A massive amount of magical energy was unleashed, emitting a dazzling radiance.
It was the moment the Ruler's privilege demonstrated its greatest power.
The vast magical energy generated with a Command Spell as its core entwined around each Servant as a binding decree, restricting their actions. It enhanced their abilities when fighting the vampire, and if they opposed the Command Spell, it became a heavy shackle hindering their movements.
"I suppose it can't be helped. My conscience stings a little, but don't think poorly of me, Lancer."
"Black" Archer readied his Yin-Yang Swords, Kanshou and Bakuya, while "Black" Saber gripped the hilt of his Phantom Great Sword, Balmung.
Though they felt a slight guilt at pointing their weapons at someone who, just minutes ago, had been their reliable general, they held no fear in their hearts, knowing he was an Archer who must be defeated now.
"Well, ain't no helpin' it. Sis."
"Mm. Leave the support to me."
"Red" Rider thrust with his spear, and "Red" Archer loosed an arrow. A beat later, "Red" Lancer swung his magnificent golden lance.
Lancer's spear crushed the vampire's skull and violently tore his body apart.
"Hmm..."
But it regenerated.
Did physical damage not affect the vampire's life in the slightest? Even a spear capable of killing gods could not erase the vampire's agonized smile.
In retaliation, the vampire's monstrous strength sent the two heroes who had challenged him in close combat flying. As the two Servants were blown away, Ruler stepped forward. The flag she held was a holy banner. A weapon based on Christian teachings was, by its very nature, a weakness for the vampire. Struck by the flag, the vampire recoiled with evident disgust. "Black" Archer slashed at him in that opening.
"Ha!"
The black blade tore through the vampire's right arm, and the returning white blade carved a shallow horizontal line across his chest.
"Ooooh!"
The vampire let out a cry of anguish.
"This is...!"
Ruler noticed the change in the vampire.
White smoke rose from the places where "Black" Archer had cut him. It seemed the insane regeneration he had shown until now was no longer possible.
"Is it an effect of that sword, Ar...cher?"
"What's with that look?"
Was it strange that 'Archer' held a sword, or was it for some other reason? A faint confusion was visible on Ruler's expression.
"No, my apologies. It seems those twin swords possess an ability effective against vampires."
"So it appears. I hadn't expected them to prove useful in this manner."
Although Archer's twin swords were degraded in rank due to being projections, their original ability was to exhibit immense power against all manner of phantasmal creatures.
It was said that the original 'Kanshou and Bakuya' could even slice apart the monster Gorgon.
They would be effective weapons against a vampire, the very epitome of such phantasms.
However, even they only shaved away at the vampire's life bit by bit, failing to deliver a decisive blow. As the vampire evaded "Black" Saber's holy sword, ten golems, personally controlled by "Black" Caster, assailed him. "Red" Rider and "Red" Lancer, not wanting to fall behind, coordinated to pierce the vampire from both sides, while Ruler struck him shrewdly with her holy flag. "Red" Archer fired arrows through the gaps in the Servants' assault.
"He's turning to mist again!"
"What a nuisance!"
Despite the Servants' combined assault, the vampire remained intact. The only damage he took was from Ruler's holy flag and "Black" Archer's twin swords, and even those he avoided taking head-on once he recognized their danger. Though his ethics were gone, he still possessed reason, making him troublesome. Instead of rampaging like a 'Berserker', he was analyzing his enemies in his own way.
A mystery with a shallow history of only about a hundred years. A mystery thinner than that of his origin, "Black" Lancer. Though a monster from fiction, the true power of the source of the terror that once covered the world was such that even the heroes of myth could be granted death with a single misstep. Changing his form into bats or mist, or attacking with tough fists and claws, he fought without retreating a single step, even when surrounded by Servants.
Stakes sprouted from the vampire's jet-black attire.
It seemed a remnant of his time as "Black" Lancer still remained. Since they weren't thrust up from the ground, they couldn't catch one off guard, but the throwing of these stakes easily exceeded the speed of sound.
"Tch, how annoying."
The targeted "Red" Rider was the fastest among the heroes. Mere sonic speed couldn't catch him. He swung his spear to deflect the stake and, with movement speed akin to instant teleportation, gouged out the vampire's heart.
"Black" Archer sliced down the bats that took flight, and Ruler knocked them down.
