MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

"Is there a reason you came, Anthony?" Vivian asked suddenly. Now that the grand tour had come to an end, and her moment of showing off her hard work had concluded, she could finally pose the question that had been on her mind the whole time.

She didn't believe for a second that Anthony had shown up just to drop by and leave.

Upon hearing Vivian's question, Anthony's gaze, which had been fixated on the children playing outside, slowly shifted until it landed on Vivian and Donna, both of whom were now staring at him with expectant eyes.

"Vivian," he began, his voice calm, "I know your parents were killed by the Forsaken Cult. Now, the military is about to launch a full-scale operation to eradicate the Forsaken Cult completely. The battle will be conducted at their primary base. I'm here to invite you to join."

The moment Anthony's words registered in Vivian's ears, her mind quivered. Her thoughts involuntarily shifted to her parents, their warm smiles, gentle voices, and the promises they used to make.

With her sharpened intelligence, it had become impossible for her to forget the details of their existence: their expressions, their scent, the subtle gestures they made. Everything about them had been etched into her very soul. Even her earliest memories, faint recollections from when she was merely a child, were stirred back to life.

As years' worth of suppressed rage, loss, and unresolved pain flooded her mind, her aura began to flare uncontrollably. The storm inside her, long buried, threatened to erupt.

But before it could escalate, Anthony casually raised his hand. With a single, almost dismissive motion, Vivian's aura dissipated completely before it had the chance to rise.

"There are children here. This isn't your guild," Anthony said, his tone calm but firm. "I don't want any of them waking up at night with nightmares or ending up mentally scarred for life."

Vivian inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, the bubbling fury within her chest gradually settling. She then muttered, "I'm sorry. I lost my composure for a moment."

Anthony didn't offer a response. He simply gave a short nod of acknowledgment.

"Isn't this supposed to be a military exclusive mission? Wouldn't you get punished for revealing this to outsiders?" Donna interjected, her brow raised in concern.

A faint smile appeared on Anthony's lips as he replied, "They wouldn't dare… Besides, I'm the captain of my team. I act according to what I believe is right. And with all the chaos and destruction going on, I highly doubt the military has the time, or the interest, to worry about who you two are."

Vivian and Donna exchanged a glance before nodding in agreement. What he said made sense. With the scale of the battle and the countless life and death moments that would unfold, no one would waste their energy trying to identify two seemingly random individuals among millions of troops.

"The military will also be mobilizing various guilds and major powerhouses from across the planet. They've mapped out the hidden bases of the Forsaken Cult," Anthony continued. "While the military focuses on dismantling the cult's main headquarters, everyone else will be responsible for eradicating the branches scattered around the world."

Donna and Vivian both fell into thoughtful silence. But within moments, wide grins spread across their faces. They hadn't realized the scale of the operation was this grand. Total annihilation, that phrase had a satisfying ring to it. They relished the idea.

"This couldn't have come at a better time," Donna remarked. "Now that all our guild members are present, we can issue the mission without anyone missing out."

Vivian nodded in agreement, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.

"We'll leave our clones with the guild members. They'll lead the teams during the attack," Vivian said with conviction.

Anthony added, "The military will be offering rewards, of course. They're not going to have others do their job for free."

But Donna and Vivian didn't care about the rewards. Their concern was singular and intense: the complete extermination of the demon worshipping fanatics who had caused so much pain and suffering.

"When do you leave?" Vivian asked after a brief pause.

Anthony turned his gaze toward Donna and asked, "Donna… Are you going?"

"Is that even a question?" Donna scoffed. "There's no way I'm missing front row seats to a history making moment like this."

Anthony chuckled lightly. "Sorry to break it to you, but this kind of history has been written more than five times by the military. Every time we wipe them out, another group eventually emerges from the shadows."

"Isn't there a permanent solution?" Vivian asked, her tone now more serious.

"There is…" Anthony said, smiling faintly. "It involves wiping out the entire Demon race, not just from the Blue Planet, but from the galaxy itself. Otherwise, they'll simply return, even if we succeed in pushing them off our world."

Vivian and Donna were struck speechless. They simply stared at him in disbelief.

Eliminating the entire demon race… across the galaxy? That was a level of ambition, and power, they hadn't yet attained.

But if Anthony was speaking so casually about it, did that mean his power had already surpassed planetary levels? Had he truly reached the ceiling of power within the galaxy?

Anthony sat with a calm and composed expression, suggesting something that many would consider absurd, even impossible. Although others may have harbored the same thoughts, none had voiced them aloud with such confidence.

Could the demon race truly be exterminated?

How many planets existed within the galaxy? How many were infested with demonic life? The sheer scope of the endeavor was literally unimaginable. And yet, if Anthony wished to do it, the path seemed strangely possible.

All he would need to do is capture a single demon, then activate Authority of Severance, an ability capable of summoning all those connected by the same demonic bloodline or corrupted by chaos energy. Once gathered, he could annihilate them all in a single strike.

Simple. In theory.

But of course, it wasn't truly that easy. Countless variables could interfere, diverse abilities, ancient artifacts, forbidden techniques, any one of them could affect the outcome drastically.

However, Anthony's goal wasn't to purge the demon race from existence. At least, not yet.

For now, his objective was relatively straightforward: to step into the higher galactic realms… and enjoy the thrill of the journey.

Shaking her head with a soft smile, Donna rose from her seat. With a graceful motion of her hand, a swirling portal opened in front of her. Without hesitation, she stepped through. Vivian and Anthony followed right behind.

In the blink of an eye, they reappeared within the guild, materializing directly in the Guild Master's office. Without wasting time, Vivian and Donna summoned several high-ranking members and briefed them to prepare for something monumental.

After giving their instructions and setting the necessary plans in motion, both Vivian and Donna created perfect clones of themselves. These doubles would act as their replacements within the guild during the upcoming battle.

With everything arranged, the three of them vanished once more, this time, fully prepared to make history... and revenge that has been on their mind all this time.