At this moment, on the outskirts of the chalk-white city—Camelot—
the stars collided with the sun.
A heat powerful enough to evaporate the earth surged, reaching its peak in an instant, as though the great sun had truly descended from the heavens.
Boom!!
The atmosphere was completely vaporized. In the resulting vacuum, there was no sound, only a massive pillar of radiant light shooting skyward. This pillar, intertwining and fracturing, split into countless branches. Flames and crimson lightning intertwined chaotically, rampaging across the land.
Wherever they passed, the ground was reduced to scorched earth.
Rumble, rumble!
As the pillar of light exploded, the air hundreds of meters away surged like a tidal wave. The visible white air currents rolled forward but, under the searing heat, instantly distorted into blazing waves that engulfed the terrain.
In the circular crater, hundreds of meters deep—formed by the clash of light—Alaric and Gawain stood facing one another.
Alaric knelt on one knee, the Sword of End supporting him as he struggled to stay upright. More than half of his body was scorched by solar flames. Large patches of his skin had turned to charcoal and peeled away, while newly formed skin was immediately burned again by the lingering heat.
Though the air was thick with stifling heat, making every breath feel like needles stabbing his lungs, Alaric forced himself to take deep breaths, desperate to recover from the immense strain the attack had inflicted on his body.
His efforts to recover, however, seemed futile.
Alaric's dragon heart had reached an unprecedented threshold. Despite an unlimited supply of magical energy fortifying his body, the strain was terrifyingly unbearable. The Holy Grail provided him with limitless energy, allowing his dragon-like regenerative abilities to persist, but the mental pressure was unrelenting. Worse, at the final moment of release, his body had undergone abnormal changes—his non-human side rapidly gaining dominance.
As Alaric struggled to regain composure, Gawain stood not far away, holding his Excalibur Galatine in one hand. Unlike Alaric, who fought to remain upright, Gawain appeared completely at ease.
With a sudden motion, Gawain tore off his cracked armor, revealing a muscular frame wrapped in a sleek black bodysuit—a body brimming with immense, sculpted power.
"That's it! Sir Alaric!"
Gawain strode forward, his powerful steps cutting through the sweltering heatwaves. His hearty laughter resonated, undeterred by the chaos around them.
This was the brilliance Gawain longed to see—not just the light of the Holy Sword bestowed by the Lion King, but Alaric's brilliance.
In this clash of Noble Phantasms, Alaric's brilliance had finally bloomed!
"Thank... you for the praise..."
Seeing Gawain approach, Alaric forced himself to stand, his heart racing uncontrollably. He steadied himself as best as he could.
"Sir Gawain, what do you think of this?"
Gawain, now standing before Alaric, examined him from head to toe. Alaric radiated an overwhelming dragon's presence, so much so that Gawain could have mistaken him for a true dragon if he hadn't witnessed the transformation firsthand.
Though his expression remained composed, Gawain's furrowed brow hinted at deeper concerns. Still, he responded with a smile:
"Sir Alaric, your strength is enough to rank among the Round Table. In the coming battle against Richard the Lionheart, you'll shine brilliantly!
However, I noticed you poured a massive amount of magical energy into clashing with my Excalibur Galatine, didn't you? It seems your control is still lacking."
With his vast experience, Gawain easily discerned the techniques Alaric had used in their battle. Yet, the final result revealed Alaric's shortcomings.
In this duel, despite the incredible energy he channeled, Alaric's Sword of End had been slightly inferior to Gawain's Excalibur Galatine.
'A great victory!'
Alaric's heart pounded, feeling as if it would leap out of his chest.
Though he hadn't won outright, achieving such a result with only these injuries was a tremendous success.
"You're right—I lack control," Alaric admitted.
"If not for the Holy Grail, I would've been vaporized by your sword in an instant."
He sighed deeply. Only by facing Gawain directly could he grasp the despairing gap between them.
If Gawain was this overwhelming, what would it feel like to face Lancelot at full strength? Above them all loomed the Lion King, a godly figure whose Holy Spear could annihilate entire cities or mountains with a single release.
"You're too modest, Sir Alaric," Gawain said with a reassuring smile.
"You have untapped potential, unlike us Heroic Spirits, who are bound by the limits of what we were in life.
"The dragon's blood the King gave you, combined with your innate abilities—these are treasures yet to be fully unlocked."
At that moment, Gawain exuded the warmth of an older brother, his guidance starkly different from Lancelot's but equally valuable.
Gurgle, gurgle—!
A strange sound interrupted them. Alaric's stomach growled loudly.
"Hahaha! Perhaps your appetite rivals the King's, Sir Alaric. Would you care for some of my mashed potatoes? The King can't stop praising them!"
Gawain laughed, clapping Alaric on the shoulder.
'Mashed potatoes, huh...'
Alaric swallowed involuntarily. His appetite surged, likely a side effect of his body's recovery. Even with magical energy replenishing him, he couldn't escape the inevitable hunger.
"By the way, Sir Gawain," Alaric began, looking at his bare torso.
"How do you summon armor?"
The clash had once again destroyed his clothing, leaving him shirtless.
Gawain looked at him in surprise before bursting into hearty laughter.
"Is this what's troubling you? It's a relatively simple technique, though it may be harder for someone like you, still alive. Let's walk and talk."
As they leaped out of the crater and made their way back to Camelot, Gawain explained the basics of constructing armor with magical energy.
Just as they reached the main gate, a figure blocked their path.
"Sir Agravain?"
Gawain asked curiously.
Before them stood none other than the workaholic, Agravain.