[Vlad III: "Red Lancer, you are indeed worthy of the title of hero. With your armor, I doubt even a battering ram would work against you, let alone an iron stake."]
[Karna: "Thank you for your praise, King."]
[Vlad III: "If you were not a pagan, I would allow you the chance to surrender. It's unfortunate that you place your faith in a false god."]
[Karna: "How can you be so certain the god I believe in is false?"]
[Vlad III: "Of course, I know. A true god is an absolute existence, pure and untarnished. Otherwise, who would believe in it? Who would rely on it? Gods that sleep with mortals and engage in debauchery are nothing more than hideous monsters."]
[Karna: "That is difficult to say. Beliefs vary depending on the region. For those living in flood-prone areas, the being that controls water is revered as a god. If you claim that my gods or their gods are monsters, then the god you worship could also be considered a monster imposed with the concept of absolute existence."]
["Hmm..."]
[The clash of beliefs immediately ignited Vlad III's anger.]
[Vlad III: "Hmph, I didn't expect you to have such a sharp tongue, Karna."]
[Karna: "I'm simply expressing my opinion."]
Waver: "Wait, wait. How did this fight turn into a theological debate?"
Iskandar: "Hahaha! Boy, the conflict between faiths is the most intense struggle of all!"
Kayneth: "Indeed. The battle of faith has never ceased, whether in the past or now."
[Karna: "I see. You are indeed quite ferocious, Lord Piercer. Your iron stakes serve as both an attack and a defense, a demonstration of power and a symbol of terror."]
[Vlad III: "What?"]
[Karna continued calmly: "You define territory, delineate the city, and mark what needs to be protected."]
["In essence, you are trying to build a nation of your own. Is it your love for your homeland that drives you to do this? Or is it your sense of responsibility as a king?"]
["However, you lack followers to lead here."]
["A king must maintain a noble demeanor, but there is no such thing as a king without followers. That is your mistake."]
["I am a Heroic Spirit. I will not waver, even if my own country turns against me."]
["Oh, that's amusing."]
[Vlad III smiled, but this time, his smile was filled with fury, hatred, and killing intent.]
[Vlad III: "You claim to stand unafraid, even if my entire country were your enemy. You are indeed a hero."]
["For your arrogance, I will punish you three times. Yes, three times my spear will pierce you. Thus, you will meet your end here!"]
[The video paused.]
[Question: In the next battle, can Vlad III hurt Karna?]
[A: Can't hurt.]
[B: Can hurt, but not much.]
[C: Can hurt, enough to alert Karna.]
[D: It can injure Karna severely.]
[Please answer within 1 minute. If you exceed the time limit, you will be deemed to have given up.]
Achilles: "This is obvious! It must be A. Vlad III can't break through Karna's armor no matter what."
[Ding! Incorrect answer for Achilles. 1 Saint Quartz will be deducted.]
Achilles: "???"
Karna: "..."
Waver: "This is unexpected."
Tohsaka Tokiomi: "Could Vlad III really have broken through the Golden Armor?"
Vlad III: "Hmph, don't underestimate me."
Darnic: "King, which option do you think is correct?"
Vlad III: "Hmm... Choose C."
He originally wanted to choose D, but considering Karna's status as the son of the sun god, he decided to be cautious.
[Ding! Incorrect answer for Vlad III. 1 Saint Quartz will be deducted.]
Vlad III: "???"
Achilles: "Hahaha! The person involved got it wrong? How embarrassing!"
Chihiro: "B. You were being a little too optimistic, Grand Duke."
[Ding! Congratulations to Chihiro for answering correctly. 3 Saint Quartz have been awarded.]
Kayneth: "Damn it, just a fraction of a second too late!"
Chihiro: "Hahaha, Kayneth, you need to work on your reaction time."
Emiya Kiritsugu: "B? That answer isn't too surprising."
Iskandar: "I just want to know how Vlad III managed to injure Karna."
[The timer expired, and the video resumed.]
["Hmm?!"]
[Karna suddenly felt a chilling sensation spread through his body, and he instinctively tried to leap back.]
[However, the attack had already taken effect.]
[Vlad III sneered: "How perceptive of you."]
["That's right. My Noble Phantasm, Kazikli Bey, is not just the iron stakes you see. It is the very concept of 'iron stakes' themselves."]
