Chapter 188

Chapter 188. Underwater Battle, Round Two (3)

The ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍moment the head ornament was crushed, a mass of light burst forth before vanishing into thin air as though evaporating from existence.

The ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍fisherman mage and the ugly one stared blankly at the sight in shock.

A ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍brief silence followed, and after some time passed, the fisherman mage finally spoke.

“How ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍foolish.”

Well, ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍Anagin could roughly guess the reason why.

Probably.......

“Do you even know what that was before destroying it?”

“Who knows? Mermaid power?”

Anagin guessed.

Though calling it a guess was misleading.

He was practically certain.

Both the bracelet he had taken before and the head ornament depicted restrained mermaids.

On top of that, there was the incident where the fisherman mage had been rejected when trying to wear the bracelet.

Unless someone was a complete idiot with no awareness whatsoever, there was no way they wouldn’t connect it to Poseidon’s daughters—that is, the mermaids.

“You destroyed it even knowing that?”

The fisherman mage looked even more dumbfounded.

Apparently, the bastard really had thought Anagin was an actual moron.

Naturally, there was no way Anagin would feel good about that, and he openly showed his irritation.

“Why? Was I not supposed to?”

“If you intended to fight properly, then no, you shouldn’t have. It’s already been quite some time since you used the scroll, hasn’t it?”

The fisherman mage struck right where it hurt.

This place was the sea.

And quite a bit of time had already passed since Anagin used the Water Walk scroll.

He hadn’t wasted much time because he had pressured the ugly one from the start, but the scroll itself wasn’t meant to last very long in the first place.

In other words, Anagin didn’t have much time left to stand on the sea with both feet.

The safer choice would have been to retreat to land immediately.

But the problem was.......

“You should’ve worn it instead of destroying it. Then at the very least, you would’ve had the chance to test your strength against—”

“You talk way too damn much, you son of a bitch.”

He simply didn’t want to do that.

“You fucking parasite.”

* * *

Swaaaash—! Swaaaash—!

Maybe Anagin’s vicious insults had worked.

The fisherman mage, who had been rambling unlike himself, fell silent, and the sound of crashing waves filled the void instead.

As though reflecting the turmoil in his heart.

Crack! Crack!

Anagin rolled his neck as he thought.

Honestly, from a rational standpoint, he shouldn’t have been wasting time like this.

Instead of talking, he should’ve rushed over and smashed his fist into the fisherman mage’s face at least one more time.

There was no knowing when the magic would disappear.

But if Anagin had been a rational man, he never would’ve dreamed of becoming a god in the first place.

So rather than making the logical choice, he decided to make the choice he simply felt like making.

Just like when he decided to become a god.

Thus, instead of rushing into battle, he opened his mouth.

“Ah, sorry. I got a little too harsh there. But it's because you were acting so damn disgustingly. Don't try to rationalize your cowardice through me."

“Cowardice...?”

“Look at you pretending not to know.”

“I’m not pretending. I’ve never done anything cowardly. If you mean betrayal, I don’t care about that. I only stayed with them temporarily because I wanted something. If anything, I’m the disappointed one. I didn’t realize you were the kind of man who cared about something like that.”

Instead of answering, Anagin laughed.

The guy who normally kept his mouth shut unless necessary had been babbling nonstop since earlier.

Sloppy, you could say.

And proof of that was.......

“I never even mentioned betrayal, but the fact that it came out of your mouth first means it must’ve really been eating at you, huh?”

“.......”

“If you wanted to act shamelessly, you should’ve just denied everything to the bitter end. Ah, and just so we’re clear, I’ve got no intention of condemning you for betraying them.”

Cowardice was still a choice.

As long as someone could bear the consequences, Anagin honestly didn’t care.

The reason he was irritated lay elsewhere.

“Don’t try to justify your cowardice with me. Whether I took the ornament or not doesn’t change the fact that you betrayed your comrades. More importantly.......”

Anagin dragged out the end of his sentence and crooked a finger.

“I’m confident I can crush someone like you without some shitty ornament like that. So hurry up and come at me.”

“.......”

“Or are you so scared of me that you’re planning to wait until the magic wears off?”

“...Fine. I’ll pierce you to death.”

As though finally making up his mind, the fisherman mage raised a finger and pointed it at Anagin.

* * *

——!

A stream of water shot toward him even faster than before.

Anagin responded by plucking feathers from his wing guards and throwing them.

If the other side was going to use ranged attacks, then he had to do something too.

“Hmph.”

Even though Anagin had thrown them quite quickly, the fisherman mage calmly responded by raising a wall of water.

