Breaking the Scepter / I Just Remembered Something Happy

"Darnic, you're basically making Yu eat shit right now!"

A terrifying killing intent erupted from Vlad III.

Darnic lowered his head, unable to utter a single word. After all, he had no Command Seal, no means to restrict Servant; he was merely a Magecraft, a fragile Magecraft.

"Family," Darnic began, his head bowed and his voice low. "My king, I'm speaking to you. The continuation of my family is everything to me... In the past, I have searched for countless ways to ensure my family's survival and to prevent them from experiencing what I have gone through."

Vlad III remained silent, his spear not falling immediately, but listening to Darnic's words.

When he appeared in this world, it was clear that the man before him had an unimaginable obsession; it wasn't for himself, but for the future.

"I've staked everything on this Holy Grail War!"

Darnic roared with his head down, "Three years ago! I spent three whole years using all my resources, all my savings and connections, to get the Holy Grail War Holy Grail from Matou Zouken!! I gave everything, everything, everything!!"

"I want to win!!! To win this Holy Grail War!!!" As if knowing he was about to die, Darnic raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, and stared at Vlad III, shouting, "Even if you take my life, I will have no regrets!"

"Only!"

Darnic kowtowed again, his voice hoarse, "Please, save my family! Unleash the Noble Phantasm — Blood Heritage —and you will have the power to defeat other Servant."

Vlad III remained silent, his dark eyes fixed on the humble Darnic, the Magecraft who had always maintained a haughty demeanor, now having abandoned all his dignity.

All for... the continuation of his own family line.

P. S.: "Five more chapters... Hmm! I should be able to finish writing! Everyone, please wait for me!"

Chapter 231 The Broken Scepter (Sixth Update)

The battle continued, even as Vlad III and Darnic were conversing.

"Roar!!!!"

With a roar, Crown of Wisdom's body doubled in size! It grew from fourteen meters to twenty-eight meters in just one hour.

It should be noted that the 'paradise' expanded by the Crown of Wisdom at this moment was only a small area, but as an hour passed, his imposing height became even larger.

"Bang—!!"

Even the Willow Man created by Cú Chulainn was sent flying by a single punch.

Cú Chulainn's expression was also extremely grim. He waved his staff, forcibly stabilizing the Willow Man, and shouted at Jeanne d'Arc, "Hey!! Ruler!! I can't hold on much longer!!"

Just as Jeanne d'Arc was about to reply, the wooden stakes beside her surged forward again. She quickly jumped up, grabbed Kiyohime had reverted to human form and was now weak, and shouted at Cú Chulainn, "Hold on even if you can't hold on! You must hold on until Saber officially arrives!!"

"I am Saber." Sigurd muttered to himself at that moment. He knew who Jeanne d'Arc was talking about, but couldn't she just say her name?

With Red A and Bazett joining the battle, Sigurd was much more relaxed. Even without their help, he was confident he could kill Siegfried.

After all, the opponent is currently injured, while I am at my peak!

While wounded heroes are in greater danger, it depends on the situation. A hero with only a fighting mindset wouldn't care how badly he's injured.

Sigurd didn't even consider this kind of enemy a threat!

"Oh! Sorry!"

After offering a half-hearted apology, Jeanne d'Arc immediately stepped back, carrying Kiyohime in her arms.

"Sigh!!! There's no other way! I can only grit my teeth and bear it!" Looking at the Crown of Wisdom, which had grown to about twice its original size, Cú Chulainn was also very troubled. Unlike his opponent, his Noble Phantasm could not freely increase his height.

Now that the opponent's body is twice as tall, Cú Chulainn must also increase his height with his Noble Phantasm, grabbing the waist of Crown of Wisdom to restrict the opponent's movement.

"It's rather strange that you're focusing on improving your physical body instead of offensive power, but if that's the case... then it should last a bit longer." Cú Chulainn sighed, then increased his magical power, pushing his Noble Phantasm to its limit!

The Willow Man grew taller, from only being able to hug the waist of the Crown of Wisdom to... barely being able to hug its shoulders.

"Yay! I can only hold out for an hour. If an hour passes, then I'm powerless to help!"

Cú Chulainn has already given it his all; if the Crown of Wisdom were to grow stronger again, then there would be nothing he could do.

"I understand." Jeanne d'Arc nodded slightly. She was aware of Cú Chulainn's predicament; it was already quite remarkable that he had managed to hold off the Crown of Wisdom all by himself.

"Roar!!!!"

Crown of Wisdom roared, trying to tear the Willow Man in front of him in two, but brute force alone was not enough to destroy Cú Chulainn's Noble Phantasm!

