This is the ultimate offensive strike with no restraint. Alaric, having locked onto his target, aims to sever Lancelot's magical energy supply immediately, thereby annihilating him in one swift move!
Years of preparation culminate in this moment. Even for someone like Alaric, it's hard not to feel excitement and anticipation.
Thus, Alaric must fight swiftly and decisively.
The beheading of Hundred-Faced Hassan is no different!
Boom!
A high-rise building was instantly pierced through, as a dazzling blue swordlight streaked across the heavens, slicing through the pitch-black iron dragons in an instant!
Even in his berserk state, the Knight of the Lake's martial prowess remained deeply ingrained in his body.
A single slash was enough to tear through skyscrapers! His advancing figure faced no hindrances, and the hundreds of chains of Heaven were like mere illusions before Lancelot. The sword light he wielded could rip apart anything!
In just a split second, the Matou mansion completely collapsed, and its surrounding area suffered devastating destruction.
Sword marks spanning dozens, even hundreds, of meters spread outward like a forming canyon.
The ever-growing steel dragons roared toward a distant location, encompassing an area even Lancelot himself could not reach.
As he moved, white shockwaves formed, and rolling thunder echoed across the sky.
The scene unfolding resembled the end of the world.
To end the battle quickly, and kill before the other Masters could react, Alaric unleashed absolute killing intent!
Not even the Knight of the Lake, the strongest knight who had been Alaric's mentor, could halt his assault!
Boom!
The steel dragons roared, covering everything Matou Kariya could see. The icy killing intent froze his consciousness.
It all happened too suddenly.
Almost as soon as the battle began, Matou Kariya was engulfed by hundreds of chains of Heaven!
Meanwhile, Berserker Lancelot, fighting to kill Alaric in front of the Matou mansion, had no time to retreat. Matou Kariya himself couldn't even comprehend the incoming crisis.
It was too fast—so fast that Kariya's mind hadn't even started processing the events.
The only thing Matou Kariya could perceive was Berserker's rapidly increasing magical energy consumption, which was pushing him to his limit.
This battle, lasting less than a second, was already reaching its final stage.
Swish, swish.
Black mud surged, starting from the young girl beside Alaric and spreading in all directions.
To become a Lesser Grail alone wasn't enough to get this close to Angra Mainyu—it required a contract.
After the nameless girl was born, Alaric guided her to merge with the entity within his shadow. Using her newly-formed intelligence and personality, the Holy Grail's embodiment, Avenger Angra Mainyu, became something akin to the girl's Servant.
Although she lacked Matou Sakura's Imaginary Numbers attribute, the nameless girl could still manipulate the black mud pouring out of the Grail to attack, eroding Servants within the Fuyuki Holy Grail system.
Step, step.
As the black mud surged, Alaric began to move.
Each step he took created violent shockwaves, splitting the surrounding black mud, which failed to touch him.
In an instant, his figure shot forward. He hurled the Black Keys in his hand while unleashing the Gate of Judgment behind him. As the Black Keys launched, divine retribution descended!
Absolute suppression—the power of a Heroic Spirit from the Age of Gods was not something the current degraded Servants could rival.
Even Berserker Lancelot, with his madness enhancement, stood no chance against Alaric, who was bolstered by a magical energy supply.
Unrelenting firepower rained down, suppressing Lancelot's figure completely.
Boom!
Lancelot's holy sword was struck down, his armor shattered, and, as the black mist dispersed, his ferocious visage was revealed.
"Arthur!!"
From the berserk Knight of the Lake's perspective, the final blow came from the last of the Round Table Knights. The sword strike pierced through his core—the Servant's spirit origin—in an instant!
Gurgle, gurgle.
The black mud followed, engulfing Lancelot's lifeless body, dismantling his form, and turning his soul into magical energy that flowed into the Lesser Grail.
Alaric didn't look away, staring intently at the scene of Lancelot being consumed.
