"Ugh..."
As if his head were being pricked by needles, Takumi suddenly felt a burst of stinging pain.
He involuntarily clutched his head.
Caesar's words were like a repeater stuffed into Takumi's head, constantly repeating what was just said.
And it carried a strange magical power, making Takumi involuntarily think about what it would be like if he really joined Caesar's... no, Divine Ancestor Romulus's camp.
Divine Ancestor Romulus, as one of the Supreme Gods of Rome, if he descended in his Grand form, plus this being Rome, his home field...
It seemed he wasn't without the ability to contend with Goetia?
Even if he couldn't beat that big halo, protecting Rome shouldn't be a problem...
So, do I just have to join them, then stay honestly in Rome, and I can rest? I won't have to rack my brains to move forward anymore?
Takumi thought in confusion. The yearning feeling constantly impacted Takumi's cognition.
Caesar's words echoed continuously in Takumi's mind, preventing him from thinking carefully.
Unable to think about the flaws in the words.
'It's so nice, not having to think about all those random things...'
Takumi fantasized about Romulus wearing golden armor, fighting Goetia just as he faced Zeus.
After fighting for hundreds of rounds, both sides tacitly ceased fire.
As for himself? He just needed to lie on a chair and watch the battle between the two sides.
Takumi couldn't help but yearn for it.
"—Silence!!"
Just as Takumi was about to fail the [Check], Nero grabbed Takumi and shielded him behind her like a mother hen protecting her chick.
She glared angrily at Caesar in front of her.
The echoes in Takumi's head stopped abruptly.
Nero raised [Aestus Estus], the tip of the sword pointing at Caesar's face.
"How dare you! To dare harbor thoughts of snatching my Guard right in front of me!"
"I thought that with our two armies confronting each other, you would have some profound discourse—but I never expected you to use such despicable and lowly means!"
"I am standing right here, yet you treat me as nothing, bypassing me to attack others with inexplicable methods?"
"Even thinking of snatching my Guard!"
"With such unsightly behavior, and not even stating your own name—You are not worthy of impersonating Caesar's name!"
"If you still have a shred of character as a Heroic Spirit, then obediently stretch out your neck for execution and hand over this Roman land to me!"
Like a rapid-fire cannon, Nero said a whole lot in one breath.
Even after finishing, her chest was still heaving continuously; clearly, she was furious.
The air fell silent.
Both Takumi and Caesar stared dumbfounded at Nero, speechless for a long time.
Reversing Heaven and Earth! Deceiving the Master and destroying the Ancestors!
These were the words that subconsciously appeared in Caesar's mind.
Then he reacted. Not only was he not angry, but the smile on his face became even brighter.
Although the process was a bit strange, but—this was exactly what he wanted to see!
Unique personality, beauty like the flower of Rome!
The reason he said so much was to test Nero's will.
The result far exceeded Caesar's expectations.
Nero didn't need his test at all!
As long as that little Master was by her side, presumably even if she encountered the Divine Ancestor, she wouldn't waver much, right?
He had overthought it.
Caesar shook his head.
"Since talking more is useless, then have a good taste of my golden sword—[Crocea Mors (Yellow Death)]!"
Caesar drew his golden sword, exerted a little force under his feet, and leaped down from the hill.
He originally wanted to go easy on them a bit more, but he wasn't the Divine Ancestor after all, and lacked resistance to the constraints of this high-intensity summoning.
Usually, it was fine, but in a serious fight, he had no way to go easy.
"Just what I intended!"
Full of anger, Nero led Takumi to meet him without a word.
Although Caesar was just a 3-star Servant in the game, his Noble Phantasm multiplier was actually quite outstanding. Quite a few players had used him to clear high-difficulty quests—though using him was definitely not as good as using a 5-star.
And in the serious storyline, [Crocea Mors] was Caesar's sure-victory Noble Phantasm, possessing the power of guaranteed victory upon seeing the enemy.
The effect was also quite simple. As long as the Noble Phantasm was unleashed, the first strike would automatically hit, followed by continuous attacks on the enemy. The user didn't even need to think much; it would lead the master to defeat the enemy.
Especially in close-quarters combat, it was a very convenient Noble Phantasm.
Takumi and Nero engaged.
Takumi and Nero were beaten back.
Nero's sleeve was slashed open, and a red bloody mark appeared on her snow-white arm.
Takumi wasn't injured, but in just that short while, he had activated [Escapist] more than once.
Both looked solemnly at the fat man in front of them.
With the outstanding performance of the golden sword, Caesar displayed movements completely inconsistent with what his body shape should allow.
Up, down, left, right...
The golden sword was like a golden electric fan, continuously slashing and thrusting at the enemies from various directions.
Drawing a sheet of golden sword light.
The two were caught off guard and found it difficult to resist.
"How is it? You should have witnessed the power of this sword by now, right? It can be called guaranteed victory upon seeing the enemy—The true Veni, Vidi, Vici!"
Caesar looked at the two proudly, temporarily not continuing the attack.
Although the power of this Noble Phantasm was indeed very good, it actually relied quite a bit on luck, so Caesar personally wasn't very willing to use this thing.
"Just gaining the upper hand slightly, aren't you getting complacent too early? Next, watch how I dismantle your sword technique!"
As Nero spoke, she signaled Takumi with her eyes.
Takumi understood instantly and quickly applied a buff to himself and Nero.
The two engaged again.
With the buff's enhancement, their movements could barely keep up with the rhythm of [Crocea Mors], avoiding being pushed back immediately.
Amidst the continuous clanging of metal, the golden sword, [Aestus Estus], and Takumi's flag constantly crossed.
Nero, with higher combat skills than Takumi, acted as the main force.
Takumi relied on [Escapist] to block the attacks that slipped past Nero from time to time.
Both sides fell into a stalemate.
"Hehe, if it's just this, you won't be able to defeat the golden sword in my hand! You should know that up until now, I haven't used my full strength yet!"
Compared to the two struggling to cope, Caesar, who relied entirely on the golden sword to fight, looked relaxed.
He even had time to talk.
"Hm? So you haven't used your full strength yet?"
Although Nero asked a question, an innocent smile had appeared on her face at some point.
Takumi beside her also looked like he was holding back laughter.
Seeing this, Caesar suddenly felt something was wrong.
A white-clad figure suddenly appeared behind him.
"Haven't used full strength, huh? That's really a pity—"
Jing Ke, who had sneaked behind Caesar unnoticed, revealed a smile. The dagger in her hand thrust forward without hesitation.
[No Return Dagger]!
The dagger carrying eerie magical power aimed at Caesar's heart from the back, piercing through fiercely.
With a squelch, Caesar's movement paused due to the fatal wound.
Nero didn't miss this opportunity and slashed him away with one strike.
Caesar's chubby body rolled a few times on the ground, finally lying weakly on the dusty ground.
"Hahaha, it wasn't in vain that I and my Guard drew your attention in front. This is the effect I wanted!"
Nero put her hands on her hips, laughing proudly with her head thrown back.
Jing Ke's enemy-killing efficiency was even lower than Takumi's, and reconnaissance didn't need her for now. In that case, why not let her hide properly and wait for the opportunity to win with one strike?
Would anyone really be so idle as to make an Assassin lead soldiers to hack and slash in the battle formation?
An Assassin should look like an Assassin!
Anyway, for Nero, rather than everyone spreading out, it was better to form a sharp knife together, cutting down whoever they saw.
Wasn't this much more useful than spreading out?