Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

The girl's warm breath and the light, lingering scent didn't particularly surprise Novia, but it certainly didn't surprise Abigail and Joan of 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 also get a good night's sleep!"

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

271: Wallachia Nights (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 Yggdrasil family.

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

The blood flowing from the artificial lifeforms stained the grassland red, while the remains of the golems and dragon-tooth soldiers 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 Cavalry.

Black Knight Astolfo versus Red Assassin Semiramis.

Then came the Black Spearmen, with Vlad III, the Piercing Prince of Romania, urging his horses forward.

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

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

The earth trembled slightly, and slender stakes instantly emerged 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 II, the conqueror of the destroyed Purple Phoenix, arrived in Bucharest, the capital of Romania, he turned pale. Countless stakes stood around the castle, and 20,000 Turkish soldiers were impaled on them. The moment he saw this scene, the anger of seeing his comrades killed vanished.

The plundering, ravaging, and massacres committed by the Ottoman Empire in the past were merely the result of accelerated desires, 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 the sake of showing off'.

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

It is said that Muhammad II once said this—

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

Of course, the Romanian Grand Duke will be facing off against Romulus, the Red Spearman; Atalanta, the Red Archer; and Tamamo-no-Mae, the Red Sorcerer.

At this moment, Vlad III could not possibly know that the red spearman was the crimson god 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 knowing this clearly in his heart, 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, powerful enough to cleave space.

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

Next—

"Rome, what do you ask for?"

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 is you who should surrender, isn't it? Although I do not intend to let you, who are both heretics and invaders, go."

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

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

".....What?!"

When the patriarch uttered the name, Vlad III was somewhat dazed.

Although Romulus did not worship the same 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. 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.

At that moment, although Vlad III maintained his elegance and cruelty, his heart was filled with mixed feelings. The only reason he maintained this 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 Ancestor.

"...I'm really not...a vampire—"

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

"Become a vampire."

Daniel of the Yggdrasil Clan stood some distance from where the Servants were fighting, surveying the entire arena from a pillar resembling a temple.

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

"Can't you hear me? I'm telling you, Vlad III, become a 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! Darnick! I never intended to use that thing that would lead to 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 have no choice but to activate our Noble Phantasm."

After Danic finished speaking, he raised a hand, on which three Command Seals were emitting a red glow.

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

"By command of the Command Spell, Vlad III, the Heroic Spirit, activates the Noble Phantasm—Legend of the Blood."

"Danick—you bastard! Aa ...

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

"I'm not... a vampire... no... ah..."

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

"You are the vampire, Dracula the vampire, the pathetic monster burdened with a stigma in fabricated stories, by the Second Command Spell. You must survive until the Greater Grail is obtained."

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

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

"Hahahaha! My apologies, my servant! To atone for your sins, drain my blood! You truly are a 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!"

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

"Stop! Stop, stop, stop, stop... I am the King of Wallachia, son of Vlad II, and I am not a 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 being replaced by another blurry image that resembled both Danic and Vlad III, looking like an amorphous monster.

"Alright, now you are me, and I am you! Grand Duke! 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!"

The Giant Tree, Darnick Preston, is now parasitizing the soul of Vlad III with the invasive power of cancer cells.

"You...you bastard! Aa ...

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

Atalanta muttered in surprise, after all, for a human to devour a Servant's soul without performing the ritual is really just an act of suicide, nothing more. After all, these are the souls of Heroic Spirits, 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 Seals, Darnick 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 found throughout the world. When people think of vampires, they don't first think of the Dead Apostles hidden in the world, but rather of 'Dracula,' a vampire modeled after the great Romanian hero Vlad III.

"O Roman god, return my Holy Grail to me! I must use the Great Grail to fulfill the long-cherished wish of my people. Return the Great Grail... return it, return it, return it to me, ahhhhhh!"

The roar was a mixture of Dracula's own dreams and 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 Great Grail being absorbed by the garden, and immediately transformed into black mist and rushed towards it.

If Joan of Arc were here now, she would naturally demand that all her followers unite to kill Dracula.

After all, in Romania, the legends of Vlad III being impaled and vampires 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 hell overnight.

This means that history and legend will become intertwined and merged. Some might call this tragedy a masterpiece created solely to slaughter the local inhabitants—

Wallachia Night.

However, when Dracula arrived at Semiramis's Hanging Gardens in his unstoppable black mist and bat form, he opened the door without hesitation, revealing the place he had been waiting for. A wide staircase built of sun-dried bricks descended 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 machine filled with blue and white light—is the Greater Grail of Fuyuki.

"Ahhh."

Dracula has arrived at the Greater Grail; all he needs to do is forcibly activate it 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 fog, appeared.

That was a transformation and existence that even Amakusa Shiro, who was secretly observing from the side, had not anticipated. A light flashed out like a Servant being 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 a vampire, I'm not..."

"Yes, I am not a vampire, and neither are you. Whether it is me as a believer or you as the 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 a 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 protecting the nation.” Vlad III embraced Dracula. “I am truly freezing cold now. In such cold, will we not act? I shall 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 anger, but out of my responsibility as a hero and my compassion as your Servant. I acknowledge your willingness to stop at nothing to achieve your dreams."

Because I do the same thing to protect 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 the dreams of all of us.

And so, the vampires were completely sublimated, leaving not a trace behind. Both the heroes who saved their homeland and the patriarchs who led the magicians 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 Shiro, who 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 Arbiter."

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 and the cruelty I committed have turned this body into a weapon, but I still cannot stop, because loving the Lord and protecting the Lord’s teachings is the way to become human.”

As expected of Vlad III, who was both a believer and a warrior in the modern world, Amakusa Shiro could feel the power of sacred words in these words.

“A friend once said that my faith would drive me mad, but that was a mistake.”

"Wrong?"

"When anger was driving me to the brink of madness, I was able to control myself because of the presence of the Lord's light... and you are the same as me."

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

“Heh.” Vlad III chuckled. “...It’s too dark here. Even if your fingertips can touch someone, you can’t feel any warmth. So, my fellow believer, what is your purpose?”

"That goes without saying, of course it's to save all of humanity. For that, I will destroy anything that stands in my way, even if it is a fellow believer."

In an instant, Amakusa Shiro's aura overwhelmed Vlad III, but this was natural, after all, he had waited for this for sixty years.