Ch 366: The Fairy Forest.

After about four hours on the saddle, Noah had crossed about a third of the distance separating him from the Fairy Forest when he received a message from Qi Qi.

He disconnected, removed his shoes, then teleported to her.

Noah found himself in a very large bedroom, tastefully decorated.

Xiao Qi stood near, dressed in a dark blue cocktail dress, discreet makeup done. Considering it was only mid-morning, she had clearly done it for him.

"Hi, Noah." smiled Xiao Qi.

"Hey, Qi Qi." smiled Noah. "She probably already told you, but Meng Xin mentioned your condition. I came to check on you."

"I appreciate that." nodded Xiao Qi. "Would you like tea or something else?"

Noah made a can of orange-flavored soda for himself.

"What would you like to drink, Qi Qi?" smiled Noah.

"What you have looks good right now. Can I really drink this safely?" asked Xiao Qi.

"I won't pretend that everything inside is healthy." shrugged Noah as he made another, as well as two glasses. "Too much sugar, for one thing. But it is just as safe as the same drink made the normal way."

Xiao Qi nodded, opened her can, transferred some of its content into the glass, and tasted it with a suspicious frown.

"You have known for a while that Shuiruo can heal just about anything, right? Why didn't you ask her for help?" asked Noah.

"Because there isn't anything to fix." sighed Xiao Qi. "This is related to my family descending from a Sacred Beast, the Phoenix. There is no doctor or magic able to do anything about that. All we can do is have children early to ensure the family's continuation to the next generation, and hope the child will be a boy."

"And the males do not have any issue?"

"Not as far as we can tell." shrugged Xiao Qi.

"Is the Phoenix still alive?" asked Noah. "If so, we may as well go and ask him about…"

"The Phoenix died long ago." sighed Xiao Qi.

"…Noah, I…"

She swallowed, and the way she was looking at him caused his throat to tighten.

"I think I have… about two years left. I need to have a child or two by then, and… I'd like you to be the father, Noah. If it's you, a Demi-God, then maybe, the child would be better able to resist the effects of my bloodline, and…"

Noah stepped closer and hugged her.

"You are not going to die, Qi Qi. Not now, not ever. I won't allow it. " said Noah. "Let me examine you first to have a diagnostic, okay?"

Xiao Qi nodded, and Noah, still hugging her, activated Greater Healing in diagnostic mode. She was in great health overall, and he didn’t see anything obvious at first, aside from slight burn scars on her heart, intestines and lungs. But when looking deeper, he felt some kind of latent energy coming from her whole body, like water that was just under the boiling point.

By using Greater healing and Purge, Noah suspected that he could get rid of that energy and permanently cure Xiao QI. Whether the cure transmitted to her descendants remained to be seen.

But if he did so, she would not be able to tap into that potential.

"Qi Qi, setting the talk about children aside, there are three potential solutions to your issue. The first is that I could probably purge your bloodline's special properties. You would be… normal. But that isn't the one I would advise you to choose. It should be considered as a last resort."

"What are the other two options?" asked Xiao Qi.

"Option two, you give yourself to me." softly said Noah as he stared into her eyes. "Those who swear loyalty to me inherit part of my abilities, like Shuiruo and Origami, Erica and Liliana. Your body would be massively strengthened, and you could heal yourself whenever your bloodline acts up. You will become my woman, in every sense."

Xiao Qi flushed red, but she nodded to him.

"Yes, I am willing to be yours, Noah." said Xiao Qi with a slow smile.

Noah smiled, and slowly moved his head forward. She tilted her head as she understood he was going for a kiss, and their lips met.

Noah kept it chaste, as now was not a proper time for this.

"You will also make a move on Su'er and Bing Yao, right?" asked Xiao Qi.

"They would feel left out if I only made Meng Xin and you my girlfriends." chuckled Noah.

"Sure, and it doesn't have anything to do with them being beauties, right?" chuckled Xiao Qi.

"We need to speak about the third option, because it is not mutually exclusive with the second one. I met a special someone inside Mystic Moon. Someone who followed me around without you noticing, a bit like an invisible pet, although she's certainly not one."

