Anagin Chronicles

Chapter 069. Beyond the Heavens (3)

Sphinx had kept her appearance tightly hidden beneath her robe.

The New Argonaut Expedition Team, the vigilantes who joined later, the bounty hunters, and even the Western Alliance, who had only glimpsed her briefly, were all curious about what lay beneath that robe.

Humans instinctively possess a contrary streak, a desire to uncover what is hidden.

The glimpses of Sphinx beneath her robe, her face a vision of beauty, only fueled that curiosity…

And, albeit unintentionally, they were able to see beneath the robe.

As expected, she was beautiful.

Golden, wavy hair that shimmered, catlike sharp golden eyes, lips as red as blood, and finely sculpted features.

Sphinx was a beauty beyond imagination.

But none of that mattered to them now.

Her right arm, transformed into a massive beast’s paw, and the eagle wings sprouting from her back.

Above all, it was the sight of her attacking Erysichthon with that paw that drew everyone’s attention.

Slash—!

The claws, long as greatswords, raked across Erysichthon’s body—scratches in name only, nearly slicing him apart.

Yet, Erysichthon simply took it.

He neither dodged nor defended; he just stood there and let Sphinx’s claws strike him.

And yet, he suffered no harm. Only his clothes were torn.

"These were new clothes."

[O wind, blow him far away]

Erysichthon tilted his head arrogantly, as if asking what her next move would be. Sphinx, undeterred, cast her magic.

It wasn’t for direct damage, but a spell to push her opponent back.

“Ohh.”

Erysichthon, heavy-bodied as he was, didn’t fly away; he simply felt the wind.

Sphinx flapped her massive wings with all her strength and sent Erysichthon flying.

The giant was blown backward by a wave of wind.

Riding the momentum, Sphinx flapped her wings toward the ground, sending dozens of stones hurtling at Erysichthon.

Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!

Dust rose, holes appeared in nearby trees, and the sheer power was unlike a simple stone throw.

Just as everyone’s minds whispered “Maybe…”, Sphinx shouted desperately, shattering any foolish hope.

“Take the kids and run! This won’t buy us any time!”

Immediately, Sphinx seemed startled by her own voice.

Her once feminine tone had turned husky.

It wasn’t only her voice that had changed.

Her right arm, now a beastly paw, extended from shoulder to neck, fur sprouting; even her once-normal left hand grew claws. Her mutations were spreading.

Sweating nervously, Sphinx braced herself, her face hardening with resolve, and shouted again:

“Run—”

“—Run, and you die.”

Erysichthon emerged from the dust, swinging a tree with roots still attached—clearly ripped out by hand.

Sphinx, with catlike reflexes, leapt to narrowly dodge, but Erysichthon ignored her, charging forward to crush a fleeing practitioner underfoot.

Squish!

The practitioner burst like a tomato.

Nearby, his companion, forgetting all pride and camaraderie, sat down, pale as death.

“I like that. Don’t run, and you live. For now.”

Erysichthon mocked the coward, and Sphinx channeled wind into her claws.

A blade of air shot toward him. Erysichthon didn’t even glance; he blocked it with the tree and threw it back at Sphinx.

She dodged rather than blocking.

At that moment, Erysichthon closed the distance, swinging his claws like a predator.

[Wings, protect me!]

Sphinx tried to turn her wings into steel to block the strike.

Clang!

Erysichthon’s claws struck the wings, a shrieking, unbearable sound tearing through the air. Feather shards, hardened into steel, scattered.

Unable to withstand the impact, the wings lost their defense, and Erysichthon grabbed her by the neck.

“Let’s see… the size has increased, and the transformations have expanded!”

Erysichthon examined her carefully, and it was true.

Her catlike eyes had fully turned predatory, her hair had grown longer and and her teeth became sharp, and even her body size had increased.

Her cloak seemed to be a magical tool, as it expanded to fit her increased stature.

“Wait a sec.”

