Chat POV, Camera 1
A rumbling bellow forced every combatant to stop fighting and turn to the origin of the noise.
Both sides stared at the giant, horned beast in horror as it charged towards them. The bloodthirst coming off it thickened the air so much that it was suffocating.
Fortunately for the Romans, the beast was not here for them.
The monster leaped over the Roman soldiers like a horse would jump a fence. Wet cracks, squelches and muffled screams filled the still silence as the beast landed on the enemy iceni troops with a bellyflop.
The ground shook, causing many soldiers to stumble.
The monster then got back up, its red eyes glowing menacingly in the fading twilight of the battlefield. Then its jagged mouth opened wide enough to swallow an entire man and the poor bastards who were too close to the monster could smell the rancid smell of rotting fish and death.
"RAAAAAA"
The odor ignited, and a wave of fire blanketed the area, engulfing dozens of troops in bone scorching heat.
Men and women screamed as the flames consumed them, while those who had witnessed their allies burn jolted back to reality and turned their attention to the dragon.
SLASH.
Only for them to get rendered to slabs of meat when the beast's claw raked through their bodies.
The troops tried to retaliate, but their weapons proved ineffective against a dragon.
[Man… Tarasque is really going ham on those soldiers. ]
[I know. I almost forgot how much of a terror dragons can be in open warfare.]
[MsRoxanne: That's why the blackthorns were so feared during the Indigo Unification war. Dragons are durable and versatile enough that they could take on many enemy soldiers at once and had a wide variety of moves that few opponents could have contended with. ]
[JAlter: Fafnir would have already finished off this army if he was here. ]
[Dragon's-Iris: Yeah… we know, but Fafnir isn't here so no need to bring up 'what ifs' Jalter. (◔_◔) ]
The Roman army, meanwhile, just stood there dumbfounded as they witnessed a monster, no, a dragon, attack their enemies.
However, the beast alone was not the only stroke of luck the Romans experienced, as several people had disembarked from its shell earlier and were fighting off the shadow of the dead emperor Caligula.
"Woah! Who are these guys?! Reinforcements?!" Charlemagne said with surprise as he saw three women mercilessly gang up on the mad emperor.
"Oh my god, it's puppy!! We're saved!!" Elizabeth's sudden excitement and recognition, alongside her word choice, was enough to make the Roman soldiers realize that these new arrivals were reinforcements. Their spirits rose and they began to retaliate against the barbarians with increased fervor and hope.
Boudica, meanwhile, stared at the new arrivals, particularly at Mash, with a thousand-yard stare. Her stare widened further when she heard Caligula let out a cry of agony as he was engulfed in a ball of fire that was hot and bright enough to rival the sun.
The light faded, and the end result was a defeated Caligula falling facedown on the dirt, smoke and motes of light wafting from his corpse.
Boudica clutched her head, as if trying to catch a memory before it could slip away from her.
"It's them…. I remember… the ones from Fuyuki…"
She didn't have much time to ponder the memory, as Elizabeth noted her state and immediately tried to capitalize with a thrust.
Boudica barely managed to dodge and hissed when the spear grazed the side of her midriff and jumped away to gain some distance. She scowled at Elizabeth, who was smugly grinning at her.
"Careful now, getting distracted during a performance can lead to accidents."
[And once again, Boudica gets struck in her weakspot, her midsection. ]
[Yep. even though she's looking more decent now than when we met her, clothes alone are not a substitute for good armor. ]
Boudica wasn't the only one who was distracted by the sudden arrival of the beast and its passengers. Altera was staring at the defeated form of Caligula as he was slowly disappearing from reality and returning to the throne of heroes.
Altera was shocked at the sudden turn of events, but her more pressing emotion was concern.
Three enemy servants and a dragon just appeared out of nowhere and killed one of their stronger allies before he could complete the mission of killing Nero.
While they still held a numerical advantage in terms of mundane soldiers, that mattered little against servants. Only she and her mother, Boudica, remained as battle-ready servants after Caligula's death.
While Caligula had indisposed one servant, the battle was still a two-man party against five.
She already had her hands full with Charlemagne, so she will be overwhelmed when those servants come to aid him.
Her eyes focused on Tamamo Cat, who was licking her paws as if she were an actual cat grooming herself.
She clenched her hands on her sword and pursed her lips.
Altera realized that if they had any chance of winning, she had to take out Nero herself. This meant that Altera would have to take a gamble and use her other noble phantasm.
