"How was it, my Guard? Did the Noble Phantasm just now make you feel enchanted too?"
Nero asked with a beautiful smile, her hands behind her back.
Nero's words pulled Takumi from his thoughts.
Looking at the expectant Nero, Takumi smiled helplessly, but praised her sincerely:
"Of course. Your Majesty's Noble Phantasm was far more magnificent than I imagined."
Watching through a screen, Takumi had always thought Nero's Noble Phantasm was beautiful.
But only when it truly appeared before his eyes, and he stood in that resplendent Golden Theater.
Could he truly experience that luxurious and magnificent vista.
Just as its name suggested, it made one's heart sway and spirit soar.
"■■■■——!!"
A roar resounding through heaven and earth attracted the attention of the two. Turning their heads, they looked.
Lord 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 on the ground.
One stone pillar was even sent flying directly by Darius III, falling from the sky and landing about ten meters near Takumi and Nero.
The immense force shook the two off the ground by a dozen millimeters.
This showed Darius III's terrifying destructive power.
El-Melloi II, who was not adept at combat to begin with, also lay at Darius III's feet.
There was a relieved smile on his face.
Who knows how hard he worked to stall Darius III for so long!!
"If there is a next time, I absolutely will not fight a Berserker alone again..."
Lord El-Melloi II—Retired!
Amidst a patch of golden light particles, El-Melloi II's figure vanished.
Leaving behind Darius III, who was jumping in anger.
He manifested just to have a fight with Alexander!
But it turned out great; he was stalled by an inexplicable magus for so long.
With great difficulty, he rushed to dismantle and smash those broken stones. As soon as he came out, he found that Alexander's reaction was gone too!
Now Darius III had nowhere to cry.
Only a bellyful of rage with nowhere to vent.
"■■■■——!!"
Darius III roared, frantically smashing the ground with the two huge axes in his hands as if venting.
Boom! Boom! Boom!...
Ordinary soldiers who were relatively close couldn't even stand steadily, looking in horror at this existence who appeared like a giant to them.
The terrifying immense strength actually created a scene resembling an earthquake!
Seeing this, Nero trembled all over.
She couldn't help but turn her body sideways and whisper into Takumi's ear:
"My Guard, he won't come looking for me later, will he?"
After all, she was the one who [Incited] this guy to find Alexander—and she was also the one who eliminated Alexander directly.
Takumi looked at Darius III in this state and was also somewhat apprehensive. But he felt that with a Berserker's mental state, there shouldn't be such a perfect logical chain.
"Hard to say. It's possible... He's already looking over here!"
Just as Takumi was speaking, he noticed that after looking around, Darius III suddenly fixed his fierce gaze in the direction where he and Nero were.
Takumi was so scared by this crazed Darius III that his heart trembled, to the point where his voice cracked at the end.
Watching Darius III lock onto the target.
And about to rush over with axes in hand.
Takumi and Nero hurriedly gripped their weapons, staring unblinkingly at his movements.
Suddenly—
A strange weapon burst out from Darius III's chest.
It was an equally huge weapon, but looked like a red tree crown that had only been hastily trimmed.
Darius III spat out a mouthful of blood, a trace of disbelief flashing in his chaotic eyes.
Then it was replaced by anger.
Darius III tensed his muscles all over his body, swinging the axe behind him with all his might.
The axe swept horizontally with the force of a thunderbolt, accompanied by a whistling sound as it broke the air.
Clang!
The crisp sound of blade and sword crossing rang out.
Darius III's full-force strike was blocked, but not by any metal weapon.
But by a seemingly ordinary arm.
This arm was like a pillar reaching the sky. Darius III's attack, sufficient to smash a Servant into meat paste, merely left a white mark on that skin, without the slightest shake.
Just by being erected there, it left Darius III helpless.
In Darius III's gaze, as if seeing a ghost, his axe was deflected by this arm.
At this moment, a huge force came from the strange weapon in his chest.
Even his tough body couldn't withstand this immense force and destructive power.
A red light flashed.
Darius III's upper body separated from his lower body.
Darius III—Retired!
That tall black figure turned into light particles and disappeared. Only then could Takumi and Nero in the distance see the true appearance of the existence behind him.
A fit and beautiful body, the classic gold and red color scheme, a weapon of strange shape...
It was the Roman Divine Ancestor—Romulus!
One of the Supreme Gods of Roman mythology, and also the founding Emperor of Rome!
With the guy blocking his view dealt with, Romulus locked his gaze on Nero.
"You are Nero. What a cute, what a beautiful, what a brilliant existence."
"No wonder you can support all of Rome with those slender arms."
Looking at his [Child], he couldn't help smiling:
"Come, come here."
"No matter when, [Rome] loves you deeply."
Nero's pupils trembled.
"That's a lie, right... How could such a thing..."
Nero clearly saw the appearance of that figure in the distance and fell into a great shock because of it.
Even though she had never seen Romulus's appearance with her own eyes, she could recognize the identity of the person in front at a glance.
Because just by standing there, he could make all Roman-affiliated Servants understand his identity.
One could say he came with the concept of [Rome].
One could also say—He is [Rome] itself!
But how could such an existence be summoned?
And happen to stand in front of her, becoming the head of the Roman Allied Forces?
Nero determined that Romulus was the final commander.
After all, if it were Rome, there couldn't be an existence more suitable to be the commander of this Alliance than him.
'So for such a long time, was I fighting against the Divine Ancestor?'
Nero wavered.
Wavered like never before.
Subconsciously, she looked at Takumi beside her.
But she saw Takumi's worry.
Instantly.
Like being splashed with a basin of cold water when waking up groggy in the morning.
Nero sobered up.
'What am I thinking—!'
Here, on this battlefield, anyone could waver, anyone could be confused.
But only she could not!
Being an Emperor meant standing in front of the subjects, setting an example for the subjects! Guiding the way for the subjects!
Even if amidst pitch-black fog, she should be like the brightest star, tearing apart the fog and opening a path for her subjects to reach a further place!
Yet she actually made her subject worry—
The words from that night were still vivid in her mind.
Wouldn't this make all her vowed statements before seem like big talk?!!
Romulus opened his arms, smiling and making a hugging gesture.
"Come, Nero. Return to My ([Rome]'s) embrace, dear child."
"I ([Rome]) am the leader of the Alliance. So you should join too. I ([Rome]) will forgive everything about you..."
Nero clenched her fists.
"—Unforgivable!"
Nero was talking about herself. She was angry at her own wavering.
"At this moment, the only one reigning over the earth in the name of Emperor is I, Nero Claudius!"
"Allowed by the Heavens, acknowledged by the people, loving and loved by the subjects—there is only one with such qualifications!"
"Even if all the gods of Rome gathered here, even if you, Lord Divine Ancestor, personally ordered me to submit to the Allied Forces, I would absolutely not retreat!"
Nero's voice was resolute, piercing through the noise of the battlefield, causing many soldiers to stop their shouting and killing, looking blankly in the direction the voice came from.
Her eyes held no haze, like brilliant jewels.
The corners of Romulus's mouth rose.
"Umu! If you want to prove yourself more suitable for this era than Me ([Rome]), then walk in and stand before Me ([Rome])."
Saying this, Romulus retreated into the shadows of the city.
"I ([Rome]) will be waiting for you inside..."
Only a single sentence remained echoing in the air.