Naturally, the feathers struck the wall and immediately lost all force, drooping limply as though they had never flown sharply at all.

‘Damn it, if only I could alter their trajectory like Pinku-Pinku does.’

Anagin clicked his tongue in regret as he recalled the feather barrage Sphinx had unleashed before.

The power itself was impressive, but an attack that curved around defenses to strike vital points seemed especially useful.

Unfortunately, Sphinx wasn’t here right now.

And since Anagin still hadn’t properly mastered magic, he couldn’t use that technique.

There was no point in regretting something impossible, so Anagin decided to focus on the present.

Namely, running around the water wall.

Ranged combat seemed disadvantageous, so for now, he decided to close the distance.

It felt like nothing would work unless he got in close.

But then—

‘He’s not there?’

Even after circling around the water wall directly ahead of him, the fisherman mage was nowhere to be seen.

Only ripples remained behind.

‘Wait, ripples?’

The instant that thought crossed Anagin’s mind, a harpoon burst out from beneath the water and aimed for his face.

Anagin survived by leaping backward and jerking his head away.

Immediately afterward, the fisherman mage burst out and closed the distance with Anagin in one motion.

“What, didn’t expect me to approach you? Because I’m a mage?”

The fisherman mage spoke in an irritating tone as if trying to provoke him, then swung his harpoon downward as though dragging it, carving a wound across Anagin’s chest.

Fwoosh! Sting!

The flames burning in the right side of Anagin’s chest flared up even more violently from the stimulation, while a vicious stinging pain lingered where the harpoon had grazed him.

However, this was also an opportunity.

Anagin pinned down the descending harpoon with the Beast Devourer and swung his opposite fist toward the fisherman mage’s abdomen.

Thud!

But, it ended up blocked.

By the fisherman mage's hand.

Surprisingly, the fisherman mage’s hand wasn’t reinforced with any magic.

It was pure physical strength.

“You thought you’d win if you got in close?”

Even though Anagin gave no answer, the fisherman mage shoved his fist forward and pushed Anagin back.

Then he clenched his fist.

Despite still having the harpoon, he chose his fist instead.

An obvious provocation.

Without dodging, Anagin answered not with the Beast Devourer, but with a fist of his own.

Packing it densely with Energy(Γι).

Srrrrrrk.......

At that moment, a change appeared in the fisherman mage’s fist as well.

Seawater spiraled around and wrapped itself around his arm.

‘So that’s the sea’s power. The source of his monstrous strength.’

Anagin instinctively realized it.

The reason why he could exert such monstrous strength despite being a mage and not a Gigant.

He was borrowing the power of the sea to produce physical might rivaling that of a Gigant.

Rather than magic, it seemed to be an ability gained from stealing the power of mermaids.......

But well, that was that, and this was this.

Whether it ended well or horribly, Anagin completed the punch he had already thrown.

Anagin’s fist collided directly with the fisherman mage’s.

BOOOOM!

With an explosive roar, Anagin was sent flying.

That too, with his body spinning.

“H-holy shit...!”

Anagin couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

How should he even describe this?

Simply saying he had been overpowered in a contest of strength wasn’t enough.

The instant their fists collided, it felt as though not only his fist, but his entire body had been swallowed by a vortex and helplessly dragged along.

For Anagin, who could barely remember ever losing in a pure contest of strength, it was even more shocking.

Though not shocking enough to forget what he needed to do.

Swish-swish-swish-!

While flying through the air, Anagin plucked feathers from the wing guards wrapped around his arms and threw them.

"Do you have nothing but this kind of petty trick?"

Having already seen the technique earlier, the fisherman mage casually raised a massive wave and brushed aside Anagin’s attack as though dusting off dirt.

Perfect.

That was exactly the opening Anagin needed.

“Pigmenes.”

Anagin raised the Beast Devourer and summoned the piglets.

Not one.

A full four of them.

Even their summoned positions differed.

Two atop the blade, one in his hand, and one balanced on his leg.

First, Anagin swung the Beast Devourer and launched the two piglets on the blade toward the fisherman mage.

Then he tossed the one in his hand high into the air.

Finally, he kicked the last one away like a ball.

As they flew, the piglets became engulfed in flames and evolved into a medium-sized bipedal Pigmenes, raising burning swords overhead.

The so-called, boar cannonballs.

Unlike harpy feathers, these couldn’t be blocked so easily.

The fisherman mage must have sensed that instinctively, because he rapidly fired streams of water and riddled the two flying directly at him full of holes.

——! ———!!

But two still remained.

The medium-sized boar Pigmenes Anagin had thrown into the sky in an arc, and the last one he had kicked away.

