Ubermensch – Chapter 151

Chapter 151

Cú Chulainn gritted his teeth and was about to throw himself into the fray when Mason stepped forward and threw his hammer.

“Hmph!”

Thud!

Lion’s Great Hammer pierced through the head of the giant shadow monster. Then, Mason stretched out his hand and shouted.

“Come back!”

Thud!

This time, a hole the size of a human appeared on its back.

The holes were gurgling and closing up.

However, Mason was already leaping forward before that.

Thud. Thud.

His arms plunged into the shadow monster’s body, and Mason put strength into both arms.

“Rrrraaagh!”

Rip!

The giant shadow monster’s body was torn apart, and sticky mucus gushed out like a fountain.

Mason frowned as he got splashed by the mucus.

‘There are no organs whatsoever.’

It was definitely not a normal living creature.

Considering the world view, it seemed to be a magical being.

As the giant shadow monster collapsed, dawn began to break in the distance.

“Kiiiik!”

The remaining shadow monsters’ bodies began to melt.

“It’s Lugh’s grace! The light of dawn!”

The warriors finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The shadow monsters were visibly melting away, and those that weren’t were busy scurrying back into the shadows.

Driving them back into the shadows was something that even ordinary soldiers could do.

As the situation was being cleared up, Cú Chulainn approached Mason.

“Thanks to you, we were able to defend without any casualties.”

“So it seems.”

Mason spoke bluntly.

“Except for you, the rest were only stalling for time. In this situation, shouldn’t you call for more warriors?”

There were those among the players who possessed exceptional combat abilities. Seo Yeonhee, Deroa, Ronan, and so on. Even excluding those who weren’t entirely human, the difference in individual ability was vast.

A world view with a martial culture that valued individual strength. Moreover, in a world where magic and shamans actually existed, it was only natural that there would be extraordinary warriors.

It was strange to leave Cú Chulainn to fight alone.

“I fought alongside the warriors at first, but they are all dead or gone.”

“Why?”

Cú Chulainn wore a bitter expression.

“Because of magic.”

“Magic?”

“The Shadowland is a cold place. Ordinary people cannot endure the shadows, and warriors cannot endure the magical cold. That’s because the Shadowland itself is a place prophesied to be unapproachable by the warriors of Erin, the land where light dwells.”

Mason recalled the chill he had felt before drinking the sheep’s milk ale.

“It was a bit cold, but bearable?”

“That’s because you don’t belong to Erin.”

“Then what about you?”

“I am both a warrior of Erin and a demigod, the son of Lugh, the god of dawn. It’s cold, but I can endure it.”

Cú Chulainn tapped the sheep’s milk ale bottle.

“As long as I receive the help of the druids.”

Mason looked at the soldiers.

They weren’t ‘warriors’, so there was no problem for them to enter the Shadowland’s domain, and Cú Chulainn, being a demigod superior to warriors, could withstand the cold of the Shadowland’s domain.

“It’s a contradiction.”

“That’s right.”

Cú Chulainn wore a bitter expression.

“Everything in the world is full of contradictions.”

The Shadowland’s domain in the distance was still dark despite the dawn.

‘Come to think of it, Nodens said the dimensions were overlapping.’

It probably meant that the dimension the Shadowland belonged to and Erin were overlapping.

“Is the Shadowland’s domain expanding?”

“That’s right.”

“What’s the solution?”

“In the Shadowland, there is my former teacher, Scáthach. She is Scáthach of the Shadows, residing in Shadow Fortress. I intend to negotiate with the Shadowland with the help of her power. That’s the only solution I can think of.”

“Then why haven’t you done that so far?”

“It takes three days and nights on foot, and even on horseback, it takes a day to reach. If I leave my post, this castle will fall. There’s no guarantee that I can safely reach Shadow Fortress through the shadow monsters, so I couldn’t leave my post recklessly.”

Cú Chulainn looked at Mason.

“But if I go with you, Oztalon, I believe we can reach Shadow Fortress.”

“It sounds like a gamble with low odds of winning.”

Even if they broke through the Shadowland, there was no guarantee that Scáthach would cooperate with Cú Chulainn. Even if she did cooperate, there was no guarantee that the war with the Shadowland would stop.

There were few positives and many anxieties.

It was an adventure with a high probability of ending in failure.

“Ah.”

Cú Chulainn wore a bitter expression.

“But… if it means stopping a war that cannot be won, shouldn’t we try everything we can?”

Mason fell into thought.

‘Should I refuse his request and just wait?’

One year here was equal to one hour in Nodens’ dimension. Even if a hundred years passed, it would only be a hundred hours, a little over four days.

By then, all those Cú Chulainn loved would be dead. Unable to withstand the passage of time, or the Shadowland.

‘The Shadowland seems like a formidable place…’

He didn’t know much about the Shadowland, but the magic that hung over the land itself was extraordinary.

Dealing with contradictions was the commonality between Erin and the Shadowland.

