Born to Die

*Clang!* *Cling!* *Clang!* *Cling!*

On a desolate land, two figures entwined like whirlwinds, their black and crimson spears colliding at dazzling speeds, erupting with dazzling sparks and piercing shrieks.

This was the pinnacle of martial arts, the ultimate achievement attainable by mortal bodies, and beyond this lay the realm of the inhuman.

*Swish!*

Black Abyss descended, its cold tip slicing through the air with a sharp whine.

Cu Chulainn lifted Gae Bolg above his head, blocking the incoming attack.

*DING!*

With a thunderous sound, the immense force crashed down, sending a tingling sensation through his arms, causing his powerful body to involuntarily lower a few inches.

"You..." Cu Chulainn stared at the face inches away, gritting his teeth, his crimson eyes filled with indescribable frustration. "Why did you use the same spearmanship as me?!"

"Oh, why indeed~?"

Arkhan teased with a smile, the intense battle leaving no impact on him at all as he maintained his carefree demeanor.

"Maybe I'm just naturally gifted, and can memorize your spearmanship with just a glance?"

'Bullshit!' Cu Chulainn scoffed inwardly.

His spearmanship was taught directly by the Queen of the Land of Shadows, Scathach. There was no way someone could simply mimic them with a single glance.

He couldn't help but ponder.

Could this outsider have also studied under Scathach like him?

However, he hadn't heard of anyone like this outsider at all, or maybe this outsider already died when he became Scathach's apprentice.

"It's not a good habit to lose focus in battle, y'know."

Arkhan swiftly withdrew Black Abyss, then in one fluid motion, unleashed a lightning-fast horizontal slash aimed at Cu Chulainn's neck.

"If she found out, you might just get another round of beating from her, eh, Brother?"

"Tch!" Cu Chulainn quickly stepped back, creating a safe distance as Arkhan's Black Abyss sliced through the air.

He couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

Since a moment ago, that black spear had given him a very bad feeling. His intuition told him that being injured by that spear would result in a terrifying outcome.

On top of that, that spear was also the reason why he could never fully unleash his abilities. After all, when both sides possessed identical martial arts, having better weapons meant the greatest advantage for one over the other.

Moreover, this outsider's speed was not inferior to his own, and this outsider's strength might even surpass his, making him constantly on the defensive in every confrontation.

Although their mastery of spearmanship was similar, being suppressed due to differences in weapons and strength was utterly frustrating for him.

Of course, he didn't consider it wrong to have such an advantage. After all, wasn't he himself so talented and strong because of his father's divine blood in him?

Since it was a battle, one must give it their all.

Showing mercy and kindness to enemies because of their strength difference was the greatest humiliation.

"What's wrong, Brother? Stopping here isn't like you." Arkhan twirled his spear, smiling. "If you won't attack, then I'll come to you."

"I have a question before that, have you ever been to the Land of Shadows?" Cu Chulainn narrowed his eyes at Arkhan, his tone low.

"You already have the answer in your heart, don't you? Why bother asking?" Arkhan's smile remained unchanged.

"Seems like I asked a pretty boring question, huh..." Cu Chulainn shook his head, took a deep breath, leaned slightly forward, and tilted his crimson spear downward, assuming a rather peculiar stance.

'That stance...' Arkhan's eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a hint of seriousness.

"Since we learned the same spearmanship, this kind of fight doesn't mean a damn thing."

After saying that, Cu Chulainn's eyes flickered with a hint of bloodlust and madness, like a fierce hound spotting its prey as massive magical energy converged into crimson flames burning on his Gae Bolg.

"Let me see if you can handle my Noble Phantasm." Cu Chulainn added as a wide smile appeared on his face.

Arkhan took a deep breath, gripping Black Abyss tightly in his hand.

"Bring it on. I've been wanting to see how you pull off that twist-of-fate attack."

Cu Chulainn blinked, wondering how this outsider knew about his signature move when he hadn't even unleashed it yet. But he shook it off quickly, as now wasn't the time to worry about these trivial matters.

"If you think you can, then give it a shot!"

After declaring that, Cu Chulainn's wide smile turned into a smirk before he threw his crimson spear with all his might.

"I'll have your heart!"

"Gae Bolg!"

*Whoosh—!*

The crimson spear flew from his hand, darting like lightning with dazzling crimson trails, aiming straight for Arkhan's heart at breakneck speed.

Arkhan knew he couldn't escape as he felt a faint prickling sensation emanating from his heart. 

It was because of the effect of reversing the nature of causality from Cu Chulainn's Noble Phantasm, Gae Bolg. Even before Gae Bolg left his hand, the 'effect' of piercing his target's heart had already been established before the 'cause'.

Back in the Land of Shadows, Cu Chulainn had boasted to him about this move, inspired by Gungnir, the weapon of Odin. It was Cu Chulainn's unique finisher and trump card, even earning praise from Scathach.

Once the cause and effect were set, unless one was extremely lucky, no one could evade this attack. Needless to say, Arkhan, with his mediocre luck, definitely didn't stand a chance of dodging it.

However, there was more than one way to survive this attack.

As the crimson lightning streaked and weaved, leaving behind a trail of illusions, the sharp crimson spear pierced through Arkhan's armor and plunged straight into his heart in the blink of an eye.

*Splurt!*

Arkhan staggered as his body was sent flying backward, blood gushing out like a blooming rose, staining the ground crimson immediately.

Cu Chulainn reached out and caught the returning Gae Bolg, his face devoid of any joy from his success, instead growing even more grim.

"Oy, oy, you must be kidding... Coming back from the dead?" Cu Chulainn stared intensely at Arkhan, gritting his teeth. "You actually have that kind of bullshit ability..."

"If I didn't, how else would I be standing in front of you?" Arkhan glanced down at his chest, where his armor was stained red with blood, then looked back up with a smile.

A pure light shone from his chest as the power of Abyss Flower surged through him, rapidly regenerating his shattered heart until it beat strongly once again.

Like what Cu Chulainn had said, Arkhan was back from the dead, thanks to his personal skill.

...

Born to Die

Description: Stepping into the realm of death, facing death itself, and miraculously coming back to life.

Effect: Have a chance of resurrection.

...

Arkhan had never triggered this skill, mainly because the power of Abyss Flower was just too overpowered, as it had prevented any opponent from truly killing him until now.

In truth, if he wanted, he could simply refrain from using this skill. Although Gae Bolg's power couldn't be dodged, it still had distance limitations. With his abilities, he could easily deal with Cu Chulainn from a safe distance without using Born to Die.

However, since he had finally come across such an opportunity, he didn't want to give up easily.

Using Born to Die for a chance to experience his senior brother's famous technique firsthand wasn't a bad deal for him at all.