so, Anthony's mana stirred, tugging them gently ahead while aligning their senses as the clash loomed.

Anthony halted one kilometer from the Space Pirates' vessel; he had no reason to strike first, since the Space Bandits would spot him and launch an assault without hesitation.

The winged bandit struck first, covering the gap in a fraction of a millisecond, his blade shrieking at Anthony's neck with deadly accuracy. Yet Anthony just lifted a hand, clamping the sword between his index and middle fingers, halting the strike with utter casualness, like it held zero mass.

The winged Pirate's eyes bulged in astonishment, incredulity sweeping his features, but before a single word could escape, Anthony's palm flickered as he backhanded the Pirate aside with casual power. The Pirate's form whipped savagely, morphing into a white streak trailed by a massive detonation, his body hurtling into a remote star. Blood gushed from his mouth on collision, the star fracturing and destabilizing as if on the verge of eruption.

The very next moment, two others surged in at horrifying speeds. Countless tentacles from the octopus-headed one lashed at Anthony in endless barrages, numbering in the hundreds, while the shark-bodied Pirate spewed razor jets of water that rent through space with fearsome keenness.

However, Anthony had already discerned these strikes as mere diversions; while those two kept him busy, the other four Space Bandits charged straight for Bringer, Rider, Tiara, and Bryan. This was their actual target from the start, with the alleged artifact enabling Anthony to linger near a black hole merely a side consideration for the moment.

A faint smile played on Anthony's lips at their scheme; space warped around him as four portals ripped open, instantly gulping down the approaching tentacles and water jets without a fight. Right after, four more portals yawned directly before the bandits barreling toward Tiara and the rest, making them slam to a halt and parry their comrades' bounced-back assaults, completely breaking their charge.

In a flash, Anthony vanished.

He materialized right in front of the shocked shark-bodied bandit, his speed so blinding it bordered on invisible, and at that precise instant, his foot crashed into the man's chest like a detonating war drum, brimming with star-crushing might.

The blow was cataclysmic, the bandit's body flung backward with brutal force, smashing into a nearby moon that shattered on contact as if crafted from crystal, his form boring into its depths toward the center, the nearby space shivering lightly from the strike's raw power.