This was to ensure the Lesser Grail wouldn't retain Servants for its use but would convert them entirely into magical energy to prepare for Angra Mainyu's birth.
Leaving intact Servants would risk giving Angra Mainyu powerful additional forces upon its emergence.
Even if the selected Servants weren't heavy hitters, more opponents would only mean more trouble.
This was something Alaric could not allow.
Seconds later, with Lancelot completely devoured, the black mud around Alaric began to recede, retracting into the nameless girl.
Alaric noticed the changes in the girl after absorbing her second Servant—dark, ominous patterns spread across her pale skin.
At a glance, Alaric understood that these markings symbolized All the World's Evil.
The girl's fusion with Angra Mainyu was proceeding faster than he had anticipated.
At this rate, the progress from devouring just one more Servant could exceed expectations.
Shifting his focus away from the girl, Alaric surveyed the collapsed Matou mansion. From his observations, Matou Shinji wasn't home today, so there were no casualties.
After concluding his assessment of the Matou household, Alaric turned his gaze to the distant sky, where flashes of lightning and deafening thunder echoed.
The heavens brightened, and after 2,000 years, the Son of God's pilgrimage had descended upon the earth once more.
The King of Conquerors, now supplied with adequate magical energy, displayed an aura far surpassing any of his previous battles. This was the full strength befitting the King of Conquerors.
Not only that—Alaric also saw a certain King of Knights speeding on a motorcycle, roaring through the night at breakneck speed.
Meanwhile, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne leaped swiftly between buildings, charging toward Alaric.
'Alliance. So they've acquired a magical energy supply from Kayneth, haven't they?'
The simultaneous appearance and cooperation of the three Servants weren't outside Alaric's expectations. The fact that they had secured magical energy only slightly surprised him.
From their current performance, it was clear that only Kayneth had managed to rewrite Servant contracts, introducing a third party as the source of magical energy.
This was the only way for Artoria and Iskandar to gain the strength needed to oppose him.
'You're willing to go this far, Kayneth.'
Alaric's lips curled into a faint smile, fully aware of Kayneth's personality. For him to set aside his pride and ally with Waver was an absolute humiliation.
Yet, Kayneth had swallowed his pride—all to defeat Alaric.
After a brief moment of thought, Alaric, seeing the three approaching Servants, chose not to flee. Instead, he stood his ground with the girl, waiting for their arrival.
Even with the trio bolstered by magical energy, Alaric remained confident he could suppress them.
"This time, it's a fight to the death."
Alaric's jewel-like eyes reflected the night, and within their cold, merciless gaze, killing intent swirled.
This battle determined everything. Alaric couldn't afford a single mistake.
Leaving Artoria and Iskandar alive wasn't out of mercy—it was to prevent Angra Mainyu from spiraling out of control and leading the situation beyond his grasp.
Alaric needed to ensure there was a backup force besides himself to deal with any unforeseen circumstances.
Moreover, the souls of Artoria and the others should not be absorbed by this Lesser Grail, but rather by Irisviel.
Amidst the roaring thunder in the sky, Alaric could feel the cold night wind beginning to blow, carrying with it a piercing intent to kill.
The blood within his body was accelerating, as if anticipating and thrilled by the battle that was about to unfold.
The wind reversed, and as Alaric's will surged, the magical energy rippling from him formed faint arcs of light on the surface of his body—like the twilight glow of stars that linger, refusing to vanish as night gives way to dawn.
The Lesser Grail had already begun absorbing the souls of the Servants, signifying the start of Angra Mainyu's birth ritual. The only remaining questions were the number of Servant souls and the time required.
How much time? How many souls?
Alaric had no idea about such specifics, but judging by the fusion process of the girl, it seemed that as long as the required number of souls was reached, it would suffice.
As long as it met the minimum threshold to successfully open the Gate, Angra Mainyu would be born.
Tonight, Alaric would resolve this Holy Grail War and obtain the Third Magic—Heaven's Feel!
