Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

After leaving the palace, Novia first went home to get his things before heading towards the arena. He had been Nero's apprentice for about a year and a half, and this was the first time she had invited him, so he accepted, but declined her invitation to come and pick him up in person.

The sky was clear and sunny. Although the afternoon sun shone, the cold wind still blew. When people walking on the stone road saw the silver-haired boy, they would more or less bow to him, and Novia would always smile in return.

The Colosseum is located on the outer edge of Rome, facing the sea.

The colossal stadium exudes a powerful presence, making the surrounding buildings appear much smaller in comparison. Arches, some as tall as buildings, stacked in three or four layers to form thick, oval walls that enclose the vast arena inside.

This space was simply created for humans to compete against each other. In ancient Rome, this "entertainment" was a legitimate right granted to citizens, and ancient Roman poets once described it as "bread and circus," with the Roman Colosseum being its most representative symbol.

Theoretically, the crowds of Romans going to watch the game should have been enormous. In Novia's memory, whenever there was a similar event in recent years, the Colosseum would be packed to the brim. Even though there were several entrances, there were always long queues and people crowding together at each one.

For some reason, it's like he's booked the whole place; it's just him all by himself, or you could say Nero has booked the whole place.

Novia had just taken her seat when the music in the arena suddenly turned up, and the music became incredibly exciting.

It seems like they were just waiting for him to arrive so that things could begin.

The music quickly quieted down, and as the arena fell silent, a petite figure walked towards the stage that stretched out in front of her. She bowed to the only audience member below the stage, and Nero's voice rang out.

"Today's event is hosted by the charioteer who rivals the sun god and the artist who rivals Apollo, the god of music."

“In the past, gladiator duels held in the arena were rituals dedicated to the Roman gods, but I have turned to the Christian faith of the Lord.”

The loud words echoed throughout the arena. If there were any other people present besides Novia, they would have cheered thunderously, as if to show how much they were looking forward to it. But the silver-haired boy just smiled and clapped his hands gently.

"So today, I will emulate the magnificent feat of the world-renowned Hercules and dedicate it to my mentor, Novia, who baptized me—"

The girl who said this revealed a slightly tyrannical smile in the sunlight. Then, Nero, who was wearing an outfit called 'Fiery Red Nobleman', snapped his fingers, and the sound of a cage door being pulled open was heard.

"That is, to strangle a lion with a naked neck."

030: The Primordial Fire You Gave Us

Compared to the much older gladiatorial performances, the Roman gladiatorial games had a shorter history, only being accepted by the Romans around the 2nd century BC.

Gladiators rarely, if ever, wrestled with wild beasts, as it would be detrimental to their status. Animal fights were performed by professional gladiators, and gladiators and animal fighters were two completely different professions in ancient Rome.

Without professional training, the spectacle and importance of gladiatorial combat are far less than that of gladiatorial games; it can only be considered a regular "sport." In gladiatorial combat, not only do gladiators and animals fight to the death, but the Romans also drive various wild beasts to fight each other, making the whole scene extremely bloody. But the ancient Romans loved to watch this.

Generally speaking, ancient Roman politicians or emperors would go to great lengths to please the people, making each gladiatorial contest bigger and bigger than the last... It was rare for someone like Nero to perform for only one person.

"Roar!"

After being starved for several days, the lion, now freed from its restraints, immediately opened its blood-red maw, its sharp fangs gleaming coldly in the sunlight. It let out a deafening roar and pounced on the blonde girl.

Nero took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and prepared for battle.

After all, she never intended to fight using magic, but relied solely on her physical strength.

The moment the lion leaped, the girl swiftly jumped to the side, nimbly dodging the lion's first attack. She then swung a punch, smashing it hard against the lion's head. Her fist grazed the lion's mane, making a "whoosh" sound.

The lion was struck and roared in pain, but it did not back down. Nero pressed his advantage, striking with both hands, each punch making the lion stagger.

Her fist slammed into the lion like a hammer, but the shaky lion was not to be outdone. It tried to retaliate against the girl with its sharp claws and teeth, but unfortunately, it was too late.

