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

The sister of Hephaestion, a woman without a name, also served as Iskandar's foremost confidant. Acting as Iskandar's shadow and agent, she moved about in the outside world. To protect the Conqueror King, Iskandar's mother Olympias sought an unwaveringly loyal confidant and a mage capable of defending against curses aimed at the king.

The former was the real Hephaestion, while the latter was her.

To serve as Iskandar's substitute in the realm of magecraft, she was not even granted a name. Because of this, she was able to impersonate Iskandar in a magical sense and bear the brunt of the various curses meant for him.

Her various acts of deception to protect the king, combined with her actions as his proxy, led to her being included in the legacy of Iskandar in later generations.

Her attire more closely resembled that of a young Iskandar during his youth.

Although she should have refused Iskandar's summons, for some reason, she appeared in this battle, fighting as a one-time manifestation.

When Iskandar mounted his beloved steed Bucephalus, she took the reins of the Gordias Wheel.

During her lifetime, she had been the one to command the Gordias Wheel, and it was only natural that she could unleash the full power of this Noble Phantasm.

The roaring divine lightning, driven by Zeus' divine bulls, surged toward Alaric with unstoppable force.

The Gordias Wheel's rampaging charge produced effects akin to Zeus' lightning strikes, not only through the trampling of the bulls' hooves and the rolling of the chariot's wheels but also through the unleashed divine lightning.

Its effects were akin to an Anti-Army Noble Phantasm of A+ rank!

The divine bulls roared, and the steel dragons charged forward, ignoring the obstruction of countless troops. Under Alaric's gaze, the divine lightning struck down the symbol of authority, delivering a judgment that annihilated its target in an instant.

Having fought in the Red Dragon, Alaric had developed methods to counter such lightning strikes. As long as he could destroy them, no matter how much mana it consumed, it was acceptable to him.

As the steel dragons destroyed the dreadful divine lightning one after another, they then pierced the connection between the chariot and the divine bulls with incredible speed, even wounding the one commanding the bulls.

The activation of the Gordias Wheel did not bring a decisive change to the battle. The cosmic nebula that stretched across the world tore this reality apart entirely.

This was not a rupture caused by overwhelming heat but the very destruction of this world itself.

Although a Reality Marble could be considered a kind of microcosm, it was not something invincible.

As the number of personnel maintaining the barrier dwindled, Alaric's attacks on the ground killed off segments of the Reality Marble one after another until it was destroyed.

The world died.

But the battle was not over. Even though the Conqueror King's greatest Noble Phantasm—a manifestation of his glory and kingly path—had disappeared, he remained.

Thus, the battle would not end. This was a fight to the death.

Tap, tap.

As the two materialized in the real world, Alaric instantly closed the distance to Iskandar with explosive speed.

Facing Iskandar's body, wrapped in divine lightning, Alaric swung his sword without hesitation.

Not only that, but gates of holy judgment and steel dragon wings also manifested around him, while holy judgment and the Chains of Heaven were instantly deployed to restrain Iskandar's movements, ensuring that this lethal strike would land!

"Farewell, Conqueror King!"

Splat.

It was a momentary event, so brief that time itself seemed unable to flow.

The Conqueror King Iskandar looked at the knight before him and the blade piercing his chest. Smiling faintly, he dissolved into particles of light and vanished.

This brief second life had come to an end. Though he failed to realize his wish, he had carried out his domineering path to the very end.

More importantly—he was content.

"What a magnificent battle this was..."

Without a single moment spent mourning the death of the Conqueror King, Alaric turned his gaze toward the distant horizon. His senses expanded instantly, spreading to Ryuudou Temple, where the unmistakable magical energy fluctuations of the Greater Grail burned bright in the night like a beacon.

This was entirely different from how Liyé remembered the Greater Grail's energy. Even after consuming three Servants, the changes brought about by the nameless young girl's actions with the Greater Grail had not reached such extremes.

It was as if, after his departure, the girl had acquired some kind of immense supplement that greatly accelerated Angra Mainyu's awakening process.

Unable to ascertain the reason, Alaric only knew that progress toward his goal had inexplicably quickened.

Had Iskandar's soul flowed into the Lesser Grail after his death?

Alaric could not determine whether Iskandar's soul had entered the Lesser Grail after being slain.

More importantly, Alaric sensed the magical energy reactions of Ritsuka Fujimaru and her companions near the Greater Grail at Ryuudou Temple—

"They're trying to dismantle the Greater Grail!"

Alaric's eyes grew cold. He hardly needed to think to deduce Ritsuka Fujimaru's group's objective.

The current point of contention was the Greater Grail. If the Greater Grail disappeared, even Alaric would lose his reason to oppose them.

Not only Fujimaru, but Alaric also sensed that Kiritsugu Emiya and Irisviel were present near Ryuudou Temple as they moved toward the underground cavern.

