Luckily, after Ryou transformed into Spartacus, his endurance attribute was high, and he had the powerful recovery boost from the Mystic Code, allowing him to withstand the attack.
However, Vlad didn't fare well either; Ryou punched him hard in the face.
Vlad's face was twisted into a ridiculous shape by the punch, and he was sent flying backward by the immense force.
Ryou wiped the blood from his wound and flicked it onto the ground.
"What kind of Vampire King are you? It's like being scratched. You might as well rename yourself Old Bat."
The wound on Vlad's face quickly healed under the vampiric trait's enhancement, but the fire of hatred in his heart grew even stronger.
"Nguyen Ryou!"
Vlad howled as he lunged, his voice becoming sharp due to his agitation, sounding like a certain castrated creature.
"Your opponent is over there, you stupid bat."
Ryou gestured with his mouth behind him.
Vlad instinctively turned his head and found Jeanne staring at him with an unprecedentedly stern expression, her eyes almost burning with anger.
After entrusting Fiore and Caules to the homunculi, Jeanne hurried back immediately.
As a devout Catholic and the Holy Maiden personally canonized by the Church, Jeanne could not tolerate two things: the wanton killing of innocents and blasphemy.
It was clear that Vlad's actions had touched Jeanne's reverse scale, causing this usually gentle Holy Maiden to show a completely different, solemn demeanor for the first time.
"Vlad III, no, you blasphemer! Enemy of the Lord!"
Jeanne declared angrily, her entire body surging with magical power as she shot toward Vlad like a cannonball.
As if sensing its master's will, Jeanne's flag suddenly radiated an unprecedented holy golden light.
Under this light, Ryou immediately felt as if he had soaked in a hot spring; his waist no longer ached, his legs no longer hurt, and he felt like he could clear the FGO storyline in one go.
But when the vampire Vlad III was illuminated by the golden light, he screamed, and a large amount of blue smoke suddenly rose from his body.
Vlad's previously maintained dark noble appearance couldn't hold up; his fangs protruded from his mouth, and his face completely transformed into a beastly appearance.
Seeing this, Ryou laughed heartily and turned to walk out to the balcony.
Vlad's transformation into a vampire was indeed powerful, not only significantly enhancing his attributes but also granting him formidable abilities like mist transformation and bat transformation.
However, the stronger this power that emerged out of nowhere, the higher the price to pay.
Vlad became as fearful of holy symbols, holy water, and anything related to the Church as a true vampire.
In the original work, Vlad could easily fight multiple Servants but was effortlessly killed by Amakusa Shirou, which was the best evidence.
Facing Jeanne, the Holy Maiden personally canonized by the Church, if Vlad could win, Ryou would write his name backward!
"You despicable, shameless coward, hiding behind a woman! Come back and face me, you—ugh!"
Vlad roared in fury, wanting to pounce on Ryou, but was sent flying back by a strike from Jeanne's flag.
Ryou stopped in his tracks upon hearing this, turning back to look at him with eyes filled with pity.
"My woman can fight very well, do you have a problem with that? It's better than you, a loser who can't even protect his own woman and had to watch her commit suicide."
Ryou, though possessive, was never a male chauvinist. In his mind, his wife was not a vase but someone who could stand shoulder to shoulder with him.
This straightforward declaration had a remarkable effect.
Vlad was so angry he could vomit blood; his visage, already beast-like, began to transform grotesquely.
Jeanne also showed a shy and annoyed expression. Unable to do anything to Ryou, she vented all her shame and anger on the unfortunate Vlad III.
Thus, Vlad thoroughly experienced the 'Iron Fist of the Holy Maiden' passed down through the ages.
In no time, he was beaten black and blue by the holy-powered punches.
"Do you think you've won? No, we are the ultimate victors! When my ally's Hanging Garden descends, it will be your complete defeat!"
Bang!
Vlad III, unwilling to concede, shouted but was smashed into the wall by a powerful straight punch from Jeanne.
"If you hadn't mentioned it, I almost forgot to deal with that garden in the sky."
Ryou showed a sudden realization, then leisurely raised his right hand, branded with a Command Seal, on the back.
"By the Command Spell, I order you... Ishtar, use your Noble Phantasm to shoot down the Hanging Garden!"
