"What is it you wish to say?"
Since the opposing side had requested an audience, Nero naturally did not back down. She stepped to the very front of the army, followed closely by Daniel, Ritsuka, and Mash.
While, theoretically speaking, given the personalities of Zhuge Kongming and the Young Emperor, they would never ambush Nero, it was still better to be cautious. After all, they were currently under the control of the enemy.
"Emperor Nero, I'm curious. Why do you refuse to surrender? Nearly all of the emperors in the United Roman faction are your predecessors. If you were willing, you could easily become one of the United Roman emperors. This war wouldn't even be necessary." The speaker was the Young Emperor—Alexander III.
"That's what you wanted to say? In Rome, there can only be one emperor, and that is I—Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus. No one else, not even the founder himself, may claim the throne while I still draw breath."
Nero's expression was proud and resolute.
As the current emperor of Rome, she would never acknowledge any others as emperor in her presence—not even the very first emperor, or even her own father, the fourth emperor. She deliberately recited her full imperial name to assert her determination.
Her father had also been summoned as part of the United Roman faction, but Nero had paid him no heed—hadn't even met him. He had been assassinated by Jing Ke. Even though she initially believed him to be an impostor, Nero's stance wouldn't have changed even if he were genuine.
"I see..."
The Young Emperor fell silent. He had not yet become the famed Conqueror King of later legends, so this kind of questioning made sense for him.
"Looks like you're out of things to say. Then let's begin!"
As Nero spoke, the scarlet blade in her hand—Original Flame—unleashed a torrent of scorching fire, hurling it toward Zhuge Kongming and Alexander III.
As the Emperor of Rome, endowed with the Imperial Privilege, Nero's strength—even as a non-Servant—was comparable to that of Heroic Spirits. In fact, she could outmatch many of them.
Whether a Heroic Spirit was stronger before or after death had always been debated in Daniel's former world. But the answer wasn't fixed. It depended greatly on the age the Heroic Spirit had lived in. Someone from the Age of Gods would differ significantly from someone post-Age of Divinity.
While Heroic Spirits gained boosts from legends and concepts, they were also bound by Class restrictions. For instance, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, skilled in both spear and sword, could only use the spear in his Lancer form.
"Careful!"
As Nero attacked, Zhuge Kongming immediately cast a magic barrier in front of them. At the same time, the Young Emperor grabbed his arm and swiftly pulled him back.
Though Zhuge Kongming's magic prowess was formidable, he had descended using the vessel of El-Melloi II, inheriting not only his strength but also his physical weakness.
"Step forward, thou who reachest the farthest. The trample of conquest begins—Wipe all away, the Lightning-Roaring King!"
Once he had secured Zhuge Kongming's safety, Alexander activated his Noble Phantasm. Amid blinding lightning, his faithful black steed, Bucephalus, manifested. Mounting it, Alexander charged forward, blade in hand, thunder crackling in his wake.
The fiery torrent unleashed by Nero was swiftly extinguished by the sweeping storm of lightning.
"That place which can heal all wounds, all hatred—our distant ideal homeland. Appear now, Citadel of the Distant Utopia."
Mash leapt in front of Nero, planting her shield into the ground. Enormous magical walls rose on either side of her. Lightning smashed against them, exploding with blinding flashes, drawing everyone's attention.
Clang!
While Nero watched the lightning storm crash into Mash's barrier, Daniel suddenly appeared beside her. In his hand was a red spear, blocking an unexpected strike aimed directly at the emperor.
"So we meet again. If Elizabeth found out she was here, she'd definitely leave the Invisible Isle to chase her down."
Daniel looked coldly at the figure before him: Assassin-class Servant, Carmilla. During the Hundred Years' War singularity, she and Elizabeth had once fought a brutal battle—self versus self.
"An Assassin, huh? Looks like the one behind this is getting desperate."
Until now, the United Roman faction had never used assassinations against Nero. On the contrary, Nero's side had successfully used Jing Ke to eliminate several enemy Servants. Clearly, the enemy was now trying to imitate them.
"Trying to flee after a failed assassination? Sorry, but you won't get away."
Before Carmilla could activate her Noble Phantasm, Daniel's spear shot forward and pierced her chest, instantly ending the threat.
"Guardian of Thermopylae!"
With the battle escalating, the undead soldiers around them began their assault. Leonidas immediately activated his Noble Phantasm, summoning his three hundred Spartans to clash with the horde.
Though the undead did not suffer from morale issues, their individual strength was far below that of the Spartans. One by one, skeletal warriors fell at the Spartans' feet.
"Darius III, huh? Gáe Bolg: Gouging Piercing Spear of Death Flight!"
Watching the undead surround the Spartans and engage with Nero's troops, Daniel unleashed his Noble Phantasm, hurling red spears like meteors from the sky upon Darius III's position.
A chorus of explosions followed—and Darius was no more. Without his command, his summoned undead warriors collapsed into bones and dust.
Against Gáe Bolg (Anti-Army), anyone lacking strong defensive Noble Phantasms would be reduced to target practice. If Darius had held a different class, perhaps he could've dodged—but as a Berserker, bereft of reason, he had no chance.
"Darius III... Funny, I'm reminded of that one world where a certain Darius kept reincarnating through his descendants. No third or fourth—just the same guy."
Seeing Carmilla and Darius defeated, Daniel turned to the ongoing battle between Nero, Ritsuka, Mash, and their two foes.
