I'm the Crazy One in the Family-Chapter 118: I’m Here (2)

Panir had no intention of going easy on Anis. On the contrary, he planned to crush him completely to break his resolve.

Yet from the very first attack, he was forced to acknowledge something unexpected. The speed of Anis’ arrow was far beyond what he had imagined. Instead of counter-shooting to intercept it, he had to strike it away with his bow.

“...!”

Besil watched in awe. He understood exactly how Anis had pulled off such an astonishingly fast shot. It was a double-layered attack, a technique so advanced that even archery prodigies, when taught directly, still failed to execute it.

But Anis had done it. This was not the same Anis Besil once knew.

He even learned that from Keter...?

Anis relentlessly attacked, showing his determination to not give Panir a chance to fire back. Moreover, he did not hesitate to aim for vital points, even though his opponent was his granduncle.

“Fast, I’ll give you that, but your targets are too obvious!”

Nevertheless, Panir was relaxed enough to give Anis advice.

Anis was not shaken, but he also did not ignore those words. He immediately switched strategies, combining Leo and Yaksha Archery. The arrows he released ripped through the air, their impact leaving behind piercing sonic booms.

Seizing the small gap in Anis’ transition, Panir drew back his bowstring with three Aura Arrows. Anis thought this was Taurus Archery, where the arrows were fired in a triangular formation, but he was wrong.

Crack!

Anis’ two arrows clashed head-on with Panir’s, both arrows obliterating each other. However, two more of Panir’s arrows were still coming straight at him.

Anis’ eyes widened.

Panir’s Taurus Archery was as powerful as Leo Archery but with the speed of Yaksha Archery.

It’s triple-layered...?

There was no reason to be surprised. If Anis could do something, there was no way Panir could not.

Anis quickly prepared a counterattack. He attempted to triple-layer himself, but it was too much. With time, he could manage, but he wasn’t familiar enough with it to do it spontaneously.

Realizing this, Anis gave up on countering and instead dodged sideways. Yet even as he moved, he fired another shot—a double-layered Yaksha Archery—aimed directly at Panir’s ankle.

Thunk!

His perfect strike was effortlessly intercepted.

It was then Anis understood. Panir’s previous attack was not a triple-layered shot; it was a quadruple-layered technique. He had combined Taurus Archery, Yaksha Archery, Leo Archery, and Gemini Archery.

A barrage of powerful and fast arrows mercilessly rained down upon Anis. Unlike Panir, Anis could not deflect them with his bow.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

He rolled and leaped, desperately avoiding the incoming projectiles.

As he continued firing, Panir yelled, “A noble of Sefira rolling around on the ground like a rat?!”

Anis wanted to answer back. If he had the time, he would have said that he didn’t feel the slightest shame about it.

Clang!

No matter how much he dodged, he could not avoid everything forever. An Aura Arrow struck his bow directly. Anis poured Aura into it, trying to reinforce it, but the bow shattered instantly.

Panting, Anis steadied himself. He could fire Aura Arrows, but he had yet to be able to form an Aura Bow. But it was okay since both his legs were fine.

Whoosh!

He sprinted straight at Panir. Panir snorted and tossed his bow aside.

“You think you can beat this old man in close combat?”

Anis formed an Aura Arrow in his right hand, thrusting it at Panir’s throat.

Panir gripped Anis’ wrist and yanked it downward. Simultaneously, he stepped in, hooked his left foot behind Anis’ right, and pushed his palm against Anis’ chest.

Thud! Whoosh!

Anis hit the ground, but instantly rolled to the side, barely avoiding a downward kick. From the ground, he kicked Panir’s ankle.

Already crouched low, Panir caught Anis’ foot and hurled him into the air.

Boom!

Anis barely managed to twist midair, landing on his back instead of his head.

Thud!

“Kuhh...!”

Even with that, pain exploded through his body.

Panir loomed over him.

“You’re out of aura, so you probably did everything you could. Give up now.”

Even breathing heavily, Anis pushed himself up.

“I... can still stand.”

“Is that so?”

Panir vanished instantly. Before Anis could even register it, his world flipped upside down.

Panir had grabbed him by the collar and slammed him into the ground.

Boom!

The floor shook from the impact. This time, Anis couldn’t even scream. His body felt like it had been struck by lightning.

“No aura left, and all the bones in your body are broken. Now, give up.”

“I can... still stand.”

