Simulate the universe, starting with speedrunning Greek.

That was—a great king. A pitiful king. But certainly not the invincible king people imagined.

Immortal, eternal, beautiful progenitor! The primordial vampire!

He was powerful, he was beautiful, and he possessed everything that countless kings and nobles in the world desired!

People thought he must have been recklessly indulging in eternal pleasure.

In that instant, Vlad III understood—that was merely a king who had abandoned his weak human identity and was attempting to escape to a powerful monster.

But in the end, the king realized he was completely wrong.

He is truly pitiful and weak.

Because he hated it, he was angry, because he was still unwilling to accept it, and he still held onto the idea that he didn't want to give up even so.

Faced with this ugly, sinful, and unjust reality, faced with this hellish world, he bowed his head—he gave up his dignity, gave up everything, even if it meant falling into the abyss, even if it meant giving up that ridiculous, forever unattainable dream that he had spent his whole life chasing!

But have we really given up?

If I really gave up dreaming, I wouldn't be in so much pain.

"You're insane... You've gone mad, no—the world itself is insane. But even so, I admit it, we are indeed the same 'beings'. However... I am who I am, the 'Piercing Prince' who has abandoned the last dignity of humanity! I will defeat you once again! I will deny our 'past'!"

Even though the shock to his spiritual world and the despairing scene stirred his mind so deeply, Vlad III's heart as a heroic spirit remained steadfast. He no longer denied the possibility of 'Arcado,' another Vlad III, existing. He felt pain, sorrow, and pity for the other's choice, and felt it was unworthy for him!

Therefore, right now... we must crush them!

This is a battle of beliefs, a battle of egos! (A battle of beliefs? Shirou, Archer: I know this one!)

Perhaps because the time was too short, even Vlad III was unable to fully comprehend Accardo's inner thoughts.

Upon hearing the Grand Duke's words, Accardo paused for a moment, then a faint smile appeared on his face, as if he were even more looking forward to it.

Ah~!

Is it possible that both sides are actually hoping for the same thing?

What he wants is defeat! He wants to lose this 'battle of beliefs'!!!

98

Chapter Ninety-Eight: Let's Fight! To Walk with God and Mock the Gods

"Then let's fight!" A majestic and magnetic voice, as if shrouded in the aura of an ancient sage, once again descended from the heavens.

It's as if you can see the smile of the God of Gold.

Here, as I and my two counts, who have come to understand the truth, are about to engage in a dialogue of body and mind, of beliefs.

I do not deny your existence, but I deny your past. This is less a destruction than a salvation! It is a feat of digging the other person out of the mire.

In ancient times, the gods called this phenomenon a great achievement.

Night, however, did not see it that way. It was not a charade to please the gods, but a clash of powerful wills worthy of the utmost respect and awe from all souls.

So—even if he is regarded as the only 'god' in this world.

But he still issued that command: "Fight if you're not reconciled, fight with hope, fight with rage against the gods—that's what a warrior is... Laugh defiantly, live proudly, have the courage to mock the gods even in hell. Those with such courage are not 'monsters' in the cradle of hell, but brave companions I admire. The road ahead is right beneath your feet—"

Walk with God!!

As this tremendous honor descended, it further inspired the devout believers' fighting spirit. After the initial shock, at that moment, it suddenly ignited into a blazing fire.

His eyes seemed to be spitting fire.

"Fight! Everyone, fight! You, him, everyone—it would be too tragic if your valiant fighting spirit went unnoticed. So—for this very moment, in the name of 'God,' I will watch over you."

God is watching them!!

Boom!

This time, it wasn't just the counts anymore; anyone with a shred of faith, even the weakest mortal, couldn't help but gaze intently at them.

Was the 'Earl's' past tragic?

sad--!

That is based on the premise that one cannot even know if God exists in the world. When one cannot see the way forward, chasing after a vague and illusory dream will naturally cause suffering.

But what if—people knew from the beginning that the God above them truly existed?

Did they know from the beginning that God was watching over them?!

In an instant, fighting spirit—a terrifying fighting spirit—began to spread throughout London.

That terrifying and insane will, almost materializing, horrified Indra, who was far away on the other side.

"Have these guys finally gone mad?!" They've gone mad because of God's word!

Don’t talk about ordinary people.

Alucard, all his sorrow now gone, was replaced by boundless excitement and elation, as if he had drunk the purest virgin blood, the most exhilarating moment of climax continuously gushing forth. Alucard: "Ah, ah, ah... Such—such beautiful words! A god who has invited us to rebel against him! I am deeply grateful—such a merciful god! Such a great god! Such a generous god! Even though I have relinquished my past name, for such a noble god, I am still willing to fight for you, until the end of my faith—fight!! Vlad—!!! Human!!"

