Teacher

Is this the level of the Queen of the Land of Shadows?

Watching the God Slayer he had knocked down in a single round of serious effort, Leon withdrew his sword. He remained expressionless, though he felt unimpressed.

Recalling their previous skirmish, Scathach had relied entirely on finesse to deflect or dodge, never once taking his attacks head-on.

She had boasted so loudly, yet she couldn't even withstand a single strike. It seemed she was inferior to Vortigern; at least Vortigern could still run away even with a hole through his chest.

Scathach, however, had been rendered immobile after he pierced her throat and crushed her cervical vertebrae. She was left with no power to resist, only the eyes in her severed head rolling about while her throat emitted a dry, rattling sound.

Even in this state, Scathach was not dead; she still possessed vital signs.

"Merlin, go kill her."

Since this old hag was so eager to die, and considering she had kept him entertained for a while—not to mention the capital offense of trespassing in a military camp—Leon decided to grant her wish.

As Merlin and Lancelot arrived, Leon gestured with his hand and voiced his concerns to Merlin.

"I don't know magecraft, so I can't finish her off. You are a mage, after all; kill her."

"Me?" Merlin pointed at himself, looking astonished. "My King, is there a possibility that I am also unable to kill her?"

"Aren't you a mage?"

Leon furrowed his brows slightly. Merlin wouldn't lie to him about such a trivial matter, so it seemed he truly had no way.

Merlin glanced at the queen gasping for breath on the ground and sighed inwardly. Such a beautiful person, yet she had nothing better to do than provoke the beast that was the Lion King. She had practically courted her own demise.

"Scathach is the King of the Land of Shadows, the queen of the netherworld that receives the dead and their lingering souls. She has slain countless wraiths, humans, and gods, stepping into the realm of the divine while still in a mortal body. Her existence is not that of a living being; she is akin to a god, having transcended life and death. The concept of death no longer applies to her."

Hearing Merlin's explanation, Leon nodded. No wonder Scathach was seeking death; she had known all along that she couldn't actually die.

It was a pity she was too weak. Possessing an immortal body just made her a meat target.

"So, there is nothing to be done about her?"

"Nothing."

Leon pondered for a moment, then said, "Can we seal her? For instance, put her in several iron boxes, lock them separately, and toss them into the sea so she can never rise again?"

Merlin shook his head again. Such methods might contain her for a time, but not forever. With Scathach's capabilities, it wouldn't be long before she broke free.

"This won't work, that won't work. Merlin, to borrow the words of a certain doctor, you really are a useless waste of space."

Merlin didn't refute this, merely scratching the back of his head with a sheepish grin.

Leon knew he couldn't count on Merlin. He glanced at Lancelot, only to see him frowning with an expression of unbearable pity.

"My King, trespassing in the main camp is a capital offense. Why not execute her once to uphold military law? If she can survive, that is her own ability. Why not recruit her, My King? Her martial arts are exquisite; she is a rare talent."

Observing Lancelot's expression, Leon knew the knight was noble-hearted and compassionate, and that he had been moved to mercy, wishing to spare Scathach's life.

"If that is the case, then let it be as you say."

Leon nodded in agreement, giving Lancelot some face.

He waved his hand, and guards immediately stepped forward to pull Scathach's body up and behead her on the spot.

The severed head flew through the air, its eyes rolling from side to side. On the ground beneath the body, magical energy flowed, carving out a mysterious Rune Script.

Crimson magical energy, like threads of silk, extended from the severed neck and connected to the head. Before the head even hit the ground, it was dragged back by the magical threads and stitched into place.

"Ha."

Scathach sat up abruptly and shook her neck, seemingly testing the weight of her head. The wounds on her body were mended by the magical threads, restored to perfection.

"Lion King, you are indeed strong." Scathach stood up, retrieved her two spears, and looked at Lancelot. "Knight, thank you for your kindness."

Even though she didn't need it.

Lancelot smiled slightly and said humbly, "You are welcome, my lady. I merely offered the counsel a subject should give. It is my King who is broad-minded and treasures your talent, which is why he spared you."

Watching Scathach walk over, Leon extended a hand in invitation. "You heard what was just said. Would you like to join my ranks? With your martial arts, earning glory on the battlefield will be effortless."

"I have no desire for the affairs of the current world, nor will I follow you."

Scathach glanced at the holy sword at Leon's waist. During their fight, she had already noticed the extraordinary nature of the blade; it was likely the Holy Sword of the Stars, possessing power even greater than god-forged weapons.

