As the Overseer departed, Anthony resud the familiar routine that had long since beco second nature.
With a practiced motion, he conjured the cottage once more.
He and Aaaninja settled into the quiet ambiance of the living room, though Lucian was notably absent.
Without hesitation, Aaaninja retrieved a selection of potions, swiftly consuming them to nd his wounds, replenish his stamina, and restore his depleted mana.
Then, without a word, he transitioned into ditation, his ever closed eyes undisturbed by the world around him.
Anthony remained silent.
A faint smile played at his lips, yet he offered no words, only the quiet comfort of his presence.
"You're as confident as ever, aren't you?"
Aaaninja's voice was steady, his eyes remaining closed as he directed his words toward Anthony.
"Is there a reason I shouldn't be?"
Anthony responded languidly, his tone carrying an air of effortless ease.
"Are you looking down on ?"
Aaaninja asked, his voice as composed as ever.
Anthony shook his head before replying.
"I don't look down on anyone, nor do I look up to them. I simply don't care about most things"
"If you truly don't care about anything, then why not simply forfeit the match?"
Aaaninja smirked as he shifted from his lotus position, crossing one leg over the other. His left leg rested atop his right, and he leaned back, propping his head against his fist, which sat atop the armrest.
Anthony exhaled softly before responding.
"Well, you could say I have no interest in the resources we stand to gain. I don't even know what they are, nor do I particularly care. But I'm afraid I must disappoint you, there are a few things in this life that matter to . And failing my parents is one of them"
Anthony's smile curled into a smirk as he continued, his tone laced with quiet amusent.
"Besides, I doubt you'd let
forfeit so easily. Your pride wouldn't allow it, not after already losing to . I imagine you want the satisfaction of defeating
fair and square this ti"
At Anthony's words, Aaaninja's brow arched slightly.
"I do not carry the so called pride that other top races cling to so dearly"
He replied, his voice steady, almost asured.
"If I did, my pride as a Celestial wouldn't even allow
to converse with a human. And you are right, I do want the satisfaction of defeating you. But not out of pride. Victory simply ans I've grown, that I've surpassed soone who was once stronger than . It's a testant to my progress and advancent, nothing more"
His tone was firm, as if ensuring there was no room for misunderstanding.
"Understood"
Anthony replied simply.
He had always known Aaaninja was different from the others, lacking the arrogance that so often accompanied strength.
He was rely teasing him.
"I have to admit, you and Lucian are truly sothing else"
Anthony mused, his tone carrying a hint of amusent.
"Sotis, I wonder if I'm even the protagonist of this story"
Aaaninja's eyes narrowed slightly.
"What do you an?"
He asked, curiosity lacing his voice.
Anthony chuckled.
"Don't play dumb. The two of you were bending reality like it was child's play, rewriting it as if it were the simplest thing in the world"
For a brief mont, a look of shock flickered across Aaaninja's face, only to vanish just as quickly.
"You knew…?"
His voice, though composed, still carried traces of disbelief.
"How did you sense it?"
Anthony's smirk deepened.
"Hoohhh… Others may not have noticed, but don't lump
in with them"
Anthony said, his tone dripping with confidence.
Aaaninja's mind raced, thoughts accelerating as countless possibilities flooded his mind.
Even the esteed delegates from various planets had failed to notice it.
Yet Anthony had.
What he and Lucian had done was beyond comprehension, sothing even the Aetherians, a race renowned for their mastery over reality itself, could not achieve.
The Aetherians had rely scratched the surface of reality's fabric, brushing against its outermost layer.
But Aaaninja and Lucian… they had reached deeper, into so essence of existence itself.
As Anthony and Aaaninja conversed, a shift in the air alerted them to another presence.
They turned just as Lucian strode in, his movents effortlessly confident.
"Yo!"
He greeted with a casual smile, dropping into a seat without hesitation.
Anthony smirked.
"Back from the land of the dead, I see"
"I sure am"
Lucian chuckled.
"The healers worked fast, just a snap of their fingers, and I was back to my peak"
"No hard feelings about the loss, right?"
Aaaninja asked, his tone casual as he glanced at Lucian.
Lucian shrugged.
"Yeah, it's nothing. Wins and losses co and go. Though…"
He smirked, tilting his head toward Anthony.
"I'm pretty sure that rule doesn't apply to him"
Aaaninja chuckled but then paused as a lingering question surfaced in his mind.
"Oh, right, I ant to ask. Before you passed out, you said, 'I should have known' What did you an by that?"
Lucian leaned forward, plucking a fruit from the table before answering.
"Those words weren't ant for you"
Lucian said, inspecting the fruit with an easygoing air.
"They were for the author of this story"
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Aaaninja's brow furrowed.
"Seriously, why are you and Anthony so obsessed with this whole 'author' and 'story' nonsense? I swear, if this is so human affliction, I might have to start searching for a healer, just in case yours aren't advanced enough to treat ntal conditions"
Anthony and Lucian rely shook their heads in unison, offering no response.
Lucian casually munched on his fruit before turning to Aaaninja with a curious glint in his eyes.
"So… are you confident in winning this ti?"
Aaaninja t his gaze, pausing for a mont before responding with a question of his own.
"Your tone makes it sound like I'm destined to lose again. Why is that?"
Lucian chuckled, his expression unreadable.
"Nothing much. Just a simple question, no harm in asking"
Aaaninja studied him for a mont before smirking.
"For soone who's only just t Anthony, you seem to trust in his abilities a little too much. Are you sure you aren't—"
Before he could even finish the sentence, a crushing wave of Lucian's presence erupted into the room, thick with unspoken warning.
"I dare you to complete that sentence"
Lucian said, his voice dangerously low.
"I fucking dare you!"
Aaaninja, rather than intimidated, looked thoroughly amused as he took in the sudden shift in atmosphere.
"You do realize you're sounding a little too defensive, right?"
Aaaninja mused, a smirk playing on his lips.
"I've noticed the way you look at Anthony since the first ti you saw him... I have to say, I don't jud—"
Before he could finish, a blur of motion filled his vision, Anthony's fist was already upon him.
Aaaninja's instincts flared.
His body vanished in a flicker, just as Anthony's punch crashed into the couch.
BOOM!
The furniture exploded into splinters beneath the sheer force, the shockwave rippling through the room.
Before Aaaninja could fully regain his footing, another threat was already upon him.
Lucian was there, waiting.
His knee shot forward in a brutal arc, aiming straight for Aaaninja's temple.
Yet, with a deft, fluid motion, Aaaninja twisted out of the way, his movents effortless.
"What's suddenly gotten into the both of you?"
Aaaninja asked, his expression genuinely perplexed.
"Why are you attacking
out of nowhere?"
Lucian's eyes burned with irritation as he gritted his teeth.
"Because you dared to entertain such thoughts about us"
Anthony scoffed, folding his arms.
"Bring your sister to , and I'll personally show her my moves"
Aaaninja barely had ti to react before both Anthony and Lucian vanished in a blur of motion.
They had decided, Aaaninja needed a lesson for his audacity.
Yet, amidst their shared intent, there was one thing they both agreed on completely.
Both Anthony and Lucian cursed the Author in unison.
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