344 Evil of Humanity

The explosion lasted for a full ten minutes until everything gradually fell silent.

The vast land covered in thick smoke was now littered with countless cracks like spiderwebs and giant craters as if giant meteorites had fallen.

All of this was created by the aftermath of the collision between Vasavi Shakti and Might of An-Utu.

In the hazy smoke, Karna held Vasavi Shakti, while Arkhan held Might of An-Utu. They stood facing each other tens of meters apart, calmly locking eyes as if nothing had happened.

Could it be a draw?

Just as that thought flashed through everyone's minds, a crisp 'crack' suddenly sounded in their ears.

They turned in astonishment to see Vasavi Shakti in Karna's hand shattering bit by bit, the scattered debris turning into light particles before dissipating into nothingness.

Accompanying the dissipation of the light particles was Karna himself.

"Looks like I've lost, huh..." Karna sighed softly as he watched his body slowly dissipate. "I went all out, without anyone's interference, and still, I lost..."

"You're a true hero..." Arkhan said in earnest. "Both your will and your efforts deserve respect from everyone."

"No need to console me, I'm actually quite happy now, haha..." Karna chuckled lightly, which was rare. "I only descended here to fulfill my Master's wish, but I didn't expect to find such fulfillment... I have no regrets anymore..."

Having encountered various misfortunes in life, and ultimately being manipulated by his enemies to the point where he couldn't even unleash his true power before being killed, Karna felt some lingering regret.

However, this time, he finally found satisfaction.

He had given his all and fought fair and square one-on-one. Even if the outcome was defeat, it didn't matter. After all, he wasn't the kind of person who placed special importance on victory or defeat.

The only regret was that this time he couldn't offer victory to his Master who hadn't even had the chance to meet him.

'Sorry, Master...' Karna gently closed his eyes, completely dissolving into light particles.

Lancer of Red, Karna, exited the stage.

"It's over..." Shirou muttered softly, his eyes flickering with a hint of complexity.

Now, their side had lost two powerful Servants, Rider Ozymandias and Lancer Karna, leaving only Assassin Semiramis and Archer Kama as the remaining Servants.

Although the Black Faction also had a few Servants left, their Lancer, Rider, and Archer were powerful Servants.

With Saber of Red, who clearly leaned toward the Black Faction's side, the power difference between the two factions showed that the Black Faction had thoroughly overwhelmed the Red Faction.

'O Lord, is this your final judgment on me...' Shirou looked up at the dazzling night sky, silently lamenting in his heart.

"It's almost time..." Kiara chuckled lightly.

"Almost time? What time?" Shirou looked at the mysterious nun with confusion before suddenly hearing a muffled cough.

*Cough!*

Crimson blood slipped from Vlad's mouth as he staggered forward, his eyes filled with obvious disbelief.

He lowered his head slightly and saw a slender arm made of azure crystal piercing through his chest, clutching his heart in its palm.

'How is this possible... What exactly... happened...and... when...?' Vlad thought with disbelief.

"Finally, I've been waiting for this moment..."

A relaxed and cheerful tone echoed in his ears, but there was something indescribable, giving the feeling of two completely different voices overlapping.

"Anyway, to celebrate this rare occasion, let's start with some dessert before ordering."

A deep blue flame ignited, and Vlad's heart was instantly incinerated into ashes.

"My King!"

Darnic, who had just escaped from Jack's illusion, witnessed the scene, his pupils shrinking to the size of needles.

"It's not... THAT SIMPLE!"

Vlad gritted his teeth tightly, his expression ferocious, and his eyes filled with madness. He viciously plunged his spear into the ground, causing twenty thousand iron stakes to erupt, covering both him and Kama.

"Let's die together, you vile wretch!"

*BOOM!*

The earth trembled violently as the cold sharp iron stakes easily pierced Vlad's body, yet the presence behind him showed no signs of weakening. Instead, it expanded as if breaking some kind of restraint, quickly surpassing the limits that a normal Saint Graph could bear.

"Die together? It's a good idea, but unfortunately, you lack the power to do so..."

Kama withdrew her arm, watching as Vlad slowly dissipated into light particles, a cold smile playing on her lips.

Bizarre and twisted horns slowly spread out from the sides of her head, followed by black tentacles twisting freely. Her azure crystal hands and legs, accompanied by flames, quickly turned into a reddish-orange hue, exuding a sense of corruption and ominousness.

Unspeakable fear rose from the depths of everyone's hearts as they watched Archer of Red undergo a drastic transformation. They all inexplicably felt like facing a natural enemy, unable to muster even a hint of resistance.

"What the heck is going on?!" Kairi exclaimed, sweating profusely and struggling against the overwhelming pressure. "Why did Archer of Red suddenly turn into that... Hey, Saber, say something!"

He turned around, only to be shocked to find the usual fearless and rebellious knight, trembling slightly as she gripped her sword.

"How... is this possible, that thing... how could it appear here..."

Hearing Mordred's words, Kairi's sense of unease grew stronger, and began to ask in a hurry.

"What's so special about Archer of Red's current appearance?!"

"No... she's no longer Archer, Master..." Mordred's voice was hoarse. "She is the evil of humanity, the ultimate calamity... a Beast..."

Hearing that, everyone was slightly stunned, a chill running down their spines.

As participants in the Holy Grail War, they naturally understood that the summoning system of the Holy Grail War originated from the ritual of the world used to save humanity, known as 'Ritual: Heroic Spirit Summon'.

The purpose of this summoning system was to summon seven Grand Servants, which were humanity's seven strongest Heroic Spirits, to come and face a great threat endangering all of humanity and the world.

Another way of referring to this great threat was 'Evil of Humanity' but it was commonly known as 'Beast'.