Anagin Chronicles

Chapter 035. Ah, geez (3)

A peaceful morning in the village of Dolos.

The village was the same as always.

After finishing breakfast, the men headed out with their farming tools slung over their shoulders, and the women began cleaning up.

Today was the same as yesterday. And today would be the same as tomorrow.

Peaceful, yet just a little boring……

KWAANG-!

Then suddenly, a thunderous blast rang out.

Not just a loud noise, but a threatening sound that made their skin prickle.

The villagers, who had been trudging along while yawning, all turned their heads in the direction of the sound—and they saw it.

The sight of the stone wall of the Dolos Family mansion, the very heart of the village, is collapsing.

And beyond the fallen wall, a man was shouting and laughing.

“Even an old man who can’t get it up is pretty lively, huh?!”

* * *

Razonia’s spear grazed past Anagin by a hair’s breadth, and Anagin shouted back.

Mocking the old man for being “lively” despite “not getting it up down there” was just a bonus.

“Or are you mad? Because I hit a nerve?!”

Dodging another spear flying his way, Anagin pressed on with his taunts.

Was it really that upsetting to hear that the Dolos Family’s strength wasn’t enough to catch him?

“Or is it because you’ve been exposed as a mutt begging for a blessing—”

While dodging the third strike and talking, Spanich’s father rushed in. He aimed for Anagin’s opening right after the evasion.

He swung his sword at Anagin, but Anagin smacked the incoming blade aside with his hand and threw a punch.

Just as Anagin’s fist was about to smash into Spanich’s father’s jaw, Spanich thrust his spear forward and blocked Anagin’s punch.

“If you’re gonna charge in, do it properly!”

With his attack blocked, Anagin barked back and drove his elbow into Spanich’s chest.

“Guhhk!”

Spanich coughed blood and stumbled backward from the heavy impact.

Spanich’s father tried to rush in again during that opening, but Anagin moved one step faster, grabbing the man’s sword hand.

Kkwaaaak…!

Spanich’s father couldn’t even muster proper resistance against Anagin’s iron grip, and Anagin angled his elbow to smash the man’s face—

Swaehaeng-!

—but Razonia cut in, interrupting it this time.

Backing away, Anagin casually gave his critique.

“Sure, you’re all weak, but with this many of you, it’s a little annoying. Now I get why you insisted on not splitting the family.”

“…….”

Surprisingly, the assessment offered by Anagin was similar to the evaluation other practitioners gave to practitioner families.

Practitioners who had made a name for themselves generally looked down on practitioner families. They saw them as nothing more than weaklings with great numbers.

And it was unavoidable.

Most practitioner families only had one or two who were any good, and the rest were barely fit to be used as fodder.

Most families never rose above that level. No one knew why.

People simply assumed it was some kind of karmic burden carried by the founder who established the family……

Perhaps that was why?

Razonia and Spanich’s father was seething, even if they didn’t show it on the surface.

A brat who had been a practitioner for barely ten days was swaggering around like some renowned veteran. How could that not be infuriating?

What made it even worse was that he had already taken down four members of their family, leaving them with no room to argue.

Pouring oil onto an open flame, Anagin spoke without hesitation.

“Now I see why you’re so desperate for blessings. Both your sons are weaklings, and the only one who’s even remotely usable, your eldest grandson, is soft-hearted…. Must be rough getting old. Guess raising kids is hard, huh?”

“Watch your mouth!”

Spanich yelled reflexively, unable to hold back.

Of course he did, Anagin had insulted his father and mocked his grandfather.

Anagin warned him coldly.

"You're the one who needs to pull yourself together. You should have stabbed me instead of blocking my arm just now."

His warning was about Spanich’s careless attitude.

When Anagin had gone in to punch Spanich’s father, Spanich had thrust his spear toward Anagin’s arm to block the attack.

A defensive move, not an offensive one.

And that was wrong.

He should’ve aimed for Anagin’s torso, not his arm.

For a Gigant, whose defense and regeneration were both powerful, losing a limb wasn’t a big deal. Strikes to the neck or torso were the only ones that mattered.

“Maybe you’re worried about your father, or maybe you’re trying to go easy on me. I don’t care. If you’re fighting, then fight properly. If you lose to me right now… you’re screwed…. Isn’t that right?”

Anagin looked straight at Razonia.

Even Razonia, who had mastered the art of hiding emotions through years of experience, broke into cold sweat at that moment.

“Scared? If I wreck you here, it’s not gonna end at ‘a little embarrassment,’ you know?”

It wasn’t an empty threat.

Practitioner families worked under the name of a god, and their reputation had to remain spotless—even more than that of an ordinary practitioner.

If they disgraced themselves, they could lose the territory granted to them by the god, or face trials far worse.

Naturally, what followed would be a very long, very painful road.

“So don’t hold back and regret it later. I’m not planning to go easy on you.”

Perhaps realizing the seriousness of the situation, the hesitation slowly faded from Spanich’s face.

Even so, he stared in confusion at the Beast Cleaver at Anagin’s waist and Anagin’s empty hands.

He still couldn’t understand why Anagin wasn’t drawing his weapon.

Reading that look, Anagin answered.

“Ah… for you guys, my bare hands are more than enough.”

Veins popped across everyone’s forehead.

Infuriated, Spanich and the others moved in unison.

Their coordination was far better than before, probably thanks to the anger fueling them.

Spanich’s father closed the distance with frightening speed, applying pressure with his sword, while Razonia and Spanich stayed one step back, thrusting at any opening with their spears.

Blades and spear tips are slicing through the air.

All three were using Yeom, making their attacks even fiercer.

“Oh no, I’m surrounded.”

Dodging and parrying their attacks, Anagin spoke dryly.

And just as he said, he was completely encircled.

If this kept up, things might get annoying.

Riding the flow of the fight, Anagin suddenly threw something at the Spanich’s father, charging toward him.

Pyo-byot-!

It was none other than a Harpy Witch’s feather.

Having discovered how useful it was during the fight with the witch, Anagin had tucked a few into his clothes—and now one flew out, embedding itself deep into Spanich’s father’s thigh.

“Gguhk…!”

Caught off guard, Spanich’s father froze for a moment, and Anagin charged straight in. He blew past the man and slipped out of the encirclement.

Then he hurled feather after feather, embedding more than a dozen into Spanich’s father’s legs.

“Kraaaagh-!”

Spanich’s father collapsed with his thigh and calf covered in feathers.

“If it hurts, you should’ve clenched your teeth and endured.”

Anagin kicked him in the jaw from behind and knocked him out.

The moment his father fell, Spanich roared and swung his spear at Anagin.

The spear cut through the air with a loud whoosh, but Anagin simply ducked. Razonia timed it perfectly and thrust his spear, packed with Energy, straight at Anagin.

Twice as fast as his previous strikes.

Was he attacking slowly on purpose earlier? Anagin wondered.

Had Razonia deliberately held back to create this moment? Or had he just suddenly accelerated using Yeom?

Either way, it wasn’t a bad tactic.

Anagin had just lowered his body, so dodging again right away was a bit troublesome.

At most, he could lean further back to slip past it?

But he didn’t choose that.

With that level of Energy, extending the spear’s reach was trivial. He’d already been cut on the face once during his fight with Bender because of that.

So Anagin instead pulled out the Beast Cleaver—still in its sheath—and angled it to parry the spear.

Chwaaaaaak!!

Razonia’s spear shredded everything it touched.

And yet Anagin deftly deflected the attack… then drew the blade and sliced Razonia’s spear clean in half.

A spear infused with Energy, cut by a Beast Cleaver with no Energy—pure swordsmanship.

“How…!?”

“Like that.”

Without losing any of the momentum from his swing, Anagin redirected the blade toward Razonia’s body. But Spanich intervened, swinging his spear to block the attack.

Not letting go?

Anagin tried to shake the spear off, but it clung stubbornly to his blade—Spanich was clinging on using his spearmanship.

The spear and sword refused to separate.

Anagin and Spanich began a contest of strength.

If it were purely strength, Anagin would’ve overpowered him easily.

But Spanich used the leverage of the longer weapon and spearmanship to resist.

He guided Anagin’s power away, redirecting and twisting it.

And as the sword and spear “danced,” Spanich used Anagin’s force to fling both weapons—his spear and Anagin’s sword—up into the air.

Nice! If I follow up now—

“—Good decision.”

Spanich lunged at the unarmed Anagin.

But Anagin was faster. He drove his fist straight into Spanich’s face.

“Kk—kkuhk…!”

Spanich tried to counter, but Anagin overwhelmed him one-sidedly.

He blocked every attack Spanich attempted, broke through every defense, and hammered him with punches.

By the time the spinning weapons fell from the sky, Anagin was the only one standing—Spanich lay collapsed on the ground.

Beast Cleaver in his right hand, spear in his left.

Without pause, Anagin hurled the spear at Razonia and charged in.

Razonia dodged the spear, but couldn’t react in time to the approaching Anagin. He was about to be cut down—when a pearly-white spear shot out from inside the manor and saved him.

“A Divine Weapon?”

Anagin glanced at the spear that had attacked him and then flown back to Razonia.

What was it they said? Something about a god forging it for the practitioner family? A Divine Weapon bestowed upon them?

Its ability was to amplify Energy.

But for it to fly on its own to protect its owner… he hadn’t expected that.