Magical energy surged around her, the sudden spike of energy drawing everyone's attention like moths to a flame.
Altera pointed her sword to the sky, and the hand guards opened like flower pedals as the tricolored sword began to spin.
"Sword of Mars!!!" A beam of light shot out from the sword and pierced a magical circle that hovered high in the sky.
The circle ruptured and disappeared, leaving only the bright pillar of light that illuminated the entire area.
[The little girl is using a sword beam!! Σ(°ロ°) ]
[Oh Arceus, I'm getting flashbacks to Fuyuki again. ]
[@ Sumanai!! Stop her!!! ]
If she were using her noble phantasm normally, she would have been overwhelmed, however, this time she was doing something different.
Altera's small body gently rose into the sky, much to the spectators' surprise.
When she reached her peak altitude, she stopped, and her sword beam shrank into a much smaller size.
The same energy emitting from her sword erupted from her back and took the shape of butterfly wings.
[SHE CAN FLY!!?]
[What is happening?!! Did Altera just metamorphize?!! And why is it so adorable!!? (°〇°) ]
[Kream: That's… new. I don't remember Altera ever doing this before. ]
[If Kream doesn't know, we are all shit out of luck. ]
[Best_Kohai-BB(MOD): Don't pay the dishwasher any mind folks. She barely had a relationship with Altera and only married her for convenience. Me on the other hand? I have a much better relationship with Altera, so I know her better than @ Kream ever did or will.
Simply put. This noble phantasm is called Fairy Snow, Photon Ray and is unique to this version of Altera. It's an attack that creates a burst of rainbow-colored energy to blow away enemies like "powdered snow in the night."
It's a very deadly, but also very dazzling attack. ]
[Did you copy that from some online encyclopedia? Because parts of that message sounds like you just copied it straight from the internet. ]
[Best_Kohai-BB(MOD): Oh you simple minded internet sheep. Just shut up and watch, little Altera is going to demonstrate. ]
"Star of tears, light from the sky!"
Altera lowered her head and swiped her now glowing sword diagonally, which caused the sword and her wings to glow in a rainbow hue for a split second.
Her eyes briefly stared at the camera, aware of a presence nearby but unsure of its exact location, but she put aside that distraction to ponder for later and focused on her new goal.
The group of new arrivals that had just saved Nero Caludius, her mother's enemy.
Altera pointed her blade at the woman and got into position, the magical energy inside her whirling faster and faster the longer the small girl held the pose.
"Fairy Snow Photon Ray!!"
The small girl shot forth at the newcomers, and the trail of twinkles she left behind her made it appear as if she were a shooting star.
[Best_Kohai-BB(MOD): My little extinction event can't be this cute! 𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔٠ ࣪⭑ ]
[Fairy-Queen-Valerie: I will admit… She is a cute AF fairy andI want to snuggle her… but that attack is aimed at Gudao and the others so it's still bad!! ]
[Extinction event?? ]
[Best_Kohai-BB(MOD): It's a long story. Focus on the fight.]
The sword wobbled as an invisible force tried to destabilize her away from her target, but it didn't matter. All she had to do is get in range, and it will be over.
Under normal circumstances, that would have been what happened. Regardless of whether she struck Nero or not, the sparkles of her attack would have been enough to kill the woman and those around her. Unfortunately for Altera, this plan of hers did not go her way.
Her eyes widened as a large shape rushed from the side and slid between her and her target.
The shape belonged to a tall, dark-skinned man with silver-grey hair. He wore radiant silver woven plate armor around most of his body. His chest was bare, which allowed the man to show off a complex tattoo for all to see. But what drew her attention the most was the familiar-looking longsword he wielded.
She had no time to ponder where she had seen the sword before, as an unbelievable amount of true ether spilled out of it and pierced the sky.
Her eyes shot wide open in shock when the man spoke the sword's name.
"Balmung!!"
The sword of true ether fell, and she was forced to meet it halfway.
Two opposing energies crashed into each other, and the air became superheated on impact, creating an explosion of wind and dirt.
[Yeah!! Go @ Sumanai!! ]
[Too bad for Altera, but her cute show and tell performance just got interrupted! ]
For a brief moment, nothing but the light of Balmung and the light of The Sword of Mars existed.
However, the moment ended, and Balmung's light brightened and slowly but surely pushed Altera back.
