Having painstakingly disrupted Cú Chulainn's offensive, Scáthach gave him no chance to counter.
After a few exchanges, Cú Chulainn was pushed onto the back foot.
Seizing the moment, Scáthach thrust her magic spear, piercing a hole through his shoulder.
Cú Chulainn grimaced in pain.
Fortunately, he quickly used mana to mend his flesh, staunching the blood.
Though he acted swiftly, the injury still slowed him down.
Scáthach didn't let the opportunity slip, swiftly landing several more strikes, leaving additional holes in his body.
"???"
In that moment, he realized he might be done for.
He could ignore the pain and keep fighting, but the holes in his body inevitably distorted his movements, exposing more openings.
Those openings were impossible to hide from his mentor.
Scáthach capitalized on them, adding yet more wounds to his body.
His movements grew increasingly erratic.
A vicious cycle had begun.
In just a few minutes, Cú Chulainn was riddled with over a dozen holes, his blood soaking his body.
Yet the blood only fueled his ferocity. He was going to lose anyway, so if he was going down, he'd take a piece of his mentor with him.
He knew all too well that giving up now would only make Scáthach despise him more.
As a warrior, he had to fight to the end.
So, in his desperation, Cú Chulainn unleashed his Noble Phantasm once more.
Gáe Bolg!!!
Scáthach's eyes flashed with approval. This was her disciple—never giving up, even in the face of despair.
But approval aside, the lesson still had to be taught. Who told him to run his mouth, calling her "old hag" so many times?
If she didn't give him a harsh lesson, he'd think she was soft.
Without hesitation, Scáthach activated her own Noble Phantasm, meeting him in another clash.
This time, too, it was a draw.
Before the raging shockwaves could even dissipate, Cú Chulainn burned his Saint Graph, unleashing his Noble Phantasm again.
He was about to fade away, so he'd burn himself out gloriously.
He had to give his mentor a performance worth remembering.
His reckless assault did indeed trouble Scáthach.
But to think he could kill her with this? Pure fantasy.
At the critical moment, Scáthach invoked her Primordial Runes, erecting an indestructible barrier that blocked Cú Chulainn's desperate strike.
Seeing the barrier, Cú Chulainn gave a bitter smile. As expected of his mentor—she was truly formidable.
"In the end, I couldn't surprise you, Master."
Scáthach lowered her spear, looking at the crumbling Cú Chulainn. "What, no more 'old hag' now?"
Cú Chulainn burst into hearty laughter. He knew calling her "old hag" would get under her skin.
Though he hadn't beaten her in combat, at least he'd gotten the better of her with words.
He was satisfied.
"This fight was exhilarating, Master."
"And it's been so long. Seeing you here today—it's really great."
As he spoke, his body disintegrated faster, finally dissolving into a shower of light particles before everyone's eyes.
He left behind one final taunt that sent Scáthach into a fury.
"See ya, old hag."
"You damn disciple!"
Scáthach hadn't expected him to call her "old hag" even at the very end. For a moment, she regretted going too easy on him.
She should've riddled him with holes, teaching him what it meant to face a mentor's "tough love."
After all, a mentor was a parental figure too.
With the spectacular battle concluded, Morpheus dispelled the arena.
The group left the Holy Church, strolling through Fuyuki City while discussing the fight with Scáthach.
Scáthach was mostly satisfied with her duel against Cú Chulainn.
Her disciple hadn't disgraced her, though she was slightly disappointed that, after all these years, his progress was negligible—practically stagnant.
If Morpheus hadn't used a Command Spell to madden him, he wouldn't have been able to fight her so fiercely.
This left Scáthach dissatisfied. She didn't know when she'd see her disciple again, but next time, she'd train him ruthlessly.
A weak disciple reflected poorly on her.
Morpheus could only laugh heartily at this.
Time passed quickly, and day turned to night.
Based on the information Morpheus extracted from Kirei Kotomine's memories, the participants in this Holy Grail War, aside from the now-deceased priest, included Rin Tohsaka, Sakura Matou, and Illyasviel von Einzbern.
So, after dinner, Morpheus and his group headed to the Matou residence, where Sakura resided.
Morpheus chose the Matou family first because he despised their patriarch.
That centuries-old worm, Zouken Matou.
Thus, upon arriving at the Matou residence, Morpheus wasted no time and unleashed his power.
Domain Expansion: Blazing Inferno.
As mentioned before, Morpheus had already mastered the essence of Domain Expansion.
He could create various domains at will.
The Blazing Inferno was one such domain, conjured on the spot.
Upon activation, the domain enveloped everyone in the Matou household.
The domain resembled a post-apocalyptic world after a volcanic eruption.
The ground was covered in scalding lava, the air thick with the stench of sulfur. As far as the eye could see, the boundless domain contained nothing but lava and scorched earth.
Not a single plant survived.
Within the domain, aside from Morpheus's group, were a few bewildered guests.
The Matou family.
The old worm Zouken Matou, the despicable Shinji Matou, Sakura Matou, and her summoned Servant.
To Morpheus's surprise, Sakura's Servant was a Berserker.
And not just any Berserker—one clad in black armor, wreathed in dark mist.
This figure was all too familiar. Wasn't that Lancelot?
What was going on?
Why had Sakura summoned Berserker Lancelot?
Wasn't he supposed to be summoned by Sakura's uncle, Kariya Matou?
No matter. Lancelot was Lancelot. Besides, Morpheus had the King Arthur capable of crushing him right by his side.
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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