Alaric's instincts had already reached a level close to precognition, though fleeting, capable of something akin to foresight.
Even though he had been on guard, he still failed to avoid this strike.
Perhaps only true precognition could have allowed him to evade it?
Seriously wounded, Alaric thought to himself.
A brief thought flashed through his mind as Alaric slowly tightened his grip on the Holy Lance in his hand. At the moment of being pierced, Alaric had summoned the Holy Lance Rhongomyniad to maintain his vital signs.
Even though his Dragon Core and most of his organs were destroyed by Tiamat, injuries that could be considered fatal, Alaric somehow managed to remain alive.
But just barely.
Bang!
Forcing himself to stay alive with all his might, Alaric was naturally no match for the knight before him. Yet, as Alaric prepared to counter the knight's sword strike, an unexpected turn of events occurred.
The Red Dragon's knight did not behead him. Instead, she leapt into the air and delivered a powerful kick, sending him flying off the head of the Red Dragon.
The wind howled through the gaping hole in his chest, carrying his crimson blood that was soon swallowed by the Red Dragon. Silently, Alaric gazed at the knight standing atop the dragon's head.
After defeating Alaric, the knight reversed her grip and plunged the massive sword into the dragon's scales, standing silently as she gazed at the distant land.
As the sea of crimson lightning dispersed, swirling clouds began to gather around the Red Dragon, forming a visible storm.
Though newly born, she could still be called a knight of solitude.
A singular existence, as brilliant and fleeting as a shooting star, heralding the end times.
This sudden turn of events caused shock to sweep across the others below.
They had long known of Alaric's strength, but none of them could have imagined that the goddess Tiamat herself would attack Alaric!
That streak of starlight moved faster than most could react to, and even Quetzalcoatl, the only one capable of keeping up, failed to respond in time.
They could only watch as Alaric was pierced by the ray of starlight.
The horrifying hole in his chest was reflected in everyone's eyes, heralding death's arrival.
"Sir Alaric!!"
Mashu cried out in shock.
The injury was so grievous that even Mashu, who had endured countless adventures, couldn't maintain her composure.
Fujimaru Rbit her lip hard, desperately suppressing her emotions to avoid making a wrong decision.
Before Mashu could maneuver the dragon closer to the falling Alaric, Quetzalcoatl, faster than anyone, had already reached him on her dragon.
But just as Quetzalcoatl was about to grab hold of Alaric, the knight high above, or rather the Red Dragon, cast her gaze downward.
Howling crimson lightning cut off Quetzalcoatl's path.
A strike comparable to a Noble Phantasm forced Quetzalcoatl to retreat.
And this retreat caused her to miss the best opportunity to catch Alaric!
Leaving no chance for anyone, the roaring crimson lightning surged forward, engulfing Fujimaru and her entire group in an instant!
This time, with no interference from Alaric, the Red Dragon unleashed her power without restraint!
"That is the homeland where all scars and all hatred can be healed.
Manifest now! The distant ideal city!"
Facing the sea of crimson lightning, Mashu chanted at a breakneck pace, akin to high-speed divine incantation, immediately unleashing the true name of her Noble Phantasm!
Flying forward to shield everyone, the pure white wall of a citadel rose high into the heavens, blocking the scarlet sea of lightning entirely, not allowing even a single spark to cross the chasm.
"Summon!"
Almost simultaneously, as Mashu deployed her Noble Phantasm, Fujimaru completed a simple summoning.
A dragon constructed from ether soared into the sky, with a petite figure standing atop its head, leaning on her sword.
A replica of the saint, born from sorrow and yearning, a fleeting shooting star.
The newly reborn witch, crowned with the title of the Dragon Witch, though her life may have been but an illusion, and the time she truly lived her own was fleeting.
She could still appear as a Heroic Spirit recorded by the world.
This was an indescribably distant bond, a bond whose origin marked the beginning of this battle.
The defeated Dragon Witch roared out in this new world.
Her body ignited with blazing flames, the fire of vengeance, as if to burn the world to fulfill her retribution.
The flames rapidly engulfed her and the dragon beneath her, wrapping them entirely in fire as they dove headfirst into the sea of crimson lightning.
"Ishtar, it's up to you!"
Fujimaru shouted, "Don't let Sir Alaric fall into the Sea of Life!"
The dangers of the Sea of Life had been emphasized many times by Romani. Fujimaru, Ishtar, and the others could not allow Alaric to fall into the sea and be assimilated by Tiamat.
"Leave it to me!"
Ishtar raised her hand and threw dozens of gemstones, each brimming with immense magical energy, transforming into meteors that surged upward. As the gemstones exploded one by one, a path was carved through the crimson lightning.
