Scathach

"Goodnight, big brother..." Mordred said.

Mordred always greeted him with good morning, so it was only natural for her to bid him goodnight as well.

With a contented smile, Mordred closed her eyes and soon the sound of her steady breathing filled the room. Artorius, making sure his adorable sister had fallen asleep, prepared to doze off as well.

'Who will I dream of tonight?' Artorius wondered to himself. 'Will I find the way to the Land of Shadows?'

Artorius was filled with anticipation before falling asleep, and perhaps he envied Merlin a little. As an incubus, Merlin possessed much stronger dream-invoking abilities than him. Finding the Land of Shadows should be much simpler for that guy.

'If it doesn't work out, I'll ask for his help when I meet that shady guy,' Artorius thought, pulling Mordred, who instinctively moved closer to him, into a tight embrace.

If it were an ordinary couple who slept like this every night, the woman would develop cervical issues, and the man would suffer from shoulder inflammation. But Artorius and Mordred were exempt from such problems. Their physical condition ensured that they wouldn't encounter any issues even if they slept upside down.

'However, there's no guarantee I'll reach the Land of Shadows smoothly. I might end up in some other region within the Reverse Side...' Artorius continued to ponder. 'In that case, will I be able to meet that pink-haired woman again?'

It wouldn't be bad if it were her. It would make up for yesterday's mistake.

Although Artorius believed that Medb would be furious and seething with anger after he left yesterday, it didn't matter. Regardless of how displeased she might be, she could only endure it while gazing upon his exquisitely unparalleled look.

"The purple granny is also nice, but it's frustrating to see her without being able to have her—Huh?"

As he was about to fall asleep, or rather, slip into unconsciousness, Artorius sensed that something was amiss.

There was someone beside him!

With this thought in mind, he immediately reached for Clarent, preparing to strike without hesitation.

As a general who had witnessed countless assassinations on the brutal battlefield, Artorius had experienced his fair share of assassination attempts. Killing while in sleep was a basic skill.

However, his opponent's speed was astonishingly fast.

Almost as soon as Artorius sensed something was wrong and gripped Clarent, a heavy blow landed on his forehead.

"Fuck... Is it going to end here?" Artorius forced himself to endure the dizziness and struggled to open his eyes. "At least... at least let Little Mo..."

As he thought this, he readied his sword. But what he saw before him surprised him greatly.

It was a stunning woman dressed in tight, purple leather armor with a black mask, her flowing hair a vibrant shade of purple.

She was the one who had viciously struck Artorius's head, causing him to be dizzy.

"Purple—" Overwhelmed with shock, Artorius nearly blurted out his inner thoughts, but before he could finish his words...

"!"

The woman's eyes flickered, and her gaze toward Artorius became even more dangerous.

With two more swift strikes to Artorius's head, she finished him off.

And so, Artorius successfully 'slept' away.

===

Dreamland.

"My head... Ugh... it hurts..."

Upon waking up again, Artorius found himself in a dream.

"Really, I should have been more careful."

The prince regretted it silently.

He knew that after the Age of Gods, those Irish people had vanished into the Reverse Side of the World, but he had no idea they could jump back and forth between the Reverse Side and the real world.

If he had known, he definitely wouldn't have taken that 'purple granny' words as a slogan and kept mentioning them at every opportunity.

At least he wouldn't have been so reckless when he arrived in Ireland.

'But thinking about all this now won't change anything.' Artorius thought to himself, 'If she didn't strike at me right away and kill me, then there must be something to talk about.'

'This is a dream. She pulled me into this dream because she was captivated by my handsome appearance and charisma. So she was enchanted and wanted to make me hers, huh?'

'Well, I don't actually mind this kind of development. In fact, I've always been an admirer of yours~'

As Artorius happily entertained these thoughts, a red light shimmered not far away, followed by a cold-gleaming crimson spear, soaring toward Artorius.

It was none other than Scathach, the purple lady whom Artorius had been longing to encounter, wielding her weapon known as the 'Gae Bolg'.

In the next instant, Artorius swiftly swung his sword, Clarent, clashing it with the spear's blade, producing a crisp sound. Then, in another instant, Artorius took a step back, clashing his sword again with another blood-red spear of the same style.

At the same time, Artorius caught a glimpse of her.

In her eyes, excitement and killing intent sparkled, accompanied by a joyful smile. Wielding her dual spears, she moved like she was dancing, gracefully and skillfully.

"Scathach!"

Artorius Pendragon shouted with delight, swinging his sword fiercely toward his opponent.

This time, it wasn't a clash of martial techniques.

Although they exchanged only a few moves, Artorius had already realized that his combat skills were no match for his opponent's. Secondly, his fighting style was not suitable for one-on-one combat.

Clarent, in his hands, was a two-handed sword, its techniques vast and varied, making it a formidable presence on the battlefield. However, when faced with an opponent who surpassed him in speed, agility, and techniques, it was not enough.

Scathach's combat skills exceeded his own, wielding her dual spears with agile and cunning techniques. It perfectly countered Artorius in a one-on-one duel.

If he insisted on fighting head-on, the chances of victory were slim. Therefore, Artorius decided to use his sword beam.

Frost-colored magical energy gathered on the blade of his sword, and he launched it forcefully toward his opponent.

This move was devastating on the battlefield! Its power was equally formidable in personal combat. Compared to all sword beams, whether it be his mother, Mordred, his cousin Gawain, or Lucius, Artorius was no less capable!

However—

"Not bad!"

However, compared to the purple-haired lady on the other side, he still seemed too naive.

His opponent simply swung her spear. To Artorius's astonishment, her spear pierced through his beam. It was as if a sharp paper knife cut a piece of paper in half. Scathach broke through the beam and closed in on Artorius, getting closer and closer!

"Got you!"

When Scathach was less than a meter and a half away from Artorius, fully within her striking range, Artorius felt a sense of pride within him. A freezing sensation suddenly emanated from his body.

Reality Marble—Frost of Deathly Silence, activated once again! The chilling cold capable of freezing souls spread along Gae Bolg's spearhead, extending towards her arm. Swiftly, at a speed even Scathach couldn't react to, her arm was frozen!

'This battle ultimately ends with my victory!'

This was Artorius's final thought before he was knocked unconscious by the spear on Scathach's left hand.