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

Unfortunately, Nian Zhuo's Time Spear Sword's gigantic form was also running out of time. With his magic power nearly depleted, the flames abruptly extinguished, and Nian Zhuo seemed unable to mount an effective attack.

—But there is one more person.

A striking red figure passed by Nianzhuo behind him.

"The rest is up to you, Your Majesty Nero!" she called out loudly as the falling Nencho was caught in Mashu's arms.

The primordial fire in his hand burned fiercely, and Nero's golden hair was blown about by the strong wind, like a fully blooming golden flower.

It shimmered with a golden hue under the sun.

Flames, the sun, and those beautiful, emerald-like eyes.

That was the last thing Romulus saw.

Then he felt Nero's slash at his chest.

Reunion with Rafe

"Ugh...!" His entire chest was pierced by the flames from Nero's sword.

Romulus growled in pain, but now that his magic and physical strength were exhausted, he had no way to continue fighting back.

Romulus, the builder and protector of Rome. He declared victory.

“This is… such… dazzling love. Nero.” Romulus looked down calmly at Nero, her golden hair, now freed from its restraints, dancing in the wind, so radiant.

"The eternal crimson and gold empire. It is now entrusted to you and your successors." With a smile, Romulus patted Nero on the shoulder, finally acknowledging Nero's resolve, which also meant that he recognized Nero Claudius as the fifth emperor of the Roman Empire.

"Never forget, Rome is eternal." With his blood-stained fingers, Romulus gently touched Nero's forehead, and Romulus's figure began to dissipate into golden particles.

"Therefore, the world must endure forever, and this must be remembered..." These were his last words to his successor. His figure turned into golden light, and the trees he had created around him vanished completely.

"The enemy Servant, Lancer Romulus, has been confirmed defeated. We have won." Mash finally breathed a sigh of relief after confirming with Dr. Roman through the communication device on her wrist that Romulus's Spirit Origin had been completely destroyed.

“You won, didn’t you… In that case…” Although Nero had long been prepared to defeat the god even if the god tried to stop her, she was still somewhat afraid when she actually slashed Romulus’s chest with her sword.

But only for a short while; she ultimately understood that she had to continue walking straight ahead. As the fifth emperor of Rome, and also as his acknowledged successor.

"...Hmm. Rome will surely be restored to its former glory." Composing himself, Nero began to smile and imagine Rome's future splendor.

“That’s roughly it.” Dr. Roman clapped his hands and called out to the exhausted group through the communication device, “We haven’t found the court magician yet. We need to go find the Holy Grail.”

"Hmm? The United Empire has already perished, right? Where did the magician go?" Nero was somewhat puzzled. Logically speaking, now that the United Roman Empire had been destroyed, the Holy Grail should have appeared.

“From a holistic perspective, that’s certainly correct.” Roman nodded in understanding. “But the Holy Grail hasn’t appeared yet. Could it be in the hands of that other bat monster? But without obtaining the Holy Grail, our objective cannot be achieved—”

"Wait, someone's here." Nian Zhuo, whose magic and physical strength were almost depleted, lay on the ground and suddenly smelled an unusual aura in the air.

"It doesn't seem to be a follower." Jing Ke, standing to the side, subconsciously gripped his dagger tighter, looking around for the source of the aura. "Found it!" Jing Ke said, pointing in a direction.

Romulus's attack destroyed most of the palace, but some ruins still stand.

On the broken throne sat a man wearing a green top hat.

"Rafe Lenore!" Nian Zhuo instantly mustered his strength and stood up with difficulty, shielding the others behind him. "Stay away, everyone. That guy is dangerous."

"...Oh dear." Seemingly still half asleep, Rafe smiled warmly, as if he'd just noticed everyone. "I didn't expect you guys could actually defeat Romulus." Then, he slightly opened his eyes. Rafe curled his lip in disdain.

"These mere Demi-Servants are quite capable." Lev's gaze lingered on Ritsuka and Mash for a few seconds. "They seem to have become even stronger since I first met them in Fuyuki—"

"However, you are merely Servants anyway. How pathetic, you can never overcome the power of the Holy Grail." A golden light flashed in his hand, and the Golden Grail, capable of granting any wish, appeared. Then, his gaze shifted slightly, and Lev's words abruptly ceased.

"Hey, good afternoon, Rafe Lenore." Nian Zhuo waved at him with a sneer. "I didn't expect my attack to fail to kill you. This time I won't miss."

"Nian Zhuo—!" Suddenly, Rafe's expression turned extremely ferocious, but then he returned to his smiling face. "Ah, good afternoon. I'm glad to see you."

Then, Rafe's eyes widened, and he grinned maliciously, sticking out his tongue.