Altera grunted as the energy began to overwhelm her, but she refused to keel over and stayed her ground by pushing more energy to match what Siegfried was dishing out.
Her wings shone brighter and the progress Balmung's light made was undone.
[Oh wow, she is a lot stronger than she looks. She's actually pushing back Balmung! ]
[Never underestimate someone based on their size. This is truth in both Gudao's world and ours. ]
Siegfried grunted at the pushback, a drop of sweat falling down his cheek. This child, despite how small she was, was still rather formidable.
He was going to have to draw a bit more power.
"HAAAA!!!" With a loud shout, the pillar of true ether surrounding Balmung thickened and grew taller.
"Waaah!" Altera yelled as the sudden increase in power proved too much for her and was summarily sent spiraling away as Balmung overpowered her.
Balmung continued unimpeded, and unfortunately for the soldiers behind Altera, they were now sitting ducks.
The earth shook as the energy struck the earth, upturning large quantities of soil and sterilizing anything underneath into atoms with its heat.
Altera quickly recovered her balance midflight, then turned to inspect the damage below her. She was met with a charred trench that cut through the battlefield in two.
[Dang… Siegfried don't mess around. ]
[Is it bad that seeing swathes of people dying doesn't phase me as much anymore? ]
[Sycamore_Aug: Yes, it is. For the sake of your mental health, you might want to take a break from watching the stream or just tune in only during the rest period streams between singularities. ]
[Best_Kohai-BB(MOD): Psh, fuck that. Just do what I do and enjoy the BBQ and fireworks. It's all (mostly) going to be fixed after the singularity is fixed. And as long as you don't start using pokemon to do similar things against people over on your side, you're good.
Or do, I don't care lel. ]
[Oh great, now you ruined Barbeque for me. Thanks a lot BB. ]
[Best_Kohai-BB(MOD): You are welcome.~ ]
Her breaths quickened as she realized that the sword beam had fallen where her mother was fighting, but that anxiety lessened when she saw her mop of hair still alive and unharmed.
With the safety of her mother confirmed, Altera turned back to the man who just stopped her noble phantasm head-on.
Altera gently flew down until her feet touched the ground, the wings behind her back dulling until they scattered into sparkles.
She turned towards the man and raised her voice, "you wield Balmung, but your sword is not blood red like Kriemhild's, nor are you a woman. So that means you are Siegfried, correct?"
Siegfried straightened himself as he met Altera's eyes, "yes, I am. However, you have me at a loss. I am unsure of who exactly you are and how you know my wife."
Altera's eyes never left Siegfried as she announced her name, "my name is Altera, or as history knows me, Attila the Hun. I am a saber class servant… and I was your wife's husband after your death."
Siegfried's eyes widened in surprise before he quickly schooled his features again," I see. You're smaller than I imagined."
"I was summoned as a child, so it cannot be helped."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to imply you were short."
Altera shook her head, "I am not offended by the height of my body being brought up, Siegfried, I was only stating a fact."
"Right…"
A tense, but awkward silence fell between the two, both of them unsure of what else to say.
Neither of them had a chance to continue their standoff as a loud beeping sound startled them and the others who were listening in on their conversation. It especially startled people who were also unaware of Chat.
People like Nero.
"Where in the name of the gods did that noise come from?!" Nero demanded as she moved her head from side to side, looking but failing to spot the origin of the noise.
No one answered her as a feminine voice spoke up.
[Kream donated 100 bits]
["Siegfried, I choose you!! Hurry and use the move Spank!! Then use Adoption to capture our new daughter! Hurry, before she flees!!"]
"Eh?!" Altera gasped at the sudden voice that came out of nowhere.
Siegfried, meanwhile, just gave the camera a dry look.
"Kriemhild, we can't forcibly adopt children that aren't ours, especially the child version of your ex husband. It's weird."
["But Siegfried!! Look at her!! She's adorable!!! Do it!!"]
Siegfried merely sighed then turned towards Altera, who was staring in the direction of the camera with shock.
"I'm sorry about Kriemhild, once she sets her mind on something, she refuses to let it go."
Altera shakes her head, "it's okay, I understand. Kriemhild is who Kriemhild is and denying her is an effort in futility," she tightened her hands around her sword
"Even so, I'm sorry but I refuse to become you or Kriemhild's daughter. I already have a mother."
Siegfried's eyes briefly turned to the red-headed woman in the background, who was still fighting Elizabeth. However, he could see that the lancer was struggling to contain the woman as she relentlessly attacked her. He could feel the sheer fury emanating from Boudica, even from this far away.
