Credits: Sai Manoj Nelavalli
It was as if, at that moment, Kingu finally became truly serious! The radiant light belonging to the Chains of Heaven once again blossomed on the land of Mesopotamia!
Standing directly before Kingu was Alaric, the recipient of this rare honor.
Those seemingly careless words instantly enraged Kingu. His already suppressed power surged to a level far beyond Alaric's reach.
With the Holy Grail empowering him, Kingu had become an existence capable of surpassing even Gilgamesh—the strongest being!
"Don't get cocky, old human."
Kingu's long green hair billowed wildly, and the magical energy radiating from him gave Alaric the illusion of facing a god.
The moment Alaric mentioned the Holy Grail, Kingu no longer underestimated this old human, who had connections to his mother. Now, he regarded Alaric as a target that must be eliminated.
The Holy Grail was of vital importance and could not be allowed to fall into the wrong hands.
Kingu didn't know how Alaric had identified that the Grail was in his possession, but there was one thing Kingu could do: erase Alaric and ensure no information could be leaked!
For the first time, murderous intent appeared in Kingu's eyes.
Compared to freeing his mother, Alaric's unclear relationship with her seemed far less significant.
What irritated Kingu the most was Alaric's attitude—it was simply too arrogant for his liking.
This was something Kingu could not tolerate.
"Enough talk. In the end, it all comes down to strength."
Raising the Holy Lance Rhongomyniad, Alaric fixed his gaze on Kingu, his face lighting up with a dazzling smile:
"Kingu, son of Tiamat, what kind of future are you hoping for?"
The Holy Grail was something Alaric was determined to obtain, but not now.
The only thing that could break through Kingu's defenses was the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. But Kingu, on guard, was unlikely to allow Alaric to land such a blow. Whether close combat would even remain an option was uncertain.
Alaric understood well that retreating now was the wisest course of action.
Headstrongly fighting Kingu to the death would only result in failure.
Moreover—
Alaric could feel the approaching Heavenly Vessel. The smile on his face grew wider.
The distance between the Heavenly Vessel and him was still too great. With the magical energy reserves aboard the vessel, its flight speed was limited to a steady pace.
But now—
The distance between the Heavenly Vessel and Alaric had been halved!
Alaric only needed to hold out against Kingu for one more minute. Then, with the Heavenly Vessel's arrival, he could escape the battlefield!
'That trickster Merlin shouldn't need me to worry about him.'
Alaric had no concerns about Merlin, the sly flower magus. If Merlin could lose his life so easily, even Gilgamesh would laugh himself to death on his throne.
With Kingu in front of him, Alaric had no intention of searching for Merlin to escape together.
'We'll regroup later. Kingu has no reason to trouble Merlin.'
Besides, with the ferocity of Alaric's fight with Kingu, Merlin would surely sense it and stay far, far away—
"Enough talk, old human—"
By now, Kingu had lost all patience for banter. He fixed a cold gaze on Alaric and vanished like a bolt of lightning from Alaric's sight!
In the void, countless silver-white chains sprouted and multiplied at an incredible speed—hundreds of them in total!
Their distribution was as vast as a starry sky, and in the span of a single breath, they filled Alaric's entire field of vision.
The sound of hundreds of Chains of Heaven swaying was enough to cause the atmosphere within a hundred meters to tremble. Visible shockwaves rippled outward in all directions!
This was a terrifying number far exceeding any previous encounter. Even with Alaric's most powerful holy attack, it would be impossible to destroy them all in one blow!
The reappearance of Kingu was an even greater threat—one strike would be enough to decapitate Alaric!
The warnings echoing in Alaric's mind pinpointed Kingu's location.
It was as if he had reached a dead end.
"This is my test, then—"
Even in the face of despair, Alaric still smirked.
Hundreds of Chains of Heaven? He would block them all!
And as for the vanished Kingu—
Slash! Boom!
Almost simultaneously with the launch of the hundreds of chains, Alaric disappeared from his original spot, transforming into a streak of black light that shot toward the wilderness!
"Don't think you can escape!"
As Alaric had predicted, Kingu appeared in pursuit.
A hand knife wrapped in magical energy slashed toward Alaric's face, aiming to sever his head in one swift motion!
Prepared for this, Alaric blocked the strike with his Holy Lance, using the proximity to swing the Holy sword!
But the green-haired figure before him was even faster. The moment the blade rose, Kingu had already pulled back to avoid being struck by the blade's death lines.
Interrupting Alaric's attempt to escape, Kingu's interference allowed the hundreds of Chains of Heaven to close in on Alaric!
Alaric's sharp eyes glinted. He spun around and thrust his lance forward!
The atmosphere itself seemed to shatter under the force of the strike.
Like lightning, the lance's edge tore through the air, unleashing a visible storm of energy. Dark magical power erupted alongside it!
[Holy Judgment]
In less than a second, Alaric pushed his abilities to their limits.
Thrusts, strikes, slashes, jabs—
Every instinct honed through battle was brought to life, and the lightning-fast strikes scattered and shattered the Chains of Heaven.
Simultaneously, his holy attack vaporized many of the chains.
In under a second, over a hundred chains were destroyed. But it wasn't enough!
Splurt!
Crimson flowers of blood bloomed as Alaric's arms and legs were pierced and bound by the Chains of Heaven.
Facing hundreds of Chains of Heaven, he had fallen into defeat. Even his limbs were pierced, making further combat impossible.
"Well, well, do you have anything else to say?"
Kingu approached Alaric once again, a faint smile of mockery on his face as he looked down at the defeated old human.
"I was planning to kill you, but after thinking it over, I've decided to feed you to Gorgon instead. After all, you're excellent raw material!"
Kingu's radiant smile was filled with the chill of death.
Opposite him, Alaric, bound by the Chains of Heaven, lowered his head, silently watching the crimson blood dripping from his limbs.
This was the first time since his battle with Gawain that Alaric had suffered such injuries.
Recovering from this damage would require a significant amount of magical energy.
But instead of dwelling on his wounds or fearing Kingu's threats, Alaric's mind was focused on something else.
The moment the Chains of Heaven pierced him, Alaric sensed a transformation.
'What… is this power?'
Before Alaric could delve deeper—
"Hey there, Merlin the Great is here to save the day!"
From behind the broken Chains of Heaven, a cheerful voice rang out as two figures approached with smiles.