Tch... This just got complicated.
Shirou decided there was no point in waiting any longer.
"Mordred, catch!"
"Huh? Ah!"
Shirou tossed Clarent back to Mordred, then drew the Holy Sword of the Planet and charged at the "Black" Lancer.
Would he make it in time?
Shirou drove his sword toward Vlad III's back, the tip piercing straight through where his heart should be.
He felt the solid impact through the hilt, but the next instant, a thick black mist burst from the place where the "Black" Lancer had been impaled.
It was a swarm of bats.
Vlad III's body scattered into countless bats, their wings beating furiously as they rushed at Shirou.
Normally, a Heroic Spirit would die the moment their heart, their Spirit Core, was pierced.
No matter how much Tenacity a Heroic Spirit had, even the Dragon Slayer, impervious to blades and arrows, should be no exception.
But Lancer, having unleashed the "Legend of Dracula," had become something far removed from a Heroic Spirit.
"Vampire Dracula."
Manaka's surprised voice echoed in Shirou's mind.
"I never thought he could actually go this far. That's amazing... Is this the Mystery achieved when two people with a shared bond merge into one? Wonderful."
Can we move on from the whole "merge" topic already?
Shirou swept away the swarm of bats clinging to him with his sword, then jumped back to put distance between himself and the "Black" Lancer while opening the Makiri Wiki in his mind.
Vampire.
Legends of blood-sucking monsters could be traced back to Lamia, the half-human, half-snake monster of the Age of Gods in Greece.
Some said they were born from sinners after death, others from humans killed by monsters, or from those who died under layers of Curse. The theories varied wildly.
But vampires were different. They had always walked alongside death, devouring life in the darkness of night.
Though they were also called blood-drinkers, they were completely different from the beings Magus called "Dead Apostles."
They were nothing like "undead created through a Magus's research."
Vampires were "high-ranking Phantasmal Species in human form."
Their very existence was fantasy and Mystery. Genuine monsters.
Compared to Dead Apostles, vampires were closer to phantasmal beasts or fairies.
Considering their power, however, it would not be an exaggeration to say they were closer to Dragonkind.
For that matter, the name "Dracula" itself meant "son of the dragon."
The swarm of bats Shirou had scattered gathered again and began to take human form.
That shape was Dracula, the vampire whose fearsome name had spread across the world despite having less than a century of history behind it.
After taking human form once more, the vampire could no longer hide his fangs.
His gaze was still cold, but all intelligence had vanished from it, giving Shirou the impression of a Berserker.
"...Very well. Let us continue this slaughter. I must use the Greater Grail to fulfill my clan's tragic wish. Yes, to fulfill that long-cherished wish, I must live on endlessly, forever and ever. I must increase my kin, I must have children, I must create more followers. I must find those with both talent and diligence, and raise my heirs in a perfect environment. So die... die, die, dieeeee!"
That roar was a mixture of Darnic's own dream and a vampire's instincts.
Not to reach The Root, but to devote his life to the step just before it: "increasing his clan."
Everything was for Yggdmillennia.
The wish he intended to make upon the Greater Grail was to multiply, strengthen, and increase himself.
A man who had blurred the line between love for his clan and obsession with himself refused to understand how utterly ruined his dream truly was.
The monster's cold eyes fixed on Shirou.
He knew very well that the greatest enemy standing in the way of his dream was no longer the "Red" faction, but this young Heroic Spirit.
Unless he eliminated him, victory in the Holy Grail War would be impossible.
"!"
A stake flew toward Shirou.
Vlad III, summoned as Lancer, could use the Noble Phantasm "Kazikli Bey," derived from his title as the "Piercer," while within his own territory.
But after becoming a vampire and being possessed by Darnic, that Noble Phantasm had been sealed. In exchange, he had gained numerous powerful new abilities.
Now the stakes did not rise from the ground. They were summoned from Vlad III's black garments, which blended into the night itself.
Empowered by a vampire's Monstrous Strength, the stakes' speed, power, and even their Mystery were several times greater than before.
The easiest way to understand such an attack was to imagine Dragonkind swinging its claws.
Shirou swung the Holy Sword and cut down the barrage of stakes.
"Unlimited Blade Works" had ended, and the battlefield had returned to its original form.
Shirou judged that fighting the vampire with the Holy Sword was a better option than mindlessly hurling Noble Phantasms at him.
After becoming a vampire, Vlad III had gained parameters even higher than the greatest Fame bonus he once possessed.
He had already surpassed the bounds of a Heroic Spirit.
Attacks backed by overwhelming strength and speed rained down on Shirou without pause.
Besides the stakes fired from the vampire's body like cannonballs, Dracula's close-quarters combat ability was also terrifying.
