Fierce Battle, Part Two

This was a battle that made Li Ye's blood boil.

Vlad the Third's spear techniques amazed Li Ye; he was truly a former hero, his martial skill beyond Li Ye's current reach.

As it stood, Li Ye could only rely on the Holy Grail's infinite magic power to grant him massive enhancements, allowing him to clash head-on with Vlad the Third.

Even so, Li Ye was completely engrossed.

The high-intensity combat allowed Li Ye to gain a wealth of experience, and he could feel himself improving almost every moment!

Li Ye's 'sword' could be faster! More precise!

Li Ye's magic power usage could be even more perfect!

Crack!

The iron stake, unable to bear the strain, shattered, leaving Li Ye without a weapon to confront Vlad the Third once more.

But for Li Ye, this was no longer an obstacle!

If he had no sword, he would use his fists!

A knight never dies unarmed!

Clang!

As the battle raged on, Li Ye's injuries grew more severe. Vlad the Third's spear techniques were so exquisite that they left numerous wounds on Li Ye, wounds that contained curses which erupted intermittently, hindering Li Ye's movements and leading to further injuries!

It seemed to form a vicious cycle.

Yet, Li Ye's progress was also remarkable. From initially being overwhelmed by the curses, he could now adapt to their presence and launch effective counterattacks against Vlad the Third's assaults!

Although Vlad the Third's physical resilience far exceeded Li Ye's imagination, every punch Li Ye landed, even if it sent Vlad the Third staggering back, did not seem to inflict any significant damage!

Even his armor only showed slight dents.

Li Ye, however, grew even more excited. He thirstily absorbed the combat experience gained from fighting Vlad the Third.

Spear techniques, countermeasures against curses, close-quarters combat.

The scene of fighting that nameless Servant seemed to replay itself, but Li Ye's state of mind was entirely different. At this moment, Li Ye was thoroughly enjoying the battle.

Fighting a strong opponent was the only way Li Ye could make substantial progress!

As Li Ye sustained more injuries, the Dragon Blood within him became more agitated and active.

The Dragon's Might that emanated from him even permeated the sandstorm!

Unbeknownst to Li Ye, the already pale strands of his hair were gradually changing.

Power was constantly growing, and the magic power pumped from his Dragon's Heart became faster and more efficient.

It was as if he were truly transforming into a dragon!

Boom!

A violent explosion kicked up a large amount of yellow sand, engulfing both Li Ye and Vlad the Third.

An unusual source of magic power appeared, drawing Li Ye's attention.

He detected Sanzang's Spirit Core reaction near that magic power source!

'Who is Sanzang fighting?'

His vision was obscured by the dust cloud. Li Ye couldn't see Sanzang's situation clearly, and even Vlad the Third had disappeared from his sight. He could only determine their positions through fluctuations in magic power.

And Vlad the Third clearly wouldn't halt his assault. He soon burst out of the dust and re-engaged Li Ye in a fierce battle!

The two fought for hundreds of meters without pause, the aftershocks of their combat causing the yellow sand to surge!

Every punch Li Ye landed on Vlad the Third's armor actually caused the armor to shatter more than halfway!

Splat!

A cloud of blood mist bloomed.

As Li Ye and Vlad the Third passed each other, both erupted in a spray of blood.

It was clear that both had sustained injuries in this exchange!

Li Ye, with his bare fists, had broken through Vlad the Third's defenses!

The significant result made Li Ye smile even wider.

As the fight continued, Li Ye gradually reduced his reliance on the Holy Grail's magic power, no longer using absolute strength to overwhelm his opponent. He wanted to practice a more correct way of using his own magic power.

Clearly, his efforts were proving highly effective!

Bang!

After Li Ye dodged Vlad the Third's spear thrust, he met Vlad the Third head-on with a punch.

The resulting recoil sent both of them flying backward!

Boom!!

The rumbling began again, and the intense fluctuations caught Li Ye's attention.

A figure, trailing thick smoke, streaked across the sky in the far distance.

Suddenly, Sanzang came flying backward!

Li Ye, who was already retreating, stopped his feet almost without thinking. He decisively unloaded his inertia and charged towards Sanzang.

[Thunderclap Flash]

Crimson lightning streaked across the sky, instantly approaching the high-speed moving Sanzang!

"Master Sanzang!"

Li Ye grabbed Sanzang's hand, spun, and flung him towards Vlad the Third!

"Leave him to me!"

Li Ye and Sanzang's voices rang out simultaneously, and their opponents were officially exchanged.

While Sanzang drew Vlad the Third's firepower, Li Ye officially came into contact with the Magus he had been longing to face.

Large Chimera corpses littered the sand dunes, and beyond that, the dunes were covered in white bones. Countless Dragon Tooth soldiers had been shattered, leaving a ground full of bones.

Standing in the sky, beneath a black robe, were a pair of snow-white long legs.

'?'

Li Ye, looking up at the Magus, unconsciously gasped.

"I didn't expect a Magus of the Crusaders to be like this. Is Magi Friedmann dead?"

"Oh? How do you know about Magi Friedmann's death?"

As if hearing a surprising topic, the Magus in the sky looked at Li Ye in surprise. "It seems the curse you used killed Magi Friedmann."

'He's really dead?'

Li Ye wasn't surprised to hear about Magi Friedmann's death; it was within his expectations. Instead, it was the Magus in the sky that made Li Ye...

"How many more of you are there?"

Once with Aleka, once when he first met Sanzang, and now again.

Li Ye didn't know if these Crusader remnants were truly remnants anymore; how could they have more people than the Knights of the Round Table?

Especially after discovering that they could freely perform Heroic Spirit summoning, Li Ye worried if the Crusader remnants had performed multiple summonings.