The third Servant to be absorbed by the Lesser Grail had already been decided from the start—Lancer, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne!
As Diarmuid Ua Duibhne approached a certain distance, steel wings instantly unfolded behind Alaric. Dozens of tiny propulsion units erupted with dazzling arcs of light, channeling a massive surge of magical energy in an instant. The energy transformed into incredible thrust, propelling Alaric into the skies!
Boom!
Shortly after Alaric disappeared, a deafening roar echoed in the girl's ears, accompanied by a terrifying gust of wind that caused her crimson hair to whip wildly.
Despite this, the girl remained indifferent, merely watching Alaric's departure with a faint smile at the corner of her lips.
Angra Mainyu was inherently a void, incapable of possessing an independent personality. It could only inherit the intellect and personality of others to become its "self."
But Alaric's Lesser Grail had been created less than a day ago, leaving no room or time for intellectual growth.
Unlike the Einzberns, Alaric lacked the advanced technology needed to create mature homunculi. The intellectual deficiencies were irreparable, meaning Angra Mainyu could only rely on a temporary intellect to begin functioning as a pseudo-Servant of the Lesser Grail.
What Alaric failed to foresee, however, was that memories engraved in bloodlines are intertwined with life itself.
This allowed Angra Mainyu to acquire sufficient intellect to form a personality.
A streak of pitch-black light tore across the sky, faster than lightning, sharper than the swiftest gale.
The compressed wind pressure began to sweep through the city of Fuyuki below, creating a doomsday-like scene of destruction as if a natural disaster had descended!
Running amidst the rooftops of skyscrapers, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne naturally noticed the incoming figure and his instincts screamed in alarm.
The overwhelming killing intent made Diarmuid Ua Duibhne feel as though he had returned to the battlefield. Without a doubt, this was a fight to the death!
For the first time, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne sensed murderous intent emanating from Alaric.
"Is it coming?!"
Facing the streak of black light, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne knew all too well that Artoria and Iskandar would not arrive in time to assist. It would be a one-on-one battle between him and Alaric!
This didn't make Diarmuid Ua Duibhne shrink back or feel fear. On the contrary, his fighting spirit soared to unprecedented heights!
The thunder grew closer.
It was not applause for a god-child traversing the earth, but the ripples caused by the movement of a singular being.
The catastrophic scene, akin to a typhoon passing through, surged toward Diarmuid Ua Duibhne with terrifying speed. Amidst the white waves of air, black dragon wings gleamed with a cold brilliance.
The dragon had arrived.
In that instant, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, standing atop a skyscraper, saw a massive black blade over ten meters long cleave through the air, shattering the advancing shockwave.
It roared as it came for Diarmuid Ua Duibhne! Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of exhaust ports unleashed astonishing thrust, shaking even the heavens themselves!
"!!!"
Sensing grave danger, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne leaped back, narrowly evading the descending black blade at the last moment.
In that fleeting moment, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne finally saw what the massive blade truly was.
It was not a weapon of the past, not an armament wielded by any hero throughout history. It was a creation of modern science and violence.
A self-destructive weapon designed with no regard for durability, pursuing only maximum power!
The massive black blade had been formed by the transformation of Alaric's steel dragon wings!
The black blade, imbued with overwhelming force, grazed past Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, and the mere pressure of its passage sent him flying, blood scattering in the air.
Boom!!!
The black blade crashed into the rooftop of a building below, unleashing immense power that instantly pulverized the skyscraper into rubble!
The resulting shockwaves caused nearby buildings to tremble and crack.
Lie, his gaze ice-cold released the disintegrating black blade. Immediately, hundreds of Gates of Judgment unfolded behind him, all locking onto Diarmuid Ua Duibhne!
It was an attack Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, suspended midair, could not possibly evade—an overwhelming barrage no amount of magical energy could defend against!
Boom-boom-boom-boom!!
Blinding waves of light erupted. Even as Diarmuid Ua Duibhne was blasted to the ground, the onslaught did not cease. Instead, it grew even more ferocious and relentless!
