Anagin Chronicles

Chapter 066. Periphetes the Clubber (3)

It hurt.

Anagin thought, for the first time in a very long while, that it hurt.

Being a Gigant, Anagin rarely felt something like pain.

Even when he tripped while running, or got into scuffles with kids his age, Anagin never really understood what “pain” was. At most, there was just a dull thud of sensation.

He had never thought of it as painful, even when dealing with the beasts that attacked the village.

When a boar charged into him, when a wolf bit him, it was just a harder impact, or a slight sting.

Well, that was technically pain, so one could call it “hurting,” but its meaning was different from what people usually meant by the word.

The first time Anagin truly felt pain was after he met his Master.

‘So you’re the guardian of this village, Anagin?’

With unkempt blond hair and beard, and no particularly notable features besides a pair of strange leather gloves, an unnamed middle-aged man had shown up out of nowhere and abruptly told Anagin to become his disciple.

As a condition for staying in the village, he said he would teach the villagers what knowledge he had, so Anagin should learn as well.

‘What are you talking about? Get lost.’

Anagin refused.

He didn’t care about the man’s circumstances; it was annoying, and above all, he had no desire whatsoever to learn anything. Farming, beekeeping, cooking, carpentry, brewing—what was the point of learning any of that? With his inborn strength alone, he was already doing more than his share, so why bother?

More than anything, those fiddly tasks didn’t suit Anagin’s temperament.

It was enough to use his natural strength to hunt beasts and eat free bread, and drink free booze.

He thought the man would get angry, but his Master only smiled.

‘How about sparring with me once. Or are you scared you’ll get beaten up?’

If you want to die, then I’ll kill you.

With that thought, Anagin sparred with him—and for the first time, learned exactly what pain was.

What it meant for skin to tear, muscles to be crushed, and bones to break.

Looking down at the fallen Anagin, the Master said,

‘From now on, call me Master.’

Recalling that long-past memory, Anagin looked at his broken left arm.

The moment he saw Periphetes forge Energy(Γι) and create a new club, he knew instinctively.

The Beast Cleaver wouldn’t cut it for free.

But giving up wasn’t an option either.

In that brief instant, Anagin poured a massive amount of Energy into the Beast Cleaver, added even more acceleration, and swung it.

As if striking first, before Periphetes could properly swing his club.

No matter how powerful a weapon a club was, if it didn’t reach a certain speed, it was just a stick.

Ssiik!

As if mocking Anagin’s thoughts, Periphetes smiled.

And as if to prove that smile, the club Periphetes had made—despite not having gained proper speed—shattered Anagin’s Beast Cleaver and slammed into his body.

If Anagin hadn’t blocked with his left arm, it wouldn’t have been his arm but his entire body that shattered.

“Kuahahahaha!! Worth seeing that expression, isn’t it?!”

Periphetes loudly mocked Anagin, who was staring at his own broken left arm, lost in thought.

It seemed he found it immensely satisfying to reduce the always-overbearing Anagin to this state.

He hadn’t even been this pleased when he smashed the New Argonaut Expedition Team to pieces.......

Yet, no one objected.

Not the Forest Brotherhood, not the New Argonaut Expedition Team that had regained their senses, not the Western Alliance, nor the vigilantes and bounty hunters who had followed along hoping to pick up scraps.

Overwhelmed by Periphetes, who decided the course of the battle with his lone strength and revealed his true power, all of them fell silent.

Without anyone saying it, they all understood that the protagonist of this place was Periphetes.

Everyone else was merely a supporting cast meant to make the protagonist stand out.

Ah, except for one.

Anagin, who had just faced Periphetes, could be called a supporting character. He had made the protagonist shine all the more.

The supporting character opened his mouth.

“Impressive.”

He had expected bluster or curses, but breaking expectations, what came out of Anagin’s mouth was praise.

“What kind of technique is that? It doesn’t seem like plássein.”

At the pure praise and curiosity, Periphetes stopped laughing and showed interest.

Isn’t it even more satisfying when someone with a usually foul temper reacts like this?

“Hoh.... You know a bit about Energy, huh? Enough to tell the difference.”

“No, not really. It just doesn’t feel like it.”

Anagin had never seen plássein firsthand, but even so, he could tell that the club Periphetes made was not simply a lump of Energy(Γι) formed with pl.

Pl merely dragged Energy out of the body and gave it a rough framework, but the club in Periphetes’ hand was not a simple mass of Energy(Γι).

Intensely condensed Energy(Γι) flowed within it, yet its exterior was a smooth black stone like submerged rock, with hints above it of ocean blue, green, and salty white—its form and colors clearly defined.

It was not mere Energy.

It was a single, tangible object.

“Puhahahat! Just a feeling? With instincts like that, maybe you’ve got some talent? You can even read ancient characters too.... Ahh, this is getting harder to decide.”

“What is?”

“Whether I should kill you or not.... I’ll make one last offer. Come under me. Not under the Forest Brotherhood, but under me. In return, I’ll teach you forging(鍛造).”

“Forging(鍛造)?”

“Gigantic Forging. A power you can only use after training Energy to a certain level. You could say it’s a finishing technique that processes the power of the giant dwelling inside your body into a form the owner can use more easily.”

Hooh, forging(鍛造), huh. The name does fit perfectly.

“Unless you have exceptional talent like me, or possess special blood, you can only obtain it through tremendous training. If you come under me, I’ll help you master it in a short time.”

“Oh, really?”

“Of course. Founding a country is just the beginning. My ambition doesn’t end there. Of course, if you want to refuse, go ahead. I’ll just smash your head.”

“Hmmm.......”

Unlike himself, Anagin fell into thought while fiddling with his broken left arm.

