Large birds with strange shapes flew overhead from time to time, and a rustling could be heard in the nearby bushes, as if some creatures were hiding there, waiting for their prey.
"You two are far too slow! Why did you take so long?!" Scáthach shouted at Arthur and Nessa as they ran toward her.
Arthur opened his mouth slightly, about to say that he had stopped midway.
But before he could speak, Nessa immediately said, "Sorry, I took too long changing clothes."
Arthur was surprised and subconsciously glanced at the girl beside him, only to see her blink playfully, as if asking for praise, as though saying, "I'm so good to you, aren't I?"
Scáthach seemed to have noticed everything, but she did not press the matter. She merely said, "Pay attention to time next time. A good warrior should not waste time preening."
"I know—" Nessa replied, dragging out her words.
Arthur watched silently, thinking to himself, Only you would dare be so cheeky with the Master. If it were me, I'd probably be punished on the spot.
"Stop daydreaming. Let's begin the trial," Cú Chulainn said, tossing his spear over his shoulder, a smug smile playing on his lips. "Any obstacles that appear, I'll clear them all!"
"Oh? Is that so?"
Scáthach showed a subtle, meaningful smile. "I hope you can."
Cú Chulainn raised an eyebrow. "Of course. There's no difficulty in this world that can stop me."
Indeed, he would sweep away every obstacle with the spear in his hand, no matter how dire the situation.
"Come with me."
After Scáthach finished speaking, she led the group forward.
The Land of Shadows lay in the eastern part of the Kingdom of Ulster, situated on a small island. Not far away, across the sea, was the Kingdom of Camelot, whose current king was none other than Uther Pendragon.
Naturally, separated by a vast ocean, the two lands had almost no contact with each other.
"Come on, today I'll defeat you!" Cú Chulainn rubbed his hands together, clearly eager to fight Scáthach.
"Although I'd also like to see how much you've grown since our last battle, I'm afraid today's trial is not a duel between us," Scáthach said. As she spoke, her long purple hair fluttered in the sea breeze, her red eyes gleaming. She turned her head and gazed toward the distant land.
"This is your final test." She calmly pointed toward the far shore of the island. "Cross this island to the land on the other side, and you will have passed your final trial."
"Huh?" Cú Chulainn looked at the distant shore, then at the sea shimmering in the breeze, and frowned. "How am I supposed to cross that directly? Do you expect me to swim?"
"Of course not," Scáthach replied, raising her hand. "The final trial that each of my disciples must face is here. They will cross the bridge and reach the land at the end to pass the trial."
As Scáthach lifted her hand, an astonishing scene unfolded: a golden arched bridge appeared as if by magic, gleaming under the sunlight, seemingly emerging from nothing, connecting the island and the continent.
In the distance, the cries of seagulls echoed. Scáthach looked at Cú Chulainn, the sea breeze brushing her face. "Go, my disciple. This is your final test. Through it, you will grasp the true essence of martial arts and no longer rely solely on brute force."
"Heh, interesting." Cú Chulainn smiled with interest and casually tossed the spear in his hand to Arthur.
"Hey, kid, can you hold this for me for a moment?"
Arthur hurriedly caught the spear. In that instant, Cú Chulainn had already taken several steps forward and stopped before the arched bridge.
"Just watch carefully. You'll face the same challenge later," Nessa whispered to Arthur.
Not only Arthur, but every disciple taught by Scáthach had to cross this bridge to be considered a true graduate.
Yet to this day, very few had managed to cross it.
Arthur looked into the distance and saw Cú Chulainn already stepping onto the arched bridge. His body was tense, like a hunting hound about to pounce, and then a smug smile appeared on his face. "Let's go—the final trial!"
Whoosh!
In the next second, Cú Chulainn moved. He was astonishingly fast, many times faster than when he had fought Arthur the day before.
Clearly, Cú Chulainn had not used his full strength in yesterday's battle; now he was releasing his power in its entirety.
It looks like he'll cross the bridge in one go… Arthur thought.
However, just as he believed Cú Chulainn would pass the trial on his first attempt, an unexpected scene unfolded.
Boom!
Suddenly, the far end of the arched bridge collapsed, and the entire structure rotated 180 degrees in an instant. Cú Chulainn had no time to react and fell straight into the sea.
"What just happened?" Arthur asked in surprise.
"That's strange… He was almost across, but the bridge suddenly flipped? Mother, did you do that?" Nessa asked, confusion written on her face.
Although she had heard of the bridge before, this was her first time seeing it in person.
Scáthach shook her head. "To cross this bridge, one must be firm in one's convictions and not waver in the slightest. He was far too careless, thinking only of crossing it in one dash. A restless person cannot cross this bridge… Of course, if one's magical power is sufficient, the bridge can be forcibly controlled."
"Are you kidding me, Master?!" Cú Chulainn shouted angrily as he swam back to the island. "Are you making fun of me?!"
"The Master didn't do anything wrong just now," Arthur quickly added, afraid the two might start arguing at the slightest provocation.
"To cross this bridge, you must remain true to yourself and your convictions. Those who are restless will affect the structure of the bridge, causing its surface to tilt in an instant… Is that correct?" Arthur asked.
Scáthach neither confirmed nor denied it, merely nodding slightly.
"Cú Chulainn, calm down a bit and try again," Arthur said.
"I don't need to calm down! I'll cross this bridge in one go, without giving it time to react!" Cú Chulainn declared, and without another word, leaped toward the arched bridge and charged forward.
Boom!
The bridge overturned once more, and Cú Chulainn fell into the sea again.
Scáthach shook her head slightly. "Although brute force can solve most problems, and improving strength through combat is possible, sometimes you must calm yourself and think carefully. Relying solely on brute force will not allow you to pass every trial."
"Why don't you try a different approach?" Arthur asked hesitantly.
"No need!" Cú Chulainn tied back his hair, shook off the sweat, and removed his shirt, revealing his muscles.
He raised his head and launched another "attack."
Time passed slowly. Before they realized it, the sky had gradually darkened, and the sun had begun to drift westward.
"So persistent…" Arthur couldn't help but sigh as he watched Cú Chulainn fail again and again, yet continue without giving up.
"It's completely pointless," Nessa muttered. "He just keeps charging, falling into the sea, swimming back, and repeating the same thing."
"No." Scáthach shook her head, her gaze fixed intently on Cú Chulainn.
"He will pass."
(End of Chapter)