Typemoon: Starting Out as the Lion King's Personal Knight

Credits: Ethan Johnson

"I want to know how big the gap is between us.

 Of course, Sir Gawain, this time you are the challenger!"

Clang!

The Sword of End and the Sword of Revolving Victory were drawn simultaneously.

A pitch-black radiance, opposite to Gawain's blazing sun-like magical aura, shot straight into the sky!

It wasn't just the mana generated by his own dragon heart—after many days, Alaric finally tapped into the unlimited mana supplied by the Holy Grail once more! The sheer force of it felt as though it could overturn the heavens and alter the very course of the sun.

'!!'

This was the first time Mash, Ritsuka Fujimaru, and the others had witnessed Alaric's full power.

["What's happening? Why is there another—wait, is that Sir Alaric?!"]

Romani's shocked voice reached Ritsuka's ears, but at this moment, Ritsuka was too focused on the figure before her to respond. It was as if her entire being was drawn to that solitary figure.

If Gawain was a blazing sun of rage, then Alaric was a black sun.

That pitch-black glow shimmered with an iridescent, multi-colored light that seemed to ripple like a chaotic abyss.

Gawain's face darkened.

"Even if you haven't betrayed the King, you will still face the King's punishment."

Gawain had witnessed Alaric's growth over the past half year. As such, he had no intention of holding back in this duel.

"Of course. That's exactly why I'm working so hard."

Alaric's expression was equally grave, the hint of a smile long gone.

"I am the one the King has expectations for. I am the one the King believes in.

 But you, Sir Gawain—what about you?"

Boom!

Before the words had fully echoed, Gawain and Alaric vanished from where they stood.

Unlike Gawain's superhuman body, reinforced by the Saint's Numbers, Alaric's body—already strengthened by dragon blood—was now driven by the infinite mana of the Holy Grail.

He was able to clash with Gawain without being at a disadvantage!

The clash of their swords resounded like thunder, the sharp ring piercing the ears of everyone present. The resulting shockwaves forced Mash, Ritsuka, and the others to retreat.

"Now's our chance!"

As Gawain and Alaric's battle raged on, Da Vinci saw the opportunity and decisively spoke up.

"We can't face Gawain during the day, especially not with him fighting Sir Alaric. Just the aftermath of their battle could cause casualties for us!"

The battle between a Gawain enhanced threefold by the Saint's Numbers and a Alaric wielding the Holy Grail's infinite mana was one that Chaldea had no hope of interfering in.

They had to escape while they could.

At that moment, Mash's nose twitched. She glanced nervously at Bedivere.

In such proximity to him, she could smell something burning.

"This smell... is something burning?! It's not just his arm—it's coming from inside his body?!"

There was no doubt—the smell of burning was coming from inside Bedivere!

"Ugh—forget about me! The most important thing right now is to retreat! Their battle—"

Pale-faced, Bedivere fixed his eyes firmly on Gawain and Alaric as they clashed. His gaze was filled with bewilderment.

He couldn't comprehend the sight of Alaric, a fellow Knight of the Round Table, battling Gawain.

That man was not one of their comrades. He was a monster created by the Lion King—

"That's right. We don't have time to hesitate here. I've already cleared out the enemies behind us. If we leave now, nothing will stand in our way, Ritsuka Fujimaru!"

Da Vinci's tone became increasingly urgent, her gaze fixed on the distant, rapidly retreating forms of Alaric and Gawain.

In the span of just a few words, Gawain and Alaric had already moved over a hundred meters away.

The terrifying surge of magical energy from their battle engulfed the entire holy battleground, making it difficult for anyone to breathe—not to mention the shockwaves generated by their collision.

Boom!

A pillar of pitch-black, shimmering light shot into the sky, reminiscent of the shooting star that had bloomed before Mash and Ritsuka. Opposite it was the scorching heat of a solar flare—burning the world and purifying everything unclean.

Even the atmosphere itself was being vaporized. The deathly heatwave, impartial to friend or foe, swept over everything in an instant, consuming knights and refugees alike.

"What?!"

Fujimaru Ritsuka, who was about to command Mash to carry Bedivere and retreat, froze as she witnessed the annihilation of the entire area.

Her breath caught in her throat.

The sheer collateral damage from the clash between Alaric and Gawain far surpassed anything the Chaldea team had witnessed before.

But what truly unsettled Ritsuka was Alaric's utter indifference toward life.

Unlike Gawain, who upheld his sense of justice, Alaric's motives were impossible to fathom.

Since their first encounter, the air around Alaric had always been like a pitch-black abyss—a chaotic evil that defied comprehension.

'Why is this happening?'

"Sir Alaric!! Please, take Gawain away from here!!"

Mash's shout was almost a sob, her voice breaking with emotion. "Please don't let any more lives be lost!!"

At that moment, Mash unleashed a power, unlike anything she had before, as if her emotions refused to be suppressed any longer. Her sorrow burst forth entirely.

Sorrow for Gawain.

 Sorrow for Alarice.

Before she had even finished shouting, the two suns flew away from Camelot's front gate at high speed, crashing into the endless wilderness beyond.

A flash of dazzling brilliance erupted.

In an instant, the ground beneath them—what little hadn't already been vaporized—rose in waves, sending tremors through the world itself.

The surging blast of air, accompanied by the roar of thunder, rushed toward Camelot like a tidal wave. It swept up corpses and blood scattered at the main gate, lifting them high into the air.

A blood-red storm raged before Ritsuka and the others—

Even though Alaric and Gawain's battle had moved away, the hearts of Mash and Ritsuka did not feel lighter.

Instead, their hearts felt heavier.

There was no hesitation. Ritsuka firmly gave the order.

"Go! Mash, take Bedivere with you. We must leave now!"

Even if Gawain was being held back by Alaric, there was no guarantee that other Knights of the Round Table would not appear.

The Knights of the Round Table from Arthurian legend did not consist of Gawain alone.

Even if there were no other knights, if Tristan—whom they had encountered before—were to appear, they would be completely annihilated.

"Understood!"

Mash, now fully resolved, responded immediately. Without hesitation, she lifted the pale Bedivere with one hand.

"Huh… wha… yaaah?!"

Caught off guard, Bedivere stammered, "Y-you're... really strong, lady! To lift me with one hand while carrying a shield—"

Da Vinci wasn't idle either. She added, "Alright, everyone, brace yourselves for strong winds! And keep your mouths shut—no inhaling strange substances!"

...

Meanwhile, the two intertwined suns continued their descent into the wilderness.

"Sir Gawain!! I know everything about you—everything you stand for!

 And you know everything about me as well!!"

The moment battle was joined, Alaric's face displayed a madness unseen in his usual demeanor. His golden slit pupils overflowed with an intense passion eerily familiar to Gawain.

The might of the Red Dragon surged once more. As the dragon's blood boiled, the black magic surrounding Alaric's body began to shimmer with crimson arcs of lightning.

Despite this, Gawain's face remained dark. He poured all his suppressed fury toward Bedivere into his bellowing voice,

"Why?! Why are you doing this, Sir Alaric?!

 Answer me, Sir Alaric!!"