The battle rang out like a bell, striking simultaneously without prior agreement.
At the moment the fight began, the blue-haired Caster, Cú Chulainn, dashed forward, twirling his wand and using it like a spear, thrusting it out.
In the blink of an eye, the air was pierced, and ripples of smoke spread through the space.
The tip of the wand, sharp like thorns, stabbed toward Okita Souji.
Okita was surprised by this fighting style, which didn't match a Caster at all, but she wasn't caught off guard. Her movements were incredibly fast, and she parried the tip of the wand with her blade, seizing the opportunity to slash toward Cú Chulainn's chest.
But Cú Chulainn gave her no chance. He grinned, and just as the wand was deflected, he immediately launched a second and third thrust without pause.
For a moment, the wand's tip bloomed like a chaotic flower, dazzling the eyes.
Okita couldn't find a single opening in that short time.
Her expression turned solemn.
Before coming here, her Master had already revealed Caster's true name and speculated on his combat style.
It turned out that her Master's intel was accurate.
This Caster, though labelled a Caster, had incredibly sharp spear techniques!
To be able to completely block her attacks with the inherently weak stats of a Caster class showed just how masterful his spear technique was.
If he had manifested as a Lancer class, things might have been dangerous.
"But as things are now, I won't lose!"
A fierce light flashed in Okita's eyes as her entire aura seemed to lower.
With a flash of movement, she crossed the distance between them and appeared right in front of Cú Chulainn.
Shukuchi!
Okita's B-rank Shukuchi had reached the pinnacle of footwork — by honing breath, blind spots, and awareness to the extreme, she could perform a technique that appeared as teleportation from the opponent's perspective!
If there were a level beyond this, it would be dimensional teleportation.
What she had achieved was the pinnacle of human footwork!
Cú Chulainn was startled by this technique but reacted instantly, retreating while drawing back his wand to block her sudden strike.
Blocked again?!
Okita felt a little frustrated.
"Don't underestimate me, little girl! If I couldn't overcome this level of hardship, the Queen of the Land Shadows would drill me to death if she found out!"
Cú Chulainn laughed heartily with no trace of gloom, spinning his wrist and swinging the wand down like a hammer.
Okita had no choice but to back off and look for another chance to attack.
"Ha! Take this!"
While Okita retreated, Cú Chulainn painted a symbol in the air with his hand.
A rune of primordial origin was completed in a blink, and flames surged toward Okita like tidal waves.
But suddenly, Cú Chulainn's brows furrowed.
"Hm?"
The overflowing sea of flames was abruptly extinguished as if it had been drawn into a vacuum, leaving only a single rune suspended mid-air, unable to unleash its power.
It was even absorbing his mana!
Cú Chulainn quickly severed the connection with the rune and immediately turned his deep gaze toward Roy, who stood not far behind Okita.
Upon seeing those mystic eyes entwined with mysterious patterns, he grinned with delight.
In that instant, a sharp blade wind struck — even before it hit, a death-like sense of danger surged from his spine to his scalp!
Startled, Cú Chulainn ducked swiftly.
At the moment his attention wavered, Okita seized the opening and appeared behind him like a ghost, slashing at the back of his neck!
Strands of his blue hair fluttered in the air like scattered fragments.
"So close, so close!"
Cú Chulainn quickly pulled back and touched the shortened tips of his hair, looking like he had just escaped death.
Okita clicked her tongue. Even such a sneak attack failed… this guy's combat experience was extremely rich, and his instincts as a warrior were exceptionally sharp.
"Yeah, but I only chopped off your wand."
Of course, Okita never expected such a surprise attack to defeat a demigod like him, but she still put on a provocative smile.
"Ah!"
Cú Chulainn blinked, then suddenly shouted.
He had accidentally held the wand upright when casting the rune earlier.
Though he had ducked and avoided the slash to his neck, his wand hadn't been so lucky—it had been cleaved in two from the tip.
"No rune protection—not sturdy enough after all!"
Cú Chulainn smacked his lips with annoyance.
"A spearman without a spear—how will you fight?"
Okita lowered her stance and, with a Shukuchi-enhanced thrust, aimed a Gatotsu strike straight at Cú Chulainn's heart!
Clang!
But the blow suddenly stopped mid-air.
Okita's eyes narrowed.
At some point, a rune-based barrier had formed in front of Cú Chulainn, blocking her sword completely and preventing it from even touching his body.
"I'm a Caster, after all. Of course I fight with magic!"
Cú Chulainn smiled nonchalantly.
"Originally, I was a little concerned about your Master. Those Mystic Eyes seem dangerous—they even once defeated my own Master. But now, it's fine."
Okita's eyes widened slightly.
Right!
As a battle-hardened warrior from Celtic mythology, how could Cú Chulainn make the rookie mistake of getting distracted during a fight?
That earlier fire rune — could it have been a ploy to test her Master's Mystic Eyes?
And from that exchange just now, he had confirmed the eyes' ability?
Boom!
Suddenly, a thunderous sound like a giant drum resounded.
Okita's expression stiffened, and she turned to look behind her.
On the other side—
Bazett hadn't carved runes on her limbs. She charged at Roy with bare hands and punched at him.
But in front of Roy appeared a rune barrier identical to Cú Chulainn's, blocking her fist with a dull impact.
"I see."
Roy stood behind the rune barrier. His runes were modern interpretations and couldn't compare to Cú Chulainn's primordial ones.
He glanced at Cú Chulainn, and his Mystic Eyes immediately absorbed the design of his barrier.
Cú Chulainn's expression subtly changed. He quickly backed off and severed the connection to the rune barrier, giving Okita no further opportunity to strike. He had indeed let his guard down earlier just to test Roy's Mystic Eyes, but now that he had the answer, he wouldn't make that mistake again.
"Worthy of a Druid—truly wise."
Roy nodded in admiration.
Very few people who knew the function of his Mystic Eyes were still alive—Bazett was one of them.
She had probably discussed the strategy with Cú Chulainn beforehand, letting him probe first. That's why she held back until now — and then charged Roy only after the truth was confirmed.
"Saber, don't worry about me. Focus all your power on defeating Caster!"
"Yes!"
Okita immediately stepped forward, leaving behind several afterimages.
She unleashed her greatest strength—Agility—and her fierce, swift strikes rained down like a storm, covering Cú Chulainn like a vast net.
***
Hey readers!
Want to read ahead? 📖 Join my Patreon for early access to 30+ advance chapters! Your support helps me write more and bring the story to you faster.
🔹patreon.com/aarvan🔹