The fisherman mage fired a stream of water at the one descending from above, but perhaps because it had learned, it protected only its vital points with its sword and continued trying to approach somehow.

He could have simply dodged sideways.

But apparently, his pride wouldn’t allow that.

Well, considering those powers had been stolen from his half-sisters, perhaps it made sense.

In the end, the fisherman mage blocked the descending Pigmenes with a roof-like wall of water that covered the sky.

And in that opening, the Pigmenes Anagin had kicked last closed the distance right in front of the fisherman mage, and thrust its sword forward.

Would Pigmenes’ blade work against the fisherman mage or not?

Personally, Anagin thought it would.

If it wouldn’t work, then there’d have been no reason for the fisherman mage to bother blocking or avoiding it in the first place.

‘Wait. Then even if he absorbs the missing half, that still wouldn’t make him a god, would it?’

Just as the question briefly crossed Anagin’s mind and he tried to see the result—

[Authority Activated]

The fisherman mage stretched out a hand.

It felt as though the surrounding space itself froze.

And the flying Pigmenes stopped dead in midair, as though something refused to let it advance any farther.

That wasn’t the end of it.

Paaat!

The space surrounding the fisherman mage exploded outward, violently pushing away everything nearby.

The Pigmenes were crushed alive.

That power also felt closer to the mermaids’ abilities than actual magic, but somehow, the sensation differed slightly.

Until now, everything had still been related to water.

But this felt purer somehow.

More fundamental, perhaps.

In any case, it was different.

“You look curious.”

Before he realized it, the fisherman mage had already approached right in front of him through the water’s surface.

His harpoon was gone.

Both hands were empty.

At first, Anagin thought perhaps he had discarded it temporarily for faster movement.

But he quickly realized that wasn’t the case.

Crack—!

He had simply left it behind so he could beat Anagin with both fists.

That much was obvious just from the joy with which he swung them.

After taking a punch to the face, Anagin was embarrassingly pushed backward.

The blow had landed on his face, yet it felt as though his entire body had been swept away by a wave.

Screeeeech—

Despite that, Anagin held out by exerting strength.

In a fight like this, once you started getting overwhelmed, there was no coming back.

“That is the Authority of a god.”

The fisherman mage instantly closed the distance again.

This time, Anagin threw a punch without missing the opportunity, but the fisherman mage casually blocked it.

With a hand wrapped in seawater.

“A divine power that repels lesser beings. A power only gods and their descendants may wield.”

Thud!

The fisherman mage smashed his fist into Anagin’s abdomen as he shouted again.

“That power you discarded earlier like it was nothing! Of course, even if you possessed it, you wouldn’t be able to use it properly. Divine power can only be wielded correctly by gods and their descendants!”

As though trying to prove he was Poseidon’s son, the fisherman mage began surrounding his entire body with swirling seawater.

It was incredibly flashy and ostentatious.

The moment he saw that sight, Anagin, who guessed he wouldn't evade even for the sake of his pride, condensed Energy(Γι) into his fist and threw it straight forward.

BOOOOM—!

The moment Anagin’s fist struck the fisherman mage’s body, an explosion rang out and forced the fisherman mage three steps backward.

Even after projecting that much force, only that much damage.......

Still, the fisherman mage looked surprised.

Apparently, even that much had exceeded his expectations.

Just as Anagin tried to land another hit—

“Puhk—!”

Anagin coughed up scorching air and smoke rising through his throat.

Starting with the ugly one and continuing until now, he had used his strength without restraint for far too long.

The flames burning inside his chest went beyond simple pain and exerted a meaningful effect on his physical body.

“Looks like you’re finally reaching your limit.”

Knowing about the flames inside Anagin’s chest, the fisherman mage muttered as though he understood.

And in truth, his words weren’t wrong.

Anagin’s condition was terrible.

The reason he could endure flames outside his body was because burning skin and muscle alone wasn’t particularly fatal.

But the flames inside his chest directly affected his internal organs, such as his heart and lungs.

Not to mention how they devoured his stamina.

Even so.

“The one struggling is you.”

There was no way Anagin would openly admit his opponent’s words.

“Only descendants of gods can wield it, my ass.”

Anagin spoke the truth.

“You’re just a bastard child who can barely use that Authority for a few moments before it exhausts you.”

Nothing hurt more than the truth.

KWAOOOOM—!

As though proving exactly that, the fisherman mage struck Anagin with a blow filled with fury.

Anagin tried to endure, but his condition was too poor, and he was sent flying backward.

The fisherman mage immediately pursued and threw another punch.

