Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

"Yeah……"

Vlad III quietly closed his eyes.

In the end, he couldn't even be considered a major player in the Holy Grail War, and he hastily withdrew from the scene at the very beginning of the war, completely unaware of everything.

The shame of defeat, despair, and regret flooded his mind like a raging river.

Just as he was accepting defeat and making a realization—

The Master who had made a pact with Lancer suddenly appeared behind him as if by magic, whispering like a demon:

"It's too early to give up now."

Shirou, Vlad III, and the familiars hidden nearby all looked toward the voice—

The patriarch of the Yggdrasil, Danic Preston Yggdrasil.

“We have not been completely defeated yet—my king, as long as you activate that Noble Phantasm.”

……

……

Throughout his 100-year life, Danic has been driven to the brink of despair multiple times.

The most dangerous of these was the Third Holy Grail War sixty years ago, a brutal battle that he still finds incredibly miraculous to have survived.

He unexpectedly discovers the path to the Greater Grail from a collapsed cave, cleverly wins over the Third Reich with his words, and at the Führer's command, sends an unusually large army to the Allied nations and forcibly seizes the Greater Grail.

Then, on his way to deliver the Greater Grail to Germany, he deliberately passed through Tulipas and wiped out all the magicians and soldiers who had fought alongside him on his own territory.

From then on, Danick spent his days researching and engaging in political maneuvering.

When facing the association, he adopted an extremely humble attitude, even willing to play the role of the Thousand World Tree as someone who specifically accepts useless magicians.

Over the course of sixty years, Darnic continuously modified the Greater Grail to adapt it to the land of Tulipas. In the process, it became not only able to summon Heroic Spirits, but also to summon "objects that merely possess the appearance of Heroic Spirits," which can be considered an unexpected byproduct.

What exactly is the source of his obsession?

"To reach the root cause"

This ultimate goal of all magicians certainly has a great influence, but it is not the whole story.

That was eighty years ago.

A magician warned that the bloodline of the Yggdrasil race is not pure and they probably won't last more than five generations before they wither away.

—Foolish. It's been so long since the Five Dynasties period; surely there are many solutions we can come up with.

But it seems that only Danic thinks so.

For magicians who dislike taking risks, the World Tree is a potential source of error that must be avoided at all costs.

Danic's engagement was called off.

His fiancée, who had once shyly confessed her love to him, and his brother-in-law, who had vowed to stand by him through thick and thin, both stopped talking to him.

It took Danic a long time to accept the reality of his fall from grace, but just as he was preparing to pick himself up—

He discovered that his career as a magician had come to an end.

The Yggdrasil clan can never become nobles. Even if they survive five generations and then decline, once they are labeled, they can never be exonerated.

Danic didn't care, but the other magicians in the family were arbitrarily deprived of their future.

In that instant, Danic realized he needed to reach the root cause through proper means—

To dedicate oneself to honing one's skills as a magician, striving to rise above others in the association and become a noble... this is a dream that will never be realized, and one must abandon it.

Therefore, he sought a way to prevent his race from dying out, and only after that could he explore the path to the root.

It would be a disgrace to remain in the Magic Association.

However, Danic never forgot this humiliation for a single second, engraving it in his heart—making it the driving force behind his struggle.

At that moment, Danic overheard a magic ritual from the Far East.

He won over the Third Reich, which was interested in "Theosophy," and gained the military's trust and support through his silver tongue, eventually joining the war as a Master.

Ultimately, Darnic became the true, hidden victor of the Third Holy Grail War, taking the Greater Grail for himself.

Danic did not hate the tribe that abandoned his fiancée; in fact, given the current situation, he should be grateful to them.

Of course, these people and their entire clans have long been extinct, and they are not even known in history.

Danick did not directly eliminate them, but instead carried out his revenge in a more covert manner.

For eighty years, Danic's life has been a process of constantly kicking others out and climbing up, and now he has to eliminate the Magic Association—as well as the Yggdrasil clan, who call him "Uncle."

Of course, Danic wouldn't hesitate at all.

To achieve his ideals, he would not hesitate to commit any evil deeds.

For example, turning his homeland, Romania, into hell overnight—

The magician Danic wouldn't feel much either.

……

……

"...Danick, what are you doing here?"

The magician, who usually bowed and scraped before himself and acted like a subject, now stood atop a pillar resembling a temple, looking down over the entire battlefield.

Vlad III was somewhat displeased by that arrogant attitude.

