CLANG!!! KSHHHHKKKK…!!!
Scáthach's red demonic spear and my Caladbolg clashed. Spinning furiously, Caladbolg ground against her spear. Yet, despite the impact, Scáthach's grip was so powerful that she didn't budge an inch.
"Your strength is immense. For one of your age, it is a power that is truly mismatched. You are lacking nothing as a full-fledged warrior."
"I'm grateful for the compliment…!"
BOOM!!!
I parried her spear with all my might. At this, Scáthach's lips parted slightly in an appreciative "Hoh…?" It was likely because she found my strength impressive only in the context of my age. Although it hadn't been that long since her exile, her very title of "God-Slayer" was proof enough of her level.
In the next instant, Scáthach thrust another spear at me. I immediately raised my sword to block it, deflecting it to the side. But in the same motion, her spear impossibly whipped back towards me at a right angle—a feat that required not just strength, but an incredible level of practiced skill.
KANG!
"Kuh…!"
Scáthach's raw strength felt comparable to mine, or perhaps I was slightly stronger. However, for Scáthach, strength was not her main asset but merely a component. Depending on how she applied it, she could generate explosive power in an instant. In short, her instantaneous force surpassed my own.
CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!!!
"Fergus… is fighting on equal footing with that Scáthach?"
Medb watched our battle in awe, but… she was completely wrong. One look at Scáthach's expression was enough to see she was overflowing with composure. It was just like in the promotional video for the Fifth Singularity, where she fought a desperate Fionn mac Cumhaill with a look of complete ease. Fionn, though a shadow of his former self, was still a powerful hero who had slain a Divine Spirit and was a descendant of the god Nuada.
Even he was no match for Scáthach… I could feel the wall between us. In this moment, I knew I could never defeat her in a straightforward fight.
"Are you not going to use magic?!"
"For now, this is purely a contest of skill between warriors."
Normally, Scáthach could wield runes and also command her other demonic spears to fly and fight at will. Yet, right now, she was facing me with only her twin spears. And even then, unlike Diarmuid, she was fighting me almost exclusively with a single spear.
"Hmph…!!!"
WHOOSH-WHOOSH-WHOOSH!!!!
"Impressive. Your skill belies your age. In my time, there were no warriors of this caliber in Ulster. No, wait, there was one. My twin sister, Aífe, perhaps."
A twin? She had a sister? This was the first I'd heard of it…!?
CLANG!!!!
"You must not be startled. It is impressive that you blocked that. Well then, shall I start using a little more strength?"
SLASH!
"Kuh!"
The moment she said she would use more strength, Scáthach's spear grazed my side. My muscles could somehow withstand the fangs of beasts, but against the fangs of a Demonic Beast-class creature, they were useless… And my clothes were supposed to have defensive runes woven into them, acting as armor… This was no joke.
CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!!! KSHHHHHHK!!!
"Is merely enduring the best you can do? If so, I am disappointed…"
"Then, let me show you!!!"
I switched from slashing and swinging to thrusting.
STAB-STAB-STAB-STAB!!!!
"Interesting. It seems you have considerable talent with a spear as well. Caladbolg is, after all, a Noble Phantasm meant for thrusting, grinding, and crushing. You are finally using it properly. Was that intentional?"
Her arrogance was plain to see. And yet, there was no opening…!
If that's the case, then there's only one option.
Sacrifice the flesh to take the bone.
THUD…!
I stomped on the ground hard. The earth trembled slightly as I committed to an all-out thrust. Her spear had already pierced me in several places, and blood was flowing freely. At this rate, I would collapse first. I had to aim… for a single, decisive blow…!
"Hoh, a final strike, is it? Very well, I shall accept it."
Her spear began to hum and vibrate, glowing red. It wasn't a True Name release. She was simply… showing me her true resolve…
KIIIIIIING…!
Caladbolg began to spin violently as I took a thrusting stance. I gripped the hilt with my right hand, pulling it back, and aimed at Scáthach with my left.
"Come, little warrior of Ulster."
"Spiral, shine forth…!!!"
BOOM!!!
I sprinted with all my might, charging directly at Scáthach, and she, in turn, thrust her spear at me with true intent.
Now.
WHOOSH~!
"!?"
For the first time, Scáthach was startled.
Just as it was about to reach her, I let go of Caladbolg, which I had only partially released. The sword collided with her spear and was sent flying backward. What I did was simple. In my previous life, I had a hobby, a sport I learned with diligence.
Boxing.
And here, in this life, I had learned its origin: the Greek art of Pankration. The reason I had trained my body so relentlessly was to be strong even without a weapon. The primordial strength of a human being comes from the pure, physical body.
POW!!!!!
"Kuh…!?"
A liver blow.
