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

"Eh, is the doctor planning to publish something...?" Ritsuka asked with a hint of curiosity. "But isn't that prohibited?"

"That's right." Admitting this fact readily, Dr. Roman lamented that the tip for Magical Girl? Meryl had dwindled again, then steered the conversation back on track. "Let's talk about something serious. Suppose you successfully save the world. I've thought a little about what would happen after that. Even if we save the world, we can't change the tragedy that Chaldea suffered, can we?" Nian Zhuo, listening nearby, twitched his fingers slightly.

"In other words—" He spoke in a serious tone, and everyone couldn't help but listen attentively.

"We can't guarantee our wages!" The doctor's tone was very serious and pained, but it wasn't anything important. "I don't need to say anything more after that, right?"

"That's it?" Surprised by the doctor's thoughts, Nian Zhuo felt that he was a fool for the doctor to be seriously considering the future.

“I see, it's all about being prepared,” Mashu said earnestly, offering advice to the doctor. “But why doesn't the doctor do manual labor?” {The unspoken meaning: Once they get back, Dr. Roman will be relieved of his easy job as a doctor and forced to do heavy manual labor.}

"Ah, yes... I'm sorry. Just kidding. I was just kidding." The doctor quickly changed his tone. "In the face of an apocalyptic crisis, there's no point in playing these little tricks, is there? Rome is facing a war. I was just choosing the best approach to accurately assess the situation."

“I understand your intentions perfectly.” Mashu said, unfolding the notebook in her hand, gripping both sides as if to tear it to shreds. “Then I will destroy this diary as soon as possible.”

[Diary: I was terrified at the time; the word "danger" appeared above my head.]

"As for the combat records, I will hand them over to Da Vinci afterwards," Mashu said with a smile, completely blocking any possible escape routes for Dr. Roman.

"Very good, the results of proper education are very gratifying!" Roman said through gritted teeth, tears almost streaming down his face. "Damn it! Nianzhuo! You should try to persuade her too!"

“Mash, you’re absolutely right.” With one hand holding the direction, Nianzhuo used the other to pat Mash’s head. “But it would be such a waste to throw it away.”

"..." Mashu stared wide-eyed, looking completely bewildered.

"Fou?" Fou's gaze shifted back and forth between Nianzhuo and Mashu.

"Hmm, what's wrong? What are you all talking about?" Emperor Nero, who had been offline for a while, couldn't help but catch up, somewhat surprised by the strange atmosphere among them. "Nianzhuo, and Ritsuka and Mashu. You all always seem so happy. Take me with you too."

"Hey~." Boudica, in front of us, tapped her wooden shield with the hilt of her sword and shouted, "There's no time to play now, we've spotted the enemy!" She looked like an older sister who wanted to discipline her disobedient younger siblings.

"Ah, indeed." Dr. Roman looked at the few small red dots on the screen in front of him. "There are multiple reactions. Unaffiliated reactions. They should be ordinary troops."

"Hmm..." Nero stomped her feet unhappily like a little girl. "It's rare to have a chance to talk... I'm so bored..." She then grasped the Primal Flame in her hand, regaining her composure. "But it's alright, let's crush them first. The allied forces' enemy soldiers are not to be feared! Surrender is acceptable! If they are willing to submit to my Rome, I will spare their lives!"

“My Rome…?” Boudica frowned slightly.

"Hmm?" Emperor Nero felt a scrutinizing gaze on him, but when he looked around, he could not find the source of the gaze.

“Then, Mr. Nianzhuo and Master, let’s go too!” Mash interrupted Nero’s thought of continuing the search in time. “As long as we defeat the vanguard, we can demoralize the enemy.”

"Don't stop here, okay?" Ritsuka instructed the two Servants in front of her.

"Understood, understood." Nian Zhuo clapped his hands and instantly switched to Zi-O's basic armor.

“Yes…then I’ll go!” Mashu nodded and rushed forward with her.

It's gone...it's all gone.

For some reason, the United Empire consistently sent ordinary soldiers to fight against the Roman Empire's army. Along the way, they encountered neither "Emperor" Servants nor even ordinary enemy Servants like King Leonidas. Only small groups of troops resisted the Roman army, which possessed seven Servants. Naturally, they were completely suppressed, and with the help of these seven Servants, the Roman army suffered negligible losses in these battles.

Without further ado, the Roman army once again won the battle without a single casualty, and the enemy's so-called reconnaissance force was completely wiped out by a few followers.

On the other side, Nero and Jing Ke were gathered together, discussing something.

"...In conclusion, the allied forces no longer have a clear command." For Jing Ke, an assassin, intelligence gathering was far more effective than fighting on the front lines. "So far, all that has happened has been battles with enemy forces encountered by chance. It's fair to say the situation is quite clear." Having obtained valuable intelligence, Jing Ke couldn't help but continue speaking with a smile.