"Black" Archer and Ruler were the Servants capable of harming the vampire. The vampire itself understood this. That's precisely why it kept its distance, wary of these two above all others. Against these two, it dealt evasively, using bats and mist.
"Surprising. To have fallen that far, yet still think so rationally."
Mist cannot be cut. However anti-phantasmal one's Noble Phantasm, if the target turns to mist, it cannot be slain. That mist was pushed back by "Red" Lancer's flames, so the vampire wouldn't escape, but they lacked a finishing blow.
That said, the current situation wasn't unfavorable.
The vampire was certainly powerful, and its abilities were extremely troublesome, but it also possessed clear weaknesses.
If they continued fighting like this, the Servants would only become more advantageous. When the sun rose, the sunlight would burn him. Time was only on the Servants' side.
However, on the other hand, the Servants also harbored the weakness of requiring a fuel called magical energy to remain active.
The "Black" camp had no risk of running out of magical energy, but what about the "Red" camp? Did they have the reserves to keep such great heroes fighting at full strength until morning?
Common sense dictated that such a thing was impossible.
If even one Master retired, the battle line risked collapsing at that moment.
Therefore, rather than waiting for sunrise, it was desirable to bring things to a swift conclusion.
"Trace, on."
In the midst of battle, the retreating "Black" Archer projected not a Noble Phantasm.
It was a sword with a short hilt and a long, slender double-edged blade.
"Archer, that is..."
It was a sword of purification, one that Ruler also recognized.
"Ruler, can you use holy words?"
"Eh? Y-yes. Of course, I have learned them."
"Good. I'll entrust this Black Key to you. Even if I possess it, I lack the skill to purify that thing. I'll create an opening, but I leave the timing of its use to you."
"Understood. Leave it to me."
Saying so, Archer handed the sword to Ruler.
The Black Key that Archer projected and entrusted to Ruler was one of the conceptual arms used by Executors. It was an anti-dead apostle weapon, but he judged that its purifying effect should work on this vampire as well. Given that the novel's monster possessed many religious elements, such as 'hating crosses', a Black Key wielded by Ruler, who was versed in holy words, would likely be a fatal poison for the vampire.
If they could hit him, they could win.
Ruler was convinced of this as well. Combining the Black Key with holy words would surely annihilate that vampire.
But, however, one who possessed such a clear weakness would not carelessly expose themselves to their natural enemy.
"Hey, Ruler! Is that thing really gonna finish off this vampire for sure!?"
"Red" Rider asked Ruler.
"Yes, without a doubt. However, it must be thrust into his body itself, not into bats or mist."
"Excellent! Then we just need to create an opening!"
Just finding a clue for his defeat was a blessing.
Of course, even without it, they could just fight until sunrise, so for Rider, this battle was practically already won. But a war of attrition didn't suit his preferences to begin with. Besides, defeating him outright felt more satisfying than relying on the sun, Apollo.
And so, "Red" Rider's motivation surged, and he swung his spear with renewed vigor. The other Servants followed suit.
It wasn't just the twin swords wielded by "Black" Archer. The heroes' attacks were gradually starting to connect. His regeneration speed was beginning to decline.
Come to think of it, for a vampire, something that shouldn't exist in this world, to maintain its existence, it required energy for that purpose. Even if bound by a Command Spell to 'continue living', if the magical energy needed to execute that command ran out, it would weaken or perhaps even vanish.
"Black" Saber's sword and fist struck the chest of the vampire trying to escape. The repelled vampire spun around and landed. Perhaps the speed of his mistification was slowing; their attacks against the vampire now had a tangible effect. Until now, it had been like pushing on a limp curtain, but they had finally begun to grasp the vampire's physical form.
"Even as a Heroic Spirit, nor a magus, the pain you feel now must be extraordinary. Hold no regrets, monster. Vanish swiftly and be gone."
As "Red" Lancer's words implied, the vampire no longer had a self. The personality of Vlad III, the personality of Darnic—both had vanished, replaced by a completely different something.
Obsession, grudge, or perhaps delusion. The pain of a hero who had fallen into an existence driven solely by animalistic, instinctual impulses, without a shred of his former pride, was beyond imagination.
That he, having even lost himself, still charged relentlessly towards the Holy Grail was solely due to being commanded by the Command Spell.
