Typemoon: Starting Out as the Lion King [139]

"I'm already in Camelot, but why aren't you here?"

Clang!

 A hollow bell chime echoed in Alaric's ears, leaving him momentarily stunned. He immediately turned his head to look at Fujimaru Ritsuka, Mash, and the others beside him. "When you sought out King Hassan, what did he say to you?"

The battle had already begun. If King Hassan didn't show up to delay Gawain, then Alaric would have no choice but to confront Gawain directly.

However, given the current state of the Sword of End, it would be difficult to hold out until Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others reached the Lion King.

Hearing his question, Fujimaru Ritsuka was slightly taken aback, seemingly not understanding why Alaric was asking this now. Nevertheless, she answered truthfully: "King Hassan only said that someone would deal with Gawain, so we didn't need to worry and should keep moving forward."

Mash added, "And after we passed on your regards to King Hassan, he also said, 'The time has come. Make your final farewell.'"

"So it's still up to me, huh..."

Having spent a month with King Hassan, Alaric immediately understood the meaning behind his words. King Hassan had no intention of interfering in Alaric's battle with Gawain—or rather, there was no need to.

In this singularity, there were few people Alaric truly respected, and King Hassan Mountain was one of them.

The wisdom accumulated over the years, coupled with his mastery of assassination techniques that could reach the divine realm, made King Hassan a sage capable of discerning death itself. Naturally, he had already seen through the issues surrounding Alaric.

Moreover, what Alaric intended to do could not be hidden from someone as perceptive as King Hassan.

Realizing this, Alaric smiled faintly. "King Hassan, thank you—"

His initial concern that his farewell might affect Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others, as well as his hope to strengthen their bonds, now felt somewhat unnecessary.

With this thought, Alaric drew the radiant Sword of End, his gaze locking firmly onto Gawain standing at the main gate.

Gawain returned his gaze with a sharp, piercing look.

"Fujimaru Ritsuka, you all go ahead. Sir Gawain is mine to deal with—"

"—Understood!"

Fujimaru Ritsuka wasted no words and led Mash, Bedivere, and the others toward the main gate!

Only Xuanzang Sanzang took one last look at Alaric's figure before turning away and rushing toward the Holy City's gate, never looking back again.

Gawain noticed Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others' movements but made no response. At this moment, his eyes were focused solely on one person.

Neither the attacked Holy City nor Fujimaru Ritsuka's group mattered to him anymore.

As Alaric approached, the two once again stood face to face.

Swish—!

Alaric tore off his white robe in one motion, gripping his sword as he stood. He smiled and said, "Sir Gawain, it's been a few days, hasn't it?"

"You killed Mordred, betrayed the King, and led the rebels to attack Camelot. That day, your betrayal was clear. But why did you return to face the King's judgment?"

Gawain's face darkened, his anger now surpassing that of the Holy Selection incident. Yet, he did not outwardly express it; instead, he quietly questioned Alaric:

"One sin is unforgivable; countless sins deserve punishment. Sir Alaric, a foreign knight, you have become a traitor to the Round Table. I will personally kill you and bring you before the Lion King."

The sounds of battle filled the air, deafening roars accompanied by flames that lit up the earth.

Shrieks of despair echoed through the chaos.

Yet neither Alaric nor Gawain wavered. In this moment, it was a world of their own, one where no one else could intrude.

Facing Gawain's judgment, Alaric's smile remained: "Sir Gawain, I accept your judgment, but I will not die by your hand. The one who will win... is me.

And I have not betrayed anyone."

"Not betrayed?! Do you even know what you're saying?! Sir Alaric! Your actions are nothing but betrayal—to the Lion King, to us all!"

Gawain's eyes widened in fury, his voice rising several octaves as his magical energy surged like a blazing sun. The surrounding temperature rose by several degrees!

The Holy Selection Incident had already planted a seed of resentment in Gawain's heart toward Alaric. The King's judgment that left Gawain wounded, followed by Alaric's abrupt departure from the Holy City, meant the two had not crossed paths since.

When news of Alaric reached Gawain again, it was of true betrayal: Mordred's death, and Lancelot's defection—all orchestrated by Alaric. These revelations only fueled Gawain's growing rage.

And now, at their final meeting, that fury erupted completely.

A traitor could not be forgiven!

The searing heat rushed toward Alaric, yet he remained unmoving. At last, his smile faded, and he spoke solemnly:

"I never betrayed you, nor did I betray the King.

Sir Gawain, the current King is in the wrong. A King who has lost the hearts of the people cannot protect humanity. A narrow future brings nothing but endless suffering for all of you."

"For Heroic Spirits, manifesting in the present world is already a miraculous second life. You come with regrets from your past lives, but it shouldn't be this way. Mordred was like this. Sir Lancelot was like this. And so are you, Sir Gawain.

I am neither a Heroic Spirit nor a true inhabitant of this singularity. As you said, I am a foreign knight—with no place to call home, coming from beyond all of this."

Alaric's expression was calm, yet his words carried the weight of a final farewell:

"The disappearance of the singularity is inevitable. At the end of it all, I will no longer remain in this world. Whether I am erased into nothingness by the restoration of human order or left dead without a corpse, it will not diminish my love for all of you."

"What nonsense are you spouting?"

