Chapter 156. Seizing Merit (5)
As the giant pig, spewing intense flames from its entire body, thrust its blade forward, Orpheus found himself flustered for the first time in a long while.
To analyze this bewildering situation, Orpheus bestowed a blessing upon his own body, accelerating his thoughts, and as he did, the world gradually slowed.
First, he looked at Pigmenes, the one Anagin had summoned.
A burning giant pig radiating such heat that even the Siren struggled to endure it.
It was certainly no ordinary level.
At this level, most practitioners wouldn’t even be able to approach it. Nearly 7-star to 8-star rank.
He had heard it had absorbed a bishop-level figure from the Barbaroi Cult, and it seemed that wasn’t an exaggeration.
Honestly, he had thought there would be some exaggeration mixed in....... But this was quite astonishing.
To think he had truly made a bishop-level being into a familiar.
However, what truly surprised Orpheus was something else.
After all, familiarizing Barbaroi Cult members or monsters was difficult, but not impossible.
What confused Orpheus was Anagin’s power that defied reason.
From the very act of taking a weapon forged from another’s Energy(Γι) and using it himself, it was already impossible.
It was like taking someone else’s body part and using it as one’s own.
Of course, if there were some special power that made it possible, that would be a different story, but still.......
And that wasn’t the only thing that defied reason.
Setting aside how he had cut down the mud goat with the Beast Devourer, absorbing the blessing within it and the soul of the familiar was also something that defied logic. The original owner of that power was still perfectly intact.
On top of that, claiming the curses embedded in his own body as his own, it was utterly unbelievable.
After all, Orpheus had never once seen or even heard of such a thing.
And yet, he had to believe it.
It had already happened right before his eyes, and there was proof.
Namely, Pigmenes, who had evolved into his final form.
In Orpheus’s accelerated vision, the massive blade tip slowly approached him.
A situation that could well be called a crisis.
Yet, as a member of the Argonaut Expedition Team who had gone through countless adventures, Orpheus did not panic and instead plucked his lyre.
Ting—!
A barrier formed in accordance with the beautiful melody.
The massive blade tried to tear through the barrier... but failed.
Just as Pigmenes was like a bishop, Orpheus too was a practitioner aiming to become a god.
Having successfully defended, Orpheus played an ensemble with the Siren, gathering moisture from the earth and bringing down a sudden shower above Pigmenes’s head.
Chiiiiiiiiiik—!
The rain reacted with the burning pig giant, generating a massive amount of steam that obscured vision—and using that gap, Orpheus delivered a fatal attack to Anagin’s familiar.
Rather than music, it was closer to a violent cacophony, as he played a savage melody that tore Pigmenes’s body apart.
Breaking the blade with shockwaves, skinning it with slashes, slicing flesh, and attempting to cut apart bone.
Like butchering.
Of course, Pigmenes tried to endure and was not easily subdued, but as the melody continued, it gradually began to collapse bit by bit.
The massive blade slowly cracked, then broke; the skin that had been scratched began to peel away; the flesh beneath was sliced; tendons were severed; and soon, even the bones were cut apart.
Kweeeeeeeeiik!!
Pigmenes let out a scream as if in agony.
At that moment, Orpheus felt a strange curiosity and greed arise.
Could he, like Anagin, absorb the familiar of an opponent he had defeated......?
He almost gave in to the momentary curiosity and tried it, but Orpheus snapped back to his senses and drove a final blow into the nearly collapsing Pigmenes.
Jaaang-!
As the damage reached its limit, Pigmenes, like any other familiar, could no longer maintain its form and collapsed, scattering apart.
And from within that crumbling form, Anagin, holding Longbald, approached Orpheus.
Despite his body being in complete disarray and unable to recover.
“......!?”
Orpheus was startled.
No matter how much he had shaken off the curses, the accumulated damage should not have disappeared—so how was he still moving?
The answer came from Anagin himself, smiling despite being in a ragged state.
“Because I'm awesome.”
At the same time as he answered, Anagin swung Longbald in both hands with all his might.
Orpheus instinctively raised the output of his barrier to the maximum, and even that wasn’t enough, so he added the Siren to reinforce it.
After all, familiars whose souls had been subdued could simply be restored even if they were somewhat destroyed.
