Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

However, now, Danic is attempting to devour the soul of a Servant without performing the ritual.

After all, these are the souls of Heroic Spirits. Gathering seven of them is enough to activate the Greater Grail. They are the highest-level and most massive souls, which ordinary humans simply cannot withstand.

result--

The "Black" spearman revealed a smug smile.

Humans cannot indeed devour the souls of Heroic Spirits, but—

If it were merely a matter of imprinting Danic's nearly century-long obsession onto it, there would indeed be a negligible possibility.

Both Danic and Vlad III were inherently arrogant and overconfident, and they were very similar on a spiritual and spiritual level.

In addition to the forced effect of Command Seals, and perhaps only a slight effect—

Danic's extraordinary determination enabled him to accomplish this impossible miracle.

"Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop!!"

The "Black" spearman roared with a resentful expression.

"I am the King of Wallachia, son of Vlad II—don't enter my body!!!"

His face was gradually being replaced by another vague image that resembled both Danic and Vlad III, looking like an amorphous monster.

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

King... no, vampire! Your power will become our common possession!

Everything is for the Holy Grail! My dreams and hopes will take root within you and live on forever!

The magician's existence now parasitizes the soul of the Heroic Spirit Vlad III with the corrosive power of cancer cells.

Everything is irreversible; a new monster has been born.

"How cruel, that uncle..."

With Shirou's comfort, Aika Sajou gradually calmed down.

She observed the situation and spoke, her tone a mixture of sympathy and curiosity, anticipating what would happen next.

"But Saber, the Master and Servant are one in body and spirit, never to be separated..."

"Hehe, don't you think this is an extremely, extremely, extremely romantic thing?"

"..."

A chill ran down Shirou's spine for no apparent reason.

----------------

Volume 5, Chapter 221: Silly child, don't listen to your stepmother.

Tsk... things are getting complicated now.

Shirou felt there was no need to wait any longer.

"Xiao Mo, catch!"

"Huh? Ah!"

Shirou threw Clarent back to Mordred, then drew the Star Sword and charged toward the "Black" Lancer.

Is it possible to make it in time?

Shirou swung his sword and thrust it into Vlad III's back, the tip aimed at his heart and piercing through.

The feel of the sword hitting its mark was definitely there, but—

The next second, a kind of black mist with mass spewed out from the spot where the "Black" spearman was pierced.

Those were a swarm of bats.

Vlad III's body transformed into countless bats, flapping their wings rapidly as they swooped down on Shirou.

Normally, a heroic spirit will die immediately if its heart (spirit core) is pierced.

No matter how tenacious a heroic spirit is, even an invincible dragon slayer would be no exception.

However, Lancer, having unleashed the "Legend of Dracula," has become a being far removed from Heroic Spirits.

"Dracula the vampire."

Aya's surprised voice echoed in Shirou's mind.

"I never thought it would actually come to this, it's really amazing..."

Is this a miracle achieved by two people who are of one mind and come together? Amazing!

I said, can we put this topic of combining together behind us?

Shirou used his sword to sweep away the swarm of bats that were entangled around him, jumped back a step to create distance between himself and the "Black" spearman, and at the same time opened the Machiri wiki in his mind.

Vampire —

Legends about vampire monsters can be traced back to Lamia, a half-human, half-snake monster from ancient Greece.

The causes of its formation are varied, including the death of a person with grave sins, the killing of a human by a monster, or death by a series of curses.

But vampires are different; they are all born with death in their lives and devour life in the darkness.

Although they are also called vampires, they are completely different from those who are called "dead apostles" by magicians.

Completely different from "an immortal being created by a magician through research".

—Vampires are "high-level fantasy species that possess human form".

Its very existence is fantasy, mystery, and a genuine monster.

Vampires are closer to mythical beasts or fairies than dead apostles.

However, considering the power of vampires, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they are closer to dragons.

In fact, the name Dracula itself means "son of the dragon".

The swarm of bats that Shirou had dispersed regrouped and began to transform into human form.

That form was none other than Dracula, the vampire whose terrifying reputation has spread throughout the world despite having existed for less than a century.

Once the vampire has transformed back into human form, it can no longer hide its fangs.

His eyes were still cold, but they no longer possessed any intelligence, giving Shirou a Berserker-like feeling.

"...Alright, let's continue the fight."

