It was just a very ordinary sentence, yet it made the head of the family's hair stand on end all over his body. His heart suddenly clenched tight, as if a small knife had stabbed straight through it, even giving him the illusion that he had been killed!
'Something's wrong… something's wrong!'
The head of the family immediately realized that something had changed…
The previous "King" had been extremely imposing, yet could still be considered a benevolent and wise ruler. But what he had just felt… was the smell of blood, killing intent, brutality, and rage.
Like a tiger locked inside a cage, constantly sharpening its claws and fangs, ready to tear apart everyone who had once mocked it the instant the restraints were released.
'Why?'
'The King… why had Lancer become like this?'
"Your Majesty, are you in a bad mood?" The head of the family suppressed the urge to flee and asked respectfully.
"No need to mind it. I just took a nap… and dreamed of some things, that's all."
The middle-aged man with heavy dark circles slowly opened his eyes. He had been sitting on a deerskin sofa, one hand propping up his face as he lightly rested. Even in sleep, his posture showed elegance and steadiness.
And the moment he opened his eyes and spoke, an invisible killing aura swept through the entire room and even the castle, making every being with a soul instinctively tremble.
"I didn't expect the Holy Grail to pour knowledge into a Servant a second time… no, maybe it wasn't the Holy Grail's doing." Lancer fell into thought. "Could it be data from the Throne of Heroes…"
Normally, Servants that appear in a Holy Grail War are infused by the Grail system with common knowledge that fits the era the moment they are summoned, including language, so as to avoid any embarrassing situations.
But earlier, while asleep, Lancer had seen another version of "himself". After that, a massive flow of information poured into his mind, greatly affecting his mental state and willpower. Even his spiritual foundation and class had changed.
"Your Majesty, your class!" The head of the family was an outstanding magus. As a Master, he could check his Servant's status. He gathered his courage to look the other man up and down, then couldn't help widening his eyes.
"How did it turn into 'berserker'?!"
"No, it's not a simple Berserker. It's a dual summoning of Lancer and berserker." The white-haired man with dark circles pondered. "Perhaps it leans more toward 'berserker'."
"Hiss! Something like this can actually happen?!" The head of the family was shocked. He searched through his mind and couldn't find a single similar example.
But then again, this Holy Grail system wasn't his original creation. He had snatched it back from the Far East… so if there were hidden settings he didn't know about, that was perfectly normal.
"No wonder the mana consumption increased. It's actually berserker… but you still look able to maintain your reason. As expected of the guardian god of this land!" The head of the family offered his praise sincerely.
"We will surely march toward eternal prosperity under your leadership!"
"Hmm?"
When he said that, the former Lancer turned his gaze toward him, deep and hard to read.
Whether it was a bug in the Holy Grail system or some issue with boundary records, for now it seemed that memories and part of the data from Lancer in another parallel world had been transmitted over, causing changes to his spiritual foundation.
Aside from that influence, many "familiar yet unfamiliar" memories had also appeared in Lancer's mind.
In the memories of that other self, he had also been summoned to this same point in time and fought in a Holy Grail War. But the result… was simply a tragedy.
Not only did he fail to protect his own territory and was suppressed in battle against powerful enemies, but at the moment of death he was even corrupted by his Master using Command Spells, greeting an utterly disgraceful and dishonorable end in the form of a monster.
Speaking of which, it was this very guy in front of him who would use Command Spells on him in the "future"…
Lancer looked at the head of the family with an extremely dangerous gaze. But considering that was only the future of a parallel world, something that had not yet happened here and was almost certain to be changed… as an excellent ruler and a devout Christian, he could not execute a man for crimes that had not yet occurred.
That said… a little punishment was still fine.
"Come here."
"Hm?" The head of the family subconsciously took two steps forward. "Your Majesty, you are, ugh!"
Suddenly, a flash of red light appeared in Lancer's, or rather berserker's, eyes. The head of the family instantly lost control over his body.
Strange blue and red magical energy flowed backward through the contract channel, scouring his magic circuits and branding them with an indelible mark.
An irresistible majesty struck straight into the depths of his soul, making him drop to his knees and bow before Lancer.
"You bastard…"
Lancer grabbed the head of the family and swung a slap down...
Pa!
"So you're the damn one called Darnic!"
Pa!
"So you're the damn one who made me live on!"
Pa!
"So you're the damn one who told me not to die!"
Pa!
Pa! Pa! Pa!
Pa!
Just boring knowledge poured in by the Holy Grail, or noise caused by information interference. A noble "Dragon's Child" obviously wouldn't know that much detail. In fact, he didn't care what it was at all. He was just finding an excuse to hit someone.
After venting his anger, Lancer, Vlad III, impatiently tossed Darnic, who was like a puddle of mud, aside. He then straightened his body, his presence as sharp as a spear, and lifted his demonic yet majestic eyes toward the bright moon.
"This time, I will wash away my humiliation with absolute victory!"
———
[A/N: I adjusted the earlier part a bit and attached the Grand Duke's dual-summon status panel.
Earlier, just to play with a Dragon Clan reference, the Grand Duke's portrayal was a bit out of character. Thinking about it, some Heroic Spirits really aren't suitable for comedy. The Grand Duke is one of the few Heroic Spirits who have very little black history even in Chaldea, so it wasn't very appropriate.
On top of that, the Dragon Clan reference was a bit niche, and many people didn't get it, so I revised it, removing the slapping and the Dragon Clan reference.
Also, the reason for choosing FA as the scenario is that writing others easily leads to aesthetic fatigue, while FA's Red vs Black war has a very high degree of room for modification.