"Hmm!" Nero's ahoge perked up, even more excited by this long-awaited good news. "That means my army has regained its true power! No, I still have Nianzhuo and Mashu under my command. Those traitors are no match for my army!"

Unexpectedly, Jing Ke rejected her idea, and his tone even became very serious and dangerous.

“Underestimating the enemy can be fatal, Nero Claudius,” Jing Ke said, emphasizing each word. “No, sometimes even without any flaws, death can still occur. The defenses of the Allied capital remain strong, which is why our forces are relatively vulnerable.”

"Hmm... Hmm." Nero's ahoge drooped down a bit, and her tone even carried a hint of weakness. "Jing Keqing is really cautious."

"Have you forgotten?" Jing Ke brandished the dagger in his hand, looking at Nero's ahoge, which had drooped a little more. "I originally made my living by assassination. I am good at using schemes, but I am also most wary of schemes."

"Hmm..." The ahoge on his head seemed to have completely lost its vitality, and Nero looked like he had learned his lesson and would dare to do it again next time.

However, we were just talking about a scheme, and now it has actually happened.

A messenger rushed to Nero's side, paused for a moment when he saw that his emperor looked displeased, and then hurriedly knelt down in front of the emperor and spoke anxiously.

"I dare to report to Your Majesty! Enemy troops have been spotted ahead, and enemy troops have also been spotted behind!" The first half of the sentence was within everyone's expectations, but the second half completely surprised the people around them.

"The rear...?" Mashu looked puzzled. The battle had clearly taken place in the rear, and everyone only continued marching after confirming that no one had escaped. So where did these enemies come from...?

"...Oh no, this is a big problem." Nian Zhuo, who had been offline for a long time, was uneasy as soon as he reconnected. "Who's guarding the rear now...?"

"I remember, the rear is defended by General Lü Bu, and General Spartacus is also there." At this moment, Dr. Roman's communication also came through intermittently. "This is bad, if this continues—"

"This situation is a bit troublesome." Jing Ke couldn't help but frown, but what worried her wasn't the enemies flanking from behind. "Once the battle begins, those two will pursue the enemy to the ends of the earth..."

Lu Bu and Spartacus, both Berserker-class Servants, possess immense stat boosts but also a fatal flaw—they're too reckless. These two Servants are the type who, once a battle begins, will relentlessly pursue their objective. This trait makes them excellent at chasing enemies, but it's also their easiest weakness to exploit.

—At least for them, the strategy of luring the enemy into a trap has a 1000% success rate.

“That’s why I arranged for them to be stationed in the rear to prepare for the upcoming capital campaign…” Nero bit his thumb, his brow furrowed. “I didn’t expect the result to backfire.”

"We absolutely cannot let the generals get lost now!" Turning back to the three who were already prepared for battle, Nero solemnly said, "I'm counting on you! Nencho, Ritsuka, and Mash. I'm leaving you all to it!"

"Understood. All we need to do is hold off the enemy forces behind us, right?" Nian Zhuo clapped his hands, summoning his motorcycle. "But... if possible, defeating them outright would be fine too." He then patted Mash's shoulder, a smug look on his face. "Don't worry, defensive combat is Mash's forte."

“However, this is only…relatively speaking,” Mashu quietly added from the side.

"You two, please don't overexert yourselves, okay?" Ritsuka still gave the two people in front of her some advice, but after receiving their affirmative reply, she felt a little relieved. "Then let's hurry up and go!"

"Yes, Master!" Ritsuka and Mash immediately jumped onto the back of the motorcycle, and the bright silver body shot off like an arrow.

"Eee-ya--!!!" Well, it seems Ritsuka really isn't suited for racing.

Fortunately, when they arrived at the rear, the battle had just begun.

Lu Bu and Spartacus were very conspicuous in the war, shuttling back and forth in the enemy's offensive and constantly reducing the number of enemies.

Lu Bu brandished his halberd, his immense strength bringing with it a terrifying aura. The halberd moved with tremendous force in his hands, even changing its shape.

"――!――!――!"

One moment it's a powerful, heavy hammer, the next it's a rock-solid shield, and then it even transforms into a longbow, its fiery arrows shrouding distant enemies in smoke. But what's most astonishing is that no matter what form the weapon takes, Lü Bu can wield it skillfully.

Love! Love! Love!

In comparison, Spartacus's battles were far more brutal. His dagger was also a weapon of immense power, but Spartacus employed pure violence, a style of fighting where wounds were exchanged for wounds. Surrounded by numerous enemy soldiers, the wounds inflicted on Spartacus's body didn't even heal as quickly as they had appeared.

"...Hmm, shall I go?" At this moment, Nian Zhuo was swinging the sword in his hand while retreating, and then the strong wind behind him made him run to the left.

"Crack crack—" The earth cracked open as the giant hammer smashed through it. It turned out that Nian Zhuo had somehow run into Lu Bu's fighting range while fighting. As a berserker, he naturally thought it was an enemy and instinctively threw a hammer at him.

"Hmm—?" After carefully recognizing that they were friendly forces, Lü Bu tilted his head and was quickly drawn to the enemy that had sprung out from behind him again.

"Phew...that almost scared me to death." Standing up and dusting himself off, Nian Zhuo casually transformed the Time Gun Sword into its gun form, knocking away the soldier who tried to ambush him.

On the other side, Mash and Ritsuka's teamwork has also improved noticeably. Under Ritsuka's guidance, Mash's combat skills are constantly improving. The large shield in her hand, combined with her very agile figure, looks very easy. However, the enemies who are directly knocked away by that shield know very well just how terrifying the shield is.

The battle was about to end with a few minor mishaps, but overall it was harmless.

Dudu lulu lulu~

Even after the battle was over, Nian Zhuo was still somewhat surprised.

Lu Bu and Spartacus together took on the majority of the enemy forces, leaving only a drop in the ocean for the remaining enemies.

"Phew... This is truly the easiest battle I've ever participated in..." Standing there, still somewhat absent-minded, he suddenly felt the ground tremble slightly again.

"Um……?"

"The enemy forces were routed, and all the monsters were wiped out." Mashu let out a long sigh of relief, wiping non-existent sweat from her brow. "Finally—"

Before the words were finished, the enemy's roar came again from afar.

"It's not over yet! There's another massive reaction!" Dr. Roman shouted anxiously as the screen, which was empty a second ago, was filled with a huge number of red dots the next. "What's going on? It's even more ferocious than before!"

"Let's continue the fight! You two." Ritsuka said, once again activating the emergency support magic on her Mystic Code, casting a crimson light on Mash and Nencho.

"Yare yare." Feeling the increase in power, Nian Zhuo reluctantly charged into the enemy formation again.

However, it seemed that the enemy had planned this all along. Lu Bu and Spartacus, who should have been the main force, were surrounded by a large number of enemy troops and separated from each other. The remaining enemies rushed towards Nian Zhuo's side without hesitation.

"...I never thought I'd be used as a weak point by the enemy." With a sigh, Nian Zhuo's right hand had already grasped the Wizard watch face. "Since it's a group attack...then this watch is better."

"Rider Time! Kamen Rider Zio!! Armor Time! Please! Wizard!"

The crimson Hope Mage descended once more. Nian Zhuo felt the surging magical power coursing through his body and flipped the driver at his waist again.

"Finish Time---" "Mash! Hold on for three seconds!" Nian Zhuo shouted to Mash beside him, his figure rising into the air with the support of magic.

"Understood!" After a pause, Mashu raised her shield and charged into the enemy ranks without hesitation.

"Three—" he muttered to himself as he counted down, and the outline of the huge crimson magic circle behind him began to appear.

"Two---" The enemies on the other side, upon discovering that the shield-bearer charging towards them actually looked like a young girl, all roared and brandished their weapons as they rushed toward Mashu, only to be knocked away by the girl's heavy shield.

"One--" The magic circle behind him completely solidified into a physical form, and Nian Zhuo's surging magic power condensed into a bright red entity. Looking at the enemies below who were all focused on Mashu, he shook his head regretfully.

"So, this is it? You have to attack that taunt minion...?" "Mash! Get out of the way!"

"Understood!" The next moment, Mash knocked the enemy in front of her away again and dodged to the side.

"Our magic transforms into the crimson flames of hope."

"Turning to ashes to become bait for our victory—"

"Flame Fire Breake" - [The Flame That Shatters the Burning Blaze]

The magic circle behind him shone brighter and brighter, finally attracting the attention of the enemies on the ground, but it was too late.

The blazing orb in his hand radiated waves of heat that distorted the surrounding air, and scorching flames shot out from Nian Zhuo's hand.

The ground was scorched, the moisture in the earth evaporated instantly, the soil turned into smoke and dust, and the sand gradually transformed into clear glass, enveloping the enemy in crimson flames.

The armor melted, and the weapons could not stop the burning flames.

The scorching crimson flames that descended from the sky instantly drew the attention of everyone around, only to be swiftly extinguished by Lu Bu and Spartacus with a roar.

The battle ended abruptly, and the remaining enemy forces hastily retreated.

"Finally... we held them off." For some reason, the doctor emphasized the word "defense." "The remaining enemy forces seem to have retreated as well. Good job. Nianzhuo, Ritsuka, and Mashu. You managed to protect Lu Bu and Spartacus. That was close. Let's catch our breath."

"Indeed... I've used up a lot of magic, I'm so tired..." Lying on the ground, Nian Zhuo looked like he was about to die. "I need Mashu to kiss and hug me before I can get up..."

“Ah, Mr. Nianzhuo…” Mashu’s cheeks suddenly turned red as she hid herself behind the shield.

"...The battle isn't over yet. As your temporary teammate, I hope you can stay focused." Jing Ke glanced helplessly at Nian Zhuo on the ground. "From now on, we must be extremely vigilant about the rear. It seems the enemy has already figured out our army's characteristics."