"Someone who somehow knows about your full name even though none of us ever called you Xiao Qi in my presence inside Mystic Moon, and who suspected your symptoms to be caused by your bloodline just from hearing Meng Xin's description of your symptoms. That person suggested I bring you to Vermilion Bird City in the south. So, how about you and I take a trip over there soon?" smiled Noah.

"Yes. It could be fun, like an extended date!" grinned Xiao Qi. "And I'd get to play with Little Grey more. But how could that person follow you without us knowing? And how could she know my name?"

"I wonder…" smiled Noah, deciding to take a chance. "Qi Yue, you still want to pretend you're not listening? It's rude, you know?"

For a few seconds, nothing happened while Xiao Qi looked around, frowning. Noah was about to shrug, deciding his test had not been conclusive, when he heard Qi Yue's voice in his head.

And she was angry.

"Do not ever utter my name in front of others, Noah! It is too early, and you are still too weak! If the others see me with you, they will investigate you, and when they find out I have contacts with someone who has the Lunar Scourge, they will guess what I am trying to do. They will not just kill us both! They will go after everyone you hold dear!"

"And maybe I would be better aware of the risks if you had told me about them in the first place!" retorted Noah with a glare. "You're making me fumble around in the dark, then you complain when I hit something I shouldn't have touched. Aren't we partners? If you want me to trust you, then you should also trust me."

"…I will admit to this being partially my fault. But please be more careful from now on. Billions of lives are at stake." said Qi Yue with a calmer tone.

"I will... You often appear inside Mystic Moon, so I didn't think testing my speculation here would be a big deal."

"Their attention is not focused on Mystic Moon, at least for now. They think they already have that side under their full control."

Noah nodded and looked back at Xiao Qi.

"Sorry, Qi Qi. I wanted to test a hypothesis of mine, but I said something I really shouldn't have, and I have just been scolded. Forget I ever uttered that name, Qi Qi. It is a dangerous one. If you were to so much as try to research about it on the internet, you might attract the attention of the wrong people, people actually stronger than me, and far more ruthless."

"…Understood." nodded Xiao Qi.

"Thank you. Back to your situation. Since you agreed to be mine, we need to establish a soul contract for you to gain my abilities. Once you do, a shard of my soul will enter yours, and you will find me in your dreams every night. My girls love it, because it lets them have intimate time with me every day despite me being very busy."

"What do I need to do?"

"You only need to say 'I consent' or 'I agree'… Xiao Qi, are you willing to become mine, and consider me not just as your lover, but also as your Master?"

"…I agree." nodded Xiao Qi.

Noah smiled and kissed her, making it last a little longer this time.

"It won't be long, a few days at most, before you gain my abilities. Until then, if you feel your bloodline act up again, please call me or Ruo Ruo immediately. We will be a lot more effective than an ice bath."

"Okay." smiled Xiao Qi.

Noah smiled back ,and used Promise.

"So, my cute Qi Qi. How about you introduce me to your parents now? They need to be aware that you are not single anymore.

Xiao Qi blushed so fast that Noah chuckled.

…

It was late afternoon when Noah entered the Fairy Forest, and following Mu Bing Yao's instructions, finally joined her.

She was dressed in a set of close-fitting gray leather armor, partially covered by white clothes. Two vicious-looking daggers were on her hands, and she sheathed them when Noah approached.

"Hey, Bing Yao. How are you doing?" smiled Noah.

"Bored." shrugged Bing Yao as she bent down to rub Little Grey's head and nodded at Xi Ling in her bird form. "I hunted all the interesting monsters in the area. Staying here is a waste, so quickly break the barrier."

"Yes, Ma'am!" grinned Noah, amused by her imperious behavior. "Can you lead the way?"

Bing Yao nodded and turned away.

Noah followed her to a spot in the forest where two trees had grown only two meters from each other, their branches overhead mixing with each other. The space between the trunks was slowly shimmering.

"We didn't notice this before." shrugged Bing Yao. "The barrier is circular, about a kilometer in diameter. Whenever we tried to go through in other places, we found ourselves walking around the perimeter without noticing, or away whenever our steps led us toward this spot."

She unsheathed her daggers and executed a move with fast, smooth moves, striking the shimmering area.

