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

"How dare you! Why do you not kneel in the presence of the great Pharaoh, King Ozymandias!"

Nitocris's beautiful eyes widened, her face seemingly always filled with anger.

"How strange, Nitocris. Though you are a proud bird, this shouting is unlike you. It seems you've taken quite a liking to this knight. Hahaha, how amusing, very amusing."

Ozymandias's mocking words echoed, causing Nitocris's voice to immediately soften.

"My deepest apologies, Pharaoh..."

"Hahaha, let me ask you, why has the Lion King sent you here?"

After laughing for a full minute, Pharaoh Ozymandias looked at Alaric with great interest. The unreserved gaze made Alaric uncomfortable as if the king were probing every part of his being.

"Honorable Sun King, I did not come here on behalf of the Lion King. Rather, I came to compare."

"Oh? You wish to compare me with the Lion King, to see who is stronger? Such bold words, knight."

Ozymandias, seated on his jade throne, crossed his arms. Upon hearing Alaric's statement, which almost made him laugh, Nitocris's eyes widened even further.

"Insolent fool! How dare you compare the great Pharaoh to anyone!"

"Has the Sun King heard of the Holy Selection?"

Alaric, now composed, had already figured out how to handle the Sun King.

"The selection ritual held by the Lion King, correct?"

Ozymandias replied nonchalantly.

Three days had passed since the Holy Selection, and thanks to the efforts of the Knights of the Round Table, the reputation of the pure and ideal Camelot had spread rapidly across the land. Even the violent sandstorms that divided the territories had not prevented this news from reaching Ozymandias's ears.

"That's right. The Lion King's method of resisting the incineration of humanity is to build a world of towers, taking the selected humans into the future. But the salvation of humanity should not be limited to just one method. That is why I seek comparison."

Alaric's words rang out powerfully, echoing through the temple.

"Hahaha, interesting. A knight of the Lion King, it seems you know quite a lot. But if you wish to compare me with the Lion King, you must first demonstrate equivalent strength! Prove yourself before me!"

Ozymandias covered his eyes and laughed uncontrollably. Rising slowly, a tidal wave of magical energy surged toward Alaric like a mountain collapsing.

"Nitocris, summon the fire spirits that can dispel sleep. It's been a while since I've moved my body."

"Yes!"

As Ozymandias descended from his throne, brilliant flames rose around him. From within the flames emerged spirits radiating magical energy comparable to that of a Servant. The entire temple instantly became oppressively hot.

'Six of them. Just their presence alone has raised the temperature by about twenty degrees…'

With his current physical condition, enhanced by the dragon's blood, Alaric could easily withstand this heat. But he knew this was only the beginning.

"What's wrong? Are you starting to feel fear?"

Now standing on the same level as Alaric, Ozymandias spoke. Nitocris remained silently behind him, no longer speaking.

The spirits summoned by Nitocris, known as Ifreeta, floated in the air, their childlike gazes wandering over Alaric.

Forcing a smile, Alaric drew his sword.

"It's an honor to face you in battle, King Ozymandias."

"Hahahaha, interesting! Then do your best to survive, knight of the Lion King!"

With a casual gesture, Ozymandias summoned a hooked scepter into his hand. At his command, the Ifreeta above scattered and charged toward Alaric!

Even before they got close, Alaric could feel the air heating up and warping.

Realizing there was no avoiding this battle, Alaric immediately entered combat mode. Seeing that Ozymandias hadn't moved, he focused on the Ifreeta. At this moment, the Ifreetas filled the temple, some near, some far. They had subtly formed a circle around Alaric, trapping him within.

'They're intelligent?'

Alaric didn't let his guard down, his breathing steady as he expanded his senses to track the Ifreeta around him.

"Eeeeee!"

To Alaric's surprise, the Ifreeta suddenly let out sharp cries.

Almost simultaneously, the six Ifreeta attacked! Gathering magical energy in their throats, they unleashed blinding bursts of heat with each scream.

'Fireballs!'

Seeing the six fireballs converging on him, blocking all his escape routes, Alaric decisively gripped his sword with both hands. Crimson's magical energy spread from his palms to every inch of the blade, causing it to surge in size! The originally three-foot blade suddenly extended to five feet!

The result of seventy-two hours of nonstop high-pressure training wasn't just a single thunderous strike but mastery over his magical energy! The sword, now formed of pure magical power, cut through the air.

Boom!

Before the fireballs could reach him, Alaric's sword detonated them in midair, creating a dazzling explosion of light! A wave of heat rushed toward him, causing Alaric's eyes to narrow. He saw that after releasing their fireballs, the Ifreeta had closed in on him, their scorching claws ready to tear him apart!

Alaric swiftly reversed his grip on the sword and slashed horizontally!

"!"

However, what happened next left Alaric wide-eyed in surprise. Each of the tall, slender Ifreeta gracefully bent their bodies with inhuman flexibility, dodging his strike! Now they were within arm's reach!

Before Alaric could reposition himself, he felt resistance on his sword arm, restricting his movement.

'They're working together with high intelligence!'

Alaric quickly released his grip on the sword, spun around, and unleashed a powerful kick!

Bang!

With a dull thud, the Ifreeta holding his sword was sent flying! As Alaric regained his grip on the sword, another Ifreeta charged straight at him! The intense heat distorted the air in front of him.

But this still wasn't enough to faze Alaric!

Just as Alaric prepared to strike again—

"!"

Alaric's heart tightened as the corner of his eye caught a flash of red rapidly approaching.

'Too close! I can't dodge in time!'

Realizing he couldn't evade, Alaric didn't slow his attack. He drove his sword through the approaching Ifreeta! Like a burst of light, the Ifreeta's blood, along with half of its spirit core, was impaled on Alaric's blade. It let out a wail before collapsing and disintegrating into flames.

As Alaric finished off one Ifreeta, the red light had already drawn near! The scorching heat engulfed Alaric's body, and the impact sent him flying!

Boom!

A column of fire shot into the sky, creating a cloud of smoke that swirled in one corner of the temple.

Before the Ifreeta could continue their assault—

Sizzle—

Crimson lightning crackled within the temple, instantly raising the temperature even higher, to the point where moisture in the air evaporated! Before the smoke could naturally disperse, it was blown away by a violent gust of wind, revealing Alaric embedded in the temple's stone wall!

His body was enveloped in red lightning, which flickered as if breathing—growing stronger, then weaker. The most striking feature was a scorched wound on Alairc's right shoulder, a burn left by the Ifreeta's attack!

While Alaric's strong physique had allowed him to withstand the blow, his armor hadn't fared as well.

Crack!

As the rubble rolled away and crimson electricity flashed, Alaric's figure disappeared from the spot.

"Eee!"

The Ifreeta that had sent Alaric flying felt a gust of wind rush toward it, and crimson light filled its vision. The moment they made contact, terrifying red lightning exploded from Alaric, spreading outward in all directions!