Darnic Prestone Yggdmillenia

"We of the Yggdmillennia will acquire all the mysteries and miracles of this world!"

- Darnic Prestone Yggdmillenia

Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia is a major antagonist in the overall Fate/Apocrypha novels and anime, serving as the main villain in the first half of the series, until he was killed by the story's true main antagonist.

He wants the Grail to open a path to the Root in order to secure the Yggdmillenia clan's prosperity, stemming from a prophecy that foretold their decline. To do this, he participated in the Fuyuki Holy Grail War, sided with the Nazis, killed all his comrades, began eating souls to prolong his own life, and eventually betrayed and possessed his own Servant, all for making sure the prophecy wouldn't come true.

Being the leader of the Yggdmillennia Clan and the Black Faction at the time, Darnic is the Master of Lancer of Black in the Great Holy Grail War. He was also the Master of Lancer in the Third Holy Grail War and the one who plundered the Holy Grail during the conflict of the Fate/Apocrypha world.

Darnic later made an appearance in Fate/Grand Order as the main antagonist of the Inheritance of Glory event, which happened after the main events of Fate/Apocrypha.

He is voiced by Nobuyuki Hiyama in Japanese version and by Ben Diskin in English version.

Background
Darnic is the elder of Yggdmillennia who has lived for over a century. Eighty years ago, he had been decorated with a brilliant debut as an up-and-coming young magus, and had suddenly obtained a marriage proposal to a clan of long lineage that stood amongst the aristocratic Lords of the Clock Tower. The Yggdmillennia blood was polluted and impure, and couldn’t maintain itself past the fifth generation. The clan he was about to marry into didn't like risks, and so to them, he immediately became an outsider that had to be excluded. Even his future brother-in-law, who had slapped his back with a smile and sworn friendship with him, and the woman who was to be his spouse, who had shyly whispered her love to him, had both turned away from him. However, at that very instant, Yggdmillennia was cut off from their dream of rising to the ranks of the Lords. Even if they overcame ruin past the fifth generation, the label that had been once slapped on them would never come off.

Having joined the Mage's Association like the rest of the clan, he gradually climbed up the political ladder within the Association as a wish that would never be granted. He attained the highest rank of Grand and became known as the Eight-Forked Tongue, he was a second-class instructor in elemental conversion in the Association of whose students displayed unfavorable opinions.

Joining Nazi Germany
Sixty years ago, during World War II, Darnic searched for a path to reach the Root and he coincidently learned about the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City. He had the unexpected fortune of finding a path that lead to the Greater Grail from a hole he had happened to fall into. Darnic knew the Nazi Germany were interested in the occult and then enticed the German Nazis with skillful words, getting them to send in, under the direct orders of Hitler, a huge military force that one wouldn’t expect to be sent to an allied country like Japan, and obtained the power of their army.

Third Holy Grail War
During his participation in Nazi Germany, Darnic participated in Fuyuki's Third Holy Grail War as a master, aiding the Nazis to supposedly help them further their own goals. It was fortunate for him that the situation had turned extremely chaotic due to the Einzberns, who had committed an act of foul play that broke the war's rules. Darnic's servant Lancer, true name Fionn, fought to the death against the Einzern's servant Ruler, true name Shirou Kotomine.

The Third Holy Grail War concluded with no definite victor, and the exhausted Einzbern, Tohsaka and Makiri families had possessed no means by then to stop Darnic and the Nazi Germany. Darnic found the location of the Greater Grail, and with the power of the Nazi army behind him, plundered it. However, Darnic betrayed the Nazis as it was about to be transported to Germany. He intentionally arranged for the transport carrying the Greater Grail to pass through Trifas on the way to Germany, and then killed all the magi and soldiers whom he had fought alongside with, leading details about the Grail disappeared without a trace.

After the Third Holy Grail War
Following that were days of research and politics. Outwardly towards the Association, he feigned to have the Yggdmillennia clan content itself with the duty of being a receptacle for drop-out magi. He altered the Greater Grail little by little to adapt it to Trifas. His achievement in making it possible to summon not only pure Heroics Spirits, but also ‘those who only have the aspect of a Heroic Spirit’ could be called an unexpected by-product of the alteration process. He worked hard over time to prepare the Greater Grail for his clan's own use, putting all events in order while discreetly avoiding any suspicion. He did let out information regarding the basis of the ritual to spread. which caused imitation rituals to spread throughout the world. He regarded that as his only misstep, and he managed to avoid detection for seventy years.

His true strength did not lie in education, but rather his political skills. Known as a first rate swindler, he worked hard to keep his clan from falling into trouble. Although deceit is common within the Association, he was known for utilizing his extraordinary political skills to manipulate and cheat both those who trusted him and even those who did not, betraying and double-crossing all who stood in his path. Three months before the Holy Grail War, he revealed his plans, seceding from the Association to form their own group based around their family.

While leading them, he summoned Lancer of Black two months ago due to his unparallelled strength within Romania, pledging loyalty to his Servant rather than commanding him. They intercepted a force from the Association, but one managed to start the reserve system on the Greater Grail, allowing for a team of Servants to oppose them. He did not worry much, as, while it had been unforeseen, he was prepared for such an eventuality when facing the Association. Out of all those within the clan, he acknowledges Fiore Forvedge Yggdmillennia, believing in her potential to be the future elder.

In Fate/Grand Order
In Fate/Grand Order, Darnic is the main villain of the "Inheritance of Glory" event. Because of his fusion with Vlad III, upon death his soul was brought into the Grail alongside Vlad's but unable to be converted into energy because he was not a Servant. Several years after the events of Apocrypha the remnant of Darnic begins trying to usurp control of the Greater Grail from its new administrator, Sieg.

After his reveal as the mastermind, Darnic eventually fused himself with the Great Holy Grail, but is defeated by Ritsuka with the help of Sieg and nearly every Heroic Spirits (bar Vlad III) from both the Red and Black Factions all together. After his defeat, Darnic is mortally wounded by Vlad III, who is freed from Darnic's control. Darnic accepts his demise by Vlad's spear after the vampire lord tells him that his dreams were admirable but ultimately something to let go of, with Darnic deciding to let go of his dream and finally rest.