I must use the Greater Grail to fulfill the tragic wish of my people.

That's right, in order to fulfill my long-cherished wish, I must live on infinitely and endlessly.

We must increase our clansmen, we must have children, and we must have more relatives.

I must find those who are talented and hardworking, and nurture them in a suitable environment to become my successors.

So, die... die, die, die!!!

—This roar was a mixture of Danic's own dreams and his vampire instincts.

It's not about reaching the root, but about investing your life in "increasing your clan" in the stage before reaching the root.

Everything is for the sake of the World Tree.

The wish one makes to the Greater Grail is to multiply, strengthen, and increase oneself.

A man who confuses his love for his clan with his own obsession refuses to understand just how shattered his own dreams truly are.

The monster's cold eyes stared intently at Shirou.

He knew very well that the biggest enemy hindering him from realizing his dream was no longer the "Red" camp, but this young hero.

As long as he is not eliminated, there is absolutely no way for him to win the Holy Grail War.

"—!"

The stake flew over to Shiro.

Vlad III, summoned as Lancer, can use the Noble Phantasm "King of Execution" (originally named "The King of Piercing") if he is within his own territory.

However, after he became a vampire and was possessed by Danic, although this Noble Phantasm was sealed, he also gained many powerful new abilities.

The stakes now appear not to spring from the ground, but rather to be summoned from Vlad III’s black robes, which blend seamlessly with the night.

Relying on the vampire's superhuman strength, the projectile's launch speed, power, and even its mystique are several times greater than before—

It's easy to understand if you compare such an attack to a dragon swinging its claws.

Shirou swung his holy sword and severed a large number of the projectiles.

The duration of "Unlimited Blade Works" has ended, and the battlefield has returned to its original state.

Shirou judged that instead of blindly throwing Noble Phantasms at vampires, using the Holy Sword to fight them was the better strategy.

After becoming a vampire, Vlad III gained a higher stat than his original highest-level fame modifier.

That transcends the realm of Heroic Spirits.

The overwhelming power and speed of the attacks poured down on Shirou.

Besides the projectiles that shoot out of the vampire's body like cannonballs, Dracula's close-combat abilities are also terrifying.

The black robes that reached the ground could harden into metallic blades in an instant, swirling with power far exceeding that of the stakes.

If it were an ordinary heroic spirit, it probably wouldn't last even a second before being torn to shreds by the vampire.

Fortunately, Shirou's swordsmanship was originally more suited to defense than offense.

Although the game appeared to be one-sided, it was all within his rhythm.

Shirou calmly and composedly deflected all of the vampire's ever-changing attacks.

Then, in a certain instant, he seized upon the opponent's weakness—

"As a king, you were a respectable opponent, but now you are nothing more than a monster born from obsession and resentment... Just disappear without a trace."

Just before the vampire's claws were about to crush Shirou's head, the Star Sword, entwined with wind, unleashed a golden radiance that terrified even the vampire.

"—————— 'Strike Air'!!!"

The magic power accumulated in the sword instantly transformed into a destructive torrent.

The golden rays pierced through the dark vampire and burned him to ashes.

"Did we win!?"

Mordred watched the battle intently.

Her response was the laughter of a monster that had become one with the space itself.

"Hahaha! Hahahaha! I can't die yet, I can't be killed yet! No, I won't die before I win the Holy Grail War!"

Whenever attacked, the vampire immediately transforms into mist or a bat.

Therefore, Shirou abandoned conventional attack methods and instead unleashed a barrage of firepower.

This is damage that vampires cannot avoid through transformation, but—

Vampires are called the immortal royal family because their greatest strength lies in their ability to regenerate.

It doesn't even take a single breath.

Dracula reappeared unharmed in everyone's sight and kicked Shirou away.

"...Father!"

Mordred rushed over and caught him.

Shirou wasn't seriously injured; he managed to parry with his sword at the last second, though his arm was a little numb.

Is the power of "Wind King's Hammer" not enough to destroy him in one blow?

Shirou frowned: To completely kill the vampire Dracula, we still have to unleash the true name of the holy sword (Excalibur).

Moreover, she had already used it once before in the battle against "Black" Saber, and continuously unleashing her Noble Phantasm might be a bit of a burden on Ayaka...

Ugh, if only the "Blade of Chaos" were here...

"Demon Attack" should work on this guy, at least it can remove his immortality.