In Britain, the Noble Phantasm: Divine Key

"You bastard..." Cú Chulainn stared at the face so close to his own, clenching his teeth, his crimson eyes filled with unspeakable resentment, "Why did you use the same trick as me!"

“Yes, why do you think that is?” Yanan smiled, the fierce battle had left no trace on him, and he still looked as leisurely as ever. “Maybe I’m just exceptionally talented, and I memorized your moves with just one glance?”

Cú Chulainn sneered inwardly. His marksmanship was personally taught by the Queen of the Land of Shadows. How could someone possibly imitate it after just one look?

He couldn't help but ponder: Could this guy, like him, have studied under Scáthach?

But I've never heard of such a person.

Well, maybe he only went to learn martial arts after he died...

“Being distracted in battle isn’t a good habit.” Yanan instantly withdrew his Black Abyss and followed up with another lightning-fast horizontal slash, aiming straight for Cú Chulainn’s neck. “If that woman finds out, you might get another beating, Senior Brother.”

Cú Chulainn stepped forward, creating a relatively safe distance between himself and Anahn as he swept across the abyss, a cold sweat breaking out on his back.

From the moment it started, that gun gave him a very bad feeling. His intuition told him that if he were to be wounded by that gun, something terrible would definitely happen.

This is also why he has never been able to fully unleash his full potential – when the martial arts skills are exactly the same, one side having a better weapon is the biggest disadvantage for the other side.

Moreover, that guy's speed was in no way inferior to his, and his strength was even better, which meant that he could not gain any advantage in every fight and could only be suppressed and beaten.

Even though everyone's martial arts skills were roughly the same, Cu Chulainn was suppressed because of the difference in weapons and strength. For Cu Chulainn, there was nothing more frustrating than this.

Of course, he wouldn't think that the other party won unfairly because of this. After all, even he himself was different because of his bloodline as the son of God.

Since it is a battle, of course we must do our best. If we show mercy and compassion to the enemy just because we are strong, that would be the greatest humiliation.

"What's wrong, senior brother? Stopping isn't in your nature." Yanan twirled his gun and smiled. "If you don't attack, I might just attack."

Cú Chulainn squinted at Anaun and said in a low voice, "Before that, I have a question. Did you also study in the Land of Shadows?"

“Since you already have the answer in your heart, why bother with all this?” Yanan said with an unchanged smile.

"Looks like I asked a really boring question."

Cú Chulainn shook his head, took a deep breath, leaned his body slightly forward, and pointed his scarlet spear diagonally downwards at the ground, assuming a rather strange posture.

This posture... Yanan's eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a hint of seriousness.

“Since we’ve all learned the same marksmanship, there’s no point in this competition.” A massive amount of magic coalesced into a crimson flame that roared across the gun. Cú Chulainn’s eyes flashed with a hint of bloodlust and madness, like a ravenous dog eyeing its prey. “Let me see if you can take this shot.”

Yanan took a deep breath and gripped the black spear in his hand tightly: "Come on, senior brother, I also want to experience your spear that reverses cause and effect."

Cú Chulainn was slightly taken aback. He hadn't even made a move yet, so how did this guy know his ultimate technique?

However, he quickly shook his head, realizing that now was not the time to concern himself with such trivial matters.

"Try it if you can!!" A cold smile appeared on his lips as Cú Chulainn instantly hurled his spear. "Your heart is mine! The Spear of Death Thorns (GáeBolg)!"

The crimson spear flew from his hand in an instant, flashing and twisting like lightning, leaving dazzling trails as it pierced toward Anan's heart at incredible speed.

A slight stinging pain came from his heart, and Yanan knew that he had been locked on.

This was a shot that reversed cause and effect. Before the spear was even released, the "effect" of "the opponent's heart being pierced" had already been achieved, while the "cause" of the spear hitting the target happened later.

Back in the Land of Shadows, Cú Chulainn boasted to Anann that this move was inspired by Odin's weapon "Gungnir," and that it was his unique finishing move and trump card, which even earned him praise from Scáthach.

Once the causal relationship is established, unless someone is extremely lucky, no one can escape this shot.

Given Yanan's luck, he certainly didn't have the chance to dodge that shot.

However, this is not the only way in the world to avoid being shot.

Crimson lightning flashed across the sky, leaving a series of afterimages. Almost instantly, the sharp spear tip pierced through Yanan's armor and went straight into his heart.

puff! ! !

Anan's body staggered, and a large amount of blood gushed out instantly, like a blooming rose, immediately staining the ground red.

Cú Chulainn reached out and grabbed Gajeberg, who was flying back, his face showing no joy at his success, but rather a growing gloom.

“Resurrected from the dead…” He stared intently at Yanan, gritting his teeth, “You actually have such an ability.”

