Chapter 52: Harsh Reality -3-

In the past, the ultimate martial art was fashioned by the great hero Heracles, and its principles were so profound that even Scáthach delved into them.

It was a school so formidable that even the war god Ares held it in awe, and the founding dynasty of Rome trained in it to master its techniques after their deification.

Although Kay’s attempt merely reproduced a fragment of it for a fleeting instant through infinite effort and the wisdom of the Mystic Realm, the destructive power that erupted was the very reincarnation of the Age of Myth.

Kwad-dduk!! Jjeojeok!!

Nine trajectories struck almost simultaneously.

The nine successive slashes, aiming for the upper arm, collarbone, throat, crown, solar plexus, ribs, groin, and thigh, surged forth like nine golden dragons about to devour Artoria Lancer Alter.

Artoria Lancer Alter’s pupils trembled as though struck by an earthquake.

Instinctively, she summoned the absolute limit of her divine protection and simultaneously unleashed the magic of her pitch-black holy lance, swinging it frantically to deflect the nine trajectories.

Kaaang!! Kwang!! Kwachang!!

It wasn’t the sound of metal striking metal. A monstrous roar, like thunder crashing down and triggering a chain of explosions, shook the fortress to its foundations.

Though she barely managed to block or graze the nine strikes to neutralize them, the explosive air pressure blasted from the axe alone forced red blood to spurt from Artoria Lancer Alter’s nose and mouth.

The gauntlets on her hands gripping the lance shattered, and her bones screamed in protest.

Yet, in the face of that overwhelming violence and the threat to her life, Artoria Lancer Alter felt no fear.

If anything, even as blood trickled from her nose, a fierce joy and a peculiar heat welled up in her eyes.

...Ahh. This is insane.

She caught her breath and looked up at Kay.

His muscles swelled as if about to burst, exhaling hot steam, and his predatory glare shone fiercely, as if he intended to tear his foe limb from limb.

The gentle, indulgent brother she knew was nowhere to be seen; in his place stood a perfect, overwhelming warrior and alpha male.

In the face of that savage, beastly machismo, a strange exhilaration boiled up from deep within Artoria Lancer Alter, sending shivers through her entire body.

"Haa… haa! Fine, brother!! If you truly crave my body that much… I’ll give you everything I've got!!"

Artoria Lancer Alter roared like a beast, spinning her holy lance with a fierce grip.

A black storm engulfed her jet-black armor and burst forth explosively.

She slammed off the ground and charged at Kay with ferocious speed—nothing like the elegant, precise spear play of a typical Lancer.

Like a beast’s fangs, it was rough and destructive—a brutal, storm-like thrust that sought to shatter everything in its path.

Kwaaaang!! Kwang! Kwang!!

The massive golden axe and the pitch-black holy lance clashed incessantly.

The waves of magic and air pressure emanating from those two monsters alone knocked the knights and soldiers gathered around the training ground unconscious one after another.

As if struck by a conqueror's aura, many foamed at the mouth and fainted en masse.

"Grrgh…! De-deploy the barriers!!"

Watching from a distance, the commanders of the North Wales knights—Galehaut, Calogrenant, and Digor—were sweating bullets, digging their swords into the ground just to maintain their balance.

"H-his power... it wouldn't be outmatched even by the Lion King herself...! In fact, that merciless style of combat looks far more brutal and dangerous than Her Majesty's!!"

Yet, against the head of the Wild Hunt rampaging so savagely, Kay was overwhelming her head-on without yielding a single inch.

"Hyaaaaa!!"

Artoria Lancer Alter thrust her spinning holy lance straight for Kay’s heart—a black maelstrom of magic that would rip flesh and dissolve bone at the slightest contact.

But Kay did not dodge.

He deflected the thrust with the broad face of his axe and, twisting his waist, drove a heavy left fist into her unguarded abdomen.

Paaaargh!!!

"Kuhack…!!"

The moment Kay’s fist landed, spiderweb-like cracks spread across Artoria Lancer Alter’s pitch-black armor with a resounding splintering sound.

