Chapter 1055: AI
Anthony stared at the twin brothers, his gaze calm yet filled with a quiet sense of familiarity, as he had witnessed this exact scene play out countless times five years ago, the memory as clear as though it had happened only yesterday.
’It seems some things never truly change,’ he mused to himself, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. ’Bringer is still as dumb as a rock, and Rider is still the smart one,’ he thought inwardly, observing them with an almost nostalgic amusement.
Of course, he didn’t mean it as an insult to Bringer in any serious sense; this was simply how male friends referred to and played around with one another sometimes, a form of unspoken understanding and casual banter that required no explanation between them.
’It seems they are all hovering around the King Mana Rank,’ Anthony thought to himself as he accessed their Mana Ranks with nothing more than a single glance, his perception effortlessly analyzing and breaking down their levels of power without the slightest strain.
’Bryan is at Level 7, Tiara is at Level 6, while Rider is at Level 5 and Bringer is at Level 8,’ Anthony assessed them internally. By sub-mana rank alone, Bringer stood as the strongest among them, but everyone present knew that Mana Rank wasn’t everything in a battlefield, as experience, technique, instinct, and adaptability often played equally significant roles.
Anthony’s eyes shifted toward Tiara, who had remained silent throughout this entire time, her presence composed yet unmistakably dominant. Gazing at her, he spoke, "It’s been a while, Tiara, still as prideful as ever?" he asked without missing a beat, his tone calm, carrying a faint hint of teasing familiarity.
Tiara, a Vampire born into a common Vampire family, had ended up becoming more prideful than Dragons themselves, a race known as the very incarnation of pride. Back in their academy days, nobody had been more obsessed with claiming Rank 1 than Tiara, her competitive nature almost overwhelming.
Of course, Anthony had never exactly cared about Rank 1 in the same obsessive manner, but his natural brilliance and overwhelming talent would never allow him to settle for anything less than the very top, regardless of his indifference toward the rank itself.
"It’s been a while, Anthony," Tiara replied, her voice noticeably more mature than it had sounded five years ago, carrying a refined and controlled tone. She skillfully ignored Anthony’s question entirely, choosing not to acknowledge it.
Anthony smiled faintly as he responded, "Why are you greeting only me?" he asked, tilting his head slightly. "We all haven’t seen or spoken to each other in the past five years; it’s a full reunion, yet you all make it sound as though I’m the only one who has been missing from the group," he added with a relaxed and almost playful tone.
At Anthony’s words, realization dawned upon them all. They had subconsciously focused all their attention on Anthony due to his overwhelming and literal absurd display of power, to the point that they had completely forgotten to greet one another properly. With that realization, the group quickly exchanged greetings, smiles appearing across their faces, while Bringer and Bryan even exchanged firm hugs like true brothers who had long been apart.
As they finished greeting one another, Anthony’s voice cut through once more, "Let’s leave here for now," he said with a calm suggestive tone.
"Where should we head to?" Tiara asked calmly, her posture relaxed yet attentive.
"Nowhere in particular. Let’s just talk and catch up; we can always decide on a destination later. Maybe we could explore one of the Domains," Anthony replied without hesitation, his tone casual as though such decisions were of little importance.
"Although we can explore a Domain, there is a problem with that," Rider stated with a sigh, his expression turning slightly serious as he considered the situation more practically.
"What problem?" Bringer asked, genuinely confused, his brows furrowing slightly as he failed to see any issue.
Before Anthony could respond, Bryan spoke first, his tone calm and analytical, "We have God Anthony among us; we wouldn’t even move an inch before everyone surrounds us. Besides, our identities are sensitive, we are royals. Aside from the Human Domain, which isn’t ruled by a single family, entering another Domain requires going through various official channels," he explained clearly.
Bringer remained silent for a brief moment, processing the information, before speaking again, "Aren’t you all overthinking it? We have God Anthony among us; surely, with his overwhelming power and influence, he has a solution," he said, his tone surprisingly reasonable.
Rider, Tiara, and Bryan paused, their expressions shifting to one of mild surprise, as Bringer had actually said something... intelligent, which stood in contrast to his usual blunt and somewhat clueless demeanor.
And indeed, with overwhelming power, rules always lost their meaning. Surely, with God Anthony present, there had to be a solution, right? Their eyes instinctively turned toward Anthony, who was already looking at them with an amused smile resting on his lips.
Anthony could only shake his head lightly as he spoke, "You know, when you use the word ’God’ as a prefix to my name, it feels as though you’re mocking me," he joked, letting out a small, relaxed laugh.
"But you have a solution, right?" Bringer asked as he met Anthony’s gaze, his expression carrying mild yet genuine expectation.
"I will simply disguise everyone with an illusion, easy," Anthony replied with a small shake of his head, as though the solution were so obvious it barely required explanation. An illusion alone was more than sufficient to resolve everything.
"That’s settled then," Tiara stated without hesitation, showing no objection whatsoever. Everyone present was already aware of Anthony’s illusion abilities from their time at the Omni Peak Academy, and only the Gods likely knew how powerful that ability had become now... it was best not to ask.
"Let’s move then," Rider said as he turned his gaze toward Bringer. This was Bringer’s aircraft, so only he had control over its AI unless he chose to grant access to someone else.
Seeing his twin brother’s gaze, Bringer nodded and spoke into the air without delay, "Hey, AI, fly us into the air and move in a random direction without a set course."
"Affirmative, Master Bringer."
Tiara turned toward Bringer, her expression a mixture of amusement and disbelief as she asked, "You named your AI... AI?"
"What’s wrong with that? It’s easy and efficient," Bringer replied with a careless shrug, completely unbothered by her reaction.
Rider suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to dig a hole and hide himself within it, just to escape the embarrassment of being associated with this individual he reluctantly called his twin brother.
People usually put thought and creativity into naming their AIs, choosing names that carried meaning or personality, but Bringer was different, he was truly a one-of-a-kind existence, even among Titans.
Anthony, Bryan, and Tiara immediately burst into laughter, completely unable to restrain themselves any longer. This was the first time they had heard something so absurdly... logical.
Anthony had already fallen to the ground without any concern for dignity as he clutched his stomach, his laughter uncontrollable, "This is just too funny, I’m sorry," he managed to say between breaths.
Rider, however, had reached his limit. Clicking his tongue in clear irritation, he turned and walked toward the aircraft’s control room without wasting another second, unwilling to remain and listen to the three of them laugh any longer, his patience thoroughly exhausted.