"I see. Well, regardless… it would seem you are part of the invading force that seeks to destroy Rome."
He leveled her sword at Altera, "So that makes us enemies."
[Za-WARUDO: PUNT THAT MIDGET GIANT LIKE A FOOTBALL DRAGONSLAYER!!:Kick The Baby Emote: ]
[HeavenlyDivinePearl: GIVE THAT PIPSQUEAK SOME POINTERS!! PREFERABLY WITH YOUR SWORD THROUGH HER HEAD!! ]
[Woah guys, chill it with the bloodlust. ]
[I understand that Altera is an enemy that needs to be stopped, but you two are showing waaay too much enthusiasm at the possibility of seeing a child get killed. ]
[Kream: Disciplining children is one thing, abuse is another. You better watch what you say @ Za-WARUDO @ HeavenlyDivinePearl or else. ( ◺˰◿ ) ]
[Best_Kohai-BB(MOD): (¬_¬") Stupid Space/time Lizards. Why don't you go and do something productive, like fight each other to death like you always do?]
[Za-WARUDO:@ Best_Kohai-BB(MOD) @ Kream :Kick The Baby Emote: ]
Suddenly, another person showed up to the battle.
Siegfried turned to see Charlemagne arrive with a dramatic pose, who cooly got up and flashed Siegfried a smile, "sorry about the delay, I was caught off guard by how cool that entrance and noble phantasm of yours was. It's an honor to meet the legendary dragonslayer Siegfried in the flesh! And while I definitely want to shake your hand right now, introductions can wait after we knock some sense into Sis!"
Siegfried merely nodded his head, then focused his attention back to Altera, who was looking more skittish than before.
A drop of sweat ran down Altera's cheek, the uncertainty of whether she could take Siegfried and Charlemagne at once clear to everyone who could see her face. However, she took a breath and calmed her inner turmoil, then she readied her pose.
For a moment, she looked like she was going to fight, but that assumption changed when a loud voice reverberated across the battlefield.
"I WILL PROTECT YOU!! CHARIOT OF BOUDICA!!!"
A loud whinny cut through the tension, followed by approaching hooves.
"Woah!" Charlemagne was forced to jump away from a speeding chariot before it struck him.
Taking that small window of opportunity, Altera jumped on the chariot and landed in front of Boudica, who then urged her horses to fly away, much to Siegfried and Charlemagne's disbelief.
"RETREAT!!" Boudica yelled out toward the survivors as she and Altera flew away from battle. Her men all heard her call and quickly fell back, their horses galloping north.
[Za-WARUDO: I SEE BOUDICA IS WELL VERSED IN THE JOESTAR SECRET TECHNIQUE. ]
[What technique is that? ]
[Za-WARUDO: NIGERUNDAYO (RUNNING AWAY.)]
[Best_Kohai-BB(MOD): (-_-) Lame. ]
[Za-WARUDO: THE TERM IS CULTURED YOU PERVERTED DIGIMON WANNABE. ]
[Best_Kohai-BB(MOD): Oh, I see what game you're playing. Well nice try Dia-chan, I'm not falling to your level and letting you beat me with experience. ]
[He's not exactly wrong tho. ]
[Za-WARUDO: CALL ME DIA-CHAN AGAIN, AND I'LL PUT YOU INTO A QUANTUM LOCK. ]
[Best_Kohai-BB(MOD): Humph. Why don't you step into my domain and try "Guy from the Box Art?" ]
Siegfried quickly recovered from the sudden fleeing attempt and brought his sword to his face again.
He pulled more energy from Chaldea's generators, and a massive green blade pierced the sky once more.
The dragonslayer leveled his gaze at the two fleeing servants and their army and swung.
Siegfried's noble phantasm cut through the sky; unfortunately for him, his attack missed the mother-and-daughter duo as they successfully managed to evade it by swerving away from the attack at the last minute.
Despite missing his primary targets, his blade fell on the retreating troops below.
The noble phantasm violently exploded a large portion of the retreating army into ash, and just like before, a giant portion of land was upturned by the devastating sword swing.
"WOAH!! IT'S EVEN COOLER THE SECOND TIME!!" Charlemagne exclaimed with stars in his eyes as he witnessed the plume of dirt and debris rise into the sky.
