Chapter 200

The girl's warm breath and the light, lingering scent didn't particularly surprise Novia, but it certainly didn't surprise Abigail and Jeanne d'Arc.

The Black-Haired Girl whispered in the blond man's ear.

"It's getting late, we should rest, and you should understand, I'm getting a little impatient."

"That's right, it's really late. Everyone, and Grandpa and Grandma, whom we haven't seen in a long time, should get some sleep too!"

Frankenstein was in an extremely good mood at the moment, shouted.

271: Night of Wallachia (5k)

In the latter half of the night after Adam Golem's departure, the Holy Grail War did not end there, but instead dealt a devastating blow to the Yggdmillennia Family.

That was an attack launched by the five Servant of the Red Faction, led by Amakusa Shirou, against the Black Faction, which now only had three Servant left.

The blood flowing from the Artificial Lifeform stained the grassland red, while the remains of the Golem and Dragon Tooth Warrior piled up like snowflakes, gradually turning into liquid and mud, entangling it and causing it to sink.

Chiron, the Black Archer, versus Achilles, the Red Rider.

Black Rider Astolfo versus Red Assassin Semiramis.

Then came the Black Lancer, with Vlad III, the Impaler of Romania, urging his horses forward.

Then he made the bronze and iron horse kick the ground, soaring high into the air, and with its arms outstretched, it loudly proclaimed:

"Enough, you enemies who have trampled my land! The time for punishment has come! Mercy and Wrath will become scorching stakes that pierce you! Despair for these endless, truly infinite stakes—and moisten your throats with your own blood! Kazikli Bey!"

The earth trembled slightly, and slender stakes instantly sprang forth from the surrounding area, with trees growing from the stakes as trunks and bones as branches and leaves on the grassland.

The Prototype of this Noble Phantasm is Vlad III's feat in the past.

When Mehmed Lord El-Melloi II, the conqueror of the destroyed Purple Phoenix, arrived in Bucharest, the capital of Romania, he turned pale. Countless stakes stood around the Castle, impaled by 20,000 Turkey soldiers. Upon seeing this scene, the anger over the massacre of his comrades vanished without a trace.

The plunder, devastation, and slaughter committed by the Ottoman Empire in the past were merely the result of accelerated Desire, but this is different; the very idea behind it is completely different.

This is simply treating people like dirt, because these people are being exploited 'just for show'.

The morale of the Ottoman army plummeted instantly, leaving Mehmed II with no choice but to retreat.

It is said that Muhammad Lord El-Melloi II once said this—

"I'm not afraid of anyone, but Vampire are different."

Of course, the Romania Grand Duchess will be facing off against Romulus, the Red Lancer; Atalanta, the Red Archer; and Tamamo- Tamamo no Mae, the Red Caster.

At this moment, Vlad III could not possibly know that the Red Faction Lancer was the crimson Divine Ancestor of Rome. He only vaguely sensed the warm aura and overwhelming power emanating from him. Therefore, Vlad III knew that the difference in combat strength between himself and the opponent was too overwhelming, and the possibility of defeat was very high.

Despite understanding this perfectly well, Vlad III couldn't help but frown slightly at the change in his own Noble Phantasm in the next instant.

The 20,000 pillars were instantly and mercilessly crushed by the city wall that suddenly appeared from the ground, a wall powerful enough to cleave space.

Indeed, each stake is not at the level of Noble Phantasm and may not be a threat, but there are few who can ignore this 'madness' and eliminate it in one go.

Next—

"Rome, what do you seek?"

The sound came faster than expected; Romulus, holding a gun in one hand, had arrived beside Vlad III without anyone noticing.

"Romulus..."

Atalanta was firing arrows, but seeing the two of them like this, she was worried that something might happen.

Tell me your name.

Vlad III responded to the situation in a cold voice, showing no sign of wavering or anger.

"Do you want to surrender?"

"Lancer, don't say things that make it unclear whether you're joking or serious. Since you have a wish that needs the Holy Grail to fulfill, there's no way you'll surrender. And—"

Vlad III raised his right hand, and killing intent surged from the ground around him; he could also summon more stakes.

"It's you who should surrender, isn't it? Although I have no intention of letting you, who are both Heresy and invaders, go unpunished."

"So cried out the Vampire king who rules this country."

"I am also from Rome, and my name is Romulus."

"... What?!"

When the Divine Ancestor uttered the name, Vlad III was somewhat dazed.

Although Romulus did not Faith the Faith god as the Romans, the land of Romania was once under the rule of Rome.

