Kiritsugu's eyelids twitched, and he immediately pulled the trigger, knowing that he absolutely couldn't give the enemy an opportunity at this time, but he was still a step too late. Amakusa had already activated the Command Spell, and Semiramis successfully blocked this attack for Amakusa.
"It's too late, let's start now!" Amakusa said urgently to Semiramis.
"Has it come to this?" Semiramis looked at the naked (?) man in front of her, only feeling that her eyes had been defiled. But this thing was the one that had defeated her Master, the previous Ruler. "If that's the case, I understand."
With a snap of Semiramis's fingers, both the black and red sides fighting paused at the same time, then the Master and several weaker Servants suddenly coughed up fresh blood.
"Poison? Amakusa Shirou, you bastard!" Darnic was the first to react. The only reason Amakusa invited them here, besides using Semiramis's Hanging Gardens as a fortress, was to make it easier to wipe them all out in one go. Because even if they passed the Beast's level, the competition for the Holy Grail would not stop. It was impossible to expect others not to make any underhanded moves, just didn't expect this guy to actually do such a thing at the critical moment. "Has your brain been knocked out too!"
"The enemy's strength has already exceeded our imagination." Amakusa continuously retreated toward the church. Churches in every region are basically built upon Great Spiritual Veins, and he had long since prepared for the Holy Grail's descent within it. "I cannot fall here yet, I have not yet been able to realize my long-cherished wish of saving humanity."
"Saving humanity, saving humanity. You're not a Ruler at all, are you!" Astolfo's Master, Selenike, realized something was wrong. If Amakusa were a proper Ruler, he should not have been able to participate in the Holy Grail War. He had always been talking about that crazy wish of his, which was even more self-centered than her own. This so-called Saint from the Island Nation of the East had been lying from the very beginning. "How can someone like you be called a Saint?"
"Grand wishes are always accompanied by sacrifice." Amakusa glanced at Jiang You. This Servant who served as the leader didn't seem to have any intention of chasing after him, so he still had a chance. As long as the other Servants fell, he could have the chance to turn defeat into victory. He must slay the Beast here. The Beast's side hadn't even used its full strength yet, and its defeat would cause a chain reaction. He had to stop the losses in time to prevent any more Servants from being controlled.
As Amakusa spoke, Semiramis also activated her Hanging Gardens. The Lord's home-field advantage vanished instantly. Before he could react, Elizabeth punched him squarely in the nose, sending him spinning through the air.
Now, the plan was to use the Hanging Gardens to block Jiang You's group and then use the Holy Grail to boost his own combat power.
"I've prepared for so many years, only to be thwarted by this ridiculous reason?" Darnic suddenly burst into laughter as he felt the poison corroding his internal organs. This mythical venom was too potent for a mortal. Darnic knew he wouldn't survive much longer. But this was expected. He, a master of soul transfer, had already prepared a replacement, a perfect replacement. "In the name of my Command Spell... Vlad III, release your Noble Phantasm: Legend of Dracula!"
Although the Lord strongly resisted this Noble Phantasm, it was actually extremely powerful. While it sealed off about half of his Skills and Noble Phantasms, it conversely granted him a massive boost to physical abilities, the ability to transform into animals or mist, healing capabilities, and the Mystic Eyes of Charm. Of course, it also gave him weaknesses to sunlight and holy symbols. Darnic wanted to seize the Lord's body along with his Spirit Origin, so the stronger, the better. The Lord might resist him, but Darnic himself would not.
"You!" The Lord, still tumbling on the ground, immediately received the Command Spell's order. As a Lancer, he possessed B-Rank Magic Resistance, but he was completely unable to resist such a definite command in his weakened state, only intermittently delaying the Noble Phantasm's activation. "What are you trying to do! I will absolutely never use this! Stop it!"
Darnic sneered, knowing he didn't have much time left. The second Command Spell would forbid the Lord from committing suicide and escaping, and the third Command Spell, combined with his original spell, would forcibly seize his body, turning him into a nameless vampire.
One could say the timeline was converging, but it was clear Darnic had been planning this for a long time. This outcome was inevitable no matter what.
Jiang You, of course, would not let this scoundrel complete his plan. He happened to have someone on hand who could seal Noble Phantasms.
"Jeanne d'Arc! Stop Vlad III from using his Noble Phantasm!" Jiang You decisively issued the order. He didn't want the Lord to die so ignominiously; it would be too ridiculous if he got insta-killed by Amakusa's Black Keys halfway through the transformation, just like in the original story.
"I understand!" Jeanne d'Arc, a Servant who had also died due to false accusations, was naturally sympathetic toward Servants classified as Innocent Monsters. After Jiang You's reminder, she immediately exercised her authority as a Ruler, using God's Resolution to stop the Lord from activating his Noble Phantasm with a Command Spell.
The Lord, who had been gritting his teeth and using his Magic Resistance to hold out until Jeanne's arrival, shot her a look of gratitude.
"Why! Why are you helping him!?" Darnic watched helplessly as the Lord recovered. He couldn't understand why Jeanne, his enemy, was interfering. Consumed by desperation, he coughed up another mouthful of blood. He was running out of time. He had to... "By my Command Spell, I order you, Vlad III, to engrave my soul into your Spirit Origin! By my Command Spell, I order you again!"
He knew that Jeanne only had the authority to use two Command Spells per Servant. By issuing such a continuous series of commands, Jeanne wouldn't be able to stop him. As for whether he could escape in the Lord's body, that was a matter for later. Right now, his only goal was to survive!
But it seemed he'd forgotten that besides using Command Spells to negate, physical means could also stop him from using them.
Jeanne quickly took a few large strides in front of Darnic, raised the flag in her hand, and slammed it squarely on his head. "God's Resolution (Physical)!"
B-Rank Strength was enough to crush a human skull. Even though Jeanne had held back, Darnic's head still caved in. The Clan Leader of the Yggdmillennia, who had lived for over a century, lost his life just like that. Looking back on his life, both his living and his dying were ugly.
"Thank you for your help." The Lord breathed a sigh of relief. If not for Jeanne's assistance, he couldn't even imagine his end. Existing as a vampire was worse than death. Because of the Command Spells, the Lord also realized that this Jeanne was the supervisor of this Holy Grail War. "I have offended you... It seems we were all deceived... But Semiramis's poison..."
"Oh, no need to worry about that. Amakusa won't get the Holy Grail that easily." Jiang You stated that hardly anyone had even died yet, so how could the Holy Grail possibly appear? "As for the poison, I'll just initiate a Duel."