Thus, Anagin’s Longbald and Orpheus’s barrier collided.
──────!!!
The barrier, which seemed like it would never break in a single blow, was shattered to pieces, and from the aftershock, Orpheus was blown backward.
It wasn’t as if Anagin came out unscathed.
Perhaps due to the overwhelming recoil of the barrier, Anagin ended up losing his grip on Longbald. The strike the Siren had launched just before the collision also played a part.
To think it had fired a water arrow that pierced through Anagin’s hand.
In any case, Orpheus tried to use that opening to widen the distance as much as possible. He definitely tried to.......
Tap!
Something tightly grabbed Orpheus’s shoulder.
A hand-shaped construct of Energy(Γι).
The moment Anagin let go of Longbald, he created a small hand from Energy(Γι) and grabbed the flying Orpheus.
The instant Orpheus grasped the situation, Anagin pulled him in.
Orpheus, who had been flying through the air, was dragged toward Anagin—and Anagin threw a punch with all his might.
Ting!
Thud—!
Along with the sound of the lyre, the sound of Anagin’s fist slamming into Orpheus’s abdomen rang out.
They were almost simultaneous, but the lyre’s sound was just slightly faster, and thanks to that, Orpheus was able to wrap his body in armor made of melody, preventing the tragedy of his stomach being pierced by Anagin’s fist.
Well, that didn’t mean.......
“Guh...!”
It didn’t hurt.
Boom—!!
With his fist still driven into Orpheus’s abdomen, Anagin thrust his arm forward and sent him flying far away.
Orpheus, who had until now stood nobly while merely playing his lyre, was sent flying by Anagin’s brute strength, rolling across the ground and getting covered in dust.
Even so, Orpheus tried to use the newly created distance to play his lyre and reorganize, but he couldn’t.
The pain from Anagin’s blow, his depleted stamina, and the fact that Anagin closed the distance far too quickly.
Boom!
Chasing after him, Anagin leapt up and tried to stomp Orpheus’s head, and Orpheus barely managed to dodge.
Judging that it was impossible to play the lyre in this state, Orpheus clumsily threw a punch, which Anagin lightly deflected with the back of his hand before bringing down his opposite elbow onto Orpheus’s neck.
Crack—!
Even though Orpheus wore armor made of melody across his entire body, Anagin had aimed for the joints, thinking they might be weaker.
“Oh, it’s sturdy.”
Anagin remarked in admiration, looking at his elbow that hadn’t made direct contact with Orpheus’s body.
Perhaps because it was armor made from a blessing, it had no gaps and seemed to prevent bending from impact to some extent.
Well, it didn’t seem to completely nullify the impact itself, though.
“Guh......!”
Orpheus staggered.
Still, true to being from the Argonaut Expedition Team, he tried to play his lyre again.
That wasn’t going to happen.
Anagin swiftly swung his fist like a hammer and struck Orpheus’s arm holding the lyre.
From the impact, Orpheus dropped the lyre, and Anagin pressed the advantage, beginning to beat him down unilaterally.
He smashed Orpheus’s temple with his elbow, then brought his hammer-like fist back up to strike his jaw, and even kicked Orpheus’s abdomen while he was suspended in midair.
Orpheus was sent flying again from the impact, and Anagin immediately ran after him.
“Grrgh...! It really hurts.”
As expected of a practitioner, Orpheus, though staggering, attempted to counterattack.
An admirable attitude, but meaningless.
Even with his body enhanced by blessings, it wasn’t enough to threaten Anagin, and Orpheus’s close-combat skills were exceedingly crude.
Anagin deflected Orpheus’s incoming punch once more and swung his own fist.
Prepared to shatter the armor of melody wrapped around his body.
A punch to the face, using the recoil to smash his head with an elbow, then a knee strike to the abdomen.
Grabbing the flying Orpheus again with a hand made of Energy(Γι), he pulled him back and struck him with another punch.
He repeated this several times.
Crack... crack......!
The armor made of blessing began to crack, then started to break apart piece by piece.
And just as Anagin was about to deliver the final blow—
In the midst of that desperate crisis, Orpheus smiled.
And then, from the lyre lying far behind him—
Ting—!
