Typemoon: Starting Out as the Lion King [102]

Credits: ethan trays

Gawain could not comprehend Alaric's betrayal, and even if he understood, he could not accept it.

 Having died in his previous life consumed by guilt for his inability to remain loyal, Gawain carried that same unyielding loyalty into this second life—though the king had changed, his devotion remained genuine.

Therefore, Alaric's actions struck at the very core of Gawain's principles.

 To Gawain, this was an inviolable line that must never be crossed.

Faced with Gawain's furious interrogation, Alaric's lips twisted into a wild grin as a surging battle spirit swelled within him.

 Fighting Gawain with all his might had been Alaric's dream for the past six months.

Although he had been continuously sparring with Lancelot and the other Knights of the Round Table to hone his skills, it was an entirely different experience.

 The training and guidance from Gawain and the other knights could not compare to the life-or-death clashes on the battlefield.

 Even if the effort and technique were the same, the exhilaration and overwhelming battle spirit that made Alaric's dragon heart throb with excitement could only be found in the heat of battle.

Just like this very moment.

Clang!

Clang!

 The clash of swords sent bursts of energy tearing through the air, carving deep scars several meters long into the desolate wilderness!

"I have never betrayed the King, Sir Gawain!"

 "Just as you said, the thousand-year Pure Camelot is humanity's only path to survival—"

Alaric gripped his sword with both hands, struggling to block Gawain's powerful strike as the distance between them became frighteningly close.

"Then what do you call this?!"

Gawain's fury, ignited by Alaric's response, only intensified his strikes. His sword became as heavy as a mountain, and even the mere gusts from its swings could shear limbs and carve rock like butter!

Clang!

Clang!

 Each clash of their swords sent tremors through Alaric's muscles. Yet, as his adrenaline surged, his face flushed with exhilaration.

"Thunder Flash!"

Two strikes!

Three strikes!

Four strikes!

 From the very beginning, Alaric had never ceased using Thunder Flash. Whether moving or attacking, the explosive speed and force of his every motion filled him with an overwhelming sense of euphoria!

Facing Gawain—one of the strongest opponents he had ever fought—Alaric unleashed every ounce of his power.

 His mastery over his explosive force reached its peak, and with the Holy Grail's infinite magical energy at his disposal, he poured vast reserves of mana into each swing, allowing him to match Gawain's sheer strength blow for blow.

The result was catastrophic.

Within seconds, the 100-meter radius of wilderness around them was reduced to rubble, disintegrating like fragile glass.

 Refugees, knights, even the surrounding hills and boulders—all were obliterated by the overwhelming aftershocks, buried in the molten, liquefied earth below!

Boom!

Alaric stomped fiercely, unleashing a tidal wave of magical energy that sent a rain of rubble soaring into the air.

 It was as if they had recreated the legendary storm of stone fragments Gawain had conjured during his battle against the Lionheart King.

This newly formed storm, now mixed with molten magma from the scorched ground, engulfed sky and earth alike, plunging both Alaric and Gawain into a world where they could no longer see each other.

"It's useless, Sir Alaric!"

 Gawain's voice, seething with rage, pierced through the storm of debris, followed by a blazing solar flame that consumed the stone rain entirely!

"?!"

At that moment, Gawain realized he had lost track of Alaric.

"Don't let your guard down, Sir Gawain!"

ALaric's crazed laughter erupted from behind him. At some point, he had slipped past Gawain's senses and reappeared at his back!

Before Gawain could react, Alaric's sword unleashed a crimson torrent of energy—a dragon's breath—challenging even the sun itself!

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!!

The crimson torrent surged skyward, engulfing Gawain in a searing tempest that swept through both sky and earth.

But before the energy could fully dissipate, Gawain's figure emerged once again!

"Stealth of the Old Man of the Mountain? Sir Alaric, when did you betray us?!"

Despite his cracked and battered armor, Gawain remained unharmed. Like a lion, his sharp gaze fixed on Alaric with deadly intensity.

 The technique Alaric had just used to slip behind him was undoubtedly an assassination technique of the Hassan people. Such a skill could not be mastered in a short time.

When exactly had Alaric begun colluding with Hassan?

No matter how much Gawain didn't want to believe it, he could only conclude that Alaric's betrayal had been long planned. This was no mere manipulation by Chaldea's so-called Guardians of Humanity.

But that only made Gawain's fury burn hotter.

"You traitor!!"

Gone was the elegant, prince-like demeanor. Gawain now resembled a wrathful sun, consumed by the rage of betrayal!

"Is it coming?!"

 Feeling the surge of Gawain's magical energy, Alaric's grin widened with excitement.

"Sir Gawain!! Are you finally going to use it?! Your Noble Phantasm!!"

Alaric had once clashed with Gawain's Noble Phantasm, and though he had been defeated, he had seen hope.

 This time, Alaric wanted to see if he could stand against the light of the sun itself!

Staring intensely at Alaric, Gawain tossed his holy sword into the air.

This sword is a reflection of the sun. Let me collect your debts...!!!"

The sun descended.

The blazing holy sword—Excalibur Galatine—spun as it descended into Gawain's hand. With the release of the Noble Phantasm's true name, an overwhelming surge of magical energy erupted like an unstoppable tidal wave.

"O hammer of the humbled king, reverse the aurora! Devour the light! Shine forth!!"

In response, a crimson dragon rose, opposing the sun's blazing heat.

"Excalibur Galatine!!"

 "Ex Rhongomyniad!!"

The blazing solar torrent clashed with the dragon's breath, igniting the entire wilderness in a dazzling brilliance.

The stalemate between the two torrents lasted only a moment. The crimson energy was swiftly consumed by the rolling solar flame.

Alaric felt the unstoppable force crash into him, striking him head-on—

 His sword flew from his grasp, spinning through the air before plunging into the shattered ground.

BOOM!!

When the blazing heat and light finally receded, a massive crater, hundreds of meters wide, lay at the center of the battlefield. Gawain and Alaric stood at its heart.

Step.

Step.

 The sound of approaching footsteps echoed as Gawain advanced, his sharp, handsome face once again visible beneath the fading sunlight.

"It's still not enough—"

Covered in burns, Alaric gazed at the sword lying just out of reach and calmly accepted his defeat.

 Against Gawain at full strength in daylight, he simply wasn't strong enough.

Yet he understood that this was the disparity in their Noble Phantasms.

 When wielding Excalibur Galatine, Gawain was leagues ahead.

Holding Excalibur Galatine in one hand, Gawain's expression darkened as he watched Alaric's calm demeanor.

"Are you not going to use your Mystic Eyes?"

Alaric's possession of the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception was no secret. After the battle against the Lionheart King, he openly revealed this gift, seeking the harshest training from Lancelot, Gawain, and the other knights.

It was precisely because of these shared experiences that the knights accepted Alaric as a comrade and trained him.

But that was what unsettled Gawain.

"If you had truly betrayed the King, I would have executed you on the spot. But what are you trying to achieve, Sir Alaric?!"

Alarice, armed with the Mystic Eyes, could have killed even Gawain at his peak.

 If he truly intended betrayal, Gawain might not have survived. Yet Alaric had refrained from using them. Instead, he had fought using everything else, holding nothing back—except for the Mystic Eyes.