"Really?" Nessa looked at Scáthach with suspicion. Cú Chulainn was panting heavily, his hands braced on his knees. It had to be admitted that the man possessed incredible stamina; only now was he beginning to show signs of fatigue.
Arthur's gaze remained fixed on Cú Chulainn the entire time, a thoughtful expression on his face.
Based on his observations, he more or less understood why Scáthach had said that Cú Chulainn would soon pass the trial.
"RAAAAAAAHH!!!"
Suddenly, Cú Chulainn let out a beastlike roar. His lips twitched, his pupils dilated, his calves and joints began to tremble, and red lines appeared across his face. At the same time, his legs and hands seemed to be covered by a kind of black armor, and even his skin began to darken. His crimson eyes shone with a mad, irrational light.
[Power Overload: When a person's combat power becomes so great that their body can no longer withstand it, their physical form changes—also known as a berserk state.]
At that moment, Cú Chulainn had entered a state of fury. The only difference was that he still retained his reason and remained fully aware of his actions. When he was a frail child, his father, the sun god Lugh, had blessed him and granted him the sun god's blessing. As a result, his combat power surged dramatically, yet he did not lose his sanity.
Cú Chulainn abruptly turned his head to look in Arthur's direction, flashing an unrestrained, arrogant smile. "See that, kid? It doesn't matter if you're crazy—so long as you follow your own path, you'll surely be right!"
Cú Chulainn took his first step forward. In the very next instant, he moved at astonishing speed, but when he reached the middle of the bridge, it began to tilt once more.
"Don't even think you can stop me!!"
Cú Chulainn roared, pushed off with his right leg, and leapt, landing firmly on the far side of the collapsing bridge.
Then he planted his other foot on the bridge, jumped again, and finally landed on solid ground at the end.
Arthur's eyes widened slightly as he realized what had just happened.
It turned out that you didn't necessarily have to act like everyone else. You simply had to follow your own path. You could listen to others' advice, but you didn't have to follow it… Cú Chulainn hadn't followed Scáthach's advice, yet he still crossed the bridge.
"It's so hot!"
The spear Cú Chulainn had handed to Arthur suddenly emitted an extremely high temperature. Instinctively, Arthur let go of it. The spear had transformed as Cú Chulainn entered his Berserk mode. The instant it slipped from his hand, Cú Chulainn appeared in front of Arthur and caught it.
Arthur looked up and saw that the red markings on Cú Chulainn's body were slowly fading, and the somewhat frightening spikes protruding from his body were also quietly disappearing.
"What is the origin of this bridge? Why do I feel stronger after crossing it?" Cú Chulainn asked Scáthach.
Scáthach shook her head. "I don't know either. This bridge already existed when I began ruling the Land of Shadows. It may have been created by a god or formed naturally. To this day, you are the only disciple who has crossed it."
Cú Chulainn chuckled and looked up. "Does that mean the trial is over?"
"Yes," Scáthach nodded. "You've found your path. Simply follow it from now on. There's nothing more I can teach you."
"Is that so?" Cú Chulainn fell silent and closed his eyes.
A moment later, he opened them again.
"You're leaving?" Arthur asked calmly, though there was a hint of reluctance in his eyes.
They had trained together under Scáthach's guidance, but now Cú Chulainn had surpassed that stage and truly graduated. This departure meant it would likely be a long time before they met again.
"Yes. I'm going to find that old man and make him keep his promise—he'll have to give me his daughter's hand in marriage now." Cú Chulainn looked toward the horizon. "Besides… my strength has reached a limit. I need more experience if I want a chance to improve. Leaving is inevitable."
After saying this, he turned to Arthur with a bright smile and patted him on the head. "The magic cauldron can only be a help, not a shortcut to success. To grow stronger, you still have to rely on yourself above all else."
"See you in the future, my friend," Cú Chulainn said, raising his spear and waving goodbye.
"Cú Chulainn!" Arthur called out.
Cú Chulainn stopped abruptly, but did not turn around.
"If you ever run into trouble in the future, I'll definitely help you," Arthur said, looking at him with determination.
Cú Chulainn paused for a moment, then laughed. "Don't underestimate me that much, kid."
