Anagin Chronicles

Chapter 153. Seizing Merit (2)

Anagin ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍put strength into his legs and charged at Orpheus.

In response, Orpheus plucked his lyre.

Tiiing—!

As the melody resonated through the air, the charging Anagin collided with Orpheus.

No, more precisely, he almost collided.

Just before Anagin’s fist could reach him, a translucent barrier formed out of thin air and blocked his path.

‘Magic? No—blessing!’

Anagin deduced, confirmed, and analyzed the nature of the barrier that stopped him.

For reference, the barrier wasn’t particularly hard. Rather, it felt like high-density water.

The way it dispersed the impact in all directions, the moment his fist struck it was especially similar to water.

The difference was that, due to its high density, it didn’t scatter like water but instead clung together even more tightly.

As his fist pushed forward, that density increased, and though it seemed like it would reach Orpheus, it ultimately failed to do so.

Ting!

At that moment, Orpheus plucked the lyre again, and a powerful shock struck Anagin, sending him flying backward.

‘That felt like getting hit by my own punch.’

As he was pushed back, Anagin assessed the impact that had struck his entire body.

No wonder, among all the opponents he had faced so far, this one was the most peculiar.

He had seen those who used blessings before, but this was his first time facing someone like Orpheus, whose entire ability set was concentrated into blessing usage.

He briefly considered whether to think of him as similar to a mage, but it didn’t seem that simple.

Screeeech—!

Even as his mind raced, Anagin planted his feet into the ground and used the friction to halt his body.

‘As expected, it’s not just a barrier, it has a reflection property—’

—Ting!

Screech!

The moment he barely stopped, Orpheus plucked the lyre again, and almost simultaneously, Anagin twisted his body to dodge to the side.

He hadn’t dodged because he saw anything—his body simply reacted first on instinct.

And as if to prove that instinct right, something sharp grazed past his shoulder.

‘So it’s not just making barriers?!’

It was an obvious conclusion, but he had no time to dwell on it.

Orpheus casually plucked the lyre, sending slash after slash toward Anagin.

Savage slashes that didn’t match the sweet melody rained down, and Anagin quickly dashed behind a massive rock for cover.

“Ah, this is a bad look.”

“I’m surprised. Dodging in that brief moment… I attacked, thinking you wouldn’t be able to avoid it.”

Orpheus, who had been leisurely sending slashes, stopped for a moment and spoke.

Despite unleashing such vicious attacks, his tone remained friendly, making him feel a little insane.

Unaware—or unconcerned—of Anagin’s thoughts, Orpheus continued talking.

“Your movement when you dodged was abnormal. It felt like watching Meleager’s [Instant Acceleration]. Did you imitate it?”

“Yeah.”

Anagin answered, partly to stall for time.

“It looked like a good technique, so I tried copying it. So you really were from the Argonaut Expedition Team, your eyes are better than I thought.”

As if flattering him, Anagin made Pairon spit out weapons.

A dagger, a sword, a mace, and a spear.

He then equipped them on his body.

“Thanks for the compliment, but you’re more impressive. You saw a blessing and copied it… How did you do that?”

“Oh, that? Well……”

Trailing off, Anagin leaned out from behind the rock and kicked a stone toward Orpheus.

Ting!

Orpheus sliced it apart with a slash, reducing it to dust.

Then he resumed sending slashes toward Anagin.

Blades of sound flew toward him.

Clang—!

Anagin swung the mace and sword in both hands, knocking away every incoming blade.

If you focused, you could see the translucent blades, and if you swung at the right moment, they could be deflected.

‘Each one packs quite a punch.’

A faint but undeniable numbness was transmitted through his hands.

Still, it wasn’t unbearable.

In that state, Anagin moved forward, closing the distance with Orpheus once more.

Unlike before, he couldn’t close in quickly due to the incoming slashes, but he was still advancing.

‘The pressure of the attacks is high, but for an 8-star… is it because he’s not a combat specialist?’

He recalled hearing that Orpheus had taken on a support role in the Argonaut Expedition Team rather than a combat one.

That would explain it.

Of course, Anagin wasn’t exactly in a position to be evaluating others so comfortably.

“Oh? You’re blocking well… Shall I pick up the pace?”

After a brief remark of admiration, Orpheus began plucking the lyre faster and more intricately.

In tune with the quicker, more elaborate melody, the number of slashes and their attack angles became more varied.

Slashes that once came straight now curved, aiming from above and the sides.

It felt like being attacked by dozens of perfectly coordinated swordsmen.

Slash—! Slash!