His black garments, trailing all the way to the ground, could harden into metal-like blades in an instant, whipping through the air with several times the force of the stakes.
An ordinary Heroic Spirit probably would not last even a second before being torn apart by the vampire.
Fortunately, Shirou's swordsmanship had always been more suited to defense than offense.
The fight looked one-sided, but all of it remained within his rhythm.
Calm and composed, Shirou deflected every one of the vampire's ever-shifting attacks.
Then, in a single instant, he seized an opening.
"As a King, you were a worthy opponent. But the thing you are now is nothing more than a monster born from obsession and resentment... Disappear without leaving a trace."
In the instant before the vampire's claws could crush Shirou's skull, the wind-clad Holy Sword of the Planet erupted with a golden radiance that even the vampire feared.
"Strike Air!"
The Mana accumulated within the blade instantly transformed into a torrent of destruction.
A golden beam pierced the pitch-black vampire and burned him to nothing.
"Did you win!?"
Mordred watched the battle nervously.
The answer came in the form of the monster's laughter, fused with the very space around them.
"Haha! Hahahahaha! I cannot die yet. I cannot be killed! No, until I win the Holy Grail War, I will not die!"
Whenever the vampire was attacked, he instantly transformed into mist or bats.
That was why Shirou had abandoned conventional attacks and chosen to unleash overwhelming firepower instead.
It was damage the vampire could not evade through transformation, but vampires were called Undead Nobility precisely because their greatest strength was self-regeneration.
It did not even take a single breath.
Dracula reappeared before them completely unharmed, then kicked Shirou away with a raised leg.
"...Father!"
Mordred rushed over and caught him.
Shirou had not suffered any serious injury. He had blocked at the last possible moment with his sword, though his arm was slightly numb.
Was "Strike Air" not powerful enough to destroy him in one blow?
Shirou frowned. To kill the vampire Dracula completely, he really would have to release the Holy Sword's True Name, Excalibur.
And he had already used it once during his fight against the "Black" Saber. Consecutive Noble Phantasm releases would put quite a burden on Manaka...
Tch. If only he had the "Blades of Chaos"...
"Demon-Slaying Strike" should be effective against this thing. At the very least, it should be able to purge his immortality.
Unfortunately, that Noble Phantasm was not recorded in the Spirit Origin of the Heroic Spirit Artorius.
"I'll help too!" Mordred said.
"Are your injuries really all right?" Shirou asked.
"Don't worry about a scratch like that."
Shirou glanced back toward the east.
It was 4:50 in the morning. The sun would rise soon.
Once the sky brightened, the vampire's power would drop sharply, making him far easier to deal with.
So all they needed to do now was buy time.
It was a task Shirou could manage on his own, but Mordred looked thrilled and eager, already unable to wait for the chance to fight alongside him.
If he refused, she looked like she might burst into tears...
Shirou nodded. "I understand."
"Yeah! I'm going in!"
"Wait! Mordred, don't!"
Ignoring Shirou's warning, the rebellious Knight unleashed her Mana and charged toward the vampire Dracula.
"Whoa...!"
Then, in a single exchange, she was sent flying by the vampire's monstrous strength, which was far beyond what she had expected.
Shirou had already moved to her landing point and caught her in his arms.
"Sorry... guh!"
Mordred pulled herself out of Shirou's embrace, her face tight with frustration like a child who knew she had done something wrong.
"Calm down. Don't rush in recklessly."
Shirou did not scold her. He only spoke patiently.
"I'll draw his attacks. You harass him from the side and keep me safe."
"Mm... Got it! Father!"
"About that 'Father' thing..."
Shirou and Mordred suddenly frowned and leaped backward at the same time.
At that exact moment, Vlad III rushed in and shattered the ground with one swipe of his claw.
Without missing a beat, the two of them attacked the vampire from left and right in perfect coordination.
"..."
Shirou was a little surprised.
His coordination with Mordred was so smooth it was almost telepathic.
Shirou parried Dracula's attacks and baited him into exposing openings, while Mordred seized those chances and launched fierce counterattacks.
The two Sabers had their roles clearly divided, pressing the enemy with seamless, flowing teamwork.
This could work...!
Mordred bared her canine teeth in pride.
Her partnership with Father produced an effect greater than 1 + 1. The wild dance of the Holy Sword and the Magic Sword began to outpace the vampire's self-healing.
Even when he transformed into mist, Shirou used the wind magecraft of "Wind King's Barrier" to deny him any chance to recover.
As the first ray of morning light pierced through the forest, the battlefield shifted from a stalemate to Shirou's side holding the advantage.
