The Anakim were, in appearance, no different from humans. Same structure. Same features. Some of them could even be called handsome if one ignored the rest. But their size told a different story. Their nature told it even louder. They were bigger, rougher, and far more brutal in how they lived and fought, and because of that, they saw themselves as something beyond humans, not just a variation.
They lived simple lives. Primitive, by most standards. No real use for technology. The little they had was used only when needed, and even then, it was basic. Everything else, they handled with their bodies, strength, and raw instinct. That was their way.
Because of this, they were rarely seen. Most people believed they were nothing more than stories. Myths told to explain strange events. They didn't live among humans and couldn't even if they wanted to. Their size alone made that impossible. They would stand out anywhere.
So when the Anakim started appearing in the tournament recently, it caught everyone off guard.
This wasn't even their first time.
They had entered before, a few times, but they never made it far. Most of them dropped out around the middle stages. That alone was enough for people to start talking.
"Big bodies, no real strength."
That was the common thought.
Size without skill. Power without control.
But standing there now, Alex knew better.
That idea… was wrong.
Very wrong.
He watched the Anakim in front of him grab the tree and rip it out of the ground like it weighed nothing.
No effort.
No strain.
The roots snapped. Dirt scattered. The trunk stayed whole in his grip.
Then the Anakim adjusted his hold on it, his massive fingers tightening as he swung it slightly to test the weight.
Like a club.
Like it was made for this.
With one rough motion, he stripped off the smaller branches, tearing them away with ease until only the thick trunk remained in his hand.
A weapon.
Simple.
Heavy.
Deadly.
'Can all stage four warriors uproot a tree like that?' Alex thought.
He already knew the answer.
No.
The system had confirmed it. The Anakim in front of him was stage four. Nothing higher. Nothing hidden.
But what he was seeing didn't match that level.
'the strength… it's too much,' Alex thought, his eyes narrowing slightly as he watched.
This wasn't normal.
Not even close.
Meanwhile, the Anakim didn't stand still to be observed. He moved. His grip tightened on the large tree, adjusting it like someone getting comfortable with a weapon they had used a thousand times.
Then—
He swung.
The tree cut through the air with a heavy sound.
Crack!
It smashed into nearby trees, snapping them halfway and clearing a rough path in front of him. Wood splintered. Leaves scattered.
He wasn't just attacking.
He was shaping the battlefield.
Alex saw it.
And he moved.
He turned and ran, pushing his body forward, trying to break out of range before the next swing came.
But then—
The weight returned.
Stronger.
Heavier.
It pressed down on him and pulled at him at the same time.
'not again…!'
His steps slowed.
Not by choice.
The gravity dragged at him, bending his movement, pulling him back toward the incoming attack instead of letting him escape it.
The Anakim's massive arm stretched forward, the tree coming with it in a wide, crushing arc.
Alex felt it.
There was no clean escape.
"fuck this…!" he shouted.
He pivoted hard.
No more running.
He faced it.
His arm surged with qi, the energy rushing through his muscles as he swung forward to meet the attack head-on.
Impact.
The force hit him instantly.
The tree didn't stop.
It carried him.
His strike wasn't enough to break it, not against that weight, not against that strength. His feet left the ground as the momentum took him.
He was swept away with it.
Then—
Boom!
The tree slammed into another one.
Alex was caught in between.
Wood crushed around him.
"arhh…!"
Pain shot through his body.
For a split second, everything locked in place.
Then—
Boom!!
A burst of power exploded outward.
Qi flared violently from Alex's body, tearing through the tree that trapped him. The wood cracked, then shattered, breaking apart into pieces that flew in every direction.
Alex stood there.
Unharmed.
Not a scratch from what should have crushed him completely.
The Anakim paused for a brief moment, his eyes narrowing slightly.
'how did he do that?' the Anakim wondered, confusion flashing across his face.
The tree had hit. The impact was real. The force was enough to turn a body into paste.
Yet—
It broke.
The trunk had burst apart the moment it pinned Alex against the other tree.
It didn't make sense at first glance.
But Alex knew exactly what he had done.
Simple.
Clean.
At the moment of impact, he Reflected it.
He took the kinetic force from the collision and shifted it. Not into his body, but back into the tree itself. The force folded inward, then pushed outward, turning the weapon against itself.
The result—
Break.
No damage carried through to him.
Meanwhile, Alex could feel it.
His body was tense, almost arching under pressure, yet something else was building at the same time. Power. Quiet, but steady.
His breathing slowed.
'Isla is not here…' he thought.
That mattered.
'maybe I shouldn't hold back,'
A small pause.
His eyes sharpened.
'I don't know if they are watching… but if I know them, with me alone like this… they won't bother,'
That thought settled in.
His fist clenched.
