"Scáthach, are you saying we will turn into something like this?"
"Don't you know that yourself?"
At this moment, Jalter and Black Saber seemed to understand the premonition that had surfaced in their hearts just before Scáthach burst in: a small part of their magical power had already begun to turn abnormal!
"What do you want to help us? State your conditions! This must be your goal!"
Scáthach nodded.
"Yes, my condition is simple. I want to use you two to make a deal with Rin Tohsaka. You must become bargaining chips in my transaction!"
Jalter and Black Saber simultaneously flared with anger in their eyes, glaring at Scáthach through gritted teeth.
"You want us to become Rin Tohsaka's slaves?"
"You could say that! Of course, the choice is yours. You can disagree and wait to slowly twist into true Monsters, or be killed by Rin Tohsaka before that happens. In any case, I've already prepared to use myself as a bargaining chip; you two are just insurance!"
Jalter and Black Saber clenched their fists, standing stiffly on the bed, unwilling to yield. After long deliberation, Jalter and Black Saber simultaneously closed their eyes in despair and nodded.
Seeing Jalter and Black Saber agree, Scáthach materialized her magic spear in her hand and drew a circle along the wall. A circular opening filled with death energy appeared on the wall.
"This is a temporary entrance to the Land of Shadows. Bring your subordinate named Bradamante and come with me!"
Jalter and Black Saber, who felt completely drained, didn't ask Scáthach why she needed Bradamante. They obediently summoned Bradamante and entered the Land of Shadows with Scáthach.
Meanwhile, Rin Tohsaka, who was not in a hurry to deal with Jalter and Black Saber, followed the location she had previously locked onto, tracking the gaze that had spied on her, and arrived inside a cave by the sea.
Standing before Skaði, Rin frowned slightly as she looked at the smiling Skaði, and the nervous, slightly trembling Elizabeth and Kiyohime.
'This attire! This faint divine power... Scáthach's alternate self? Was she born after I transmigrated, or was she simply not mentioned in the original work?'
Thinking this, Rin was the first to break the silence and asked Skaði.
"A god?"
"Yes, Goddess Skaði greets the Master of Chaldea!"
Rin shook her head slightly.'She is a god after all, but she's too weak! Her divine power is like a flickering candle in the wind!'
"Then, Goddess Skaði, why were you spying on me?"
Filled with hope and a hint of excitement, Skaði bowed respectfully and spoke to Rin.
"Master of Chaldea, I wish to ask you to save my kingdom..."
'Huh? What's going on?'
Rin was dumbfounded by Skaði's directness and humility. Although Skaði was currently very weak, and Rin could definitely defeat her easily in a fight, Skaði was a Divine Spirit after all! Moreover, Rin could clearly sense that Skaði's Rank was extremely high, likely that of an All-Father level deity.
Even if Skaði, possessing this Rank, wasn't the Supreme God of a mythology, she was at least one of the extremely important All-Fathers. Such a great being suddenly running up and saying, "Please save my kingdom," was quite a shock to Rin.
"Um... um... Goddess Skaði..."
Seeing Rin's bewildered and slightly flustered expression, Skaði said nothing. She gently waved her Staff, fully opening the gate to the Land of Shadows behind her under Rin's watchful gaze, and made a gesture of invitation toward Rin.
"Master of Chaldea, please come with me to the Land of Shadows. I know my sudden request is abrupt, so my companions and I have prepared sufficient compensation. Could I ask you to accompany me to the Land of Shadows?"
Rin, whose mind was mush, nodded involuntarily. Only then did she realize that entering a stranger's lair seemed idiotic—if it were an enemy, wouldn't she be... But having already nodded, Rin felt too embarrassed to back out. Coupled with some confidence in her own strength, she followed Skaði into the Land of Shadows.
Upon the eternally dim and unchanging Plain of Death in the Land of Shadows, a series of magnificent palaces formed the opulent Royal Palace of the Queen who ruled the Land of Shadows.
At this moment, in the Central Great Hall of the Royal Palace, Scáthach and Skaði met, bringing Jalter, Black Saber, and Rin, respectively.
"..."
The instant she saw Jalter and Black Saber, Rin's expression changed. The High-Speed Divine Words she learned from Medea activated, compressing lengthy Magic Incantations into one or two short syllables.
Countless Magical Lights erupted from Rin. Having prepared for battle, Rin immediately lunged behind Skaði, ready to launch a spell.
"Damn it!"
Scáthach's expression drastically changed as she watched Rin suddenly attack. Knowing Rin had misunderstood, Scáthach rushed toward Skaði, hoping to block Rin's strike before it took effect.
The moment Rin saw Scáthach's nervous expression, she changed her approach. Realizing Skaði's importance to the 'enemy,' Rin quickly changed her attack, instead grabbing Skaði by the neck and taking her hostage.
"Nobody move! Or I'll kill her!"
"Wait! You misunderstood! Can you please let go of Skaði and listen to my explanation?"
Saying this, Scáthach quickly put away the magic spear in her hand and looked at Rin with sincerity.
Rin hesitated slightly, surveying the people present. She breathed a small sigh of relief and released Skaði. Under Rin's observation, she found that, apart from Bradamante, none of the others present harbored any hostility toward her.
"Speak! What exactly is going on?"
Scáthach gave Rin an explanation, slightly modifying the conversation she had previously had with Jalter and Black Saber.
"In other words, you hope I can save Skaði's kingdom, and the price is that everyone present joins my Throne of Heroes, correct?"
Scáthach and Skaði nodded simultaneously.
"Correct." X2
After receiving the affirmative reply from Scáthach and Skaði, Rin was deeply moved. After a brief thought, she spoke.
"I refuse!"
Rin ultimately refused Scáthach and Skaði based on her own considerations. After all, Rin, who knew nothing about Skaði, couldn't immediately agree to the transaction.
The deal was extremely tempting to Rin, but Skaði's All-Father Rank was also a source of worry. If Skaði's world was saved and her power recovered, what then? It must be known that currently, the entire Spiritron World couldn't find an existence capable of dealing with an All-Father level being.
Furthermore, if Skaði truly possessed the power of a fully realized All-Father, it wasn't impossible for her to turn the tables, even though the Throne of Heroes was created by Rin—after all, this was a genuine All-Father.
Precisely because of Skaði's existence, Rin chose to refuse the transaction. However, Rin was still tempted by the deal, so she continued speaking.
"However! Perhaps I might agree once I understand enough!"
Saying this, Rin turned her head to look at Skaði, waiting for her to speak, waiting for Skaði to display her world before Rin.
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