Chapter 480: [480] The Black Faction’s Final Charge
The Legend of Dracula—that was the ultimate forbidden technique, a Noble Phantasm even the hero himself would despise, much like ’Innocent Monster.’
After all, for Vlad III, the fame of the Impaler paled in comparison to the power of ’Dracula the Vampire.’ Upon unleashing this Noble Phantasm, Vlad III would be granted the fabricated power of a vampire, rendering physical attacks ineffective and even allowing him to turn Servants into his thralls. He could also transform into mist or bats, and beyond fangs and monstrous strength, he could summon wooden stakes from within his body to impale his foes.
The Vlad III of the Lord class was no match for the vampire Dracula—an indisputable fact, the fruit of legends passed down through generations, unaltered by the hero’s own will.
Yet, the pride of a hero allowed Vlad III to refuse using this Noble Phantasm. Even before the Holy Grail War began, he had sternly warned Darnic that the use of Legend of Dracula was absolutely forbidden.
But Darnic, as a magus, saw Servants as little more than familiars. His reverence for Vlad III was merely a means to better wield this ’weapon’—at best, his deception was more refined than that of the Osarei family. Vlad III lacked Sakatsuki’s discerning eyes to see through such falsehoods.
Now, with the Black Faction cornered, how could Darnic—who yearned to become nobility and forge the ’Millennium Golden Tree’—pass up any chance at victory?
Yet—there was still something perplexing.
Sakatsuki spun his pistols, their barrels roaring ceaselessly as they tore through the forest of stakes no taller than a man, his mind racing.
The first Command Spell—allowed the grievously wounded Vlad III to escape and return to the Fortress of Millennia.
The second Command Spell—repaired Vlad III’s spiritual core, ensuring the Lord did not fall before the war even began.
Meaning Darnic now had only one Command Spell left.
How could he possibly compel the Lord to activate Legend of Dracula while still willingly securing the Holy Grail for the Yggdmillennia?
Soon, Darnic revealed the answer.
"By the power of my Command Spell—Lord, I command you to fight once more for Romania, for Yggdmillennia!"
As he spoke, Darnic channeled a pale blue, almost divine cluster of magical energy into Vlad III’s body. At the same time, the Command Spell shattered, and miraculous power descended.
"Oho, this is—!" Vlad III inhaled deeply, savoring the resurgence of strength within him. With a sweeping gesture, countless stakes erupted violently, spreading like venomous serpents, like the encroaching night itself!
"What?!" Sakatsuki was stunned to see his magical bullets deflected. In desperation, he could only evade using displacement magecraft. Meanwhile, the other Servants of the Red Faction found themselves under Vlad III’s assault, scrambling to dodge and retreat.
"This familiar sensation..." Sakatsuki wiped the blood from his cheek, his gaze sharp.
Before them, the stakes swelled and multiplied at a visible pace, baring fangs like beasts, layering upon themselves as they unfurled, roaring toward the Red Faction!
"Kazikli Bey."
The king guarding his domain issued his decree, and within the narrow corridor, countless stakes roared forward like a black torrent, like the return of wrath, surging toward the enemies ahead!
Ding, ding, ding.
The young man swept his sleeve, projecting coins that tumbled downward one after another. An electromagnetic field formed in the void, locking onto the oncoming torrent of stakes amidst the golden radiance.
"Go!"
At Sakatsuki’s command, the seemingly ordinary coins tore through space, transforming into golden dragons that roared and lunged, biting into the black stakes, tearing them apart piece by piece!
Black fragments scattered, embedding themselves haphazardly into walls, floors, and even the bodies of dragon-tooth warriors and puppets. Vlad III’s assault had been neutralized, yet the Red Faction Servants gazed at the sneering Black Faction king with nothing but solemnity.
Though this was the garden ruled by the Empress, Vlad III—the ghostly general who protected his nation—had regained the precision, power, and density of his Noble Phantasm as it had been in Romania.
In other words, Vlad III had returned to his peak! And the restored Voivode was far more troublesome than the mindless, Holy Seal-and-garlic-vulnerable Dracula he had become as a vampire.
But how had this been achieved?
"Command Spells and... leylines?!" Sakatsuki recalled Darnic’s actions and suddenly understood. "You actually extracted Romania’s leylines and directly infused them into the Servant’s body!"
