Thanks for the invitation. I'm in Type-Moon, inheriting the legacy of Zi-O.

"As for me... I am an artist who can rival Apollo, the god of music! (claiming)" Nero couldn't help but proudly pat his chest as he spoke of himself, "Whether it's riding or assassinating, I can do it all! I almost strangled a lion naked in the arena once, trying to imitate the feat of the great hero Hercules!"

"..." His gaze involuntarily drifted to Nero's ample bosom, and Nian Zhuo nodded subconsciously. "Indeed, it's possible she might suffocate."

"Hmm...? Did you say something, Qing?" Nero asked, somewhat puzzled. However, he had just overheard Nianzhuo muttering something to himself.

"No, please continue, Nero." Nianzhuo shrugged, gesturing for Nero to continue.

“Although I don’t like riding because my butt hurts from sitting in a car for long periods,” Nero said with a bitter smile, her tone heavy. “It’s also because of my mother’s poisoning that I have this chronic headache, which sometimes makes it impossible for me to even fight… and because of this, I can’t learn magic like the court magicians I’m familiar with…”

"But I am very happy and honored." My gaze shifted to the streets of Rome, brightly lit and bustling with activity.

"Because I have ascended the throne of the Roman Emperor, although I have given up many things I originally wanted to do." Taking a deep breath, Nero finished the wine in his cup.

“But at least after I became emperor, the people, everyone, were able to bask in the glory of Rome with smiles on their faces. Except, of course, those old men in the Senate~” Nero said playfully, seemingly completely unconcerned.

“Yes, actually I’m very happy and honored, Nero.” Nian Zhuo’s gaze seemed to pass through this place, and after thinking carefully, he nodded with certainty. “Although because of this, there may be many things I can’t do, if I can turn my tears into smiles, then it’s worth it, right?”

"Hmm, you and I both seem to be people who will never look back on the path we've chosen." Nero, her face flushed with a slightly intoxicating blush, extended her glass to Nianzhuo beside her. "Come on~ Cheers~"

"Cheers." The golden goblet in their hands clinked with Nero's goblet, and the two of them drank the wine in their glasses together.

"Phew~ I feel so much better now that I've said it!" With slightly moist, emerald-green eyes, Nero wiped the corners of his mouth, which might have been stained with some wine. "Thank you for listening to me tell you so much."

"Not at all, I should be thanking you, Emperor Nero." Nian Zhuo seemed a little drunk at the moment. "At least it made me realize that this road is truly beautiful and precious."

Silence returned, but this time there was no awkwardness between them.

"Then, I hope you will succeed perfectly. Nianzhuo." The countless stars shone brightly in Nero's eyes.

“There, I am. May you have great military success, Your Majesty Nero.” Nian Zhuo smiled, closing his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, Nero's more handsome face came into view.

"...Eh?!" Nian Zhuo, whose reaction might be a little slow due to the alcohol, quickly retreated.

"Hmm... well, let's get to know each other again!" For some reason, Nero was making a fuss like a little girl.

“I am Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, the fifth emperor of the Roman Empire.” This was the first time Nianzhuo had heard Nero’s full name.

Whether in the game in that world or now, this is the first time Nianzhuo has seen Nero seriously say his full name.

“Hoo…” Looking at His Majesty Nero’s outstretched hand, which was as white as jade, Nian Zhuo understood the seriousness of the girl in front of him.

“I am a guardian, and also a being who transcends time. Knight Nianzhuo.” Holding the girl’s hand back, Nianzhuo added as if afraid Nero wouldn’t believe him, “That’s all.”

The two stood silently in place. Nero's emerald green eyes and Nen's murky black eyes met.

"Then, this is for you." Suddenly, Nero put down the hand holding the wine glass and put it behind his head.

She gently untied her bright red hair tie, and her golden hair swayed freely after being freed from its restraint.

She was truly beautiful, bathed in moonlight, dressed in a pure white gown, slowly untying her hair tie as she faced you.

When Nianzhuo came to her senses, the small, bright red hair tie was lying in her palm.

