Demise

On the contrary, their abilities as a Servant will be enhanced when engaging in combat with them. However, once they attempt to fight against the opposing faction, their movements will become sluggish, and the strength to wield weapons will be immediately and significantly weakened.

"Then I'm sorry, Lancer!"

Although they felt a little guilty about turning their blades against the leader of the faction they had relied on until now, both Servant understood that they had no other choice in this situation.

Chiron re-emerged with the Yin-Yang Twin Swords, Siegfried also raised the [Fantasy Greatsword: Balmung].

As for the members of the Red Faction, they were enemies themselves, so naturally they had no qualms about taking action.

"Big sister!"

"Understood, leave the assistance to me."

As the Achilles swung his spear forward Atalanta's arrow arrived first, and the Karna, slightly behind them, also charged towards the vampire with his divine spear.

Rider's charge instantly shattered the iron stakes surrounding the vampire's body, and taking advantage of this opening, Archer's arrow shattered his skull, while the flames from Lancer's [Mana Burst] skill instantly melted the vampire.

Even so--

"I will not die!"

The figure in the flames roared loudly, its head began to regenerate, and its wounds began to heal.

The physical injury seemed to have no effect on him. On the contrary, the moment he recovered, he escaped with unimaginable agility through the tiny gap between the two heroes.

"Delusion!"

Ruler then filled the gap left by the mistake of the two Servant. Her weapon was the Holy Banner, a weapon bathed in "divine light" that was deadly to vampires.

Instinctively trying to dodge Ruler's attack, the vampire staggered back a few steps. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Chiron swung his weapon and slashed at the vampire whose defenses were wide open.

"Ooh ooh ooh!"

The moment the Yin-Yang Twin Swords slashed across the vampire's body, the vampire finally revealed an expression other than madness.

"That's?!"

All the Servant present keenly noticed the vampire's change—

The spot where Archer had just injured was sizzling with white smoke, and the wound wasn't regenerating as rapidly as before.

--Is it the effect of that weapon?

Those Servant present who had some understanding of Archer's fighting style subconsciously had this thought. Those who saw Ruler for the first time showed a look of surprise.

"What's wrong?"

Noticing that his "comrade" was somewhat distracted, Archer, while keeping his weapon at bay and keeping watch on the vampire, also spared a bit of attention for Ruler.

"No, I was rude just now. I just didn't expect your weapon could also harm vampires."

"Really? I didn't expect them to be useful in a place like this."

Archer's twin swords are called [Gan Jiang & Mo Xie]. If they appeared in the Holy Grail War in their original form, they would become powerful Noble Phantasm "specifically for dealing with monsters," and even have the effect of cutting down beings like Gorgon in two.

Although they have been downgraded by one level due to Archer's Projection, the twin swords can still be effective against vampires, who are representatives of the supernatural.

However, all that can be done now is to inflict some irreparable wounds on the vampire's expression, but not to cause any fatal damage.

There are seven Servant participating in the extermination of the vampires. Besides Ruler and Chiron), who can damage vampires, the others are Avicebron manipulates golems; Siegfried), who wields Holy Sword; Rider and Lancer (Red Faction barely suppress the vampires by using their powerful attributes; and Atalanta), who uses arrows to restrain them during gaps in the battle.

Even so, despite being besieged by the other Servant, the vampire remained alive. Unlike Berserker, he didn't attack haphazardly, but instead analyzed the opponent's strength to fight effectively, which is why the Servant found him troublesome.

"Damn it, this thing has turned into fog again!"

The vampire's only wounds were inflicted by Ruler's holy banner and Archer's twin swords, and after realizing the threat they posed to him, he was doing his best to dodge their attacks.

"I didn't expect him to still be able to maintain rational thinking even now."

They couldn't possibly attack the fog.

Even Noble Phantasm are powerless against this pitch-black mist. Although Karna can use flames to prevent the vampire from turning into mist and escaping, that's about it.

Therefore, until now, the Servant have not been able to effectively strike at the vampires.