For Mason, a god based on science, technology, and the laws of physics, it was like a natural enemy.

“I beg you, Oztalon.”

Seeing Mason’s troubled expression, Cú Chulainn pleaded.

“I… just wish my wife and child wouldn’t have to experience such a war.”

“Ha…”

Cú Chulainn had become a man. A man who could even plead for the sake of something more precious than himself.

At that moment, Mason recalled the confident boy he had first met. How much had this boy gone through to become this man?

How much longer could this already wounded man endure if his wife and child were taken from him?

Mason sighed.

“Prepare the horses.”

He looked towards the Shadowland.

“Let’s go. On a journey with an unknown ending.”

๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑

“If the shadow monsters attack tonight, don’t hesitate to abandon the castle and flee.”

Cú Chulainn told the soldiers.

“Only you can protect the people. For their sake, do not be reckless.”

“Yes, Lord.”

The soldiers saluted.

When two horses were brought, Cú Chulainn mounted one.

Mason mounted the other horse.

“Are you confident in your horsemanship?”

“Well, I’m fairly decent at riding.”

“Good.”

Cú Chulainn opened the castle gates.

He spurred his horse and galloped into the Shadowland’s domain.

The Shadowland felt like a ruin. Old and abandoned, a place where nothing living remained.

It was clear that it was an otherworldly realm, even excluding the lurking shadow monsters.

“Be careful.”

“Of what?”

“There are various magics cast upon the Shadowland. Most of them are curses related to sin. We don’t know which curse might hinder us.”

Cú Chulainn spoke with a tense expression.

“The most representative curse is… one that forbids those who have killed unjustly from wielding weapons in this land.”

Mason raised his hammer.

Cú Chulainn wore a bitter expression.

“It seems you have always been noble, Oztalon.”

“No. I’ve just never killed anyone.”

“That’s… truly enviable…”

Cú Chulainn muttered weakly.

He had hung his spear on the saddle.

“Have you unjustly killed someone?”

“I have.”

“Why?”

“For the false reputation of being the greatest warrior of Erin.”

Cú Chulainn wore a bitter expression.

“I shouldn’t have done it. I shouldn’t have done it. If only I, in my foolish youth, had possessed even a fraction of the wisdom I have now, how many sins could I have avoided!”

“Are there only painful memories in your past?”

“Most of them are.”

“Then it’s better to live thinking about the future.”

Mason said quietly.

“Thinking about your wife and child.”

The journey through the Shadowland was by no means comfortable.

Bizarrely shaped shadow monsters attacked, and there was nowhere safe.

Mason fought with his hammer, and Cú Chulainn, barehanded, fought with his fists.

Both Mason and Cú Chulainn shivered from the magical cold and had to warm themselves by sharing sheep’s milk ale.

Fortunately, the horses didn’t seem to feel this magical cold.

Even the shadow monsters didn’t target the horses. While they did hit them while attacking Mason or Cú Chulainn, they didn’t aim for the horses themselves.

It was strange, but also fortunate.

There was no need to understand the reason for something advantageous.

They rode until the horses were exhausted.

And finally, a castle in its complete form came into view.

“There it is. Shadow Fortress.”

Even though he couldn’t feel any life force, the sight of it standing intact brought a sense of relief.

Mason and Cú Chulainn dismounted and approached the castle gates.

The gate was shaped like a lion’s face.

The lion opened its mouth and spoke.

“Who dares to set foot in the castle of the Shadow Noble?”

“It’s me, Cú Chulainn. I’ve come to discuss the Shadowland’s invasion of Erin.”

“You have come for your king, so I refuse you entry as an uninvited guest.”

“I’ve come to see my teacher, Scáthach, again.”

“My master has taught you everything, so there is nothing more to teach. I also refuse you entry as a disciple.”

At that moment, Mason, who had been listening quietly, stepped forward.

“Then what about me? I didn’t come for Erin, so can I pass?”

The lion looked at Mason and spoke.

“You are also an uninvited guest, but too noble to be turned away. Lord Scáthach will receive you.”

The lion’s gate opened.

Someone was walking towards them from afar.

“It’s been a long time, Cú Chulainn. You who have learned all my martial arts and forgotten all my wisdom. If you had any shame, I thought we would never see each other again, but you always defy my expectations.”

She was a beautiful woman with a chiseled appearance, though she seemed to lack vitality.

Her black eyes were calmly settled, and her black hair, long enough to reach her hips, was tied up in the middle.

She wore comfortable clothes suitable for movement and carried a long spear in her hand.

She looked more like a warrior than a noble lady.

“I…”

As Cú Chulainn tried to say something, the woman cut him off.

“You’ve brought an unexpected guest.”

“Yes. A god from another land, Oztalon, the Protector.”

Unlike when she addressed Cú Chulainn, the woman spoke politely.

“Welcome, foreign god. I am Scáthach, the lord of Shadow Fortress.”

She spoke with a calm expression.

“The being who must kill everyone in Erin.”