Erysichthon paused mid-sentence, bringing a horned bowl to his mouth and shoveling in food.

From the horn came an endless array: chunks of ham, apples, roast chicken, cheese, butter, grilled beef, boiled pork, sausages, bread, cake, fish dishes, and more.

All of it fit into Erysichthon’s massive mouth at once.

"The... Horn of Plenty..."

Sphinx, still held by the neck, realized the horn’s true nature.

The rumors were true.

Erysichthon, the rebel, had been cursed by Demeter, the god of grain, agriculture, abundance, and intellect, with eternal hunger and famine.

Otherwise, why would he carry it even in a fight?

"Oh, our beast has a good eye? Telling me things I didn’t ask about. Trying to seem clever, huh?”

Erysichthon flexed just enough to avoid crushing Sphinx and mocked her.

“I’ll pretend to be clever too. Listen carefully. The cost of your vow is that you shouldn’t fight humans, right?”

Sphinx flinched. Erysichthon had read her instantly.

“Gahaha! I must have nailed it. I figured it out, seeing your transformation undo itself whenever you attack or defend. Answer me, don't be shy."

Sphinx tried to slash him instead, but Erysichthon blocked her with the horn.

Not a weapon, but sturdy enough to hurt. Sphinx felt the pain sharply.

The grip on her neck tightened.

"Don't want to answer? Just say so! Actually, I wasn't that curious. Instead, I'm curious about something else. Why did you go so far as to make a vow to disguise yourself as a human? And a member of royalty, at that."

“…!”

"Aha, I'm right. Royalty! The Queen of Monsters, the child of the Mother! Dammit! It feels like receiving a birthday present, getting to see such a rare treasure!"

Erysichthon spoke softly, almost whispering while maintaining his strength, as if telling her to be honest only with him.

Sphinx struck his hand with her aching claw.

The grip weakened for a moment.

She used that opening to roar directly at Erysichthon.

────────!

A sound ripping through the air struck Erysichthon’s face.

He released his hold, and Sphinx imbued her wings with magic, creating a whirlwind.

[Storm, appear! Tear my enemies apart, grind them to dust!]

The air swirled around her magical wings, forming a massive tornado.

It swallowed dust and stones, increasing in power, striking Erysichthon head-on.

Even Erysichthon couldn’t withstand a natural disaster and was sent flying, but Sphinx didn’t relax.

Roaring like a beast, she cast again, creating three more massive tornadoes to encircle and attack him.

As if she intended to completely grind him to dust.

────────!

At that moment, a roar, similar to hers, echoed from the center of the tornado.

"I can do that too. Lion's Roar."

With a single Lion’s Roar, Erysichthon nullified all of Sphinx’s tornadoes.

He sprang off the ground, punching with his free hand.

Sphinx tried to block but failed. Her defense shattered, and the blow struck her face.

She was sent flying. She tried to get up but staggered and collapsed.

"Ah, what a disappointment... This is easier than I thought. Is it because your transformation hasn't fully undone itself yet?"

Erysichthon spoke while looking at the Sphinx, whose transformation was largely undone: both arms were now a beast's paws, a tail and wings had sprouted, and her size had grown as large as a house.

"If I'm going to eat, I want to eat something proper. What do I have to do to make the transformation undo itself completely? Aha! If I mess with those brats a bit, will that do it? You seemed to cherish them. As expected, I'm smart! Just wait!"

Having drawn his own conclusion, he went searching for Kori and Pais.

Right before Sphinx unknowingly was about to fully release her transformation magic:

"You should face me first."

Anagin, who had appeared out of nowhere, swung the Giant’s Bed. His target was Erysichthon's Horn of Plenty.

Erysichthon, who had been taking every attack with ease, was startled and pulled the Horn of Plenty to his chest to protect it.

"This little piece of shit..."

Clearly angry at his belongings being touched, Erysichthon cursed.

Anagin responded.

[Bind]

Chains sprouted from all four corners of the Giant’s Bed, restraining Erysichthon’s hands and head.