The blonde girl's left arm was already wrapped around the lion's jaw in a V-shape, then tightened. Her right arm followed closely behind, lying across the back of the lion's head. Then, her left hand gripped the right arm joint from bottom to top, while her right palm pushed forward forcefully against the back of the lion's head, her body arching as she began to strangle it.

When Nero's arm, imbued with all his strength, struck the lion's throat, it directly blocked the flow of blood to the brain, causing the lion to go into shock.

As time passed, accompanied by a muffled thud, the lion's powerful body seemed to be instantly shattered by an invisible force. A cracking sound came from its throat, the sound of bones being crushed, clear and chilling.

Seeing that Nero had already completed the naked chokehold, he casually tossed him aside as if he were throwing away trash.

At this moment, she felt a sense of reality. She loved this kind of situation where she could be in control at any time and was in great danger, because it allowed the girl to demonstrate her value.

The lion traced a brief arc in the air before beginning its descent in breathtaking slow motion, its golden mane trembling in the sunlight, each hair seemingly whispering tales of resentment and despair.

The lion's limbs twitched weakly a few times, as if trying to grasp the last glimmer of hope for survival, but ultimately drooped limply.

When the lion's body hit the ground, it kicked up a cloud of dust, its chest heaved a few times, and then gradually calmed down.

The lion's eyes were still open, but they had lost their former brilliance, leaving only endless emptiness and bewilderment.

"How was it?" Nero smiled with genuine joy, her eyes narrowing. The splatter of wild beast's blood on her face gave her a touch of madness. "My master, I did a good job, didn't I?"

"very good."

"Really?"

"real."

"Is it really true?"

"Yes, without a doubt, the process of you strangling the lion was very beautiful, but I was only watching it, and I was extremely pleased about it."

The two exchanged questions and answers, which deepened the girl's smile.

"that would be great!"

Nero nodded slightly, her hair swaying. She could clearly feel her expression becoming more and more cheerful, as if with each answer she gave, her body became lighter, almost as if she were floating upwards.

Novia smiled slightly in response, and the girl sensed no insincerity in his eyes and words.

In fact, the blonde girl's current behavior is consistent with the personality of Nero from Type-Moon in his memory: outgoing, eloquent, fond of extravagance and self-expression, and in terms of governing and wielding power, she treats the people like her own children and somewhat disregards the prestige of the Senate.

Whether the girl's feelings stemmed from the bond between master and disciple or from budding romantic love, this question did not stir any ripples in his heart. Whatever the reason, as long as he could restrain her, that was enough.

Novia wouldn't delve into what considerations, feelings, or thoughts she had behind all of this.

He simply accepted the purest part of it, and responded with a simple smile to the blonde girl who spoke to him with an expression of pride befitting her age, a testament to her exceptional abilities up to this point.

The next instant, Novia rose and went to the runway, handing Nero what she had prepared beforehand—

"This is......?"

Nero looked at the red and black object that Novia had given her with a puzzled expression; it resembled a sword.

"This is a weapon I specially crafted for you." Novia's smile remained unwavering. "The stone that fell to the ground a few months ago, the magicians in Rome say is called the Tear of the Star. Because it does not belong to this star, it is an unknown fragment of hope from the Traveler's Star. In any case, I have crafted it into a weapon, and I hope you will like it."

"Is this a gift because I have done everything that you, teacher, are proud of, and I have become valuable to you?"

The blonde girl's bright eyes stared at him intently as she raised one hand and spoke.

“You don’t need to belittle yourself.” He just smiled brightly and gently at her. “I have been obligated to do this ever since the day I baptized you. I’m not just trying to comfort you.”

"Nero."

He then briefly called out the girl's name.

If a few smiles and words could put Nero at ease, Novia would naturally not hesitate.

“...What’s the name?” Nero said, puffing out his cheeks and pouting, “What’s the name of this sword?”

"You might be able to name it yourself."

"I want you to name it."

The girl tried to say this with an expectant tone, her eyes quietly looking directly at Novia.

"Then let's call it the Primordial Fire."

"The Primordial Fire..."

As she spoke, the girl raised the sword in her hand to her chest, her slender fingertips slowly stroking it.

