This was a battle that set Li Ye's blood boiling.
Vlad the Third's spearmanship left Li Ye in awe. As expected of a former hero, his martial prowess was beyond Li Ye's reach.
All Li Ye could rely on now was the tremendous enhancement produced by the Holy Grail's limitless mana to contend with Vlad the Third.
Even so, Li Ye was intoxicated by it.
The high-intensity battle allowed Li Ye to gain vast amounts of experience. Almost every moment, Li Ye could feel himself improving!
Li Ye's "sword" could be faster! More accurate!
Li Ye's use of mana could be even more perfect!
Crack!
The iron stake shattered under the strain, causing Li Ye to lose the weapon he could use against Vlad the Third once again.
But to Li Ye, that was no longer an obstacle!
If there was no sword, then he would use his fists!
A knight never died empty-handed!
Clang!
As the battle continued, Li Ye's injuries grew increasingly severe. Vlad the Third's exquisite spearmanship left countless wounds on Li Ye, while the curses within them flared up from time to time, hindering Li Ye's movements and causing him to suffer fresh injuries!
It seemed to form a vicious cycle.
Yet Li Ye's improvement was equally remarkable. At first, he had been helpless against the curses, but now he could adapt to their presence and effectively counter Vlad the Third's attacks!
Although Vlad the Third's body was tougher than Li Ye had imagined, every punch Li Ye landed on him—even when it drove Vlad the Third back again and again—failed to leave any obvious injuries!
Even the armor had only dented slightly.
Yet Li Ye only grew more excited. He greedily absorbed every bit of combat experience he could gain from fighting Vlad the Third.
Spearmanship, responses to curses, close combat.
It was as if the battle against that nameless Servant were playing out once more, but Li Ye's state of mind was completely different. At this moment, he was thoroughly enjoying the fight.
Only battling the strong could bring Li Ye substantial improvement!
As Li Ye's injuries multiplied, the Dragon Blood within him became increasingly fervent and active.
The Dragon's Might spilling from him even dyed the sandstorm!
And what Li Ye failed to notice was that his already pale hair was gradually changing as well.
Power continued to breed within him. The mana pumped out by the Dragon Core became faster and more efficient.
As though he were truly transforming into Dragon Kind!
Boom!
A violent explosion kicked up vast clouds of yellow sand, swallowing both Li Ye and Vlad the Third.
An unusual source of mana appeared, drawing Li Ye's attention.
Near that mana source, he sensed Sanzang's Spirit Origin reaction!
Who is Sanzang fighting?
His vision was obscured by the dust. Not only could Li Ye not see what was happening to Sanzang, but even Vlad the Third's figure had vanished from sight. He could only determine their positions through fluctuations in mana.
And Vlad the Third clearly had no intention of stopping his assault. He soon burst through the dust and engaged Li Ye in battle once more!
The two fought across hundreds of meters without pause, while the aftershocks of their battle overturned the sands!
Every one of Li Ye's punches landed on Vlad the Third's armor, actually smashing more than half of it to pieces!
Splurt!
A burst of blood mist bloomed.
Li Ye and Vlad the Third crossed paths, blood mist bursting from both their bodies.
Both had clearly been injured in that exchange!
Li Ye had broken through Vlad the Third's defense with nothing but his bare fists!
The tangible result made Li Ye's smile widen.
As the battle continued, Li Ye steadily reduced his use of the Holy Grail's mana. Rather than relying on absolute strength to overpower his opponent, he wanted to use his own mana to practice a more proper method of wielding it.
And his results were clearly effective!
Bang!
After Li Ye dodged Vlad the Third's spear strike, he met him head-on with a punch.
The recoil sent both of them flying backward!
Boom!!
Another roar erupted, and the violent disturbance made Li Ye glance sideways.
Far in the distance, a figure trailing thick smoke streaked across the sky.
It was Sanzang, flying backward!
Li Ye, who was already retreating, stamped his feet almost without thinking. After decisively shedding his momentum, he charged toward Sanzang.
Thunderclap Flash
Crimson Lightning streaked through the sky, closing in on the fast-moving Sanzang in an instant!
"Master Sanzang!"
Li Ye grabbed Sanzang's hand, spun, and flung her toward Vlad the Third!
"Leave it to me!"
Li Ye and Sanzang spoke at the same time, and their opponents officially switched.
As Sanzang drew Vlad the Third's fire, Li Ye finally came into contact with the Magus he had been thinking about.
The corpses of massive Chimeras sprawled across the sand dunes. Beyond them, the dunes were littered with white bones—countless Dragon Tooth Soldiers had been smashed apart, leaving bones everywhere.
Beneath the black robe floating in the sky was a pair of snow-white legs.
*?*
Li Ye involuntarily drew a sharp breath as he looked up at the Magus.
"I never expected the Crusaders' Magus to be this sort of person. Is Magie Friedman dead?"
"Oh? How did you know of Magie Friedman's death?"
Apparently hearing something unexpected, the Magus in the sky looked at Li Ye in surprise. "It seems the curse you used killed Magie Friedman."
She really died?
Li Ye was not surprised to receive news of Magie Friedman's death. It had been within his expectations. Instead, it was the Magus in the sky who made Li Ye—
"Just how many of you are there?"
Once with Aleka, once when he first encountered Sanzang, and now again.
Li Ye did not even know whether these Crusader remnants could truly be called remnants anymore. How did they have more people than the Knights of the Round Table?
Especially after discovering that they could freely summon Heroic Spirits, Li Ye began to worry whether the current Crusader remnants had conducted multiple summons.
Even if most Heroic Spirits would not answer the summons, as long as there were some exceptions, the Crusader remnants could replenish their fighting strength.