That brutal physical shockwave punched through her abdomen, tearing a straight path through the air behind her. The agony of her internal organs twisting left her body rigid.

Kay showed no mercy.

In the split second their weapons collided, he unleashed a whirlwind of varied strikes—axe blows mixed with elbows, knees, and kicks.

It wasn’t the scripted combat of a knight, but a breathtaking torrent of violence fused with the survival techniques of the Mystic Realm.

Artoria Lancer Alter endured the pain and countered, spinning her holy lance like a windmill.

The lance’s whirlwind came crashing down as if to shred Kay’s arm, but the runes of hardening inscribed by Scáthach on his axe glowed red, strengthening him and deflecting the blade.

"Next."

With Kay’s low whisper, the Ansuz rune carved into the axe’s haft ignited.

The colossal golden axe erupted in fierce flames and plunged vertically toward the crown of Artoria Lancer Alter’s head.

"Kuh!"

Artoria Lancer Alter recoiled in terror, stepping back desperately and just barely avoiding the axe blade.

Kwaaang!

The burning axe buried itself deep in the earth.

But Kay’s true prowess began here.

Gripping the haft of the axe lodged in the ground, he used it as a pivot to effortlessly launch his massive body into the air.

Then, spinning with centrifugal force pushed to its limit, he delivered a flawless turning kick.

Pwaaak!!!

Kay’s heavy iron-toed boot smashed precisely into Artoria Lancer Alter’s temple.

"Aguk…!"

The sickening jolt of her brain slamming against her skull sent Artoria Lancer Alter’s eyes rolling upward. Her mind went foggy, and her body rocketed across the training ground like a cannon shell.

But Kay didn't let her hit the ground.

He abandoned the lodged axe and leaped forward, overtaking Artoria Lancer Alter with even greater speed.

As she flew through the air defenseless, Kay flipped his body and drove a powerful kick straight into her solar plexus.

Kwaang!!

"Kaak!!"

This time, her body snapped vertically, soaring high into the sky.

Even through her fading consciousness, she summoned every last bit of her strength to raise her holy lance.

I... I can't lose like this! If I want to bear my brother's children, I have to land at least one hit...! True Name, Release...!!

Just as she was about to unleash the storm of Rhongomyniad—

"Not so fast."

From an entirely different direction, Kay had already leaped from the top of the fortress's highest tower and occupied the space behind her.

As Kay reached downward, the massive golden axe abandoned on the ground responded to its master's call, spinning at a terrifying speed as it soared into the air.

Shuruuaaaak!

Artoria Lancer Alter gasped and twisted her body, barely dodging the flying axe.

But it was a trap.

The moment Kay snatched the haft in mid-air, he didn't use the blade; instead, he slammed the broad, heavy side of the axe head into the back of Artoria Lancer Alter’s head and back with all his might.

It wasn't a refined strike with the back of a blade, but a crude, mindless blow with the flat of an axe—a level of brutality she had never seen before.

Pwaaaaang!!!!

"Aaaaagh!!"

Struck by the massive hunk of iron like a bug, Artoria Lancer Alter plummeted toward the ground with the velocity of a falling meteor.

Kwaaaaaaaaaang!!!!

A massive crater opened in the center of the training ground, and a mushroom cloud of dust erupted into the air.

As the earthquake shook half the fortress, Kay landed lightly, cutting through the dust. He looked at Artoria Lancer Alter—who was stuck head-first in the ground with her hips pointed upward—and shrugged.

"This is how they fought in the Age of Myth. You'd better get used to this kind of real combat, or you'll get your ass handed to you out there."

"Ugh… ughuck…."

Artoria Lancer Alter tried to push herself up, using her lance as a crutch while trembling violently. However, her brain had been rattled too many times; her vision was blurred, and her legs gave out, sending her collapsing back to the floor. It was a complete and utter defeat.

No matter how strong she was, she had never experienced a battle like this. In fact, it was impossible—there was no one in Britain capable of such a thing. In this age of men, no one fought this way.

Of course, to Medusa, who was watching, this was a perfectly normal way to fight.

