Ubermensch – Chapter 154

Chapter 154

A colossal chariot stood before the stables.

Truly, it was the finest chariot in the kingdom.

The two horses harnessed to it were nothing short of beasts. Massive, muscular bodies. They had the air of creatures that could trample even a bear to death with their hooves.

However, there was a problem.

“Where’s the charioteer?”

“Well, about that…”

The wave of powerlessness that Morrigan had cast over Ulster seemed to have affected even the charioteers.

Cú Chulainn gritted his teeth.

“Is there not a single brave charioteer in this land who can hold the reins?”

He was about to charge into the vast enemy army alone. Cú Chulainn had the Geas of the Arrow Deflector, but it was an unimaginable feat for an ordinary charioteer.

At that moment, a raven descended from the sky and perched atop the chariot.

The raven transformed into an alluring woman clad in black silk.

“Morrigan…”

As Cú Chulainn ground his teeth, Morrigan offered a satisfied smile.

“You must not have imagined this day would come when you refused my temptation.”

“Why does a god interfere in the affairs of men?”

“It is the duty of the war god to ensure that wars that must happen, happen.”

“Then step aside. Let a warrior do a warrior’s work.”

Morrigan extended a hand towards Cú Chulainn.

“My offer still stands, warrior among warriors.”

“What do you mean?”

“Become mine. And I shall become yours. Just as I brought you defeat and despair, I shall grant you victory and glory.”

Cú Chulainn shook his head without a moment’s hesitation.

“No.”

“You refuse even when the fate of your nation hangs in the balance?”

“Yes.”

“You choose death to protect your nation, yet you reject the only way to truly save it.”

Cú Chulainn spoke with a calm expression.

“I will betray no one. Not my beliefs. Not my wife. Not my nation. Just as I would not betray my nation for my wife, I will not betray my wife for my nation.”

“You choose ruin to avoid betrayal?”

“Yes.”

“You fail to see the bigger picture!”

“I refuse to abandon the smaller for the greater, or the greater for the smaller. Both are precious.”

“Foolish!”

Morrigan roared, her face etched with anxiety.

“This war will truly kill you. Your life will truly end! It is a trap too dangerous to escape!”

“If death is the only proof of the purity of my beliefs, then so be it. If death is the only proof of my love for my wife, then so be it. If death is the only proof of my loyalty, then so be it.”

Cú Chulainn approached the chariot.

“Morrigan. Even if you possessed all of Eriu, you could never possess me.”

“Why? Why refuse me when I offer glory and victory?”

Cú Chulainn smiled.

“Because glory and victory are not things to be received from others, but things to be seized by oneself.”

Cú Chulainn stood before Morrigan, and she stumbled back.

“Get off my chariot. That is where I will die.”

As Morrigan retreated and stepped off the chariot, she transformed back into a raven.

She flew into the sky, spewing curses.

“What will you do with a chariot without a charioteer!”

Watching Morrigan depart, Cú Chulainn offered a wry smile.

“She has a point…”

Mason spoke up.

“I’ll be the charioteer.”

“A chariot driven by a god. No warrior has ever enjoyed such luxury.”

Cú Chulainn chuckled bitterly.

“But, do you even know how to drive a chariot?”

“No. But we’re just going forward, aren’t we?”

Cú Chulainn let out a wry laugh.

“That’s true.”

There was no turning back. Only forward. Forward they would go.

The moment their charge ended would be the moment their lives ended.

“Then let’s go. Towards death.”

“Alright.”

The plains were already teeming with enemies.

“A hundred warriors. Ten thousand soldiers.”

Cú Chulainn smiled.

“Don’t you think that’s enough to send a good number of souls to the Shadowland?”

“Cú Chulainn alone is more than enough for the Shadowland.”

“Haha.”

Cú Chulainn laughed out loud.

With the enemies in the distance, a single chariot came to a halt.

“Queen Medb of Connacht. Prince Lugaid of Munster. King Erc of Leinster… I’m already tired just from counting the kings’ banners.”

“Tired already?”

“I still have the strength to die. And the strength to fight.”

Cú Chulainn shouted in a booming voice.

“I am Cú Chulainn of Ulster! Cú Chulainn, son of Lugh! I stand here, and I shall not allow you to set foot on Ulster soil!”

Medb yelled back.

“With kings of ten nations and a million soldiers gathered here, what can you, a single man, possibly do?”

“I’ll show you!”

Cú Chulainn lowered his voice.

“Let’s go. Oztalon.”

“Alright.”

Mason cracked the whip.

Simultaneously, the chariot surged forward.

“Go!”

“Hihihihihing!”

The two horses, Mason, and Cú Chulainn charged forward with a fervor bordering on madness.

The only thing that could stop the fully accelerated horses and chariot were arrows.

“Loose!”

In an instant, thousands of arrows filled the sky.

However, Cú Chulainn roared.