"..."

Darnic and Vlad III both fell silent, and Jeanne d'Arc and Kiyohime left for the time being, making the area a little quieter.

"Whoosh."

Vlad III sheathed his spear, turned around, and without looking at Darnic, said in a very calm tone, "I will not lose. On this land, I am the strongest Servant."

"..." Darnic remained silent. Indeed, if it weren't for Mikaela's strange Noble Phantasm, Vlad III could truly be considered the strongest Servant in this Holy Grail War.

"But sometimes, I have to admit it."

A hint of sadness flashed in Vlad III's eyes as he stood atop the wooden stake, gazing at Siegfried, who was being besieged, and Medusa and Red Hare were fighting on the Crown of Wisdom.

"I lost this time, and I lost completely, not only in terms of strength, but also in terms of so-called self-esteem."

"!!!!!!!" Darnic seemed to understand something, and suddenly looked up at Vlad III, his eyes filled with shock.

"Darnic," Vlad III's tone suddenly turned serious. He stared intently at Darnic and said, "Protecting the family isn't about kneeling and begging for help; it's about letting them know your strength!"

"Look! Darnic!"

Vlad III pointed at the Servant fighting ahead, a sarcastic smile playing on his lips, and laughed loudly, "They have the upper hand, don't they!"

"We are fighting a battle that is almost impossible to win, aren't we!"

"But have you ever thought about this?! I've had a similar experience before!"

Looking ahead, Vlad III seemed to recall the days when he faced the Ottoman Empire. In the eyes of others, wasn't he just like a mantis trying to stop a chariot?

"Back then, I didn't have the real power to kill all those invaders." Vlad III stood on the wooden stake, looking at the spear in his hand, and said with a bitter smile, "Now, because of a strange name, I have gained power beyond that of a martial artist, but I still can't let it go."

"There will be plenty of opportunities to cleanse your stains in the future. What I should be thinking about now is how to protect your family."

As the night breeze blew gently, Darnic knelt on the ground, looking into Vlad III's eyes, and felt tears streaming down his cheeks.

My heart is pounding. When was the last time my heart was pounding like that?

It was because of a so-called prophecy that foretold his family would not continue. That time... his fiancée, his brothers, and everything else disappeared!

At that moment, his heart was filled with the flames of resentment; he wanted revenge! Revenge on those damned bastards!!!

But this time, he clearly felt it—it was a feeling of worship, a worship of the man before him named Vlad III.

"Are you willing to become my true subject, Darnic?" Vlad III asked seriously, his inquiry quite earnest.

"That's right! Of course! I will always be your subject."

Darnic stood up. Having lived for countless years, for the first time at that moment, he felt alive! He was alive in this world.

He felt his heart pounding. He didn't need to plot any schemes or tricks at this moment. Just by following behind this king, he might be able to get what he wanted most!

It's not the Holy Grail, but the most important thing!

"Hahahaha!!! Then let me bear all the darkness, while you stand in the light, basking in the sunlight."

Vlad III burst out laughing; he was about to begin his hunt! Like a vampire in the night.

"Snap!"

After Vlad III left, Darnic broke the scepter in his hand. Looking at the scepter that was now broken in two, he said in a very calm tone, "From today onwards, there will probably be no more so-called head of the Yugdomilenia family."

"And, my king! I've grown accustomed to bearing the burden of darkness."

"Light is something for future generations to enjoy; it has nothing to do with me."

Darnic followed Vlad III, intending to fight alongside him!

PS: "Sixth update, four more to go."

Chapter 232 I Remembered Something Happy (Seventh Update)

On the other side.

After Mikaela watched Irisviel take out the core of the Holy Grail, he placed one hand on the Holy Grail.

"Saber?" Emiya Kiritsugu didn't know what Mikaela was up to. After losing its core, the Holy Grail had no other function besides providing magical energy to Servant.

"I lack magic."

Mikaela spoke calmly, his heart area flashing with an astonishing light.

"That's?!" Irisviel sensed it and looked at Mikaela in disbelief, saying, "That's 'me'?"

"...Strictly speaking, it's your heart that transformed into Lesser Holy Grail." Mikaela had a bit of a headache. Why did Irisviel always say such nonsensical things?

"Did you survive using this?"

Emiya Kiritsugu looked at Mikaela's chest with some surprise. He had personally witnessed Mikaela take out Irisviel's heart, which was the Lesser Holy Grail, and then forcefully stuff it into her own heart.