Noah heard the sounds of a muted impact, but nothing else seemed to happen.

"Your turn. Let's see if you can get Ruo Ruo out." nodded Bing Yao as she stepped back.

Noah took his two Lvl 45, Gold-grade Imperial Warblades from his in-game inventory, stopped in front of the shimmering area, and swung with his left hand, using the Mirage Blade skill.

-2748, -1374, -1374, -2748, -1374.

Only one of the echoes had been a critical hit, and it was still enough to inflict close to 10k damage. Several jagged cracks appeared on the shimmering surface.

"Ah, it seems to be working." nodded Mu Bing Yao.

Noah nodded as he watched the cracks heal and disappear. It took about three seconds.

"Alright, let's see how much damage this barrier can take." smiled Noah as he got to work.

On the side, Mu Bing Yao's eyes widened as she took note of Noah's abnormal attack speed, and the rain of illusory swords duplicating his attacks. She would make sure to relay that information to Eve.

"Do you have enough MP to sustain this barrage?" asked Mu Bing Yao.

"Yes. It looks like the barrier will break before I need a MP potion." nodded Noah.

The cracks were now like a huge spiderweb reaching a dozen meters in every direction, and the sounds of breaking glass were almost constant. And then, the whole barrier shattered with a great noise, the fragments dissipating before they hit the ground.

The forest facing Noah and Mu Bing Yao was replaced by a large circular clearing. They could see a small village near the center, with a large pond, no, a small lake on the side.

Many people were leaving the small wooden houses, gaping as they noticed them and pointing in their direction.

Before Noah could put his swords back in his inventory, two notifications appeared.

"DING… You have broken the Fairy Queen's Isolation Barrier. Fame +1 000, SP +1000."

"*Global Announcement*... The player Noah has freed the Fairy Clan. New players in the Forgotten Continent can now choose the Fairy race during character creation."

"Another global announcement, can't a man just live quietly in peace?" chuckled Noah.

"Peace is not a word I would use to describe your actions." snorted Bing Yao, already walking toward the village. "You have amassed so many Fame Points over the last few days that you overtook me and Ruo Ruo. You probably left a trail of corpses in your wake."

"Half of the credit goes to Xi Ling." shrugged Noah as he followed. "More like two thirds, actually."

*chirp!* proudly exclaimed Xi Ling as she took flight, wanting to fly around the village a little. The Fairies stared at her in admiration.

Shuiruo, dressed in a green and white outfit whose grade Noah couldn't identify from that distance, emerged from the crowd. She broke into a run, and some of the Fairies followed her at a more sedated pace.

"Welcome to the Fairy village, Master." grinned Ruo Ruo as she slowed down and hugged him tightly. "I knew you could do it!"

"Thank you. I am glad I could." smiled Noah, returning the hug.

"Come, I will do the introductions." grinned Shuiruo as she took his hand and exchanged a nod with Mu Bing Yao.

She led him toward the Fairies, and Noah was quite impressed when he came close enough to get some information on those who had followed Shuiruo.

Even the youngest one, a cute young teen with long black hair and eyes shining with curiosity, possessed attributes that would not be out of place in a raid-level boss.

[Cai'er]: Type: Fairy. Grade: Fairy. Level:42. HP:1 560 000. The second daughter of the current Fairy Chief. She is incredibly pure and holds the title of 'Maiden of Nature', granting her a regeneration of 5 000 HP and 500 MP per second. She is the hope of the Fairy Clan.

Beside her stood a gorgeous young woman who Noah could tell was a close relative without even having to read her description. She had the same long black hair and black eyes.

[Ying Xue]: Type: Fairy. Grade: Celestial. Level: ????. HP: ????. The eldest daughter of the current Fairy Chief. Unable to display more information.

Standing protectively to their sides were two older Fairies, a black-haired, middle-aged man, and an old woman with gray-white hair.

[Greenwood]: Type: Fairy. Grade: ????. Level: ????. HP: ????. The Fairy Chief. Unable to display more information.

[Witherwood]: Type: Fairy. Grade: ????. Level: ????. HP: ????. The Fairy Clan's elder, mother of the Fairy Chief. Unable to display more information.

"Everyone, those are my dearest companions!" grinned Shuiruo. "This is my boyfriend, Noah."

"It is nice to meet you, everyone." nodded Noah with a sincere smile, and the fairies nodded back.

"And this is my close friend Ice Heart Demon." continued Shuiruo.

The Fairies' eyes twitched as they heard Mu Bing Yao's ominous alias, but Mu Bing Yao didn't say a word, nodded to them, and remained still.

"Ah, she only chose that name here because she's very beautiful and wanted to repel unwanted attention from men, she's actually a warm person once you get to know her." pointed out Shuiruo.

"Welcome to our village, Noah, Ice Heart Demon." said Greenwood. "I am Greenwood, the Village's Chief. Here is my daughters, Ying Xue and Cai'er, and our elder, Witherwood. We are very grateful for your help."

"You are welcome." shrugged Noah. "But I am a little worried about the consequences. It is great that you are now free, but from what Ruo Ruo told me, the humans in this world once treated you very badly. And not everyone from my world is a good person."

"That is a concern." nodded Greenwood. "But we have lived in captivity for a thousand years. Now that we can escape this safe but stifling way of living, we will live without regrets. Whatever comes, we will face it head on and fight."

Noah nodded.

"I won't tell anyone about your village's location, but that global announcement just now is going to attract some unwanted attention, I'm afraid. If people start searching for Fairies, the Fairy Forest will be their first destination."

"We appreciate your concern, young man." nodded Witherwood. "But that is an issue for us to deal with, and we had ample time to prepare to this eventuality. But do come inside our home, Noah, Ice Demon Heart. We should at least show proper hospitality to our benefactors, and we will be more comfortable to talk."

"I will gratefully accept." smiled Noah.

"Yes, thank you very much." added Bing Yao.

Noah followed the Chief and his family to a house near the center of the village.

The house wasn't large, and the furniture inside was entirely made of brown wood. Most interesting to Noah were the walls. If he guessed correctly, a fairy house was grown just as much as it was built, and the wood forming its frame was still alive. The Fairies seemed to have guided the growth of several small trees to form the house's bones, then used planks and a clay-like material to fill the spaces and create the floor and ceiling.

"If I may ask, how do Fairies sustain themselves?" asked Noah. "I haven't seen any field, and there must not have been many animals to hunt."

"We do not need to eat regularly like humans do." smiled Greenwood. "The nature energy here is so pure that we can sustain ourselves simply by drinking the dew on the grass, and eating a few blades of grass from time to time."

"Here, take a few." smiled Witherwood as she took from a cupboard a wooden bowl containing a dozen blades of grass. "They are fresh from this afternoon."

Noah picked a single blade of grass, and examined it, curious.

[Fairy grass]: A single blade of grass that grew in a land blessed by the presence of Fairies. Consuming it will permanently increase HP by 50 points. Consuming more than one per month will lead to diminishing returns.

"That is impressive. Even a single blade of grass here would be considered a treasure by the players in Azure Dragon City." nodded Noah before taking it in his mouth and slowly chewing. It was juicy and refreshing, reminding him a little of mint.

Bing Yao nodded as she ate one too.

"Although it is tempting, we must not let anyone know about those." said Bing Yao. "Not even to help Sister Meng Xin. This alone would cause the Yan Huang Alliance to try to monopolize the Fairy Forest."

"I agree." nodded Noah.

"Big Sister Ruo Ruo, what is this Yan Huang Alliance? Are they bad guys?" asked Cai'er.

"It is the largest guild of players, led by a ruthless and evil man." sighed Shuiruo. "Most of them are very weak currently, and even the strongest among them probably wouldn't be able to fight any of you Fairies. But they slowly grow in strength, and the Yan Huang Alliance has tens of millions of members."

"Tens of millions?" How many humans is that?" frowned Cai'er.

"Maybe about as much as there are blades of grass around the village?" guessed Shuiruo, and Cai'er's eyes widened in fright.

"So many!"

"If the Yan Huang alliance goes too far, I will threaten its leaders and get them to leave you alone. Those guys already knows that I can reach them no matter where." shrugged Noah. After being told by Lilith that he wasn't actually all that strong compared to the possible danger he would eventually face, Noah intended to keep a lower profile. But he thought he could do at least that much without exposing himself to danger.

