Typemoon: Starting Out as the Lion King [158]

Credits: Mustapha Ceesay

In terms of magical energy alone, Gilgamesh at this moment could rival divine beings like Ishtar!

He could sustain the immense cost of Heroic Spirit summoning all by himself!

The last person capable of such a feat, Alaric could only think of the Lion King.

As the radiant brilliance familiar to Alaric intertwined and formed in the atmosphere, the ether-constructed form of the summoned Heroic Spirit descended to the ground.

Heroes of future generations arrived in this era when the gods had not yet completely departed.

[Ruler] Amakusa Shirou

[Archer] Tomoe Gozen

[Lancer] Leonidas I, Musashibou Benkei

[Assassin] Fuuma Kotarou

[Rider] Ushiwakamaru

[Berserker] Ibaraki Douji

Seven Heroic Spirits from different eras answered the call of the most ancient Hero King, manifesting in the world to save humanity! Alaric, witnessing this unfold, also recognized the identities of these Heroic Spirits. Though lacking the capability of True Name Revelation, Alaric's experience drifting through human history granted him a similar ability.

As long as he saw or heard something, he could recall-related information.

Thus, the information related to the seven Heroic Spirits summoned by Gilgamesh naturally surfaced in Alaric's mind. However, Alaric was a bit puzzled—

Why were there two Lancers and no Caster?

Speaking of Casters—

Alaric glanced at Merlin, who was whistling beside him.

The only Caster present was Merlin. According to Gilgamesh's testimony, he had attempted Heroic Spirit summoning in the past with only one target: this Flower Magus.

However, not only did Merlin fail to respond to the summons, but he also sneakily manifested independently even earlier. Gilgamesh only realized this anomaly after the summoning failed.

"Come to think of it, is this guy a Heroic Spirit?"

Alaric couldn't help but wonder. Merlin still existed within the Garden of Avalon, just like Alaric, a living being.

But the Merlin present in Uruk was unmistakably functioning as a Servant.

This left Alaric baffled. Was it some kind of special skill?

Could he learn it?

Alaric, acutely aware of his lack of skills, was eager to learn new knowledge.

If Merlin's ability to manifest independently could be acquired later, Alaric thought he might give it a shot.

At this moment, Merlin felt a sudden chill, goosebumps rising all over his body, and he immediately looked around warily.

It gave him the illusion of an old debt collector coming to his door.

"My True Name is Amakusa Shirou. Please command me, King Gilgamesh—"

The priestly-dressed Amakusa Shirou was the first to speak:

"What assistance do you require of us at this time?"

As the Servants summoned by Gilgamesh, Amakusa Shirou, and the others were naturally granted relevant information about the current age. They were well aware of the dire circumstances.

Following Amakusa Shirou's lead, the other six Servants also revealed their True Names.

Granted the same knowledge, they understood this was not a Holy Grail War. There was no need to conceal their True Names. On the contrary, disclosing their names would help with task distribution.

Clad in armor yet surprisingly exposed, Ushiwakamaru spoke solemnly, immediately following Amakusa Shirou:

"King Gilgamesh, please issue your command. I am Ushiwakamaru, and I will do my utmost!"

"As Lady Ushiwakamaru said, please give the order!"

The monk-like Musashibou Benkei echoed Ushiwakamaru's words:

"I am Musashibou Benkei, a Lancer-class Servant."

"Servant, Assassin; Fuuma Kotarou… My lord, please issue your command."

Unlike the others, Fuuma Kotarou knelt on one knee like a ninja, pledging his loyalty to the only master of his second life.

"I am Ibaraki Douji, the chief of the Oni of Mount Ooe! If you are the most ancient Hero King Gilgamesh, then give your command. I will—"

"Lancer! Leonidas of Sparta, summoned by the ancient king. I have come to save humanity. Please issue your command!"

The towering, muscular Leonidas spoke loudly, exuding an aura of raw strength.

Even Alaric couldn't help but glance at Leonidas. With a fully enclosed helmet and only a small piece of cloth barely covering his lower body, the rest of his well-defined physique was on full display.

The superbly trained body radiated absolute strength and unyielding determination.

Even though Alaric possessed strength bolstered by dragon blood, he knew full well how much willpower was required to achieve such a peak physical form.

"Leonidas, huh…"

The King of Sparta, renowned for the Battle of Thermopylae, where he and 300 men held off 100,000 invading Persian troops, earning eternal fame.

As for Amakusa Shirou and the others, Alaric was particularly impressed by Amakusa Shirou—not because of his combat prowess, but because of his grand wish.

Amakusa Shirou not only appeared in this fateful gathering but also another work: Fate/Apocrypha. That was a Holy Grail War fought in an unknown corner of history.

Though the Servants' individual quality wasn't the focus, its scale was massive, involving 14 Servants divided into Black and Red factions, battling for the Greater Holy Grail.

Amakusa Shirou was one of them, and his wish was the salvation of all humanity.

He strove to use the Greater Holy Grail to achieve the Third Magic and materialize the souls of all humanity.

"The Third Magic, soul materialization—"

Alaric's thoughts, unknown to anyone, were nothing more than fleeting musings.

That distant, unreachable world was, to Alaric, merely a nostalgic memory.

"How about it? Interested in summoning a Servant yourself?"

Merlin sidled up, cupping his hand to his mouth and whispering:

"Big Brother Merlin can help you, you know. Just say the word, and I'll take care of everything!"

At that moment, Merlin seemed like the neighborhood big brother from Alaric's childhood, using every trick in the book to lure him out of the house.

"Summon a Servant? Me—can I?"

Without using a relic for summoning, it would depend entirely on one's compatibility and connection.

Alaric certainly didn't possess any relics tied to Heroic Spirits. As for his connections—

Did he even have any?

Would anyone respond to his call and manifest?

The face of Mordred, disappearing in her final moments, surfaced in Alaric's mind. Her confession, laden with emotions, stirred waves in his heart.

"It feels like I could give it a try…"

Although he didn't know why Merlin was urging him to summon a Servant, Alaric figured that since he was already here, why not? Summoning didn't cost anything, after all. At most, it would consume some of his magical energy.

Alaric estimated that unless the Servant was a massive drain on magical energy, his magical reserves should suffice.

Especially since his magical capacity was still increasing—it was only a matter of time before he could catch up to Gilgamesh.