"—Because it means that Mary, who's like a maggot, is still clinging to life! Hahahaha!"

"..." He subconsciously clenched his fists, and through the gaps between his fingers, he could see a pure white watch face being held tightly in his hand. "Damn it... I still can't fight him with my own strength..." The Evolto watch face in his hand seemed to be mocking his powerlessness, and Nian Zhuo silently gritted his teeth.

“Unfortunately, I’m not here to fight you, since you’re simply incapable of fighting—” Just as Rafe was about to say something confidently, he met Nian Zhuo’s dark eyes. “—After all, I have no need to fight you.”

— He changed his tune instantly.

"...!" Mash also silently gripped the shield in her hand.

“Is that guy a court magician? Then the Golden Cup he’s carrying is—” Nero pointed directly at Lev, who was sitting on the throne, still wondering if he was really the person Chaldea was looking for.

“Yes, that’s the Holy Grail.” Mash, while keeping an eye on Lev, explained to Nero beside her, “The shape seems to be exactly the same as the one we saw last time…”

"The court magician deliberately stood by and watched the emperor die in his moment of crisis." Repeating what Rafe had just done, Dr. Roman felt no goodwill towards this traitor. "Have you become quite adept at betrayal, Professor Rafe? Or is this simply your true nature? You seem far more energetic now than you were back in Chaldea."

“We can talk about that later…!” Even with almost no magical energy left, Ritsuka struggled to her feet. Pointing her right hand, now wielding only a single Command Seal, at Lev, she cried, “Hand over the Holy Grail, you despicable traitor! Lev Lenore!”

"Oh. You're speaking quite fluently now, young lady." With a smile returning to his face, though his eyes were narrowed, Ritsuka could still feel the other's uncomfortable gaze fixed on her. "I heard you were very active in France. Honestly—that's why I suffered so much!" Filled with resentment, Rafe dared not vent it on Nencho standing beside him, so he could only blame everything on that ordinary-looking orange-haired girl.

(Even as I write this, I think Rafe is such a jerk...)

"I should have been able to return to the temple long ago, but I was blamed for not being able to do even a simple errand and was kicked out again!" With his eyes wide open in anger, Rafe seemed to want to vent all his hatred on Ritsuka.

“In the end, I still have to clean up the mess of this era.” Rafe pressed down his hat reluctantly and said through gritted teeth, “Even the pleasure of bestowing the Holy Grail upon the fool who is worthy of it and watching the events unfold has been ruined.”

"...I see. Humans or heroic spirits capable of disrupting the order of time. Whenever the Holy Grail is bestowed upon such a person, the era itself will descend into chaos. That's what happened in France. But this time—"

“Yes, the progenitor of the gods, Romulus, did not wish for the destruction of humanity. Therefore—” Recalling the words Romulus left behind before disappearing, Mash understood why Lev had appeared.

"So you'll have to intervene yourself, won't you?" Though it was a question, Nian Zhuo was absolutely certain it was true. "However, I feel extremely sorry that I ruined your fun and prevented you from returning to that temple—"

"—That felt great, so comfortable. Sorry?" Nian Zhuo clapped his hands, but the smile on his face was incredibly obvious.

"How ironic, Professor Rafe," even Dr. Roman said, unusually sharp-tongued. "This means that in this era, there simply isn't anyone like you who betrays humanity!"

"Keep barking, you worthless trash." With a smirk, Lev's eyes widened, the Golden Cup in his hand swirling gently. "From the very beginning, I had no expectations of humanity. And neither did you, Fujimaru Ritsuka. Did you think that gathering a bunch of mediocre Servants, even if some were troublesome, would stop me, Lev Lenor?!" Lev grinned maniacally, like a madman.

"I'm not the same person I used to be...!" Looking quietly at Mash, Nero, Miss Jing Ke, and... Nian Zhuo beside her, Ritsuka clenched her fists. "Leif, what exactly is your purpose...!"

"Hmph, didn't I already say? My goal has already been achieved." Laughing maniacally, Rafe covered his face with one hand. "If you really want to ask, you should say it like this, Fujimaru Ritsuka."

"What kind of belief drives you to destroy humanity?" Like this, hahahaha! The maniacal laughter echoed repeatedly, and Rafe, as if possessing a split personality, would revert to his usual demeanor in the next moment. "However, even if you ask that, I have no reason or right to answer you. Besides, you've misunderstood. Retrieving the Holy Grail, repairing the Singularity, protecting humanity—protecting human reason? —Foolish!"

"You are powerless," the purple-haired man said almost frantically. "Resistance is futile. The outcome is already decided. You are meaningless, you are powerless!"

