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

“I did nothing wrong, I made no mistakes…” Muttering to himself, Emperor Nero seemed somewhat moved by Alexander’s words. “I am unique… the emperor…”

"..." Mashu just lowered her eyes, looking troubled and unsure how to comfort Nero.

However, with the end of this battle, the area surrounding the capital of the united empire had all fallen into the hands of Nero's Roman Empire.

The soldiers cheered, jumped for joy, and embraced one another, surrounding their emperor.

“Your Majesty Nero.” Patting Nero’s shoulder, who was still muttering something, Nianzhuo still had the same 'comforting a little girl who’s not even an adult is such a hassle' expression. “I think instead of you being sad and lamenting here about whether you’re qualified to be an emperor, you should think about how to manage the territories you’ve conquered and recovered.” He pushed Nero forward with a forceful push.

"Ah...! What do you want to do, Qing—" Nero stumbled and almost fell. Just as she was about to question the man behind her, she looked up and her eyes were fixed on him.

Her proud army, the soldiers she led, were all gathered before her. Their eyes were filled with respect and admiration, and they had unwavering faith that the young woman before them could lead Rome to victory.

"--Hmm." The girl unconsciously tightened her grip on the primordial fire in her hand. Her gaze swept over the soldiers in front of her, suppressing her inner unease and doubts. The girl once again displayed her nobility and confidence. "In short, the time for the decisive battle has arrived!"

"Now is the time for us soldiers to unite as one! After this battle, we will surely reunify Rome!" He pointed his sword directly at the capital of the United Empire. "Those despicable self-proclaimed emperors, today is the day to destroy this sham Rome!"

In the distance, a dark mass of figures surged toward Nero's army once again.

As the two armies were about to clash, Nero's fiery red dress danced like a blazing sun, and her sword blade was also covered with a layer of dazzling flames.

"Fight, my remaining soldiers!" Flames soared into the sky as Nero charged ahead towards the enemy forces that were attacking again. "Take up my sword and crush all the imposters!"

"My sword is the origin of the fiery passion."

"The sound of swords and halberds is like the stars that surround the universe."

"Be deluded by this sound, then sing its praises and rejoice! My swords!"

"Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!" At that time, nothing could boost morale more than the praise and encouragement of their own emperor. The soldiers picked up their weapons again, shouting excitedly. They didn't seem like people who had just gone through a fierce battle.

“I can hear her voice and cheers even from here.” Dr. Roman, far away in Chaldea, scratched his head. “The soldiers’ morale is really high.”

In close combat, the battlefield descended into chaos once more, filled with shouts and the sounds of fighting.

However, Nian Zhuo and the other two remained to the side. Firstly, the recent battle and the burden of activating their final forms made Nian Zhuo want to relax for a while; secondly—

"The battle has begun." Mash gazed at the battlefield not far away, the uneven hills undulating, her breathing still somewhat rapid. "But I haven't sensed any Servants yet." Temporarily relieved, Mash turned around and patted Nianzhuo on the back.

"We'll be participating in the palace raid; it would be great if we could find that court magician..."

“Leve Lenore?” Ritsuka clenched her fists, the man’s disgusting face etched deeply into her mind.

“…” Nian Zhuo’s aura suddenly changed during his rest, but he withdrew it in an instant. “…Ah, that Rafe Lenore, I would like to see him again.”

(Because only then can I get my revenge for that blow.) With his brows furrowed, Nian Zhuo suddenly felt that he shouldn't rest now. "I still couldn't control my emotions." He rubbed his shoulders and prepared to stand up again and rejoin the battle.

"Ah, no. Mr. Nianzhuo, you can't join the battle yet." Mashu quickly stopped Nianzhuo, who had just stood up, but with a tremor in his calves, Nianzhuo had no choice but to sit down on the ground again.

"Also, regarding Rafe..." Mashu quietly observed Nencho's reaction, "There's no conclusive evidence, but it's highly likely."

"Yes, so Nencho, Ritsuka, and Mashu, the three of you must be extremely careful." Dr. Roman's eyes darted across the screen as he observed the turmoil of the battlefield while simultaneously speaking to the three. "If we encounter the holders of the Holy Grail, who knows what might happen? Last time they used the Holy Grail's power to summon dragons; there's no guarantee they won't use that power only for summoning Servants this time. And—" Dr. Roman wanted to say something more.

However, a bright red dot suddenly appeared on the screen, gradually approaching Nero's side.

"Wait, sense the Servant's reaction!" His fingers continued tapping on the screen. "They're very close; they should be able to see them up ahead!"

Yes, a man appeared on the battlefield facing Nero.

For some reason, there was no fighting around the man, and all the soldiers who looked at his face lowered their weapons.

The man walked slowly and leisurely, like a traveler, or perhaps like an emperor reviewing his army.

“…How valiant.” A powerful and steady voice slowly emerged from the man’s mouth as he surveyed the surrounding battlefield. His gaze finally settled on the blonde girl facing him.

