The sky remained an ever-present gray.
Although Li Xiang had visited the Land of Shadows many times and had grown accustomed to its gloomy environment, the place still gave him an instinctive feeling of oppression and discomfort. This was a land where the living were not welcome.
He looked around but couldn't find any trace of Scathach. It struck him as odd since usually, the moment he entered, it would only take three seconds before a spear came flying his way for a merciless beating.
Even though his current progress in learning spear techniques had reached halfway, he still couldn't last long against Scathach. However, compared to his earlier attempts, where he could barely last a few seconds, now he could survive a few minutes—a significant improvement.
It was this progress that allowed him to hold his own against Shinki Asanami, who had transformed into a monster. Despite being two or three ranks higher, Asanami's massive form meant he was slower, giving Li Xiang the chance to maneuver. With his advancing *Gáe Bolg* techniques, if he had enough mana, Li Xiang was confident he could have worn him down.
"Sca—"
His voice cut off as a distant rumbling caught his attention. He looked toward the source, where on the castle walls obscured by jagged rocks, he saw a shadowy figure moving at high speed, too far to make out clearly.
Li Xiang immediately headed toward the castle.
To be honest, this was his first time getting close to the walls. They were like something out of the Middle Ages—a massive, towering structure. Seven towering gates were embedded into the walls and connected to the mountains on either side.
Standing there, he could see the stone towers rising within the walls more clearly. But soon, his attention was drawn back to Scathach.
With unwavering precision and without the slightest hesitation, the two Gáe Bolg spears in her hands moved so fast they were nearly invisible, creating a continuous blur of crimson.
Her opponents were various undead creatures—skeletons, ghouls, wraiths, revenants, and other specters. They swarmed the walls in an attempt to break into the outside world, but not a single one could get past Scathach's spears. They all vanished under her assault, without exception.
"Come up here," Scathach called out to him, having noticed his arrival.
Come up there? Li Xiang estimated that the wall was at least ten meters high, with a smooth surface offering no footholds. The mountain walls on either side were just as sheer, as though cut with a knife.
"Magecraft Rope!"
Opening his magic circuits, Li Xiang flicked his wrist, and a magical rope as thick as his wrist shot out, latching onto the wall. He extended his magic to elongate the rope, letting it fall down. Grabbing hold, he braced his feet and, using *Levitation*, quickly made his way to the top.
"The scent of the living... flesh... blood..."
The undead immediately surged in response.
"Projection!"
Li Xiang's body emitted a dense elemental aura, enveloped in an invisible wind that made him feel lighter.
With one swift step, he dodged the outstretched skeletal hands and brought his spear up, smashing the skull of one of the creatures. As bone fragments scattered, he moved in a straight line, leaving behind a trail of afterimages. Holding two projected spears, he charged forward, striking with brute force.
The powerful impact caused the undead before him to rise like upturned floorboards, crashing into the skeletons behind them, knocking them down like a row of dominoes.
The crimson spears swung out once more.
A surge of mana burst forth, creating a bloom of blood-red light in front of him.
"Explosion!"
In the next moment, the two spears were thrown, encircled by blood-red light that formed a shockwave, blasting outward without mercy.
It was a first-level explosive spell.
The mana, normally flowing in regulated patterns, was forcefully agitated within the narrow confines of the spear, compressing until it reached critical mass, and then releasing with a ferocity.
The skeletons caught in the blast were instantly shattered, sent flying backward as flaming debris.
One fireball after another erupted, each one followed by the appearance of a dark red magic circle on the ground.
Li Xiang grabbed his right wrist with his left hand and extended his palm.
"Fireball!"
The fireballs seemed to find something to fuel their fury, transforming into blazing projectiles that shot skyward.
Shards of burning debris fell like confetti, and the undead caught in the blast were easily set ablaze.
In an instant, the area around Li Xiang turned into a sea of flames.
Breathing heavily, he met Scathach's approving gaze. Behind her, the tide of undead began to recede. Only now did Li Xiang realize that the undead he had fought were those Scathach had intentionally left for him, none of them exceeding his rank.
"My judgment is always on point," Scathach remarked softly as she stood before him. "The future is not set in stone. When destiny arrives, you possess the will to make a decision."
Li Xiang was taken aback. This line sounded familiar.
'Hey, I know you have Clairvoyance and can see the future, but aren't you stealing your apprentice Cú Chulainn's lines?'
In the prologue of Fate/Grand Order, Cú Chulainn once told Ritsuka Fujimaru: "The wheels of fate will turn, and when the time comes, you will make your decision."
'But I'm not Ritsuka Fujimaru,' Li Xiang thought. 'Even though I was the one controlling Ritsuka in the game.'
He scratched his head, unsure of how to respond.
"Every so often, the undead in the Land of Shadows attempt to break free," Scathach said, turning to gaze at the scene within the walls. "Why do the dead long for life, while the living yearn for death?"
Li Xiang shook his head.
He knew that Scathach's wish was to one day be killed, but that day might never come.
There's a saying that comes to mind: "Human sorrow doesn't connect; I only find them noisy." (T/N: basically means feeling disconnected from others' emotions and finding them annoying.)
Some seek immortality, while others long for death.
"Your progress in spear techniques is at fifty percent now, right?"
"Yeah," Li Xiang responded before suddenly realizing something. "Wait, how do you know that?"
"I've known Irigar for a long time," Scathach replied.
"?"
'Is this still just a memory?'
Li Xiang was starting to feel something was off. He asked, "Did you meet in Chaldea's future?"
"We met through Chaldea, so I'm quite familiar with Chaldea's system."
"Oh, I see."
"You never cease to impress, Master, no matter when it is—you always have the resolve to keep moving forward. I didn't plan on this before, but now I'm considering taking you as my apprentice. What do you think?"
"Sure," Li Xiang replied without much thought. He had always been calling her "Mentor" anyway. After all, shishou meant "master" or "teacher."
Scathach flashed a breathtaking smile. Although her demeanor was like that of a kind elder sister, it filled Li Xiang with unease.
"Since you've agreed, once you've mastered the Gáe Bolg techniques, you'll undergo a trial—just like a Celtic warrior."
"Huh?"
"What's wrong? It wouldn't be right for you to become my apprentice without some sort of test."
"..."
'This memory must be cursed.'
Li Xiang was now convinced that Irigar's system had some hidden strings attached. He couldn't believe that this was just a simple memory training session.
"Is it difficult?" he asked.
"Not really. Many people have passed it," Scathach said nonchalantly.
Li Xiang sighed in relief. After all, it was just an apprentice test. It couldn't be too challenging.
"For example, the last one to pass was Cú Chulainn."
"???"
'Shishou, are you comparing me to Cú Chulainn? Is it that you're underestimating him or overestimating me?'
Li Xiang felt doomed.
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OG Author Note: The thirty first-level spells the protagonist learned won't be listed out in the main text but will be detailed in a separate section. (T/N: i cant find where is this separate chapter at, ill include it if i found it)