She was very interested in this sword, and especially in its master.

Looking at the expressionless Leon, Scathach continued, "Though I will not become your subject, I can instruct you. Like this."

She traced a pattern in the void with her finger, leaving magical energy suspended in mid-air to form a mysterious rune.

The rune fell to the ground, and as magical energy surged, the ground—which had been ruined by the two of them—was restored to its original state in an instant.

"This is a Rune Script. I can teach you runes. Once you master them, you will be able to utilize simple magical operations to fully unleash the complete power of that holy sword."

Scathach's cold, clear voice rang out, bringing a flicker of joy to Leon's heart, though it soon sank again. "I do not have magic circuits."

"It does not matter. Runes are not such simple things. Even without magic circuits, you can learn them; the process will merely be more arduous."

Hearing Scathach say this, Leon drew the holy sword from his waist. Looking at the blade reflecting the cold light, the corners of his mouth curled upward.

Holy Sword of the Stars—this was truly tempting.

"However, I have one condition."

"Please, speak."

Scathach's eyes gleamed with a strange light, a mix of madness and fervor: "If one day you can fully unleash the power of the Holy Sword of the Stars, I want you to fight me with everything you have."

The power of the Holy Sword of the Stars was enough to shatter her immortality.

When that time came, she would not merely be sparring in martial arts as she was today; she would open the gates of the Land of Shadows, wield the authority of gods, divine weapons, Rune Script, and the magecraft of the Age of Gods, bringing all her wisdom and strength to bear in a life-or-death struggle against Leon.

The mere thought of it sent a thrill of excitement through Scathach.

After Setanta, she had finally found another genius to take on as her disciple.

Truly, the greatest joy in the world was to fight one's disciple with everything one had, only to be killed by their hand.

"I look forward to the day you kill me."

"Very well."

Leon readily agreed to her request; he might not be good at much else, but he excelled at combat.

Their martial arts were evenly matched, and his victory in their recent bout had been entirely due to a crushing difference in raw stats.

If he could learn Rune Script and unleash the true power of the Holy Sword of the Stars, defeat would be even less likely.

The deal struck, Leon bowed respectfully to Scathach. "Teacher, I look forward to your guidance from here on out."

"Mm."

Scathach's voice carried a hint of joy as she officially accepted Leon as her disciple.

She immediately assumed the demeanor of a teacher.

"Leon, most battles are won by the strong over the weak, yet martial arts are a clever means for the weak to overcome the strong—one should dodge or evade whenever possible. Yet, when fighting me just now, why did you meet my causality-warping fatal strike head-on? You couldn't have failed to see the danger in that spear thrust."

"Teacher, I dared to take it head-on because I had the confidence to survive it."

Leon extended his left hand, the silver chain on his wrist shimmering with light.

"First, I have a Mystic Code gifted by Morgan, imbued with the blessing of the fae. Its greatest effect is to bring good fortune, even allowing one to evade a fated death."

Scathach glanced at the silver chain; it was a rare piece of magecraft, exceptional even in the Age of Gods.

Leon looked toward Merlin and patted the scabbard at his waist. The scabbard's surface was ornate, yet it concealed a divine presence.

"Second is this scabbard. Both the sword and the scabbard are gifts from my reliable subjects. You can likely discern the special nature of the Holy Sword of the Stars, Teacher, but in my view, the scabbard's ability is in no way inferior to the sword itself."

Hearing Leon praise him as reliable, Merlin immediately straightened his back, placed a hand on his hip, and let out a hearty, self-righteous laugh.

"To call me reliable... the King truly understands me! That's right, big brother Merlin is just that excellent!"

Ignoring Merlin's posturing, Leon explained the scabbard's abilities to Scathach.

"The wielder of the scabbard can recover rapidly from any wound, and even physical aging ceases. If the True Name is released, it can even block all physical interference, constructing an absolute defense that even magic cannot touch."

Scathach understood. The Holy Sword of the Stars and the scabbard were the ultimate offense and the ultimate defense. If the wielder could unleash their true power, they would be an invincible existence.

At the same time, an involuntary thought crossed her mind: if the Holy Sword of the Stars were to strike the scabbard, which would prevail?

A paradox?

Leon pointed his thumb at his own chest, his tone filled with nostalgia.

"Third is the blessing my mother gave me before she left, which allows me to fear no curse. Teacher's spear strike, which reverses causality by making the piercing of my heart the 'result,' naturally falls under that category."

"Hm?"

Scathach furrowed her brows, a look of confusion on her face.