"The Sun King possesses such power?"
Lancelot had never heard that name before, but seeing Li Ye's grave expression, he did not dare take it lightly.
"That's right. And after fighting My King, the Sun King successfully departed. The chain of replacements he carried out across the western lands replaced this land with territory from the Age of Gods!"
Li Ye explained the desert he had seen to Lancelot in detail.
"Then do you need me to accompany you, Lord Li Ye?" Lancelot asked.
Li Ye shook his head. "Since this is a task given to me by My King, there's no reason to trouble you, Lancelot. So, I'd rather focus on improving my own strength."
"In that case, let us first improve your use of mana. Swordsmanship is not something that can be mastered overnight." Lancelot analyzed Li Ye's current state.
It was not difficult to see that Li Ye possessed excellent qualities. With the support of the Dragon Heart, his mana capacity was at least Rank B, but his other aspects were much weaker, only around the level of a third-rate Servant.
In Lancelot's view, the only way for Li Ye to improve quickly was through his use of mana. His other attributes and techniques could only be improved through long-term accumulation.
Hearing that, Li Ye grew interested. "The use of mana? What do you mean?"
Li Ye had undergone the Dragon Blood transformation only a short time ago. Although he had gained considerable improvement through battle after battle, it was still limited, far inferior to the guidance of a Heroic Spirit on Lancelot's level.
"For us knights, the use of mana lies in strengthening our own power and Magic Resistance. Though you possess the enhancement of Dragon Blood, you still fall far short of bodies tempered through years of training like ours. Moreover, your method of simply filling your body with mana is too crude to achieve the best results."
"What about Mana Burst? Before, I imitated the Mana Burst My King used when fighting the Sun King, releasing half my mana in a single instant. Its power was incredible, but the strain on me was too great, and it even caused my weapon to collapse."
Compared to the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, which could not be improved, Li Ye cared more about Mana Burst. After all, it was his only means of achieving a small-scale bombardment.
The limitations of the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception meant Li Ye could not gain an advantage in battles of numbers. That was where the benefits of suppressive fire became clear.
"Oh? Lord Li Ye, did you imitate My King's battle and attempt a Mana Burst against your opponent?"
Lancelot pinched his chin as he looked at Li Ye with interest.
"That's right."
"It seems Lord Li Ye is highly talented, but Mana Burst can do far more than that."
"How about this? Seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times. Since Lord Li Ye has so many questions, let us spar again. This time, Li Ye, you must go all out."
"Fine!"
Li Ye agreed without hesitation. He then pulled back to create distance from Lancelot, sword in hand as he waited.
Lancelot drew his sword and shouted, "Battle is always the best way to improve. Swing your sword without hesitation!"
The conversation ended there, outside the pure-white paradise of Camelot—the place in this world closest to the Lion King.
For the first time, the newborn Red Dragon bared its fangs.
Screech—
Crimson mana coiled around Li Ye's body. The majesty of the Red Dragon rose, and the pale golden vertical pupils caused even the prepared Lancelot to pause slightly.
The mana soaring into the sky and the throbbing Dragon Heart proclaimed the existence of the Red Dragon.
At the Tower of End, the pure-white king upon the jade throne lowered her gaze.
Boom!
With a muffled impact, Li Ye vanished from where he stood.
If the charging figure was like Crimson Lightning, then the one rushing forward to meet it was a silent shadow.
Martial skill forged through years upon years of training possessed power beyond human reach.
The instant the two met, sword blades like afterimages tore through the air, generating wind pressure powerful enough to split mountains and shatter stone!
His use of mana.
His swordsmanship.
The coordination of his body.
None of it was enough!
Li Ye's eyes turned bloodshot as he stared fixedly at Lancelot's every strike. Even if his vision could not keep up, then he would rely on instinct to pursue them!
The union of consciousness and instinct produced such overwhelming pressure in less than a few seconds that Li Ye had to give everything he had just to keep up with Lancelot's sword!
A spray of blood suddenly burst forth. As Li Ye withdrew, the white bone in his right shoulder was exposed—he had been torn open by Lancelot's sword in a moment of carelessness!
Yet Li Ye paid no attention to his injury. The instant the distance opened—
He gathered all his mana and unleashed his greatest output upon Lancelot in one burst!
Boom!!
An absolute strike that released every last bit of his mana without holding anything back!
The crimson torrent containing all of Li Ye's power was instantly torn apart by a flash of white light. It howled past Lancelot's side, leaving two diverging trenches across the ground.
Meanwhile, Lancelot stood where he was without a scratch. Other than the single step he had taken to meet Li Ye's opening attack, Li Ye had failed to make him move even half an inch.
"As expected of Lord Lancelot—" Li Ye felt his hand suddenly empty. The sword he had obtained from the Purification Knights had been unable to withstand his Mana Burst and crumbled into dust.
This Mana Burst far surpassed the one at the mausoleum. It could be called his strongest attack so far, yet it had not even affected Lancelot in the slightest.
The gap between them was so vast that Li Ye could not hope to bridge it.
"Lord Li Ye possesses tremendous potential. Given time to temper yourself to the peak, I believe you would be worthy of becoming one of the Knights of the Round Table." Lancelot sighed in admiration.
After all, he had sparred with Li Ye just yesterday. Though Li Ye had not gone all out then as he had this time, the improvement was still obvious.
"I already am one. My King gave me the title of the last seat of the Round Table before sending me to investigate the Sun King's intelligence."
Li Ye spoke casually as he drove his Dragon Heart at full force, restoring mana to heal his wounds.
"It seems the King holds Lord Li Ye in high regard. Then I cannot afford to slacken either." Lancelot chuckled.
"Now I have a clearer understanding of Lord Li Ye's condition. It seems you possess the same Instinct as My King. Though its rank is not as high as hers, it is still extremely powerful."
Lancelot's gaze was sharp. During their spar just now, he had clearly seen that Li Ye often failed to react to his sword in time, yet still managed to block it at the crucial moment.
There was no doubt that this phenomenon was Instinct.
Had Dragon Blood passed it down to Li Ye?
Lancelot did not know. The only thing he could be sure of was Li Ye's potential.
"Lord Li Ye, your explosive speed is astonishing. This quality is not limited to your movement speed—your exertion of force possesses the same nature as well—"
"I merely filled my body with mana, then exerted all my strength in one burst."
"And Lord Li Ye, your final Mana Burst was far too crude. You simply threw out all your mana at once, wasting nearly half of it through inefficient use.
"Given Lord Li Ye's mana capacity, a more condensed and economical use of mana would suit you better. Take my Noble Phantasm, Chains of All Severance: Avalon le Fae, for example. Rather than releasing the mana that would ordinarily be used for a slash of light, I release it only at the moment I sever the target."
"As one of the living, Lord Li Ye, you are not bound by a class like we Heroic Spirits are. You can afford to be bolder in your imagination."
Lancelot carefully pointed out Li Ye's shortcomings. With his insight, Li Ye's situation was as clear to him as an open flame.
"Condensed mana..." Li Ye fell into thought. Unlike Mordred's half-understood explanation, Lancelot had pinpointed the problem perfectly.
Lancelot continued, "For example, the strike in which you released all your mana just now was not even comparable to the minor release of some Noble Phantasms. But if your mana can be further condensed, it can rival a minor Noble Phantasm release—or even compare to a Noble Phantasm itself!"
Before you continue