"I refuse! I won't be killed yet! Not until I obtain the Holy Grail... until I have the Holy Grail, I absolutely refuse!"
His chest pierced by the god-slaying magnificent lance, the vampire still pushed forward, his momentum barely checked. Arrows rained down on his face, a hero-slaying spear pierced his back, twin swords sliced his arms, and a holy sword skewered his abdomen. Finally, bronze golems struck his entire body. Under this furious onslaught, the vampire was sent flying.
Seizing this opening, Ruler aimed at the vampire, gripping three Black Keys between her fingers.
But at that moment, far too abruptly, the "Red" Servants contorted their faces in agony and staggered. They didn't quite fall to their knees, but for just an instant, their existences became terribly unstable.
"Guh...!"
"Wha... what? My Master?"
So extreme was it that Ruler missed her chance. And seizing this opportunity, the vampire leaped. He jumped over the Servants in a single bound and began running headlong towards the Holy Grail.
"Damn it, 'Black' Archer! Stop him!"
Ruler shouted. The only ones with long-range attack methods were the two Archers. And "Red" Archer had just been destabilized by the unexplained anomaly.
"No, Ruler. First, please prepare the Black Key."
"Black" Archer stared straight at the vampire's retreating back.
"I said I would create the opening."
The vampire sprinted down the dimly lit corridor.
The wounds received from the Servants who shone like brilliant stars were mostly already repaired. His legs, in particular, had regenerated completely, and he ran at his maximum possible speed. With physical abilities rivaling a high-tier Servant, he would reach his destination in an instant.
A maddening thirst, enough to make him forget even the intense pain, consumed him. The thought that the Holy Grail he so desperately desired lay ahead made his heart ache. He didn't even understand what he would do upon obtaining the Holy Grail; driven solely by the single-minded desire to reach it, he moved his legs.
Each step felt agonizingly far.
His throat was parched, his chest felt tight, his body and mind were overflowing with pain.
Just reach it. Obtain it. For that alone, he had cast everything else aside. That end was now
"SEIHAI, SEIHAI, HATESHINO SEIHAI!" (Holy Grail, Holy Grail, the Holy Grail of my demise!)
He screamed in his madness.
Roaring as if to tear his throat. Before the fulfillment of his wish, his very being was more excited than ever before.
The dream he had aimed for was right before his eyes. If he could just run down this unobstructed corridor, his dream would come true—— Even though his own dream had become indistinct, he continued moving his legs, enduring the pain solely for the sake of making that dream reality.
Hope contained despair, and despair transformed into hope. Because the fragments of his muddled consciousness were bound by the Command Spell's power to a single purpose, he could run towards that one point, even after losing everything.
"Well, it's finally my turn, isn't it?"
But before such a vampire, a Servant with pink hair leisurely stood in his way.
Her body was insignificantly small from the vampire's perspective. Having dealt with and outmaneuvered Servants of brilliant martial prowess, there was no need to make a fuss over a single weak Servant now.
She was just an obstacle, that's all.
Then, he just had to kick her aside. With the feeling of kicking a pebble on the road, it was a matter of simply eliminating her. The knowledge from when they were comrades told him that her combat ability was no match for the current vampire.
"MOOOOVEEEEEEEEEE!"
The vampire charged at "Black" Rider with all his momentum.
At this moment, perhaps precisely because he knew "Black" Rider was a weak Servant, the vampire misjudged. Had he correctly recognized the danger of her weapon when she stepped forward, he would never have lunged so recklessly.
"Here I go."
Quietly, voicing her resolve to lay hands on her former comrade, "Black" Rider raised her horseman's lance with its golden tip. The lance traced a golden trajectory like moonlight in the dim world.
A vampire possessing powerful immortality wouldn't die from something like being impaled by a lance. Even in a mutually assured destruction charge, he would survive.
"Black" Rider couldn't kill him.
That was the vampire's grave misunderstanding. "Black" Rider hadn't the slightest intention of killing the vampire in the first place.
As the vampire came at her, "Black" Rider moved sideways as if clearing a path. Was she planning to avoid taking the charge head-on?
Then, raising the lance with the golden tip, she cried out.
"Goodbye, Lancer. ————'Touch and Fall! Trap of Argalia'!!"
