Lancer of Black vs Lancer of Red (I)

"Are you afraid?"

Karna's calm voice suddenly resounded.

"Facing such an opponent, it's only natural to feel afraid." Vlad admitted honestly, nodding slightly.

"Then, do you want to surrender?" Karna asked seriously.

"Impossible." Vlad's lips curled slightly. "This is my homeland, behind me are my people, and by my side are my comrades. Even if it's for them, I will never surrender. On top of that, I will make you invaders pay a heavy price."

He raised the black spear in his hand, pointing it straight at Karna's face, and declared with authority.

"I am Lancer of Black, Vlad III, the Count of Wallachia. Invaders of my homeland, prepare for your death!"

In the instant after his words fell, countless pitch-black iron stakes shot up from the ground, aiming straight for Karna's head.

*Swish!* *Swish!* *Swish!* *Swish!* *Swish!* *Swish!*

The terrifying number made Karna's scalp tingle.

"Seems like the quantity of your Noble Phantasm is a bit unusual?" Karna swung his spear like a tornado, shattering all the iron stakes.

"This is the will of a ruler protecting his country." Vlad thrust his spear into the ground. "Let these ugly dragon-tooth warriors be buried in the wilderness."

*Swish!* *Swish!* *Swish!* *Swish!* *Swish!*

The earth roared like waves as numerous iron stakes assaulted Karna from all directions.

Each iron stake wasn't particularly fast, and their destructive power wasn't high, but in the face of overwhelming numbers, these were merely inconsequential.

Even as the son of god, Karna wouldn't willingly clash head-on with such a massive quantity of iron stakes.

His eyes narrowed slightly, bent his body, then, with a step, soared into the sky. If standing on the ground would be attacked by iron stakes, he just needed to fly to the sky!

"What a pity, there is no land that is not this king's territory." Vlad looked up at Karna, a faint cold smile on his lips. "As long as it's on my land, no one can escape my rule, whether in the sky or on earth."

He raised his hand, and all the iron stakes instantly extended, charging toward Karna in the sky like giant pillars.

Karna raised an eyebrow and magical energy quickly spewed out from his body like blazing flames. With the help of the recoil, he dodged the iron stakes.

"You can't escape."

Vlad waved his hand again and more iron stakes tore through the earth, flying toward Karna in unison.

Inside the Fortress of Millennia, Darnic, watching this scene, couldn't help but exhale in relief. Indeed, as he expected, their Lancer was not inferior to the enemy's Lancer.

Although in terms of status, Vlad couldn't match Karna as the son of god, relying on the personal skill known as 'Demonic Defender of the State' to gain control over specific regions by tapping into the ley line, Vlad could almost bridge the gap.

'Demonic Defender of the State' allowed Vlad to designate certain regions as his territory in advance, granting him combat assistance equivalent to Berserker's A-rank 'Mad Enhancement' within his territory. Additionally, he could unleash his Anti-Army Noble Phantasm, Kazikli Bey, within the said territory.

Combined with the fact that Romania was Vlad's homeland, maximizing the effects of the 'Demonic Defender of the State', the consumption of the iron stakes reached a staggering two thousand, and the damage continued to accumulate, ensuring he held his ground even against the son of god.

For this Holy Grail War, Darnic had prepared almost everything.

Countless iron stakes extended from the ground to the sky, resembling a forest forged from steel. The chilling light sent shivers down the spine of anyone who witnessed it.

With the iron stakes accumulating, Karna's maneuverability decreased.

Unlike Vlad, Karna didn't have magical energy support from the Yggdmillennia's homunculi. After Medea was defeated, he couldn't replenish his magical energy anytime and anywhere like before.

Although Karna was relatively conservative in magical energy consumption compared to the other 'golden heroes', being an extraordinary Servant, it was still a considerable drain for an ordinary mage to supply magical energy to maintain his divine spear and armor.

From every perspective, Karna couldn't compete with Vlad in an attrition battle. Therefore, he had to adopt more aggressive tactics.

Realizing this, Karna immediately changed direction, diving towards Vlad like a fireball, his divine spear aimed directly at the latter's forehead.

"Want to go head-to-head, huh?"

Despite facing the scorching heat, Vlad's expression remained indifferent. He casually raised his hand.

"Good call, but Lancer of Red, don't underestimate this king."

After saying that, black iron stakes surged forward like a torrent, piling up in front of him, creating an incredibly sturdy steel shield that blocked Karna's divine spear.

At the same time, Vlad tightened his grip on his hand.

"Now is the time for execution."

Like a dark cloud covering the sky, the iron stakes instantly plunged downward. Simultaneously, more stakes emerged from the ground, trapping Karna from all sides, completely sealing off any escape routes.

"Pierce." Vlad's mouth curled up slightly.

However, the scene of blood and flesh flying that he anticipated didn't occur. The black iron stakes couldn't even penetrate Karna's skin; they were all blocked by the golden armor fused with his body.

"Is that the legendary golden armor personally bestowed upon you by Sun God Surya? A powerful Noble Phantasm indeed..." Vlad remarked, narrowing his eyes.

Despite not achieving the expected results, Vlad remained undeterred. A legendary child of the god was not an opponent easily taken down, after all.

"Your Noble Phantasm is also impressive." Karna said casually. "Impeccable in both offense and defense, coupled with this quantity, it's indeed a tricky situation."

"Although I appreciate your praise, let me remind you..." Vlad's mouth curved into a mysterious smile. "My Noble Phantasm is not just limited to the external manifestations you see..."

"Hmm?"

As Vlad spoke, Karna suddenly felt a strange sensation inside his body, as if something was expanding inside him, rigid, cold, and sharp.

*Pu-chi!* *Pu-chi!* *Pu-chi!*

Dozens of iron stakes suddenly pierced out of Karna's body, tearing through his flesh and blood.

His horrifying and grotesque sight resembled a demon in hell enduring torture.