Still, Anis rose to his feet. He had used Heavenly Strength, his last resort that he had been hiding.

“You’re tough.”

However, that was all. Panir grabbed Anis’ hair and slapped him back and forth. Then, he stomped down on Anis’ ankles, shattering them both. It was cruel, but no one frowned or turned away. Everyone knew what kind of occasion this was.

“Now you can’t even stand.”

Anis collapsed forward, unable to move.

Panir turned away, looking toward Taragon.

Taragon’s lips were bleeding. He had bitten down so hard that his teeth had pierced through. It was because he couldn’t stand that he couldn’t do anything as Anis got so violently overpowered.

“Taragon. Don’t be foolish like Anis. Just surrender...”

Something grabbed his ankle.

Panir paused and glanced behind him. When he looked down, he saw Anis grabbing his ankle. He had crawled all the way here.

“Fine. I’ll break your hands too.”

Panir ruthlessly stomped on Anis’ left hand that was grabbing his ankle. That was when he frowned, seeing blood run down the top of his foot. Anis had pierced him with a sharp piece of wood.

“A piece of a bow...”

Panir hadn’t realized that he was hiding a piece of wood. It was not because he was complacent; it was because Anis had embedded it in his own hand and made a fist to hide it. His hand was covered in blood, but it didn’t matter as his entire body was covered in blood as well.

With his last strike, Anis became unconscious. Even still, he didn’t let go of Panir’s ankle.

“Tsk.”

Panir wasn’t going to kill his grandnephew. He bent down to release Anis’ grip and get him some elixir.

That was when Taragon fired an Aura Arrow. Panir, who was not in position, could not deflect or dodge it, leaving him no choice but to block it with his forearm. It was a clear ambush, but no one reprimanded him for it.

Taragon did not stop. He released multiple Aura Arrows as he charged forward. Panir was still off-balance, and Anis was still grabbing his ankle. If he moved anywhere, Anis would suffer even bigger injuries. As such, Panir had no choice but to thicken his Aura Armor and just block Taragon’s attacks.

Unlike Anis, Taragon’s Aura Arrows weren’t perfect. Taragon knew this too, so that was why he chose close combat. Greatly inspired by the mercenaries’ martial arts, Taragon boldly closed the distance with a sharp, decisive step and threw a short, quick punch.

Panir reached out to grab Taragon by the wrist, but missed and grasped at empty air.

“Agh...”

With a thud, Panir was pushed back. Taragon’s whip-like punch was fast but also unpredictable.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Taragon’s assault accelerated. Each strike was short and precise. His rapid-fire chain of blows left Panir with no time to counter.

Panir staggered as Taragon kicked his thigh. Sensing an opening, Taragon seized the moment. He formed Aura Arrows in his hands and slammed them down onto Panir’s shoulders.

“How crude.”

Panir’s remark sent a chill down Taragon’s spine. It was a trick—a deliberate trap to lure Taragon into an overcommitted attack.

Panir slapped Taragon across the face. His vision spun, his balance wavered, forcing him to stagger backward. He instinctively raised his arms to guard against a follow-up strike.

“You dare resort to a sneak attack?”

From behind came Panir’s voice. By the time Taragon realized, Panir had already ensnared him. His left arm pinned Taragon’s forearms, his right hand coiled tightly around Taragon’s throat.

“The moment you resorted to cheating, you lost your noble dignity. You should be ashamed.”

Even as his breath was being squeezed away, Taragon forced out a response.

“Is it truly disgraceful for the weak to ambush the strong? Why should I stand idle when Anis gave me the perfect chance? If submitting meekly to the strong is what it means to be noble, then I will cast aside nobility!”

Taragon thrashed violently, like a fish struggling out of water. Panir’s grip tightened further. He intended to choke him unconscious. That was when Taragon began to glow.

Panir’s eyes widened in horror.

“You fool, stop!”

It was Aura Destruction, a skill that exploded one’s own aura. It was a last resort used to break free when completely restrained. It was a self-destructive technique, causing severe injuries to the user. Yet Taragon triggered it without hesitation. If it went off, both he and Panir would suffer grave wounds.

Thud!

At the last possible second, Besil hurled an orb made with his Doppelganger, striking Taragon in the abdomen, while Keter’s grape smacked Taragon between the eyes.

Taragon slumped forward. The instant he lost consciousness, Aura Destruction was forcefully canceled.

“Phew...”