“If it weren’t for this, why would I be standing in front of you?” Yanan looked down at the blood-stained armor on his chest, then looked up and smiled.

A pure white light shone on his chest, and under the creative power of the Black Abyss White Flower, his shattered heart was quickly restored and soon began to beat powerfully again.

Inherent skill – Living Towards Death: Stepping into the realm of death, facing death head-on, and then miraculously resurrecting, is what it means to live towards death.

Effect: Grants one chance to revive.

Yanan has almost never used this skill, mainly because the effect of the Black Abyss White Flower is so abnormal that no opponent has ever been able to truly kill him.

In fact, if he wanted, he could still choose not to use this skill this time. Although the effect of Piercing Dead Thorn Spear is abnormal, it still has a distance limitation. With his abilities, he could easily take down Cú Chulainn from outside that distance.

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

Trading this skill for a chance to witness his senior brother's signature move is a win-win situation for him.

Chapter Forty: The Death of Cú Chulainn

In fact, a long time ago, Yanan had wanted to try this shot that could reverse cause and effect, but at that time he did not have any means of resurrection, and Cú Chulainn would not use this shot on him.

Unexpectedly, becoming a Heroic Spirit gave me the opportunity to fulfill my long-cherished wish.

As expected of Cú Chulainn's signature move, even with his sharp eyes and intuition, he couldn't detect the trajectory of the gun.

Just a second ago there was still some distance, but the next second it suddenly pierced my heart. The process in between was as if it had been wiped away by some invisible hand, and I couldn't resist it at all.

It seems that Cú Chulainn was not exaggerating. Unless one is extremely lucky, it would be impossible to stop this shot that reversed cause and effect.

"Tch, you bastard..." Cú Chulainn scoffed, slung his spear over his shoulder, and resumed his previous carefree demeanor.

"Oh? You're not planning to continue?" Yanan raised an eyebrow slightly.

"What's the point of fighting!" Cú Chulainn said irritably. "The Piercing Thorn Spear can only be used once on a person. If it doesn't kill, the next shot will never hit. Since you can even withstand this one shot, then I have nothing more to say."

"Actually, I know you have many ways to kill me, even without my knowledge. But you still showed up and fought me, even taking this shot from me... Although I don't know what your intentions are, I'm completely impressed by you."

"This time, I had a good time and have no regrets. Kill me or torture me, it's all up to you."

After saying that, he sat down on the ground quite brazenly, looking like he was waiting to be slaughtered.

Yanan paused slightly, then shook his head helplessly: "That's so typical of you... If I remember correctly, you still have the blessing left by the Lion King, right? Aren't you going to try it again?"

"You even know about the blessing? Well, you almost killed that crazy woman Tristan, how could you not know?" Cú Chulainn shook his head. "Alright, enough nonsense. I won't use that blessing. If you're going to kill, then kill. Stop with the nonsense."

"This won't do, Lord Lanmarok. With a formidable enemy at hand, how can we not exert our utmost efforts? If you do this, you will be letting down the Grand Preceptor and the King's expectations."

A soft, feminine voice suddenly came from behind them. Anan and Cú Chulainn looked up abruptly and followed the direction from which the voice came.

At the top of the precipice, now only half intact, a woman of exceptional beauty leaned against a large tree. She wore a red swallowtail dress and sky-high heels over twenty centimeters high. Her long, blood-red hair swayed in the breeze, and a mocking smile graced her delicate face.

“Tristan…” Yanan’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he said in a calm tone, “I let you escape last time by luck, but I didn’t expect you to dare to show your face in front of me again. What, are you in such a hurry to die?”

Memories of the past flooded back, causing Tristan's delicate body to tremble slightly. She unconsciously swallowed, a hint of fear appearing in her eyes.

However, she quickly recalled what the Grand Preceptor had said, took a deep breath, suppressed the fear in her heart, and sneered: "Outsider, I admit that you are indeed powerful, but don't forget, this is our territory. From the very beginning, our Grand Preceptor had already foreseen your actions."

"You want to eliminate the Knights of the Round Table to weaken our power. We'll just play along and use these people as bait to lure you out and trap you like turtles in a jar."

"Hey! Crazy woman, what do you mean by this?" Cú Chulainn's eyes instantly turned colder. He didn't mind being used as a pawn, but he hated this kind of deception, which made him feel like an ignorant idiot.

Tristan didn't even glance at him, and continued, "As expected, you took the bait. Now that you're in our trap, you're not getting out this time!"

"Escape?" As if he had heard a funny joke, Anan couldn't help but laugh. "I'm quite curious, where do you get the confidence to keep me here? Or did you call the Lion King and Merlin over?"

