Typemoon: Starting Out as the Lion King’s Personal Knight - [Chapter 42]: Fierce Battle, Part Two

This was a battle that made Alaric’s blood boil. Vlad III’s spear techniques left him in awe—truly worthy of a hero title. His martial prowess far surpassed Alaric’s own.

Right now, the only thing Alaric could rely on to fight Vlad III was the immense power he drew from the Holy Grail’s infinite magical energy. Yet even so, he was completely engrossed in the fight.

The high-intensity combat provided Alaric with invaluable experience. Almost every moment, he could feel himself improving. His attack could be faster, more precise! His control over magical energy could be more refined!

Crack!

The iron stake he had been using as a weapon shattered under the strain, leaving Alaric without anything to counter Vlad III. But this wasn’t an obstacle for him.

If he had no sword, he’d use his fists! A knight never dies unarmed!

Clang!

As the battle dragged on, Alaric’s injuries worsened. Vlad III’s precise spear techniques left numerous wounds on his body, each cursed to periodically erupt and hinder his movements, leading to new injuries. It was a vicious cycle.

But Alaric’s progress was equally remarkable. From being initially helpless against the curses, he had adapted and could now effectively counter Vlad III’s attacks. Still, Vlad III’s body was far more resilient than Alaric had expected. No matter how hard he struck or how often he forced Vlad III to retreat, there was no visible damage—not even a crack in his armor.

This only excited Alaric further. He was ravenous for the experience he was gaining from this battle: spear techniques, curse countermeasures, close combat. It felt like a replay of his fight with the nameless Servant, but with a completely different mindset. This time, he was thoroughly enjoying it.

Only by fighting stronger opponents could Alaric achieve true progress!

As his injuries multiplied, the dragon blood within him grew increasingly fervent, more active. His dragon aura even began to permeate the sandstorm. Unnoticed by Alaric, his already semi-golden hair was gradually changing, while power constantly welled up inside him. The magical energy from the Dragon Reactor flowed faster, and more efficiently. It was as if he were truly transforming into a dragon.

Boom!

An explosion whipped up a massive cloud of yellow sand, engulfing both Alaric and Vlad III. An unusual source of magical energy appeared, catching Alaric’s attention. Near it, he sensed Sanzang’s spiritual signature.

‘Who is Sanzang fighting?’

With his vision obscured by the sandstorm, Alaric couldn’t see Sanzang, nor could he spot Vlad III. Instead, he relied on magical fluctuations to locate his foe. But Vlad III wasn’t about to let up; he quickly charged out of the sandstorm, clashing with Alaric once more.

The two of them fought across several hundred meters without pause, the shockwaves from their battle causing sand to cascade like waves. Each of Alaric’s punches landed on Vlad III’s armor, gradually shattering it.

Splurt!

Blood sprayed into the air. Alaric and Vlad III passed by each other, blood erupting from both. In their latest exchange, both had been wounded. With only his bare fists, Alaric had finally broken through Vlad III’s defenses, and the tangible result of his efforts made his smile even wider.

As the battle continued, Alaric gradually reduced his reliance on the Holy Grail’s magical power, shifting away from sheer force. He wanted to practice more precise use of his magical energy, a choice that was proving highly effective.

Boom!

Alaric dodged Vlad III’s spear thrust and landed a punch square on his opponent’s face, sending them both flying backward from the recoil.

Boom!

Another explosion sounded, and an intense shockwave caught Alaric’s attention. In the distance, a figure wreathed in smoke streaked across the sky. It was Sanzang, flung through the air!

Reacting instantly, Alaric stopped, braced his legs, and launched himself toward her.

[Thunderclap Flash]

Crimson lightning blazed across the sky, and in an instant, Alaric reached Sanzang as she fell.

“Miss Sanzang!”

He grabbed her hand, spun around, and hurled her toward Vlad III.

“I’ll take care of this!”

Their voices overlapped as they spoke in unison, and they seamlessly swapped opponents. With Sanzang now drawing Vlad III’s fire, Alaric turned his attention to the magus he had been so eager to face.

Littering the sand dunes were the massive corpses of Chimeras and countless broken Dragon Tooth Warriors, a field of white bones left in their wake.

Hovering above was a figure cloaked in black, with long, snow-white legs visible beneath the robes.

“What?”

Alaric looked up at the magus, instinctively sucking in a cold breath.

“I didn’t expect the Crusaders’ magus to be someone like this. Is Maggie Friedman dead?”

“Oh? How do you know of Maggie Friedman’s death?”

The magus in the sky looked at Alaric with surprise, seemingly intrigued by the unexpected topic.

“It seems it was your curse that killed Maggie Friedman.”

So she is dead?

Alaric wasn’t surprised to hear about Maggie Friedman’s death—it had been within his expectations. What surprised him was the magus in the sky.

“How many of you are there?”

Another Alaika.

Alaric wasn’t sure if the Crusaders were just remnants anymore. How could there be more of them than the Knights of the Round Table?

Especially after discovering that they could still perform Heroic Spirit summons, Alaric began to worry about how many more summons the Crusader remnants had performed.

Even if most Heroic Spirits wouldn’t respond to their summons, as long as some exceptions did, the Crusader remnants could replenish their fighting strength.

Not to mention the life magecraft they possessed, which allowed them to mass-produce artificial lifeforms or stitched beasts like Chimeras.

Even with Maggie Friedman dead, Alaric didn’t believe the Crusader remnants had lost their life magecraft. The Chimera with a dragon’s head he saw when he first met Sanzang was proof enough.

And there was still that elusive curse magus who had yet to show their true form.

As for the magus in the sky, Alaric had no idea which magecraft she practiced. But based on her battle with Sanzang, she seemed to be a summoner who used familiars in combat.

“Enough talk. Hand over the Holy Grail.”

The magus didn’t seem to want to engage in much conversation with Alaric, as if it didn’t matter at all that he and Sanzang had swapped opponents. She casually demanded that Alaric hand over the Holy Grail.

Hearing this, Alaric gave up on talking.

He had figured it out. This Crusader magus didn’t seem to be affected by the Berserk curse, but none of them wanted to have a normal conversation.

Boom!

As crimson lightning flickered, Alaric bent his legs and leaped high into the air, charging toward the magus in the sky!

In the next instant—

Dozens of magical light patterns unfolded in the sky, their gathered magical energy causing Alaric to pause.

A powerful, charged magic shot—

‘!’

But at this point, Alaric couldn’t change his trajectory. He could only charge forward!

Boom!

The barrage from above interrupted Alaric’s charge, sending him crashing to the ground and burying him in the yellow sand!

The barrage lasted for nearly ten seconds before finally ceasing.

A circular crater appeared where Alaric had been, and at its center lay Alaric, pinned down by the relentless bombardment.

High-density bombardment, it’s quite powerful.

At that moment, Alaric’s head was buzzing. In those ten seconds, he had endured at least hundreds of bombardments. While none of them caused significant damage, the cumulative effect was still noticeable.

No wonder Sanzang was struggling.

Alaric glanced up at the magus in the sky and lost interest.

He had been in the middle of an exciting battle with Vlad III, and only after seeing Sanzang get blown away did he think about switching opponents. He hadn’t expected this magus to be so troublesome.

Tch.

Expressionless, Alaric took a step forward.

[Thunderclap Flash]

Crimson lightning surged, and in an instant, the yellow sand within a kilometer radius was surrounded.

Just as Vlad III and Sanzang were locked in a standoff—

“Huh?”

Sanzang glanced at Vlad III’s back in surprise.

A streak of crimson lightning approached—

“It’s behind you!”

Distracted by the voice and the sight of blood behind him, the frenzied Vlad III instinctively turned his body.

Tear!

Crimson lightning crackled as Alaric crouched low, and pulled his right arm back, his eyes locking onto Vlad III’s.

[Thunderclap Flash]

Fueled by excessive magical energy, Alaric’s forward thrust created a force so immense that even the atmosphere roared!

His fist connected squarely with Vlad III’s broken chestplate.

The burst of crimson lightning was proof of absolute power!

Boom!

Vlad III’s figure disappeared in an instant, followed by a gust of wind that swept up the sand, leaving a massive trench in its wake!

With the blow landing successfully, Alaric prepared to press his advantage, speaking rapidly, “Miss Sanzang, I’ll leave that magus to you!”

Fighting her is no fun—

“Huh! Alright then!”

Sanzang, though confused, turned and charged toward the magus in the distance.

Once Sanzang was far away, Alaric rushed toward the spot where Vlad III had been sent flying.

But before he could get close, he sensed an extraordinarily high surge of magical energy!

A Noble Phantasm?!

Noticing the sudden spike in Vlad III’s magical energy, Alaric’s pupils contracted, and then he grinned excitedly.

“It’s coming!!”

An Anti-Army Noble Phantasm: [Kazikli Bey]!

“Hell incarnate is the reward for your depravity!! Kazikli Bey!”

Vlad III roared as he called out the true name of his Noble Phantasm.

In an instant, a forest of iron stakes appeared.

They attacked Alaric from all directions, aiming to pierce him through!

But instead of retreating, the Dragon Reactor within Alaric beat wildly, adrenaline surged through his veins, and his spirits soared!

When a Servant uses a Noble Phantasm, the best countermeasure is to use your own Noble Phantasm.

However, instead of using his trump card, the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, Alaric chose a different tactic.

He directly unleashed his magical energy to confront Kazikli Bey head-on!

Although Alaric’s current limit on magical energy output couldn’t match the power of Vlad III’s Anti-Army Noble Phantasm, Alaric took a more extreme approach to release his energy.

And it was the Ruyi Jingu Bang that had taught him this method!

Every part of his body seemed to be in violent motion, and with each beat of the Dragon Reactor, it pumped out terrifying amounts of magical energy, several times greater than what Alaric normally produced!

Alaric could feel the immense vitality coursing through his body!

At this moment, he would not retreat!

“The battle will be decided in this strike!”

Alaric pressed one hand to the ground, and the terrifying magical energy he had compressed shot directly into the sand below!

Sizzle!

Beneath the endless yellow sand, it was as if a crimson ocean had formed!

Splurt!

As blood sprayed, pitch-black iron stakes pierced through Alaric’s limbs and torso!

All of his defenses were breached in an instant, and the special power imbued in the iron stakes brought Alaric unbearable pain!

The sins of ‘cowardice’, ‘immorality’, and ‘violence’ were now all directed at Alaric!

Almost simultaneously—

The ground melted away, and a dazzling tree of lightning grew in the wind. Each hanging branch was a highly concentrated crimson bolt of lightning, containing terrifying heat capable of melting gold and iron!