What a reckless, audacious attempt! With the concept of ’Romania’ now embedded within Vlad III, it meant he was perpetually within his own territory. Though such an act was incredibly risky, the Command Spells acted as a powerful adhesive, forcibly merging the Servant’s inherently magical body with the leyline’s essence.
Even Sakatsuki had to acknowledge Darnic’s genius—and his ruthlessness.
After all, Yggdmillennia’s magecraft foundation was rooted in Romania. Darnic’s actions had undoubtedly staked the entire future of the Yggdmillenna on Vlad III.
Should Vlad III fall in battle, it would mean the complete destruction of the Yggdmillenna’s magecraft foundation, leaving Yggdmillennia utterly crippled and doomed to collapse!
"I must thank you for this, Sakatsuki," Darnic said, his eyes bloodshot—but at this point, he could not afford regret. "Thanks to the leyline-severing technique you displayed back then, I was able to leverage my connections in the Clock Tower to reverse-engineer this magecraft! Had you been born in this era, with your talent, you would surely have claimed the title of Grand without difficulty."
Those fools at the Clock Tower, watching tigers fight from a safe distance...
Sakatsuki scoffed and readied himself anew. "And what of it? This is Red Faction territory. With the Empress’s support, you still stand no chance against us!"
"Oh, is that so?" Chiron chuckled lightly. "Why does it seem to me that our combat strength is now evenly matched?"
"Tch..." The Empress’s displeased voice echoed through the garden.
Chiron was right. Excluding the Blue faction, the Red faction possessed six Servants: Semiramis, Mordred, Karna, Achilles, Atalanta, and Sakatsuki—among them, two were top-tier Servants (with Assassin Sakatsuki not counted among them).
However, the Black faction was no less formidable: Vlad III, Siegfried, Chiron, Avicebron, Astolfo, and...
"Apologies for my delay. Is everyone alright?"
Two streaks of golden light raced forward, one landing amidst the Black faction’s ranks. A woman of breathtaking beauty and imposing presence stood there, gripping her holy spear. Her saintly blue eyes swept over the Black faction’s members before settling on the restless Mordred and the coldly smirking Sakatsuki ahead, her authority radiating without need for words.
Black Assassin—Artoria—had arrived on the battlefield!
Her appearance darkened the expressions of the Red faction’s Servants. No one would underestimate a Servant capable of single-handedly reversing Spartacus’s self-destruction, let alone one who, as King Arthur, was undeniably among the top-tier Servants.
With Vlad III restored to his peak and Siegfried still standing, the Black faction’s top-tier combat strength now clearly surpassed the Red’s.
Moreover, the Ruler bearing a resemblance to King Arthur, wielding her holy banner, stood firmly against the Red faction, her gaze fixed on the black-cloaked Assassin as she delivered a pointed declaration:
"In light of the Red faction’s actions and the anomalies of this Holy Grail War—I must request an audience with your Masters."
"Impossible!"
Red Assassin, Semiramis, rejected the Ruler without hesitation. In response, Jeanne d’Arc cast one last, deep look at Sakatsuki before stepping forward.
"Then I shall seek the answers my own way."
The moment the Saint took her first step, the Empress’s garden reacted instantly. Countless chains shot out from all directions, crisscrossing to obstruct the enemy’s advance, while endless surges of ice and thunderflame plunged them into a living hell.
"Stop them!" At the Empress’s command, the Red faction’s Servants sprang into action. Yet Vlad III, facing the oncoming onslaught, merely turned to the Servants who had fought alongside him thus far.
"Do you still have the strength to press forward?"
The effects of the Command Spells were limited. Once time ran out, the leyline would sever entirely, even clashing with the Servants’ bodies, dragging Vlad III down with them.
In other words, the Black faction’s window of advantage lasted only a few short minutes.
Vlad III would never retreat. His goal was to stake everything on this fleeting moment, burning himself out for the sake of the future!
Faced with the Voivode’s question, not a single voice rose in dissent. Even those who had leaned toward the Blue faction were moved by Vlad III’s resolve, choosing now to uphold their loyalty.
Avicebron and Chiron stood guard behind Vlad III, while Siegfried and Artoria stood shoulder to shoulder. Astolfo took the lead, shielding their leader at the center.
"Your will be done."
"Hahahahaha!" Vlad III, who had once fought alone, laughed heartily at the sight of the Black faction’s heroes, as though pouring out the entirety of his life. The stakes shrieked through the air, their frenzied assault tearing through every obstacle ahead, as unshakable as his blazing will.
"Then, charge forth with me for one last time!"