Moreover, he just uttered that forbidden phrase.

The "Black" Lancer's other Noble Phantasm besides "Extreme Execution King".

"The Legend of Dracula".

As can be understood from the literal meaning, this is another side of Vlad III who is not a king, a Noble Phantasm that is sublimated from the vampire legend.

Once activated, the "Black" Lancer will transform into a vampire, a creature that only appears in legends.

He will no longer become a heroic spirit, but rather, as the name suggests, the king of monsters.

Before the war began, when the master and servant discussed this topic, Vlad III gave his master a stern warning.

"Using that Noble Phantasm is like spitting on me. I will never use it even if I die in battle."

Then, if you force me to do this with a Command Spell, I don't need to elaborate on what will happen next, right?

He had clearly been warned... no, ordered, yet he still brought it up again at this crucial moment.

Vlad III was furious.

Although he was already at his last gasp, he remained a solitary king.

A strong killing intent enveloped the battlefield, yet the magician remained calm, continuing to utter arrogant words:

"Lancer, I mean we need to activate our Noble Phantasm. Otherwise, we have no chance of winning."

"What nonsense are you spouting? Have you forgotten that I said I would never use that treasure?! I will die here! I will die with regret! Vanish!"

But this is the inevitable path of the loser! Danic! I never intended to use that tragic being! Absolutely, absolutely not!

"You're the one who forgot. We must win the Holy Grail War no matter what!"

To avenge the Mage's Association, or to reach the source, then—the only option is to activate a Noble Phantasm.

After Danic finished speaking, he raised his arm, and the three Command Seals on the back of his hand were radiating a bright red light.

"Master, may I ask you a favor?"

Shirou, sensing something was amiss, called out to his Master.

Danic was wary of Shirou, so he kept a safe distance from him.

At this distance, even if Shirou uses "Magic Release," he cannot close the distance in an instant.

The only way to stop Danic is to use Command Seals to teleport.

"no……!!"

"Love Song?"

This was the first time Shirou had ever heard Aika speak in such an intense tone.

Sajō Aika, elegant as a princess from a fairy tale, was about to use a Command Spell when Shirou suggested it—

"Absolutely not."

The magic trick involving speaking brought tears to the girl's eyes.

"I don't want to use Command Seals, I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

"I understand... Aika, you have no need to apologize."

It seems she has some unspeakable difficulty; let's hear her explanation when we get back.

"sorry……"

The girl apologized haltingly, and Shirou sighed.

the other side--

"Danick, you...!"

The magician smiled at the dumbfounded "Black" spearman and announced in a cold voice:

"By command of the Command Spell, Heroic Spirit Vlad III, activates his Noble Phantasm—'Legend of the Blood'."

"—You bastard! Aa ...

Even such a scream filled with hatred and despair could not move Danic.

"I'm not... a vampire... not... ah...!"

The trembling whisper was the last remaining rationality of the Heroic Spirit Vlad III, but it lasted only a moment before being completely shattered by the force of the Command Seals.

"No, you are a vampire."

Dracula, the vampire, is a pathetic monster burdened with a stigma in fictional stories.

He issued the second Command Spell: "You must live until the Greater Grail is obtained."

"Aa ...

Vlad III roared madly.

The two Command Seals unleashed a power far exceeding that of the dying Lancer.

He lunged at Danic and pierced the Magician's chest with his arm.

This was a fatal blow.

However, Danic burst out laughing.

"Hahahaha! My apologies, my servant! As an apology, please drain my blood!"

You really are a vampire, the king of the night!

Your wishes are unnecessary. Leave my dreams, my desires, my existence on your spiritual foundation!

With the third Command Spell—Lancer, etch my existence into your soul!

The final order left everyone who witnessed the scene speechless.

Servants can devour human souls and convert them into magical energy.

Because they are spirits, this is something only spirits can do.

But Danic was an exception; he focused on the soul, which was considered by the magic community to be unchangeable and merely useless nourishment.

Danic created a magic technique that allowed him to feed on the souls of others.

This is a spell that is extremely close to taboo and is completely immoral.

He was even willing to crush an infant's skull to save his own life.

This kind of magic trick is too dangerous; if even the slightest mistake is made in any part, it could be fatal.

In the span of sixty years, Danic actually only devoured the souls of others three times.

The rituals were performed in what he considered to be perfect conditions all three times, yet even so, the compatibility rate between the soul and the body was only about 60%.