✦✧✦
Ritsuka POV
"Now that the threat has passed, I believe gratitude is in order. I, Nero Cladius Divi Claudius filius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, the fifth emperor of the Roman Empire thank you, mysterious couriers of the gods, for providing your aid helping protect Rome in its hour of need." Nero said while doing her best to keep her chin held high.
[I never get tired of hearing that ridiculously long name, lol. ]
[MsRoxanne: I'm surprised no one has managed to bite their tongue while saying it. ]
After he gave Nero the Alcremie puff, she became much more energetic than before. This made sense because Alcremie Puffs are an 'HP healing' item. However, unlike the games, the effects of manmade pastries in real life were not potent enough to heal her broken hand, which she was letting hang limply by her side.
"It was no problem, Your Majesty, like I told you earlier, we came here to help," he said with sincerity. It was a good thing Chat had been teleported ahead of them and identified which side was fighting who, otherwise, their arrival would have caused a quagmire of unintended deaths from friendly fire.
"Umu, well, now that my thanks were given and you are aware of my glorious self, it is only fair we all get acquainted, no?"
Right. Without the pressing need to fight, now they had to properly introduce themselves.
"My name is Ritsuka Fujimaru, the last Master of Chaldea, and I am currently a landless Baron of the future country of France" he gestured an open palm at Mash.
She stepped forth and spoke up, "Mash Kyrielight, I am a shielder class servant… and I am also a future landless baroness of France."
"Marvelous. I never expected to see such a young beauty wield such a massive shield. I truly enjoyed the sight of you and the others pummeling my uncle."
"Um… thank you Emperor Nero." Mash said with a blush.
After Mash finished her introduction, the others introduced themselves.
Siegfried's introduction was given without much fanfare, but after the display he had given, the emperor Nero and the person with the spiky black and white hair were excited to meet him.
"You look like a barbarian, but your magnificent blade defended Rome from even wilder barbarians. So I can let your origins of birth slide. You have my word that you will be welcomed as a proper Roman hero when we return to Rome." Nero complimented.
"Thank you for your praise, Emperor Nero." Siegfried said in an unusually robotic tone. It was the same tone a burn-out employee would use in an office when talking to a higher up.
The man with the spiky black and white hair went up to Siegfried next and extended a hand, "Nice to meet you Siegfried, my name is Charlemagne, I am a saber class servant who was summoned to aid Rome."
Unlike with Nero, Siegfried's professional tone softened into genuine respect when he spoke to Charlemagne.
"Likewise." He took his hand and gave him a firm handshake.
"Charlemagne?!! As in the founder of western europe and King of the Twelve Paladins?!! " Romani exclaimed in excitement.
"Yep, that's me, Mr. Mysterious disembodied voice guy." Charlemagne took back his hand from Siegfried and pointed a finger gun at Mash's wristband, where the transmission was coming from.
"That's incredible!! With you as help we can definately-woah!" Romani suddenly yelped as someone pushed him away.
The voice that replaced Romani did not surprise him in the least.
"Charlie!!! My King!! It's so nice to see and hear from you again!! "
Charlamagne's eyes widened in recognition, "Astolfo? Is that you?"
"Yes it's me!! Your beloved and cute knight is here to serve by your side once again!! "
Charlemagne turned to him and squinted his eyes, "huh, you're right he does look a lot like me."
The man extended a hand, "nice to meet you, Ritsuka."
"It's nice to meet you too, Charlemagne."
The man nodded and was about to say something else, but that came to an abrupt end when Elizabeth pushed the man out of the way.
"Puppy! It's been a long time!! It's nice to see you again!!"
"It's nice to see you too, Elizabeth. I didn't expect-" he was caught off guard as her hands clasped his, and the link between them formed once again
"Our contract has been renewed! I look forward to working with you, Manager," Elizabeth's eyes then immediately went to the sphere nearby.
Elizabeth let go of his hand and raised hers to the sky in a double peace sign, "hello my wonderful fans! Your beloved idol Elizabeth Bathory has returned!!"
[Eon_Red: YAAAY!! ]
[Za-WARUDO: WHOOO!! ]
[HeavenlyDivinePearl: THE JADE BEAUTY HAS GRACED US WITH HER PRESENCE ONCE MORE. ]
[Blood_Countess: (⊙ _ ⊙ ) ]
"Huh, so you already know each other. That's convenient… Incidentally, Elizabeth, who are you talking to?" Charlemagne asked, unaware of the camera zooming closer to his face.
