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

"Let this humble monk enlighten you!"

The nine-ringed staff in Sanzang's hand suddenly transformed into a long iron staff, black as night, with golden hoops on both ends.

'Is that the Ruyi Jingu Bang?!'

Alaric, still on high alert, raised his eyebrows, instinctively mistaking the iron staff Sanzang wielded for Sun Wukong's legendary weapon, the Ruyi Jingu Bang. As Sanzang skillfully twirled the staff, the dragon-headed Chimera charged in close. Its sharp claws seemed poised to cleave Sanzang in half, ready to tear her into pieces!

"Haaah!"

The Chimera moved with the speed of a hunting leopard, incredibly fast—but Sanzang was even faster! She swung the long staff in a wide arc, and though it was originally only two meters long, it grew with the wind, extending to six meters in an instant.

Boom!

A heavy thud echoed as the Chimera's claws, mere moments from striking Sanzang, suddenly recoiled, and it was sent flying dozens of meters back! Sanzang had batted away the Chimera with a single, powerful strike!

Following up her attack, the iron staff in Sanzang's hand morphed again, this time transforming into a nine-pronged rake. Its enormous tines resembled dragon claws, tearing mercilessly into the Chimera's flesh.

Splat!

Blood sprayed across the sky in an instant!

Sanzang's decisiveness and brutal combat style left Alaric stunned. Was this the power borne from a top-tier spirit origin?

Alaric was well aware that not all Servants were equal. Strength wasn't determined solely by their prowess in life or their legends, but also by the quality of their spirit origin. The higher the spirit's origin, the greater the power they could manifest in the world!

Sanzang's spirit origin was on par with the Knights of the Round Table, who had received blessings and enhancements from the Lion King.

However, what truly shocked Alaric was the Chimera—despite being relentlessly suppressed by Sanzang, it twisted its massive body mid-air and, with one powerful swipe of its paw, sent Sanzang flying, turning the tide of the battle! That level of agility was unnatural for a Chimera; it moved with the grace and flexibility of a human!

Alaric grinned. Given Alaika's example, could this mean that the Crusader remnants had figured out how to mass-produce magi capable of controlling familiars? And could they perhaps infiltrate and control the bodies of those familiars?

"Is that where you're hiding?"

Boom!

Alaric stomped the ground, launching himself like a cannonball toward the Chimera!

Squelch—!

Just as Alaric was about to assist Sanzang in finishing off the dragon-headed Chimera, a massive light enveloped him, originating from magecraft that activated instantly within a radius of several dozen meters. Yet, Alaric hadn't sensed any prior disturbance!

"!"

Once again, Alaric's intuition had failed him. His vision flooded with endless, blazing white light, and the ground beneath him softened, turning to quicksand as if ready to swallow him up!

Alaric could feel that the light itself posed no harm—it was just ordinary sunlight—but its purpose was to obscure his vision. What truly concerned him was the change happening beneath him. Not only was there a quicksand-like force pulling him under, but a curse was seeping from the sands below, steadily eroding his body!

'Is this designed to drain my life force?!'

Alaric hadn't expected the curse to be this potent. Even his Magic Resistance couldn't completely neutralize it. As his body sank into the sand, both his life force and magical energy were continuously drained by the curse!

'How many magi are there?!'

With his eyes shut tight, Alaric clicked his tongue in frustration. His senses fully extended, and he could detect strange curses surrounding him from all directions. Within just a few breaths, the curse had already engulfed an area spanning dozens of meters around him! And the source wasn't just the sand beneath him—it was seeping from all around!

A large-scale curse had been inscribed into the desert sands, lying dormant until Alaric took action, at which point it was triggered simultaneously! And it wasn't just curses; Alaric could feel several binding spells taking effect, all aimed solely at him! This caused Alaric to furrow his brow. As the curse continued to drain his magical energy, more and more spells activated, further restricting his movements. He could sense at least seventeen spells affecting him, and the number was still increasing.

Within seconds, Alaric felt his body grow as heavy as a mountain, his movements sluggish! It was as if the spells were using his magical energy to power themselves, causing Alaric to bind himself!

While the physical effects were secondary, the loss of magical energy wasn't a major issue for Alaric at the moment, thanks to the near-infinite supply of magical energy granted by the Holy Grail. What truly concerned him was when these spells had been set up.