This is the third time I'm writing FA. Each time it's different precisely because there's so much space to work with. This time, I also guarantee a fresh experience for everyone. Let's stir things up a bit for Chaldea.]
———
[Vlad III]
[Parameters, Omitted (refer to Fuyuki Berserker)]
[Personal Skills:]
[1. Shield of Christ (EX): By obtaining ley lines in advance, a specific area is designated as "one's own territory". When fighting within this territory, Vlad III as a king can gain combat power bonuses equivalent to Berserker's A-rank "Mad Enhancement".]
[Within the territory, suppresses enemies with the traits "foreign race" and "heretic", weakening their mystery and reducing damage taken.]
[Correspondingly, there is no bonus effect when fighting Servants of the Cross system.]
[2. Dragon's Child (EX): An elevation of ancient legends, closely tied to the land of Romania, allowing communication with the mysteries sleeping within this land and borrowing their power when necessary.]
[(As the spiritual foundation gradually converts into Berserker, the effect of this skill gradually weakens. Once the class fully converts, this skill will be replaced by 'Vampirism A'.)]
[3. Dual Summon: Simultaneously possesses compatibility with both Lancer and berserker classes, and enjoys their class skills.]
[4. Blessing of Faith (A+++)]
[5. Military Tactics (C)]
[6. Innocent Monster (A)]
———
[Noble Phantasms]
[Castle of Impalement (C)]
[King of Extreme Punishment (B)]
[Legacy of Blood (A+)]
[Note: As a Servant who is already in a "completed state", his strength after being summoned should not change. However, Vlad III has become an extremely rare exception. Empowered by intense faith and a heart of revenge, he is a miracle that can only appear in Romania.]
The Servant himself possesses the advantages of both Lancer and berserker classes, and his mental state lies between the two. Though he still retains a sense of honor, he does not mind using dirty methods.
Using any means necessary to achieve victory is only natural. Being cursed by enemies or subjects does not matter. If he is slandered as a blood-sucking monster, then let them get the monster they wish for,
Such thinking is actually closer to how he was in life.
But as the price for gaining power, his spiritual foundation is constantly shifting toward madness. No one knows what he might do. If the transformation were complete, it would actually be fine. But the unclear, chaotic intermediate state is the most dangerous…
———
Bang!
On the streets of London, a gunshot shattered the quiet night. Rough concrete walls threw off dazzling sparks, lighting up a mysterious silver-white figure that then vanished into the darkness.
Bang!
Bang!
The gunshots followed closely, and the enemy's footsteps kept drawing nearer. The silver-haired girl slipped into twisting, narrow alleys, weaving nimbly between dense buildings as she evaded the pursuit of the "hounds".
At the end of the twentieth century, Britain's London had long since lost the glory of the empire where the sun never set.
The tide of new-era technology had destroyed its old traditions. Yet the heart of this empire still clung to a bit of dignity and honor, like a stubborn old man recounting past achievements day after day.
This turned London into a crowded city where new and old were mixed together. Skyscrapers and classical buildings, slums and unfinished structures, were stitched onto this aged heart with ugly threads, barely keeping it running.
And these complex routes, fiercely criticized by reformists, now became the girl's lifeline.
To prepare for situations like being hunted down, she had long memorized every alley and subway route. For ordinary people this might be impossible, but she possessed a brain far superior to that of "natural humans".
However, her enemies had also done extensive preparation.
They might not be outstanding magi, but as "hunters (hounds)" they were top-tier, well-versed in the laws of the hunt.
In a true encirclement hunt, the outcome is already decided before the first shot is fired!
The silver-haired girl soon noticed discrepancies between the routes and the memories in her mind. Confident she had made no mistakes, she quickly concluded that this was a pre-arranged magical trap.
An "avoidance barrier" and "cognitive magecraft". The former drove people away, making ordinary civilians unconsciously avoid the area. The latter was a maze-like illusion. It wasn't particularly advanced, but it was more than enough to hinder the girl's escape.
No matter how many escape routes she had planned in advance, in such a tense situation she had no time to tell which entrance was the correct one.
Sure enough, although the girl quickly realized she had fallen into a trap, before she could find a flaw in the magecraft, the enemies had already caught up.
In the end, she stopped on an empty subway platform. Although she could still flee into the tunnels, she would only be caught like a turtle in a jar.
She set down her suitcase. Though nervous, she still straightened her messy clothes, then calmly turned around.
"What is it you seek? Wealth? Beauty?"
"Ridiculous!"
No one appeared from the darkness. Only a voice, clearly processed in some special way, rang out.
"Even now, you still refuse to face reality? Descendant of alchemists~"
"..."
"What we seek is the origin of magecraft, the ultimate form of the magical path, the key to eternal life!"
"What a pity. If that's the case, then you've found the wrong person."
The silver-haired girl said calmly, "We did indeed once hold that precious legacy. But since the upheaval sixty years ago, information about the Holy Grail War spread throughout the entire mystic side."
"Over all these years, countless magi have rushed forward one after another in pursuit of great achievements, holding who knows how many Subspecies Holy Grail Wars…"
"And as the founders, how could we not be watched?"
"Over these sixty years, we have also tried several times to create another Greater Grail, but every attempt ended in miserable failure, draining our finances."
"Combined with the coveting and plundering of magi from all sides, we are now utterly alone, possessing nothing but our last shred of dignity."
"Even if you wish to obtain something from me, all there is is a homunculus body nearing the end of its usable lifespan, and a bit of cheap magical materials."
"..."
Silence, and then...
Bang!