Cú Chulainn had never witnessed anything so absurd in his life.
A rational Berserker? How could someone be maddened yet retain their sanity? It sounded like a bad joke.
He thought the whole idea was nonsense.
But what happened next made him reconsider just how ridiculous this situation was.
As Morpheus issued his command, a surge of immense power erupted within Cú Chulainn.
An ominous aura radiated from him, and strange patterns emerged on his skin, resembling the tattoos of a delinquent youth.
At the same time, Cú Chulainn could clearly feel his strength skyrocketing.
In mere seconds, his power multiplied several times over.
Whether it was mana, stamina, endurance, or anything else, everything saw a terrifying increase.
In that moment, Cú Chulainn felt invincible.
Undoubtedly, his body had undergone Mad Enhancement, and a frenzied impulse surged in his mind.
But just then, a gentle force materialized, shielding his rationality.
Cú Chulainn, even in his maddened state, could think clearly.
This… this was a rational Berserker.
Someone had actually pulled off such an absurd feat. Just who was this guy?
Cú Chulainn was stunned but didn't dwell on it—now wasn't the time.
He couldn't forget that, even as he underwent Mad Enhancement, his mentor was glaring at him with murderous intent.
The moment his transformation completed, Scáthach didn't bother with pleasantries and lunged at him.
Her sharp magic spear aimed straight for his throat.
Cú Chulainn had no time to think about trivialities. Gripping his own spear, he deflected her attack.
In an instant, the two were locked in fierce combat.
He could fight—really fight.
Cú Chulainn's heart surged with excitement. After his enhancement, he could keep up with his mentor's movements and speed.
The battle was no longer the frustrating struggle it had been earlier, where he couldn't unleash his full strength.
Now, his body brimmed with power, each strike yearning to unleash his full might.
Despite Scáthach's ferocious assault, he not only held his ground but began to gain the upper hand.
This thrilled Cú Chulainn to no end. He'd fought his enigmatic mentor countless times and never won.
But now, with the aid of this unfathomable temporary Master, he finally had a chance to turn the tables.
Overcome with excitement, Cú Chulainn refused to let this opportunity slip away.
His spear moved faster, striking harder with each swing.
He couldn't help but laugh heartily. "Old hag, today I'm going to teach you a lesson you won't forget!"
Even Scáthach, with her usually calm demeanor, was provoked by Cú Chulainn's repeated taunts of "old hag."
Her temper wasn't exactly mild to begin with.
So she resolved to give her disobedient disciple a lesson he'd never forget.
She needed him to understand that some words shouldn't be spoken carelessly—and that saying them came with a price.
Scáthach silently increased the speed of her attacks, once again suppressing Cú Chulainn.
This caught Morpheus off guard. He'd thought the enhanced Cú Chulainn could hold his own against Scáthach.
Now, it seemed he'd been too optimistic.
Or perhaps the Queen of the Land of Shadows was simply too unfathomable.
She still held the advantage against a maddened Cú Chulainn.
Could it be because he hadn't maddened Cú Chulainn's mind as well?
As Morpheus considered using his final Command Spell to fully madden Cú Chulainn, the suppressed warrior let out a roar and launched a counterattack.
Cú Chulainn realized that, in terms of spearmanship, he was no match for his mentor.
After all, she was the one who'd taught him, and her skills had long since reached the divine realm.
Defeating her with spearmanship was nearly impossible.
So he switched tactics, abandoning finesse for a brutal, all-out style, trading blows with her.
For a moment, Cú Chulainn turned the tide, regaining the upper hand.
This made Morpheus realize that sparing Cú Chulainn's mind from Mad Enhancement was indeed the right call.
He lowered his hand and continued watching the duel.
Scáthach was initially caught off guard by Cú Chulainn's shift in strategy.
But as a battle-hardened god-slayer, she quickly stabilized, adapting to his new approach.
Bit by bit, she clawed back her advantage.
Seeing this, Cú Chulainn changed tactics again.
His goal was simple: avoid falling into her rhythm.
Once he did, he'd lose spectacularly.
Especially after running his mouth earlier, calling her "old hag" repeatedly—he'd thoroughly enraged her.
If she got the chance, she'd poke a hundred holes in him without hesitation.
He knew his mentor all too well.
So, no matter what, he couldn't lose.
Fueled by this resolve, Cú Chulainn's movements grew faster, his attacks fiercer.
His chaotic, unpredictable style proved effective, momentarily leaving Scáthach unable to counter.
But it didn't last long. Spotting an opening, Scáthach decisively unleashed her Noble Phantasm.
This move wasn't meant to kill Cú Chulainn but to disrupt his rhythm.
Cú Chulainn knew this.
The problem was, if he didn't dodge, his mentor might very well take him out in one go.
Left with no choice, he countered with his own Noble Phantasm.
In short: a Noble Phantasm clash.
Gáe Bolg vs. Gáe Bolg.
Boom!!!
The two magic spears collided at terrifying speed, unleashing a shockwave like a cataclysmic tsunami, sweeping outward in all directions.
Visible ripples of impact spread wave after wave.
If this weren't Morpheus's arena but the Holy Church, the building would have been obliterated.
Such was the absurdity of a Servant's battle.
After this clash, it was a draw.
The maddened Cú Chulainn was no less powerful than Scáthach.
But as a result, his frenzied offensive was halted.
Seizing the moment, Scáthach pulled Cú Chulainn into her rhythm.
Though he resisted, it was to little avail.
***
Hi everyone, I hope you're all doing well. I just wanted to let you know that right now I'm working on a really good and promising fate fanfic. If you're interested in reading it, feel free to give it a try:
[Fate/Max Level Returner]
Synopsis:
What if you took your max-level account and replayed the entire story from the beginning?
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