MIGHT AS WELL BE OP
Chapter 157: Raging presence

The Academy Domain appeared serene, its imposing structure rising majestically amidst centuries-old buildings that stood as silent sentinels, bearing witness to the relentless march of time.

Its majestic towers, crafted with meticulous purpose and unwavering discipline, seemed to resonate with the immense knowledge and power contained within.

Yet, in an instant, this tranquil facade was violently shattered, as though the very fabric of calm had been torn asunder.

The heavens above trembled, and the once clear skies were suddenly rent with fierce, crackling bolts of lightning.

The heavens themselves quaked, and the once serene skies were violently torn asunder, consumed by fierce, crackling bolts of lightning that split the air with a deafening roar.

The air, once crisp and serene, grew heavy and oppressive, thickening with an inescapable, suffocating pressure, a foreboding omen that weighed on every soul, impossible to ignore.

Collins descended from the skies, his form enveloped in a tempest of seething, crackling lightning, as though the very storm itself bowed to his command.

The electric force surrounding him surged with a life of its own, crackling and writhing in violent fury.

With each step he took, the very air seemed to cry out in agony, bending and warping under the sheer magnitude of his presence.

The atmosphere itself distorted, the tension building to an unbearable crescendo, as bolts of lightning streaked down from the heavens, striking the earth with such ferocity that the ground split and shattered beneath their relentless assault.

The Academy Domain quaked as if it recoiled in terror from the storm approaching, and even the students, once immersed in their daily routines, could feel the palpable shift in the atmosphere.

Windows shattered with an almost mournful cry, and buildings groaned, their very foundations buckling under the overwhelming force of Collins' aura.

The world itself seemed to warp and writhe beneath the weight of his energy, the very fabric of reality distorting as everything he touched bent to the will of his immense presence, unraveling in response to the raw power that radiated from him.

In the heart of the Academy Domain, the Dean and the Vice President stood stunned, their eyes locked on the unfolding scene before them.

Neither had prepared for such an intrusion, for the sheer force of presence that seemed to bend reality itself.

"What… is that?"

The Vice President murmured, her voice barely rising above the deafening hum of raw energy that surged through the air, each tremor of power reverberating deep within their bones.

The Dean, a man accustomed to dealing with powerful individuals, stood unfazed.

His gaze remained locked on Collins.

"It's him"

He muttered, his face distorted.

"Collins…he's here."

At the utterance of the name, a sudden wave of realization swept over the Vice President, replacing her once composed expression with one of stark recognition and unease.

"You mean… Anthony's grandfather?"

The Dean nodded subtly.

"Yes. And his power is beyond anything we could have predicted"

In a single, terrifying moment, Collins' presence expanded, enveloping the entire Academy Domain.

It wasn't just his aura; it was the very essence of destruction itself.

The trees swayed violently, the once solid stone walls cracked and splintered, and the ground beneath them buckled in fear.

The air stank of ozone, the smell of impending doom, every living thing in the vicinity felt the weight of his fury, no one was safe.

The Dean and Vice President stood, motionless, as Collins' footsteps resounded like thunder, each one shaking the very air.

"Collins!"

The Vice President's voice cracked as she took a tentative step forward, her body straight.

"What brings you here?"

Collins stopped in front of them, and the ground beneath his feet shattered as though the earth itself could no longer support him.

His eyes, glowing like molten lightning, fixed on the Vice President with chilling calm.

"I have no time for pleasantries"

He growled, his voice a low rumble that seemed to shake the very air.

"Where is my grandson?"

The Vice President opened her mouth to respond, but the Dean raised his hand, silencing her.

There was a deep, unmistakable tension in the air now, and the Dean could feel the gravity of the situation.

"We have no knowledge of his whereabouts"

The Dean said slowly, trying to keep his face straight, his voice was strained, but he stood his ground.

"We've kept this from the public for as long as possible. But I'm afraid..."

"Afraid?"

Collins interrupted, his voice laced with venom.

His eyes narrowed, and the lightning around him flared with intensity.

"Don't lie to me. You've been hiding the truth about Anthony's disappearance, the entire Academy knows, don't pretend otherwise."

His gaze shifted toward the Vice President, who visibly frowned as she too didn't like this situation.

"Don't you?"

The Vice President's frown deepened, the weight of Collins' words resounding in her ears.

"It wasn't meant for you to replace out like this"

She stammered, her voice voice slow.

"We didn't want to cause panic. Anthony and the rest of the first years have been… missing for some time now. We've been trying to locate him, but....."

"But you failed"

Collins' voice was a low growl now, the lightning around him intensifying, crackling with raw energy.

"You failed to protect him"

The Dean's aura surged, his gaze presence also flaring under Collins' overwhelming presence.

His breath came in steady like was not affected by all this.

"Collins!. You have to understand, we have our hands tied. We've done everything we could."

"Everything you could?"

Collins snapped, his fury rising like an unstoppable storm.

"You've done nothing but allow this disgrace to happen. You dare speak to me about what you've done? I can feel the truth, Slaughterer. My grandson is gone because of your incompetence. And now you expect me to stand here, listening to your excuses?"

He took a menacing step forward, and the space around him cracked with the sound of thunder.

"You think you can hide from me? From my power?"

The weight on the Dean's knees increased, he could feel the oppressive weight of Collins' fury pressing down on him.

The Vice President, standing beside him, was also stood affected.

Even she could feel the power radiating off of Collins, suffocating the air itself.

"What do you want from us?"

The Vice President stood tall, her voice steady and unwavering, her body firm against the overwhelming presence of Collins.

Despite the immense pressure in the air, she held her ground without a hint of fear, her expression resolute and confident.

Collins' eyes flicked to the Vice President, and he took a step toward her, his aura sparking like a live wire.

The air seemed to shudder with the force of it.

"What do I want?"

He scoffed, the derision in his voice clear.

"I want my grandson. And if you've hurt him, if you've even laid a finger on him, I will make you regret it. Understand me?"

His aura intensified, swirling violently around him. The ground beneath them cracked, and the sky above seemed to twist with his fury.

The clouds parted, lightning flashing down in blinding arcs, each bolt a testament to the power Collins wielded with ease.

The Vice President and the Dean both winced at the sheer pressure.

The air had turned thick, charged with energy, and the faintest movements felt like an effort against a crushing weight.

Collins' power was beyond their comprehension, and even as they tried to maintain their composure, the reality of the situation was undeniable.

Collins had transcended their level, advancing far beyond their reach. He had taken not just a single step, but several, nay, countless steps, in his cultivation, elevating himself to a realm that now seemed unfathomable to them.

"Collins"

The Dean said, his voice hoarse, struggling to hold himself upright under the weight of Collins' fury.

The Dean's and Vice President's posture, once resolute and unyielding, faltered as they sensed the relentless intensification of Collins' aura.

Their unwavering demeanor began to waver, the undeniable weight of his power forcing them to acknowledge the gulf that now separated them.

"We never meant for this to happen. Anthony's disappearance…it's not what you think. We have people searching for him as we speak. We just..."

"Enough!"

Collins roared, his voice like thunder.

"You've failed. And now, you will suffer the consequences of your negligence. Don't think for a moment that I won't make you answer for this"

The Dean closed his eyes briefly, attempting to center himself. He had faced countless powerful beings throughout his career, but none had ever made him feel so helpless.

"We will replace him, Collins"

He said, his voice strained.

"We just need more time"

Collins' gaze bore into him like a physical force.

"Time?"

His voice was icy, his fury barely contained.

"You've run out of time. You should have acted sooner. You think I'll allow you to waste any more of it?"

He took a deliberate step forward, and as his power surged, the very ground beneath his feet trembled, splintering with a deafening crack as if unable to bear the weight of his immense aura.

The air was electric, as if the entire world held its breath.

The Vice President moved, taking a step back and standing slightly in front of the Dean.

"Collins, let's not escalate this. We can talk. We'll do everything we can to...."

"You want to talk?"

Collins sneered, his eyes flashing with contempt.

"What good is talk? What good is your empty rhetoric when my grandson is in danger?"

He clenched his fists, and the lightning around him crackled violently, as if in agreement with his fury.

"You will answer for your failure. If anything happens to Anthony, I will make this entire Academy regret it."

The Vice President and Dean stood frozen as the storm intensified, and Collins' aura flared once more.

It was suffocating, overwhelming, and inescapable.

The very air around them seemed to vibrate with an ominous energy, crackling with an impending sense of danger that pressed in from all sides.

"Prepare yourself, Slaughterer"

Collins said, his voice cold and calculated.

"Prepare for the consequences"

With that, Collins turned, his eyes dark with fury, and without another word, he moved away.

His presence lingered in the air, like the aftermath of a storm, unrelenting, powerful, and terrifying.

The Vice President and Dean were left standing in the wake of the storm, their bodies still trembling as the world around them continued to crack and shudder.

Without further warning, Collins vanished into the sky, the storm he left in his wake raged on, the entire Academy feeling the brunt of his wrath.

The Dean and Vice President exchanged a look, fear and realization settling in.

This was far from over. The storm had only just begun if anything happened to a single human boy.

They could only pray nothing happened to Anthony, or the Null family won't hesitate to go to war with the Academy itself.

As the storm that Collins left in his wake continued to rage, the air crackled with an oppressive tension, a heavy silence hanging over the Academy.

The Dean and Vice President stood motionless, their hearts pounding in their chests as they tried to process the weight of what had just transpired.

The ground still trembled beneath their feet, the lingering pressure from Collins' furious aura holding them in place.

They both knew they had just narrowly avoided a catastrophe.

Collins' anger was no joke.

Far above, in the storm's epicenter, Collins stood like a titan, his gaze cold and determined as he focused on the task ahead.

His mind was consumed with thoughts of Anthony, his missing grandson.

The memories of his son Michael; the Sword Saint, flooded his mind.

