The moment Scáthach finished speaking, the air in the hall seemed to tighten.
Cú Chulainn didn't waste a single second.
His body surged forward like a bolt of lightning, the stone floor groaning beneath his feet as he closed the distance between them. Arthur barely had time to react; his instincts spoke first.
He twisted his body to the side, narrowly evading the initial attack.
But before he could even plant his feet on the ground to counterattack, Cú Chulainn was already on him again.
"This punch might hurt just a little, kid!" Cú Chulainn laughed loudly, raising his fist with brutal force and aiming straight for Arthur's face.
The instant he felt the pressure of that imminent blow, Arthur's pupils contracted slightly.
Danger.
Without thinking, he rolled across the ground in a smooth motion, feeling the wind from the fist pass dangerously close to his head.
If that had landed…
Arthur barely had time to finish the thought.
Cú Chulainn advanced again, this time wielding his spear, the shaft spinning violently as the tip sliced through the air toward him.
Arthur hastily retreated, blocking by reflex, feeling the impact surge through his arms and shake his entire body.
As the two exchanged blows in the center of the hall, footsteps echoed from the back.
A purple-haired girl entered through the side entrance of the hall. When she saw the scene before her, her eyes widened and she immediately ran to Scáthach's side.
"Mother!" she asked, visibly distressed. "Why is Arthur fighting Cú Chulainn?!"
Scáthach watched the battle with absolute focus, her eyes calm like a deep lake.
"It's just a small competition," she replied. "He's not in danger. Don't worry."
"But he's going to get hurt, isn't he?!" Nessa protested, clenching her fists. "How could Arthur possibly defeat Cú Chulainn?! He could just train with me!"
Scáthach slowly turned her gaze to her adopted daughter.
"You two… training together?" she said, raising an eyebrow slightly. "If I didn't know you so well, I might even believe that."
Nessa looked away, biting her lower lip.
"Even so…" she murmured. "He shouldn't be forced to fight that barbarian. He doesn't know how to hold back…"
Before she could continue, a loud, carefree laugh echoed through the hall.
"Kid, you're still weak!" Cú Chulainn shouted as he charged again. "What a disappointment! Just what did the master even teach you?"
Despite the taunting tone, there was something different in his gaze.
A faint disappointment.
It was clear that Arthur had improved greatly in his mastery of the spear over the years. His movements were cleaner and more precise. However, his body still couldn't keep up with his technique.
His endurance simply wasn't enough.
"Forget it," Cú Chulainn said, spinning the spear with greater force. "Let's just finish this."
He swung the spear horizontally at an extremely treacherous angle.
Arthur was still half-crouched on the ground, trying to regain his balance.
If he tried to dodge that strike… he would fall straight into a brutal chain of attacks.
Arthur knew that.
'There's no way to avoid it…'
Then, something changed.
At the exact instant Cú Chulainn raised the spear to finish the attack, Arthur moved first.
It wasn't a leap, nor a block.
He retreated.
But not in a normal way.
His feet slid backward in rapid, strangely precise steps, as if he knew exactly where he shouldn't be.
Cú Chulainn's spear cut through the air… and struck the ground with full force.
The impact made the hall tremble slightly.
Cú Chulainn lifted his gaze, his eyes filled with surprise as he stared at Arthur from a distance.
"Huh?"
He wasn't the only one.
Scáthach slowly rose from her throne, her eyes finally revealing genuine surprise.
That was… Precognition?
No. It was something different.
She hadn't taught Arthur that magic.
So who…?
"This is finally getting interesting," Cú Chulainn said with a wide grin, excitement overtaking his expression. "Come on, Arthur!"
He planted his feet firmly on the ground and spun the spear with even greater vigor.
"Do everything you can. Give me a real fight!"
In the next instant, he charged again.
---xXx---
Arthur was breathing heavily, lying flat on his back on the cold floor of the main hall, his arms and legs spread carelessly, as if all strength had drained from his body. Every breath came with a faint pain in his chest, a direct consequence of the excessive exertion and the blows he had taken during the fight.
The high ceiling above him seemed distant, almost unreal.
"Not bad," Cú Chulainn's voice echoed through the hall. "You really surprised me tonight, kid."
He remained standing, relaxed, with his hands and spear resting behind his back, as if the fight had been nothing more than a trivial warm-up. A broad, carefree smile appeared on his face, but behind it was sincere acknowledgment.
"You're much stronger than I expected."
Arthur turned his head slightly, still panting, lacking the strength to respond immediately.
At that moment, Nessa ran over and knelt beside him. Her purple eyes were full of concern as she leaned closer.
"Arthur… are you okay?"