Ritsuka and Mash had joined forces to confront Zhuge Kongming, while Nero faced off alone against the Young Emperor—and was steadily pushing him back. Were it not for Kongming's potent magical buffs, the Young Emperor would've already fallen.
However, Kongming himself was struggling. No matter how powerful his spells, Mash's shield blocked them all.
"Why isn't he using the Stone Sentinel Maze? Can't... or won't?"
Daniel's eyes drifted toward the massive formation of eight stone pillars in the distance. That was the true Stone Sentinel Maze—a reality-defying trap. Even Heroic Spirits like Artoria would struggle to escape quickly.
"A shame El-Melloi II and Alexander III are currently off investigating the Spirit Tomb: Albion. If I could've brought them together for a reunion, that would've been quite the sight."
Waver (El-Melloi II) was currently at Albion with Alexander III, Gray, and Hephaestion, locked in a mental chess match. Meanwhile, back at the Clock Tower, a Grand Positioning Conference was underway.
The El-Melloi faction hadn't had much political clout in the past. But now—with Alexander III summoned and Gray's power increased from her connection to Artoria—the family's influence had grown.
Previously, both the aristocratic and democratic factions had pressured El-Melloi II to pick a side. Now, the pressure had lessened, and both sides were even subtly encouraging neutrality—not to join the neutral faction, but to remain unaffiliated in their struggle.
"It's done."
While Daniel pondered these things, Ritsuka and Mash defeated Zhuge Kongming. They then joined Nero to help her finish off the Young Emperor, who was also soon sent back to the Throne.
Daniel had not intervened—nor did he need to. There was no need to use his authority to steal their contracts. The team was strong enough to win on their own.
With Kongming gone, the Stone Sentinel Maze collapsed. Artoria, Medea, and the others finally broke free and returned to the battlefield.
"Forgive me. This was my failure in command," Nero said with sincerity upon their return.
"No need to apologize. No one could've predicted they'd use such a method," Artoria replied calmly. She had once fallen into enemy traps herself.
"You've all fought hard. Get some rest. Tomorrow… it all ends."
—
"Their craftsmanship is impressive..."
The next day, the group arrived at the United Roman headquarters—only to find a city almost identical to the capital, Rome. Though slightly smaller in size, its structure mirrored the real thing—including the imperial palace in the distance.
"Gáe Bolg: Gouging Piercing Spear of Death Flight!"
"Guardian of Thermopylae!"
Daniel, Cú Chulainn, and Leonidas unleashed their Noble Phantasms together. The gate fell quickly, and after heavy casualties, the enemy forces broke ranks and fled.
"The Founder?! How can this be?"
Upon entering the palace, they came face-to-face with the original emperor of Rome—Romulus himself. Despite all her earlier bravado, Nero was visibly shaken.
"Don't forget why we're here, Emperor. And remember—this is your Rome."
Daniel's quiet reminder brought Nero back to her senses.
Though Romulus had been granted a Holy Grail, he had no desire to destroy humanity—unlike the twisted Gilles de Rais in the previous Singularity. Though contract-bound, Romulus resisted the will of the mastermind behind the scenes.
"Forgive me, Founder. But Rome has only one emperor now—me."
Romulus smiled proudly.
"Good, my child. That is the will of Rome. Then come—defeat me! All shall be pierced by my spear. My spear, which reaches all things!"
With a single motion, Romulus activated his Noble Phantasm. Trees erupted from the ground, transforming the palace plaza into a vast forest. Leonidas and his Spartans were instantly ensnared.
"A Wood Release jutsu?"
Daniel couldn't help but mutter in amusement at the resemblance.
"Leonidas… is gone," Ritsuka whispered, sensing the disappearance of her contracted Servant.
"That fast? Looks like this guy really is dangerous."
Though Romulus was a mere three-star Lancer in the game, in reality he was a demigod—the son of a god and a human. His strength was far from ordinary.
"Saber."
Rin prepared to have Artoria unleash her Noble Phantasm. Though many Servants were present, only Excalibur could effectively counter this kind of battlefield-wide transformation.
"I've got this."
Daniel stopped her. Since he was here, he might as well finish the job.
"Heaven's Wrath: Final Judgment!"
An ocean of holy flame descended from the sky, incinerating the entire forest—and much of the palace with it.
In the Moon World, weapons like Houkai's Keys of Destruction were among the most powerful tools—some rivaling even Gilgamesh's Ea.
Just like the Heaven's Wrath that once wiped out an entire continent in the previous civilization, Romulus's forest manipulation had stemmed not from himself—but from his Divine Construct, akin to the Black Void and White Bloom.
"Rome is yours now, my child."
Satisfied, Romulus faded into golden particles.
"Damn it... You damn fools!"
In the rear of the United Roman palace, a certain magus screamed in frustration the moment he sensed Romulus's death.
This Singularity had been far more troublesome than the last. That was because Romulus—unlike Gilles de Rais—had no desire to destroy humanity. He'd resisted the commands tied to the Holy Grail, much like Black Saber in Singularity F.
Encountering two such Servants back-to-back? No wonder the mastermind was losing it.
"Lev. So it was you after all."
Having cleared their way past countless monsters, the group entered the rear courtyard—where they found the United Roman court mage.
It was none other than Professor Lev Lainur Flauros.
______
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