Gawain's face darkened further, unable to comprehend Alaric's cryptic words. Since earlier, everything Alaric said seemed absurd and incoherent.

"If I am fated to die, I hope you all can find release—not bound by loyalty to the Lion King, not tormented by the pain in your hearts.

And I hope Fujimaru Ritsuka can accomplish the great task of saving human order, giving humanity a future where they can continue moving forward.

That's all. That's what I believe love is."

"So, you're saying you never agreed with the King's plan from the start?"

Gawain stared at Alaric, his hand tightening around his sword hilt.

"Do any of you truly agree with it? Sir Gawain, tell me—do you truly believe in the King's plan?!" Alaric's voice rose, unlike his demeanor six months ago. This time, he spoke with heartfelt conviction, expressing his love for Gawain and the others.

"You all know that a King who has lost the people's hearts is no longer a King, yet you still offer your loyalty. Acting out of regret for failing to serve King Arthur in life! Even if it means killing your comrades! These past six months, when has the pain in your heart ever lessened?

And the pure, white Lion King—this King who has lost the people's hearts—her only knight is me! You are nothing but the knights of the former King Arthur! Sir Gawain!!"

Alaric's golden eyes locked onto Gawain, his hands tightening around the Sword of End.

"Everyone's mistakes must be corrected, whether it's you, or the King!

What kind of foolish regret is this? Six months of self-torment aren't enough for you?! You don't want to kill, yet you must kill. No one dares to say this is wrong?! No one can admit that this is not the right path?!

It's utterly ridiculous! Sir Bedivere, who can restore the King's heart, has returned, yet you remain stuck like this. Sir Gawain, is this what self-deception looks like?!"

Alaric roared:

"Are regrets from life the justification for enabling the King?!"

"Then what of it?!!"

Gawain, pierced by Alaric's cutting questions, could no longer hold back. He roared in return:

"It's all too late!! You accuse us of not speaking up, not pointing out the King's mistakes?

But what about you, Sir Alaric?! Aren't you just like us?!"

"You, too, are a knight of the King! Yet only now do you stand up—only now do you accuse us and call the King wrong?! Ridiculous! Why didn't you step forward earlier?

The King's only knight? With the King's blood running in your veins, shouldn't you have been the first to step forward?!"

After speaking, Gawain pressed his lips tightly together, glaring at Alaric, his gaze burning with fury.

At this moment, Gawain's anger was no longer directed at Alaric's betrayal, but at himself.

Alaric felt the same way. No longer hiding his feelings, he knew he had to make Gawain understand everything.

Not just Gawain—but everyone.

"I—"

Before he could finish, a thunderous roar erupted from the main gate.

Boom!!

Amid the surging magical energy, a faint Buddhist light quietly bloomed.

When Alaric caught sight of the light, his pupils shrank suddenly—

A lotus flower emerged from the void. On that most exalted lotus throne sat a shadow of one who had attained enlightenment.

But in Alaric's heart, only one title surfaced—

The Enlightened One.

"The only enlightened savior among humanity."

"The sole answerer on Earth who has transcended the suffering of life and the cycle of reincarnation."

But what truly filled Alaric with terror was—

A fleeting afterimage cast a faint glance at him!

This glance plunged Alaric into boundless fear and confusion.

Why? Why?

Why would this person—

Look at him?!!

It felt as though a giant hand had gripped his heart. Beyond the concept of death, an overwhelming flood of information surged into Alaric's mind.

Buddhism speaks of the fleeting nature of time, saying that in the snap of a finger, there are nine hundred cycles of birth and death. By the time Alaric realized the weight of the enlightened one's gaze and came back to his senses—

An entire cycle of birth and death had already passed.

Almost instinctively, Alaric, regaining his composure, ignored that deeply etched gaze in his heart and traced the source of the resounding explosion. It was none other than Sanzang unleashing her Noble Phantasm, breaking through Camelot's main gate.

Sanzang wielded a Noble Phantasm imbued with the power of Buddha—an absolute strike that also embodied the grandeur of her mission to deliver salvation to all beings.

In the face of such divine might, even Camelot's main gate could not withstand her unyielding determination to press forward!

"Miss Sanzang's Noble Phantasm even shattered the gate that only the virtuous can pass—

Is this your rebellion against the King?"

Gawain glanced at the gate. Though shrouded in swirling smoke and clouds, Sanzang's fading spirit origin was reflected in Gawain's sharp eyes.

"After all, she is my Master..."

Alaric smiled wistfully, as though reminiscing. This was their eternal farewell; there would be no chance of reunion with Sanzang in this lifetime.

"Do you have any final words?"

Clang!

Gawain drew the Excalibur Galatine and slowly advanced toward Alaric.

No matter what nonsensical words Alaric might utter, they would not shake Gawain's resolve.

Facing the approaching Gawain, Alaric also picked up the Sword of End from the ground.

"With this sword bestowed by the King, let this moment bear witness to the end of us knights!"

"Sir Gawain, let me see if I can bring down your Sun!!!"

BOOM!!

In that very instant, a towering jet-black radiance erupted toward the heavens, as though it embodied the utmost evil of this world. It was a convergence of all thoughts and malice, plunging into the abyss. Merely gazing upon it would distort the mind!