"Current forces remaining—three Servants?"

Frowning slightly, Alaric detected a new magical energy reaction near Ryuudou Temple that he had never encountered before.

Was this a Servant summoned by Miss Fujimaru?

Unable to confirm, Alaric ascended into the air, his steel wings propelling him at supersonic speeds to Ryuudou Temple in an instant.

The roaring winds surged like a tidal wave, forcing the forests surrounding Ryuudou Temple to bow in submission!

Without even attempting to stop Fujimaru and her companions, Alaric arrived near Ryuudou Temple and directly perceived the massive changes the Greater Grail had undergone.

Angra Mainyu's awakening progress—was already nearing its climax!

Ignoring Merlin, who remained in Ryuudou Temple, Alaric descended directly into the underground cavern.

Tap, tap.

After a short interval, Alaric once again stepped into the underground cavern, where he saw the figure of an old man and the increasingly swollen Greater Grail.

Within the Grail, the shadow of the demon had taken on a distinct form, resembling a pitch-black giant.

The light of curses suffused the underground cavern, corroding all sentient beings who entered.

"Matou Zouken?"

Upon seeing the old man's figure, Alaric raised an eyebrow and said, "You'd better explain yourself, or I'll kill you."

"Hehehe, Alaric, aren't you trying to awaken Angra Mainyu yourself?"

Matou Zouken chuckled, not turning to face Alaric directly. "Then our goals align—"

"It seems this old man has a way to bring Angra Mainyu out faster."

Keeping his senses sharp, Alaric glanced at the entrance behind him. Artoria and her group were rapidly approaching the underground cavern.

Following Artoria were Ritsuka Fujimaru and Waver Velvet. Outside Ryuudou Temple, Kiritsugu Emiya and Irisviel had also appeared.

"Old man, what method? They're about to arrive."

Alaric, watching Kiritsugu Emiya attempt to breach his barrier outside, remarked nonchalantly, "You don't have time to waste, or are there still not enough Servant sacrifices?"

"Enough, enough. The sacrificed Servants are sufficient. Next is—"

Matou Zouken activated a ritual he had never used in his centuries-long life. As one of the founders of the Holy Grail system, Matou Zouken's knowledge of it was unmatched.

To speed up the progress of the Holy Grail was, to him, a trivial matter.

After Alaric killed the fifth Servant, Iskandar, the requirements for the manifestation in this Holy Grail War had already been fulfilled.

However, Alaric did not understand the retreat of the King of Heroes. He simply assumed that Iskandar was the last piece of the puzzle needed to open the Holy Grail.

The Hole had opened.

A light of curses began to flow from the Hole, which tore open the Great Holy Grail's void. Streams of cursed mud poured forth, cascading down both sides of the Great Holy Grail.

Because the base of the Great Holy Grail was a bowl-like stone platform, the cursed mud did not flow outward into the world but instead began to pool and accumulate within the stone platform.

Watching this spectacle, Alaric's expression remained unchanged.

As long as he dealt with Angra Mainyu, Alaric could use the Lesser Grail to make a true wish upon the Holy Grail, thus obtaining the Third Magic.

With this thought in mind, Alaric noticed a figure seemingly appearing within the Greater Grail.

Tap. Tap.

Clear footsteps echoed in the underground cavern. From within the Greater Grail, a figure took shape, transitioning from nothingness to reality, fully manifesting in the world under the watchful eyes of Alaric and Matou Zouken.

At that moment, Artoria finally arrived in the underground cavern, followed closely by Ritsuka Fujimaru and Lord El-Melloi II. Their attention was immediately drawn to the ominous Greater Grail.

"Is this the Holy Grail?"

Waver, who had lost his Servant and was reduced to a mere bystander, looked on in astonishment.

Beside him, Kayneth maintained a cold expression and remarked, "For a rural magical ritual, it's not without merit."

As a natural genius, Kayneth could discern many things with just a glance.

At this moment, the Greater Grail had already opened its Hole, and the curses pouring from the void were undoubtedly the cause of humanity's destruction.

Although the process was slow, it was clear that this substance was enough to destabilize human history.

"We're too late!"

Lord El-Melloi II's expression shifted slightly, but he quickly calmed himself and said, "But it's still not over. As long as we destroy the Grail—"

"Don't even think about it."

A cold voice rang out from within the Grail.

Alaric finally got a clear look at the figure that had emerged.

It was not a persona clad in the image of a young girl, nor was it a likeness of Irisviel that had appeared. Instead, it was the Winter Saint, Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern, the saint who had once dedicated everything to the salvation of humanity under an ancient oath.

The saint, bearing the same appearance as Irisviel, was a man-made saint who had once mastered the Third Magic after the disappearance of the original wielder of the Third Magic.