Panir exhaled heavily in relief. Had Taragon activated the explosion, neither of them would have escaped unscathed. Panir had considered using Aura Armor to shield himself, but if he did, Taragon would have been injured beyond recovery. So he had no choice but to take the risk.

“You reckless fool. You do all that against me...”

There was no anger in his voice, only concern.

Kneeling down, Panir carefully laid Taragon onto his back. Then, he retrieved a vial of elixir from his robe, pouring it gently into Taragon’s and Anis’ mouths.

Ding!

Besil shook a small bell. The door swung open, and Chief Butler Suvide stepped in.

“See to Anis and Taragon.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Suvide gestured, and four servants entered with stretchers. They had anticipated this outcome.

“Are you unharmed, Lord Panir?”

Panir merely waved his hand dismissively.

“I am fine. Just a few scratches.”

“Shall I fetch you a fresh set of garments?”

“I can change myself.”

“Understood. Then, I shall take my leave.”

To Panir, Suvide was a mortal enemy, as he had orchestrated a scheme that almost led to his downfall. As Suvide came back from his leave, he deeply apologized and told him all the details. Panir accepted this, but an awkward distance still remained between them.

As the door shut, Panir casually ripped off his tattered outer robe.

“Are Anis and Taragon worthy of competing in the tournament?” Besil asked.

Panir grunted

“Disappointing, but...”

He ran a hand over his forehead, his palm damp with sweat.

“They have become men. True men know how to regret and how to bear responsibility.”

Then, his sharp gaze turned to Keter.

“I see now. It wasn't useless lessons you taught them. Even though you have never learned Zodiac Archery.”

Keter, who had watched everything in silence, only shrugged.

“Different starting points, but same destination. That’s all there is to it.”

Panir narrowed his eyes.

“Evasive answer. One day, I will hear the full story about the archery you learned.”

Keter only smiled.

“Feel free to try. Since we’ve all gathered, can I say something?”

Besil nodded.

“You may speak.”

Keter didn’t hesitate and put four glass bottles on the table. They were elixirs that he had gotten from his living quarters before coming here.

“What’s this?”

Even though it was sealed, a distinct energy radiated. Everyone figured out that they were elixirs.

“If those are elixirs, we have no need for them. Those of us who have already reached Master gain nothing from them. Give them to Anis and Taragon instead.”

Besil, who already heard that Keter had brought elixirs from Jacques, declined immediately. And more than that, he knew Keter wasn’t someone to give them away for free. Except for Myle, everyone knew he was going to sell them at a ridiculous price.

“You’re too quick to assume. These are elixirs, but not the ones you’re thinking of. Have you heard of the Rejuvenation Pill?”

Besil and Panir both seemed like they didn’t know. Only Reganon, who was extremely knowledgeable, looked surprised.

“Those are Rejuvenation Pills?”

“I knew you would recognize them, Lord Reganon. Could you explain this for me? They won’t believe it if it comes from me.”

“Uhm... The Rejuvenation Pill does exactly as its name suggests—it restores youth. It’s extremely rare because it’s crafted from a thousand-year-old Mandragora root. It is also very difficult to make, as it must be shaped by the hands of a child under the age of seven.”

“Do you also happen to know the price?” Keter asked.

“Twenty years ago, a single pill sold for five hundred thousand gold. The price has probably gone up now, as the Mandragora forests have been destroyed by the elves.”

“Thank you for the kind explanation. As Lord Reganon explained, these three are Rejuvenation Pills. I prepared them for Father, Lord Reganon, and Lord Panir. The orange one is a Mind-Soothing Pill for Myle. It enhances spiritual perception.”

“Mine, too? Thank you, I guess...”

Myle awkwardly smiled. Keter had brought something perfect for him, an incantor, but he was more doubtful than happy.

“Hm... A Rejuvenation Pill. It is quite tempting.

Masters didn’t need elixirs to increase their aura. But an elixir for rejuvenation... It was only natural to want that. Their aging was slower, but they still aged. They, especially Reganon and Panir who were both over seventy years old, could still feel that they weren’t as physically powerful as they once were.

Considering Sefira’s financial situation, Besil asked, “How much are you going to sell them for?”

Looking like he didn’t know what Besil was talking about, Keter replied, “Sell them? No, I’m not that cold.”

Keter grinned and pushed all the elixirs he had into the middle of the table.

“They are free, so feel free to take them.”

Everyone stared at him in doubt. No one believed any of that.

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