“Truly valiant. This is what one deserves to be the ruler of Rome today.” The man did not hold back his praise, looking at Nero’s face, even the corners of his mouth slightly turned up.

"Hmm—" Nero paused the moment he saw the man's face.

"They've entered our range." Through the Servant's perspective, Mash also stood not far away, scrutinizing the unfamiliar man. "There's a burly man near the palace entrance. He's—speaking to us, and it seems His Majesty Nero heard him too."

Standing up abruptly, Nianzhuo naturally took in the image of the burly man.

His skin was a deep, bronze-colored, hardened bronze, his muscles taut. A metal ornament encircled his neck, and he wore a short,...? A magnificent helmet adorned his head. The man smiled as he gazed at Nero.

"You can hear each other from that far away on the battlefield?" Dr. Roman asked with a hint of envy. "Truly worthy of being a Servant, even your vocal cords are more developed than those of humans."

"So that's it. You're Nero." Gazing at the girl before him, the man's smile faded, and he admired her as if nothing had happened. "How lovely, how beautiful, what a radiant presence. No wonder you could support all of Rome with those slender arms."

After closing his eyes and thinking carefully, the man opened his arms to Nero.

"Come, come here." The man smiled and reached out his hand to the girl in front of him. "Past, present, and future. All of Rome loves you."

"What..." Nero murmured in surprise, still unable to recover from the shock of the man's face in front of him.

Because that face was so familiar, so majestic. Every Roman emperor must have heard of his name, recognized his face, and been acquainted with his exploits and epic tales.

“How…could this be…” Nero murmured, pointing a trembling finger at the man’s face. “That is…no…that’s not right…”

"It's absolutely impossible... for such a thing to happen..." The pain in her head brought Nero back to some semblance of reason. She covered her throbbing head with one hand, but her other hand remained pointed at the man opposite her. "No, that's not right... but..."

"Miss Nero?" Mashu ran up to Nero, panting, and immediately noticed Nero's furrowed brow. "You don't look well. Have you been under some kind of spell—"

"No, I didn't sense any magical effect." Dr. Roman was busy analyzing the identity and attributes of the Servant in front of him. "It shouldn't be a spell cast, or a Servant's skill."

"Then what is it—" Mashu looked at Nero anxiously, wondering what was wrong with her.

"Your Majesty Nero, do you know that man?" Pointing to the figure of the man standing motionless opposite her, Ritsuka noticed that Nero's body was even trembling slightly. "Why are you so afraid?"

“This—” After a brief moment of comprehension from their conversation, Nero tilted his head, unsure how to explain. “Rome…that is…that nobleman is…” His hands trembled, the flames on the Primordial Fire had long since died out, and Nero could hardly believe it.

"I only glanced at him, but—I already understood…that distinguished person was…"

"Rome..." In the end, a vague yet clear answer was given.

God Ancestor Romulus

“You should understand, Nero.” The man seemed to see through Nero’s inner turmoil, and stood still with his arms outstretched. “Come, come here. Return to the embrace of my [Rome], my dear child.”

"It is I, [Rome]." Holding a massive, thick weapon with flame-like spray of red hair at its tip, the man spoke slowly, "I, [Rome], am the leader of the United Empire. Join me. I forgive you, I will forgive everything. I, [Rome], will cherish even the beast within you. Only I, [Rome], can do that."

“Hmph, that’s right----” Suddenly, the man raised his arms, standing in a “Y” shape. “I am Rome.”

“Ah…ah ah…” Facing a face that should only exist in memories and history, Nero had no fighting spirit whatsoever. “You…no, you are…I thought…you alone could never…I thought so…” The primordial fire dimmed even more than before, and the tip of the sword hung limply on the ground. “I believed, I wanted to believe…but you actually stood in front of me! The true founding king of Rome!”

“God Ancestor, Romulus…!” Nero called out the name of the man before him, his lips trembling.

The current battle situation is unprecedentedly unfavorable for Nero, and the group has no choice but to take refuge in the fortress that Alexander had previously guarded.

“Mr. Nianzhuo, a wave of enemies is approaching! Their target is probably His Majesty Nero!” Mashu listened to Dr. Roman’s information through the communication device while looking at Nianzhuo, who was at the back.

"...There's no other way, we can only fight back while retreating!" Ritsuka glanced at Nero, who was still out of sorts, and then looked at Nencho at the back. "Nencho-san! I'm counting on you to cover the rear and provide support!"

"Okay, don't worry about leaving it to me." Nian Zhuo clapped his hands and transformed back into Zi-O's basic form. "Although my stamina hasn't fully recovered, it should be more than enough to deal with these grunts."

He gripped the Time Gunsword in his hand, its gleaming silver muzzle aimed at the enemies that kept surging behind him.

“However, rather than wasting energy fighting you guys.” He took the wizard’s watch from his pocket and quickly placed it on the gun. “This mowing-down style looks more comfortable and impressive.”

"Flame Fire Suresure Shotting----" The flames representing the crimson magician surged from Nian Zhuo's gun barrel.

