Chapter 730: Friendly Payback
Anthony sat calmly, his sky blue eyes observing the rest of the team members who had yet to touch the planetary level. He could easily tell what was going through Seraphim’s, Dale’s, and Reynold’s minds. Yet, he didn’t speak on it, nor did he attempt to convince them that everything would work out in the end.
Nobody here was that naive.
Besides, if Anthony decided to start helping everyone he met, he would eventually exhaust himself, physically, mentally, and spiritually. If he were to start from the Omni Peak Academy, it would mean helping Bryan, Tiara, Bringer, and Rider, since they had been his first true friends. After that, he would have to lend aid to Seraphim, Reynold, and Dale. And what then? When he made new friends in the future, would he have to help them all over again?
Before long, he would be crushed under the weight of his own goodwill, buried beneath the endless responsibility of friendship. Because if he started, he would have to take everyone from below the planetary level to the planetary level, then the galactic level, then the universal level. The path would be endless. Anthony wasn’t about to drown himself with such a burdensome task.
Although one might argue that this attitude was cruel on Anthony’s part, especially since he had access to the system sign-in rewards and the system shop, Anthony didn’t care for anyone’s opinion. He wasn’t about to justify himself to anyone. If it was truly so easy, then others were free to step up and help Bryan and the rest themselves.
He still possessed the Blood Servant ability, which could enhance and upgrade the talents of every one of his friends, but Anthony chose not to go down that route. Doing so would make them his subordinates, bound to his will and command. That wasn’t something he wanted, not from his friends. So, he simply left things as they were. Besides, he already had ten subordinates, and he had almost no real use for them at the moment. There was no need to add more to the list.
Spectre and Clement stood quietly, their composure unshaken. They had no doubt in their ability to reach the planetary level; they knew they possessed both the talent and the resources, and more importantly, the time, to do so. Yet even with all their confidence, neither of them could understand how Kingsley had reached that level before them. To them, it was simply absurd. Even Clement, whose entire form was cloaked in the eternal darkness that constantly enveloped him, showed a flicker of surprise.
"Well, you’ll all have to excuse me," Vega’s voice broke through the quiet tension of the room, cutting through their thoughts like a gentle breeze. She seemed completely oblivious to the mental weight and inner turmoil that plagued the others.
Anthony’s blue eyes shifted from his teammates to Vega, who was still standing by the large window, her long hair catching the soft glow of light that filtered through. "Where are you headed?" he asked calmly, his tone mild and curious.
"To meet up with Veronica," Vega replied with a faint smile. "She’s been buzzing my phone for a while now, and I’ve been ignoring it."
"Oh?" Anthony leaned back slightly, a teasing smile tugging at his lips. "Should I feel special, then? You’ve been ignoring your best friend because of me?" His voice was light, almost playful, as he spoke.
But Vega didn’t fall for it. "No need to feel special," she said with calm ease. "She always ignores me whenever she’s on a date with her boyfriend. You could say this is just friendly payback."
Anthony stared at her for a brief moment, the corner of his lips curling upward in amusement before he gave a small nod.
"See you guys later, then," Vega said, addressing the rest of the team. But they were each too lost in their own thoughts to respond properly. They simply nodded, their expressions distant.
Without another word, Vega extended her hand and tore open a portal in space before her. The air rippled and twisted as the dimensional fold opened, a swirling vortex of energy humming faintly in the room. She stepped forward, then paused, glancing back over her shoulder at Anthony.
"Don’t miss me too much," she said with a soft, knowing smile before stepping through. The sound of a faint swish echoed as the portal sealed shut behind her, leaving a brief shimmer in the air that quickly faded into silence.
Anthony let out a slow breath before turning his gaze back to the remaining teammates, who seemed to finally be emerging from their deep thoughts.
"Well," Anthony began, his tone casual yet steady, "what happened in my absence?" He reached into his system inventory and brought out a bottle of aged alcohol along with a few finely crafted glasses.
"Nothing much," Dale replied after a brief pause. "The soldiers are still talking about the fall of the Forsaken Cult, which is understandable. Some of them are whispering about you, planning to move with you to the soon-to-be-established Alpha-10 military base." He shrugged. "Just the usual stuff. After all, it’s only been a few days, and the excitement of everyone returning alive is still electric."
Dale sat cross-legged in midair as though gravity meant nothing to him, pouring himself a glass of alcohol with smooth, practiced ease.
At his words, everyone nodded in agreement. It was true, nothing much had happened, yet the atmosphere still carried a lingering tension. For those who had survived countless battles, returning alive from a mission wasn’t something to be taken lightly.
To an outsider, celebrating survival for an entire week after a single mission might seem excessive. But those who had never experienced the nightmare of endless war, those who had never watched their friends die before their eyes, never lost family, never lost lovers, would never understand the sentiment.
Anthony understood it perfectly. So, he simply raised his glass in silence and drank, nodding slightly to himself.
"When the Warlords asked about me," he said calmly, his voice breaking the silence once more, "what did you tell them?"
"Well," Kingsley answered with a faint smile, "since we didn’t find you or Vega, we just assumed the two of you had gone on another date outside the military base. That’s exactly what we told the Warlords." He raised his glass and downed the shot of alcohol in one go, his smile widening slightly.
Anthony chuckled softly before nodding in acknowledgment.
Although it was considered taboo for anyone to leave the military base without permission, the rule didn’t apply to him. Anthony didn’t need permission, his name alone was permission. Even without the weight of his name and connections, his sheer power was enough to grant him the freedom others could only dream of.
To most people, power came with restrictions. But for Anthony, it came with absolute autonomy. He didn’t flaunt it, but everyone understood what it meant when he moved, authority and strength followed him like a shadow.