Lancer of Black vs Lancer of Red (II)

*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.

"How is it?"

Vlad lifted his chin slightly.

His 'Kazikli Bey', besides accumulating damage, had a special ability. If his spear hit the enemy even once, and as long as they were within his territory, it would cause stakes to be created from within the enemy's body and pierce them from the inside out.

Karna's Noble Phantasm 'Kavacha and Kundala' boasted unparalleled defensive capabilities, reducing all attacks to one-tenth of their original power. However, its sole weakness was an inability to defend against internal attacks.

"I see... Lancer of Black, it seems you are a ruthless king. These stakes are both a demonstration and a source of fear for you."

Even though his body got pierced, Karna's tone remained calm.

"To protect one's territory and country, it doesn't matter how bloody and terrifying the methods are... Is that the meaning behind your Noble Phantasm?"

"So what?" Vlad's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Times have changed, Lancer of Black. Now, you have no subordinates to command. Perhaps a ruler should be lofty, but a ruler without followers is useless. Lancer of Black, this is your miscalculation. I am a Heroic Spirit; even facing a country as my enemy won't frighten me." Karna's tone remained unchanged.

"Oh? Is that so?"

Vlad smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes; they were filled only with chilling coldness.

"Facing my country alone doesn't matter to you? You are indeed a son of god, truly arrogant. But your arrogance is quite displeasing to me. So let death be the punishment I give to you."

He charged toward Karna with his spear in hand and countless black iron stakes flowed like a tide. The battlefield was entirely filled with stakes, dominating all the land.

Challenging a ruler who led a country with one's own strength was nothing but wishful thinking!

However, for Karna, being surrounded like this was a situation he was all too familiar with.

*DING!*

As if completely unaffected by the iron stakes, he casually blocked Vlad's spear with his own spear.

Vlad's eyes showed a hint of surprise; this was a scene he had never witnessed before. Someone who could continue moving even when their entire body was pierced by his stakes was a testament to extremely strong willpower!

However, what astonished him even more was yet to come.

"O Agni, burn me!"

Intense flames instantly engulfed Karna's body, relentlessly burning and reducing the iron stakes within him to ash.

Bathed in the fire, Karna appeared like a god descended from the heavens.

Seeing this, Vlad furrowed his brows slightly, raising his hand once more, and sent countless iron stakes raining down.

Unfortunately, the one he wanted to defeat was the embodiment of flames—the son of Sun God Surya.

Cloaked in golden armor and wielding a god-slaying spear, Karna, driven by his mother's sorrowful wish, possessed a golden armor and a golden earring, known as 'Kavacha' and 'Kundala'. Combined with inheriting the blood of Sun God Surya, these were just half of the tales associated with his existence.

Karna's mightiest weapon was his willpower—a resilient spirit and heart. Despite enduring numerous hardships, he remained a hero who didn't blame anyone for his many misfortunes. Even with extraordinary gifts, he never considered himself special.

Not arrogant, not conceited, he lived a life tirelessly upholding his father's name from birth until his fall, just a hero striving not to shame his father's name.

Thus, even with iron stakes piercing his organs, nerves torn, enduring the pain brought by the stakes, he could still calmly wield his spear, employing an unimaginable brute force, enduring the flames circulating within his body to burn away the stakes.

This was the will of a man named Karna—fearless and unyielding. Even against an entire country, he would not choose to retreat!

*Psssttt—*

Flames gracefully danced around Karna's body, and beneath their cleansing embrace, it seemed as though all sins were thoroughly buried.

"Let's end this, Lancer of Black!"

Stepping forward amid the flames, Karna's magical energy swirling around his spear, unleashed an immensely powerful magical energy fluctuation.

"Brahmastra Kundala!"

*Whoosh—!!!*

The long spear transformed into a shooting star, releasing destructive light akin to an avalanche.

*Rumble—!*

The ground instantly shattered, and the terrifying heat melted all iron stakes hidden underground into molten metal.

"Damn it! HAAAAAHHHH—!!!"

Vlad roared, gathering all the stakes before him into an immensely thick shield. Yet, against the power of the god-slaying spear, this level of defense was merely a slightly troublesome obstacle.

Within two or three breaths, the spear pierced through the stake defense, charging toward Vlad unhindered.

*BOOOOOOM—!!!*

A thunderous sound echoed, like a small nuclear explosion.

*Rumble—!*

The horrifying mushroom cloud slowly ascended into the sky.

The shockwave from the explosion instantly cleared all dragon tooth warriors and Avicebron's golems within a hundred meters, leaving numerous limbs and debris in its wake.

Amidst the rolling smoke, a spear shot out.

Karna extended his hand, catching the spear, and looked toward the center of the explosion with a slight frown.

As the thick smoke dispersed, at the explosion's epicenter, there was nothing left except a crater over ten meters deep.

But he knew he hadn't killed Lancer of Black, as he felt a powerful magical energy fluctuation just moments ago.

"Command spell, huh..." Karna muttered softly.

===

Inside the Fortress of Millennia, the radiance of light particles flowed and converged, and the figure of Vlad appeared.

"Hahh..." Vlad tilted his head back, exhaling slowly, then nodded at Darnic beside him. "Well done, Darnic."

"It's my duty." Darnic slightly bowed.

Since Rider had revealed the true identity of Lancer of Red to them, Darnic had been vigilant of this son of god. It was because of this vigilance that he dared to pull Vlad back at the moment Karna launched his Noble Phantasm.

"Using that Noble Phantasm should be quite a drain for Lancer of Red."

Darnic turned to the battlefield projection on the side, where the figure of Karna stood out. However, compared to the majestic appearance he had before, the flames swirling around this son of god had dimmed considerably.

"This might be our chance, my King."

"Leave the rest to me." Vlad's lips curled slightly.

Thanks to the magical energy supplement from the Yggdmillennia's homunculi, he had fully recovered to his peak state. Unless Lancer of Red had some hidden cards, this time he could easily take Lancer of Red down.

Just as he was about to return to the battlefield, Vlad suddenly noticed that the floating fortress, which had been motionless in the high sky, was slowly starting to move.

"It seems they can't hold back any longer..." Darnic squinted his eyes.

"No matter, those who are prepared are not only them." Vlad said calmly.

The moment his words fell—

*ROOOAAAAAARRRR—!!!*

A resounding dragon's roar echoed through the sky.