"Now! I will show you, the people who are about to perish miserably, the favor of my king!" The golden cup in his hand shone brightly and merged into Leif's body.

"Fu! Fu!" Fu Fu exclaimed in surprise, jumping onto Nian Zhuo's shoulder.

Light and magic flowed into Rafe's body like a torrent. His figure swelled larger and larger like an inflated balloon, finally bursting through the outer layer of "Rafe".

A tall, thick, twisted tentacle appeared before everyone's eyes.

Above the tentacles were countless bright red eyes, each with a cross-shaped symbol etched in the center, looking down at the diminutive humans.

"..." Mashu was so surprised by the scene that she couldn't say a word.

"What is that monster...!" Nero looked at Mash beside him but found her too shocked to utter a word. Then, his gaze returned to the monster, and Nero felt a wave of nausea wash over him. "Ugly! You are uglier than any monster in the world!"

"Rafe" laughed maniacally.

"Hahaha! Hahahaha! That's right, it is this very ugliness that will utterly destroy you!"

"...This reaction, this magic power...!" Roman was stunned by the high numbers on the screen in front of him. "Neither a Servant nor a Mystic! Is this—the reaction of the legendary true 'demon'...!?"

"Let me reintroduce myself, I am Rafe Lenore Floros!" A booming yet distorted voice exploded in everyone's ears. "One of the Seventy-Two Demon Gods! Demon God Floros—this is the King's Favor!"

The distorted sound echoed throughout this land of ruins and devastation in China.

A comet that shines like gold

"Legend has it that Solomon made a pact with Belial, one of the seven rulers of Hell, in exchange for handing over his soul to him after death. In return, he obtained the pact with the seventy-two demon gods in Belial's possession."

"Legend has it that the Demon Pillar named Floros is the sixty-fourth among the seventy-two Demon Pillars."

"It is said that it has two forms: one is a leopard, and the other is a human. When it is human, its eyes are like fire."

"He was a duke, and commanded thirty-six legions."

"It can understand the past and present, and predict the future."

"He will tell the summoner about the beginning of time, the beginning of the Holy Spirit, and the fall of the angels. He will be commanded to destroy the summoner's enemies, but will not be an enemy of other demons."

However, this information was of no use in fighting the Demon Pillar in front of them.

The demonic pillar before them, which called itself "Floros," was actually a gigantic, tentacle-like monster.

A single blow could cause the surrounding earth to tremble, and the ugly black and red monster could generate the magical power of an ordinary Servant with just its breath.

"How unpleasant... This appearance is simply evil!" Even Nero, who was human, could feel the overwhelming evil aura emanating from the Demon God Pillar Flauros, which made her feel so disgusted that she wanted to vomit.

“A massive, standing pillar of flesh…? And such powerful magic… Doctor!” Helpless, unable to even discern the exact numerical values, Mash could only seek confirmation from Dr. Roman, who was far away in Chaldea.

“…Floros, he did mention the seventy-two demon gods.” However, the doctor murmured as if lost in some memory, “Then the king he spoke of is—no, the information is insufficient. Besides, that's impossible. Demon gods don't actually exist!”

“…Fu…! Chirp chirp chirp!” As if trying to convey some message, Fu kept jumping back and forth on Nianzhuo’s shoulder.

"The details are completely unknown. However, he's a very dangerous guy." With the situation still unclear, the magic gauge on Roman's screen suddenly multiplied. "He's about to attack...! Defeat him on the spot!"

The battle has resumed, but even Nian Zhuo is not confident of victory against the unknown Demon God Pillar.

"...Could it be that I'm going to have to do it here?" He gripped the white watch face tightly, a grip strong enough to break any current stalemate. "But... do I have the resolve to do it?"

Floros wouldn't give him time to hesitate; the black and red eyes on his giant tentacle suddenly lit up.

The pitch-black flames spread outwards from the ground centered on him.

"Everyone! Get behind me!" Mashu raised her shield and stood in front of everyone, facing the oncoming black flames. At the same time, Ritsuka pulled Nencho, who was standing still and seemingly lost in thought, behind the shield.

Instantly, the black and red flames struck the shield, spreading outwards from it as a dividing line.

"Ugh...!" Mash was instantly pushed backward, her boots leaving long marks on the ground.

Too heavy, too intense, too unknown.

The giant shield in her hands was faintly heating up, and the flames seemed endless, constantly scorching the shield that Mash had raised.

It wasn't over yet; the eyes on Floros's body, not far away, once again emitted a scarlet light.

A black storm, carrying rubble from the surrounding ruins, rushed toward Mash, who was struggling to resist the flames.

Mashu's figure swayed like a lone boat in a storm, but her shield remained firmly in place.

The flames burned her palms, and the shield became scorching hot.