Under the intensified assault, Anagin couldn’t block everything, and small cuts began appearing across his body.

That was fine.

Minor wounds meant nothing to a Gigant like Anagin. They healed almost instantly and could be ignored.

The problem was his weapons.

Even though he reinforced them with Yul, they were slowly cracking.

As if they couldn’t withstand even the casual slashes Orpheus sent.

Orpheus seemed to notice as well.

Tiriring—!

The melody, which had flowed like a single piece of music, suddenly reached its peak, and Orpheus plucked all the strings at once.

Each note merged into one, forming a massive shockwave that engulfed Anagin.

As if it would grind both Anagin and the mace and sword in his hands into dust.

But at that moment, Anagin detonated the Energy(Γι) within his body and slid sideways, evading the shockwave.

‘That hurts!’

The burst of Energy(Γι) inside him caused pain, but it wasn’t bad. Thanks to it, he not only dodged the attack but also closed the distance with Orpheus.

Anagin threw the mace and sword at Orpheus.

Tiiing—!

As expected, they were blocked by the translucent barrier.

Still, it wasn’t bad.

Since it wasn’t a rigid barrier but more like a dense liquid, the weapons didn’t bounce off instantly—they stuck in place for a brief moment.

Anagin didn’t miss that instant. He drew the spear from his back and thrust precisely into the pommel of the sword lodged in the barrier.

The spear extended the reach of the sword.

Combined with a structure that transmitted force more effectively.

The sword began to slowly push deeper into the barrier.

Even so, Orpheus stood relaxed, plucking the lyre and talking.

As if absolutely certain the blade would never reach him.

“Ah, I see. You’re detonating the Energy(Γι) inside your body to temporarily increase speed, aren’t you? I understand the theory, but that must put a heavy strain on your body……”

Watching him, Anagin found him irritating, but at the same time, he admitted Orpheus had the right to be.

As if proving that arrogant certainty correct, the blade stopped at a certain point and could go no further.

Instead, it seemed ready to shatter at any moment, letting out a silent scream.

But that was enough.

Anagin focused the Energy(Γι) within his body into his arm and discharged it through the spear shaft.

The Energy(Γι) traveled through the spear into the sword, then extended forward in the shape of a blade, tearing through the barrier and aiming for Orpheus beyond it.

Orpheus tilted his head, narrowly dodging.

Anagin tried to follow up by swinging the spear, but the spear and sword shattered from the immense energy they had carried.

But it didn’t matter.

As the barrier tore apart like bursting foam, it disappeared, leaving Orpheus exposed, and Anagin aimed to strike him directly.

Thud!

But then—

As he tried to move, tree roots burst from the ground and wrapped around Anagin’s ankle.

Instinctively, he knew this, too, was Orpheus’s blessing.

As if to prove it, the moment Anagin was restrained, Orpheus retreated swiftly, widening the distance again.

But giving up wasn’t an option.

Anagin clenched his fist, intent on landing at least one solid hit.

His legs were restrained, but his upper body was free.

Using Pa (pa), Anagin concentrated Energy(Γι)  into one arm. Then, with Ek (ek), he released that energy, and with Pl (pl), he shaped it into a fist and launched it.

Whoooom!

A giant’s fist shot toward Orpheus.

But it didn’t go as planned.

Ting!

Just like before, Orpheus plucked the lyre, sending out a slash that split the giant’s fist cleanly in two.

And that wasn’t all.

Tididing!

He launched multiple slashes, targeting Anagin.

There wasn’t enough time to dodge.

Anagin drew the Beast Devourer at his waist and blocked the incoming slashes.

Though his thighs and one side of his waist were lightly cut.

Still, perhaps because it was a magical tool, it held up just fine even without infusing it with Energy(Γι).

Whoooosh……

After that exchange, a hollow wind blew, scattering dust around them.

Orpheus, who had seemed ready to keep attacking, instead watched Anagin leisurely.

And Anagin, too, did not immediately charge again, instead staring back at Orpheus.

‘Wow, this is rough.’

Anagin thought as he felt the energy in his body drain away in an instant.

It wasn’t just a feeling. The moment the giant’s fist was split apart, it truly felt like a massive chunk of his energy had been torn out.

Of course, he had already heard about things related to the Descendants of Giants, so it wasn’t too shocking.

What was it again… ah.

They said that when a large technique using Energy(Γι) is destroyed, your stamina is reduced in proportion to it.

Still, knowing it and experiencing it were two different things, so he figured he’d need to be more careful.