She had been born to serve as the core of the Greater Grail—a living, breathing magic circuit.

Even now, Justeaze remained at the center of the Greater Grail. Her magic circuits had grown and expanded endlessly, resulting in a structure resembling a network of circuits spanning a diameter of one kilometer around the Greater Grail.

This kilometer-wide network of magical circuits, formed from a human body, could be called a microcosm.

The grand ceremonial artifact is known within the Einzbern family as the Heaven's Feel had now taken on a black-and-red hue on Justeaze's body, exuding a sinister aura. Large swathes of snow-white skin were exposed, and the contrast with the black-and-red attire made her appear eerily seductive.

In her final moments of manifestation, Angra Mainyu had chosen to inhabit the lingering consciousness of Justeaze within the Holy Grail as its vessel for activity.

This was only logical. Since neither of the two Lesser Grails had perished, there were no other available personas within the Holy Grail for Angra Mainyu to take over.

But at the moment of Justeaze's manifestation, Alaric finally realized that something was amiss.

The presence of the Lesser Grails at this stage was strangely faint.

Was it because they were still alive?

It wasn't just that. When Alaric saw Justeaze, his unrelenting senses detected traces of the Fourth Servant's magical energy.

Pure darkness was spreading through Fuyuki City.

And in the moment Alaric became distracted—

"Ahh… ahhh… Justeaze, Heaven's Feel… what a beautiful figure…"

Five hundred years of obsession and the passage of time had long eroded Matou Zouken's original aspirations. His decayed body and soul had buried the once-radiant ideals he had held.

The desire to save humanity was, in any era, a true embodiment of justice.

The one who had once been a champion of justice had, over the long years, transformed into an ugly monster.

But today, in this final moment, Matou Zouken once more saw the saint who had sacrificed herself centuries ago—Justeaze.

The Winter Saint—Justeaze. Could their ancient oath finally be fulfilled today?

Upon seeing Justeaze, did Matou Zouken see the saint's figure, or the self he could once take pride in centuries ago?

"Ahhh… I see, I see. Was I simply longing for your visage all this time?"

The decayed soul could no longer discern what the symbol of his longing represented. His consciousness began to blur, unable to truly grasp his existence.

The saint immediately took notice of the old man and Alaric, and a chilling smile spread across her face.

"How foolish you are, my enemy. But enough. Your mission has ended. Pass away, clinging to the dream of an unfulfilled ideal."

Suddenly, shadows expanded outward, rushing toward Alaric and Matou Zouken.

Alaric dodged in time, watching as Matou Zouken was devoured alive by the shadows, his expression remaining unchanged.

Five hundred years of obsession ended in such a manner. Was it pain or peace?

This scene left Artoria and the others stunned.

Artoria, already astonished by Justeaze's appearance, and Ritsuka Fujimaru and Lord El-Melloi II, shaken by the sight of the Greater Grail, now looked even graver.

"Justeaze… no, Angra Mainyu."

Facing the saint directly, Alaric's gaze finally wavered, a flame of expectation flickering in his eyes.

"I will kill you and obtain the Third Magic."

Tap. Tap.

Before his words had even faded, Alaric moved.

"Oh? Such arrogant words."

Justeaze's expression turned mad as she locked her gaze on Alaric, ignoring even Ritsuka Fujimaru and the others.

Alaric's years of research on the Greater Grail could be said to be research on Justeaze's very body. Coupled with his creation of the Lesser Grails and his actions involving Angra Mainyu, this had drawn the direct attention of both Justeaze and Angra Mainyu.

Now, clad in Justeaze's persona, Angra Mainyu was fully aware of Alaric's value.

"Come! Offer yourself! Offer your soul, offer your life!

I shall devour everything you have and fulfill the thousand-year-old vow!"

A surge of magical energy erupted. Having absorbed the souls of five Servants, including a being as formidable as Gilgamesh, the magical power Justeaze could wield was terrifying!

The surging black mud turned into an attack, pouring down toward Alaric.

The shadow that had devoured Matou Zouken quickly spread beneath Alaric, attempting to repeat its earlier act of consumption.

Caught off guard, Artoria dashed to Alaric's side and swung her holy sword at Justeaze!

The air rippled. Almost in sync with Artoria, Lord El-Melloi II decisively cast a spell, enhancing Artoria's abilities with status-boosting magic.

"Enhancing the already superb state of Artoria to an even higher level!"

But now, Alaric absolutely would not allow any opportunity to slip away. He suddenly grabbed Artoria's arm and forcefully pulled her.

He managed to yank Artoria out of the range in front of him, all while shouting:

"If you interfere with this battle, I will directly use the light band to blast this place!"

Nobody will survive!

Hearing this, Artoria, who was already extremely wary of the light band, immediately stopped in her tracks and kept a vigilant eye on both Alaric and Justeaze.

