Septem: The Eternal Madness Empire.
A story that started with a prologue full of atmosphere and continued decently with France, but from the start gave FGO a low evaluation. The gameplay was trash at the time too; if it weren't for the Fate IP, service would have ended within 1 or 2 months of launch and it would have ended up like Sudden Attack 2.
It was only because the IP was the well-established Type-Moon; if another game had pulled that crap, it would have died long ago.
And though I don't want to admit it, the Rome chapter was a work that was pure isekai power fantasy. Basically, the two most typical characters in FGO who get cursed at for their illustrations are Shimadrill and Aozuki. And in the story? Typically, there are Sakurai and Meteor.
Sakurai is famously known for the confirmed trash works Rome and London, and Olympus, Heian-kyo, and Tunguska, to the point users scream for her to please step down.
Meteor messed up Salem, which was FGO's first horror story and also messed up Cthulhu, and isn't even serializing Fate/Requiem. They are the true villains.
Even if Meteor hasn't done much since then, why does Sakurai continue writing despite receiving constant criticism? I wondered what nerve she had to abandon Olympus after Atlantis. And the truly great Lostbelt part was written by Nasu himself. Just how many stories does she plan to ruin?
Because of that, Rome basically has its plausibility shattered. Spartacus and Lu Bu are just muscle-brained idiots, and Boudica siding with Nero while smiling says it all. Leonidas, who appeared as an enemy, was treated as a mob. Figures who are great heroes in Rome like Caesar, Caligula, and Romulus had no activity.
Lines just come out praising them, and then they lose to praise Nero. I wondered why Altera appeared suddenly and at a completely different time, but in the end, it was just to polish Nero. In a word, it's nauseating and a piece of crap with no Fate-like elements at all.
That's why I really hate Rome. While Nero the tyrant was well-made in the Fate/Extra style, in FGO she's just a bratty kid. To the point even Draco feels sorry for Boudica and asks if she's fallen so low. Making her worse than a Beast...
Because of that, I have no expectations for Rome at all. And the level of using the highly anticipated Waver-Alexander combo from Zero to such a degree it's like giving them dog food... It's really infuriating.
Thinking I have to go there soon and see that sight makes me nauseous. Can't they just restrain Nero? Nero is the very embodiment of wishful thinking...!
"We should hear the opinion of someone who has experienced Rome."
"There's no one like that here."
"That's right... It's just the very early members."
Nemo states the fact that there is currently no one in Chaldea who has experienced Rome. Damn... To think only I know this pain, it's upsetting...!
"Anyway... Is everyone gathered?"
Nemo, Enkidu, Mandricardo, Tiamat, Nightingale, and Melusine.
In the end, it became these six. The reason Melusine was chosen among Bunyan, Taiga, and Melusine... Rock-paper-scissors. Melusine won, so she's coming along.
Going to the control room...
Et cetera, et cetera.
The usual explanation briefing. Yeah, nothing special. All of Ritsuka's Servants are going.
Mash, Saber Alter, Jeanne Alter, X, Nobunaga, Hijikata, and Hokusai.
Among them, the Alter Servants should be able to match our Servants. Since they're max ascended. If only their magical energy were full, they'd be incredibly strong... It's just a pity. Ritsuka's magical energy capacity has limits, so no matter how much support Chaldea provides, using them is impossible. Ritsuka's magical energy would be depleted at once and she'd collapse.
Rome, which I have no expectations for at all.
I get into the coffin as if lying down and look through the glass as the fluid fills the coffin. Shiki waves her hand as if to say have a good trip. But then, she does that thing with both hands... that fox shape thing they do in Japan. She's doing that.
I don't know what it means, but my consciousness fades like that and my vision flashes.
And then, I open my eyes.
"Chaldea Shiba la..."
Fwoooooosh~!
I am currently falling from the sky. Hmm, if I fall to the ground like this, I'll become jerky. It's the first time I've seen clouds beside me. Anyway...
"Aaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!"
Save me!!!
"Catch~!"
Melusine, flying swiftly, catches me, but...
Thud...!
"Kghk...!"
"? What's wrong!?"
"My, my back..."
Because she grabbed me too fast, my back went *thud*... I really tweaked it...
"It's okay, it'll get better soon! Good thing I came along, right!?"
"Yeah yeah... That's right..."