Even after everything that had happened, he stubbornly insisted on challenging Anagin, a Gigant, in a contest of strength.

No—

Perhaps this situation only made him cling to that stubbornness even more.

Whether to prove himself or to humiliate Anagin.

Either way, it wasn’t bad news for Anagin, so he accepted the clash head-on.

Though Tramachus’s flames were wrecking his body, tormenting him with burning pain, and reducing both his stamina and recovery ability—

Even so, this was still the fighting style most advantageous for Anagin.

Anagin reversed his grip on the Beast Devourer and thrust the pommel forward like a fist.

As though declaring a fistfight.

Instead of dodging, the fisherman mage blocked it using the vortex swirling around his body.

As though evading itself would be humiliating.

For Anagin, that was something to be grateful for.

The vortex wrapped around the fisherman mage’s body diverted Anagin’s attack upward with violent currents.

Following that flow instead, Anagin swung the Beast Devourer in reverse grip.

[Skinning]

The blade of the Beast Devourer swept upward from below and sliced through the vortex.

“Useless.”

The fisherman mage’s words were correct.

For a moment, Anagin had indeed cut through the vortex surrounding the fisherman mage’s body.

But only for a moment.

Immediately afterward, another vortex surged upward from below and filled the gap.

Not only that, but the vortex’s current swept away the Beast Devourer and knocked it from Anagin’s hand.

The Beast Devourer slipped free.

Since it was one of his treasured possessions, Anagin wanted to retrieve it immediately.

But the fisherman mage had no intention of allowing that.

He lightly shoved Anagin with a vortex-wrapped hand, then slammed his fist directly into Anagin’s face.

Craaack—!

As Anagin was pushed backward, he floated slightly into the air as though swept up by a wave, taking a solid hit.

And just as he was about to be blown away.

The fisherman mage used the vortex’s pulling force to drag Anagin back toward him before throwing another punch.

‘You can do stuff like this too?’

Thinking blocking would accomplish little anyway, Anagin swung a punch of his own.

But it never reached the fisherman mage’s fist.

The damn vortex diverted Anagin’s strike away.

Meanwhile, the fisherman mage’s punches landed every single time.

BAM—!

Even so, Anagin ignored it and continued attacking relentlessly.

Ideally, he would’ve liked to dodge or block some of the incoming blows.

But that didn’t seem possible, so he poured everything into offense instead.

Thus, Anagin and the fisherman mage exchanged punches.

The fisherman mage’s blows landed.

Anagin’s were diverted away.

However, that wasn’t the real problem.

Because now, an actual problem had appeared.

The effect of the Water Walk had ended.

The water’s surface that had firmly supported Anagin suddenly gave way beneath him, dragging him downward.

And as though intending to finish things in one strike, the fisherman mage concentrated power into one arm.

Right then—

[O wind......]

A familiar voice rang out from above.

Sphinx slammed a tornado down directly atop the fisherman mage’s head just like before.

A perfectly timed attack.

The problem was that the fisherman mage had already experienced it once before.

Skillfully, he raised a wall of water to block the tornado, then fired sharp streams of water upward.

However, Sphinx was already gone.

Because she had attempted Spirit-Form Manifestation (魂體化) with Anagin.

[O wind, please become his support.]

The fused Sphinx hurriedly prevented Anagin from sinking into the water.

A powerful gust kept him afloat.

Though less efficient than Water Walk, it was still an enormous help given the circumstances.

Yet instead of thanking her, Anagin clenched his fist and shouted an order.

“Pinku-Pinku! I’ve got the hang of it now. Tornado on my arm!”

Anagin attempted magic while matching his timing again with Sphinx, who achieved Spirit-Form Manifestation.

Quite literally wrapping a tornado around the arm holding his clenched fist.

Just like the fisherman mage’s vortex.

Swoooooosh—!

Sphinx obeyed immediately.

And Anagin added one more thing to it.

Energy(Γι).

Wrapping Energy around his arm like a tornado, Anagin threw a punch.

The fisherman mage also threw a punch.

Even though he clearly had time to dodge while Anagin gathered power, his pride simply wouldn’t allow it.

The tornado and the vortex collided.......

BOOOOM—!

Anagin’s fist completely overpowered the fisherman mage’s.

Both Anagin and the fisherman mage were shocked.

But the one most shocked was the fisherman mage.

Anagin stepped forward and threw another punch.

Startled, the fisherman mage shouted.

[Authority Activated]

The divine power that repelled lesser beings.

Just like when Pigmenes had been stopped, the space surrounding the fisherman mage seemed to freeze in place.

Craaack—!