* * *
“Brother! Brother! Wake up!!”
A loud voice.
Anagin rubbed his sleepy eyes and forced himself up.
Who the hell was bothering him like this? Did they have a death wish?
“Brother!! Are you awake!?”
As Anagin struggled to open his eyes, a girl was leaning in close to his face.
A familiar face. It was his younger sister.
“......What?”
Still half-asleep, Anagin asked in an annoyed tone.
He absolutely hated being woken up by someone.
“Don’t you remember? We said we’d all eat breakfast together?”
“Huh? Ah... ah, right.”
As his sister spoke with her hands on her hips, Anagin nodded as if he had only remembered after a long delay.
Normally, Anagin would wake up late and eat after his father had already left for work and his mother was cleaning up, but his father had nagged that it was unacceptable, and in the end, they decided to eat breakfast together.
“That’s weird.”
“What is?”
“I don’t think I would’ve agreed to something like that.”
Anagin, who liked refusing others’ requests and sleeping whenever he pleased, couldn’t understand why he would have made such a promise.
It was the kind of promise he would never make unless someone was dying.
But his sister simply reacted as if to say, ‘Here we go again.’
Since Anagin often acted like this, it wasn’t an unreasonable response.
“Hurry up. Dad and Mom are waiting.”
His sister urged him and left the room, and Anagin followed her out, letting out a big yawn.
As he stepped outside, he saw three people sitting around a small table.
His father, his mother, and his sister.
“Your hair looks like a bird’s nest.”
“I styled it. Everyone says it looks cool.”
“Who?”
His sister asked, genuinely unable to understand.
Who in their right mind would say that a bird’s nest hair looked cool?
“Everyone in the village. If they say it’s not cool, I’ll beat them.”
“Stop talking nonsense and sit down to eat.”
Unable to watch any longer, his father urged Anagin to sit.
From experience, he knew that if left alone, Anagin would waste all the time spouting nonsense.
“Yes, yes.”
Still groggy, Anagin replied bluntly and sat down.
Then he began eating.
Clink. Clink.
The quiet sound of utensils clashing.
Well, there was nothing special.
It was the same meal as always.
A stew full of meat and some bread.
Simple, but decent enough to eat.
“Sorry, it’s only ‘decent.’”
“...But today, it tastes a bit special.”
“What’s gotten into you? Giving compliments, how unlike you.”
His mother asked in surprise, as if the sun had risen in the west.
“Yeah, what’s wrong with me? Am I about to die?”
“You shouldn’t say things like that lightly.”
As Anagin casually spoke nonsense, his father scolded him as usual.
But it was pointless. If he could be changed with a few words, he would’ve changed long ago.
His father should’ve realized that by now, yet he still didn’t give up and brought it up again.
“Have you thought about learning farming?”
“Ah, come on. I’m busy protecting the village from the beasts that ruin the fields.”
His father couldn’t deny that. In reality, Anagin did protect the village from fierce beasts.
The meat-filled stew they were eating didn’t come out of nowhere, after all.
“And honestly, why would I farm? They just give it to me anyway.”
Was it because he had just woken up?
Anagin spoke whatever came to mind.
Why should he farm?
There were plenty of others in the village who farmed besides his father, and all of them brought a portion of their harvest to Anagin.
As a kind of payment for protecting the village.
To be honest, that alone was enough for this household to get by without farming at all.
And yet, his father still farmed.
Just out of stubbornness.
Saying things like people should work, or that one shouldn’t covet what belongs to others.
Anagin found it frustrating, but he left it alone because arguing was a hassle.
That stubborn personality was also why they couldn’t even expand the house freely.
“It’s not just about getting wheat.”
“Ah, alright, alright. If you’re going to talk about being a proper person or diligence, just stop. My ears are going to get calluses.”
“It is so that you may live in harmony with others.”
“I'm living in harmony right now.”
“Just living in the same village isn’t in harmony. Sharing memories, working together—that’s what it means to truly live in harmony.”
“If we work together, they just get in the way.”
Anagin meant it.
The reason he dealt with the beasts invading the village alone was because it was the most efficient way.
Weaklings would only be a burden.
That was also why he stubbornly refused to farm.
If he was the one hunting all the beasts, wouldn’t it be unfair for him to farm as well?