In Romania, Vlad III is undoubtedly a great hero, but once he leaves the country, he is nothing more than a bloodthirsty vampire. On the other hand, Romulus, the founding god of Rome, is undoubtedly a great hero, even though his fame in Romania is almost zero.

Moreover, Vlad III clearly perceived that this region of Romania was gradually being covered by Rome. In other words, this land recognized both him and Rome as the source, thus giving both sides the same boost in recognition.

In that instant, although Vlad III maintained his elegance and cruelty, his heart was filled with mixed emotions. The only reason he remained so was because of the pride of being a hero of Romania. This was the only thing that gave him the power to look directly at the Crimson Divine Ancestor.

"... I'm really not... Vampire-- "

Just as the Lancer said that, his Master, with whom he had made a pact, suddenly appeared as if by True Magic and murmured like Demon:

Become Vampire.

Darnic of the Yggdmillennia Clan stood some distance from where the Servant were fighting, surveying the entire arena from a pillar resembling Temple.

"... Darnic, what did you just say to me?"

"Can't you hear me? I'm saying, Vlad III, become Vampire!"

"What nonsense are you spouting? Have you forgotten that I said I would never use that Noble Phantasm! I will die here! I will die with regret! Vanish! But this is the path of the loser! Darnic! I never intended to activate that thing that would lead to such a tragic end! Absolutely, absolutely not!"

"You're the one who forgot! We must obtain the Greater Grail no matter what! You must also wish for your wish to be fulfilled, so—we'll have to activate our Noble Phantasm."

After speaking, Darnic raised a hand, on which three Command Spell were emitting a red glow.

He smiled at the Grand Duchess, then declared in a cold, clear voice:

"By Command Spell, Heroic Spirit Vlad III, activate the Noble Phantasm — Legend of Dracula."

"Darnic —you bastard! Aa..."

The Romania hero let out a cry of hatred and despair for the first time in his life.

"I'm not... Vampire... not... ah..."

The trembling whisper was Vlad III's last remaining rationality, which was then utterly shattered by Darnic.

"You are the Vampire, Vampire, Dracula pathetic Monster burdened with a stigma in fabricated stories, as commanded by the Second Command Spell: You must survive until the Greater Grail is obtained."

Vlad III lunged at Darnic, who smiled faintly as he took the blow from Darnic's arm.

With a soft 'pop,' his chest was easily pierced, and Darnic's body disintegrated, blood splattering everywhere, splashing onto the Lancer's faces. But the one who burst into laughter was none other than Darnic himself.

"Hahahaha! My apologies, my servant! To atone for your sins, drain my blood! You truly are Vampire, the king who rules the night! I need not your wishes, leave behind my dreams, my desires, my very existence! With the third Command Spell, I command you, Lancer, etch my existence into your soul!"

Though it was only a small amount, this Magecraft's persistence surpassed that of Heroic Spirit.

"Stop! Stop, stop, stop, stop... I am the King of Wallachia, son of Vlad II, and I am not Vampire who should not exist in the Lord's world! Do not enter my realm! Aaaaaah!"

Vlad III roared with a resentful expression. His face was gradually changing into another blurry image that resembled both Darnic and Vlad III, looking like an amorphous Monster.

"Alright, now you are me, and I am you! Grand Duchess! No, Vampire! Your power will become our shared property! Everything is for the Holy Grail! My dreams and hopes will be deeply rooted within you, living on forever!"

Darnic Preston Yggdmillennia now parasitizing the Heroic Spirit of Vlad III with the invasive power of cancer cells.

"You, this guy is ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

"How could this be? It can't be..."

Atalanta muttered in surprise, after all, for a human to devour Servant's soul without performing the Ritual is truly just an act of suicide, nothing more. After all, these are the souls of Heroic Spirit, the highest-level and most massive souls that can activate the Greater Grail by gathering seven of them.

Humans who are not 'vessels' simply cannot withstand it, but with the help of Command Spell, Darnic succeeded.

Vlad III, a hybrid of the souls of both, became a world-renowned Vampire. In terms of mystery, this period was only a short century. However, the terrifying legends he created are spread all over the world. When people talk about Vampire, they don't think of the Dead Apostle hiding in the world, but rather of 'Dracula,' Vampire created Prototype on the great Romania hero Vlad III.

"O Rome Divine Ancestor, return my Holy Grail to me! I must use the Greater Grail to fulfill the long-cherished wish of my people! Return the Greater Grail... return it, return it, return it to me! Aaaaaaah!"