And as the path opened by Ishtar appeared, an even faster figure took action—the Sun Goddess.
Quetzalcoatl leapt from her dragon, using her immense strength to propel herself hundreds of meters in an instant, reaching the Red Dragon and the knight atop its head!
The goddess's form was unparalleled in beauty and majesty.
The nameless knight gazed at the approaching Quetzalcoatl, readying her sword. But before she could draw it, Quetzalcoatl's flying kick was already upon her!
Bang!
The nameless knight used one arm as a shield, effortlessly taking the full force of Quetzalcoatl's fierce kick. The only cost was some minor damage to her armor.
Using the momentum of her kick, Quetzalcoatl officially landed atop the Red Dragon.
Looking at the knight before her, who bore some resemblance to Alaric, she playfully winked. "You're being a bad child!"
Boom!
The knight's response was an eruption of scarlet lightning from her body. In an instant, the heavens transformed into a hell of thunderstorms once more.
Or rather, limited to the Red Dragon's body, it became a forbidden zone teeming with crimson lightning.
But this time, it had no effect. The Sun Goddess radiated a brilliant glow, repelling the scarlet magical lightning entirely.
Quetzalcoatl's golden eyes locked onto the nameless knight. It was clear the knight had no intention of speaking with her.
In that case—
She had to buy time!
The battle erupted instantly. While Quetzalcoatl occupied the Red Dragon, the pressure on Fujimaru and her companions below significantly eased.
The crimson lightning that had been surging toward them quickly dissipated, allowing Mash, who had been maintaining her Noble Phantasm, to breathe a sigh of relief. But her gaze quickly shifted to the distance—
'It failed—'
Fujimaru bit her lip in frustration, feeling the severed connection with her Servant.
The shadow of the Dragon Witch's Spirit Origin, summoned to charge into the crimson lightning, lasted less than a few seconds before being destroyed.
Even the Spirit Origin shadow had been so easily obliterated. What chance did Alaric, gravely injured, have?
As the crimson lightning that obscured their vision faded, Fujimaru and Mash finally caught sight of Alaric.
He was perilously close to the Sea of Life below, where a single wave could engulf him and drag him into the sea!
"Don't even think about it!"
The goddess who swept past with unmatched speed unleashed a level of velocity that once earned her the title of Chariot God of Uruk. In an instant, she crossed hundreds of meters and grabbed hold of Alaric's hand!
At such close range, Ishtar could now clearly observe Alaric's current state.
It was utterly tragic.
Even the goddess Ishtar, accustomed to scenes of violence and bloodshed, found his condition appalling.
"Is he regenerating?"
As she marveled at the severity of his wounds, Ishtar noticed something unusual about Alaric's chest. His writhing flesh was visibly regenerating at a speed perceptible to the naked eye, as if trying to reconstruct his organs.
Even his ribs were miraculously regenerating under the nourishment of mana.
This went far beyond Ishtar's understanding of human limits.
For any human, such injuries would be unquestionably fatal. Even Gilgamesh, the half-human, half-divine king, would perish if his heart were pierced.
Yet here Alaric was, recovering from injuries that had practically vaporized his entire chest—his heart, lungs, liver, spine, and other vital organs obliterated. And still, he was regenerating.
"Is this guy really human?"
Previously, Ishtar had assumed that Alaric was merely a half-human, half-dragon hybrid—an existence not uncommon in her long experience.
After all, humans who interbred with higher-order beings would sometimes give birth to offspring with extraordinary talents and potential.
In Ishtar's eyes, Alaric had always seemed like one such individual.
But now, that perception was being shattered.
Not even hybrids could achieve such a degree of self-healing. This required immortality.
Only someone with immortality could recover from such injuries.
But Ishtar could tell at a glance that Alaric did not possess immortality. The regeneration before her was simply life force being forcibly amplified by mana.
"This is completely absurd!"
As a favored child of the Sumerian gods and the supreme goddess of the skies, Ishtar had seen countless miracles. Yet even she found Alaric's recovery unbelievable.
Her thoughts flashed briefly in her mind before she carried Alaric in her arms and flew toward Fujimaru and Mash.
Alaric was in no condition to endure any further jostling; even Ishtar worried she might accidentally break him.
Seconds later, Mash, upon seeing Alaric's horrific state, instinctively covered her mouth, struggling to accept that the once-proud and confident Alaric had been reduced to this half-dead condition.
The last time Mash had seen Alaric this grievously injured was after his battle with Gawain, during which his entire body had been carbonized, leaving him unable to heal due to insufficient mana.
As Fujimaru stared gravely at the motionless Alaric lying on the back of the flying dragon, she said, "We have no choice. We must return to Uruk first. As for the [Crimson Dragon], we'll have to abandon her for now!"