The remaining two Command Spells on Ryou's hand immediately glowed with magical light and then dissipated into the air.
To prevent Ryou from overly relying on powerful Servants, the system established rules that if he wanted to launch a normal attack, he needed to consume one Command Spell, and if he wanted to use a Noble Phantasm, it required two Command Spells.
Semiramis's Noble Phantasm, 'The Hanging Gardens of Babylon' is an EX-ranked Noble Phantasm. Although its power was significantly weakened because the Empress was in her Servant form, it was still the highest level of Noble Phantasm.
To ensure a fatal blow, Ryou directly ordered Ishtar to use her Noble Phantasm.
"!"
Both Vlad III and Jeanne immediately stopped, looking at Ryou in shock.
Ishtar, wasn't this the name of the Venus goddess who ruled the sky and war in Babylonian mythology?
Before they could figure out what was going on, extreme pressure suddenly came from the sky, as if the entire sky was about to fall.
After Ryou activated the Command Spell, far away in Las Vegas, the goddess Ishtar, looking extremely displeased, disappeared into a golden portal amidst the horrified gazes of the locals, piloting the golden and blue Heavenly Boat Maanna.
Not to mention the mess Ishtar caused on the other side, causing the Holy Church to once again expend a great deal of effort to clean up the aftermath as if it were a major earthquake.
Far away from Earth, outside Venus, Ishtar's glamorous figure appeared.
Under the illumination of this Venus goddess, the cold and dark void of space seemed to light up instantly.
"Darn it, I was making good money, but now I'm dragged to this place to do hard labor. When this is over, I must punish that annoying guy... I've decided, I'll make him offer three tables of desserts as a tribute."
Thinking about the exquisite delicacies she had tasted before, Ishtar couldn't help but swallow.
Realizing her thoughts were somewhat inappropriate, Ishtar showed an annoyed and shy expression.
"No, no, this is not gluttony, it's a punishment for that guy, yes, it's a punishment."
In the empty outer space, the goddess demonstrated a textbook example of tsundere behavior.
"Alright,~ time to get to work."
Ishtar said, gently raising her slender hand.
"2% power... Hmm, seems too much, let's use 1%."
Ishtar muttered to herself.
A miracle occurred!
The planet, which was similar in size and mass to Earth, seemed to be directly grasped by Ishtar.
Due to its immense size being compressed to an extremely small point, the already incredibly bright Venus became even more dazzling, like a small sun in Ishtar's hand.
Holding the Venus, Ishtar revealed the true, immense power of a goddess in the dark void of space.
Her gaze was indifferent, with a faint smile at the corner of her lips, overlooking the beautiful blue planet far away.
Her scarlet eyes, once filled with human brilliance, transformed into a divine golden hue.
She gently raised her palm, and as she moved, the golden planet flowed like liquid, transforming into a light arrow under her will.
The Heavenly Boat Maanna was slowly drawn by an invisible hand, and the light arrow forged from an entire planet was placed on the bowstring.
"Fly, Maanna! Gate Open! Hehe, you should be honored! Behold my full strength! Annihilate them! An Gal Ta Ki Gal Šè!!!"
With Ishtar's proud shout, the Heavenly Boat was drawn to its limit, and the light arrow was shot out.
No, it could no longer be called an arrow; it was a purple torrent of light!
Wherever the torrent of light passed, all light in the space was captured, transforming into blue plasma flowing through the universe.
From outside the solar system, one could see a terrifying purple pillar of light, with the power to pierce the heavens and the earth, shooting straight towards the blue Earth.
At this moment, on the battlefield in Trifas, Romania, Europe, on Earth:
Kaar, Frankenstein, and Astolfo were rescuing Homunculi while exterminating the dragon tooth soldiers.
Chiron and Achilles were still clashing passionately in a sealed space.
Meanwhile, Siegfried, as if by fate, faced off against Mordred.
Their battle seemed to have reached a climax, with red and blue light beams instantly traversing the entire battlefield.
The giant fortress in the sky was already approaching the Yggdmillennia castle.
As the Hanging Garden approached its destination, Amakusa Shirou, sitting on the throne, began to breathe heavily, a smile of assured victory gradually appearing on his face.
In a few minutes, he would forcibly seize the Greater Grail and achieve his sixty-year-long wish!
