This is his land, and behind him are his people, standing firm with his allies.
The outcome was inevitable.
Even if he must become the feared demon once more, he will annihilate his enemies and protect his people!
As Vlad III advanced, the ground trembled beneath his feet, as if a colossal beast was stirring from its ancient slumber. The bone soldiers, brandishing crude weapons, charged forward, sensing the overwhelming power radiating from him. Yet, fear was foreign to them—they existed only to crush the enemy.
"Pitiful foes, the moment you set foot on my land, your fate was sealed," Vlad III proclaimed, raising his hand with a subtle motion.
"——————"
In an instant, countless iron stakes erupted from the ground, impaling the bone soldiers and hoisting them into the air.
"Your bodies will become my banners. Feel the terror I bring," Vlad III declared, his voice cold and unwavering as he continued his march toward the floating fortress without a backward glance.
"Iron stakes, impalement... So it really is Vlad III," Semiramis mused from her perch in the aerial garden. She nodded to herself before relaying orders to Karna and Achilles, "It's your turn."
"Understood," Karna, who had been waiting, leaped from the floating garden, descending with the grace of a god.
"Finally, a real fight," Achilles grinned, summoning his chariot, "Let's tear this place apart!"
Vlad III looked up, a dangerous smile curling his lips, "So they've come."
Achilles hit the ground first, his chariot, driven by the immortal steeds granted by the sea god, plowed through the battlefield like a whirlwind of destruction. Homunculi and golems alike were crushed beneath its wheels, their bodies shattered beyond recognition.
But even as they fell, more of the artificial soldiers swarmed toward him, undeterred.
"Out of my way, you insignificant wretches!"
For Achilles, as with most Greek heroes, the response to such a situation was simple and brutal.
"Begone!"
With a powerful flick of the reins, the immortal horses surged forward, obliterating everything in their path.
"Come on, Black Faction's Servants! Try to stop me if you can!" Achilles roared with laughter, his chariot tearing through the battlefield like a storm.
"As expected, you're formidable," Vlad III murmured, raising his hand toward Achilles. "But let's see how you handle this."
"Your opponent is me."
A searing fireball descended from the sky, slamming into the ground before Vlad III. Emerging from the flames was Karna, his divine spear sweeping aside the surrounding stakes with a single, effortless motion.
"Red Faction's Lancer?" Vlad III lowered his hand, his eyes narrowing.
"Yes," Karna replied with calm resolve, "For reasons of my own, I must defeat you. Don't take it personally."
"No, this is a war where death is the only certainty. And…" Vlad III's voice grew colder, "I won't spare any invader who dares trespass on my land."
Before his words had even finished echoing, razor-sharp stakes shot up from the ground beneath Karna, aimed at his throat.
"A Noble Phantasm?" Karna's eyes sharpened as he shattered the stakes with a single, precise strike from his spear. "The sheer number is overwhelming."
Behind Vlad III, a forest of skeletal banners formed by dragon-tooth soldiers loomed, casting long shadows that seemed to reach for the sky. Even Karna felt a chill crawl down his spine at the sight.
A vast vortex of magical energy swirled around Vlad III, and Karna's eyes narrowed. He knew what was coming.
"The time for your execution has come," Vlad III declared, lifting his chin with a regal air. "Perish here, alongside these miserable dragon-tooth soldiers."
The earth quaked as a tidal wave of iron stakes surged from all directions, crashing toward Karna with relentless fury.
Each stake on its own wasn't particularly fast or powerful, but their numbers turned them into an unstoppable force. Even Karna couldn't afford to meet such a barrage head-on.
As long as he remained on the ground, he was at the mercy of the stakes. In that case…!
Karna propelled himself into the air, Using mana to burst on his feet to soar upward.
"This is my domain. Even the sky bends to my will," Vlad III declared, with a sweeping gesture, the stakes in mid-air twisted, homing in on Karna like iron arrows.
Karna's brow furrowed slightly as he adjusted his posture mid-air, magic gathering at his feet to maintain his altitude.
"Think you can escape?" Vlad III sneered, raising his hand, and more stakes shot up from the ground, aimed at the airborne Karna with deadly precision.
"No."
Like a meteor, Karna launched himself straight at Vlad III, his divine spear locked onto his opponent's forehead with unerring accuracy.
As a top-tier Servant, just maintaining his armor and divine spear was a significant drain on his mana. A battle of attrition wasn't in Karna's favor. He had to strike now, and hard.
"I see," Vlad III remained composed, even in the face of the incoming spear. "Red Faction's Lancer, your judgment is sound, but you underestimate me."
A torrent of iron stakes surged up, forming a dense shield before Vlad III.
"Clang—"
The god-slaying spear pierced through the iron barrier, its momentum halting just inches from Vlad III's face.
"Impale him."
Vlad III clenched his fist.
The stakes in the sky rained down like missiles, slamming into Karna with earth-shaking force. Simultaneously, more stakes erupted from the ground, skewering him from below.
"So, these stakes serve as both weapons and shields. And with their numbers, this ability is indeed formidable," Karna analyzed, his voice calm even as the stakes battered him.
His armor, a divine gift from the sun, shone brightly, repelling the stakes with ease. Not even Vlad III's relentless assault could breach its defenses.
"Impressive armor," Vlad III acknowledged with a nod, his gaze steely as he raised his spear, aiming directly at Karna's heart. "But can it withstand this?"
Of course, it couldn't…
Karna sighed. If he could, he would conserve his energy, but now he had no choice but to unleash his full power.
"Hm?" Vlad III's eyes narrowed as he instinctively leaped back.
"————"
In an instant, a blazing inferno erupted around Karna, the searing heat reducing Vlad III's stakes to molten iron. Karna stood amidst the flames, his expression unchanging, a figure of divine wrath.
"So, you're no ordinary Servant," Vlad III's tone grew colder, despite Caules' warnings, seeing Karna's power firsthand was still shocking.
"Will you Surrender?" Karna asked, his spear crackling with energy as the flames around him began to dissipate.
"Impossible. I am a king, and behind me are my people, beside me are my allies. If I surrender, who will protect them?" Vlad III raised his hand once more, summoning an even more terrifying wave of iron stakes. "And who says it's me who should surrender?"