The scene was a bit blurry.
Takumi was lying on the bed resting with his eyes closed when he suddenly felt his vision darken.
Opening his eyes in confusion, he found Nero standing by the bedside, looking down at him.
The light was mostly blocked by Nero. There was a strange smile on the girl's face.
Nero suddenly lifted her white, jade-like foot and placed it on Takumi's chest.
Takumi finally reacted, but before he could even start to get nervous, he heard a squelch.
A strange red sword pierced through Nero's chest—
"My Guard! Do not be bound by the bed monster any longer! Prepare to march out with me!"
The door was suddenly pushed open at this moment, slamming fiercely against the wall, and a loud voice entered the room along with it.
Takumi was jolted awake. With a whoosh, he sat up from the bed, looking blankly at the door.
He saw Nero, who had already changed into her original, quite revealing dress, standing there, looking at Takumi with a refreshed expression.
It seemed she had slept well.
"Very good! Since you are awake too, quickly tidy up and then set off with me!"
Nero nodded in satisfaction. After speaking, she left without looking back.
Takumi sat blankly on the bed, taking a dozen seconds to come back to his senses.
"So after all that, it was just a dream..."
Takumi muttered softly, breathing a sigh of relief.
He was wondering why the plot just now was so inexplicable, without beginning or end. Turns out it was a dream.
After all, anything can happen in a dream, and logic basically doesn't apply.
Hurriedly changing into the standard Chaldea uniform, Takumi picked up the flag placed aside and followed in Nero's footsteps.
Let's talk about the current situation first.
Before meeting Takumi, Nero had actually been fighting on the front lines the whole time.
Because the inexplicably appearing Allied Forces had a ridiculously large number of troops, and the enemy generals had strong strategic qualities, plus she had to guard against Boudica in the North who had obtained Heroic Spirit powers, Nero had always been at a disadvantage. The battle line retreated again and again, and more than half of the territory was taken by the Allied Forces.
If it weren't for three powerful warriors joining Nero's team later, Nero might really have been pushed back to the doorstep of Rome.
As for why she came back—Eh! She really was pushed back to her doorstep!
It just wasn't the main force of the Allied Forces, but a part of the enemy army that circled around from the Mediterranean.
The defensive force here in Rome wasn't large. After being besieged, they could only ask Nero for help.
Nero, who was originally preparing to counterattack due to the addition of three major combat powers, had to temporarily abandon this plan and lead a team back to annihilate the enemy besieging the Roman capital first.
Then came the story of Nero meeting Takumi.
And because Takumi fought extremely hard yesterday, in just one day, they crippled all the enemy forces that had sneaked over, making it impossible for them to form a combat-capable army again.
This pleasantly surprised Nero, who thought it would drag on for another day or two.
She immediately decided to march out again the next day!
As for why not rest for a while longer, Nero had no choice. She was already at a disadvantage. If she didn't work harder, wouldn't it be over?
Moreover, although the three generals on the front line were powerful, none of them had the talent to command an army. Relying on martial force to support for a while was fine, but if dragged on too long, the enemy would inevitably find flaws.
At that time, a total collapse of the line wasn't impossible.
Back to the present.
After a long journey, Nero's group finally arrived at the front line.
Amidst the thunderous cheers of the soldiers, Nero naturally began the pre-war mobilization.
"Soldiers! I am Nero Claudius..."
This time, Takumi didn't follow Nero but walked to a corner.
There were two very eye-catching existences here. Each was extremely burly, standing over two meters tall.
One wore complex-styled red battle armor, with two long, classic pheasant tail feathers on his head. Looking closely, one could discover that inhuman steel skin.
This was the Servant named Lu Bu.
In Type-Moon, especially generals from the Three Kingdoms period, they were probably all robot-Gundam-like existences. It was hard to imagine what kind of "dance of demons" state the hegemony competition in the late Eastern Han Dynasty was like over here.
The attire of the other Servant was much simpler. Muscles knotted all over his body, with only a few leather straps like restraints on his torso, and a thin iron skirt armor on his lower body protecting key areas.
'As expected, no change...'
Looking at the two existences who were identical to the plot he knew, Takumi couldn't help but sigh.
In Takumi's view, the difficulty of clearing this Singularity was actually far higher than the First Singularity.
In the French Singularity, as long as the main quest of finding Siegfried was completed, half the battle was won. At worst, with Teacher George there, they could maneuver a bit.
But what about this Singularity? It was hard to say there was any key task that must be completed before the final battle.
Not because of anything else, but simply because the disparity in combat power was ridiculously huge, and there was no existence that guaranteed a win once secured.
Thinking about what was on the other side? Divine Ancestor Romulus, a Demon God Pillar, and Altera who might appear at the end, plus various Servants who might appear before that...
Just thinking about it gave Takumi a headache.
In contrast, our side.
Takumi admitted that with Lu Bu's combat power, he could fight anyone, but the problem was he was a Berserker!
If a fight really broke out, he probably wouldn't listen to anyone's orders.
As for Spartacus...
Takumi could only say that his impression from a certain anime was too deep. He was teased around like a pet, and apart from exploding fiercely at the end, he didn't show any demeanor of a Heroic Spirit.
And the crucial Boudica didn't join Nero's team either.
'Analyzing it like this, Your Majesty the Emperor, aren't you a bit too confident...'
Takumi couldn't help recalling what Nero said yesterday.
He didn't mean to blame Nero. After all, Takumi was also afraid that laying this script in front of Nero would shatter her Dao Heart, so he just briefly mentioned that the final battle would be difficult without going into details.
Takumi sat worriedly on a small chair next to the two Berserkers, constantly thinking about how to win.
'Sigh, as expected, I still prefer Red Hare...'
Red Hare, who borrowed Lu Bu's Spirit Origin, was much easier to use than Lu Bu himself, wasn't he?
Thinking this, Takumi actually couldn't help fantasizing about what it would be like if Red Hare were following him.
Suddenly, a large, thick hand was gently placed on Takumi's head.
Takumi froze slightly and looked up.
Spartacus had extended his hand at some point and was carefully patting Takumi's head.
"Weak one! Do not fear. This sword will help you sweep away all oppressors!"
Spartacus carefully controlled the strength in his hand, afraid of hurting Takumi even a little.
His other hand waved the large sword, which looked much smaller compared to his physique, twice.
It was like a bell tolling loudly in his mind.
Takumi sobered up.
Damn it—
What on earth was I thinking?! What right does someone like me have to look down on a true hero?
Although he didn't show his thoughts, guilt instantly filled Takumi's heart.
To subconsciously judge a Heroic Spirit who left his name in history just because of some inexplicable anime...
I am a [censored]!
Takumi cursed himself inwardly and quickly adjusted his emotions.
He looked at Spartacus solemnly.
"Then let us fight side by side! Let's defeat the oppressors together!"
Hearing Takumi's words, Spartacus revealed a hearty smile and gently patted Takumi's back.
Takumi was also infected by Spartacus's smile, sweeping away the gloom from just now, the corners of his mouth rising slightly.
"Oh? Looking at you two, you seem to be chatting quite well."
A black-haired woman dressed in white walked over.
She was holding a pot of wine in her hand.
"Spartacus isn't this cheerful when he meets other people."
While this woman said this, Spartacus maintained the smile from just now.
As if agreeing with what she said.
"Miss Jing Ke?"
Takumi recognized the identity of this Shenzhou (Chinese) Servant, rare in the game, at a glance.
"Hm? You know me?"
Jing Ke paused her action of drinking wine and looked at Takumi in confusion.
"Probably..."
"Hmm..."
"It was just a failed assassination. I didn't expect so many people to know about it. Sigh..."
Jing Ke drank a mouthful of wine gloomily.
"Maybe it's because the First Emperor's own fame is very high. Being the first Emperor to achieve unification, and since you were the one who almost succeeded in assassinating him, naturally many people know."
Takumi pondered for a moment and said.
"Hah? So should I thank that guy for giving me fame? ...Although I have to admit that guy did start a good trend."
Jing Ke first pointed at herself in disbelief, then felt even more depressed after thinking about it carefully.
However, no matter how well the First Emperor did afterward, if Jing Ke had the chance to go back to the past, she would still assassinate him without mercy. And she would formulate a more perfect plan to make sure she stabbed him to death right there.
For nothing else, just to complete the mission and vent her anger.
"Anyway, in my era, as long as they are adults, there shouldn't be anyone who doesn't know you. In terms of fame among Shenzhou assassins alone, you should be in the highest tier."
Takumi gave Jing Ke a thumbs up.
"It's just that the fame seems a bit too high, to the point where many inexplicable derivative plots have appeared..."
Takumi scratched his head awkwardly.
"What plots?"
Jing Ke asked curiously.
