Scathach listened quietly throughout the explanation.
When he finally finished, she leaned back against the couch and folded her arms beneath her chest.
Her expression became thoughtful.
"I see."
Several moments passed.
Then a knowing smirk slowly appeared on her lips.
"So let me guess."
Her crimson eyes sparkled mischievously.
"You want me to become one of your peerage members."
Sirzechs met her gaze and nodded seriously.
"Yes."
The smirk on her face widened immediately.
"Interesting."
She tilted her head slightly.
"But tell me something, Sirzechs."
Her voice carried obvious amusement.
"How exactly do you plan on reincarnating me when you're not that much stronger than I am?"
He already knew where this was going.
"Scath—"
She raised a hand to stop him.
"The last time we fought, if I remember correctly, the match ended in a draw."
Her grin grew even wider.
"A complete draw."
Sirzechs stared at her for several seconds.
Then he gave her the flattest look imaginable.
"Scathach."
"Yes?"
"You do realize I deliberately matched my physical strength to yours and fought using only martial arts and techniques, right?"
The smile on her face froze.
For approximately one second.
Then she looked away.
"Hmph."
A very convincing response.
"You still didn't win."
Sirzechs pinched the bridge of his nose.
"That's not how—"
"You didn't win."
"Scath."
"You didn't."
"Scathach."
The legendary warrior crossed her arms and puffed out her cheeks in a display that was far cuter than she probably intended.
"Fine."
She stood up dramatically and pointed a finger at him.
"Then fight me again."
The challenge hung in the air.
Her eyes burned with excitement.
"Defeat me."
A confident grin spread across her face.
"If you win, I'll agree to become a member of your peerage."
Sirzechs looked at her silently.
She looked like a warrior issuing a grand challenge.
In reality, she looked more like a spoiled child demanding a rematch after losing a game.
The worst part?
She probably knew she was being unreasonable.
The previous fight had already proven everything.
Even while restricting himself to her level of physical strength, he had still managed to force the battle into a draw through superior technique alone.
The outcome would likely remain the same even if they fought ten more times.
Perhaps she knew that too.
But that wasn't really the point.
Scathach simply wanted another excuse to cross blades with him.
To spar.
To compete.
To spend time together the way they always had.
And knowing her, she would probably join his peerage regardless of the result.
Sirzechs couldn't help but smile.
Who could blame him?
He loved this stubborn woman.
And if indulging her meant another battle between them, then so be it.
"Fine," he said as he rose from the couch.
"I accept."
Instantly, Scathach's eyes lit up.
The grin she gave him was bright, excited, and completely unrepentant.
Sirzechs could only shake his head.
Some things never changed.
A short while later, the two of them arrived at one of the many open regions of the Shadow Realm.
The landscape stretched endlessly in every direction.
Barren black earth.
Jagged stone formations.
Countless battle scars left behind by centuries of training and combat.
Unlike most worlds, the Shadow Realm possessed very little civilization outside of Scathach's castle. Vast expanses of empty land dominated the realm, making it the perfect battlefield for warriors capable of shaking continents with their power.
There would be no innocent bystanders.
No cities to protect.
No mountains or forests whose destruction would matter.
They could fight as freely as they wished.
The cold wind swept across the wasteland as the two faced each other from several dozen meters apart.
Neither spoke.
Neither needed to.
They had done this countless times before.
Sirzechs raised a hand.
Crimson power gathered around his fingers before flowing outward in a torrent of destruction energy.
The energy condensed.
Compressed.
Refined.
Moments later, a magnificent war scythe appeared in his grasp.
Its long obsidian shaft seemed forged from solid darkness, while the curved blade glowed with crimson-red destruction energy. Faint cracks of scarlet light ran across the weapon's surface like molten veins beneath black metal.
The surrounding space distorted slightly around the blade.
Even inactive, the weapon radiated enough destructive power to make reality itself uneasy.
Sirzechs casually rested the massive scythe behind his shoulder.
The pose looked relaxed.
Almost lazy.
Yet Scathach knew better than anyone how dangerous he was in that stance.
Across from him, a grin slowly spread across her lips.
With a flick of her wrist, crimson-gold magical energy gathered beside her.
A spear materialized.
The legendary demonic spear.
Gáe Bolg Alternative.
The weapon was beautiful and terrifying in equal measure.
Its crimson shaft appeared carved from a single piece of divine crystal, while intricate black runes spiraled along its length. The spearhead possessed an ominous shape resembling twisted thorns converging toward a razor-sharp point.
Countless gods, heroes, and monsters had fallen before that spear.
A weapon specifically designed for slaughtering beings far stronger than ordinary opponents.
As the spear settled comfortably into her grasp, Scathach's aura transformed.
The playful woman from earlier vanished.
In her place stood the undefeated Queen of the Land of Shadows.
The legendary God-Slayer.