"The King is at a crucial stage in the Holy Eradication and cannot afford to be distracted. As for the Grand Preceptor... Hmph, you are not qualified to have the Grand Preceptor personally intervene." Tristan sneered, turning to look at Cú Chulainn. "Lanmalok, the guy standing in front of you now is a major threat to the Empire. Aren't you going to make a move?"

"Are you blind, woman? Can't you see I've already lost?" Cú Chulainn glanced at her disdainfully. "Besides, who do you think you are, daring to order me around? If it weren't for the vow I made not to kill women, I would have shot you right through the heart on the very first day we met."

"You!" Tristan's face flushed red with anger, her delicate body trembling. After a moment, she took a deep breath and sneered, "Fine, since you won't listen to reason, then don't blame me for being impolite."

Yanan frowned slightly; for some reason, he suddenly had a bad feeling.

Tristan stretched out his hand, grasping the void before him, a slightly maniacal smile appearing on his face: "Come on, it's time to show the world your true form, Krillin's Hound!"

The instant her palms closed, Cú Chulainn's body stiffened abruptly. The power dormant within him was instantly awakened, like a fish stubbornly and persistently surging upwards until it broke through the water and was reborn...

His body trembled violently, and wisps of black energy seeped out from his pores, spreading a bloody and ominous aura. His scarlet eyes were sometimes violent and sometimes struggling. He exuded a ferocious aura like a prehistoric beast, as if a demon from hell had broken free of its shackles and descended to earth from the bottomless abyss, bringing endless slaughter and bloodshed.

"You...bastard!!" He gritted his teeth, his voice low and rough, as if another consciousness was gradually reviving from this body.

“Why resist?” Tristan’s smile grew even more unrestrained and arrogant. “The blessing of [Origin] that the King bestowed upon you was precisely for you to use in times like these. It’s just to restore you to the most ruthless, most despicable, most cruel, and most powerful stage you ever were. It shouldn’t matter to you, since it’s all your own doing anyway.”

Cú Chulainn stopped responding, reached for Gajeberg beside him, and plunged it into his own heart without hesitation.

puff! !

The spear pierced through the heart completely, and crimson blood mixed with a few drops of black gushed out like a blooming flower, covering the spear with an eerie crimson hue.

However, Cú Chulainn did not meet the death he had imagined. His heart had stopped beating, but his physical abilities continued to improve, and he raced toward the very state he least wanted to face.

"Damn it, [Battle Continuation]..." Cú Chulainn cursed inwardly, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His eyes grew increasingly dazed, the manic and violent voice echoing in his mind, giving him a throbbing headache. His consciousness was hazy, as if floating in the clouds, drifting further and further away from his body.

puff......

A slight stinging pain suddenly came from my chest, as if someone had flipped a switch on time. Everything came to an abrupt halt. [Battle Continuation] was no longer effective, the black aura stopped spreading, and the frenzied and violent voice gradually faded into the distance amidst its unwilling roar.

As Cú Chulainn's consciousness gradually returned to normal, the first thing he felt was an emptiness and coldness emanating from within, as if his entire being was sealed in ice, his thoughts and everything else filled with eternal darkness and loneliness.

He struggled to open his eyes, glanced at the black spear embedded in his heart, then raised his head with difficulty, looking into the unreadable black eyes before him, and forced an ugly smile:

"Thank you... Although I don't know why you always call me 'senior brother,' from this day forward, I, Cú Chulainn, acknowledge you as my brother..."

The light of the spirit rose up, and the black spear fell to the ground with a clang. Yanan looked at the bloodstains left on the ground, his expression neither sad nor happy. But deep in his dark eyes, something was gathering like a storm.

"...Haha, kid, you're no good. You can't even lift a gun. When I was your age, I killed a wild boar with my bare hands."

"...Hey, get up already, kid. You haven't finished your training for today. What? Why is today's training twice as much as yesterday's? Of course, it's to help you get stronger as quickly as possible. What, do you think I'm just bored and playing a prank on you?"

"...Hehe, Yanan, how about we make a deal? You help me steal a bottle of wine from my master's cellar, and I'll teach you how to use runes."

"...Tsk, you little brat, your strength has improved way too fast... Just to beat me down as soon as possible? Haha, not bad, very ambitious. That's what a qualified warrior should be like. In that case, your senior brother won't hold back. Take this..."

"..."

Standing atop the mountain peak, Tristan looked at the spot where Cú Chulainn had disappeared, frowned slightly, and clicked his tongue in disdain:

"Tsk, this guy dares to call himself Ireland's Child of Light, Kullin's Hound, to abandon his great power and choose to commit suicide, he's utterly stupid."

She shook her head and looked to the side, only to find that the figure that had been standing there had vanished without a trace, including the black spear on the ground.

But soon, Tristan seemed to remember something, and his face instantly froze.

Just then, a cold voice, carrying overwhelming killing intent, echoed in her ears: