Part 47: Update XLIII - Death Circus - VS Lancer
Update XLIII - Death Circus - VS Lancer
Kotomine drops in.
Music: Down to Dawn
And we go over our info.
My opponent this time...a creepy party clown, Lil' Ronnie. It's hard to believe she's a girl. Her Servant is insanely powerful, too— And that Servant wearing the black armor, what was it he relied on when he was alive—?
The divine protection of religion. Though her Servant spoke highly of his religion, he also mentioned how he was ultimately betrayed by it. If true, I can't imagine the anger he felt after being betrayed by something he had absolute faith in. I think my unease about it came more from his intensely ominous aura then anything else. But, every time I've expected something to go wrong, it has. When I fought with her Servant in the Arena, I recognized the terrifying truth behind his class and identity. His true identity is that of—
the vampire, Dracula. Right, his name became synonymous with vampirism and he became a figure of fear for succeeding generations. He's a monster that would defeat me soundly were he to use his full strength against me. Of course, the most useful bit of information came as a prize for winning Kotomine's enemy hunt. It was info on his battle technique. His ultimate technique was called-
They couldn't even be bothered to change the wrong answers here.
Kazikli Bey. It's name is "Kazikli Bey: Fortress of Impalement." A field of spears drenched in blood, a fitting attack for Vlad III, the Impaler Prince known as Dracula. 
But I have Rin on my side as well as my Servant, Caster. I can't be defeated. I won't be defeated. While he is a monster who willingly abandoned his humanity, I am a Master of one who stands for everything he is not. 
Character Background posted:
Considered a heroic figure in Romanian history, he was seen as a noble warrior who rebuilt and maintained the kingdom of Wallachia as well as the shield of Christendom against the threat of the Ottoman Empire.
The name Dracula was the most common appellate used when referring to Vlad III during his reign as King of Wallachia. Originally a duke appointed to his office under the auspices of the Eastern Roman Empire, he adopted many of the customs of that country's court, including signing all documents in the early Roman style. The name itself comes from his father's (Vlad II) enrollment into the Order of the Dragon, a monarchial chivalric order founded by Sigismund of Hungary, who later ascended to the throne of the Holy Roman Empire. His father took the surname Dracul and Vlad III appended the "a", signifying that he was "the son of Dracul."
The Order of the Dragon's primary purpose was to defend the Christian world from the increasing influence and might of the Islamic Ottoman Empire, a calling that Vlad III enthusiastically embraced. It is believed by some that he took the name Dracula not only in honor of his father, but as also as an announcement of his intentions of safeguarding all of Christendom against the Turks as the "Son of the Dragon."
In order to protect Wallachia from what he considered the ravaging Turkish hordes, he instituted a series of conscriptions and laws that almost destroyed the noble class and the stability of his realm, as well as resorted to measures considered to be beyond monstrous even by the somewhat barbaric standards of the time. His cruelty and savagery was such that at one point he had over 20,000 captured enemy soldiers impaled in an effort to intimidate his foes. In the end he was betrayed by the nobles he had turned his back on and was assassinated at the age of 46 years old.
Music: None
Stat-wise, I'll be using the same build as the main timeline: All magic, all the time.
Video: Week 4 Elimination Battle
Remember, the only way to leave the Coliseum is to win. If you are ready, I will open the gate.
Enter the Coliseum The way to the Coliseum is now open, young Master. I wish you the best of luck and hope that you will return. Remember: It's kill or be killed.
Music: Duel - Prelude to Confrontation
...hEy, whAt dO YOu think thE Best FooD in tHe woRld iS?
Food made from the finest ingredients.
evEn tHE cHoiCesT oF MEat wiLL Be MAdE inEDIble if IT's oVercOOkED. COOkinG is A sUBtle arT ANd ThE BESt INgrediENTS MeaN NOTHINg IF tHey arEn'T PrePARed wIth CarE.~
Food made by the one you love. Oh, SO yOU Do UnderSTANd. We MIGht gET AloNG, YoU anD i. buT If YouR inGREDients aRE lACKinG, nO MAttER HoW MUCh YoU LIKe thE PERson, ThEiR DiSh wiLL be FOUL.~
Why should I tell you?
~~
...Why are you dressed like that?This one skips a set of questions.
LiL' roNNIE Is THe OfFIcIaL masCOT FOr a fAMouS FAst FooD ChaIN. I EvEN haD 1T CuSToM MAde tO maTcH thE CHAin'S oFfCIAl coLOrs. iT's One oF a KinD. WheNEVeR i WAlK ARounD ToWN, KIds arE aLWayS ruNNinG up TO ME. LiL' roNNiE iS SO PoPuLaR.Oh god she is McDonalds!
~
You like to cook?
i LiKE eatING thINgs thAt I LoVE eveN mORe.
oh no
tHE MORe You LiKE it, ThE mORE DeliCIOUs it beCOMes.
oh no
IT bROke a WIng aND coulD no LONgeR fLy, sO LiL' RONNie Ate hER UP! IT WAs so DELICiouS! NOTHing ELse I HAVe EVEr EatEN SIncE hAs EveN ConE CLOse in SaVOR.
You ate...your pet?
AnD anYWAY, HuMANS haVe alwaYS TakeN the LIVes of OTHeR THIngS iN ORDeR To EaT Them. ANd LiL' ROnNiE diD SaY "THanK YOu" To MISS PEggY wHEn SHe atE HeR, BEcAuse ShE LIKed heR.~
You're into some twisted things.
iF IT'S nOt PoIsOnOuS, YoU CAN EaT It. AnD reMEMber THaT EVEry MeAL is PrECIous...mY PRECIous... ANd NEvER TreAT AnyTHINg yOU wANt to EAt iN aN unSeeMLY OR CRUde maNNer. sO Do NOt WOrrY abOUt a ThiNg. I WiLL TreAT yoU WitH loVIng tenDERneSS anD CarE.
~~
WhEnEvER I sEE FooD in FRonT OF ME whEN I'm HUNGry, iT MAKeS mE WAnT soMEthIng REallY YUMMy.
aLL THE peOPLe I LoveD. i'M SO HAppY thERE arE SO MAnY gOOd THIngs To eaT.
mY tiNY, soFT, cutE, PREciouS liTTLE babY.aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
I'Ve Run OUt OF gOOd thINGS to EaT. I geT saD wHEn I'M HunGRY. A WorlD witHOUt FooD iS a BORinG plACe tO Be.
tHAt waY, i'LL ALWayS haVE enOUGh to eaT. THeN iT wiLL tRULy BE a WonDERfuL World.
Asking about her outfit leads here.
I appreciate...unique...people.
~
Stay away from me, you twisted freak! liKiNG SomeTHIng iS tHE oPPoSiTE oF nOT liKiNG it. *sNiCKeR*~
I doubt we'll ever be friends. hMmN... hOW bORinG...~~
Don'T WoRRy. LiL' RonNiE tHINkS ShE' ll COME TO REALLY LiKE YOU a lot.K-Kishinami charm strikes again...?
I am incredibly thankful for that elevator divider right now.
I WoNDEr wHat YoU'LL TAsTE LikE. I WaNT to TAkE a BiG biTE. iF I beAT YOU, I WONdER iF I'LL bE AlloWED TO HaVE a TASTe OF YOU? aFTEr aLL, EvERYonE I'VE BEaten So FAr hAS diSAPPearED. It'D bE A WAstE iF YOu DiD, ToO.
The only one allowed to touch or taste my dear Master is me! Not even a single drop of blood will I share!
...Ah, of course I won't touch or taste you Master... At least, not without your permission.
Just the thought of skewering the heart of this noble foe and bathing in their blood makes my soul sing!
A haMBUrgER STeaK wouLD bE NicE. Or MAYbe sTEW? WhICh SHouLD I HavE...? Solid black pupils stare steadily at me from the two holes in her mask. I cannot succumb to fear now. The curtain for the fourth round has gone up— Music: Duel - Kill Or Be Killed
uH-HUh, LiL' roNNie'S SToMAch iS sO EmPTy. aNd tHeY LOOk tHE yUMmiEsT EvEr. aNd sO, i'M sAD.
Your cravings are more refined than those of a beast who eats to live; your love firmer than dalliance.
—what it is like to go mad from love. It is beautiful.
Silence! We starve as one. Rejoice, my wife. These two are worthy of being loved! yEs. tHEy LOok tASty!Compared to Arc in Rani's route, Vlad is a much, much easier fight.
But he still manages to get one kill on me.
He'll always open with his Guard buff followed by a seal_break(); from Ronnie.
In a small bit of mercy, he'll rarely use Guard on the same turn he buffs up, so you don't have to worry about getting blindsided.
If the Seal misses, then Vlad focusing on Guards will let me leech back a ton of MP.
It doesn't.
MusTArd? kETchUp? MArmAlADe?And by 'focusing on Guard,' I mean that there's a good chance he'll only use Guard on the next round. If the Seal doesn't land, you can throw out 6 Breaks and break him in half. If it did, you just have to spam Guard and waste time staring at each other.
But since I can't use normal attacks this round, I decide to finally try out Bestial Sky.
The damage is good, but I'd still prefer to use that MP on a second Curse to brute force more actions.
Beyond that, the fight is just standard Extra combat. Vlad will only use offensive skills on his fourth action, so there's no risk of wasting Aphotic Cave on a buff.
Turns out that the regen on the Seraphic Music Box outpaces Ronnie's poison by a lot.
Vlad will almost always reapply Rebellious Intent as soon as it falls off, and Ronnie's follow-up makes it easy to see even if you don't get the skill revealed.
