Shinji Matou at Your Service-Chapter 917 - : Not a Hero, Yet Capable of Killing with a Glance!

Shinji's spear techniques being described as proficient and Cu Chulainn's assessment of inadequate is not contradictory; it's simply that they are referencing different standards. Proficient is relative to all spear-wielding heroes, of which there are countless throughout history, ranging from the weak to the strong. With Shinji's current spear skills, defeating heroes like Astolfo is no problem.

Cu Chulainn, however, holds a different standard. Only the strongest, with exceptional skill, are qualified to compete for Scathach's crafted magic spear—heroes of at least the highest caliber. Cu Chulainn, the victor in such a contest, had ascended into the divine realm as a supreme master of spear techniques.

Though Shinji is powerful, his skills remain at the human level, far from the realm of the divine. In Cu Chulainn's eyes, Shinji's spear techniques naturally fall short. As for Scathach, not only had she reached the divine realm, but her spear skills were honed to the point where she could even slay gods.

Even though her powers are somewhat diminished as a Servant compared to her original form from the Land of Shadows, she remains a being of the divine realm. No matter Shinji's advantage with his weapon, he couldn't bridge the fundamental gap in their abilities.

In just three minutes of combat, the golden and crimson spears clashed, and the black and white figures crossed paths repeatedly. After only three minutes, the golden divine spear was knocked aside by Scathach's crimson magic spear. The Queen of Shadows followed up with a powerful kick, sending the white-clad Shinji flying. Not only did she repay the earlier knockdown, but she also collected a hefty interest.

This time, Shinji had no strength left to counter. He was sent flying for dozens of meters, and if not for being stopped by a storage building on the edge of the stadium, he might have flown right out of the arena.

The storage building, which housed various athletic equipment, collapsed partially after Shinji's uncontrolled body slammed into it, destroying numerous pieces of sports equipment.

Cough, cough, buried under a pile of balls and barriers, Shinji spat out a mouthful of blood-stained saliva, a hint of nostalgia flickering in his eyes. It was as if he had returned to those days of hellish training (where he was beaten every day).

Alongside the memories, Shinji's magical energy surged again, the power of Arcueid's blood continuously flowing through him. It channeled into all the surrounding objects, launching them in all directions toward the incoming threat.

Shinji knew well that Scathach's relentless kicks only stopped under one condition—when her opponent was utterly incapacitated. And it was far too early for that. She would follow up.

As expected, as soon as the barrage exploded, Scathach's figure blurred as she relentlessly pursued Shinji within the warehouse.

The flying debris didn't hinder Scathach's pursuit; if anything, it prompted an annoyed snort.

"Such petty tricks!"

With a casual swing of her magic spear, the scattered debris instantly turned to dust.

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Amid the dust, a few subtle silver flashes shot toward Scathach's vital points, but they dissolved just before reaching her.

"Useless. These two mystic codes were made by me for you."

As she spoke, Scathach lunged with her spear. In the spots where her feet had left, two runes glowed—one for defense, one for disintegration. They were the reason Shinji's concealed attack with the Divine GunBlade and Rune Bullets had been thwarted.

Clang!

The blade formed by magic power clashed with the magic spear.

After a brief standoff, the blade was shattered by the magic spear. It was now Scathach's turn to capitalize on the advantage of a longer weapon. With thousands of years of expertise, her understanding of this was far deeper than Shinji's.

Yet Shinji remained unflustered, even finding the time to speak.

"I know—"

The magic spear surged forward, retracting and thrusting with lightning speed toward Shinji's chest.

Without dodging or evading, Shinji continued speaking as he raised his head, one of his eyes turning from deep blue to bright orange, resembling the blazing sun at noon.

"—so I'll just use something you didn't give me."

"!!!"

Scathach's pupils contracted sharply, and instinctively, she tilted her head, dodging the scorching gaze.

This wasn't a metaphor but a literal description.

That glance carried an extreme heat, condensed into a beam, firing from Shinji's pupil. If Scathach had hesitated for even a split second, her head would have been pierced by the searing ray.

The deadly heat grazed Scathach's shoulder, melting part of her mystical attire and penetrating the warehouse wall, striking the center of the stadium's soccer field, where it erupted into a spectacular pillar of fire.

But it didn't stop there. As the beam moved, the fire pillar extended across the field, quickly transforming into a more dramatic wall of fire—all because Shinji had tilted his head slightly to target Scathach.

Unfortunately for Shinji, though he moved his head quickly, it was still far from light speed, allowing Scathach to narrowly avoid the attack.

Though it sounds simple in writing, executing this maneuver was incredibly difficult and perilous.

Scathach's ability to dodge was thanks to her use of Wisdom of Dún Scáith, which granted her clairvoyance, combined with her A+ level agility and battle instincts honed through countless combats.

Without any one of these, she wouldn't have evaded Shinji's close-range laser beam. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that only Scathach could have done it—Cu Chulainn couldn't, Medusa couldn't, and even Bazett with her Mystic Code couldn't. The combination of eyes and laser was difficult to defend against, which is why it became one of Karna's trump cards.

Yes, this was Karna's Noble Phantasm, Vasavi Shakti: Oh Brahma, Cover the Earth!—or rather, a modified version, Brahmastra, where Karna used his eyes to fire beams. Shinji had learned this method from his long practice with Vasavi Shakti.

When Shinji tossed aside Vasavi Shakti and used the Divine GunBlade, he was preparing for this deadly glance. His seemingly over-the-top declaration wasn't just a fit of chuunibyou, it was the truth. A true hero can kill with just a glance, which meant drawing power from Vasavi Shakti, which required him to discard his weapon for maximum impact.

However, compared to Karna, Shinji's use of Brahmastra was far more insidious and unexpected. Unfortunately for him, Scathach still managed to avoid it. Not only did she evade, but in the brief window, she also found a way to counterattack—by using her superior agility to circle behind Shinji, even if it meant smashing through yet another wall of the warehouse.