"Well then, my guard, did my Noble Phantasm just now set your heart racing as well?"
Nero, with her hands clasped behind her back, asked with a clever, beaming smile.
Nero's words pulled Lin Qi out of his thoughts.
Looking at Nero's expectant face, Lin Qi gave a wry smile, but still offered a heartfelt praise:
"Of course, Your Majesty's Noble Phantasm was far more magnificent than I had ever imagined."
Watching through a screen, Lin Qi had once thought Nero's Noble Phantasm was beautiful.
But only by truly appearing before his eyes, with his entire person standing within that splendid Golden Theatre, could he experience the full splendor of that luxurious and magnificent spectacle.
It was just as heart-stirring and captivating as its name suggested.
"■■■■——!!"
A roar that shook the heavens and the earth drew the gazes of both of them.
Turning to look.
El-Melloi II's [Stone Sentinel Maze] had already been violently demolished by Darius III.
A large number of stone pillars were broken into several pieces and lay fallen on the ground.
There was even one stone pillar that Darius III had directly torn out and hurled away; it fell from the sky and landed about ten meters away from Lin Qi and Nero.
The tremendous force of the impact shook the two of them, causing them to momentarily lift off the ground by a dozen millimeters.
One could see the terrifying destructive power of Darius III.
El-Melloi II, who was never skilled at combat in the first place, also lay fallen at the feet of Darius III.
A smile of relief was on his face.
Who could possibly know just how hard he had worked to stall Darius III for this long!!
"If there's a next time, I absolutely refuse to fight a Berserker alone ever again..."
El-Melloi II — Burned Out!
Amid a shower of golden sparkles, the figure of El-Melloi II subsequently vanished.
Leaving only a frustrated Darius III, hopping mad.
His manifestation was all for the sake of having a fight with Alexander!
And yet, in the end, he had been stalled for such a long time by some inexplicable Magus.
Finally, after hurriedly smashing and destroying all those damnable stones, the moment he emerged, he found that Alexander's presence was gone too!
Now, Darius III had nowhere left to cry.
He had only a chest full of rage with no outlet.
"■■■■——!!"
Darius III roared, venting his fury by madly smashing the ground with the two giant axes in his hands.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!..."
The ordinary soldiers who were relatively close by even felt somewhat unsteady on their feet, one after another looking on in horror at this existence that seemed like a giant in their eyes.
The terrifying great force actually managed to create a scene akin to an earthquake!
Seeing this, Nero trembled all over.
She couldn't help but turn sideways and whisper into Lin Qi's ear:
"My Guard, he won't come after me later, will he?"
After all, it was she who had [Incitement] this guy to look for Alexander—and it was also she who had directly defeated Alexander.
Looking at Darius III in this state, Lin Qi also felt rather apprehensive, but he thought that given the Berserker's mental state, he probably wouldn't have such a perfect logical chain.
"It's hard to say, it's possible... He's already looking over here!"
Just as Lin Qi was speaking, he noticed that after looking around, Darius III suddenly fixed his fierce gaze directly on the direction where he and Nero were.
Lin Qi's heart trembled with fear at the sight of this frenzied Darius III, causing the last part of his sentence to crack.
Watching as Darius III locked onto his target.
Gripping his axes, he was about to charge over.
Only then did Lin Qi and Nero flusteredly grip their weapons, staring intently at his movements without blinking.
Suddenly—
A strange weapon pierced through the chest of Darius III from behind.
It was an equally massive weapon, yet it resembled a crudely trimmed red tree crown.
Darius III spat out a mouthful of blood, a flash of disbelief passing through his chaotic eyes.
It was then replaced by fury.
Darius III's entire body muscles tensed, and he swung his axe towards his rear with all his might.
The axe swept across with a sound that tore through the air, like a thunderbolt moving with overwhelming force.
"CLANG!"
The clear sound of blade and sword crossing rang out.
Darius III's full-power strike had been blocked, but not by any metallic weapon.