Elizabeth rounded on Charlemagne, her smile bright and cheerful, "Manager has an audience following him, and I have a very devoted fanbase amongst them!"
Charlemagne looked at the spot where chat's camera was but no matter how much he squinted, he was unable to spot what Elizabeth was talking about.
"Uh huh…" Charlemagne looked at Elizabeth with concern. However, before Elizabeth could spill more of his beans to Charlemagne, Tamamo Cat spoke up.
"Ah! Elizabeth!"
Elizabeth stopped and looked towards Tanamo Cat and her eyes widened.
"Tamamo, you made it out of the island!" Elizabeth ran and hugged the berserker like she was an old friend, a gesture Tamamo Cat returned.
"Did you find the Oregano?" Tamamo Cat randomly asked, which confused the people listening to their conversation.
The two of them separated, then Elizabeth's face turned grim, "sorry, I couldn't. I tried, but no matter where I went, I couldn't find where that bastard went."
Suddenly, Elizabeth's brows drooped, her face ridden with guilt, "And I'm sorry I left you behind for so long. I wanted to go back, but by the time I tried, I was already stuck in Rome."
Tanamo Cat patted her head, "it is alright, Master gave me walkies and now I am no longer unemployed!" Tamamo Cat said.
"Umu… it would seem that our allies are already aware of each other. That's great, that means you are not complete strangers and we can extend some level of courtesy in your favor, but please, it is getting late and it would be for the best if we wrapped up the reunions and confusing talks of magic for now and just introduced ourselves quickly.
We still need to see to the proper burials for those who have fallen today." Nero said while glancing at the mangled corpse of a purple hooded woman.
Elizabeth followed her gaze and winced, "Right, sorry."
"Hmph, if you are quite done with your yapping, it is time for all of you to gaze upon me! Behold my splendor, I am Simon Magus!! The Court Magician of Rome and one of the generals of the Roman army." the man who called himself Simon declared.
The man then turned his gaze toward him, his eyes dropping to one of his hands.
"I see you too are a fellow Master. Well met, Ritsuka Fujimaru."
"Wait, pardon me, did you just say you are a master?" He asked, completely caught off guard by the news.
"Indeed I am. I, Simon Magus, was a master that provided mana for some of the servants that became a part of the Roman army."
The man suddenly slouched, "Alas, I have lost all my command seals during my last battle, so I am just a plain mage."
"You actually managed to obtain command seals from the holy grail in this singularity and command multiple servants? That is an Incredible feat!! As expected of the man whose last name is Magus! "
Simon pointed his nose to the sky, "finally, some more proper recognition from a fellow mage! I thank you for your kind praise."
A clearing of the throat from Nero deflated the man's ego until it became a saggy balloon.
"In any case, it's a pleasure to meet you all… "
Then he glanced at Martha, who was not paying the man any mind as her eyes focused elsewhere.
"Ah, is there something the matter miss?" Simon asked Martha, but Martha ignored him and walked away.
The man took that gesture as an insult, "How rude! Didn't your mother teach you any manners?"
Martha stopped, but not because of Simon, but rather because she had arrived in front of a woman in a white outfit who was lying flat on her back.
"How horrible. I'm sorry we didn't arrive earlier."
The woman who Martha was talking to opened her eyes, and her pupils landed on the purple haired saint.
"Alcohol… please…"
Martha shook her head, "I have no alcohol to give you, but I can help provide relief."
Martha brought her staff out and placed it on the woman's body.
"Hey!! What are you doing to Jing Ke you madwoman?!!" Simon said, furious that Martha was pointing a weapon at Jing Ke.
"God… please ease this poor soul's pain."
Her staff glowed a bright, holy light.
Jing Ke's body was bathed in the soothing light, and whatever damage she had, it was repaired as her breathing became more steady.
The light vanished, and Jing Ke's exhausted eyes eased a bit wider.
"Thank you…"
Martha nodded and stood back up with a satisfied smile.
Simon meanwhile, had seemingly forgotten his anger and rushed towards Jing Ke's side, his eyes widened in shock as he saw her state.
"Jing Ke, you're healed…." he turned his gaze at Martha.
"Thank you, I apologize for raising my voice, I was merely concerned you would do more harm than good. That madman nearly killed her."
Martha shook her head, "I only fixed what I could, she will still remain unable to walk until a command spell can be used."
