Ch-139: A Plain Vanilla Life?
He no longer knows, for how long has he been populating the Land of Shadows, maybe ten days, maybe one month, maybe one year, maybe even ten years, or even a hundred?
In the Land of Shadows, there is no passing of time, no rise and fall of the sun, no interchange in climate and weather, only death-like silence and the gloomy monotonous panorama.
In this wholly sempiternal world, it is a 'duck soup' for people to forget the passage of time.
Coma, fight, coma, fight again…
Like a never-ending perpetual cycle.
A sudden nonplused blow while eating, a sudden abrupt punch while walking, a sudden precipitous kick while changing clothes, a sudden instantaneous assail while bathing, a sudden extemporaneous knock over while chatting softly—these have become a 'plain vanilla' of his life.
Nowadays, Roy feels that the most fortuitous thing that has happened to him is that he can digest all energy in food without a need for relieving himself.
Otherwise this crazy teacher of his will definitely carry out an unlooked storming when he is relieving himself.
....just imagine that.
This is his new life in the Kingdom of Shadows. Every time he is trained to the limit by Scathach, every day feels like fighting with death himself, curses naturally flew out for the damned situation.
But gradually, Roy’s cursing became lesser and lesser, now he even looks forward to the feeling of the body and soul being burdened to the limit.
This mentality even makes him knead his forehead many times. Has Scathach already made him a trembling S&M to now even enjoy something like a pain of this level?
He knew better, that it was not the numbness of situation and shattered acceptation of the body and soul, but the adaptation from the form of his body and soul.
He has adapted to his limit, adapted to the pain, adapted to find sense in despair, adapted to face everything with his will.
Now he knows that this is what it feels like—a hero's persistence, a warrior's vigour, and the will of the strong!
No doubt, meeting Scathach was the best thing that ever happened to him after he became a Godslayer.
Now, he has grasped all of Scathach's skills. Even the most difficult course regarding the Primordial Runes of Origin was digested most easily.
He still remembers the dumbstruck look on Scathach's face at that time, for which he didn't know why had the wish to tease her and indeed did so.
Then what? The intensity of surprise attacks increased and the spear left no mercy on poor him. Well, we reap what we sow.
But he doesn't regret it and if he got the chance, he will still do it again. After all, it's not everyday that you get the chance to take your own sweet revenge by getting to glimpse at the embarrassment on the indifferent Queen's face.
And so the time passed like tripping drops of water, the life flowed with battles, comas and such small healing incidents.
Probably, by now, he had adsorbed sixty to seventy percent of Scathach's ability and skill proficiency, but this is enough.
He doesn't follows Scathach's path, he has to forge his own singular path, so sticking to perfection in taking another's skills is not accurate for long term.
If he wants to reach the pinnacle of humanity and have the qualifications to cross the abyss and reach the realm of 'Magic Gods'—Roy knows that he must one day be able to complete one or two of the major techniques of the Religion of Cross, from relating to Creation to Revelation to Doomsday, any associating reference.
Compared to before, his absolute strength has not risen much or even not at all, but his combat power has soared in a straight line if drawn on a graph series.
It also makes Roy’s biggest weakness, the lack of the will of the strong and the martial arts skills to come into being—to completely supplement each other.
The current Roy has truly reached the strongest of his field in terms of willpower, endurance, etc.
This is probably because no one except Scathach can teach Roy to this point and make him reach the extreme in terms of willpower.
Because this way of being able to take him to the limit, not allowing him to break through over the limit and die, and preventing him from being unable to reach the limit with lacking effect missed by an inch, is the unique ability that can only be manhandled by the possessor of [Wisdom of Dún Scáith]-!
Not even, Aiwass, a 'Secret Chief' can do it.
If other people dared to teach their students in this way, the disciple who was taught would be played to death, just like a certain 'Old Man of the Jewels' who actually destroyed countless 'jewels' of the generation.
“Your idea of pouring the concept of Bible into [Jacob's Limbs] is very innovative. It’s also gave me a huge inspiration.”
Scathach is a female warrior who has progressed with combat and battles.
As long as she fights with others, she can scrap off the strengths of the other party to supplement her, and become stronger.
That's why her wish is to fight with someone stronger than her.
But no one in this world can compete with her.
Entities who are stronger than her are already detached, entirely far away from the mundane material world, and people who are weaker than her will all be killed without meaning.
So with time and eternity, she can only live alone and isolated in her Land of Shadows, enduring the inconceivable loneliness that ordinary people can’t imagine.
She is not afraid of this loneliness, but now, she could not find the meaning of her life.
Therefore, seeking for death in life has become her only goal, otherwise, gradually she will just be left as a living dead—a body with no will.
Roy’s limbs were like tracing phantoms weaving flowers, the fists, palms, or fingers, colliding with Scathach's demoniac spears.
Though, the moves were same as before, even an inexperienced naked eye would feel a difference.
What kind of moves are used in which environment, how to hide one move behind another move, how to connect these seven styles in a series chain—now he knew it all.
Scathach is wholly proficient in all eighteen prime weapons. But her mastery of spear outstretches others by a fair mile.
In addition to teaching her spear skills, she has also taught Roy how to fight empty-handed and how to master the sword. In this way, Roy can fully utilize his choosed weapons to the extreme.
Roy himself didn’t want to learn spear skills. He was afraid that his luck attributes would have problems, but Scathach directly refuted him on the grounds that as her, Scathach's disciple, how could he not learn to use spears.
Swoooom-!
The crimson malevolent spear and the luminous sword of judgment collided in the air, and the powerful magic wave spread out like the incarnate of annihilation, obliterating the surrounding areas into grinded dust.
“Very well, this battle will end here.”
Scathach turned around and left the battlefield, and at the same time exonerated her assault stance.
Now he has long passed the stage of slipping into coma. Both his soul and body have overcome the state of coma.
Even if he is seriously injured he can continue to fight, instead of falling into comatose as his brain shut downs when he is injured like ordinary people. He will now only fall in death, not in sleep shut down.
When not fighting, Scathach is always as gentle and coquettish as the big sister next door, and Roy likes this version of Scathach more than others, especially more than the mother one atleast.
Now he no longer hates Scathach's ruthless hand, just to see her gentle posture after the battle.
Honestly, he couldn't help but suspect that most probably Stockholm Syndrome had already bundled him in it's lap, and that of the late phase.
As the victim, instead of having negative emotions, he has developed a favorable impression and a sense of dependence on the perpetrator—Scathach.
“Hmhmhm~~…it feels like there are fewer and fewer things left to teach you. Come and chat with me, Roy.”
Scathach put away her spear and slicked back the loose strands of the soft violet hair flowing with breeze.
She bowed her head slightly like an innocent young girl and sat down on her knees while tenderly and affectionately patting beside herself, beckoning Roy to come over.
"Come here~"