MIGHT AS WELL BE OP Chapter 993: Gains
Previously on MIGHT AS WELL BE OP...
"You appear lost in thought," Veronica's voice resounded as she faced Vega, who sat there with a pensive look on her face.
Vega let out a sigh upon hearing Veronica, drawing all eyes to her in the quiet that followed, before she finally said, "I just think I might've joined this spar myself—a rare chance like a clash among anomalies doesn't come often," her voice soft and reflective as she continued.
Nobody batted an eye at her labeling them anomalies; instead, they brushed it off and questioned her reasons for feeling that way.
"Think about it: early on, Aura Nova clashed with Kingsley, picking up tips on her hand-to-hand fighting and spotting her flaws, which she later polished back home," she started explaining, "Kingsley, after his defeat, honed his Law Defiance Field too. Next, Aura Nova faced off against Lucian and unlocked True Self Actualisation from him, and per Anthony, she's set to turn into a beast after some training rounds."
She halted for a second, giving the group time to piece together her logic and grasp her point, "Then came Anthony versus Lucian, where Lucian picked up some Katana insights mid-fight. After that, Anthony took on Kingsley, who's now stirred the Martial Rhythm," she stopped briefly before concluding firmly, "It looks like everyone's walking away with gains from this spar."
Her statement hung in the air, sparking a wave of quiet since it was clear each person was advancing in some manner. Sure, Lucian's takeaways from facing Anthony didn't match the scale of Aura Nova's True Self Actualisation or Kingsley's Martial Rhythm, but any step forward counted, and in their realm, the tiniest edge could tip the scales from victory to downfall.
Among the five fighters, three had advanced, excluding just Anthony and Aaaninja.
While the rest now itched to jump in and take part, their power fell short for such intense confrontations, where even the lingering shockwaves could rattle anyone lacking the needed might.
"Anthony, have you picked up something we missed? What about Aaaninja?" Veronica inquired abruptly, since jumping to conclusions in this group could lead astray all too easily.
Anthony's sky-blue gaze moved to Veronica as he replied, "A field like this offers no real gains," he stated evenly, his tone and face unchanging, his words carrying no arrogance—just a chilling steadiness in delivery.
Lips quirked around the room; wasn't Anthony basically saying the others were too feeble for him to learn from? True, he'd crushed every opponent, yet that barb hit harder than they'd admit.
"You know, this is exactly why Altheria sees you as arrogant, don't you?" Vega remarked from nearby, her mouth twitching slightly in what seemed like amusement at his directness.
"Her views on me don't matter," Anthony responded with a subtle grin; he and Altheria weren't close—they'd barely spoken—so why fuss over her take? He'd give her respect as Aaaninja's partner, but that was the extent of it, no more, no less.
"Sigh, looks like we'll wait till Aaaninja stirs and see if he got anything out of it," Lucian noted, his dark eyes glancing toward where Aaaninja hovered.
"Probably, though I suspect he didn't gain much since he wrapped up against Kingsley quick and only went long with you, holding even until those over-the-top powers came out," Aura Nova pointed out, her reasoning sharp and spot-on, given Aaaninja's fast wins prior to the peak.
After a short pause in silence, Anthony chimed in, "No guessing required—he did gain something; that's why he's out cold," he said steadily, a slight smile curving his mouth.
Anthony's remark pulled even Zachary and Nyxss's focus from Aaaninja, where they'd been watching intently for the ten-hour point, toward him—who among parents wouldn't wonder at their kid's growth, particularly one involving otherworldly transformation?
"Wasn't it mental fatigue that knocked him out?" Nyxss questioned Anthony, clinging to his prior account as a comforting truth.
"Yes, mental exhaustion did it, and for a prodigy like Aaaninja with his strong will, he should've roused within an hour," Anthony clarified in a serene voice, seated with a relaxed smile, "yet he's lingering because he's grasping concepts and transforming right now."
While Anthony explained, his stare stayed on Aaaninja's form, witnessing the shifts in his psyche through his All Seeing Eyes, details laid bare like simple tales in a kid's primer—clear, unmasked.
"What kind of transformation? I won't spill, as personal powers and secrets stay private; if he shares, great, but otherwise, it's not my call," Anthony wrapped up decisively, refusing to reveal Aaaninja's changes no matter the intrigue.
Regarding Aaaninja's transformation's cause, he'd linked to the River Of Time to rescue Lucian, flooding his thoughts with insights into the Authority Of Time, the Concept Of Time, the Laws Of Time, plus deeper mysteries—though this influx was fleeting, tied to sustaining Lucian, since Aaaninja's grasp couldn't handle such might yet with his time mastery.
Even so, gains weren't absent; picturing the River Of Time's wisdom as a vast wasteland, Aaaninja had snagged less than a speck of sand—tiny at first glance, yet for their stage, one such particle from that profound source could skyrocket strength and reshape their path forward.
Lucian Darkheart gazed at Aaaninja, exhaling with a playful grin, his thoughts wandering to the Starborn Tournament where Aaaninja fell to Anthony and attained True Enlightenment.
Now, facing defeat to Lucian, he'd snared another prize. Technically, the uplift stemmed not from the loss itself but from aiding Lucian—without that save, no reward would've come.
Yet Aaaninja struck as someone who turned every setback into profit, be it obvious or sly, overt or veiled.
This truth didn't faze Lucian; he just grinned at the idea of Aaaninja rising stronger—in truth, he welcomed it, for standing still scared him more than competition.
'Can't afford to slack off,' he pondered inwardly, a broad smile breaking across his features at the prospect of battling this renewed Aaaninja.
____