Still, it's a bit reassuring... Looking around, the three except Tiamat were descending while being bound by Enkidu's chains. Tiamat had an expression of not caring at all about falling.
"Master, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm okay..."
Tiamat asked me with a worried mother's expression, and I of course said I'm okay. No problem.
But why is the Rayshift so high in the sky...? Clearly, it's definitely someone's scheme. Is it a Holy Grail again? But... Lev isn't that smart. That old bastard...
By the way, Ritsuka isn't around. Did she get separated again...?
"Hmm... Communications aren't working."
It seems the communicator she was wearing on her wrist fell when Melusine caught me earlier. Well, it doesn't matter much. Ritsuka... no, she'll be fine. The Alter Servants are stronger now, and Hokusai is there. Always being too protective also hinders growth. Sometimes you have to leave them free like this. Especially since Hokusai is there. She'll be okay.
Upon arriving on the ground, we arrived at a hilly area with nothing. Hmm, a barren land without a single blade of grass. It feels like reading a manga where the artist didn't want to draw the background so they just made it flat land. Like Dragon Ball or Bleach! And promotional mass-market novel comics! Well, I myself am a mass-market novel, so no choice!
Now... What shall we do from here?
==================================
Ritsuka, who was Rayshifted to a different location than Humpty.
She too was in an area quite far from Rome.
"To meet a local Servant right away like this, how lucky."
"That's right. Saber-san seems to quite like her too."
The party immediately encountered a local Servant.
"So, Mr. Hijikata. When can I take off this haori..."
"No can do, Okita."
"It's X...!"
"Even so, you're Shinsengumi. Or talk after you grow breasts like that woman earlier."
"If I wielded a spear...!"
X was tormented by Hijikata the whole time, and Nobunaga looked at her pitifully. And, she was carefully observing the Servant they met locally.
The red-haired woman they met locally. She was resting with her feet dipped in a spring. Saber Alter was sitting next to her, talking.
As if curious about her past story.
"I grew up hearing stories of you, Your Highness, in my childhood. In a way, you were a hero I admired."
"Is that so? That's happy to hear? To receive such evaluation from a later king. You all come rest for a bit too. The water's nice~?"
Her name was Boudica. Queen of the Iceni tribe of Britannia in the 1st century.
[To think it's her, who would know the current situation better than anyone... Is there really no ill will in Human History?]
"Of course~ After all, it's the world I belong to? How could I dislike it~"
Though she should hold deep hatred for Rome... currently, she has set aside her vengeance for now and is fighting for Human History. Since no ill will was felt, Chaldea members including Romani decided to trust her for now and observe the situation.
"... What do you think?"
"Hmm. I don't dislike her just because she's from England... but she seems to be hiding something. Like Gilles hiding his identity."
"Right? That Saber should feel something too... I wonder how it is."
The quick-witted Nobunaga thought she was hiding something, but there was no confirmation yet. Jeanne Alter also felt an unknown sensation and was keeping her distance for now.
And, Hokusai sat alone on a tree, watching the party.
'That woman's insides are pitch black~ The act is to that level, what's it called... Hollywood. She could go there. The type to betray. A few seem to have roughly noticed, so shall I just watch for now?'
Hokusai decided to watch from one step behind, ready to confront her immediately if she caused trouble.
She was only curious about whether the door that appeared somewhere far away... in the sea, had opened.
And in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea.
Creeeak...
"Indeed, it's really the sea? Just the Mediterranean. Still, how nice is it to come this easily?"
The one who appeared opening the door was Ryougi Shiki. She used Independent Manifestation to cross over through the door. Actually, she could just use Independent Manifestation... but it was more convenient and easier to come through the door Polyna made.
"You come over too. How is it? Not your first time in Rome, right? Of course, same for me."
Someone following her through the door...
"Indeed~ It's my first time. Master is really too much... He always said he couldn't live without me and took me everywhere, but this time he ended up not calling me at all. Even though he gave me a Holy Grail."
"Right? Master is really too much, isn't he? Still, I like it."
"Receiving your love brings a heavy responsibility. Of course, I exist to make that responsibility light.."
"Haven't seen that outfit in a while."
"I'm no longer just an Assassin with only the aspect of light. Of course, on the surface I'm still an Assassin. But... Master is the one who gave me a Holy Grail and raised me without my split being in vain. If you hadn't called me..."
"I had no choice but to come find you directly and serve you...♡"
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