Shinji Matou at Your Service-Chapter 1052: A Turn of Events

Lorelei felt an overwhelming sense of frustration welling up inside her.

This was normal. When someone encounters an opponent far stronger than themselves, such feelings are inevitable, especially when the opponent surpasses them in every aspect.

Lorelei had always prided herself on being someone without any shortcomings. But Scathach was also someone without weaknesses, and in every way, she was terrifyingly strong. What made it worse was that the two women shared many similarities in terms of personality and life experiences.

They were both born within the Celtic cultural sphere.

Both were natural-born queens, members of the ruling class by birthright.

Both were extraordinary geniuses with immense power, standing at the pinnacle of their respective eras.

Both were proud, headstrong, and never inclined to cater to others.

And there were many other parallels.

Unconsciously, Lorelei began comparing herself to Scathach, only to helplessly realize that she couldn't surpass her in any single area (including appearance and figure). This was a feeling she had never experienced since the day she was born.

She had faced setbacks before, but never the kind that made her feel this utterly hopeless!

This negative emotion quickly affected her physically. Although her attacks continued, they lacked the unstoppable momentum they had before. While her magical energy still roared like a storm, she had lost the belief that she could win.

With a sharp "clash," the two magical spears collided once again and bounced back. Scathach, instead of retreating, advanced, closing the gap between them until the two queens were face to face.

"What's the matter? Are you planning to give up?"

"This has nothing to do with you!"

Frustrated that Scathach had seen through her, Lorelei threw a punch in anger, but Scathach easily dodged it with such skillful footwork that Lorelei nearly lost her balance.

As she struggled to regain her footing, she looked up to find those deep, crimson eyes staring at her again.

"It's indeed none of my business," Scáthach said, her voice calm.

"But I don't want to see such a talented individual stray down the wrong path. Listen, little girl, comparing yourself to others and feeling competitive is human nature. But the purpose of that isn't to breed negative emotions, to make you give up on yourself or do something extreme. It's to help you recognize who you are and grow. Look over there—"

Scathach pointed toward the battlefield where Shinji and Altera were fighting. Despite the clear difference in experience, Shinji maintained an absolute advantage. However, even though Altera was being suppressed, she showed no sign of giving up. Her gaze remained resolute, her sword stayed sharp, and her defense became increasingly impenetrable, no longer giving Shinji the chance to subdue her.

This was growth. Altera had gained experience from the earlier fight and improved herself.

"Humans aren't born strong, myself included. Every bit of strength we possess is earned through gradual accumulation. I won't say that comparing yourself to me is a foolish thing to do because we do share many similarities. But I hope that I can be a motivation for you to move forward, not an insurmountable barrier. Your talent is no less than mine; all you lack is experience and training. And besides, do you think I'm invincible?"

Invincible? How could that be?

A person who can't even move one arm couldn't be invincible.

Someone who relies on others for magical energy couldn't be invincible.

Even though she was the Queen of the Land of Shadows, right now, she was just a Servant—and an injured one at that.

—Wait a minute?

The fog in Lorelei's mind suddenly cleared. What had been obscured by appearances now became obvious, and an even greater amount of magical energy than before surged out from within her.

Scathach was forced to take two steps back, nodding with a smile.

"It seems you've finally figured it out."

Indeed, she had no weaknesses—but that was the true Scathach in the Land of Shadows. The current version of her still had vulnerabilities.

Restricted by the Lancer class, Scathach's reserves of magical energy were limited, and her output capacity was also constrained. Although Shinji never hesitated to supply her with magical energy, Scathach's abilities as a magus were still significantly restricted, preventing her from using large-scale spells in battle.

As for her martial prowess, it wasn't hindered much, but she had sustained injuries, and one of her arms couldn't be lifted.

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The reason Scathach had taken this approach with Lorelei was partly due to her natural instincts as a teacher, but also because this was the most she could do in her current condition.

"Why are you telling me all this?" the Queen of the Clock Tower asked, her composure restored.

The Queen of the Land of Shadows smiled, her expression unchanged. "As I said, I don't want to see you stray down the wrong path. As an educator, nothing makes me happier than seeing someone as talented as you flourish."

"And you're not afraid that once I recover, I'll defeat you—or even kill you?"

Lorelei raised an eyebrow, her natural arrogance seeping into her words. It reminded Scathach of her younger self, and she couldn't help but laugh.

"Shinji, what is my wish?"

Scáthach asked.

"It's to find someone who can truly kill you and end your immortality," Shinji replied, a bit helplessly. He had seen Scathach's life story, so he never once tried to stop her.

"Exactly. I don't fear failure, nor do I fear death. What I fear is that no one can give me failure, that no one can bring me death."

With her eternal body, Scathach raised her spear to the sky and declared loudly:

"Scathach, the warrior of the Land of Shadows, seeks only death! I ask, who among the heroes of past and present can kill me?"

Her majestic presence was not only unrivaled in the present world but also throughout all of history.

"Well then, let me give it a try."

A voice, even more spirited, rang out, accompanied by the sound of thunder. The King of Conquerors, Iskandar, once again mounted his chariot—and, of course, dragged Waver along with him.

Naturally, such reckless behavior provoked Waver's protests.

"You idiot! What are you doing? This isn't something we should be getting involved in."

"The idiot is you."

Iskandar unceremoniously flicked Waver on the forehead.

"This is a battlefield, and we're allies of the Lady Barthomeloi. It's only natural for us to support her. Besides, have you forgotten that you've already helped her once?"

"Ah!"

Only then did Waver realize his mistake. Driven by his instincts as a teacher, he had inadvertently disrupted Shinji's strategy and supported Lorelei.

"Shinji, I'm sorry."

"There's no need to apologize. Now that you're here, this fight is inevitable."

Shinji shook his head, his attitude unusually calm, as if the King of Conquerors wasn't his enemy, but an ally.

Iskandar, impressed by this declaration, gave him high praise.

"Oh! The little trickster from years ago has grown into a true warrior. Let's settle the regret of not being able to fight ten years ago, right here, right now."

"Charge, Bucephalus! AAAALaLaLaLaLaie!!"

With a deafening roar, the divine bull thundered across the battlefield, and the chariot charged forward, enveloping both Scathach and Shinji in its path. The ambitious Macedonian king aimed to take them both down in one fell swoop.

At the same time, Lorelei and Altera unleashed their bursts of magical energy, focusing all their power on keeping their respective opponents in place, giving them no chance to escape.

Seeing this, Scathach and Shinji exchanged a glance. Scáthach snapped her fingers, while Shinji whispered a single word: "Now."

In the next moment, the chariot overturned.