His father couldn’t deny that either, so he didn’t say anything to that.
“But it’s better to learn how to live in harmony. For your sake as well.”
“I'll take care of myself. And I'm getting along well enough.”
“I’m not talking about playing around. You have to work together.”
“Hmm, you’re nagging more than usual today. Did something happen?”
“...No, not really.”
And with that, the conversation ended.
It was just another ordinary day. Especially his father’s nagging.
After some time, everyone finished eating and got up from their seats.
His father to go work in the fields, his mother and sister to clean up the table, and Anagin to laze around.
Well, he planned to sit for a bit and then go on patrol.......
Though honestly, whenever beasts appeared, people would come find him anyway, so there wasn’t much need to go out.
Still, he had to at least pretend to work.
“I’ll be going.”
“Yes, have a safe trip.”
“Dad, take care!”
As his father prepared to leave for the fields, his mother and sister said their farewells.
“Son.”
His father called out to Anagin.
“What?”
“......Come to think of it, you might be right.”
“Huh?”
“The farm work.... I think I was being too greedy. You don’t have to do it.”
“......That’s surprising. You’re saying exactly what I’ve always wanted to hear.”
Because of his father’s constant nagging, Anagin had long wanted to hear those words. Then he wouldn’t have to deal with it anymore.
It was like a wish come true. But.......
“What’s with today?”
Anagin stood up and approached his father, who also stepped toward him with a faint smile.
“I, to you—kgh!”
His father tried to say something.
But his words were cut off as Anagin grabbed him by the throat.
“Brother?!!”
“What are you doing!!”
His mother and sister shouted in shock.
Ignoring them, Anagin tightened his grip around his father’s neck.
The reason was simple.
His father would never say something so accommodating.
Crunch...! Crack......!!
The disgusting sensation of flesh crushing and bones breaking traveled vividly through his hand.
Far too vividly.
Even so, Anagin did not stop.
It was too revolting to listen to a fake father.
Meanwhile, his father, looking as if he could lose consciousness at any moment, asked in agony,
“Why...? Why.......”
Anagin didn’t answer and only tightened his grip further.
Unable to stand it any longer, his mother and sister rushed over, hitting his shoulders and grabbing his arm.
When he still didn’t stop, his mother struck his head with a rolling pin, and his sister stabbed his leg with a knife.
“You crazy bastard! What are you doing to Dad?!!”
“Let go! I said let go!!”
The pain came through vividly.
Yet paradoxically, it didn’t hurt that much.
“You useless piece of shit who can’t do anything......!”
“You worthless bastard!!”
Just as Anagin didn’t respond to those words—
Crack...... crack!! Snap!!!
Everything here was all fake.
* * *
The moment Anagin snapped the neck of his father within the illusion, cracks began to spread from that point. Soon, everything within his field of vision shattered, and Anagin awoke from the illusion.
‘Damn it, for the last blessing to be something this filthy...!’
Seething with rage, Anagin glared around with bloodshot eyes—and then locked gazes with Orpheus, who was barely standing a few steps ahead.
For once, Orpheus was wearing a look of sheer shock.
Not just mild surprise, but as if everything had gone completely beyond his expectations.
Not that it mattered.
Whether he was surprised or not, there was only one thing Anagin had to do.
Step!
“............!”
Just like he had done to wake from the dream, Anagin grabbed Orpheus by the throat and tightened his grip.
Originally, he had planned to beat him a bit, figure out why he had done all this, and then decide whether to kill him or let him live.
But now, he had changed his mind.
Reason or not, he would just kill him.
Only then would this filthy feeling—
—Thud!
Just as he was about to snap Orpheus’s neck, a spear flew in from somewhere and pierced through Anagin’s chest.
Perhaps his body had truly deteriorated, because he couldn’t react in time.
“.......”
Instinctively, Anagin turned his gaze toward where the spear had come from.
And there, he saw familiar faces.
The New Argonaut Expedition Trio.
Tramachus of Flame, Thyreos of Reinforcement, and Lynceus of Farsight.
Just as the thought crossed his mind, why were they here—
The spear embedded in Anagin’s chest exploded.
A powerful shockwave spread out, and Anagin’s vision plummeted downward.