Takumi told Jing Ke about some of the things circulating online, like the dagger being longer than the map, or a mace being wrapped inside the map... and so on.
"Hahaha! Why are people in your era so weird?"
Instead of being angry, Jing Ke laughed heartily.
"A mace wrapped inside the map—Hahahaha..."
Jing Ke imagined that possibility, laughing until her whole body shook, slapping her thigh repeatedly, nearly running out of breath.
"Carrying a mace, I probably wouldn't even get to see that guy's face. But just thinking about going there with a mace, hahahaha—"
The image was just too beautiful. Jing Ke found it hard to say what expression would appear on the First Emperor's face.
After finishing the pre-war mobilization and giving some instructions, Nero finally freed herself.
Just wondering where to find people, she heard Jing Ke's crisp laughter.
Looking in the direction of the sound, well, her Guest Generals were actually gathered in a corner.
"Soldiers of mine, what are you talking about? Laughing so happily?"
"Haha... nothing much. Just some boring things that probably only I and this fellow countryman know."
Hearing Nero's inquiry, Jing Ke wiped the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes and answered casually.
"Hm? Really?"
Nero looked at the two suspiciously.
"It is indeed so. Unless someone comes from the same country as me, no one would understand what I just said."
Takumi explained helplessly.
Nero didn't quite understand what Takumi meant, but such trivial matters didn't matter.
"Forget it. Since everyone is here, it saves me the trouble of sending someone to find you. There is a war council to be held next. Do not be absent!"
"Do I have to go too?"
Takumi pointed at himself.
"Of course! You are my personal bodyguard; you should have a general understanding of the current battlefield!"
"And General Jing Ke, you are also a rare talent. You need to come and listen too!"
Nero looked at Jing Ke, who was secretly drinking wine on the side.
"Hm? An assassin like me has become a general too?"
Jing Ke raised an eyebrow.
But in fact, she had only led one assassination.
"As for the remaining two burly generals, um... just stay here and conserve your energy!"
Nero looked up at the two Berserkers, pondered for a moment, and said decisively.
It wasn't that she didn't want to bring them, but even if they participated, with their Madness Enhancement rank, could they really listen to half a word?
Hearing Nero's words, Lu Bu exhaled a puff of white steam, then remained silent.
Spartacus maintained the smile from just now, quietly watching everyone in front of him.
"...The above is all the intelligence we know about our army and the False Emperor's army."
The Intelligence Officer finished speaking and tactfully retreated to the back.
This Intelligence Officer was the one Nero casually appointed while fighting Caligula.
One had to admit that Nero's eye for people might involve some metaphysics. This guy had clearly never handled related matters before, but once he got started, he managed everything in an orderly manner.
It made the people originally in charge feel ashamed of their inferiority.
"Thanks for your hard work."
Nero nodded, then frowned deeply.
Because the Allied Forces appeared suddenly and occupied half of Rome's territory in a short time, Nero's side didn't know the opponent's background at all.
Send spies? They disappeared without a trace as soon as they went.
In the end, Nero only knew that the opponent also flew the banner of Rome and had the assistance of Rome's past Emperors.
Everything about the opponent seemed covered in a layer of fog.
And the most critical military strength was not advantageous either. The opponent's military strength was probably several times that of Nero's side?
"The current situation is that the base camp of the False Emperor Caesar is in Gaul (France), but the head of the Allied Forces isn't him. There is an existence of a higher level... Where is the real base camp of those Allied Forces?"
Everything else was manageable, but if they didn't even know where the opponent's base camp was, where would victory come from?
"How about I go scout? With my Presence Concealment skill, as long as I want to hide, basically no one can discover me."
Jing Ke volunteered.
Nero was considering Jing Ke's proposal.
"Actually, I probably know a little bit about the location of the opponent's capital."
Takumi suddenly spoke up unconfidently.
"Oh? My Guard also has a brilliant opinion!"
"I just know the approximate location, for reference only."
Takumi walked to the map, carefully recalling the inventory in his head.
Although he indeed couldn't read a map and wasn't clear where he was on it.
But Takumi had done his homework in Chaldea. He had carefully looked at Chaldea's map display and compared it with his game memory.
At least for the final boss battle location, Takumi had some impression.
Takumi pointed to a certain location on the map.
"Here... Umu, it is indeed a very suitable location for a capital. I didn't expect you to have dabbled in this as well!"
Nero meant the site selection for a capital.
"No, I absolutely don't have this ability. I can't even understand the map."
Takumi refused to be praised.