However, they were not at a disadvantage—albeit only slightly, as their attack speed was gradually starting to outpace their recovery speed.

If the fight continues like this, they will be the ones to seize victory. Therefore, the tactic of stalling for time is advantageous to the Servant. Moreover, if they grit their teeth and hold on until morning, the first rays of the rising sun will be enough to turn them to ashes.

However, Servant also possess the X factor of mana supply, and given the intensity of this attack, it's hard to believe that Master would have enough mana to sustain these Servant in battle until morning.

While the [Black] faction doesn't face any mana supply issues due to the androids, the Red Faction... if even one of them can't continue supplying mana, the entire front will collapse.

Therefore, we need to devise a way to get rid of the vampires as soon as possible.

"Projection started (Trace on)."

The Projection that Archer, who had temporarily escaped the battlefield, projected was not Noble Phantasm, and could not even be considered a "weapon".

What appeared in Archer's hand was a "hilt" without a blade, but for Ruler, it was a weapon all too familiar.

"Archer, that's..."

"Ruler, do you know how to use this?"

"Ah, yes. I will use it."

"Then, the timing for using this thing is up to you."

"Okay, give it to me."

Ruler accepted the "sword hilt" that Archer offered.

The thing Archer Projection was one of the Conceptual Weapon used by the Church's Executor, the Black Keys.

Although it was an weapon used against Dead Apostle, Archer believed its purifying effects would also be effective against vampires. For monsters in novels with many religious elements such as "aversion to the cross," having Ruler, as a saint, wield the Black Keys should be enough to inflict fatal damage on vampires.

"Hey, Ruler. Can you destroy this monstrosity?!"

Upon seeing Ruler receive her "new equipment," Rider, who was fighting off a vampire attack, called out to her.

"I can guarantee that, but it requires attacking his body; bats or mist won't work."

Victory can be achieved by simply hitting the target, but a vampire with such a clear weakness cannot easily expose an opening.

"Ah, I understand! Creating gaps will do the trick."

Looking at the vampire's distorted face, Rider finally broke into a rather interested smile on his otherwise serious expression.

--Finally, we've found a clue to launch the campaign.

Even without clues, Rider and his crew could achieve victory simply by holding out until the sun appeared. However, a protracted war didn't suit his taste. Besides, he found it much more satisfying to personally conquer the sun (Apollo) than to rely on it.

(P. S.: During the Trojan War, Apollo was on the side of Troy, while Athena, that little bitch, was on the side of Greece.)

"Then, let's go!"

[Red] Rider brandished his spear with great enthusiasm. The other Servant followed behind him.

Now, it's not just [Black] Archer's dual swords that can damage vampires. As vampires' regeneration ability decreases, the attacks of other heroes are gradually taking effect.

Upon closer examination, vampires, who do not belong to this world, would need a certain amount of energy to remain in the world.

Even when bound by the Command Spell Seal of "Live," a vampire's abilities will weaken or even disappear once the magic power of the Command Spell Seal is depleted.

Piercing the vampire's body with his divine spear, and watching the vampire engulfed in flames once more, Karna's eyes flickered with a hint of emotion. "You, neither Heroic Spirit nor Magecraft, are enduring extraordinary pain. Linger no longer, monster, vanish now."

Just as Karna said, vampires have lost their sense of self. Now, neither Vlad III nor Darnic's personality, he is a completely different being from them.

Obsession, resentment, or delusion. He was a monster devoid of pride, driven solely by animalistic instincts to devour other creatures; the pain of becoming such a hero was unimaginable to others.

Having lost even his own self, his pursuit of the Holy Grail was solely due to the Command Spells.

"No, I can't disappear! I can't lose it! The Holy Grail... I will never die until I obtain the Holy Grail!!"

The figure crawled out of the flames again with a loud roar. Even as arrows rained down on him, his arm was severed by two swords, and his abdomen was pierced by Holy Sword, the vampire still staggered toward his goal.

However, with the restrictions imposed by the other Servant, Ruler was able to easily hit the vampire's body.