Not to mention the Crusader remnants' life magecraft, which could produce Artificial life or stitched Chimera beasts on a massive scale.
Even knowing that Magie Friedman was dead, Li Ye did not think the Crusader remnants would lose their life magecraft. The Dragon-headed Chimera he had seen when he first met Sanzang was the best proof.
And there was also that elusive curse-type Magus. Li Ye had yet to see their true form.
As for which faction the Magus in the sky belonged to, Li Ye had no idea.
But judging by her battle with Sanzang, she was likely a Magus who fought by commanding familiars.
"You talk too much. Hand over the Holy Grail."
The Magus apparently had no desire to speak with Li Ye any further. As though Li Ye and Sanzang changing opponents was inconsequential, she casually told Li Ye to hand over the Holy Grail.
At that, Li Ye gave up on talking as well.
He could see it now. These Crusader Magi did not seem to be affected by Madness Enhancement, but none of them wanted to communicate normally.
Bang!
As Crimson Lightning flared, Li Ye bent his legs and leaped high into the air, charging toward the Magus in the sky!
The next instant.
Dozens of glowing patterns unfolded in the sky, and the gathered mana made Li Ye freeze for a moment.
It was clearly a charged barrage of magic bullets—
*!*
But Li Ye could no longer change direction. He could only charge forward!
Boom!
The bombardment from above directly interrupted Li Ye's advance, blasting him out of the sky and even driving him into the yellow sand!
The dense barrage continued for nearly ten seconds before finally stopping.
A circular crater appeared where Li Ye had been, and in its center stood Li Ye, pinned down by the bombardment.
High-density bombardment. Very powerful.
Li Ye's head was buzzing. Over those ten seconds, he had taken at least several hundred blasts. Though none had caused obvious injuries, they still affected him.
No wonder Sanzang got beaten up like that.
Li Ye looked up at the Magus in the sky and immediately lost interest.
He had been in the middle of an exhilarating battle with Vlad the Third, and only thought of switching after seeing Sanzang sent flying. He had not expected this Magus to be so troublesome.
Tch.
Li Ye stepped forward expressionlessly.
Thunderclap Flash
Crimson Lightning formed a ring, encircling the yellow sands within a kilometer in an instant!
Just as Vlad the Third and Sanzang were locked in a stalemate.
"Eh!"
Sanzang looked at Vlad the Third's back in astonishment.
A flash of crimson drew near—
"Behind you!"
Distracted by the voice behind him and the smell of blood, the frenzied Vlad the Third instinctively turned around.
Screech—
Crimson Lightning crackled without end. Li Ye lowered his body and pulled back his right arm, but his eyes met Vlad the Third's.
Thunderclap Flash
Using excessive mana as propulsion, he performed an extreme enhancement akin to jet thrust. The immense force it generated even made the air roar!
He threw his punch, landing it squarely on Vlad the Third's shattered breastplate.
The bursting crimson lightning was proof of absolute power!
Boom!!
Vlad the Third's figure vanished from the spot in an instant. The gale that followed swept up waves of sand, carving an endlessly extending trench!
Having landed the blow, Li Ye was about to press his advantage. He spoke rapidly, "Master Sanzang, that Magus is yours again!"
Fighting her is so boring—
"Eh! All right, then!"
Though Sanzang did not understand why, she still turned and charged toward the approaching Magus in the distance.
After Sanzang moved away, Li Ye charged toward Vlad the Third, whom he had sent flying northward.
But before Li Ye could get close, he sensed an abnormally intense surge of mana!
A Noble Phantasm?!
Seeing Vlad the Third's mana fluctuations suddenly rise, Li Ye's pupils shrank. Then he said excitedly, "Is it coming?!"
Anti-Army Noble Phantasm: "Impaling Fortress"!
"Only the manifestation of hell befits such an immoral reward! Impaling Fortress!"
Vlad the Third roared the True Name of his Noble Phantasm.
In an instant, iron stakes rose like a forest.
They attacked Li Ye from all directions, seeking to impale him in one stroke!
And faced with Vlad the Third's Noble Phantasm, Li Ye's Dragon Heart pounded wildly, while adrenaline surged through him, sending his spirits even higher!
When a Servant used a Noble Phantasm, the best response was for the other side to use one as well.
Li Ye did not choose the Eyes of Death Perception, his own trump card. Instead, he chose another approach.
He would use the simplest Mana Burst to confront the Noble Phantasm "Impaling Fortress" head-on!
Although Li Ye's current Mana Burst limit was nowhere near enough to face the Anti-Army Noble Phantasm "Impaling Fortress" directly, he chose a more extreme method of releasing mana.
And the one who had taught Li Ye this method was the Ruyi Jingu Bang!
His entire body seemed to fall into violent motion. With every beat of his Dragon Heart, a terrifying amount of mana several times greater than Li Ye's usual output was pumped out in a brief instant!
Li Ye could feel the surging vitality contained within this body!
At this moment, he would never retreat!
"The victor will be decided by this strike!"
Li Ye pressed one hand to the ground, driving the terrifying mana compressed to its limit directly into the yellow sand beneath him!
Sizzle.
Beneath the boundless yellow sand, it was as though a crimson ocean had formed!
Splurt!
As blood sprayed, pitch-black iron stakes pierced through Li Ye's limbs and body one after another!
All his defenses were broken through in an instant, while the special power attached to the stakes filled Li Ye with boundless pain!
The sins of "running away," "immorality," and "violence" all pointed toward Li Ye at this moment!
Almost simultaneously.
The earth melted away, and a dazzling Lightning Tree swelled in the wind. Every hanging branch was a highly condensed bolt of crimson lightning, and terrifying heat capable of melting gold and iron was contained within this Lightning Tree dozens of meters tall!