At the very moment Artoria retreated, Alaric closed the distance between himself and Justeaze, and with the fake holy sword in his hand, he instantly severed both the shadow on the ground and the curses surging toward him.

He killed them completely!

Alaric's gem-like eyes locked firmly onto Justeaze and the Hole that had been opened.

The curses flowing out of the void were the embodiment of all the evils in this world, existing within the inner side of the Holy Grail.

In other words, that void was precisely the inner side of the Holy Grail that Alaric had been attempting to reach all along.

If Alaric could successfully kill all the evils of the world, the Holy Grail should theoretically be purified.

Although the concept of all the evils of the world was an abstract entity, it should still have an endpoint of destruction—

As long as it possessed the concept of death, then there was nothing that could not be eradicated.

Alaric was entirely confident that he could kill the malicious information that had polluted the Holy Grail and return it to its pure, colorless state.

And right now, Justeaze was incapable of stopping Alaric's actions.

Hum.

The sword blade swung with an unstoppable force, surpassing Justeaze's reaction. Alaric, who existed outside the Fuyuki Holy Grail system, was not someone she could contend with.

Though Justeaze held an absolute advantage over Servants tied to the Fuyuki Holy Grail system, in the face of Alaric, she was merely a magus with immense magical energy.

Even so, Alaric would not show a shred of carelessness.

He would unleash all his power to kill Justeaze!

As his years-long goal and final obstacle, Alaric could not allow even the slightest risk!

Kill the curses, kill the magic, kill all obstacles in his path.

Eliminate all obstructions—until there is no longer any form of resistance or defense between Alaric and Justeaze.

His cold eyes reflected the brilliance of jewels, as though etching the image of the saint in front of him deeply into his mind.

With deathly information surging forth, in that very instant, Alaric let go of the restraints on his consciousness.

Deeper, deeper, endlessly deeper into his awareness.

Abandoning his sense of self, he sought to reach the deeper essence of death, a more metaphysical existence.

Not to kill the body, not to kill the mind, but to kill Evil.

To kill the malicious information that had tainted the Holy Grail's colorless power. Only then could the Holy Grail return to normal.

Could he do it?

Alaric's most powerful sword to date had only managed to kill the Three Goddess Alliance divine contract.

But now, he aimed to kill the All the Evils of the World fused with the colorless power. Confronting such an abstract concept, Alaric lacked a clear understanding.

All of Alaric's current knowledge about All the Evils of the World came from the curses transformed into black mud—a rather superficial foundation.

Even so, Alaric would not stop.

Victory or defeat depended entirely on this moment!

As the first fleeting instant passed, Alaric seemed to perceive a different kind of death line—or rather, a death point of light.

"It's Angra Mainyu, isn't it!"

With piercing eyes, Alaric locked onto the point of light at the center of Justeaze's chest and swung his sword down.

No object uncut, no obstruction unbroken!

The cold blade sliced straight through Justeaze's body, piercing into the death line, and brought eternal annihilation to this newly born form.

"This—"

It seemed she had never anticipated her defeat to come so swiftly. Alaric had fought other Servants for so long, so how could she lose so easily?

When the cloak of her persona was severed, what was exposed was her most primal existence—

Gurgle, gurgle.

As Justeaze's body began to disintegrate, a black wave erupted.

The black tide bursting from the void of the Greater Grail instantly engulfed the underground cavern. Sensing the danger, Artoria quickly evacuated Fujimaru Ritsuka, El-Melloi II, and Waver Velvet from the underground at full speed.

Only Alaric was left to face this curse of all humanity alone—and—

"I couldn't kill Justeaze, only shatter the shell known as Justeaze?!"

Seeing this phenomenon unfold, Alaric immediately understood the situation.

He still hadn't been able to see the death unique to Angra Mainyu. He had only killed Justeaze's final consciousness, stripping Angra Mainyu of its cloak of personality.

The tide engulfed Alaric, as the malicious information permeated every corner of his soul, mind, and body.

The entity known as All the Evils of the World was now fully exposed to this world!

In just a few breaths, it surged out of the underground cavern, roaring toward Fuyuki City and the distant ocean!

Flames burned, dyeing the already darkened sky with the colors of blood and iron.

Only the high grounds of Ryuudou Temple remained untouched by the cursed tide. The area around Ryuudou Temple was the very origin of the tide.

Noticing the abnormality at the foot of the mountain, Kiritsugu Emiya—who was still trying to break through the bounded field Alaric had set—immediately recognized the scene as the apocalypse he had always dreaded.

Likewise, within Ryuudou Temple, Merlin looked helplessly at his guest and smiled:

"Guardian of the Counter Force, why not move your operations elsewhere? What you're doing here is essentially meaningless."