["As long as you remain within this territory, no matter how strong your defenses, as long as my attack exists…"]
[Karna felt a violent expansion within his body, and several sharp stakes erupted from within him, forcing him to collapse to the ground, coughing up blood.]
["What?! Iron stakes... inside my body?"]
[Karna had been careless. He hadn't expected Vlad III's Noble Phantasm to bypass external defenses and attack internally.]
[The Golden Armor could not protect him from within.]
Tohsaka Rin: "Inside the body? I didn't think it was possible to attack like that!"
Emiya Kiritsugu: "An internal attack, definitely a weakness of the Golden Armor."
Tohsaka Tokiomi: "We all underestimated Vlad III's Noble Phantasm. To attack internally… remarkable."
Iskandar: "Haha! Impaler, you're full of surprises."
Vlad III: "Hmph. This is the result of underestimating me."
Vlad III's expression remained grim. Despite his pride, exposing his trump card so early left him in a sour mood.
["That's it, Red Lancer!"]
[Vlad III didn't waste the opportunity and raised his spear, aiming a fierce strike at Karna.]
[However, even with the spear closing in on his forehead, Karna easily deflected the attack. It was as if the severe injuries he had sustained moments ago had never happened.]
["Flames!"]
[Karna unleashed his magical flames again, but this time, he absorbed all of the fire into his body. The intense heat burned away the sharp stakes embedded within him, completely purging the damage.]
[Vlad III summoned his stakes for another attack, but this time, they failed to have any effect.]
["Impaler, I'll take your head!"]
[Engulfed in flames, Karna charged forward, ignoring the sharp stakes attacking him, and landed a devastating blow. His spear pierced through Vlad III's shoulder with incredible precision.]
["Urgh!"]
[Vlad III grunted in pain, and the balance of power between the two Lancers was decisively broken.]
Waver: "I thought Vlad III had the upper hand. I didn't expect the tide to turn so quickly."
Fiore: "Karna isn't someone you can easily defeat, after all."
Vlad III: "Tsk."
[Inside the castle, Darnic observed the fight through a surveillance monitor, his fists clenching tightly.]
[He wasn't a fool. It was clear to him that Vlad III was no match for Karna.]
[In fact, it wasn't just Vlad III, there was no one on the Black faction's side who could stand against Karna now.]
[If Karna alone posed such a threat, then what about the Hanging Gardens in the sky?]
[Darnic: "I'm going to the battlefield, Fiore. From now on, you're in charge."]
[Fiore: "Uncle?"]
[Darnic didn't respond to her call. Without hesitation, he leapt out of the castle window.]
[As he rushed toward the battlefield, his mind wandered to the memories of his past.]
[He recalled his time with the Mage's Association, how the exposure of his family's bloodline had led to the loss of all his glory. The ridicule and scorn he had endured.]
[He thought of the Third Holy Grail War, when he seized the Yggdmillennia forces, took control of the Greater Grail system, and crushed the Three Founding Families. How the old monsters of the Mage's Association had been reduced to trembling wretches before him.]
[He remembered the countless years of effort he had poured into this moment, and he swore he wouldn't let it all go to waste.]
["...I can only use that!"]
Sisigou: "Oh? It seems like you still have a trump card, Darnic."
Vlad III: "A trump card...?"
The Black faction members looked at Darnic with suspicion.
Does he really have a trump card that could turn the tide? If so, why hadn't he used it earlier?
Darnic maintained a calm exterior, but inside, he was panicking.
If his backup plan were exposed now, Vlad III might kill him on the spot.
[Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Vlad III wasn't the only one struggling. Astolfo's situation was equally dire.]
[Mordred relied on her instincts and relentless attacks, giving Astolfo no room to counter.]
[Although Astolfo made several attempts to strike back, Mordred's agility allowed her to dodge every one of his spear thrusts.]
[Without landing a successful hit, Astolfo's Noble Phantasm, Trap of Argalia: Touch-and-Throw, couldn't activate its effect.]
[To make matters worse, Astolfo's spearmanship wasn't particularly refined. Having lost his mount, his combat effectiveness as a Rider had been reduced by half.]
["Too slow!"]
[Mordred's attacks became even more aggressive. She scowled and shouted in frustration: "Damn it, I'm busy enough as it is! Just die already!"]
[Astolfo: "No, no, don't say that! Stay and play with me a little longer."]
***
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