Michael had always been a force to be reckoned with, a being who wielded power beyond most comprehension.

And Mitchelle, Anthony's mother, the Elemental Queen, was no different.

Both were world powerhouses, and they would not let their son, their legacy, disappear into the abyss without a fight.

It was then that Collins remembered, his son Michael had left behind a sword intent within Anthony's body, a mark of his lineage that could be traced.

And Mitchelle, in her own way, had placed a mark on Anthony the day he was born, one that would allow them to replace him no matter where he was.

"Anthony…" Collins muttered, his eyes flashing with fury and resolve.

"I will not let you be lost."

In that moment, his hand moved toward a small talisman at his side, one that had been left to him by Michael.

Without hesitation, he activated it.

A pulse of energy surged through the talisman, and within moments, the aura surrounding him intensified, coalescing into a path of lightning that shot into the sky.

Michael, the Sword Saint, and Mitchelle, the Elemental Queen, felt the surge of energy from across the world, and both knew exactly what it meant.

A powerful, crushing aura exploded into the Academy Domain, as though the very earth itself had split open to allow the entry of two gods.

The space around them shimmered and bent, like the very fabric of reality being torn asunder.

Michael appeared first, his presence impossible to ignore.

His eyes glowed like stars, and his every movement seemed to carry the weight of a thousand worlds.

His sword intent, sharp and refined like a blade through the ages, radiated around him with such intensity that even the most formidable of beings would have quivered in its presence.

Mitchelle followed closely behind, a woman whose beauty and power could bend the elements themselves.

As the Elemental Queen, she commanded the forces of nature as effortlessly as breathing.

The wind howled around her, the earth groaned in reverence, and the very air was thick with the power of fire and water in their most primal forms.

Her rage, fueled by the agony of her son's disappearance, filled the skies as she appeared beside her husband.

Together, Michael and Mitchelle descended upon the Academy like a storm of fury.

The Dean and Vice President, still recovering from Collins' tempest, were now frozen in place once again.

They knew what was happening, but the sheer magnitude of Michael and Mitchelle's arrival made them feel insignificant in comparison.

"Michael...Mitchelle"

The Dean muttered under his breath, his voice scarcely more than a hushed whisper.

The Vice President could barely breathe, her face drained of color.

"They possess this level of strength as well... What could have transpired?"

None of Anthony's family had the luxury of concealing their immense strength when their precious descendant was in danger.

The urgency of the situation left no room for restraint, and their power, vast and overwhelming, surged forth uncontrollably in their haste to replace him.

Neither Michael nor Mitchelle spoke as they landed, their gazes locked on the Dean and the Vice president standing before them, who had been responsible for keeping Anthony's disappearance a secret.

Their expressions were cold, their auras flashing with unbridled rage, but their purpose was clear, they were not here for words.

Time was running out.

Without a word to the Dean or Vice President,

Michael turned toward the ground beneath him, and with a single motion, he unsheathed his sword, his aura flaring like a comet.

The sword in his hand was not just a weapon, it was an extension of his will, an embodiment of the Sword Saint's legendary power.

He raised it high, and in an instant, a surge of energy exploded from him. The air itself trembled, the atmosphere bending and cracking as his sword intent, a higher form of aura, sliced through the very fabric of space.

The ground below Michael split open in a single, fluid motion.

The world seemed to warp, space itself bending under the force of his sword intent.

It wasn't just a cut, it was a tear in reality, a rift that opened a portal in the space before them.

The portal connected directly to the sword intent that lay dormant within Anthony's body.

Mitchelle's eyes flicked toward the portal, and she, too, let her aura flare in response to the urgency of the situation.

Without a single word exchanged, she stepped forward, her every movement flowing with the grace and power of the elements.

The winds swirled around her, and the earth beneath her feet seemed to shift in accordance with her will.

Together, they moved through the portal, their auras descending like a tidal wave, overwhelming everything and everyone in the Academy Domain.

The Dean and Vice President, standing motionless, could do nothing but watch as the portal closed behind them, leaving nothing but the resonating echoes of their power.

The air hung heavy with their presence, and for a fleeting yet terrifying moment, the entire Academy Domain seemed to hold its breath, as if the very world paused in reverence to the power that had just descended.

The ground trembled under the intensity of the elemental forces they commanded.

The atmosphere rippled with the power of Michael and Mitchelle's auras, as their presence spread outward like a tidal wave, drowning everything in their wake.

The Dean's voice caught in his throat, and the Vice President found herseldf unable to move, unable to speak.

It was as if the very air around them had frozen, their bodies paralyzed in the wake of such unimaginable power.

For a moment, time seemed to stop, and all that was left was the feeling of their auras descending upon everything.

Then, as abruptly as it had all begun, the storm subsided, and an oppressive silence descended, its weight so profound that it seemed to echo in every corner of the world.

The portal snapped shut, its edges flickering out of existence as Michael and Mitchelle materialized at Anthony's location, their presence overwhelming the surroundings with an undeniable force.