Even if most Heroic Spirits wouldn't answer the call, as long as there were a few exceptions, the Crusader remnants could replenish their combat power.

Not to mention the life magic possessed by the Crusader remnants, which could mass-produce artificial life or stitch together beast Chimeras.

Even knowing Magi Friedmann was dead, Li Ye didn't think the Crusader remnants would lose their life magic. The Dragon-headed Chimera he saw when he first met Sanzang was the best proof.

And then there was that elusive curse-wielding Magus, whose true form Li Ye still hadn't seen.

As for which faction the Magus in the sky belonged to, Li Ye had no idea.

However, from her fight with Sanzang, it seemed she was a Magus who used familiars for combat.

"So much nonsense, hand over the Holy Grail."

The Magus seemed unwilling to engage in much conversation with Li Ye, as if the exchange between Li Ye and Sanzang didn't matter. She casually told Li Ye to hand over the Holy Grail.

Hearing this, Li Ye also gave up on communicating.

He figured it out. These Crusader Maguses didn't seem to be affected by Madness Enhancement, but none of them wanted to communicate normally.

Bang!

As Crimson Lightning flashed, Li Ye bent his knees, leaped high, and charged towards the Magus in the sky!

The next instant.

Dozens of light patterns unfolded in the sky, and the converging magic power even made Li Ye pause.

An obvious charging magic bullet—

'!'

But Li Ye could no longer change his position and could only charge forward!

Boom!

A bombardment from above directly interrupted Li Ye's charge, knocking him from the sky and even pressing him into the yellow sand!

The intense bombardment, which lasted for nearly ten seconds, finally stopped.

A circular deep pit appeared where Li Ye was, and in the center of the pit, Li Ye was pinned down by the bombardment.

'High-density bombardment, very powerful.'

Li Ye's head was buzzing. In those ten seconds, he had endured hundreds of shellings. Although the power of each couldn't cause significant injuries, the cumulative effect was still there.

'No wonder Sanzang was struggling like this.'

Li Ye looked up at the Magus in the sky and immediately lost interest.

Li Ye had been enjoying his fight with Vlad the Third. After seeing Sanzang get sent flying, he decided to switch. He hadn't expected this Magus to be so troublesome.

'Tsk.'

Li Ye took a step forward with an expressionless face.

[Thunderclap Flash]

Crimson lightning, like a ring, instantly enveloped a thousand-meter radius of yellow sand!

Just as Vlad the Third and Sanzang were locked in a stalemate.

"Eh!"

Sanzang looked at Vlad the Third's back in surprise.

A flash of crimson approached—

"Behind you!"

Distracted by the voice and the blood behind him, the agitated Vlad the Third instinctively twisted his body.

Sizzle—

Crimson lightning surged, and Li Ye, keeping low, pulled his right arm back, his eyes meeting Vlad the Third's.

[Thunderclap Flash]

Driven by excess magic power, it was an extreme enhancement akin to jet propulsion, generating immense force that even made the air roar!

A punch was thrown, landing squarely on Vlad the Third's damaged chest armor.

The erupting crimson electrical light was proof of absolute power!

Boom!!

Vlad the Third's figure instantly vanished from his spot. The ensuing gale stirred the sand, forming a continuously extending gully!

Having landed a blow, Li Ye intended to press his advantage, speaking rapidly, "Master Sanzang, leave that Magus to me!"

'Fighting her is too boring—'

"Eh! Alright then!"

Sanzang, not understanding, still turned and charged towards the approaching Magus in the distance.

Once Sanzang was far away, Li Ye also charged towards Vlad the Third, who had been sent flying north.

But before Li Ye could get close, he sensed an abnormally high magic power fluctuation!

'Noble Phantasm?!'

Seeing Vlad the Third's magic power surge, Li Ye's pupils contracted, and he then exclaimed excitedly, "Here it comes!!"

Anti-Army Noble Phantasm: "Impaling Fortress"!

"Only the manifestation of hell is worthy of an immoral reward! Impaling Fortress!"

Vlad the Third roared as he revealed the true name of his Noble Phantasm.

In an instant, iron stakes appeared like a forest.

They attacked Li Ye from all directions, aiming to impale him!

Facing Vlad the Third's Noble Phantasm, Li Ye's dragon heart pounded wildly within him, and his adrenaline surged, further heightening his spirit!

When facing a Servant using a Noble Phantasm, the best countermeasure is to use one's own Noble Phantasm.

Li Ye did not opt for his trump card, the Eyes of Death Perception, but chose another strategy.

He would use his Mana Burst to directly confront the Noble Phantasm "Impaling Fortress"!

Although Li Ye's current Mana Burst limit was far from enough to directly contend with the Anti-Army Noble Phantasm "Impaling Fortress," Li Ye adopted a more extreme method to release his magic power.

And it was the Ruyi Jingu Bang that taught Li Ye this method!

His entire body seemed to enter a state of intense motion. With each beat of his dragon heart, he pumped out several times his usual terrifying magic power in an instant!

Li Ye could feel the surging vitality contained within this body!

At this moment, he would not retreat!

"The victory or defeat will be decided in this strike!"

Li Ye placed his hand on the ground, and the compressed, terrifying magic power was directly blasted into the yellow sand beneath him!

Sizzle.

Beneath the vast yellow sand, a crimson ocean seemed to form!

Gush!

As blood splattered, black iron stakes pierced Li Ye's limbs and body!

His defense was instantly breached, and the special power attached to the iron stakes caused him immense pain!

The sins of 'escape,' 'immorality,' and 'violence' were now all directed at Li Ye!

Almost simultaneously.

The ground melted away, and a brilliant tree of lightning grew against the wind. Each drooping branch was a highly concentrated crimson lightning bolt, containing terrifying heat capable of melting gold and iron within this tree of lightning tens of meters high!