"Well then! I'm going to take a nice bath too~" Nero waved his hand with his back to him from the end of the flower bushes not far away.

"Goodbye, my fellow musicians." The whispered words flowed on the wind, vanishing in an instant.

"This is really..." Nianzhuo put away the hair tie in his hand and looked up at the sky.

"...Maybe I should go take a bath."

Only the bright moon in the sky witnessed all of this.

The Road to the End

The next morning arrived as usual.

"Ugh~ Hah~~" Ritsuka struggled to open her eyes and sat up from the huge, soft bed. "It's already morning...?"

As soon as she opened the door, Ritsuka, rubbing her eyes, saw Mash, who had also just gotten up.

"Hi~ Good morning, Mashu." Still a little tired, Ritsuka quietly circled around behind Mashu and suddenly jumped up to hug her.

"Eeya!... Ah, it's you, senpai." Mashu's small body was startled at first, but then she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the orange side ponytail that was exposed. "Please don't scare me... Ah, and good morning."

"Okay. Let's go find Mr. Nianzhuo and Nero together!" Ritsuka released her grip on Mashu and walked with her towards Nero's main hall.

"I reckon this is our last day in His Majesty Nero's palace." Unlike the silent Mash beside her, Ritsuka continued to look curiously at the ingenious carvings around them. "I'm a little reluctant to leave... After all, the food was so delicious, and the bed was so comfortable~ Hehehe..."

“Yes,” Mashu nodded. “It was indeed a very good trip…”

Like old friends, the two chatted idly as they walked out of the palace.

Nianzhuo and Nero had been waiting there for a long time.

"...Oh, so everyone's up this early." Last night, everyone gathered for their last meeting. According to Nero's scouts, the enemy monsters had indeed abandoned all the territory outside the huge city located in the very center of their own territory, leaving only that lonely royal city.

"Hmm, not late." Nero stood on the steps, silently looking at the three remaining people in front of him. "...Perhaps because the Holy Grail was retrieved, Boudica and Jing Ke...have also disappeared. So this time, only the four of us are here as the overall commanders of the battle!"

"The enemy is a monster devoid of reason and humanity, and we are here to deliver the punishment of annihilation." Fully armed, Nero shouted to the three women, and also to the army arrayed not far in front of her, "The world is Rome! The ancestral god clearly stated this, so let me and my proud soldiers display the glory of Rome!"

"Oh oh oh oh--!" After a night of rest, the soldiers were at their peak in both physical strength and fighting spirit.

Under Nero's command, they marched in a grand procession toward the castle where the monsters had gathered.

They encountered no obstacles along the way.

The magical beasts or monsters that should have existed vanished when the Holy Grail was taken back.

"...Is this...the royal city of those monsters?" The castle towered into the clouds, and blood-red bats flapped their wings incessantly around its perimeter.

The castle was filled with a shrill, chattering sound, especially since the entire castle was decorated in a dark red color.

—Like congealed blood.

"..." Nian Zhuo couldn't help but gasp, staring at the unknown castle.

This is not the first time we've faced Another Rider, but it's the first time we've faced an Another Rider who doesn't belong here without a corresponding counter-dial.

"—" They arrived at the castle's towering gates without any trouble. Along the way, Nero's group didn't even see a single hostile creature. The smooth journey didn't lull them into a false sense of security; instead, they became even more vigilant, keeping a close watch on their surroundings.

"Welcome to our royal city, the Jade Palace. You fools who overestimate yourselves." The voice rang out from the empty ground before them, and swarms of black bats coalesced into a blurry human figure.

"...Ugh! Quickly bring out your king to fight! What kind of leader is it to just stay in the castle?" Nero pointed angrily at the chest of the 'figure' in front of him, holding out the primordial fire in his hand.

"...?" The 'human figure' made of bats in front of him tilted its head as if it didn't understand, and then went straight to meet Nero's sword.

Its chest was 'pierced'; the blade of the Primal Fire had indeed pierced through its chest.

However, there was no real feeling; the blade did not pierce through at all.

