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

"This is the best we can do for now. I hope Ritsuka can accept this reality." Dr. Roman sighed, then continued, "So, Your Majesty Nero, could you elaborate on the specifics of Judgment Day? How many emperors and their armies have already been destroyed?"

"If we include today, there should be four. I will have to wait until the meeting of the emperors to find out the specifics."

A shadow fell over Nero's face when the matter was mentioned.

"The Council of Emperors? What's that?" Mash couldn't help but ask.

"It was the Divine Ancestor who used himself as a magical medium to conduct a remote dialogue with us and confirm the situation among the emperors."

Nero explained:

"After all, Rome has now been divided into pieces by the Black Mist Wall. If different regions want to exchange information, they have to risk crossing the Black Mist Wall."

"There is almost no light inside, and the monsters emerge from there. People who go in almost never come back, let alone cross over."

"Is that so? The monster tide came from the Black Mist Wall, very important information." Dr. Roman nodded in confirmation.

……

Soon, the group arrived at Nero's palace, where Mash and Ritsuka were given temporary accommodations by Nero. Nero himself went alone to attend the Council of Emperors.

After Mashu and Ritsuka stayed at the residence, they had private space, which allowed her and the doctor to better organize the information they had gathered.

“Ha…this is the worst-case scenario,” Dr. Roman said bluntly in his first sentence.

"Doctor, have all the people associated with Mr. Wang Chong left Chaldea?" Mashu couldn't help but ask.

"Yes, we just had Leonardo da Vinci confirm it. Everyone connected to Mr. Wang Chong is no longer in Chaldea. It seems that when he made this decision, he secretly took everyone away."

Dr. Roman said with a serious expression:

"Things have come to this point, so we have to prepare for the worst. I believe you are all aware of that person's strength, and how troublesome they would be as an enemy. It would be almost impossible to complete the mission, although I don't want to say it like that."

"But now that we've come this far, we have to keep going, even if it's tough. I will firmly support you from behind, no matter what choice you ultimately make."

"Thank you, doctor. But on your end, senpai..." Ritsuka looked at Ritsuka again and said involuntarily.

"No, I...I'm fine." At this moment, Ritsuka had already raised her head. Although she said this, her somewhat red and swollen eyes clearly showed that she had been in a lot of pain from the journey.

Ritsuka wiped her eyes and slowly said, "I don't know why Mr. Wang Chong would disturb this singularity. I've thought more than once that maybe this is a test set up by Mr. Wang Chong to see if I can shoulder this great responsibility."

"Whether it's a real betrayal or not, I can't hesitate any longer. If I stay here, I'll never find out the truth. Why did Mr. Wang Chong do this? I want to find out the truth about this when I save the Singularity."

"Please, doctor, if you make any discoveries that might help with the current situation, please let us know immediately." (The rest of the text appears to be gibberish and unrelated to the previous sentence.)

"Ah... of course. It's so good to see you cheer up again, Ritsuka. You're such a strong girl... Well then, let's organize the information and see where to start."

Seeing that Ritsuka had regained some of her energy, Dr. Roman smiled gently at first, then his expression turned serious in the blink of an eye. He began to repeat all the information he had just received, and then extracted the important information.

"First, there's the time: today is already the fourth day, and the final judgment will come on the seventh day... It has a bit of a religious feel to it. Ahem, I digress. Anyway, excluding today, we only have three days left."

Dr. Roman's explanation made the two men feel the pressure. They had to uncover and resolve the truth about Wang Chong's sabotage of Roman history within three or four days, and neither of them felt confident.

"Then, the starting point is: whether we want to investigate the truth or find the spiritual veins to establish supplies, we cannot limit ourselves to the small area where Nero is located. Crossing the wall of black mist is practically a certainty."

"Crossing the wall of black mist? That's probably too risky. We've all been in that black mist before, and we know best how it blocks our senses."

Mashu frowned as she spoke.

“That’s true, so we must be fully prepared. I’ll also go back and look up some ways to deal with this special black mist power… Speaking of which, was that person’s black mist really created by magic? It feels more like an instinctive talent.”

Dr. Roman said:

"While I'm searching, you can also inquire about the Black Mist Wall. While you're at it, wait for the Emperor's meeting to end and ask her about what happened at the Emperors' Meeting."

"There is another matter, which is the other warriors from other realms that the emperor mentioned. Judging from her tone, she should be referring to those neutral Servants who answered the summons."

"You must understand that besides Wang Chong's own strength, those powerful Servants are also a hurdle we cannot overcome. We must unite the strength of everyone."

"In that case, there's something I find strange. Since Mr. Wang Chong is prepared to try all the Roman emperors, why are they so cooperative in accepting this trial game instead of uniting to resist?"

Ritsuka couldn't help but ask, "Even if there's a wall of black mist separating us, didn't Nero say there's something like the Council of Emperors to maintain communication? So surely we can unite and do something together?"

"Is it because they resisted but failed, and had no choice but to accept it? Or are they already doing it? In any case, you can ask His Majesty the Emperor about this later, and you should know the answer."

Dr. Roman gave it a perfunctory thought, but finding himself clueless, he shook his head and gave up.

Ritsuka and Mashu exchanged a glance; it seemed they would have to ask Nero again for more information.

"Alright, the trial war game is over for today anyway. According to Nero, that person still abides by the game rules he set. From this afternoon until eight o'clock tomorrow morning, there's no need to worry about any monsters attacking."

"Make good use of this time to conduct an investigation! I'm going to look up some information now, see you later."

After Dr. Roman finished speaking, he temporarily hung up the communication. Seeing this, Ritsuka immediately stood up and said, "Let's go, Mash. Time is of the essence. Let's go find those guards first and ask them for information about the Black Mist Wall."

"Yes, senior."

Mashu immediately followed Ritsuka out of the room and headed towards the outside.

Chapter 110: The Council of Emperors

"okay, I get it."

After listening to Mordred's report, Wang Chong's expression remained largely unchanged, as if he weren't worried about Chaldea's early arrival. This prompted Mordred to ask, "What should we do next?"

"Just do what needs to be done; it's not about the final outcome. Tell the children to prepare themselves on that island," Wang Chong said slowly.

“Okay.” Mordred nodded and was about to go down when Wang Chong called out, “Oh right, tell Arcueid that now that Chaldea has arrived, we don’t need to follow that guy and drive him away.”

“I see. I think Arcueid is getting tired of chasing that guy around too. She also asked me to pass on a message, asking when we can sneak into the city to eat something?” Mordred asked.

“Once we drive that person to Rome and let him escape, we can wander around the other two sunny cities. Anyway, she hasn’t shown herself as the Punisher of God, so we can hide without anyone noticing,” Wang Chong said slowly.

“Alright, I’ll head over there now. I’ll also see if there are any interesting guys I can spar with.” Mordred said with a smile, clearly still feeling a bit unsatisfied with the battle she had just fought.

"You... you already have this much strength, yet you still act like you're bullying a child," Wang Chong said, shaking his head helplessly.

"Hmph, when it comes to bullying children, everyone else can say that, but Master, I'm afraid you don't have the right to say that, do you?" Mordred couldn't help but complain.

"Well, it seems you've really gotten a bit cocky with your two 'fathers' away, Mordred. Even I'm starting to tease you. You look like you haven't expended enough energy. How about a martial arts demonstration tonight?" Wang Chong said with a smile.

"Forget it then! I haven't had enough rest yet!" Mordred's face turned red, and she fled from Wang Chong in a panic.

After Mordred left, Wang Chong gradually stopped smiling. Then, he appeared in the sky above the Sky Garden in a flash. Looking at the land shrouded in black mist, Wang Chong began to make adjustments.

"Alright, let me see what other tricks you have up your sleeve, Alaya. But speaking of which, do you only have two or three underlings? I eliminated the last one, and I know this new guy very well."

Wang Chong looked in a certain direction, where a disheveled figure was running through the wall of black mist towards the city of Rome.

……

Deep within the Roman palace

"No! They are my people, and I absolutely refuse to hand them over."

Nero rejected the remaining emperors' demands without hesitation.

"Those two are the only ones connected to that divine messenger. Whether it's true or not, if we can make good use of them, we might be able to use them to get rid of the divine messenger." (The rest of the text appears to be gibberish and unrelated to the initial statement.)

"Even if we can't defeat that guy with all our strength, we can at least use it as a threat. Maybe we can force him to cancel this damned death game!"

During the council of emperors, two Roman emperors made the following remarks.

“Foolish! Putting aside the authority of that divine messenger, you should have already witnessed it clearly! As for this matter of coercion, are you asking me to repay kindness with enmity and use them as bargaining chips? I will never allow such a thing to trample on the dignity of Rome!”

“Besides, I am the only emperor of this era—you are not qualified to order me around!” Nero replied without hesitation.

"Nero! Don't be so ungrateful! You really think you can..."

"Enough! Are all the emperors of later generations so incompetent? Even at a time like this, they still have to fight amongst themselves."

The emperor was about to say something when a deep voice interrupted him. The illusory image showed an emperor who appeared to be extremely obese.

But that aura of quiet authority silenced all the emperors who followed. This was because, though he held no imperial title, he was the founder of Rome's empire—Julius Caesar. (I really want to complain about how FGO depicts Caesar as a fat man.)

“I’m already in a bad mood today… Augustus is dead. Although I know he should have died in this era. So should I… so should you. We don’t belong to this era.”

Caesar said slowly:

"No matter how much we make a fuss, we will eventually return to where we belong. But Nero is different. She carries a much heavier burden than you. As she said, you are not yet qualified to give orders."

After saying this, Caesar looked at the tall figure in the center and slowly said, "Ancestor God, what is your opinion?"

As soon as Caesar finished speaking, all the emperors looked towards the center. Romulus slowly opened his eyes and said, "Child, do what you believe is right."

Upon hearing this, Nero breathed a sigh of relief. Although even if the God Ancestor had ordered her to hand it over, she probably wouldn't have made that choice. However, seeing that the God Ancestor supported her, she was still somewhat pleased.

"Time is running out. But I believe that Rome will not perish. Not even the gods, let alone demigods in the name of God, can take away its great achievements and glory."

"Let us give our love to the most dazzling light of this era—Nero, Rome is eternal, and the world will surely endure forever. Go and prove this to that demigod."

Following Romulus's words, the many emperors present offered their blessings to Nero. One by one, the phantoms dissipated, signifying the complete end of this council of emperors.

Nero exhaled, clenched her fist, and with renewed vigor, stepped out from the depths of the palace.

"Go check on those two." This was Nero's only thought after the meeting.

Looking back on this meeting, the first person to be discussed was the emperor who was eliminated today—Augustus (Octavian), the first emperor of the Roman Empire and the adopted son of Caesar.

Even Nero felt sorry for this... and the reason why they couldn't stop the beast tide was simply because Octavian's military group was inherited from Caesar.

After appearing in the world alongside Caesar, most of his military forces naturally returned to Caesar's control, with only a small portion remaining under his own command.

Even so, this founding emperor held on for three days, finally collapsing on the fourth. With Augustus's talent, he could have gone much further. Alas, human strength is limited.

After mourning the emperor, the emperors would share the spoils of the day's battles. Even the discovery of new, outstanding talents from other realms would be shared.

Naturally, Nero wasn't surprised; she revealed the details of the two Chaldeans. And the result was the events that just occurred.

Fortunately, Nero didn't need to worry about how to deal with the two. Now, Nero regarded them as his guests, his saviors in the final three days of the trial, and also, because of their status, as the key to breaking the deadlock.

"Huh? Why aren't those two resting? They're just waiting outside here?"

As soon as he stepped out of the palace, he saw the two people who should have been resting at their temporary lodgings waiting for him outside. Nero couldn't help but ask:

"Hey, what are you guys doing waiting outside? Is something important?"

Then, Nero noticed Ritsuka, who had already raised her head, and said with a smile, "Hmm, it seems that Miss Ritsuka has figured it out. You really do have the potential to be a hero."

Upon hearing Nero's words, Ritsuka acknowledged that she had just received Nero's kindness. Nero, of course, didn't care about such things, simply waving his hand and saying:

"No need for such polite words. After all, I'll be relying on you two for the next few days. By the way, what brings you here waiting for me?"

Chapter 111: Archer (faker)

"The Wall of Black Mist? You plan to start with the Wall of Black Mist?"

After listening to their questions, Nero guessed their intentions and asked them what they were planning.

"Yes, because if we want to understand the situation in this world, we have to go through the wall of black mist and get to other places."

Mashu explained it this way.

“We know the messenger of God you speak of. We want to understand why he wants to destroy Rome.”

Ritsuka explained, "They say they're judging Rome's sins, but that's just an excuse to deceive everyone. After all, Mash and I both know very well that he's not some divine messenger."

"Although I cannot be certain of the truth of your statement. After all, such a method seems like something only a god could use. However, I have indeed considered investigating the Black Mist Wall."

Nero nodded and said:

"After all, every wave of monsters originates from that black mist. If we can find the location of those monsters in advance and launch a surprise attack to completely wipe them out, then the pressure on our army in the subsequent war will be greatly reduced."

"However, I entrusted this matter to two otherworldly heroes who arrived earlier yesterday. But since they entered, there has been no news of them. As a result, our army has lost the help of two otherworldly heroes, leaving no one capable of fighting that God of Punishment."

"Originally, I was prepared to die when facing the divine punishment of that wrathful being. But thanks to the help of the two of you, I was able to fill that gap."

"But that's precisely why I must remind you that the wall of black mist is extremely treacherous. If possible, I still hope that you can stay here and help me through these seven days of crisis."

After hearing Nero's words, Ritsuka shook her head and said:

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty Nero, but we must find out the truth. Moreover, in our view, finding out the truth is equally necessary to save Rome.”

"In my opinion, even with Mash and me, helping His Majesty Nero get through the next few days of trial shouldn't be too difficult. We're quite confident we can stop one of the divine punishers."

"But if we drag it out to the final seventh day and face him directly, we will have absolutely no chance of survival. This is not an exaggeration, but the truth. Mash and I have both witnessed his power firsthand, and it is something that Rome cannot match now, even if we were together."

Ritsuka then informed Nero of their plan to cross the Black Mist Wall, establish a protective array for supplies, and find more Servants to fight against Wang Chong.

"To win over and find more heroes? That is indeed a viable option. Both I and the other emperors have witnessed the power of those foreign heroes."

Nero nodded, then said, "Alright then, but I hope you won't push yourselves too hard. If things become unworkable, be sure to retreat in time. If you gain nothing, please return before tomorrow. We still need your help here."

“We will, Your Majesty Nero.” Just as Ritsuka was about to take her leave, she suddenly remembered something and asked, “By the way, speaking of the emperors, did Your Majesty Nero gain any useful information at the meeting?”

"There's some information, but not much of it is useful; it's mostly about mourning the passing of yet another emperor..."

Nero briefly recounted what had happened at the meeting to the two of them, but of course, he kept the matter of handing over Mash and Ritsuka a secret.