Judging by Hanazono Yurine's cold expression, she was in an exceptionally foul mood.
A brutal punishment was undoubtedly imminent.
Toya decided it was best to stay out of it.
Just as he turned to return to his room, a sharp, wretched scream echoed behind him.
Jashin-chan is finished, Toya thought, shaking his head as he headed inside to rest.
He didn't need to see the scene to know the outcome.
Yurine never held back when it came to Jashin-chan, following a single rule:
If the snake demon didn't listen, you beat her until she did.
It was a teaching method Toya found himself in complete agreement with.
Inside Jashin-chan's room, a slow trickle of blood began to seep through the floorboards.
A few moments later, Yurine walked out, her face a mask of cold indifference.
Jashin-chan remained on the floor, unconscious and still biting a section of her own tail.
If Toya had witnessed the details, even his composure might have been shaken.
Yurine's methods were far more ruthless than he had estimated.
.....
As night fell, the household drifted into a quiet sleep.
A gentle breeze brushed against his face, and Toya opened his eyes to see Mery's playful face looking down at him.
"Is it time already?" he murmured.
"Indeed, my King," Mery replied with a smile. "Normally, I only allow one session a day.
However, because you pushed yourself to the point of collapse, you entered a restorative sleep.
Since the nocturnal cycle has begun, here you are."
"I meant to ask... why do you keep calling me 'King Arthur'?" Toya asked.
It was a question he had been holding back for lack of opportunity.
Mery's expression shifted into a casual, somewhat evasive smile.
"King Arthur is simply King Arthur. It functions more like a title.
There's no need to overthink it; just accept it as fact for now.
I'll give you a proper explanation when the time is right."
She cut off his further questioning with a soft hum.
"A King should maintain an air of mystery, after all.
The reveal is always better when the audience is at the edge of their seats.
Now, let's begin."
"Fine," Toya replied, standing up.
He didn't push the issue. Mery and Merlin were cut from the same cloth—professional enigmas.
If they didn't intend to give an answer, no amount of logic would pry it from them.
The empty coliseum materialized around them once more, and a familiar shadow appeared.
It was Cú Chulainn, but manifesting in a far more feral and violent form.
This version was a cold, efficient killing machine that obeyed its master's orders without question.
"The Mad King, then?" Toya's expression grew serious as he initiated the charge.
A savage, chilling pressure filled the arena as Cú Chulainn Alter met him head-on.
The clash of their weapons created a storm of sparks and heavy tremors.
In the blink of an eye, they had traded nearly a hundred blows.
Toya felt the strain of parrying the Mad King's direct and overwhelming power.
The gap in our raw strength is still there, he realized.
While he was skilled in many combat techniques, they were mostly refined against weaker opponents.
In the City of Ruin, the danger was environmental and pervasive, but it lacked the crushing singular focus of a master spearman.
As the fight progressed, Toya began to adapt to a new rhythm.
He wasn't fighting as he had in the world of fire or the ruins; he was refining a style meant to counter a singular, high-level entity.
Mery sat atop the coliseum's wall, watching the duel with a relaxed air.
"The King's progress is impressive. He's already matching Cú Chulainn Alter blow for blow.
I'll have to increase the difficulty for the next round.
Perhaps I'll manifest a Grand-class Assassin... though those aren't exactly easy to replicate."
Minutes later, Toya shifted into a full-scale offensive, abandoning all defensive precautions.
It was a test of absolute precision: kill or be killed.
Crack!
Toya's blade shattered the spear and followed through with a decisive strike.
The shadow dissipated into the wind, signaling the end of the match.
"A good warm-up," Mery's melodic voice echoed. "Now, let's try something more substantial.
I went through quite a bit of effort to secure this next opponent.
He is the master of 'No Second Strike,' the Divine Spear, Li Shuwen.
A kindly old gentleman who loves a good match and values self-improvement."
A flurry of flower petals fell from the sky, and a lean, white-haired man in a high-collared suit stepped forward.
Though he appeared to be in his seventies, his posture was as firm as iron, radiating the undeniable aura of a true master.
"There is no need for such flattery, Magus of Flowers.
I am merely Li Shuwen, an old man and nothing more."
The old master slowly settled into a combat stance.
"It is an honor to assist in the training of a King."
Toya stared at him, his focus narrowing to a razor's edge.
He felt a pressure like a dormant volcano on the verge of eruption.
This was the peak of martial arts—a mastery so profound that a single strike carried the weight of a life.
The mere presence of the man was enough to paralyze a lesser warrior.
"Li Shuwen... you really didn't hold back," Toya muttered, his posture tightening.
He was more on guard now than he had been against the Mad King.
Against a master like this, a single opening meant the end.
Li Shuwen's eyes showed a hint of appreciation.
"To stand firm before my aura... you have the bearing of a ruler.
Excellent. Since death is not permanent in this realm, I shall not pull my punches.
Toya, be on your guard!"
Toya's pupils contracted as he tried to react, but Li Shuwen was already inside his guard.
A heavy, crushing blow slammed into the flat of Excalibur.
BOOM!
Toya was sent flying like a projectile, his body smashing deep into the stone wall of the arena.
Cough!
That... was some hit. Toya pulled himself from the rubble, shaking off the dust.
He looked intact, but his internal organs were vibrating from the impact.
Anyone else would have been incapacitated.
"Master Li, there's no need to hesitate," Toya said, his voice strained but steady.
"Death doesn't exist here. A battle between warriors should be decided in a single breath.
Only at the edge of life and death can one find true enlightenment."
Toya lunged forward, seizing the initiative.
His gaze remained calm and detached.
He knew that if he didn't attack, he would never survive long enough to see what came next.
Li Shuwen dodged the strike with effortless grace, his eyes full of admiration.
"Persistence is the boat that carries one across the sea of learning."
Before he even finished the sentence, Li Shuwen caught a microscopic flaw in Toya's movement and sent him tumbling across the arena once more.