"So, can you calm down now?" The bats scattered, and the 'human figure' pierced by the primordial fire also disappeared.

Then, they re-formed not far away, and the 'figure' bowed slightly to the people in front of it—no, it should be said that it bowed slightly to Nian Zhuo.

"Then, please allow me to take you to see that blood-red lord." Turning around, the figure opened the palace gates without caring whether the people behind him would follow.

“Our king has been waiting for a long time.”

If the decorations outside the castle only give off a slightly chilling feeling, then the decorations inside the castle are truly eerie.

Bats, the faces of all sorts of twisted monsters, and albino skeletons dotted the blood-red walls.

Some of the soldiers had begun to tremble, but the few at the front remained calm.

"...We've arrived." The straight path finally came to an end, and the 'figure' carefully pushed open the door in front of him.

As the gate creaked open, a red carpet stretched from the gate to the throne at the farthest point.

Blood-red flames were lit one by one from both sides of the red carpet, until they reached deep into the throne.

The blood-red monster sat silently on the throne, its chin drooping.

Beside it stood a deep blue werewolf monster, an emerald green merman monster, and a purple steel-armed warrior.

The blood-red monster, seated on the throne, slightly opened her golden eyes.

"Welcome to the Jade Palace, our royal city."

Invited to the breathtaking Golden Theater

"Welcome, warriors from afar." A somewhat shrill voice, accompanied by the shrieks of bats, spoke softly from the blood-red monster seated on the throne, "My name is Kiva, the Otherworldly Knight, the chief of the monsters who rule this Ruby Palace."

"Enough with the nonsense! You noisy monsters, get out of Rome!" With flames wreathing his sword, Nero glared angrily at the alien Kiva sitting on the throne. "Mere monsters, trying to learn from humans? It's making me laugh so hard my head is about to ache."

"Hmm...it seems we still can't understand each other?" Kive lowered his head in thought, closing his eyes with a hint of disappointment. "It seems the plan has failed. Well then—"

"--Let's dance freely in this castle!" Then, Kiva suddenly opened his eyes, the gold in them turning into a frenzied crimson, and then the alien Kiva gently snapped his fingers.

A creaking sound came from behind them; the only way in and out, the gate, was completely sealed off.

“By eternal oath—” Turning back to the throne, the blood-red monster and the three beasts that resembled his attendants gleamed with ferocity in their eyes.

"--Come and fight!" In the next moment, the alien Kiva's figure suddenly dispersed and transformed into bats, pressing down on the chaotic crowd.

"Damn it...!" Nian Zhuo thought to himself that something was wrong and gripped the Ex-Aid watch in his hand.

"...Ding." The other side was even faster. The blood-red Kiva, with a ferocious face, bypassed Nero and reassembled in front of Nianzhuo.

Two blood-red wings snapped open, and Kiva grinned as she extended her claws.

"...Tsk." Nian Zhuo drew his Time Gun Sword immediately and blocked Kiva's attack at the last second. "I didn't expect you to decide to attack me right away...too bad."

As for why it's a pity, I think it's because through the eyes of the alien Kiva, a small black dragon appeared before it.

One hand extended a sword blade to block Kiva's claws. Although it was deflected, Nencho's other hand still managed to turn the Ex-Aid watch face and place it on the driver at his waist.

"Armor Time! Level Up! Ex-Aid!" White armor, interspersed with pink and green, continuously converged onto the bright silver body.

The tiny dragon grew larger and larger in Kiva's eyes, and the black and red flames in its mouth flew straight towards Kiva's face.

"……!" Kiva quickly dodged, startled by the heat coming at him.

However, this moment of distraction and dodge is the opportunity for impure thoughts.

The full wyvern was not used; Nianzhuo only equipped the wyvern fang form this time.

As for why—

The alien Kiva suddenly spread its wings and took to the air.

"How could I let you succeed!" Nian Zhuo cursed under his breath, gripping his gun and sword tightly. The dragon knight wings on his back flapped, helping him fly into the air.