Faced with the swarm of attacking magical beasts, Alaric, while introducing the Armored Cavalry Alter to Ritsuka Fujimaru and D'Eon, decisively spun around and shot forward like a meteor, brushing past Astolfo. D'Eon, who was a step slower, was left far behind. Initially preparing to summon reinforcements upon seeing the horde, Ritsuka gave up on summoning after seeing Alaric charge ahead.
"Yahoo! Sir Alaric, go hit them hard!"
Seeing Alaric rush into the magical beast swarm, Astolfo cheered enthusiastically, excitedly waving his arms and even squeezing his legs together in support.
Amid the sound of swords cutting through the air, drowned out by the splatter of blood, the towering magical boars were torn apart, collapsing to the ground in pieces.
Watching Alaric slaughter the beasts with such ease, Astolfo grew even more excited.
"Wow, you're still as amazing as ever!"
Astolfo, fully aware of Alaric's prowess, didn't think too much about it. All he knew was that Alaric was his ally now, and that was enough.
"Of course," Alaric replied with a smile, giving a thumbs-up as he returned. "If I weren't amazing now, I wouldn't stand a chance out here."
"Your swordsmanship is truly remarkable."
From the few strikes Alaric had used to slay the magical boars, D'Eon had witnessed exceptional swordsmanship and couldn't help but express their admiration.
"You flatter me," Alaric said with a shake of his head. "Enough about that. I spotted a Servant just now. Want to go check it out?"
Sheathing his holy sword, Alaric climbed onto the vehicle and glanced back at Ritsuka, Astolfo, and D'Eon, who had caught up. "Time is money! If we're adventuring in the underworld, we need to charge ahead at full speed!"
"Exactly, exactly! Are we racing off-road now?"
Astolfo, not summoning his mount but instead operating the Armored Cavalry Alter that Alaric had created, exclaimed with excitement, "This is my first time driving one of these!"
With an A+ in Riding, Astolfo had an extraordinary talent for riding. He could handle any beast—even phantasmal or divine beasts—though it didn't apply to dragons. Naturally, human-made vehicles were no challenge at all.
"Let's go!"
Sitting skillfully behind Alaric, Ritsuka raised her arm with a laugh. "Charge, charge, charge!"
With the roar of the vehicle's engine, the modified Armored Cavalry Alter raced freely across the rugged wilderness terrain.
Before long, following the trail left by the magical boars, Alaric and the others came across a boy sitting in the shade of a rock.
The boy had light purple hair and a youthful face. Most importantly, he emitted the unmistakable spiritual signature of a Servant.
Before Astolfo could wake the boy, Alaric immediately recognized his true name—Fergus mac Róich.
But unlike the muscle-bound, squinty-eyed Fergus summoned by Chaldea, this Fergus was undeniably a young boy.
No longer the adult version—this was Fergus mac Róich in his adolescence, still innocent and tender.
As Astolfo tried to rouse Fergus, Alaric explained the situation to Ritsuka, Mash, and Da Vinci back in Chaldea.
["That's right, it's Sir Fergus. But why does he look like this?"]
Mash, shocked, confirmed Fergus's true identity after comparing his spiritual signature but remained puzzled.
["Ara, how interesting!"]
Da Vinci, ever a fan of chaos, smiled mischievously. ["Is it just Fergus who's changed like this, or have other Servants transformed too?"]
Based on the observations, this youthful Fergus was 100% the same Servant summoned by Chaldea, not a newly summoned one from the Singularity.
This development piqued Da Vinci's curiosity even further.
Once Fergus's identity was confirmed, things became much simpler. Though initially hesitant about whether his immature self could contribute, Fergus mustered his courage and joined Ritsuka's team under the expectant gazes of Astolfo and the others.
With Fergus now part of the group, Alaric and the others began discussing their next steps.
Though unable to freely sense distant targets, Alaric had a more straightforward approach in mind.
Riding his trusty cavalry, Alaric and Astolfo soared toward the highest point of the underworld, using his extraordinary vision to survey the landscape below.
Even without magical senses, Alaric could rely on his sharp eyesight.
Breaking through the obstacles of the underground sky, Alaric destroyed anything in his way. As they continued to ascend, he eventually spotted a structure in the distance—a pyramid-like building.
"Hmm?"
Alaric blinked, as though to confirm he wasn't seeing things, and soon confirmed it with certainty.
The magnificent golden structure was not the same style as the radiant Grand Temple he had seen before; instead, it resembled a Sun Altar.
Specifically, it looked like the altar of Quetzalcoatl.
But that wasn't all. In addition to the altar-like structure, Alaric also noticed a small medieval-style circular town by the sea of this underground world.
Furthermore, hidden in the shadows of the surrounding mountains was a sprawling, illuminated city with distinctly East architectural features.
Majestic and grand, it was on a completely different level artistically compared to the other settlements.
"Hmm?"
Alaric didn't use his senses to identify Servant responses, but judging by the three distinctive structures, he was sure of their next targets.
The Demon Pillars must be hiding in one of these buildings.
The aerial observation didn't last long. As they descended, Alaric relayed everything he had seen to Mash and Da Vinci.
["Three structures with different styles? Hmm, seems like three factions then,"] Da Vinci mused, stroking her chin with a smile. ["Where are you planning to go first?"]
"I'll check out the altar first—"
Back on the ground, Alaric stared at the Armored Cavalry Alter, frowning.
If he wasn't mistaken, the altar-like structure was deep within a dense forest, and the terrain there wouldn't be suitable for the Armored Cavalry Alter.
Cut a path through the forest?
After dismissing several plans, Alaric smiled lightly and said, "Let's head to that seaside town instead. The roads there look much easier to traverse."
Compared to the forest teeming with trees, the seaside town seemed far more approachable.
Having made up his mind, Alaric began discussing the next steps with Ritsuka and the others.
"Hey, I saw a town up ahead earlier—it looks closer!"
Astolfo, who had also been observing the terrain from above, pointed forward. "Should we check it out first?"