Pull the trigger, and flames engulf the approaching enemies.

The earth scorched, the enemy burned, and the flames melted everything.

However, this was accompanied by a further reduction in the magical power within Nian Zhuo's body, causing his legs to buckle.

"Hiss..." Only now did Nian Zhuo realize that he didn't have much magic power. "If I had known, I would have switched to Wizard form and used Musou again... This time I really lost a lot of money---" His vision was a little blurry, and Nian Zhuo covered his heavy head.

However, the enemy won't kindly come up and ask you what's wrong.

The allied soldiers who rushed over were at a loss as to how to deal with the flames released by Nian Zhuo, and now the terrifying magician was kneeling on the ground with a look of utter despair.

The allied soldiers approached cautiously, but were forced back by Nian Zhuo's spear-sword, which had transformed into a sword.

However, this test also revealed that Nianzhuo was indeed unable to unleash that terrifying flame.

"The opportunity has come." Every soldier thought this, and they quickly raised their weapons, about to cut down Nian Zhuo's neck.

Of course, it's impossible to cut it. ----by the author

"Thump----" It wasn't the sound of his own weapon striking the magician's neck. The city wall not far from the soldier was suddenly shattered by two tall figures, and at the same time, a large number of allied soldiers were also lifted into the air and then crashed heavily to the ground.

"Huh---?" Nero's Roman soldier was stunned. The soldier who had just been fighting him was now lying unconscious on the ruins. "What... happened?" Then he belatedly noticed the two figures in front of him.

What came into view was a hard, orange-red suit of armor and a halberd planted on the ground.

"--!-----!" One of the tall men roared, his armor clanging with the immense power hidden beneath.

The figure on the other side was simpler; all that could be seen was a huge muscle.

"Hahaha." With dark golden hair and straitjacket-like decorations all over his body, the man laughed incessantly. "Hahahahahahahaha. The time for liberation has come. Now let me use this will and this body to swing the hammer at the tyrant!" With a loud thud, a large number of enemies around him fell down.

Who else could these two figures be besides Spartacus and Lu Bu, who left the team early on?

"The generals are back!" the Roman soldiers cheered. Their already low morale soared with their return. "Victory is ours! His Majesty the Emperor's glory endures forever!!"

Of course, since the two berserkers who were said to have run far away had returned, Boudica, who had been captured by the magician and taken to the fortress, was naturally awakened by Jing Ke.

However, as for why they arrived at the battlefield a step later than the berserkers, it can only be said that the magic cast by the sorcerer was too powerful, causing Boudica to sleep soundly and deeply. [It wasn't because she was too comfortable or anything, you know?] The cavalryman later remarked.

"...So that's how it is, the founding king." Boudica and Jing Ke, gathered around Ritsuka, were both somewhat shocked as they listened to Ritsuka's report.

Boudica glanced discreetly at Nero, who was talking to the soldiers, and sighed with a hint of disappointment.

"Is that why you look like that? Such a gloomy expression can affect the morale of the soldiers."

“Emperor Nero?” Jing Ke also looked in Nero’s direction, but his conclusion was completely opposite to Boudica’s: “She doesn’t seem depressed at all. She’s currently traveling around the battlefield encouraging the soldiers, so there shouldn’t be any problems.”

"Sigh~ Although she seemed cheerful, her radiance was much dimmer than usual." Boudica pouted, unusually worried. "Anyway, thankfully our opponents are human soldiers, and the enemy leader is still hiding in the palace… If she loses her composure when that big guy reappears, we'll be in trouble." {Romulus fan furious}

Finally, Boudica looked at the battlefield where a bloody battle was taking place not far away, and raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Speaking of which, the morale of the Allied soldiers is incredibly high. Those soldiers are all ready to die." With her sharp eyes, she even spotted several civilians in the fortress dressed in everyday clothes. "Not only that, even those ordinary civilians think they are soldiers and volunteer to attack our soldiers. That must be due to the leadership charisma of that guy called the God Ancestor. The soldiers and civilians are like moths drawn to a flame."

"The enemy's situation..." After a brief assessment, Jing Ke nodded unhappily. "Indeed. I had a feeling about it before. The allied forces are quite blind, which perhaps proves that they are under strict rule and command." Jing Ke had absolutely no liking for this kind of ruler.

"However, our morale seems to be very high." Even though the enemy has an almost brainwashing-like charisma, our side has not shown any signs of weakness. "Nero also... seems no different from usual."

"Is...that so?" Mashu's attention had been focused on Nianzhuo, and she belatedly blushed.

As if afraid of being misunderstood, Mashu also shifted her gaze to Nero, who was not far away.

"Ahem, I can sense it a little bit too." Mashu seemed to sense Nero's aura weakening as well. "Her domineering presence... or rather, the feeling she gives off... always feels... a little bit dark."

“The founding king, Romulus, was the emperor of the United Empire… This must have been a huge blow to her.” Recalling the figure of that tall man, Mashu felt a chill run down her spine.