Accardo gripped his cheeks with his white-gloved hands, his bright red eyes suddenly widening with an unprecedented intensity.

He came back to life!

It was as if they had crawled out of the hell of death after hundreds of years of separation from life.

People who shed their last tear will turn into demons, because they choose this path to hell because they no longer want to cry!

But—now he no longer cries, because of that supreme promise. Even though his body is still that of a demon, his heart feels infinitely closer to his former self at this moment. In that instant—Alucard, who has regained his faith and whose desire for death has even faded, becomes stronger than ever before!!

Vlad III also sensed that dangerous aura, but he was not afraid.

"Very well—if this is your wish, then I will grant it and end your insignificant life with the spear in my hand!"

Then Vlad III twirled his spear, his gaze fixed intently on Accardo, and of course—the priest!

He would never forget another man on this battlefield who posed a great threat to him.

The priest, however, only called out again, "AMEN!!" when the priest looked at him.

The next moment, bang!!!

Three figures rushed out at the same time.

This time, they clashed again.

However, in this battle, instead of Alucard protecting the priest, it seems the priest is now protecting Alucard more.

After all, the priest, having received enhancements, possessed physical attributes nearly indistinguishable from those of a Heroic Spirit. Coupled with his peak-level combat skills, aside from lacking the legendary Noble Phantasm bonus, he was more than capable of holding off Vlad III single-handedly for a considerable time. Soon, war broke out again!

Kill, kill, kill!! The twilight sky, the crimson blood, seemed to be completely dyeing London red.

Kill! Kill! Kill!! Everyone was singing excitedly, as if celebrating this hellish scene!

For God, for themselves, for their faith, they would kill anything—to vanquish heroic spirits, to crush enemy forces, and even—if they had the strength left—would they, driven by fervent faith, choose to slay that god?! To comply with God's desire—the final trial!

Rumble rumble rumble~!!!

The King of Extreme Punishment transformed into a torrent of steel, sweeping across the land once more.

This time, the corpses transformed into giant insects and earth dragons, and this time, the towers continued to be built higher and higher.

During the mass grave, Vlad III and Father Andersen fought each other, and Andersen ignored the piercing stakes, letting them pierce his body.

His body was pierced through?!

No problem!

The lingering scent of miracles will help them regenerate! As long as they aren't instantly blasted to smithereens, even if half their head is smashed, they can regenerate in the next moment!

This is not good news.

When he finally found the right opportunity to blast half of Andersen's brain apart with a single shot, he saw Andersen calmly watching him begin to regenerate with his one eye still on.

Vlad III's initial enthusiasm, fueled by the atmosphere, dissipated considerably, and he began to curse inwardly.

Is this even human?!

Even though I can clearly sense that I am still human, this regenerative ability is even more outrageous than that of demons.

And doesn't this man feel pain?!

Regeneration is powerful; as long as you have a breath left, even if you're dead, you can be forcibly brought back to life.

A person doesn't die instantly when they are killed. Some people, even after their heads are cut off, will continue to fight subconsciously. The duration of this "breath" varies depending on each person's combat skills and willpower, and Anderson was clearly one of those individuals.

Unless he is given a fatal wound and rendered immobile, he is extremely difficult to kill, like an undead creature.

But since we're still human, we can still feel pain!

P.S.: Happy New Year!

99

Chapter Ninety-Nine: The Son of God, the Only Heir of the Absolute Demon King and Successor to King Arthur!

You idiot—doesn't it hurt at all?!

Even Vlad III's lips twitched, and he could no longer maintain his elegant demeanor.

For an ordinary person, that would be enough to cause them to cry and scream for their mother.

The man didn't react at all—no, not entirely unresponsive. When half of the one-eyed man's head was blown off, his body did twitch slightly.

This is the downside of becoming stronger but not completely turning into a monster. However, this slight after-effect is so subtle that it is almost non-existent for Anderson, who has perfectly mastered his body. Only a Heroic Spirit with abnormal eyesight could see it.

“If it hurts, just shout it out!” Vlad III couldn’t help but speak in a deep voice.

2010

2010: "....!"

The priest didn't want to speak—he was afraid that if he opened his mouth, he would break his composure. After all, he was holding on by sheer willpower, although at this moment he really wanted to shout "It doesn't hurt!" like a tough guy.

Even though the regeneration speed is already very fast, and it can even delay the pain to some extent, the aftereffects can be terrifyingly severe!

Bang! Another perfect cross was formed.

He shouted in his heart, "AMEN!!!" and charged forward again.