For an instant, he wondered why he felt this impulse to protect what was only a small NPC faction, in the end. Even if the Yan Huang Alliance managed to secure a monopoly on Fairy grass, it wouldn't change much for him. But it just… felt right.

"We are thankful for your willingness to keep helping us." smiled Witherwood. "And I remember we promised Shuiruo to give you our greatest treasure if you managed to free us."

She took from another cupboard a small wooden box and handed it to him.

"Thank you very much." smiled Noah as he opened the box, and there it was.

[Pisces Orb] Type: Orb, Grade: Mysterious God, Attributes: None: Can only be socketed on Lunar Scourge.

Effect: Can acquire two more professions.

Bing Yao sitting near him took a sharp breath. From her reaction, it seemed Shuiruo hadn't told her about the Orb.

"Hehe." chuckled Shuiruo.

"How did the Fairies come into possession of this thing? Do you know what it is?" asked Noah.

"A piece of the Lunar Scourge." nodded Greenwood. "We were once entrusted by the Moon God Clan to keep this safe. But when the humans turned on us and enslaved us, the Moon God Clan remained silent. They could easily have stopped it simply by issuing a command, but they didn't. As a result, I do not consider us bound by the duty of safekeeping this anymore."

Noah nodded and put the wooden box in his inventory.

"I have heard some mentions of the Lunar Scourge." said Mu Bing Yao. "What is it, exactly? Who created it, and why?"

"Many details about the Lunar Scourge's origins are lost to history." sighed Witherwood. "if the tales relayed by my ancestors are correct, a very long time ago, maybe around fifty thousand years ago, the Moon God Clan committed a great atrocity, destroying an entire continent and everyone who lived there. I do not know why they did it, but it caused one member of the Moon God Clan to rise in rebellion against them."

"That person gathered all the lingering feelings of unfairness, hatred and resentment from those who had died, using them to forge the Lunar Scourge. Using its power, they fought against the Moon God Clan, and killed most of them. But they also lost their own life in the process. All traces of the Lunar Scourge disappeared then… until it returned ten thousand years ago, in the hands of the Shura."

The atmosphere inside the wooden house was suddenly solemn.

"Is there any truth to that story, Qi Yue?" quietly asked Noah. He was already guessing that Qi Yue was the one who had rebelled and gone on a rampage, and that her soul had somehow been absorbed by the Lunar Scourge.

But Qi Yue's next words proved him wrong.

"…It is mostly true. Rashu did manage to kill every member of the Moon God Clan, then decided to kill himself… The Mad Scientist and those behind him are members of the true Moon God Clan. They reincarnated recently, with the memories from their former lives intact."

"I see… I appreciate your willingness to tell me this, Qi Yue. And if you know so much, I assume you are part of the same clan as well?"

"Resurrection is sometimes… complicated. The current me is the result of the merging of two women… One was, and still is, a member of the same Moon God Clan. Someone who didn't take part in that calamity but was still killed by Rashu, along with my... The other, is the woman at the center of their desire to destroy that continent… because killing only her wasn't enough for them. Don't ask me more about this."

Noah could hear enormous guilt in Qi Yue's voice, so much that he regretted asking.

"I will keep this Orb safe." promised Noah to the Fairies, and they nodded.

…

About an hour later, Noah left the Fairy village, Mu Bing Yao following him. Shuiruo had decided to remain a little bit longer, mostly because Cai'er really didn't want her to leave and was acting spoiled about it.

The Fairies had been very generous with him, giving Noah two dozen more blades of Fairy Grass, as well as a half-dozen wooden vials, each containing a hundred drops of Dew of Dawn and Dew of Dusk.

[Dew of Dawn]: A single drop of water condensed from air in the Fairy Land, imbued by the Fairies affinity with nature, and harvested at Dawn. Consuming it will heal 5 000 HP per second for 10 seconds.

[Dew of Dusk]: A single drop of water condensed from air in the Fairy Land, imbued by the Fairies affinity with nature, and harvested at Dusk. Consuming it will heal 2 000 MP per second for 10 seconds.

Those were ridiculously overpowered as well.

"Noah, when we found the Virgo Orb, you said that the Lunar Scourge was involved with that threat you're investigating. How is that possible?" asked Mu Bing Yao when they were alone.

"…I do not know." sighed Noah. "What Witherwood said about its origin seems to be an important piece of the puzzle, but I do not have enough yet for an image to form. For now, I believe the Moon God clan she mentioned also exists in our own world, that they are probably involved with the creation of Mystic Moon, and that making the Lunar Scourge whole again is a necessary step to defeat them... I will return north to keep searching for a way to cross the mountain range and enter the Beast People's lands. What are you going to do, Bing Yao?"

"I will hunt around here some more until Ruo Ruo is done, then we will join back with the others and explore areas around the Fairy Forest. This increases the chances to find more of those orbs this way."

"Yes, and I appreciate your help a lot, Bing Yao." smiled Noah. "Not only for this, but also with the help you gave Shuiruo since she started."

"We're helping each other, as well as Meng Xin. There is no debt between us. Now leave, you have things to do." shrugged Bing Yao.

"Yes, Ma'am." grinned Noah as he summoned his horse. "See you later."

Mu Bing Yao, watching him go, sent a message to Eve, asking to meet her outside of Mystic Moon.

…

When he left the Fairy Forest, Noah inserted the Pisces Orb into the Lunar Scourge. As he already half-expected, the action didn't simply make him able to acquire two more classes, but also unlocked yet another of the Lunar Scourge's inherent skills, bringing the total to four.

[Moon Shadow]: Lunar Scourge’s exclusive lunar skill, when cast, will release silver moonlight illuminating the target’s shadow, forcibly freezing all shadows under the moonlight, suppressing all movement of the shadow and its owner. Requires 1 God Orb.

Effect: All targets in a X meter radius will be forcibly stunned (X = Current Level) for 5 seconds. MP Consumption: 0. Cooldown Time: 60 secs.

[Moon Flare]: Lunar Scourge’s exclusive lunar skill, when cast, will release a brilliant light, blinding all creatures within range. Requires 3 God Orbs.

Effect: Ignores Blindness resistance, and all targets within X meters gain the Blindness status (X= Current level x 2) and lasts for 5 seconds. MP Consumption: 0. Cooldown Time: 60 secs.

[Moon Grief]: Lunar Scourge’s exclusive lunar skill, when cast, will release moonlight that affects the minds of all targets in range, causing them to forget all their skills. Requires 5 God Orb.

Effect: Forcefully seals all targets’ magic and skills, range= (2 x player level) meters for 10 seconds. MP Consumption: 0. Cooldown Time: 120 secs.

[New Moon]: Lunar Scourge’s exclusive lunar skill, when cast, when activated, the Lunar Scourge’s lunar energy forms a new moon in the sky, letting out weak moonlight.

Effect: Can be activated at any time and cancelled at any time. Can be cast for a maximum of 10 minutes per day.

The new skill made him frown as he saw no obvious use for it. But he had enough experience with video games to have a hunch.

"Qi Yue, I'm assuming that moonlight is necessary to activate some of the Lunar Scourge's skills or amplify them."

"Some of the skills you will unlock later require moonlight, natural or not." confirmed Qi Yue.

Noah nodded and disconnected from Mystic Moon. The Media room was still almost full, and he left quietly before entering his own room.

He took from his inventory the pellet-shaped Sanctuary and set it on the nightstand.

"Qi Yue, can you appear without risking detection while inside my Sanctuary?"

"…I can. But I still do not want to talk about it."

"I won't ask." nodded Noah as he entered the Sanctuary. "I need to check on Mana and Artemisia, and I figured out you wouldn't mind stretching your legs a bit, since you do not need to hide from me anymore."

Noah went inside, directly into the basement where the two girls from DEM were imprisoned. Noah had changed one of the rooms into a large, white padded cell and placed both girls inside.