“Don’t tell me you pulled out the family treasure—”

“—Whatever. Just perfect.”

Anagin pointed the Beast Cleaver at Razonia.

“Divine Weapon or whatever, that thing pissed me off.”

“?”

Anagin used Yeom and poured Energy into the Beast Cleaver. Violent light erupted from the blade like a waterfall.

"Come at me. I'm going to cut it in two."

At those words—spoken the moment he saw the family treasure—Razonia, who had managed to keep calm so far, lost his composure and infused his spear with Energy.

Sssssss-!!

The Divine Weapon of the Dolos Family, which amplified Energy, lived up to its characteristic, with the Energy exploding and overflowing outward.

Anagin tightened his stance. Razonia did the same.

The air stilled for a moment.

Tak!

Both moved at the same instant and collided. No, they almost collided.

Whooosh…!

Just before the Beast Cleaver struck the Divine Weapon, Anagin threw his sword into the air to avoid the clash.

The Divine Weapon sliced through empty air.

Razonia stared at him like he’d been swindled, and Anagin raised his leg.

“Just kidding.”

—KWAANG!

Before Razonia could even speak, Anagin brought his heel down on him.

Because he had poured so much Energy into the Divine Weapon, Razonia’s physical defense had weakened, and he couldn’t get back up.

‘Didn’t think I’d use the trick master used on me like this…’

Anagin looked down at the fallen Razonia.

Honestly, it wasn't a bad feeling. Thanks to it, he was able to defeat him more easily.

After confirming Razonia was down for good, Anagin looked around.

All of the Dolos Family’s hired hands had fled—no one remained.

“Oh, there it is.”

Anagin spotted the Dolos Family’s Divine Weapon lying in the distance.

A bone-white spear with a jade-like sheen. The blade and shaft were fused as if shaped from clay.

Anagin picked it up.

“Are you trying to steal… cough… that?”

Someone spoke behind him as he inspected the spear.

It was Spanich, who had been beaten down multiple times by Anagin’s fists.

He had suspected it already, but among the Dolos Family, this guy seemed to have the toughest body. He’d really beaten him hard enough to knock him out—yet he still got back up.

“Answer me!!”

Even so, his body clearly wasn’t normal. Spanich staggered, unlike the rage in his voice.

“No. I’m not planning to.”

“Don’t lie! Then why did you pick it up?!!”

Spanich refused to listen to Anagin’s words.

Well, words were pointless anyway. So Anagin showed him through actions.

“Here.”

He tossed the Divine Weapon in front of Spanich.

“…What are you doing?”

"I'm going to break it. The Divine Weapon."

“…What?”

"I said I'm going to break it."

“…Why?”

Unable to understand it at all, Spanich asked.

If Anagin said he planned to steal the Divine Weapon, Spanich would’ve been furious, but he could at least understand. Divine Weapons were prized by all practitioners—even coveted.

But breaking it? That made no sense.

“Because it pisses me off like crazy. I felt it the moment I first touched it.”

Spanich remembered how Anagin grimaced and immediately tossed the spear back as soon as he touched it.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I don’t know either. It just… feels like something that shouldn’t exist.”

“You…! Do you really live only by your feelings?!!”

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“You release monsters! You broke our family’s ancestral treasure!! And you call yourself a practitioner!? …Why did you even become one in the first place?!!”

“Probably for a different reason than yours.”

“And what the hell is that reason?!! What kind of—”

“—I’m going to become a god.”

Spanich stopped shouting. Cleanly. As if a blade had sliced his voice in half.

“…A god?”

“Yeah. If you want a reason… let’s just say it’s to wipe away the shitty helplessness and humiliation I’ve carried.”

Razonia, hearing that answer, still couldn’t understand.

Occasionally, someone would announce they wanted to become a god, but it was almost always some nobody with delusions of grandeur. No one claimed they’d ascend for such vague, incomprehensible reasons.

“Of course, I don’t exactly know how one becomes a god, but I’ll figure that out eventually…. For now, I should focus on what’s in front of me. So pick it up.”

Anagin pointed at the Divine Weapon.

“I’ll at least give you the chance to defend it.”

“…….”

“Or I’ll just break it now?”

At those words, Spanich forced his battered body to move and picked up the Divine Weapon.

Then he dragged up every last drop of Energy he had—down to the bottom of the barrel—and poured it into the spear. He squeezed out everything without thinking of the aftermath.

After seeing Spanich’s response, Anagin slid the Beast Cleaver back into its sheath. He grabbed his right wrist with his left hand and infused his fist with Energy.

The air paused for a moment.

Anagin spoke.

“I’ll face you seriously.”

With that, Anagin threw his punch, and Spanich thrust his spear.

A violent burst of light exploded between them.