The sun had not fully risen yet, but Dracula's strength and speed had already begun to decline.
Mordred poured Mana into the Silver King's Sword in her hand, then took a sharp step toward the vampire.
Perhaps because Darnic's will had not yet fully corroded Vlad III's Spirit Origin, the moment he saw the girl's unmistakable stance for unleashing her Noble Phantasm, his body froze completely.
Facing the utterly defenseless vampire, Mordred would not let the chance slip by. She raised the Magic Sword high, crimson lightning bursting from its blade.
The girl cried out with soaring spirit.
"To my beautiful."
"Mordred! Dodge!"
"Huh? Guwaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
The instant Mordred called out the True Name of her Noble Phantasm, Shirou charged in, grabbed her by the waist, and slammed her away with unimaginable force.
"Ugh... ngh..."
After feeling her back carve a trench dozens of meters long through the ground, the girl lifted her face in fury and roared at the red-haired boy who had ruined her moment.
"What the hell! Why'd you get in my way? That attack would've let me finish him off in style... Father?"
Mordred wondered if something was wrong with her eyes.
A shadow as massive as a small mountain loomed over her and Shirou.
It was a grotesque monster beyond description.
Eight tentacle-like arms, over a dozen insect-like legs, the head of a Tyrannosaurus, and five eyes scattered across its body.
"Wh-what the hell is that? More importantly, Father... are you okay?"
Mordred had been so eager to show off in front of Shirou that she had not even sensed the approaching "Black" Berserker.
As a result, Shirou had rushed in and taken the blow for her.
Shirou, Mordred, and Vlad III were all sent flying more than ten meters by Berserker's tree-like tentacle.
Incidentally, the rampaging Spartacus had not actually noticed them. After running over the three of them like speed bumps, he kept charging straight ahead.
"..."
Finally realizing what had happened, Mordred's eyes widened in shock.
"Wait... Father! No! Don't die!"
"Was it... my fault? Did I get you killed...?"
"Quiet down, Mordred..."
Shirou struggled to get up, only to be immediately dragged into Mordred's arms.
"Father! Thank goodness! You're alive!"
"So... about calling me 'Father'..."
"You two certainly seem to be enjoying yourselves on the battlefield."
A woman's voice rang out.
Mordred's face flushed bright red, and she hurriedly tossed Shirou out of her arms.
"Who are you...? A Servant from the 'Red' faction?"
Atalanta stood above them, looking down at the two with cold eyes.
Mordred took a guarded stance, but it was obvious the other party had no intention of starting a fight.
"...You really are popular."
Atalanta merely glared fiercely at Shirou, then turned without another word and chased after Spartacus.
"Let's go, Mordred."
"Go? Where?"
The Rebel Knight looked around and realized Vlad III had already vanished.
The vampire had also been badly injured when the "Red" Berserker sent him flying.
And since dawn was almost upon them, he understood that the night's battle was lost and took the chance to turn into bats and flee.
Shirou looked toward the Fortress of Millennia.
From Berserker's current critical Mana state and Archer's movements, he had a vague idea of what the "Red" faction was planning.
They intended to use Berserker to bring down the Fortress of Millennia, didn't they?
Their target was the Greater Grail held by Yggdmillennia?
Shirou cracked his knuckles. "Let's go steal the Holy Grail."
"Well said, Lord Artorius."
Another dignified female voice came from behind them.
Mordred turned around and saw a woman in silver armor holding a holy banner.
"...And who are you?"
The Rebel Knight felt the woman looked somewhat familiar. Her face looked strikingly similar to someone she knew.
Also, how did she know Father's childhood name?
"Leaving the Greater Grail in the hands of Magus is far too dangerous. As the Ruler of this Holy Grail War, it should be entrusted to me."
When her eyes met Shirou's, the Holy Maiden paused mid-sentence for some reason, and a blush rose on her cheeks.
She gave a deliberately composed cough.
"Artorius, please assist me in recovering the Greater Grail... As compensation, I will grant you and the 'Red' Saber one Command Spell each."
"Oh? Are you serious, Ruler?"
Mordred's eyes lit up. She had just spent a Command Spell in the battle against Lancer.
But just as she was getting excited, Shirou, who had risen to his feet, smacked her on the head.
"Don't listen to her... Let's go, Mordred."
Two Command Spells in exchange for a Greater Grail? Do you take me for an idiot?
I found the Greater Grail myself, so why should I hand it over to the state?
Without another word, Shirou grabbed Mordred, left Jeanne behind, and sprinted toward the Fortress of Millennia.
"Wait! Don't ignore me! You idiot, Artorius!"
Jeanne stamped her foot in frustration, then chased after them.