Mana and Artemisia were both wearing a golem bodysuit covering them from the bridge of their noses to the tip of their toes into glossy black latex, with holes for their nostrils only. The suit each of them wore wasn't entirely made of latex, as leather-like straps kept their arms pinned against their breasts into a tight self-hug and their legs pinned together. The integrated collar didn't really contribute to the restriction of their movements, but bondage was never a purely physical thing to begin with.

Both girls struggled a little to sit up and glared at him.

"MMphr!!" protested Mana through the penis-shaped gag filling her mouth and the membrane covering her lower face.

On the side stood the golem Noah had previously made. In his absence, the Golem insured the girls were regularly served food and drinks three times a day, taking it form a fridge Noah had made before, and had no medical emergencies. The Golem bodysuits took care of body wastes.

Qi Yue appeared near him, looking at the two prisoners with a hint of sympathy, and Noah could see the mind-numbing shock in their faces as they took in Qi Yue's devastating allure and beauty.

"You should use this place's time compression and take the time to deal with them properly, to end their suffering more quickly." said Qi Yue.

Mana and Artemisia both flinched for an instant, dreading what she meant by 'end their suffering'.

"Yes, I should." nodded Noah. "I hope you're not disgusted by my methods."

"I was at first." shrugged Qi Yue. "I regretted that the Lunar Scourge had fallen into the hands of such a man, and that there was no time to search for someone to replace you. But as I kept watching you, I realized that you treat your slaves well enough. And those two tried to enslave Kurumi and kill you, so their current predicament is …not undeserved."

"I'm about to leave the Sanctuary, recharge it to turn on the time compression, then return here to continue their training. I doubt you would want to watch, so how about you explore the island or spend some time in the garden or the beach? I also started collecting movies in the first media room, if you prefer. Second floor, near the main stairs."

"I think I'll start with some movies. Make me some good food as well. Ye Yue will appreciate it, too." nodded Qi Yue before disappearing.

…

The red spear flickered forward once more, and Noah hurriedly used his left blade to deflect it away while counter-attacking with his right blade, aiming for Scathach's extended arm.

But she was more experienced, faster and stronger. He didn't manage to deflect her strike completely, and the red spearhead carved a gash on his left shoulder. She also had retracted her spear far enough that his right sword only hit its shaft.

Noah gritted his teeth as he returned to his defensive posture, waiting for her next strike… that didn't come.

Scathach stepped back and lowered her spear, signaling a pause in their spar. She gave him a considering look, head slightly tilted to right.

"Why do you use two swords, Noah?" asked Scathach.

Noah considered for a few seconds before replying.

"…On my first world, I started training with a single sword. Then Lilith gave me a quest to try and become proficient with various kinds of weapons. Most of them were one-handed, so in order to gain time, dual-wielding with different weapons became my default. And you have seen my fighting style, using two weapons to attack, parry and counter. In Mystic Moon, I also have a class and an orb of the Lunar Scourge that greatly amplify my attacks if I use two identical swords, so I have no incentive to change."

"I understand…" nodded Scathach. "But dual-wielding doesn't really suit your personality. You are not aggressive enough for that. Even just now when I stepped back, you took a defensive posture again and waited for my next attack, instead of advancing to try to overwhelm me. Your fighting style is more focused on exploiting your opponent's mistakes than overwhelming them. From now on, I will teach you to fight with a sword and a shield."

Noah frowned as he considered her words. He did use a sword and board for a while in SAO, and he had done pretty well with them back then.

He had not stuck with it because, with his speed advantage over the monsters, killing them had just been faster with two swords. But against an equal or slightly superior opponent… Maybe Scathach had a point.

Noah's shard used Item Creation to make a heater-shaped shield for himself.

"Change the sword too." said Scathach. She already had turned her Gae Blog into a red sword and a red shield. "Use one with a straight blade and a double edge. The fighting style I will teach you will not require you to rotate your wrist so much between each slash. You won't have time for it."

"Understood." nodded Noah. His Eclipse disappeared and he created a longsword, the blade's length equivalent to Scathach's own weapon. He didn't add any magic attribute to it, as it would not be good for training.

"Once your proficiency reaches a certain level, I will have you try different blade lengths and shield shapes to determine which combination suits you best. Now, we will resume your training." said Scathach.

She lifted her sword and shield, and Noah's hell started again.