The roar was a mixture of Darnic's own dreams and his Vampire instincts. At the same time, Dracula slowly looked around as if observing his surroundings, then locked his gaze on a point. He had already sensed the presence of the Greater Grail being absorbed by the garden, and immediately transformed into black mist and rushed towards it.

If Jeanne d'Arc were here now, she would naturally demand that all her Servant unite to kill Dracula.

After all, in Romania, the legends of Vlad III Impaler and being Vampire coexist, so Vlad III's fame and notoriety could very well be attributed to him.

If the Greater Grail were to be freed from the Hanging Gardens... Romania would likely become a living Purgatory overnight.

This means that history and legend will become intertwined and merged, resulting in a masterpiece of tragedy created solely to massacre the local inhabitants—or so some might call this tragedy.

Night of Wallachia.

However, when Dracula arrived at Semiramis's Hanging Gardens in an unstoppable black mist and in his bat form, he opened the door without hesitation, revealing the place he had been waiting for. A wide staircase built of Sun-Dried Brick led straight down before him, and a colossal structure stood there as if it were about to pierce through the top floor.

The all-powerful wish-granting machine filled with blue and white light—is the Greater Grail of Fuyuki.

"Ahh."

Dracula has arrived at the Greater Grail; all he needs to do is forcibly activate Greater Grail to fulfill his wish...

"This is the end for me."

As the words fell, a bright light, as if piercing through the darkness and dispelling the black mist, appeared.

That was a transformation and existence that even Amakusa Shirou, who was secretly observing from the side, had not anticipated. A light flashed out like Servant summoned, and then a man dressed as a warrior walked out from it. He was wearing steel armor with piercing shards all over his body, and his hands were like sharp Claws.

Dracula pointed a trembling finger at the man and murmured:

"I'm not Vampire, I'm not..."

"Yes, I am not Vampire, and neither are you. Whether it is me as a believer or you as a king, we are both fighting before the Lord—"

The man is also Vlad III, but in this form, he has abandoned his humanity to protect the country; he is a dragon in disguise.

"The Church's World Shield."

"That's right, I... I really, am not Vampire..."

Vlad III, whose reason had vanished, still couldn't help but shed tears.

"The Holy Grail is unique. Even with miracles, a counterfeit is worthless. I need no one else's approval; I will be the shield Protection the nation." Vlad III embraced Dracula. "I am truly freezing cold now. In such cold, will we not act? My oh, rest..."

"Yes, the birds at the border are making quite a racket..."

Then, Vlad said to Dracula,

"Master, my friend Darnic, the reason I pierced you as a king was not out of despair or Wrath, but out of a sense of responsibility as a hero and compassion as your Servant. I acknowledged your Master stop at nothing to achieve your dreams."

Because I do the same thing to Protection my country, but you have your dreams, and I have mine.

I hope that one day, the world we live in will be able to accommodate all our dreams.

And so, the Vampire were completely sublimated, leaving not a trace behind. Both the heroes who saved their homeland and the patriarchs who led the Magecraft were now dead.

The kings of the past are dead, and the believers of the present sing triumphant songs.

Are you also His Excellency Vlad III?

After everything settled down, Amakusa Shirou had been secretly observing for a long time, slowly stepped out. Of course, he also realized that the other party had actually noticed him a long time ago.

"The Ruler."

Vlad III rose, his entire body slowly transforming into blue specks of light, as if he had come solely to save himself, who had been transformed into Dracula.

"My path is stained with blood. I have impeached hundreds of nobles and murdered tens of thousands of enemy soldiers. The cruelty that came upon me, the cruelty I committed, has turned this body into a weapon, yet I cannot stop, for loving the Lord and protecting His teachings is the path that makes one human."

As expected of Vlad III, who was both a believer and a warrior in the Present World, Amakusa Shirou could feel the power of sacred words in these words.

A friend once said that my Faith would drive me mad, but that's a mistake.

"Incorrect?"

"When Wrath threatened to drive me mad, I was able to control myself through the presence of the Lord's light... and you are the same."

"Excuse my apologies, but I'm afraid—"

"Heh heh." Vlad III chuckled. "... It's too dark here. Even if your fingertips could touch someone, you wouldn't feel any warmth. So, my fellow believer, what is your purpose?"

"That goes without saying, of course it's to save all humanity. For that, anything that stands in my way will be destroyed, even if it's another believer."

In an instant, Amakusa Shirou's aura overwhelmed Vlad III, which was natural, given that he had waited sixty years for this.