“I refuse no one’s hospitality, so no blade shall pierce my flesh!”

At that moment.

The arrows parted like the Red Sea, avoiding Cú Chulainn, the chariot, and Mason. It was the protection of the Arrow Deflector, granted by the Geas of Hospitality.

“Stop them! Stop them at all costs!”

With the arrows proving useless, spearmen stepped forward.

However, Cú Chulainn’s javelin flew out and struck them first.

As even the spearmen fell, the terrified soldiers turned and fled.

Mason gritted his teeth.

“Ram them!”

Crash! Crack. Crunch!

The two bear-sized warhorses trampled everything in their path. The greatest physical force this era could offer crushed the enemy, and atop it, the strongest warrior of this age danced with javelins and spears.

“Forward! Forward!”

Cú Chulainn screamed at the top of his lungs.

“Until we reach the horizon!”

“Yes!”

Ordinary infantry had no way to stop them.

No, even escape was impossible.

The charging chariot finally reached the horizon.

They had completely pierced through the enemy lines.

“Let’s turn around!”

“Let’s do it!”

Mason pulled the reins with brute force.

It wasn’t exactly a refined maneuver, but he managed to make a U-turn.

Once again, they began to charge, this time towards the backs of the enemy.

“Iyaaaaa!”

As they repeatedly plowed through the undefended enemy, the faces of the kings of the ten nations turned pale.

“He may be the warrior among warriors, but how can we be made fools of by a single man?”

They cried out in frustration.

“Is he the only warrior on this battlefield?”

“Is there no one with courage on our side!”

Then, a warrior stepped forward.

“Owen, son of MacGillied, is here! I am the first warrior to point my spear at Cú Chulainn!”

He charged forward, driving his chariot.

However, he knew.

That he was no match for Cú Chulainn in skill or strength.

Thud!

Cú Chulainn’s spear pierced Owen’s throat, and Owen collapsed, coughing blood.

He wasn’t the only one.

Several renowned warriors charged forward, but none could stand against Cú Chulainn’s spear.

Panic spread like wildfire from the kings to the soldiers. The valor of a single man was subduing an entire army.

‘We can win!’

Mason thought.

‘At this rate, we can win!’

At that moment, a raven descended from the sky.

It was Morrigan.

The raven cried out in a sinister voice.

“If you cannot defeat Cú Chulainn, scatter! Scatter and destroy Ulster!”

“…!”

The four kings began to disperse in four directions.

Each of their armies was comparable to Ulster’s entire force, and if two of them joined forces, Ulster would be in grave danger.

But no matter how valiant he was, Cú Chulainn was only one man. There was no way for him to split himself into four.

Cú Chulainn gritted his teeth.

“Don’t run away! Fight me!”

Morrigan landed before Cú Chulainn.

“You may defeat me in battle, but I will defeat you in war.”

“Is this how a god treats a man!”

To Cú Chulainn’s anguished cry, Morrigan replied.

“It’s not too late, Cú Chulainn. If you abandon your stubbornness, my wisdom, and that army, will be yours!”

Cú Chulainn was torn.

If he abandoned the greater good for the lesser, he could save his nation.

If he just abandoned Edrid…

Cú Chulainn looked up at the sky.

And he made up his mind.

“No. I refuse.”

“Foolish warrior! Do you understand what you have just said?!”

“Yes. I understand perfectly.”

Cú Chulainn said through gritted teeth.

“I will not abandon the greater for the lesser, nor the lesser for the greater. I have decided, and I will not waver.”

Cú Chulainn declared in a resounding voice.

“Kings of the ten nations! Warriors of the ten nations! Cú Chulainn, son of Lugh, offers you a proposition! If you promise not to encroach upon Ulster until you defeat me!”

Cú Chulainn hesitated for a moment. But only for a moment.

He roared.

“I will break my Geas!”

The kings and warriors stopped in their tracks. And they ordered their soldiers to halt.

The kings rode their horses and stood before Cú Chulainn.

“Is that true?”

Breaking a Geas carried a terrible penalty. He had the protection of the Arrow Deflector and superhuman strength; if he broke his Geas, the arrows aimed at him would no longer miss, and his strength would be halved.

“I swear it. By the name of my father, Lugh!”

The kings exchanged glances.

Even if they attacked Ulster while sparing Cú Chulainn, they would still have to fight him after conquering Ulster. A Cú Chulainn burning with rage and vengeance.

If he abandoned all thought of survival and strengthened his Geas, he would undoubtedly become even more monstrous and attack them.

And then he would specifically target the kings.

‘It would be better to kill him now if we can…’

Instead of the kings, Morrigan tried to dissuade Cú Chulainn.

“Stop! A broken Geas cannot be restored!”

Cú Chulainn didn’t even glance at Morrigan.

He looked at the kings and said.

“What will you do? Will you face my vengeance, or accept my death?”