Lowering her posture, "Black" Rider evaded the vampire's charge while lightly grazing him with the tip of her lance. In that instant, the vampire's world spun.
"Wha-?!"
The vampire's legs vanished, and his body danced through the air.
"Black" Rider indeed lacked the offensive and defensive power to fight the vampire head-on.
But that was a matter of using the right tool for the job. Needless to say, even if this vampire had his heart gouged by a lance, the next moment he could kick "Black" Rider away like a hearthstone. However, that was only if the vampire's legs were functioning correctly.
"Black" Rider was a Servant acknowledged by herself and others as weak, but she was capable of cornering enemies with her varied Noble Phantasms. Hadn't "Black" Lancer himself actually used this very Noble Phantasm to capture "Red" Berserker? If even that stalwart warrior had been done in by "Black" Rider's Noble Phantasm, there was no reason it wouldn't work on the vampire.
Yes, he should never have forgotten. When it came to the single point of tripping someone up, none could surpass "Black" Rider.
"I'm sorry, Lancer. And Darnic. This is your goal."
She offered words of heartfelt apology.
Three Black Keys pierced the chest of the vampire floating in the air. The power of purification ravaged the vampire's body. If it were a Black Key used by an ordinary human, he might have resisted. But this was a Black Key launched by the saint who gathered the most faith in the world. Its power, its sanctity, was incomparable to ordinary Black Keys.
The vampire, who had fallen to the ground on his back, tried to expel the air from his lungs, then remembered he was impaled by the Black Keys and his throat went dry.
"The Lord's grace is deep, His mercy everlasting and never ceasing."
Ruler's holy words, as she approached, filled the corridor.
"You dwell in a wilderness devoid of people, knowing not the path to the place where you should live."
At the terror of everything returning to nothingness, the vampire let out a scream.
"Hungering, thirsting, the soul decays. Speak His name and be saved. The name of He who guides to the place where you should live."
The vampire's struggles were meaningless. What could a crippled body, with lost legs and pinned down, possibly do?
"May the thirsty soul be satisfied, may the starving soul be filled with good things."
Ruler's words were powerful, each syllable revealing a faith of steel. It was unforgivable for an existence that had now lost its faith and become nothing to resist.
Ruler's holy words pierced the vampire's soul like blades, tearing it apart.
"May there be salvation for those bound in deep darkness, by suffering and iron chains."
A baptismal chant of unparalleled power, impossible for a human to perform. It was unmistakably the natural enemy of the vampire, who had become the very enemy of its doctrine. After all, the vampire Dracula was created as a monster premised on being defeated by the teachings.
"Now, may the shackles be broken, may they be saved from the deep darkness."
With each of Ruler's words he heard, the Holy Grail grew more distant. Despair and impatience overwhelmed the vampire's chest. The dream of glory he had held in his heart until just a few hours ago was crumbling away.
"May there be salvation for those who are sickened by sin-stained deeds, who agonize over iniquity."
Ah, but why?
Strangely, his heart felt at ease. Was it a remnant of the time when he was a devout believer? The holy words soaking deep into the recesses of his soul were purifying the vampire.
"For the righteous, a song of joy; for the unrighteous, silence."
And then, Ruler spoke the final words.
To deliver peace and mercy to this monster.
"————May peace be upon the departing soul. Pax Execuntibus."
Pshhhhhhhhh...
The vampire blew out white steam and began to fade away.
Legend said he would turn to ash, but it seemed his fate was to return to magical energy without leaving anything behind.
Thinking that this was the end of that Darnic and "Black" Lancer, one was seized by an indescribable sense of impermanence.
"Black" Rider, who had created the decisive opening and contributed to the vampire's defeat, was said to have her reason evaporated, yet her actions ultimately converged on 'righteous deeds'. She was one who, to the very end, laughed like a fool while crushing evil and aiding the weak. That's why she performed the act of defeating the vampire without hesitation. The compulsion of a Command Spell wasn't necessary. What needed to be done was clear, so she didn't hesitate. But knowing that vampire was her former comrade, she couldn't help but feel a sense of futility.
"To think it would end like this."
She had thought he would be the last to die. He was in that kind of position, an unquestionably top-tier Servant. Never had she expected he would be the first to fall, along with his Master. It was beyond unexpected.