Periphetes was convinced Anagin was already halfway convinced, while the New Argonaut Expedition Team and the Western Alliance felt a sense of crisis.

If Anagin, who had at least been able to contend with Periphetes, were to switch sides, it would be truly dangerous.

After a short while, Anagin freely moved his left arm.

The broken bones had reattached thanks to the Gigant’s innate regenerative power. Even taking that into account, Anagin’s recovery was incredibly fast.

“Your arm is.......”

“I’ll make an offer too.”

“What?”

“I don’t like you, but you did give me some decent information.”

“Ha.... And what are you offering?”

“Hand over that club of yours to me, and get lost. Then I won’t smash your head.”

At the same time, Anagin released an enormous amount of Energy(Γι) from his body.

A powerful, refreshing sound like a waterfall echoed outward.

At this rate, he would be exhausted before long—it was that overwhelming a surge.

“You were hiding this kind of power?!”

Periphetes shouted at Anagin’s tremendous force.

At that moment, he threw the Harpy Witch feathers at Periphetes' eyes.

Kakang!

When Periphetes blocked the Energy-infused feather with his club, the sound of metal colliding rang out.

“I wasn’t hiding it. There just wasn’t a worthy opponent.”

Anagin replied as he clenched his fist, now already right in front of him.

In proportion to the Energy pouring out of his body, Anagin’s speed increased, and so did his punches, as he struck Periphetes’ abdomen.

“...!”

It was pain that couldn’t be easily ignored, but not to the point of being unbearable.

Periphetes reinforced his body with Energy and focused on defense as he swung his club at Anagin.

Hwoong!

The horizontally swung club slid off its original trajectory at Anagin’s strange hand movement.

Lowering his body and crossing his arms, Anagin deflected the club.

Then, flowing like water, he moved his arms smoothly and drove short, successive punches into Periphetes’ abdomen.

One or two were manageable, but when they piled up, the power was hard to ignore.

‘I need to break his footing first!’

Periphetes smashed his club straight down from above.

Even if Anagin dodged, he intended to strike the ground and shake his footing.

It seemed he could use refined martial skill, not just brute fighting, but even that only mattered if one could stand firmly in place.

With the ground shaking, it became difficult to move properly.

Jjeoeok-!

Just before the club shook the ground, Anagin leapt up from the spot and kicked Periphetes.

It wasn’t his usual crude movement, nor the refined one from when he blocked the club earlier, but a flashy and agile motion.

Periphetes felt as though he were fighting several different people in turn.

‘But there’s no decisive blow!’

Though flustered by the unexpected onslaught, Periphetes coolly analyzed the situation.

In battles between superhumans who had stepped beyond the realm of ordinary people—such as the Blessed or Gigants—a decisive blow was ultimately necessary. Tricky techniques alone had clear limits.

Periphetes had a weapon, a club made from his own Energy, whereas Anagin did not.

The attacks were sharp, irregular, and heavy, but not at a level he couldn’t endure.

In any case, movements could be read over time in a fight. As long as he landed one solid hit, there would be no problem.

Having reached that conclusion, Periphetes endured Anagin’s attacks while repeatedly counterattacking.

Kuung! Kung! Kugugugung-!!!

Taking the blows he had to take, blocking what he could, he swung the club forged from his own Energy.

Each time the club struck the ground, the earth trembled, and Anagin’s movements grew increasingly restricted.

Periphetes kept observing this, slowly closing in on Anagin’s movements.

Finally, he tried to seize Anagin while he was airborne.

Fwoosh-!

He failed when his palm was pierced by the Harpy Witch’s feather Anagin threw.

“Damn it—!”

Though it didn’t fully penetrate, the pain of flesh being stabbed was hard to ignore. Periphetes staggered back slightly.

Anagin didn’t miss that moment. He picked up the rope that had fallen to the ground and bound Periphetes’ club.

Hwiririk...... chaak!

The rope bound the club tightly. Anagin pulled the rope toward himself, then wedged it between his armpits, trying to seize the club completely.

“Kgh?!”

Periphetes strained to take the club back, but the rope caught firmly between Anagin’s armpits, acting like a handle, and wouldn’t come free easily.

Just as the club was about to be taken away—

“Hmph!”

Periphetes let go of the club.

“?!”

The club was taken more easily than expected.

Though puzzled, Anagin didn’t miss the opportunity. He adjusted his grip and tried to swing the club at Periphetes.

But what was this?

Instead of defending, Periphetes stretched his hand to the side, as if grasping for something.

“Be careful.”

Someone advised.

A small but clearly audible voice.

He didn’t know who said it, or what he was supposed to be careful of, but he soon found out.

The heavy club in Anagin’s hand vanished, and was once again held in Periphetes’ hand.

Hwoong!

Periphetes swung the club at Anagin, and Anagin retreated just a little faster.

No sooner had he dodged than Periphetes threw the club, aiming for Anagin’s head.

Anagin twisted his head and barely avoided it, but Periphetes charged in bare-handed, continuing to press the attack.

When Periphetes reached into empty air again, the club was once more in his grasp.

“Is it amazing?!”

Periphetes shouted as he pressed Anagin, who was growing accustomed to his movements.

“That you lost the club you worked so hard to steal!”

“But that’s the natural result! A weapon made from my Energy(Γι) is no different from my own body!!”

“It’s not something you can take just by snatching it away! A weapon I made is another me, and it moves according to my will!! Never would someone like you—”

—Jjeo-eong!

As Periphetes fiercely swung his club and drove Anagin back,

For the first time, the club stopped.

Anagin, having concentrated all of his Energy into his right arm, had halted Periphetes’ club with a single punch.

Claang......!

As the shock lingered and the metallic reverberation vibrated through the air,

Anagin prepared to swing his fist again and spoke.

“Then I’ll smash your will first.”