A liver blow, delivered with all the force I used to kill giant demonic beasts, exploded into her abdomen. A shockwave of wind erupted from her back. For the first time, Scáthach took real damage, and her expression changed.
I did not miss that opening. Using my smaller frame to my advantage, I quickly moved behind her, mounted her back, wrapped my legs around her waist, and immediately locked my arm around her neck in a back choke—also known as a rear-naked choke. My advantage was my strength, which was greater than hers…!
"Tricks…!"
STAB…!
"Gkh…!"
Her spear rotated and pierced straight through my right side, exiting through my left. Endure it…
"I will not let go…! Or will you cast aside your pride and use your other spear…!"
"You…!"
Cast away your warrior's pride, if you can…! I have none to begin with…!
CREAK… SQUEEZE…!
"Ghk…!"
The headlock, the very technique used to kill the Nemean Lion, which even Heracles could not harm. Choking an opponent to death has been a key to victory since ancient times. This technique subdued even Cerberus; you will not escape it easily. She tried to grab my arm, but I was fighting for my very life now.
Noticing this, Scáthach stabbed me with her other spear. This time, it pierced through my abdomen…
So what.
I had already bet my life…
"Kh, khh…!"
"Among all the warriors, all the gods, all the countless wraiths, none would have tried this, would they!? What warrior, what god, would resort to this!? This is a first for you, isn't it!? Or would you rather we die together!? The reason you cannot die, even though you wish to, is because your pride as a warrior forbids you from taking your own life, is it not…!!!"
"Kkh…!"
The reason Scáthach lives on, unable to die, is because of her pride as a warrior. She cannot commit suicide. And to now use magic or her other spear would be to break the word she so boldly declared. Her pride, her honor, would not allow it.
Carelessness.
The carelessness of never imagining that I would resort to this. What good was Gilgamesh's clairvoyance when his arrogance never allowed him to imagine he would lose to a mere high school student from Japan? He never imagined he would be devoured by a high school girl…! Scáthach is the same.
STAB…!
"Guh…! Go on, do more…! Try stabbing my heart! Are you afraid? You must be! Because this is the first time you've faced an opponent who poses a true threat to your life! Because you think I might actually be able to kill you, you are too afraid to pierce my heart!!!"
"!?"
A being who could kill her. The unconscious regret of killing such a being prevents her from doing so. Besides, to swing her spear around her back to slash or stab my neck or heart is something I can avoid while still choking her. That is why she only stabs my torso, which is harder to move. Though it is possible to narrowly avoid a fatal blow to the heart…
And besides, her spear is a demonic spear, but it is not Gáe Bolg… because the material for Gáe Bolg is the Curruid that I killed…! It cannot inflict that kind of effect on me…!
My entire body was being pierced. Her demonic spear stabbed me mercilessly as she tried to break free. I didn't care if my body was full of holes.
Sacrifice the flesh to take the bone… I offer my body, and I will take victory…!
SQUEEZE, SQUEEEZE…!!!
Several minutes had already passed… how long could she endure this…? Her body was so tough that even when I tried to break her neck, it wouldn't snap. There was a reason Heracles had to choke the Nemean Lion to death… why is she so durable…!
"Kh—khhh────"
Thud…!
And just like that, she dropped her spears, her arms went limp, and she fell forward. The spears were still embedded in my body. Even so, I did not release my hold on her neck, mindful of the possibility that this was an act. After holding the choke for another full minute… and confirming from her breathing that she was truly unconscious, I finally let go…
GUSH…!
"Kuh… haah… haah…"
I pulled the two spears out of my body… I'm going to die… all my organs are going to shut down…
"N-no way…"
"Huff… huff… huff…"
"──────"
Whoosh…
"Fergus, won…? Against that god-slayer, the monster that even the gods feared and exiled…?"
"Hah… hah… a hundred times, no, a thousand, no, even if we fought a hundred million times, you would win 99.99% of the time. But… like this, with a 0.01%… no, even with a 0.001% chance, I can defeat you… We call that, a miracle…"
Carelessness, and luck… it was a godsend. Defeating her was, in itself, a miracle. If she hadn't been the least bit careless, if she had ever faced such an opponent before, I would have already lost. If I hadn't built up this much strength, it would have been impossible. And the same trick would never work twice…
"M-Medb… the healing… runestones…"
"Ah… h-here!"
Medb brought the pouch of runestones, and I immediately took out the healing ones and began to recover. There was only one healing rune left. How many dozens had I used…? These were runes from the court druids, and she had beaten me half to death…
"In any case… I won."
I picked up the fallen Caladbolg and stabbed it into the ground next to her head, raising a victorious fist.
Luck is a skill, too… Scáthach. If you hadn't let your guard down, I never could have defeated you. And I probably never will again…