The shockwaves alone caused incredible destruction within a hundred-meter radius of the city. Countless abandoned buildings were obliterated, and shards of glass glittered as they scattered through the air.
Bang!
Alaric landed abruptly on the ground but did not pause. He strode purposefully toward the suppressed Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, pinned down by the Gates of Judgment!
Tap, tap.
In front of the knight wielding the magic spear, the nameless assassin silently closed the distance.
If the knight wielding dual spears was an impenetrable fortress, then the advancing assassin was the wind.
The assassin's blooming sword light forced the knight to raise his spear in defense.
But already overwhelmed by the unending pressure of the Gates of Judgment, the knight failed to notice the anomaly until the sword's edge was about to meet the magic spear.
"Those eyes—"
It was then that Diarmuid Ua Duibhne finally noticed the gem-like hue in Alaric's eyes.
A thought surfaced uncontrollably in his mind—a realization that this was an ability he could not possibly resist.
"Mystic Eyes of Death Perception—"
Following Diarmuid Ua Duibhne's realization, the icy sword light moved at absolute speed, cutting through with an unavoidable trajectory.
Slash.
Amidst a spray of blood, a severed arm flew high into the air, marking the knight's downfall.
At this moment, the distance between the two was no more than an arm's length. The crimson magic spear remained in his hand, and the knight who sought battle still seemed to hold a chance at victory.
The Gates of Judgment ceased their barrage, allowing the knight to face the assassin before him with his full strength.
Alaric crouched slightly, raised his eyes, and met Diarmuid Ua Duibhne's gaze.
Cold, devoid of any emotion.
This was Diarmuid Ua Duibhne's sole impression of Alaric in this moment—a killer, devoid of chivalry, absent of a knight's spirit.
What stood before him was no more than a cold and unfeeling machine—a murderer executing these actions solely for his own goals.
"Too late. I see no chance of victory."
Even with the keen instincts of Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, someone capable of grasping even a 1% chance of reversal, he could not see a glimmer of victory at this moment. It wasn't just that Alaric's speed was overwhelming—the distance between them had already entered the range of inescapable death.
The thought of defeat filled Diarmuid Ua Duibhne's mind. Following this, a flash of light from a blade swept through his remaining arm, severing it along with the crimson rose spear that could dispel magic.
For a knight who dual-wields magical spears, the loss of both arms was tantamount to death.
Without any exchange of words, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne met the end of this second life.
The speed of his defeat far surpassed his expectations. Yet, despite this, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne felt no despair or anger. What filled his heart instead was a faint sense of satisfaction and admiration.
"Sir Alaric, you truly are... incredible."
After all, all Diarmuid Ua Duibhne had ever desired in this life was a true battle. No other attachments, nothing but the pure essence of combat.
Though he felt some regret at not being able to face the King of Knights, he still considered it an honor to have crossed blades with Alaric.
Even though he had been crushed so thoroughly and decisively by Alaric's overwhelming strength, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne still felt joy.
"You flatter me, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne," Alaric replied.
Lifting Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, Alaric's steel wings unfurled once again, emitting a brilliant stream of light that propelled him into the sky. He streaked toward the ruins of the Matou family estate, where the girl awaited him.
As the dark streak ascended, the turquoise lightning that roared across the heavens raged on. The divine child, riding the Gordias Wheel, galloped across the sky, banishing the night to amplify the display of divine glory.
Riding through the lands as a divine child, Iskandar naturally witnessed the scene unfolding below.
The beginning and end of the battle had been so swift that there hadn't even been enough time to change direction to provide support.
Before Iskandar had crossed even half the distance, the battle was already over.
And precisely because of this, the King of Conquerors, Iskandar, realized that Alaric still had many hidden abilities he had yet to reveal. To dispatch Diarmuid Ua Duibhne in just a few breaths—was not something an ordinary Servant could achieve.