"Don't stare at other people's chests!" Irisviel reached out and forcefully twisted Emiya Kiritsugu's head away, preventing him from staring directly at Mikaela's chest.

At this moment, Emiya Kiritsugu speechless. Mikaela was a man, so what was wrong with him staring at someone's chest? Besides, he wasn't that kind of perverted person. He was just curious whether the Lesser Holy Grail could allow Servant to remain in this world completely.

If this is true, then they now possess another Holy Grail, and if they forcibly insert this Holy Grail into the heart of Servant, will that Servant also be able to live in this world?

"No, that won't work." Mikaela shook her head, took out the Lesser Holy Grail her heart, held it in her hand, and then touched the Holy Grail next to her.

It seemed to have absorbed something, as the Holy Grail, which had originally radiated a golden light, became very dim.

The Lesser Holy Grail placed in Mikaela's heart was now radiating a dazzling light, as if it had consumed some powerful tonic.

However, the light of the Lesser Holy Grail soon dimmed, but unlike the Holy Grail next to it, it was not completely dull.

"My situation is rather special." Mikaela looked at Emiya Kiritsugu and said calmly, "Other Servant obtain the Holy Grail can at most maintain enough magical power to survive in the world. Once the magical power in the Holy Grail is exhausted, they should go back to wherever they are supposed to go."

"My current state is that I have gained a physical body, which is simply called 'resurrection'. I will get hungry if I don't eat, I will get thirsty if I don't drink water, and I may die suddenly if I don't sleep."

After giving a simple and clear explanation, Mikaela threw the Holy Grail back down, allowing the nearly drained Holy Grail to continue storing magic.

Anyway, this wasn't his spiritual vein, so he drained most of the magic power from inside the Holy Grail, though he still left some magic power inside.

However, since his Servant is Sigurd, who possesses the inherent skill of Dragon Modification, his magic power is mostly self-sufficient, and he does not need to pay Sigurd much magic power.

However, Mikaela couldn't completely consider herself; she also took others into account. That's why she didn't completely drain the magic power inside the Holy Grail, but left some magic power for him.

"Then you should leave here for now." Mikaela shouldered the Oath of Judas and looked at the four Emiya Kiritsugu calmly, saying, "I'm going to the battlefield to deal with them. You are too weak, so don't come over."

"Hmm?" Ryougi Shiki frowned slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but finally nodded.

According to Bazett, the only Servant Ryougi Shiki can currently deal with are probably Hassan of the Hundred Faces and Kiyohime, and she must activate her attack unexpectedly and then end the battle as quickly as possible.

Otherwise, no matter how sharp her eyes are, if someone punches her heart or head, she will still die, since Ryougi Shiki doesn't have rune defense Magecraft like Bazett.

The battle is now nearing its end. Instead of immediately Servant in combat, Mikaela is helping Emiya Kiritsugu and Irisviel obtain the Holy Grail Core.

After all, this is the best opportunity. If things change again tonight, it would be a good thing to let Emiya Kiritsugu and Irisviel obtain the Holy Grail Core to save their daughter.

Therefore, Mikaela did not go to fight, but instead escorted Emiya Kiritsugu and Irisviel, Asagami Fujino and Ryougi Shiki were merely incidental companions.

Now that the escort is complete and it's confirmed that the enemy Servant aren't nearby but over there, Mikaela has decided to go and help. Some time has passed, and it's believed that Crown of Wisdom has already undergone a transformation. If it continues to transform, then this world is probably doomed.

Can I help you?

Asagami Fujino asked softly, still wanting to go and help, even though she didn't know what she could do.

"Young lady, Servant are fighting, just don't get in the way." Emiya Kiritsugu lit a cigarette and said calmly, as if he had been there before, "I'm a senior who participated in the Holy Grail War. The best choice is for us not to fight, but to provide support from behind."

"Pfft."

Mikaela suddenly laughed.

"What are you laughing at?" Ryougi Shiki asked, puzzled. She didn't know why Mikaela had suddenly started laughing, even though his smile was quite handsome.

"I remembered some happy things."

In Mikaela's mind, Emiya Kiritsugu was originally a serious, solemn, and unlikable champion of justice.

Then, at the end of the Fourth Holy Grail War, the opponent sat at the door smoking, looking completely drained, which shattered Mikaela's inner image.

"What's making you so happy?" Ryougi Shiki's interest was piqued. She wanted to know what could have made the usually calm Mikaela smile like that.

"Ahem, it can't be said."

Seeing that Emiya Kiritsugu his cigarette, Mikaela decided to give him face and decided it was better not to say anything more.