"It seems you're in a good mood, Master," the bored Empress sitting on the throne teased him upon seeing his smile.
"Of course! My wish is about to be fulfilled. Soon, all of humanity will be saved!"
Seeing his goal about to be achieved, even Amakusa Shirou couldn't remain calm, his expression filled with a fanaticism that sent shivers down one's spine.
"Master, don't forget your promise to let me rule the new world."
Semiramis casually reminded him.
"Of course, how could I forget that?"
Amakusa Shirou's eyes flashed, hurriedly reassuring her.
Two people with hidden intentions exchanged a smile.
Seeing that victory was imminent, Amakusa Shirou couldn't help but ponder Ryou's words.
Perhaps he really should directly drop the Hanging Garden onto the castle instead of pulling the Greater Grail into it.
After all, with the Hanging Garden in hand, neither the Black faction nor the one who wants to stop him. It wouldn't hurt to be cautious with the final step...
Thinking of Nguyen Ryou, Amakusa Shirou's gaze pierced through the throne room and fell upon the Yggdmillennia castle below.
As if drawn by an invisible force, Ryou on the balcony met Amakusa Shirou's gaze.
"No matter your schemes, I will win this Holy Grail War."
Amakusa Shirou looked down at Ryou, his eyes conveying this meaning.
Ryou's face showed no sign of panic; instead, his mouth moved slightly, and he looked at Amakusa Shirou with an amused expression.
"'Not necessarily'?"
Amakusa Shirou instinctively read Ryou's lip movements.
"Hmph!"
Amakusa Shirou dismissing it as the wail of a defeated dog.
However, in the next moment, divine retribution descended from the heavens!
It was already midnight, the sky was sparsely dotted with stars, and suddenly, a brilliant light shone as if daylight had arrived.
Immediately, a pillar of light shot down from the sky, resembling a falling sun, sweeping away the darkness of the night.
The white night descended, affecting not only Trifas but also from the west in Great Britain to the flower-growing east, north to Russia, south to Africa, and even the distant Atlantic coast of the USA observed this miraculous phenomenon.
Billions of people stared in shock at the night sky that seemed like daylight.
Catholics, Christians, Puritans, Taoists, and other religious followers knelt in prayer.
The green religionists raised their hands and loudly cried, "Allahu Akbar!"
Not to mention, after this white night event, the Holy Church, feeling overwhelmed, simply threw in the towel and declared it a miracle of God, gaining immense prestige and faith, and overwhelming the Mage's Association.
Everyone on the battlefield of Trifas watched as the towering pillar of light descended from the sky, striking the Hanging Garden directly.
Boom!
The scorching flames of Venus instantly swept over everything, causing the grand and majestic flying fortress to crumble in an instant. Massive debris was vaporized, not even decomposed into mana, turning directly into dust and disappearing.
Just as the Hanging Garden was burned to ashes, the light pillar ended, not a trace of its residual power leaking onto the battlefield, as if both the light pillar and the Hanging Garden were mere illusions.
Such a scene left everyone dumbstruck, staring blankly at the empty sky.
Ishtar, the goddess usually known for her greed, revealed a glimpse of her hidden formidable power for the first time.
The power of the Noble Phantasm was indeed terrifying, but even more frightening was Ishtar's exquisite control.
Still floating in outer space, Ishtar lifted her hand and gently brushed her bangs, as if she had done something trivial.
"Well~ it was nothing."
A horrifying scene unfolded as the Venus she had shot out as an arrow was now orbiting normally.
However, upon closer inspection, one could see that the once bright Venus now seemed like an old, dusty jewel, its light dimmed significantly.
Ishtar's Noble Phantasm didn't shoot Venus as an arrow; if she had done so, both the two major Counter Forces and Saber X would have come out to beat her up.
Her Noble Phantasm was more symbolic; in essence, it extracted the energy of Venus, transforming it into an arrow of light and then shooting it out.
Even without using the entire Venus, just its energy was an unstoppable force, a true natural disaster.
After completing her mission, the goddess immediately opened a space-time portal, resuming her money-making trip in the gambling city.
On the battlefield of Trifas, after coming to their senses, everyone reacted differently.
PS: 1 Power Stone = 1 Push up