Martha's gaze shifted toward him, and he took that as his cue to quickly walk towards them.
"I can use a command seal to heal her if you don't mind." He said while showing his command seals.
Simon's eyes widened, "you would be willing to use something as precious as a command seal for a stranger?"
He didn't even hesitate to speak.
"Yes, I would. I've caused enough bloodshed as it is, so I would like to help heal people when I can. If she is willing."
Jing Ke weakly nodded her head, "I am in your care from now on, Master."
The link between them formed, and as soon as it did, he didn't waste any time and gave his command.
"Jing Ke, by this command seal, I order you to heal yourself until you are able to walk again."
The command seal burned and was used up like a lit match.
Jing Ke's body glowed a bright green color, and loud crackling sounds came from the woman's body.
After a few more seconds, the magic dissipated.
Jing Ke, now fully healed, lifted herself up, to the shock and awe of the bystanding soldiers who were spectating the magical feat.
"Incredible!! Simply incredible!!" Nero's enthusiastic voice cut through the silence.
"A spell that heals grievous injuries?!! Truly it is a miracle of the gods!!"
He scratched his cheek, "actually, it was just a command seal. It wouldn't have worked if Jing Ke wasn't a servant that was contracted with me."
His dismissal was in turn dismissed by Nero with a wave of her hands, "nonsense! Servants or whatever does not matter! You healed one of my generals back to full health from an injury that would have doomed her to be crippled the rest of her life. That is still a feat worthy of a thousand praises."
She turned to Martha, "I offer my praises to you as well. May I know your name healer?"
Martha stared at Nero for an awkwardly long moment, then she approached the emperor without a word and extended her hand.
"May I see your hand?" Martha boldly asked, and for a moment, he was afraid Martha had offended Nero.
Thankfully, the emperor did not take the faux paux as a slight and complied with her request.
"I see, you wish to kiss my hand. Very well, I accept this form of greeting if its from a wonderful beauty such as youself-" Nero hissed as Martha gently put her hand on Nero's wrist.
Suddenly, the same holy light spilled out of Martha's hand, and the slightly swollen wrist diminished back to normal.
Nero blinked as she beheld her now healed hand. She even gave it a few test rolls and was surprised at the lack of pain when she did so.
"You can call me Martha. Just Martha. "
Nero nodded, "umu, quite the humble one, aren't you? As expected of an esteemed healer. Very well Just Martha, I thank you for your service in healing my injuries. I will be sure to give you and your allies a proper reward. But! We shall discuss such matters after dinner!
While I enjoyed that delectable dessert earlier, I cannot properly concentrate unless I have a proper meal in my stomach. Now come with me, your Emperor commands it!"
And so Nero turned around and did not allow anyone to say another word as she walked in the direction of Rome.
✦✧✦
Unnamed Tower, somewhere in Rome
Inside a dark room, a helmeted man was kneeling on the cold stone floor. His arms, legs, and even his neck were restrained by large cuffs attached to the wall with heavy chains.
His piercing red eyes were focused on a scrying orb that was placed on a cushion on top of a pedestal.
The orb showed him various images, images of the brutalized corpses of the Roman army, of the Roman people suffering hunger from lack of grain, and lastly, of Nero getting her wrist fractured by her uncle.
"My Roma…"
"Having fun watching your Roma being destroyed, Romulus?"
The chained man, Romulus, suddenly tensed as the voice of the bastard spoke up.
Romulus glanced up and saw a man in a green suit with a matching top hat showing him a sharp, smug grin.
Seeing his face made the man clutch his chained arms so hard, they turned his dark skin pale from the lack of blood flow.
"Lev…"
_______________________
AN: Managed to finish earlier than anticipated. Thanks for reading guys, I hope you enjoyed.
We are now officially back on the rails of canon, but only for a bit since the situation is all kinds of fucked up already.
It was a struggle to write this ngl, but that's because my work week was unusually tiring so I had no motivation to write during the week as much as I normally do.
I feel a bit more refreshed, and I am about to get more free time soon for the foreseeable future due to a schedule change at work two weeks from now, so pumping out these chapters should hopefully be easier.
Incidentally, the giants that Palkia and Dialga are talking about that Arceus fought off were indeed from Velber. I'll write an interlude about it in the future since the idea is firmly rooted inside my head.
Special thanks to Flowerman for helping me plan out the outline for this arc.
Anyways, be sure to leave a like and a comment if you enjoyed. I'll see you next week.