If something like this happened at a critical moment, he could be taken out in one blow.

‘In that sense, how do I deal with that properly so people say I handled it well?’

Anagin stared at Orpheus, who had once again widened the distance, and thought.

Even just using the simple method of sending out barriers and slashes through the lyre made him difficult to deal with, but that wasn’t all.

‘Long lifespan and youth. Excluding those two blessings, that leaves six more. One of the remaining is physical enhancement, the tree-root manipulation is probably another blessing, and the slashes and barrier… those likely stem from a single blessing, right?’

Since he couldn’t be sure, Anagin took a conservative approach and concluded that Orpheus had shown a total of five blessings so far.

Two blessings, long lifespan and youth, that he had mentioned himself.

One physical enhancement blessing shown while climbing Mount Parnassus.

One blessing that used tree roots to bind Anagin’s ankle.

One blessing that converted the lyre’s melody into physical phenomena like barriers and slashes.

And three more unidentified blessings.

Honestly, it felt extremely troublesome.

The abilities he hadn’t shown yet were probably even more dangerous.

‘Well, that doesn’t mean I’m going to panic like an idiot either.’

Just as he was thinking that—

“Why didn’t you use the Beast Devourer right away?”

Orpheus brought up the Beast Devourer.

“How do you know that name—ah, the trio.”

Anagin recalled the New Argonaut Expedition Trio.

Well, whenever people talked about him, there was a high chance the Beast Devourer would come up.

After all, it was the weapon he used to defeat Hippomenes.

“If you had used the Beast Devourer instead of an ordinary sword or spear earlier, you might have landed a hit… is there a particular reason?”

“Hmm, it’s kind of like how you’re testing me.”

“Me?”

“Yeah.”

Anagin referred to the moment he had been blocked by the barrier and knocked back.

If Orpheus had launched slashes while Anagin was still in the air instead of after he landed and regained balance, the attack would have almost certainly connected.

And yet, Orpheus hadn’t done that—he had given Anagin just enough room to dodge before attacking.

As if checking whether he could avoid it or not.

The reason was easy enough to guess.

He wanted something more than just defeating him. Something that would contribute to his merit.

Anagin didn’t know exactly what that was, but he was certain.

If his goal had simply been to defeat him, he wouldn’t have bothered with conversation and would have just attacked from the start.

“Then does that mean you’re also gauging me?”

“Not really gauging… more like using you as practice.”

Anagin infused Energy(Γι) into the Beast Devourer.

“Energy(Γι)?”

“Yeah. Training with Energy(Γι). My master said real combat is the best training. But the problem is that kind of training only works if you have the right opponent.”

This was exactly why Anagin hadn’t been able to properly train his Energy(Γι) until now.

If the opponent was weak, there was no need to use Energy.

If the opponent was too strong, there was no chance to use it.

To properly train Energy, what he needed most was someone right in the middle—a ‘suitable opponent.’

“Someone just like you. So I’ll make the most of it.”

Anagin pointed the Beast Devourer at Orpheus.

He spoke harshly on purpose, hoping to provoke him, but Orpheus didn’t seem particularly offended. If anything, he looked disappointed.

“Hmm, then perhaps you’re also not receiving help from that familiar lady for the same reason?”

Orpheus gestured toward Sphinx, who was watching from a distance.

“No, she just doesn’t want to fight. Hey, do you want to fight?”

Anagin asked Sphinx.

Normally, she would have said she’d join, but since she still didn’t want to engage in direct combat with humans, she couldn’t answer.

Well, not answering was an answer in itself.

“She doesn’t want to. So don’t worry. I’m confident I can handle you alone anyway.”

“Hmm… that’s unfortunate. I would have preferred if you used all your capabilities.”

“Then make me.”

“Fair enough. Let’s do that.”

At Anagin’s words, Orpheus immediately struck the lyre as if he had been waiting for it.

As the melody rang out, Anagin cut the tree roots binding his ankle with the Beast Devourer and tried to charge at Orpheus—but couldn’t.

His body suddenly grew heavy, as if weighed down with lead, and his senses dulled, as though wrapped in a massive cloth.

On top of that, his head began to spin.

As he wondered what was happening, the surrounding trees and roots moved like living creatures, protecting Orpheus while simultaneously encircling Anagin.

The change in the terrain hadn’t been his imagination.

Just as Anagin, who had been about to charge, stopped and looked around—

Tiriring—

With the melody of the lyre, the surrounding trees and roots surged toward him from all directions.

Watching the environment itself turn against him, Anagin muttered,

“Ah, this is fun.”