But he won't always go all Guards next turn.
A few more hits push him below 10K HP. In total, Vlad has around 17K HP, a touch less than Arc. Combined with him lacking a regen skill, and Vlad dies much faster than her, on top of dealing much less damage.
On top of that, his Noble Phantasm condition is going below 50%, so he can't even surprise you with it early in the fight.
EveRYOnE's tHe sAme AFTeR aLL, iT's AlL BLACK inSiDe mY sTomACh.He still breaks the Level E Matrix rule, however. His NP will only show up if you'd reveal it naturally.
Kazikli Bey ignores Guard, but much like Nursery Rhyme's anti-Guard skill from last week, it can't do anything against a Skill like Aphotic Cave.
Sacrifice is an exclusive status ailment that acts like super Poison.
Really super poison.
I mEaN, I'Ve neVeR SEEn a gOD bEfORe.
Damn, it missed. I was curious if Vlad's 300 damage Sacrifice could be overwritten by Ronnie's 30 damage poison.
The fight goes smoothly after that.
And a few turns later...
The Impaler Prince falls.
Music: Stops
The body of the black-clothed Servant lurches up dramatically. A blood-red teardrop trickles from a dulled eye. 
He manages to drag himself back up.
Only to fall again.
And the barrier goes up.
Music: Game Over
To be turned by foul blood is a fate I wish on no one, though I deserve it for skewering my countrymen.
Slumped over and leaking blood, the loony Servant still manages a crooked smile. 
tHEn i GOTTa cHoMp, cHoMp YOu uP. IT's rEAlly SAd, bUT I gOTTa eAt yOu.
...*Cackle* You wished to devour the opponents you defeated, but were not allowed to take a single bite of any. Even a life without sanity, so long as it is human, can be redeemed. That is the beauty of being human. Like all human souls, yours can still be saved. Purgatory will be your new home; mine is hell.
Farewell, Vlad Tepes III.
The macabre party clown looks at his swirling ashes blankly before her eyes pop open and she stares at me.
I can't tell if her crazed gaze is predatory or loving— The two things must be grotesquely intertwined in this clown's mind. I don't know the true intentions she conceals with that mask. 
She moves over to where Vlad was.
The clown falls to her hands and knees in the puddle left by her departed Servant. Squirming, but not in pain so much as like a spoiled child. 
liL' rONNiE, sHe'S GonNA diE, tOo.
LiL' RoNNie wOULda MADe THe tAStiEsT tASty MEAl frOm yOU. LiL' rONniE wOULd hAVe LOVeD YOu mOSTEST. aaAwWhh... I'M hUNGry.
Good riddence, Lil' Ronnie.
Seraphic Monstrosity (A) posted:
Dracula. Once the name of a proud family worthy of honor and respect, it is now a name given to a monster whose past has been grossly distorted as a result of his actions in his mortal life. The influence of perception has transformed both his abilities and appearance. Also, this skill cannot be altered or removed.
Dracula posted:
Known as one of the greatest monsters of modern history, the inevitable distortions and exaggerations of scholars throughout the centuries cannot wholly cover the well-documented horrors and atrocities conmitted by his direct commands. Although he is seen as a hero and savior by some, the lengths he went to preserve the independence of Wallachia and to repel the Turks will forever paint him as an incarnation of satanic evil on Earth.
1462 AD
This was the year in which he first used impaling not only as punishment, but also as a form of psychological warfare in order to slow down the advances of the Turkish invasion into the western kingdoms. With a force of just 10,000 troops, Vlad III made extensive use of what are now known as guerilla and scorched-earth tactics to harass and weaken the enemy forces, which at one points consisted of over 150,000 soldiers. At one point, he drove his forces into the Carpathian Mountains after annihilating the Turkish forces surrounding the city of Bucharest.
The scene that the main Turkish force encountered when they finally arrived to help the city was one of nightmares. Surrounding the entire city was a vast forest comprised entirely of impaled soldiers, some 20,000 in total. It is said that the lines of impaled Turks stretched for kilometers in every direction. The sight of their comrades' bodies impaled on stakes in combination with the overpowering stench of decay broke the morale and spirit of the Turkish army. Even Mehmed II, son of the Turkish sultan and known as the Conqueror, was shaken and ordered his forces to withdraw, saying the following:
"I fear no man alive, but even I cannot hope to fight the devil."
In the end, Vlad III rationalized his brutality and his lack of remorse gave him a battle vision far superior to those he faced. However, his actions made him a pariah amongst even his supporters and his life came to a tragic end due to betrayal.
On an unrelated note, many military historians theorize that Vlad's actions against the Turks are the first time that guerilla warfare tactics made their appearance and that they were the reason for his many successes against a demonstratively superior force. If one is to have so much success defending something only to be repaid with treason and assassination, isn't it reasonable to assume that one would go insane from rage and disappointment?
Next time: Tell him I can't see him!