A warrior who had crossed blades with countless heroes throughout history.
The air between them grew heavy.
Not from hostility.
But anticipation.
Excitement.
The joy of two warriors meeting on equal ground.
Scathach twirled Gáe Bolg Alternative once before lowering it into a combat stance.
Her crimson eyes gleamed.
"Try not to hold back too much this time."
Sirzechs chuckled.
"I was about to say the same thing."
A smirk appeared on her face.
His own answered it.
For several seconds, silence reigned across the battlefield.
Then—
Scathach vanished.
At the exact same moment, Sirzechs disappeared as well.
Neither announced the start.
Neither counted down.
Neither needed permission.
They had fought each other far too many times for such formalities.
The battle had begun the instant their eyes met.
The moment the battle began, the Shadow Realm erupted.
A deafening shockwave exploded across the wasteland as Sirzechs and Scathach collided in the center of the battlefield.
Gáe Bolg Alternative crashed against the crimson scythe.
Sparks of crimson and black erupted outward, carving trenches hundreds of meters long through the barren landscape.
Neither gave ground.
For a brief instant, they stood locked against one another.
Then both smiled.
And the true fight began.
Scathach twisted her spear and unleashed a flurry of thrusts.
Each strike was precise.
Deadly.
Capable of piercing dragons, gods, and heroes alike.
The crimson spear became a blur as it attacked from impossible angles.
Throat.
Heart.
Temple.
Lungs.
Every strike was aimed at a fatal point.
Sirzechs met them all.
The great scythe danced through the air with surprising elegance, deflecting each thrust with the minimum amount of movement necessary.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
The battlefield echoed with the sound of metal colliding.
Scathach suddenly shifted her stance.
The spear vanished.
Only to reappear behind Sirzechs.
A technique that had claimed countless opponents.
Yet before the attack could land, Sirzechs was already moving.
He leaned sideways.
The spearhead missed his neck by less than an inch.
His free hand immediately shot forward.
Scathach narrowly escaped by leaping backward.
The ground beneath her exploded as destruction energy tore through the space where she had been standing.
"You're getting faster."
Scathach grinned.
"So are you."
The next moment, they disappeared.
The battlefield became a blur.
Shockwaves erupted across the wasteland.
Mountains collapsed.
Canyons formed.
The sky itself trembled under the pressure generated by their exchanges.
To ordinary observers, it would have appeared as though two natural disasters were fighting each other.
Yet both combatants remained completely focused.
Scathach spun her spear overhead before unleashing a devastating strike.
The attack split the horizon itself.
Sirzechs met it head-on.
His scythe descended.
The resulting collision generated a crimson explosion that illuminated the entire Shadow Realm.
For several seconds, neither could be seen.
Then two figures burst from the cloud of dust.
Scathach laughed.
A genuine laugh filled with exhilaration.
"This is why I enjoy fighting you!"
She launched herself forward again.
The God-Slayer moved with incredible speed.
Her spear transformed into a storm of crimson light.
Thousands of attacks.
Thousands of opportunities to kill.
Any one of them would have been enough to defeat legendary heroes.
Yet Sirzechs calmly advanced through the storm.
Step.
Deflect.
Step.
Evade.
Step.
Counter.
His movements were effortless.
Refined.
Perfect.
Years of training under Scathach herself had shaped him into a monster of technique.
And now that monster had surpassed the teacher.
Scathach realized it at the same moment he did.
Her spear was knocked aside.
A brief opening appeared.
For most warriors, it would have been insignificant.
For Sirzechs, it was enough.
His hand shot forward.
He caught her wrist.
Scathach immediately reacted, attempting to break free.
Too late.
Sirzechs stepped behind her.
His free hand captured her second wrist.
The world spun.
Then—
Boom!
The ground cracked beneath them.
Dust exploded outward.
When it finally settled, the battle was over.
Scathach lay pinned beneath him on the fractured earth.
Both of her wrists were held securely above her head.
No matter how she twisted or struggled, she couldn't escape the position.
For several moments, neither spoke.
The cold wind of the Shadow Realm swept across the battlefield.
Then Scathach let out a long sigh.
"...I hate how good you've become."
Sirzechs laughed.
"You were the one who trained me."
"That doesn't make me feel any better."
Her lips twitched despite herself.
There was no real frustration in her voice.
Only pride.
The student had finally surpassed the master.
Sirzechs loosened his grip slightly.
"Do I win?"
Scathach rolled her eyes.
Then she turned her head away with an exaggerated huff.
"...Fine."
The legendary God-Slayer pouted.
"You win."
A small smile appeared on her lips.
"As promised, I'll join your peerage."
Sirzechs smiled warmly.
For all her complaints, he knew she had intended to accept from the very beginning.
Still, neither of them would have wanted it any other way.
After all, some traditions were worth preserving.
A small smile appeared on her lips. "Now fuck my brains out..."