The pressure from the gravity was still there, heavy and constant, pressing down on him, trying to limit his movement, trying to control the pace of the fight.
But Alex didn't move away.
He stood.
The Anakim moved again.
No hesitation this time.
He stepped forward and threw a punch straight at Alex, fast and heavy, the air around it shifting from the force alone.
This time—
Alex didn't run.
He raised his hand.
Calm.
Steady.
Peace energy flowed into it, smooth and controlled, wrapping around his arm.
Then—
Impact.
The punch landed.
The ground beneath Alex cracked slightly as his feet sank into it, dragged back a short distance from the force.
But—
That was all.
He stopped it.
Clean.
The fist didn't go any further.
The Anakim's eyes widened slightly.
Surprised.
For the first time since the fight began.
Alex held his ground, his arm firm despite the pressure pushing against him.
"You want to know how I stopped you before?"
His voice was low.
Controlled.
"Brace yourself."
Alex moved.
No hesitation.
He jumped and flipped backward, using the force still locked between them. The moment his body left the ground, he Reflected it. The kinetic energy from the punch. The qi flowing through it. He didn't waste any of it.
He pushed it down.
Straight into his legs.
'now…!'
His body snapped forward mid-air.
His foot shot out.
It connected clean.
Right under the jaw.
Boom!
The impact carried everything with it. The punch's force. His qi. The added momentum from the flip.
All of it stacked.
The Anakim's head snapped back. His massive body lifted off the ground like it had no weight for a second.
Then—
Crash!
He was sent flying back and slammed hard into a tree. The trunk cracked from the impact, shaking violently as pieces of bark and leaves fell around him.
For a brief moment, the pressure in the air eased.
---
Elsewhere, not everyone had the luxury of even getting their footing.
Zephyr and Lennox had it worse from the start.
The moment they appeared, the mountain welcomed them with force.
Wind.
Strong.
Constant.
It howled around them, pushing, pulling, threatening to throw them off balance at any moment. Standing still alone was already a challenge.
But that wasn't all.
A shadow moved above them.
Fast.
Then—
"keee-raaawl-ed!!!"
The sound tore through the air. Part bird, part beast. A sharp screech mixed with a deep, rumbling roar.
The creature swept past them, its presence alone enough to shake the air.
A Griffin.
Large.
Fast.
And already hunting.
Below them, along the side of the mountain, a broken staircase ran downward. Old. Cracked. Some parts missing.
One look was enough.
Unstable.
Dangerous.
But also—
The only path.
They didn't need to say it.
Stay up here, and they either get picked off by the Griffin or blown away by the wind.
No third option.
"heck… would getting paired with Alex be this difficult?" Lennox blurted out, his voice barely holding steady against the wind.
He already regretted it.
Not that he had a choice.
The tournament didn't care about comfort. It didn't hand out fair starts or easy paths.
Everything about it was built to push them.
Harsh terrain.
Wild beasts.
Unpredictable danger.
From the very first step—
It was survival.
Even without crossing paths with another clan directly, Zephyr and Lennox were already under pressure.
Too much pressure.
Wind trying to throw them off.
A beast hunting them from above.
And no stable ground to rely on.
Zephyr's eyes moved, tracking the Griffin's path across the sky.
Then something clicked.
'wait… the clans with Griffins…'
He froze for half a second.
Then turned to Lennox.
"I think we've been spotted by a member of the Tamer clan," Zephyr said, his voice steady despite the wind pushing against him.
Lennox blinked once.
Then it hit him.
"Tamers? The Griffin…!" he said, looking up again, this time with a different understanding.
It made sense now.
That entrance.
He remembered it clearly. One of the most eye-catching moments before the tournament began. The Tamer clan. A group of mages known for controlling beasts.
Not just summoning.
Not just guiding.
Controlling.
"but that doesn't solve anything," Lennox added quickly, his grip tightening as the wind pushed harder against him.
Knowing what it was didn't make it less dangerous.
Zephyr shook his head slightly.
"It does," he said.
He glanced upward again, then back at the broken stairs, then around the mountain, his mind moving fast.
"For a power like taming… for them to give proper commands… they need to stay within range," Zephyr said.
He paused for just a moment, choosing his words.
"just like controlling a drone. You can't send it too far and expect full control."
Lennox understood immediately.
His expression shifted.
"so you're saying… the Tamer is nearby?" he asked.
That part made sense.
But then came the real problem.
A bigger one.
"how are we supposed to find them?" Lennox questioned, his voice sharper now.
The wind roared again, almost like it was laughing at the question.
Zephyr didn't answer right away.
His eyes stayed on the Griffin.
Watching.
Timing.
Then he spoke.
"We don't look for them."
A short pause.
Then—
"We attack the Griffin."