It was a decision born out of necessity. Ritsuka's original plan had been to assist Alaric, combining the strength of two goddesses and Alaric himself to decisively slay the [Crimson Dragon], thereby cutting off Tiamat's reinforcements.
But plans rarely survive contact with reality.
One casual strike from Tiamat had left Alaric gravely injured, making any further battle against the [Crimson Dragon] impossible.
The plan to stop the [Crimson Dragon] from landing had to be abandoned!
As for the destruction that the [Crimson Dragon] would cause upon landing—
Ritsuka bit her lip hard and spoke quickly, "Doctor! Do you think the [Crimson Dragon] will reach Uruk faster than Tiamat?"
Ritsuka wasn't omnipotent; she couldn't account for everything. But she wasn't fighting alone.
["I'm calculating, I'm calculating!"]
Dr. Roman, who had been observing everything, was frantically working, while Leonardo da Vinci beside him was equally busy. Within seconds, they provided an answer:
["No, it won't!"]
["The [Crimson Dragon] was born from Tiamat's Sea of Life, and like the Lahmu, it is composed of the divine mud.
Although it can act independently, its mana supply seems linked to Tiamat's Sea of Life. It's highly likely that it can only receive sufficient mana resources within the Sea of Life's range. If it leaves that range, it's very likely to lose its infinite mana!"]
["At that point, its power will significantly weaken, and it won't be able to unleash those Noble Phantasm-level lightning strikes. You'll be safe!"]
Dr. Roman spoke rapidly, ["Also, make sure Sir Alaric doesn't come into contact with the Sea of Life. He's too weak right now. Though his mana fluctuations haven't diminished—in fact, they're still increasing—you have to be careful!
If he dies in Mesopotamia, who knows whether his soul will end up in Ereshkigal's Underworld!"]
The mysteries surrounding Alaric were far too complex. Even as the owner of the qualification of Humanity's Evil, Roman couldn't make an accurate judgment.
If Alaric were to die now, what would happen? Would it be a normal death, or would it trigger some unforeseen anomaly? Roman couldn't be sure.
After hearing Roman's warning, Ritsuka immediately turned to Mash. "Mash, let's get out of here and return to Uruk!
Ishtar! We need you to assist Quetzalcoatl!"
At that moment, Quetzalcoatl was still entangled with the [Crimson Dragon], and Ritsuka couldn't leave her behind. They had to retreat together!
"Leave it to me!"
Flying ahead, Ishtar leapt into the high-altitude storm, piloting her divine vessel Maanna to appear above the crimson hell.
Hovering over the [Crimson Dragon], the Mistress of the Heavens smiled and extended her hand. "Watch out!"
Boom!
Without giving the knight any time to react, a barrage of gems exploded, enveloping both the knight and Quetzalcoatl.
"Summon!"
In the moment Ishtar's gems interrupted the battle between Quetzalcoatl and the knight, a shaft of etheric light rose from below, transforming into a dragon-slaying hero.
The hero sung of in the Nibelungenlied, the invincible warrior who defeated the evil dragon Fafnir—Siegfried!
Ignoring the crimson hell beneath him, the dragon-slaying hero leapt onto the back of the [Crimson Dragon], unleashing a burst of overwhelming mana and strength.
It was an oppressive force against all dragonkind, the culmination of a career defined by slaying evil dragons—a feat so great it had become enshrined in the world itself.
As the ultimate countermeasure against dragons, the dragon-slaying hero Siegfried was the perfect choice to confront the [Crimson Dragon]!
With Siegfried joining the battle, Quetzalcoatl finally broke free and leapt onto the flying dragon carrying Ritsuka and the others, retreating at full speed!
Even alone, Siegfried managed to hold off the nameless knight for a brief period.
Thanks to this opportunity, Ritsuka, Mash, and the others left the range of the Sea of Life, severing their connection to the Servant.
Siegfried's spirit origin was ultimately destroyed after ten minutes of combat.
Although they had escaped danger, Ritsuka remained tense, her gaze fixed on the grievously wounded Alaric lying on the dragon's back. The gaping hole in his chest was too horrific for her to look at directly.
With even basic biological knowledge, Ritsuka knew that such an injury was fatal. The moment he was impaled, a death sentence had been declared on Alaric.
And yet, Ritsuka refused to give up on him. At the very least—
"Sir Alaric is still alive!"
Mash, who had also been watching Alaric closely, spoke with a grave expression, though her face was soon lit up with a flash of joy.
At that moment, Alaric slowly opened his eyes.
The gem-like irises reflected no emotion, as if this were all perfectly natural.