Not just her, but the Greek heroes of the Age of Gods fought like this frequently. Heracles, the prime example, was a given.

Strictly speaking, such methods had dwindled and eventually vanished from the generation of Achilles onward, as humans began fighting other humans.

"Husband! No matter what, you shouldn't be so brutal with your sister-in-law!"

Tamamo, who had been watching from afar, puffed up her tails and sprinted over. She slapped healing talismans onto Artoria Lancer Alter’s cheek and forehead, murmuring—

"There, you'll be healed in no time, so stop exaggerating, you little black pig. Can't you see your husband spared your pretty face and hit you elsewhere because he thinks you're cute?"

Thanks to Tamamo’s treatment, Artoria Lancer Alter barely regained her senses.

But instead of shedding tears of frustration, she stared up at Kay’s massive, solid breastplate with dazed, longing eyes.

Ahh…

The violence that had utterly crushed her. Yet, beneath it lay her brother's rough but tender sincerity—the desire to make his precious family strong so they would never be hurt by anyone else.

Having received this "proper education," Artoria Lancer Alter was once again completely captivated by Kay’s power and beastly charm.

Thud.

She staggered to her feet, then suddenly flopped flat at Kay’s feet, performing a perfect, deep dogeza.

"I am completely defeated, brother! My soul has succumbed to that overwhelming power and the scent of a real man! As promised, I acknowledge my loss, so now—do with my body and soul as you please!!"

"No, you crazy girl! Who the hell does that after getting beaten with an axe?! Please, just get up! Everyone is watching!!"

Kay shouted in disgust, but Artoria Lancer Alter clung to his leg with a rapturous smile, refusing to let go. Artoria Alter and Artoria Lancer, watching the scene, clutched the backs of their necks in disbelief.

"...That one has become even more insane. She's as lewd as her body suggests."

"Isn't it obvious? She probably planned to get beaten just to win big brother's sympathy and crawl into his bedroom. That scheming pig..."

They were particularly vicious toward their sisters—or rather, toward other women.

Ultimately, the sparring commotion in North Wales concluded as a chaotic romantic comedy, with even Artoria Lancer Alter completely subjugated at Kay’s feet.

And then.

There was someone watching every moment of this absurd and brutal drama through a crystal ball from within a forest.

A captivating, chilling woman clad in a black veil and dress.

The greatest witch of Britain, who harbored a deep hatred for the Artoria sisters but a twisted obsession for Kay.

Morgan le Fay.

"..."

Morgan bit her pale lip as she watched Kay’s beastly power utterly pulverize Artoria Lancer Alter through the crystal ball.

"That clumsy, soft wet nurse... to think he returned as such a terrifying monster."

In her cold eyes, deep wariness and greed swirled together.

A dangerous calculation began to form in her mind: what if she could utilize Kay's overwhelming strength and mythical combat techniques for her own goals?

"I cannot let such a monster rot as a toy for those foolish sisters. I shall make him my piece."

Morgan smiled coldly and raised her witch's staff.

"Yes. What if I use another niece or nephew as bait? His family affection might be a lever I can pull. Furthermore, if we share the burden of child-rearing, I could mold a pureblood Pendragon into an even more perfect vessel for a king."

Morgan glanced toward a certain direction.

"I must keep this hidden from Artoria X Alter, or it will become troublesome. What pretext should I use to meet him? With his current skill, he would be hostile if I arrived as an uninvited guest. Ah, there was that."

She recalled a child she had essentially forgotten—an offspring who had vanished along with Kay and was handed over to Merlin, effectively abandoned.

"Yes. Perhaps I can frame it as a conversation about my failure to protect Gareth? Since the child was taken, I shouldn't need to pay childcare fees. Or would it be better to offer some? Now this is a dilemma. I wonder what gift would make him mine."

She smiled maliciously, enjoying her happy deliberations.

Her interest was of a different nature than that of the sisters.

It was not love, but greed. As she looked over the numerous Noble Phantasms in her possession, she pondered what conditions would be enough to claim him as her own.

Comments (0)

Please log in to leave a comment. Login or Register