The girl wielding a curved blade moved swiftly through the gray mist.
Her speed was remarkable, for she knew she couldn't hold out long... the flickering white light around her wavered, and she wasn't even sure if she'd last another second.
Yet she charged forward without hesitation, toward an enemy she could never hope to defeat.
Or rather, was it even possible to reach her foe?
This enemy was the most renowned hero of Celtic myth, a mortal who had stepped into the divine realm. Nearly every Celt had grown up hearing her legends... this girl was no exception.
In fact, if you asked Artoria, she'd unhesitatingly declare, "Scáthach is my idol."
Over thousands of years, this hero's image had been etched into every Celt's heart, becoming a spiritual totem of their culture.
Before such a "spiritual totem." most lacked the courage even to meet her gaze, let alone fight.
Even Bedivere... the knight Artoria praised as the "perfect template"... was so awed by Scáthach's presence that he forgot to draw his sword.
But this girl with azure eyes was an exception.
Seeing Scáthach hold her own against two opponents without faltering, she didn't hesitate. She drew the weapon she always carried and leaped into the death-laden domain.
"The enemy is invincible. Yes, I know."
"But I can't do nothing… I'd rather make a mistake than stand idle!"
The girl named Winna launched an attack against a god she could never defeat.
It was, of course, a futile assault.
Even overcoming immense odds with unparalleled willpower to traverse the layers of mist and reach Scáthach's side, the seasoned Mentor of Heroes needed only a light kick to send her flying hundreds of meters.
She didn't die... Scáthach had held back.
Or rather, Scáthach had been holding back all along. Even facing Alaric and Artoria alone, she hadn't used her full strength. What seemed like city-destroying attacks to others was, to her, merely "sparring with two kids."
After all, she was an "adult" who had graduated from this world. How could she possibly go all out against children?
But… wait a moment?
"Hm?"
"What's this? Its power suddenly surged!"
Scáthach, the Mentor of Heroes, narrowed her eyes as she noticed the white dragon in the sky, now radiating translucent light.
…
Winna lay on the ground.
Struggling to rise, she found her body devoid of strength, her bones aching as if shattered.
... Scáthach had saved her.
In that domain meant only for the dead, every breath a living being took drained vast amounts of vitality. By the time she reached Scáthach, Winna's life force was nearly spent, a mere step from death.
Yet she had no regrets.
Even as her life flickered like a candle in the wind, she didn't regret her choice.
"O God."
Unable to stand, she arduously turned over, facing the White Dragon God in the sky with a relieved smile.
... She had always been atoning.
Atoning for the sin of a girl who hesitated at a critical moment, kneeling in prayer.
She had paid a heavy price for her mistake... her hands were stained with her people's blood.
But it wasn't enough, far from it.
Countless times, she woke from nightmares, haunted by the hesitant girl she'd been. Countless times, she swore that if given another chance, she'd never repeat that mistake.
And this time, had she fulfilled her vow?
Had her actions pleased the god?
"O God."
"Have I pleased you?"
Her voice was faint, almost a murmur.
Yet that soft sound clearly reached the heavens, into Alaric's ears.
... For it was a voice from her soul, brimming with the truest emotion.
"Ah, Winna."
"You have indeed delighted me!"
…
Alaric's body trembled.
Trembled with exhilaration.
In that moment, he fully understood why King Pellinore had recklessly attacked him.
"To please a god!"
To outsiders, it might sound like a ritual or prayer. But only a god knew the vast difference between the two.
"Satisfied, satisfied, utterly satisfied!"
... That was Scáthach's thought earlier.
Pellinore's act of raising his spear against a god had fulfilled her admiration for "heroes." Allowing her to breach the boundary between life and death, forcibly descending into the mortal world.
And now, similarly.
Seeing the girl lying on the ground, her resolve of "I'd rather make a mistake than do nothing" resonated perfectly with Alaric's innate battle spirit.
Her soul and the god's will achieved complete harmony.
[Ding! Your concept: Fairy, has been activated.]
"Face the strong as foes, wield your blade against the mighty."
"Fear nothing, for this radiant white light will surely bring you total victory!"
"Witness, Winna, the new form I've unlocked for you!"
"Concept Ascension, [Fairy] Mode, activated."
"Descend, the Dragon of Radiant Demise... Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon!!!"
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