Rather, it was blocked by a seemingly ordinary arm.
This arm was like a pillar reaching to the heavens. An attack from Darius III that was sufficient to smash a Servant into pulp left only a white mark on that skin, without causing the slightest tremor.
Simply standing there vertically, it rendered Darius III helpless.
Under Darius III's ghost-seeing gaze, his axe was sent flying by this arm.
At the same time, a tremendous force came from the strange weapon in his chest.
Even his robust physique could not withstand this magnitude of force and destructive power.
A red light flashed.
The upper and lower body of Darius III separated.
Darius III — Eliminated!
As that tall black figure turned into points of light and vanished, Lin Qi and Nero in the distance could finally see the true appearance of the existence behind him.
A bodybuilder physique, the classic gold and red color scheme, a bizarrely shaped weapon...
It was none other than the Founder of Rome — Romulus!
One of the supreme gods of Roman mythology, and also the founding emperor of Rome!
With the obstruction removed, Romulus's gaze locked onto Nero.
"You are Nero, how lovely, how beautiful, how brilliant an existence."
"No wonder you can support all of Rome with those slender arms."
Looking at his [child], he couldn't help but smile:
"Come, come here."
"At all times, [Rome] loves you deeply."
Nero's pupils shook.
"This can't be... How could such a thing..."
Nero clearly saw the appearance of the figure in the distance and was thrown into a state of great shock because of it.
Even though she had never laid eyes on Romulus's appearance before, she could still recognize the identity of the person before her at a single glance.
Because simply by standing there, he could make all Roman-affiliated Servants understand who he was.
One could say he carries the concept of [Rome] with him.
One could also say — he is [Rome] itself!
But how could such an existence be summoned?
And to happen to stand before her, as the leader of the United Roman Empire?
Nero concluded that Romulus was the ultimate leader.
After all, if it was Rome, there could be no existence more suited to be the leader of this United Empire than him.
'So all this time, I have been pitted against the Founder?'
Nero wavered.
She wavered like never before.
Subconsciously, she looked towards Lin Qi beside her.
And she saw the worry on Lin Qi's face.
Instantly.
It was like being splashed with a basin of cold water upon waking up in the morning, while still dazed and confused.
Nero became clear-headed.
'What in the world was I thinking—!'
Here, on this battlefield, anyone else could waver, anyone else could be lost.
But she alone could not!
A so-called emperor must stand before their subjects, set an example for them! Guide the way for them!
Even when trapped in pitch-black mist, they must, like the brightest star, tear through the fog and pioneer a path that allows their subjects to travel to places farther ahead!
And she had actually made her subject worry about her—
The words from that night were still vivid in her mind.
Didn't this make all the confident words she had spoken before seem like mere bragging?!
Romulus spread his arms open, smiling as he made a gesture of embrace.
"Come, Nero, return to my (Rome's) embrace, dear child."
"I (Rome) am the leader of the United Empire, so join us, I (Rome) will forgive all your..."
Nero clenched her fist.
"—Unforgivable!"
Nero was referring to herself; she was furious at her own wavering.
"At this moment, there is only one who reigns over the earth in the name of Emperor: I, Nero Claudius!"
"Granted by heaven, blessed by the people, loving my people and beloved by them, there is only one who possesses this qualification!"
"Even if all the gods of Rome were to gather here, even if you, Divine Founder, were to personally command me to submit to the Allied Army, I would absolutely never retreat!"
Nero's voice rang out firm and clear, piercing through the clamor of the battlefield, causing many soldiers to halt their shouts and killing actions, staring blankly in the direction the voice came from.
Her eyes were free of any haze, like dazzling jewels.
Romulus's lips curved upwards.
"Mm. If you wish to prove that you are more suited to this era than I (Rome), then walk in, and stand before me (Rome)."
Saying this, Romulus retreated back into the shadow of the fortress.
"I (Rome) will be waiting for you inside..."
Only these final words still echoed in the air.
...