"Yeah…" Arthur let out a long breath before continuing. "I'm fine. Cú Chulainn held back every step of the way. If he hadn't, I probably wouldn't have lasted more than a few moves."
As he said this, there was a clear tone of frustration in his voice.
He lightly pressed his fingers against the ground.
'I knew he was strong… but I didn't imagine the difference would be this absurd.'
The gap between them wasn't something that could be easily closed.
Not even with his new magic.
That was Cú Chulainn—a demigod, someone who, even without having reached full maturity, already possessed overwhelming power. Just imagining how much stronger he would become in the future sent an involuntary chill down Arthur's spine.
"Fool," Cú Chulainn said, interrupting his thoughts.
He looked down at Arthur with a slight, disdain-tinged smile, though there was no malice in it.
"It's only natural that you're not as strong as I am right now," he continued. "But once your lack of endurance improves, you'll be able to catch up to me little by little."
After saying that, Cú Chulainn turned away casually.
"All right. I'm heading back to my room to rest. See you tomorrow."
He waved over his shoulder and left the hall without looking back, his footsteps echoing briefly before disappearing down the corridor.
"Honestly…" Nessa frowned slightly. "That guy is just as annoying as ever."
"It's only his personality that's annoying," Scáthach's calm voice sounded as she slowly descended from her throne. "In truth, he's very good for all of you. Especially for Arthur."
Nessa was about to respond when her eyes landed on the object in her mother's hands.
"A magic cauldron?!" she exclaimed in surprise. "Did Cú Chulainn bring that?!"
"Who else could it have been?" Scáthach replied softly.
Originally, that responsibility should have been hers as a master. However, with the neighboring kingdom closely watching the Land of Shadows, Scáthach couldn't act with complete freedom.
"That guy…" Nessa huffed with a hint of concealed pride. "He's not so bad after all."
She took the magic cauldron from Scáthach's hands and began examining it with curiosity.
Meanwhile, Scáthach approached Arthur.
She crouched beside him and gently tapped her staff against the ground.
A runic halo instantly appeared, enveloping his body with countless symbols. Runic magic was an extremely versatile art, capable of weakening enemies, strengthening allies, and healing wounds—and Scáthach was an absolute master of it.
Arthur felt a warm light surround his body.
The pain began to fade, replaced by a comfortable, soothing sensation that made him half-close his eyes involuntarily.
But then…
His gaze was drawn, almost against his will, to Scáthach.
She was wearing a dark purple dress with a side slit that accentuated her curves in an elegant yet dangerous way, paired with high-heeled boots that further reinforced her dominant presence. Compared to her usual cold and majestic aura, there was now a different charm—something more feminine, more intimate, more… tempting.
Arthur's eyes widened slightly.
He quickly looked away and clenched his teeth.
Calm down! She's my master! What the hell am I thinking?!
Even as he repeated that to himself, Arthur felt a strange chill when he realized he was being watched.
He turned his head.
Nessa was staring straight at him, pouting slightly, her eyes filled with obvious displeasure.
Arthur looked away guiltily, pretending not to have noticed anything.
Fortunately, Nessa didn't say anything at that moment. She simply continued to glare at him with a clearly unhappy expression.
Scáthach, apparently oblivious to the silent exchange between the two, stood up.
"Your bruises should already be healed," she said calmly. "As for the magic cauldron… leave it with me for now. I'll inscribe runes on it to further enhance its effects."
"You're being biased again, Mother…" Nessa muttered.
But soon, a smile appeared on her face.
"Thank you for your help."
She knew very well that engraving runes consumed an absurd amount of magical power, and doing so on an object made the process even more complex.
"After all, whose side are you on?" Scáthach cast her daughter a brief glance but said nothing more.
She turned away, her long dress swaying lightly with the breeze, and left the hall with firm steps across the red carpet, the sound of her heels echoing elegantly.
After watching her leave, Arthur tried to get up.
But before he could, he felt a weight on his body.
"Nessa…?" he asked, confused.
She had pressed him against the ground, preventing any movement.
"You were staring at my mother just now, weren't you?" she said, locking eyes with him. "Looking at her thighs… and her chest."
"You've got it wrong…" Arthur replied immediately, blushing. Even so, his gaze subtly drifted to the side.
"Don't think for a second that you can fool me," Nessa continued, bringing her face closer to his. "I've seen you do that several times already. I didn't say anything because I wanted to give you a chance to change."
She narrowed her eyes.
"But I didn't expect you to get even worse."
Arthur remained silent.
Nessa stared at him for a few seconds, then leaned in slightly and murmured in a low voice:
"You pervert."
(End of chapter)