"Somehow, we managed, Rider."
"Well, yeah. Are you hurt, Archer?"
"Ah, no problem."
"Black" Rider nodded contentedly at "Black" Archer's words.
"Is that so? I was worried because Archer has low 'Endurance' like me, yet you go to the frontlines."
"I don't want to hear that from you."
"Black" Rider had infiltrated the fortress later than the other "Black" Servants. Hiding in the shadows, she had been observing the battle situation and standing by as a check against "Red" Assassin.
She never imagined she would be the one to defeat "Black" Lancer.
"To fall with your ambitions half-fulfilled, without even laying eyes on the Holy Grail — Darnic."
The relaxed atmosphere tightened in an instant.
A single boy had appeared.
The fact that he appeared with "Red" Assassin suggested he was probably Assassin's Master.
"What...?"
And then, "Black" Archer found himself doubting his own eyes.
Brown skin, white hair. Over a cassock, he wore a red stole and a mantle. His appearance, at a glance, was that of a mere clergyman.
But, astonishingly, the presence emanating from him was that of a Servant. If so, that meant "Red" Assassin's Master was a Servant.
Of course, that alone wasn't the problem. It was against the rules, but the phenomenon itself was possible. "Black" Archer had witnessed such cases in his previous life. The problem was, if he was a Servant, then the "Red" faction would have eight Servants.
"Such a thing...!?"
And the one who was left speechless was Ruler.
With her skill 'Revelation', she could grasp the class and true name of any Servant she laid eyes on. If this boy was a Servant, she should naturally be able to see through his class and true name at a glance.
"Why... Ruler is...?"
Yes, the boy's class was 'Ruler'. A class that should never, under any circumstances, be duplicated.
"Pleased to meet you. I am the Ruler for this occasion."
"Just who are you?"
Even "Black" Rider was staring at the other Ruler with evident distrust.
"Well now, who could I be? The Ruler over there should have already figured it out, though."
"Assassin's Master. You, what have you done to my Master!?"
"Red" Archer, who had rushed to the scene, pressed the question. Even under the intense gaze of the enraged "Red" Archer, the boy didn't flinch, instead smirking as he rolled up his sleeve.
On his arm were carved the Command Spells of the "Red" Servants—except for "Red" Saber—totaling eighteen marks.
"I received them through peaceful negotiations. Don't worry, now that I'm connected to the Greater Grail, the magical energy required to maintain you all is not an issue."
"Peaceful, you say?"
At someone's mutter, the boy glanced at "Red" Lancer.
"Yes, that's right. After all, our Lancer here is a hero skilled at seeing through lies, so I had to avoid telling falsehoods as much as possible. Having the Masters issue commands to you all was also for that reason. No one told a lie. All of you still believe you are in your right minds."
Ruler, looking at the priest's face, understood the meaning of the indescribable unease she had felt. The attacks on Ruler until now, the inexplicably hasty theft of the Holy Grail—all of it had been him pulling the strings from behind the scenes.
"I understand. It was you whom God was warning me about."
"Is that so? For my part, I have no intention whatsoever of opposing God's will."
It was at this moment that Ruler finally realized the reason for her summoning.
The overly irregular summoning method of possessing the French girl, Laeticia, forcing her into this world—all of it was because the Holy Grail had fallen into confusion due to the unacceptable situation of the 'Ruler' class being duplicated.
And the reason he had persistently fled from Ruler was his fear of having his true identity exposed by her. If Ruler were to discover him on the battlefield, 'Revelation' would turn everything upside down.
"You are the Ruler summoned for the Third Holy Grail War, aren't you?"
At those words, everyone gathered there gasped. At the same time, they also understood. His knowledge of Darnic's name, his status as another Ruler—it all made sense if that were the case.
"Yes, that's correct. That's why I had to avoid meeting you face-to-face. After all, you possess Command Spells. In a worst-case scenario, you could shatter my dream in an instant."
His calm voice held neither hatred nor hostility. There was only pure intent. In his eyes was nothing but sheer, firm conviction.
Persuasion was meaningless against this boy. He would not stop until he was killed. Therefore, Ruler drew her sword.
"What is your goal, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada?"
"Isn't it obvious? The salvation of all humanity, Jeanne d'Arc."