But the moment Ruler raised the Black Keys, without any warning, all the Servant of the [Red] faction suddenly bent their knees in pain and stopped moving.

"Cough, drink..."

"What... happened? Is it Master?"

Because of this unexpected turn of events, Ruler lost his best chance to deal with the vampire. The vampire, not wanting to miss that brief opening, bypassed all the Servant and rushed straight into the darkness ahead.

That's where the Greater Grail is located.

"Damn it! Chiron, please hold them off!"

Ruler shouted, "Currently, only the Archers on both sides possess ranged attack capabilities. However, the Atalanta seems unable to move due to the recent anomaly."

Upon hearing Ruler's instruction, Archer, who had already conjured a longbow in his hand, fired five arrows at the vampire without a word. All the arrows pierced the vampire's foot and waist. However, the vampire transformed into the form of a bat.

"Tsk, what a hassle."

Watching the swarm of bats disappear into the darkness, Archer clicked his tongue in amazement as he, Ruler, and the other remaining [Black] Servant were still able to move chased after the bats.

--Under no circumstances should he be allowed to obtain the Holy Grail.

This was the unanimous thought in the minds of all the Servant present.

The bats reverted to their vampire forms, and the vampires raced down the dimly lit corridor.

His throat was burning, and his heart was in excruciating pain. Both his body and mind were tormented by the agony. The all-out attack from the Servant had depleted the vampire's magical energy. The magical energy provided by the Command Spell was no longer enough to fully heal his wounds.

On the other hand, the Command Spell's control over vampires is gradually weakening.

"The Holy Grail —no, I want blood!!!"

Finally, the instinct that erupted from the body broke free from the Command Spell's restraints.

A scream that seemed to tear his throat rang out in the corridor. Completely losing his rationality, he transformed into the legendary vampire— Dracula —in that instant.

The Root craving for blood completely suppressed Darnic's pursuit of the Holy Grail within his soul. Ignoring Darnic's screams within his soul, the vampire began searching everywhere for "blood food."

In the blink of an eye, his hunter's instincts told him that he could smell the delicious aroma of blood not far ahead.

The vampire's physical condition and inner desires left him no time to think; he burst through the hidden door.

Before him stood a man and a woman. The man emanated no magical energy whatsoever, but the girl standing beside him exuded a "scent" that made him drool.

It was Caster from the Red Faction and her Master. Although the vampire had only caught a glimpse of them from afar on the battlefield, he still recognized them.

However, the other party seemed to have been aware of his sudden intrusion, and the expression on his face showed neither fear nor even surprise.

But it didn't matter. Common sense told him that a mere Caster couldn't cause him any trouble, and as for her Master, that was simply not within a vampire's consideration.

"My food!"

The vampire, eager to devour the "delicacy" before him, roared and lunged at the girl. But to his surprise, what awaited him was...

A dazzling flash, as if cleaving through the darkness.

Chapter 242. Extinction

When Ruler and Chiron, who were chasing the vampire, rushed over, they were surprised to find a girl waving and greeting them in the room.

"Caster?"

Ruler, recognizing the girl, looked surprised, but her attention was quickly drawn to what was happening at the other end of the room—

The vampire they had been chasing earlier now lay limply on the floor, his pale skin, exposed to the air, covered in dense runes. Logically, this alone shouldn't have been enough to subdue this troublesome vampire, but...

"Hey, Ruler..."

A voice interrupted Ruler's thoughts; Caster's Master was holding a spear to the vampire's chest.

This is precisely what Ruler finds strange; it's clearly just a human being, yet...

"Instead of wasting time watching the show, why don't we think about how to deal with this damn thing first?"

Seeing Ruler looking dazed since entering, and feeling the increasingly powerful struggle emanating from the gun tip, Wang Xiaoming's expression was somewhat frustrated. Lily's Magecraft was more about preventing the vampire from escaping in bat form.

Although this situation had been anticipated, it seems that if Ruler doesn't help soon, the vampire will break free of its restraints.

"Ah, sorry!"