Unconcerned with Iskandar's gaze, Alaric returned to the vicinity of the Matou estate in an instant. The girl, who had been waiting for him, opened her mouth, and the black mud surging beneath her seemed like a fledgling bird waiting to be fed.
"What is this...?"
Though not entirely dead, merely disarmed, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne looked at the girl in shock, seemingly unable to comprehend her existence or the nature of the black mud beneath her.
"Sir Alaric, you're doing something very dangerous. I implore you to stop."
Regardless of the girl or the black mud's nature, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne spoke seriously to Alaric: "If this continues, the situation may spiral far beyond your expectations."
"This is no longer your concern. Farewell, Diarmuid."
Thud.
Without further conversation, Alaric casually threw Diarmuid Ua Duibhne into the black mud, leaving him to be completely devoured by it. His body dissolved into magical energy, flowing into the Holy Grail.
"Huh?"
In the last moment before losing consciousness, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne's final sight was of Alaric alone, facing the vast sea of lightning.
By this point, the Lesser Grail already contained the essence of three Servants, and the gradually brimming magical energy signified the birth of something.
Boom!
Thunder roared across the sky. Alaric stood with his hands behind his back, awaiting the divine child who appeared above.
As the Gordias Wheel approached, the rolling thunderclouds began to converge, and the turquoise lightning roared incessantly, carrying boundless divine authority to herald the King's arrival.
The King of Conquerors held the reins in his hands, but there were no retainers by his side. To allow Iskandar to face Alaric in his best form, Waver had not followed his King into battle. Instead, he stayed with Keayneth, enduring immense pressure.
From afar, the sound of a roaring motorcycle engine echoed through the thunder. The rider, clad in silver armor, sped with godlike speed toward the battlefield.
Still dressed in a black suit, the Knight King, Artoria Pendragon, descended from her motorcycle with an air of vigor. Her resolute gaze reflected her curiosity about Alaric and her confusion about the girl beside him.
'Another one?' Artoria thought.
Having not witnessed the girl devouring Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, Artoria dismounted and stepped forward. With each step, particles of light surrounded her, forming a pale blue battle dress.
Alaric's gaze swept across the two, and his expression finally changed slightly when he saw Artoria. He said, "I don't recommend this course of action, but I also don't mind killing you both. Do you no longer desire the Grail?"
To Alaric, Artoria and Iskandar's presence was a luxury, not a necessity. If they insisted on acting against him, Alaric had no qualms about adding their souls to the Lesser Grail.
"Sir Alaric, what are you doing?" Artoria asked, her gaze sharp as she scrutinized Alaric and the girl beside him. She sought answers.
"Knight, I'll wait and see!" Iskandar said. As someone who had moved for the Grail, he was in no rush to fight Alaric. Instead, he wanted to see how Alaric would handle this corrupted Grail.
Snap.
Alaric didn't waste words. With a snap of his fingers, he motioned for the girl to step forward.
Under Artoria's watchful gaze, Alaric wrapped an arm around the girl's slender waist. The steel wings unfurled behind him, drawing Artoria's attention.
Alaric said indifferently, "It's simple. Just stand there and watch."
Boom!
Before Artoria and Iskandar could question further, Alaric and the girl turned into streaks of light, heading straight for Ryuudou Temple.
...
At the same time…
In the vast cavern beneath Ryuudou Temple, the Magus of Flowers, Merlin, calmly observed the transformed Greater Grail system. His expression remained tranquil, as though everything was still within his grasp.
The changes to the Greater Grail system unfolded before Merlin's eyes: stone pillars sprouted flesh, and black mud surged from within the system to envelop it.
Finally, something resembling a womb took shape, as though something was being nurtured inside. The rapid progression of these events was almost unnatural.
It was as if something was accelerating the process, eager to be born.
"It's coming—the Counter Force's response," Merlin murmured.
As someone entered the underground cavern, Merlin turned his head toward the entrance and said, "Are you ready, Brother Alaric?"