After saying goodbye to Artoria, Asher walked along the path leading to the Land of Shadows, his mood slightly uneasy.
Earlier, he had ignored Uathach's calls and fled the Land of Shadows directly. Now, it was already evening as he returned home. Asher's feelings were similar to those of a child coming home late after playing too much, worried about being scolded by his parents.
Big Sister Uathach is probably furious and just waiting for me to come back to get her revenge... Asher thought anxiously as he passed through the nearby village.
In the village, many children played, gathered around a minstrel, listening intently as the old man slowly told a story.
Asher didn't stop and continued walking past the village.
Amidst his unease, he finally arrived at the gate of the Land of Shadows' castle.
Unimpeded, Asher smoothly entered through the city gate and walked toward the palace.
How exactly should I explain things to Big Sister Uathach... but generally, she'll believe me if I just make something up, right?
But what if she doesn't believe me? Thinking of this, Asher's mood grew complicated.
Based on Uathach's previous punishments, there was a high chance she would press him onto the bed and tickle him vigorously. It might not sound like much, but Asher really had a psychological shadow about this.
A gust of cold wind mixed with rain swept across, and a thin mist shrouded the surroundings as if the whole world had become cloudy.
The drizzle beside him slanted in the cold wind, hitting Asher's face.
His footsteps slowly stopped; his body involuntarily shivered as he snapped back to reality.
Is it too cold...?
No, that wasn't right either. It was just a little drizzle and not particularly cold.
Then what exactly was it?
Asher shivered again. Suddenly, he turned his head and stared down the corridor behind him.
He could sense something rapidly approaching!
It moved so fast it stirred up a gust of wind around it, splashing the water droplets on the ground like countless blooming lotus flowers.
At that moment, an image flashed through his mind:
The Art of Prophecy.
For the first time, fear appeared in Asher's eyes. He decisively turned and rushed backward. Just then, he recalled an image of himself being stabbed by a long spear.
He ran desperately.
Suddenly, he heard a "whoosh" sound—a black spear flew through the air toward his head, accompanied by a terrifying tearing sound.
Having foreseen the attack, Asher quickly lowered his head to avoid it.
At that instant, a second image flashed through his mind.
Asher raised his spear and held it horizontally in front of him.
Another spear swiftly flew over.
The spear in Asher's hand blocked the tip just in time; the enemy spear slid along it and pierced straight into the pillar behind him.
"An enemy..." Asher took a light breath and slowly exhaled, glanced at the spear lodged behind him, then turned to face forward.
"To sneak into the Land of Shadows without being discovered... if I'm not mistaken, you should be Shishou's younger sister, Lady Aife, right?"
"What a clever child." From the end of the corridor, footsteps approached slowly.
A woman's voice sounded flirtatious as she stepped out of the shadows.
She had purple hair too, but tied in a high ponytail, looking heroic and spirited.
She met Asher's gaze with a bloodthirsty smile. "Good evening, Scáthach's disciple... or should I say, Morgan le Fay's little lover?"
Aife was Scáthach's younger sister.
She had long ago left the Land of Shadows to establish herself as queen—Queen of Alba—and her martial arts skills were equally superb.
At this moment, the queen had appeared in the Land of Shadows' palace.
But Asher had been prepared for Aife's arrival.
His expression remained calm as he bowed slightly.
"Lady Aife, do you have any specific business in the Land of Shadows?"
He had vaguely expected Aife to appear after Scáthach left but hadn't anticipated it would be so soon.
"Do I need a reason?" Aife smiled arrogantly and wantonly. "I am your Shishou's enemy. Do I need a reason to appear in this realm?"
"Hmm... indeed, no reason is necessary," Asher pondered, then said, "But Shishou has gone out recently. If you want to spar with her, you should wait for her return."
"Neither I nor anyone else is your opponent," Asher said neither humbly nor arrogantly. "After all, our training time is far less than yours."
"Are you saying I'm bullying the weak?" Aife's smile didn't fade as she caught the sarcasm in his words. Her look remained flirtatious.
But she clicked her tongue in annoyance. "That's why I hate that woman. Knowing I don't like attacking the weak, she must feel relieved leaving you in the Land of Shadows, right?"
Asher's eyes were calm. "Because you are Shishou's younger sister, she understands you well. She believes the strong disdain attacking the weak."
"Meaning... you think you're weak yourself?" Aife narrowed her eyes.
Asher shook his head. "Compared to you, I am weak. But among my peers, I don't think I'm any weaker than others."
Aife stared at him for a long moment, then suddenly smiled. "That woman is always like this, acting like she has everything under control. You know, I see her shadow in you because you look like you have everything under control now."
"Compared to Shishou, I'm still far behind," Asher replied calmly.
"But!" Aife raised her hand, spear pointed at him. "Although I never attack the weak, I've changed my mind this time! Since she believes I won't attack the weak, and you're so sure of it, I'll make an exception!"
Asher's eyelids twitched slightly.
The calmness he had maintained crumbled quietly.
He took half a step back discreetly.
Scáthach had told him her younger sister Aife was a proud warrior who never stooped to attack the weak.
That was why he could speak to Aife calmly just now.
But now... facts proved it was better not to show off.
His calm vanished in an instant.
Asher turned, wanting to escape the corridor.
"Don't even think about escaping! Today, I want to see how that woman reacts when she comes back and finds your corpse hanging in the Land of Shadows!"
Aife stepped forward with her left foot.
She moved so fast that before Asher could react, her spear thrust swiftly toward his right shoulder.
But an astonishing scene unfolded.
Asher was clearly facing away, but before Aife's spear could hit, Asher raised his hand and a step ahead, holding the red spear in front of his right shoulder.
The spear tip slid along the red spear, avoiding the attack.
Gripping the red spear with his other hand, Asher turned and swung the butt of the spear toward Aife.
"How naive," Aife took half a step back, easily avoiding the strike.
At that moment, Asher suddenly released the red spear.
Aife's gaze instinctively followed the spear.
In that instant, a small knife in Asher's left hand spun nimbly and flew toward her neck.
Aife's pupils contracted.
She quickly dodged several steps to the side.
With a "whoosh," the knife pierced the pillar behind her amid Uathach's astonished expression.
At the same time, a neat wound appeared on Aife's snow-white neck, from which a wisp of blood oozed.
All happened in the blink of an eye.
Aife snapped out of her daze.
Her eyes toward Asher became serious; her smile faded.
"Truly surprising. I didn't expect you to have something hidden up your sleeve."
She nearly stumbled in a gutter.
She really hadn't expected that among the disciples taught by that woman, there would be such a cunning fellow.
A fighting spirit appeared on Aife's face, and her expression grew much more serious.
"Very good. You've taught me a lesson, brat."
"You think that's the end of it?" A faint smile appeared on Asher's face as he crooked a finger.
"Come!"
His gaze fixed on the area behind Aife.
Aife's pupils widened.
She suddenly turned her head.
Could there be some mechanism in that small knife that retrieves it from behind?
After a moment, the knife remained stuck in the pillar, unmoving.
Aife finally reacted and turned to look at Asher.
"You actually played me?"
The moment she turned back, astonishment appeared on her face.
Where was he?
--------More Bonus Chapters!!!!
Every 300 power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter