A Villain's Journey Begins in the Type-Moon World

"Haha, I hope so. That way, at least we can have some peace of mind... But Mashu, let's not get our hopes up. Don't forget what Mr. Wang Chong taught us."

Ritsuka, mimicking Wang Chong's tone, said seriously:

"Don't always think that I'll cover for you... Otherwise, if you become dependent on me, and a situation arises that even I can't stop, are you just going to sit here and wait to be slaughtered? Hehe, that's roughly the idea."

“You’re right. Mr. Wang Chong always teaches us at crucial points. The path to saving the world is destined to be arduous, and unexpected events always follow one after another. If we are not prepared to fight to the end and do our best, we are destined to never achieve this result.”

Mashu nodded and said seriously.

"Alright, we've finished eating. Mashu, are you ready?" Ritsuka stood up and said seriously.

“Yes, senior, let’s set off together towards the new singularity.” Mashu nodded and said with a smile.

"Towards a new singularity!" Ritsuka also threw a punch, still maintaining her bright smile.

……

"Good morning, everyone. Although it's just the two of you, and..."

"Haa~ yawn~... Good morning, the technical department is currently analyzing the Holy Grail that was brought back."

In the spirit transfer room, Dr. Roman greeted them as usual, while Da Vinci, yawning, also appeared in Mashu and Ritsuka's line of sight.

This time, only Dr. Roman and Leonardo da Vinci are in charge of the spirit transfer, while the technical staff are currently busy analyzing the Holy Grail.

Of course, this Holy Grail was given to Chaldea by Wang Chong for research. And after two months of nurturing in the Terra world, the contamination on it has been eliminated.

While it was a bit of a stretch for a logistics team of only two people, this was fortunately their fourth time performing this kind of spirit transfer. Currently, barring any major unforeseen problems, the doctor alone was sufficient to repatriate Ritsuka and Mashu.

Soon, Dr. Roman informed Mashu and Ritsuka about the singularity they would be transferring to this time. This time, the singularity they would be traversing was ancient Rome in the first century AD.

"This transfer should be largely the same as the first singularity. There is probably another entity that has obtained the Holy Grail and distorted history. Although we don't know what kind of impact it has had on history."

"Dr. Roman said with some regret."

“It’s alright, leave these matters to me and my senior to investigate,” Mashu said.

"Yes, that's the kind of spirit you need. You're truly reliable," Dr. Roman said with a smile. "The key points of this operation are the same as last time: retrieve the Holy Grail and correct history. The responsibility for the continuation of human history rests on your shoulders. I hope you will succeed this time as well."

"Of course, the most important thing is that you must return safely."

"Okay, we'll definitely go back to Chaldea," Ritsuka nodded earnestly. (The remaining text appears to be gibberish and unrelated to the previous sentence.)

"I will provide you with support to the best of my ability. That's the only thing I can promise you, Mash, Ritsuka..."

As he spoke, Dr. Roman seemed to hesitate, but ultimately only said:

"It's getting late, Ritsuka, Mashu. Let's proceed with the spirit transfer! I look forward to seeing how you perform this time."

“…Doctor.” Mashu seemed to notice Dr. Roman’s momentary hesitation and wanted to ask something, but Ritsuka was already in position and Dr. Roman had retreated to the activation position to start the spirit particle transfer device.

The broadcast continued to ring out, and under the watchful eyes of Dr. Roman and Leonardo da Vinci, Ritsuka and Mashu performed another spirit transfer.

"Ha... I feel so guilty." Seeing that the two had left his mind, Dr. Roman finally breathed a sigh of relief, looking utterly overwhelmed.

"How embarrassing, Romani Archimerini. You were almost about to say something, weren't you?" Leonardo da Vinci's weariness had vanished, replaced by renewed energy, as he spoke slowly.

"There's no way around it. When we think about what they're going to face next, it's really hard to put on a cheerful face. We're the ones in the know, but we have to pretend we don't know anything."

Dr. Roman shook his head and said.

"This is part of growth, I suppose. Although I also think that person went a bit too far. Let's wait and see, perhaps Ritsuka will once again exceed our expectations," Leonardo da Vinci said slowly.

……

"Ugh... Have we arrived? Why does the sky seem a bit dark?"

After the spirit transfer was complete, Ritsuka opened her eyes and looked around. However, the scene before her surprised her; the sky was shrouded in dark clouds, with only a few rays of light shining down.

The visibility in the surrounding environment was extremely low, almost indistinguishable from nighttime.

"Is it going to rain, or is it just because it's nighttime?" Ritsuka couldn't help but say. "And we were supposed to be in Rome? Why did we move to the middle of nowhere? Doctor—"

"Dudu-"

At that moment, the sound of a communication device rang out beside them.

"What's wrong? What's wrong? Ritsuka, Mashu, have you successfully transferred?" Dr. Roman's voice reached Ritsuka's ears, which reassured her a lot.

"Doctor, what's going on here..." Mash explained the general situation around her.

"You've been teleported somewhere outside the capital of Rome. It seems the accuracy needs further calibration. The era should be correct; it's Rome in the first century AD."

Dr. Roman explained, "Based on the timeline you've traveled to, it should be the era of Nero Claudius, the fifth emperor of the Roman Empire."

"But... why are there dark clouds? There don't seem to be any historical events related to heavy rain. Besides the darkness around us, are there any other distinguishing features?"

Upon hearing this, Mashu carefully observed her surroundings again, and suddenly, she heard a faint sound coming from a certain direction.

"Wait, something seems to be happening! There's some noise coming from that direction, it sounds like a battle," Mash said.

Chapter 106: The Roman Empire Shrouded in Black Fog

Upon hearing the clamor of battle, Mash immediately assumed a fighting stance.

"Senior, there's an unexplained fight ahead... Doctor, can you help us pinpoint what's going on up there?"

Mashu couldn't help but say.

"Let me see... Ha, how can there be so many?" Dr. Roman's tone was full of surprise.

"What exactly happened, Doctor?" Mashu asked.

"There's a large number of monsters ahead... the key is that there are too many, at least over a thousand."

Dr. Roman said in surprise:

"The other side fighting those monsters is the normal human life force, which should be the Roman Empire's army. But what exactly is going on? Why is there such a massive monster tide at this time?"

"More than a thousand?"

Upon hearing this number, Mash couldn't help but show a worried expression. Clearly, Mash didn't have enough confidence to handle such a scale.

“But we can’t just stand here and watch… If, as the doctor has deduced, this is the outskirts of the Roman capital, then there is no doubt that the enemy intends to use monsters to destroy the capital, thereby achieving their goal of erasing the history of the Roman Empire.”

After thinking it over, Ritsuka immediately made a judgment:

"We cannot sit idly by and wait for our demise. Whether it is to combat this anomaly or to successfully make contact with the Roman Empire later, we must help this army in front of us."

After hearing Ritsuka's explanation, Dr. Roman nodded and said with certainty:

"Hmm, it seems we have no choice but to fight them. Mash, Ritsuka. The enemy is a large number of magical beasts. Don't think you can defeat them all at once. What you need to do is create an opportunity for this Roman army to win."

"Understood!" The two nodded in agreement, and then headed together toward the source of the fighting sounds.

After walking for a short while, they saw firelight ahead, which vaguely illuminated the figures of the monsters. Fortunately, even without the firelight, Mashu and Ritsuka, who had undergone special training, could still see the terrifying horde of monsters in the dim light.

"Wyverns, skeletons, dragon-toothed soldiers, zombies... these are all old foes." Mashu glanced around; several monsters she had fought before were present.

"It seems there are more than just these; there are also some enormous golems that look like they're made of mud or stone," Ritsuka remarked, looking at the burly figures among the monsters.

“It should be an artificially synthesized puppet… This method… Strange, does the enemy have modern magicians? Ah! Could it be that Rafe is from this era!” Dr. Roman said immediately, as if he had just realized something.

“That possibility cannot be ruled out. In that case, we should step in to help the Roman army even more, senior.” Mash said, looking at Ritsuka.

"Okay! Let's go, Mashu!" Ritsuka immediately gave the battle order.

……

"How did things get to this point?..."

Nero wiped the blood from her face and gazed blankly at the dark, misty sky. A few days earlier, she had learned the truth, and on that very day, "divine judgment" descended upon the territory of the Roman Empire.

"No! I must pull myself together... Rome must be held up by me! I am the fifth emperor—Nero Claudius! I must lead all of Rome to overcome all difficulties!! Even divine punishment cannot defeat us!"

But Nero quickly made up his mind, took a deep breath, and then wielded the Primal Flame to kill another ferocious monster.

"Your Majesty Nero, our defenses are about to crumble! We have no way to break through those puppets' defenses!" a messenger said as he approached Nero.

"Let the shield bearers go first. Swords and spears are useless against these rocky monsters. Let the soldiers with blunt weapons like hammers and flails try to smash them!"

Nero immediately issued orders and gave commands.

"Yes!" The messenger immediately blew a rhythmic horn, and the Roman army, upon hearing the sound, began to change formation in unison.

"Just hold on for another half hour, and we'll have withstood this wave of monster invasion!" Nero thought to himself, calculating the time as he charged into the sky again to engage in a fierce battle with the most threatening dragons.

"boom!"

Just then, a loud crash came from the ground, making Nero turn his head. He saw a huge golem being knocked over and a figure carrying a strange purple round shield rushed forward and smashed the huge golem to pieces with the edge of the shield.

"What a powerful shield bash!" Nero's eyes lit up. At such a critical moment, the appearance of such a valiant figure in the army was indeed a cause for celebration for the emperor.

However, Nero did not focus all her attention on the ground. She first dealt with the dragon she had targeted, and then used her sword to pierce flesh to control the dragon's direction, causing it to stumble and crash into other dragons.

This was a technique Nero had learned on the second day, and with this move, he was able to eliminate many of these flying dragons in a short time.

When Nero rejoined the group, he was overjoyed to find that the warrior with the strange shield had smashed five large golems in a row. He immediately asked, "Whose general is this? How could he be so valiant?"

"I don't know? This person doesn't seem to be from our army," the messenger said involuntarily.

"Oh? Could it be that another warrior from another realm has appeared? I've encountered such examples before." Nero nodded as he recalled the capable individuals who had appeared under his command in the past few days.

"Your Majesty, with those demonic puppets destroyed, the defensive pressure on our front lines has been greatly reduced. It seems we have withstood this divine punishment," the messenger said.

"Hmm! Well done, but don't let your guard down. The war isn't over yet, and anything can happen at any moment! Especially since the enemy's general hasn't even made a move yet! We must maintain this momentum and crush them completely!"

Nero first offered a word of praise, then continued to issue commands methodically. Under Nero's command, the army relentlessly fought off the monsters' attacks, and the defensive line remained unbroken.

The ones who relieved Nero's pressure on the defensive line were none other than Mash and Ritsuka. Upon joining the battle, they immediately targeted the few but powerful golems, and through cooperation with the Roman soldiers, they eliminated golem after golem.

Although the Roman soldiers did not know Mashu and Ritsuka, they naturally regarded them as comrades without hesitation when they saw someone joining the support.

"Aren't you going to retreat? You've already taken care of those threatening golems." Ritsuka looked at the Roman army still putting up a fierce resistance around her, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

"Mash, how are you now?" Ritsuka asked, looking at Mash who was panting a little.

"It's alright, senior, I can continue fighting." Mashu wiped the sweat from her forehead, then held up her shield and pushed back some of the Dragon Fang soldiers who wanted to charge.

"How cruel... Is this what war is? Did the Roman commander intend to annihilate all these monsters?"

Dr. Roman also expressed his confusion at this moment, and continued:

"More importantly, Mash, Ritsuka, you need to be careful. I just detected a Servant's reaction behind the demonic beasts. It's very likely an enemy Servant. Keep an eye on my information to prevent them from sneaking up on you..."

"Wait?! This magical energy fluctuation! Watch out, Mash! Ritsuka! That enemy Servant is showing a strong magical energy reaction! This is the sound of a Noble Phantasm being unleashed! Get out of the way!!"

Upon hearing Dr. Roman's warning, Mashu and Ritsuka also showed a serious expression.

"Wait! What's that?!" Ritsuka saw a towering crimson beam of light shooting up from behind the monster horde.

"Could that be the Noble Phantasm release of an enemy Servant?! Ugh, this soaring magical power is even more terrifying than Mr. Siegfried's Noble Phantasm release before!"

Mashu looked embarrassed, and it was clear that the opponent's Noble Phantasm was about to affect them, and they couldn't possibly avoid it just by trying.

At that moment, the crimson beam of light shot towards them... no, it should be said that it was aimed at everyone on the entire battlefield, including the magical beasts. The magical beasts at the rear were the first to be affected, instantly annihilated by the crimson beam.

"Senior! Stand behind me!"

Mashu immediately made a judgment: since she couldn't dodge it, she might as well do her best to block the attack. Mashu held her shield up in front of her, and a bright blue shield shadow appeared, directly facing the sharp light cannon.

"Form ranks!! The divine general's attack is coming! Hold on! Don't die!"

Nero, however, did not allow his troops to flee. Instead, they lined up together, holding up their shields, to resist the incoming beams of light.

"boom!!"

Chapter 107: Mordred Appears

"boom!"

A huge explosion rang out, and a beam of crimson light shot straight up from the front line of defense.

Nero looked ahead and was surprised to find that it was still the same guy with the strange shield who had blocked the crimson beam of light head-on. He was overjoyed and said, "These heroes from other realms really do have extraordinary and powerful skills."

"Congratulations, Your Majesty, on gaining another valiant general," the messenger echoed.

"Hmm! We were able to reduce so many casualties this time, all thanks to that brave warrior. Pass the word down that once the battle is over, bring that warrior to me; I will reward him handsomely." (The rest of the text appears to be gibberish and unrelated to the previous sentences.)

Nero smiled happily, a rare moment of joy she hadn't experienced in days. A hero with unparalleled defense was far too important for Rome at this time.

Switching the perspective to Mash's side, Ritsuka cast enhancement and recovery spells on Mash, allowing her to withstand the attack.

When the beam of light ended, Mash almost collapsed, but Ritsuka caught her in time, and with the cover of the other Roman shield soldiers, the remaining surviving monsters prevented them from causing further damage to Mash.

"Mash... Mash! How are you?" Ritsuka continued to use the recovery magic she had mastered to restore Mash's body.

"Ugh... I'm fine, it's just that the power of that Noble Phantasm was too terrifying. When I first came into contact with it, I felt that it completely surpassed the light cannon that any of the Heroic Spirits I knew before could unleash."