Before he arrived, only Sanzang and the Crusader knights had been fighting—there hadn't been any sign of magi, let alone someone setting up spells right in front of Sanzang.

'Sanzang…'

Alaric's mind suddenly recalled Sanzang's earlier, seemingly frivolous complaints. Suddenly, the idea of setting up spells in front of Sanzang didn't seem so far-fetched. But then, why target him?

Alaric could sense that all the spells had been designed specifically for him. If they had been aimed at Sanzang instead, they wouldn't have been nearly as effective. This was a premeditated ambush!

As this conclusion dawned on him, Alaric didn't feel fear—instead, a smile spread across his face. If this was indeed a premeditated ambush, it meant that the Crusader remnants had been tracking his movements, even using Sanzang as bait to lure him in.

Whether Sanzang was aware of this or not didn't matter to him. What mattered was the presence behind this ambush—

The real Crusader remnants!

As time passed, Alaric had already been swallowed waist-deep by the sand, unable to move.

The number of spells cast on him had now exceeded forty, nearly causing him to lose all sensation in his limbs!

"Three minutes…"

"Sanzang still hasn't finished off the Chimera?"

Without resisting, Alaric allowed himself to be engulfed by the sand, silently counting the time. At this moment, the surrounding spells seemed to enter a lull. For a full ten seconds, no new spells activated—only the forty-plus spells already cast maintained their hold on him. And this was with Alaric offering no resistance.

"Still not making a move…?"

As no attack came, Alaric realized that the magi weren't going to strike. These spells—they were purely for restraint—

Or did the Crusader remnants believe this was enough to subdue him?

Alaric didn't know, but he had run out of patience.

Sizzle—!

Alaric flexed his body, crackling arcs of red lightning dancing across his skin. As his magical energy surged, his body immediately felt lighter, and the spells binding him were utterly obliterated!

Boom!!

A blast of red lightning erupted from Alaric, sending sand flying in all directions. The red column of light that shot into the sky was immense, its intense heat melting all the sand within its radius!

Crack!

When Alaric landed, the ground beneath him had transformed into a gleaming layer of glass, formed from the sand melted by the scorching heat. Surveying his surroundings, Alaric saw that the blast had created a circular pit, seven meters deep, with him at the center.

"They buried it this deep?"

Alaric raised an eyebrow, realizing he had destroyed the curse spells and other magical traps lurking beneath the sand only after causing such devastation. Though he had obliterated all the magic traps, he felt something was still missing.

Before he could think further—

"!"

Instinctively, Alaric twisted his body to the side.

Boom!

A pitch-black arrow pierced the spot where he had just been standing, leaving behind a hole as wide as a bowl. Even from the hole, Alaric could sense the thick presence of a curse.

"What kind of creature is this?"

Without looking back, Alaric sensed the unmistakable magical energy of a Servant several dozen meters away. And now they had chosen to strike?

Crack!

Realizing the identity of his attacker, Alaric shot forward like an arrow loosed from its bow. In an instant, he burst out of the pit, charging straight toward his assailant.

As he surged forward, he caught a glimpse of Sanzang still locked in combat with the Chimera. The Chimera's form appeared to have shrunk to half its original size, becoming more slender and much faster.

But Alaric had no time to worry about Sanzang's battle. He didn't believe that someone of Sanzang's strength could be defeated by the dragon-headed Chimera.

"Don't leave me behind!"

Ignoring Sanzang's cries, Alaric sped past her without hesitation.

Whoosh!

A volley of pitch-black arrows flew toward him, blocking his path forward.

Clang!

With a single sword swipe, Alaric deflected all the arrows in one sweeping motion—

Boom!

But as soon as his blade made contact, the arrows exploded, releasing a cloud of poisonous gas that quickly enveloped him.

"Poison?!"

The earlier cursed arrow had already made Alaric wary, but he hadn't expected these arrows to explode. The toxic fumes seeped into his body from all directions.

Before he could dispel the poison, another volley of arrows interrupted his movements! The previous arrows distracted him just enough for a new barrage to strike—sharp arrows shot straight for his limbs and face, aiming to pierce him completely.

"So fast?!"

Warned by his instincts, Alaric immediately sensed the nine arrows headed his way. There was almost no delay between them—no time to make a choice.

"One for the head, six for the limbs, two for the torso!"

His earlier movement left him completely exposed. Even if he tried to guard himself, he only had time for one move!

Faced with this extreme choice, Alaric had only one option—

Boom!!