His smile faded slightly. "If I were saved by you in your current state, wouldn't that mean I'm too weak? If you want to help me, wait until you at least have the ability to pass the trial before making such arrogant claims."
Nessa frowned, looking at Cú Chulainn with displeasure.
Can't this guy speak properly? Why is he saying such offensive things to Arthur?
Cú Chulainn noticed Nessa's gaze but completely ignored it, continuing, "But don't be discouraged. With the Master here, you'll definitely become an outstanding warrior."
"So work hard! Let's duel when we meet again."
Cú Chulainn waved his hand, and his figure gradually disappeared into the setting sun.
"Just wait… you'll be amazed by my progress," Arthur murmured softly.
Watching Cú Chulainn's figure fade away, Arthur made a secret decision.
Then he turned his head and gazed at the long arched bridge that had vanished before him.
"Arthur, what are you thinking about?" Nessa asked curiously.
"I want to try it too," Arthur said, his voice already filled with anticipation.
After witnessing Cú Chulainn's trial, his desire to pass the final test had grown even stronger, as its approval seemed to grant some kind of blessing that would make him even more powerful.
"Now? Isn't it a bit early?" Nessa said, frowning.
"You may try," Scáthach said. "The bridge will remain here for another three hours, so you can go if you wish."
Arthur nodded and turned to Nessa. "Nessa, do you want to stay and try as well?"
Remembering Cú Chulainn's disheveled state as he repeatedly fell into the water, Nessa shook her head quickly. "Forget it. I'm not interested. You try it—I'll watch from here."
"Come with me, Nessa." Scáthach looked at her.
"Why?!"
"Your training hasn't even begun yet. Since Arthur is staying here for the trial, you should start training early."
"…I don't want to!"
"Arthur! ARTHUR!!! Save me!" Nessa shouted as Scáthach dragged her away, while Arthur could only respond with a bitter, helpless smile.
What else can I do? Run after them and fight the Master to save you?
No matter how you look at it, that's unrealistic.
After watching Scáthach leave, Arthur turned his gaze back to the golden arched bridge before him.
Very well… let's try it and see what's so special about this bridge.
He took a step forward and walked onto the arched bridge.
"Other than being quite steep and tiring to walk on, it doesn't seem to have anything special," Arthur murmured.
If he hadn't seen Cú Chulainn suffer setbacks earlier, he would probably have thought this bridge was just an ordinary one.
"I remember that when Cú Chulainn reached the middle of the bridge, it started to tilt…" Arthur became increasingly cautious as he walked, afraid that the bridge might suddenly overturn.
One step… two steps… three steps… four steps…
Arthur's eyes grew increasingly wary and uncertain as he advanced.
"What's going on? Why isn't the bridge tilting like it did with Cú Chulainn?"
Not knowing what was happening, Arthur firmly stepped off the bridge and landed on the shore.
He turned his head to look at the golden arched bridge, pure astonishment written across his face.
"I… passed?"
"But why don't I feel like I received any blessing?"
Arthur quickly realized that something was wrong. Logically speaking, after crossing the Bridge of Trials, some kind of blessing should have appeared—but he felt nothing at all.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, someone appeared before his eyes. Arthur's pupils contracted sharply as he quickly stepped back.
At that instant, a sword struck the spot where he had been standing.
Then, a clear female voice rang out.
"Who are you? Why are you here?"
The voice sounded crisp and slightly immature. When Arthur heard it, he raised his eyes and fixed his gaze on the girl before him.
Beneath a white, thin-strapped dress, her snow-white skin was exposed, and her long golden hair swayed gently in the sea breeze. Her emerald-green eyes shone brightly even at sunset, giving her an air of gentle, virtuous fragility.
She looked like a lovely lily.
However, this seemingly delicate girl was holding a sword, pointing it at Arthur. "No matter what, invading my kingdom is wrong. If you surrender now, I may consider a lighter punishment."
"Of course, you can also choose to fight me—"
"I surrender." Before she could finish speaking, Arthur raised his hands.
The blonde girl froze in shock for a long moment after hearing Arthur's words.
(End of Chapter)