The chains were pulled taut, forcing Erysichthon’s head and hands close to the headboard.

Anagin reached into the air.

[Longbald]

Anagin held Periphetes the Clubber.

He smashed the base of the Giant’s Bed with it, striking Erysichthon’s head against the opposite headboard.

[Stake Strike]

Crack—!

A heavy yet splitting sound echoed as Erysichthon was sent flying far away. It wasn't quite as far as Anagin had been kicked earlier, but it was enough to be called revenge.

While everyone watched the scene in horror, Anagin approached Sphinx, who had essentially turned into a monster.

Sphinx looked up at Anagin with trembling eyes. Anagin spoke to her in his usual indifferent voice.

“Good job.”

“…….”

At those indifferent words, Sphinx’s wavering eyes finally steadied.

Leaving the now-calm Sphinx behind, Anagin walked over, tore at the pieces of meat on the ground, and finished the stew from the half-spilled pot.

Munch! Munch! Slurp—! Gulp!!

After filling his stomach, he turned toward the New Argonaut Expedition Team, who were staring at him blankly.

“Hey, you guys. You’re still ready to fight, right?”

It wasn’t really a question about whether they could fight—it was a demand.

Yet, the New Argonaut Expedition Team was more shocked by the very act of being asked than by the form of the question.

“Are you planning to fight?”

“Then, are you going to just sit here and die?”

“…….”

To the New Argonaut Expedition Team, who couldn’t respond, Anagin asked again.

“Hey, you increase your firepower by burning your flame Energy, don’t you?”

First, Tramachus. Anagin guessed the nature of Tramachus’ blessing of fire and posed the question.

He was asking if he increased firepower by burning Energy. No matter how powerful a blessing, it was impossible to create something from nothing. There must be fuel to increase power.

Tramachus nodded.

“Can you burn my Energy too?”

“It’s possible, but it’s dangerous.”

“Perfect then.”

Instead of worrying, Anagin was pleased.

In dangerous situations, isn't one supposed to do dangerous things?

“You can also reinforce flames with the blessing of Reinforcement, right?”

Thyreos said that was so. However, he warned that recklessly blessing something like flames carried the risk of losing control.

“Especially when a blessing is added to another blessing, the power—”

“—Doesn’t matter. And you handle wind.”

“What are you up to?”

Irida asked back at the unsettling question. Anagin explained his operation to everyone, including Sphinx.

Yes, including Sphinx. Because the situation called for it. No one questioned whether everyone was in agreement.

Once the explanation ended, the reactions were all more or less the same.

“This is insane….”

“Flattery won’t get you out of this.”

“Is the strategy meeting over?”

Erysichthon, who had been sent flying by Anagin’s club ‘Longbald,’ stood up.

He broke the chains from the bed by force and tucked the Horn of Plenty into a jewel embedded in his necklace. It seemed that the necklace was Erysichthon’s Interspatial Bag.

“Damn, thanks. You waited up.”

Anagin shot back without backing down.

“Shouldn't I show that much consideration for a brat who lost to me?”

“Fuck off. I haven't lost until I'm dead. Pinku-Pinku.”

Anagin called out to Sphinx.

Sphinx hesitated briefly.

But soon, she used magic just as Anagin had instructed.

[O wind…]

With a powerful gust of wind, Anagin flew forward, and following that, the blessing Tramachus had placed was activated.

Flames erupted from Anagin’s club.

The fire, empowered by Thyreos’ blessing, radiated even more intense heat.

Gathering the wind’s acceleration, his own strength, the club stolen from Periphetes, and the blessings of flame and reinforcement into a single point, Anagin swung at Erysichthon.

Thwack!

It was blocked effortlessly, just like the first attack.

“Nothing has changed, has it?”

“Fuck you.”

Anagin projected the Energy dwelling within his body into the club.

As a massive amount of Energy poured in all at once, Tramachus’s flames—which had been barely burning only the club—exploded and swallowed Erysichthon.