A burst of red lightning exploded forth like a thunderbolt, instantly evaporating the poisonous gas around him! The deadly arrows disintegrated into dust the moment they made contact with his magical energy.

Alaric bent his knees, his entire body leaning forward—

[Thunder Flash]

A streak of red lightning tore through the desert, the sand exploding to either side like a colossal bulldozer pushing through the dunes! With absolute speed, Alaric surged forward, his greatest strength on full display!

Clang!

A sharp, ringing sound echoed through the sandstorm, clearing the skies for a moment.

"Since you're a Heroic Spirit, one of history's famed warriors, tell me—who are you?"

Alaric stood firm, gripping his sword with one hand, blocking the blade of the figure before him. Even after using his strongest [Thunder Flash] and striking with all his might, this unknown Archer had managed to block his ferocious blow with just one hand!

If this strike had landed on the Chimera fighting Sanzang, it would have sent its ten-ton body flying!

"Pure physical strength alone—this person is on par with me, perhaps even stronger..."

Alaric felt no fear. Instead, he smiled, sizing up the Servant before him. The figure's dark skin was wrapped in white bandages, highlighting their well-defined muscles, and exuding a palpable sense of strength. Their chainmail, reminiscent of the Crusader era, suggested a connection.

The Servant offered no response. Their face was tightly wrapped in bandages, and the nameless Servant simply stared into Alaric's eyes, silent.

In the next moment, Alaric felt an overwhelming force explode from the figure, forcibly knocking his sword aside.

"!"

Alaric quickly countered, pressing his sword forward again.

"If you're part of the Crusaders, why don't you have the courage to reveal your name?"

Their blades clashed repeatedly, the sharp metallic clangs echoing across the desert like raindrops on steel. In just a few seconds, Alaric had swung his sword nearly a hundred times, but not once had he gained the upper hand. Every time he found an opening, he couldn't capitalize on it—the Servant's counterattacks forced him to defend and parry instead!

After just a brief exchange, Alaric could tell: this Servant was a battle-hardened warrior, their skill with both sword and bow masterful.

"This one is strong!"

Of the 127 registered Heroic Spirits that Alaric knew through the Fate Grand Orders, he couldn't recall any that resembled this Servant.

"So who is this Archer?"

Not only was their archery unmatched, but their martial prowess was also far beyond what Alaric could compare to! As he clashed with the Servant, he found himself reminded of Lancelot. Every one of his moves was being read, his clumsy swordsmanship utterly ineffective against this opponent.

At his current skill level, Alaric couldn't hope to match or surpass this opponent through technique alone. To win this fight, his only option was—

Sizzle—!

Red lightning crackled, and Alaric's movements shifted. He abandoned complex sword techniques, relying on sheer, overwhelming strength to destroy everything in his path! His swing appeared simple, but the scarlet glow bursting from his blade was like a dragon's breath, consuming everything in its wake, burning the world to ashes!

Boom!!

The crimson torrent swept across the desert, leaving nothing but transparent glass in its wake.

"Hand over the Holy Grail..."

When the torrent subsided, the nameless Servant stood unscathed, each word spoken slowly and deliberately.

"Unharmed?!"

Alaric's expression tensed. This sword strike wasn't his full power, but its destructive force was on par with his Mana Burst during his battle at the temple. Yet, it hadn't left a single scratch on this Servant?

"Is it a special skill?"

"Or perhaps the power of mystery?"

Alaric's mind raced, quickly listing all possible skills that could explain this.

"Could it be something like Siegfried's Armor of Fafnir, which negates B-rank attacks and B+-rank Noble Phantasms?"

"Or maybe a defensive Noble Phantasm, like Karna's golden armor?"

"Or perhaps it's due to the power of mystery?"

Though Alaric's thoughts raced, he didn't stop speaking: "Sorry, but I'm just borrowing the Grail. I'll be returning it soon enough."

The nameless Servant, clearly uninterested in conversation, prepared to attack again. Alaric, fully focused, wasn't about to back down. Gripping his sword tightly with both hands, he watched the nameless Servant's every move.

"If Mana Burst won't work—"

"I could use the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, but I only have one chance—"

Alaric knew his swordsmanship was no match for this opponent. If he used his Mystic Eyes and failed, the Servant would be on guard, making another opportunity nearly impossible to find!

"Nameless hero, won't you at least tell me your name?"