Chapter 44: Heaven to the Left, Warriors to the Right
"It seems we have a guest."
Upon seeing Scáthach, Noah withdrew his Conqueror's Haki and returned to his usual demeanor. He gazed at Scáthach, whose face was concealed by a black mask, and initiated the conversation.
"Crimson twin spears, flowing purple hair... this truly reminds me of the terrifying tales about the Land of Shadows I've heard since childhood."
"So who exactly are you, and what brings you here to find me?"
Noah naturally recognized this as Scáthach, but he chose not to reveal this directly, instead tossing the question back to her.
Scáthach quickly regained her composure.
Though momentarily startled by the kingly aura he had emanated, she hadn't abandoned her original intent.
Thus, ignoring Noah's questions entirely, she simply gripped her twin spears and charged forward in silence.
Witnessing this, Vortigern immediately drew the sword at her waist, gripping the hilt with both hands as she prepared to intercept. But just as she assumed her stance, Noah extended an arm to stop her.
Then, holding his own sword in his other hand, Noah watched as Scáthach deliberately slowed her advance to grant him preparation time. A smile touched his lips.
"Since she came for me, let me be the one to face her—White, my spear!"
Hearing this, Vortigern reached into the void with one hand. As swirling darkness coalesced in her grasp, a pure white spear materialized.
She tossed the spear to Noah, who caught it with the very hand that had halted Vortigern.
Now armed with a sword in one hand and a spear in the other, Noah stepped forward to meet Scáthach's position!
Conventionally, when two warriors engage, if one possesses ample charging distance while the other has limited forward momentum, it's generally unwise to confront them head-on.
Forcing a direct clash under such circumstances risks being overwhelmed by the opponent's charging momentum and getting forcefully repelled.
This is the standard logic.
Particularly in Britain, where many veteran knights incorporate the weight of heavy armor into their teachings.
The combined force of a charge, the heft of raised armor, and a massive weapon—if you insist on a brute-force confrontation against these three elements, the outcome would likely be devastating.
But Noah remembered.
In his simulated memories, during Scáthach's very first lesson, she had told him...
"If ordinary minds seek to evade death, then warriors must confront it directly!"
"The moment of greatest peril is when opportunity shines brightest!"
"Even unarmed, observe how in combat, when a seasoned warrior's strike lands on a vital point, the tension in their clenched jaw momentarily eases."
"The instant an enemy nears victory is also when they stand closest to defeat!"
"Thus, as warriors, we must face death head-on!"
"For a warrior, the smile etched upon their fallen corpse is the testament to their strength!"
This passage was from the words Scáthach spoke on the first day of his training in that simulation memory, and it was the phrase Noah remembered most vividly.
So now, when he saw Scáthach charging toward him, he met her with a smile!
Seeing Noah rushing head-on toward her, Scáthach's eyes lit up.
Nevertheless, she raised her twin spears, leveraging the full momentum of her charge to unleash a suppressive assault on Noah.
Noah, in response, turned the Sword in the Stone sideways, shifting his body to the side. Using the slope of the blade to create space, he simultaneously severed Scáthach's rain-like onslaught in this manner.
The sword was meant to create opportunities.
And then…
—Thrust the spear!
If the front of Scáthach's momentum-driven attack was the fiercest point of this storm named Scáthach, then Noah, by sidestepping and using the Sword in the Stone to block part of the assault, had effectively split the storm apart.
Some of the rain could no longer fall upon Noah, and the remaining portion was cleaved in two by Caliburn.
No matter how precise an attack may be, after being pared down so many times, the remnants were bound to reveal flaws.
This was the moment for the spear to shine!
The martial art Noah derived in the simulation, relying on his prodigious talent, actually drew its core inspiration from a single phrase spoken by a character in a game he had played in his previous life—a succinct four-word mantra.
Cutting Rain and Leaving Rainbows!
These four words embodied the core philosophy of Noah's combat style, wielding a sword in one hand and a spear in the other.
With sword and spear, he entered the rain untouched!
This was also the manifestation of the will Scáthach had instilled in him—a will that coexisted with death, even becoming one with it.
As Scáthach witnessed Noah displaying such martial prowess, her eyes gradually brightened during their exchange of attacks and defenses.
And the more they fought, the more she saw his potential.
Meanwhile, Kay, Morgan, and Artoria, drawn by the commotion, grew increasingly tense after being stopped by Vortigern.
Vortigern's perspective on this battle was simple.
She simply didn't believe Noah could lose.
After all, Noah was the island, while his opponent was merely a lone warrior.
Even if you destroyed the body Noah was currently using, so what? Could you sink the entire island?
Thus, Noah was inherently undefeatable.
That was Vortigern's view.
But in the eyes of Kay, Artoria, and Morgan… to put it bluntly, this battle was nothing short of a fight between two madmen!
After all, their combat style was entirely different from that of ordinary knights!
Normal knights, when fighting, would do their utmost to protect themselves while slaying their enemies. The basic exchange of offense and defense involved alternating attacks and blocks, using various techniques to gain the upper hand in the process.
It was a gradual progression of making their own position safer and the enemy's more perilous.
But Scáthach and Noah's clash was nothing like that…
In the face of danger, they would always charge straight through, placing themselves in even greater peril, then use that very danger to drag their opponent into an even more treacherous situation!
There was no such thing as pure defense in their techniques.
Every move was an attack designed to plunge the other into mortal danger!
It was like two dancers performing on the edge of a blade!
It was as if they weren't fighting each other, but grappling with death itself!
Beautiful, spectacular... yet utterly insane!
To truly immerse oneself in this would evoke primal fear even as a mere spectator!
While others viewed it this way, Scáthach found herself growing increasingly fascinated by Noah.
She could discern that Noah's core philosophy as a warrior was identical to her own!
Perhaps for this reason, she detected traces of her own shadow in his techniques—yet not entirely so, for Noah's moves carried many unique elements belonging solely to him!
It had been ages since she last crossed blades with such a warrior.
Moreover, even when she had previously encountered warriors of this caliber, they were her disciples, molded by her teachings.
Therefore...
"You are the first warrior I've encountered who resembles me so profoundly!"
Scáthach, who always greeted others through combat, initiated conversation voluntarily.
"Henceforth, strive to defeat me—and then, kill me!"
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