In the eyes of the Black Berserker, the next second, this arrogant young man would be caught by his claws, then have his throat bitten open, and his blood drunk, turning him into a mindless undead amidst his wails.
Since becoming a vampire, he hadn't drunk any blood, and his desire for blood-drinking/feeding was unprecedentedly high. Such an act could both quell his anger and satisfy his bloodlust.
However, reality turned out completely different from his expectations.
One second passed, and Shirou was still standing there unharmed, while the vampire had embarrassingly fallen to the ground, letting out a pitiful groan.
Looking down, he saw a sharp object embedded in his knee.
It was this object that sealed his regenerative abilities, causing him unbearable pain.
"What, what is this—?"
"This is a Black Key; although it's not a particularly useful weapon, it has a powerful destructive force against creatures that distort the natural order, such as vampires. Right, right—"
As he said this, the young man's wrist flicked, and he held several short blades again.
"—This conceptual weapon was developed by the Holy Church, the dark organization of the Catholic Church you believe in. One of their duties is to hunt heretics, and vampires rank first among the heretics that must be exterminated. Their battle has been ongoing for thousands of years."
The temperature in the palace suddenly dropped, and a chilling aura emanated from the vampire; he was now extremely furious.
Shirou's previous words were a blatant slap in the face. Vlad III was a Catholic and a devout one at that, but now he had become a heretic. This contrast made the already insane Vlad almost lose his mind. Ignoring the pain in his body, he forcefully pulled out the Black Key nailed to his knee, and with his other intact leg, he lunged at the detestable priest.
Facing such a vampire, Shirou's smile only grew wider.
"I happen to be affiliated with the Holy Church. Let me fulfill my long-neglected duty and purify you completely."
Magical blades formed on the short blades, and he threw them, aiming to pin the vampire's limbs.
Fortunately, the vampire still retained some combat instincts. Having suffered once, he generated stakes within his body to knock away the incoming Black Keys—Black Keys only harmed vampires if they hit, otherwise, they were no different from ordinary darts.
Immediately after, the vampire's figure flashed and appeared ghost-like in front of Shirou.
"Master—!"
"Hey~ so you have such tricks too. Much smarter than the Lancer class—should I say you're already insane, so you can't get any crazier?—But, it's useless."
As the claws reached his head, Semiramis urgently called out a warning, but Shirou still had the leisure to comment.
Of course, his hands moved no slower than his mouth. He flicked open the red cloth draped over him, and as it swept across the vampire's body, the vampire let out a horrific scream as if suffering immense damage.
"Uwaaaaaa, what is this—"
"This is a Holy Shroud, not the commonly circulated protective conceptual weapon, but a true relic that wrapped a saint's corpse, the last gift from a certain saint to me. Its damage to vampires is even greater than the Black Keys."
Shirou seemed addicted to explaining. Every time he used a new move, he provided a detailed explanation, afraid the vampire would die without understanding.
"So, I told you to run quickly, though it's too late now!"
The red Holy Shroud fluttered in the wind, and silver blades danced through the air, sealing off the vampire's movements from nine different directions. Due to the influence of the Holy Shroud, the vampire couldn't even mount a defense and was about to be pinned to the ground.
At the critical moment, a bright silver flash cut through the Holy Shroud's blockade, and a gray shadow charged in, knocking the vampire aside before the Black Keys could hit.
"Finally, I get to see you, Black Assassin."
Seeing this, Shirou's smile grew even wider, but Shinji had no time to pay attention to that. He spoke bluntly to the disheveled vampire.
"Calm down. Don't let power and desire cloud your judgment. Although vampires possess formidable bodies, numerous supernatural abilities, exaggerated regenerative powers, and near-eternal life, they also have various weaknesses as the price for their power. Besides being restrained by Black Keys aimed at purification, they are also weak against holy relics like the Holy Shroud. The man standing before you can himself be considered a source of holy power; if he catches you, a simple baptism chant can turn you to ashes. Choosing him as your opponent is a death wish."
"You're too kind, too kind," Shirou said, scratching his cheek a bit embarrassedly. "But I must correct you, I'm just an ordinary executor, not a saint."
"Hmph, it's only because you haven't been consecrated by the church. The power derived from faith is real."
Shinji smirked coldly, glaring at this biggest boss on the Red side. Although he didn't know who shattered his last hope, it was someone from the Red side, and all Red's misdeeds could be blamed on Shirou.
To Shinji's surprise, Shirou denied it: "You might not believe this, but I'm truly not a saint. I don't have that power, nor do I understand baptism chants. I use other means to eliminate vampires."
"What?"
Shinji's eyebrows, hidden by the cloak, furrowed slightly. A sense of discord surfaced in his mind but was quickly suppressed. Now was not the time to ponder such things; the priority was to rescue Justeaze.
"Whatever the case, can you return the Greater Grail to us?"
"I'm sorry, but no."
Shirou shook his head, an expected answer.
"Then we have no choice but to take it by force. Prepare yourself!"
The unleashed magic shattered the ground, and the scythe blade sliced through the air, aiming at Shirou's throat.
Opposing the sharp edge of the scythe, black chains appeared out of thin air, forming a barrier before Shinji.
"Do not disturb my master. I, Semiramis, also an Assassin, shall be your opponent."
The empress in front of the Greater Grail raised her right hand and then swiftly brought it down. The chains twisted like snakes.
"Get out of my way!"
Shinji roared in anger. The scythe continued its path, and with a flick of his left hand, the Azure Cloud Sword floated in the air, stirring up a tempest of wind and fire that shredded all of Semiramis's summoned chains.
Amidst the wind and fire, the vampire's tall figure stood up. From his pale body grew numerous stakes, which he didn't shoot out but used as weapons to charge at the nearby Shirou.
This was the best method he had thought of to deal with Shirou. If Shirou used his old tricks, he would shoot out the stakes to knock away the obstructive Holy Shroud and Black Keys. If Shirou did nothing, he would directly pierce Shirou's skull.
A pincer attack from both sides!