"This is the connection between you and me, teacher... right?"

She whispered this.

.......

In the days that followed, nothing particularly dramatic happened. Nero simply held several large-scale games in his own name to gain the attention of the people and win their support and endorsement.

On the surface, Novia did nothing more than carry out her usual propaganda work and assist with political affairs, while she was quietly waiting for news from Hiali in Britain.

Finally, the year had passed, and the purple-haired girl sent a message from Britain as promised.

031: Humans, the strongest dragon is truly angry!

When Novia arrived underground near Londonneum in Britain, the first thing she saw was complete darkness.

The air was filled with intense magic, a dense magic that, if not handled carefully, could wither the entire surrounding land. Moreover, the density of the magic would only increase.

But this space is not entirely dark. Flames fueled by magic burn in the four corners of the magic workshop, enveloping the entire space in a dim atmosphere. Wisps of smoke rise from the light sources along with the flickering flames, appearing identical regardless of distance. There are also ethereal threads that the alchemist has spread throughout the space.

Deep within the threads, at the secret place where the etheric threads converge, the head of the Albion Dragon is slowly being transformed into a blue-black 'gun' in a form that completely alters its existence.

Before him stood a purple-haired girl named Cialis.

She was dressed in the uniform of the Atlas Institute, staring at the many ethereal threads piercing the dragon's head. Her body was completely still, and even her breathing was extremely faint, so much so that she might be mistaken for being dead.

As the etheric threads tightened, she herself would tremble slightly.

Before Novia arrived, Lucius told her that Cialis had devoted almost all her attention to the Albion Dragon for the past year, except for sleeping and eating.

Although the purple-haired girl would never reveal the hardships she had endured over the past year, Novia knew perfectly well how exhausting it was, just by looking at the sweat wetting her cheeks.

After all, this is the dragon of Albion. Even though it is just a corpse, its whole body is still full of magic. It has features that are a mixture of snake, reptile and bat, as well as strong limbs with thick scales like armor. In terms of appearance, it is similar to the 'dragon' that has appeared in legends all over the world.

Dragon.

It is a creature that humans can never contend with. Only heroes have a chance to kill it. The blades of non-heroes cannot even scratch it. It is the most powerful monster in the entire world. It is an absolute fantasy, a creature with the power that the heroes who protect the world would consider a great threat.

In the world of magicians, the new is always better than the old, because ancient fantasies, which are even connected with the gods, have become even more mysterious over the long years.

Moreover, what is here is a true dragon, not a 'dragon' that appeared under the influence of dragon factors left on the surface after the Age of Gods. It is a pure-blooded dragon that, while alive, could instantly destroy itself simply by being looked at by ordinary people.

Just as Novia had thought, Cialis had been patiently reshaping its head throughout the year.

Enduring the fear of dragons pushes the limits of the mind, eroding the soul, unwilling to succumb to the feeling of falling into one's own flesh.

The ether threads she used were as sharp as a high-pressure water gun with extremely high precision. Countless ether threads were constantly making small modifications to the dragon's head. Presumably, in addition to the overly accurate design drawings provided by Novia, she herself added even more detailed elements to them.

Who can blame them when Atlas Institute has always been extremely adept at manufacturing weapons?

However, the reason why Cialis informed Novia a few days before the completion was not only because she had great confidence in her calculations, but also because she wanted Novia to personally witness the moment of success. This competitive spirit probably stemmed from her desire to prove that her title as the next dean of the Atlas Academy was well-deserved.

Time passed slowly, and just before the date change, Novia saw the magical power of the dragon's head, which was surrounded by ethereal threads, explode.

Something was successfully born, and in an instant, the underground space changed.

A blue aurora was created.

This is an aurora that could not possibly appear underground for thousands of years.

A dazzling, magnificent, or perhaps malevolent band of light surrounded the space below, shimmering as if blessing the birth of something.

The world, shrouded in darkness, seemed to instantly transform into an endless ocean of blue light.

This is because the gleaming blue-black armor was born.

Tired, Cialis loosened the ethereal threads, and the blue-glowing object echoed as it was placed in front of Novia along the ethereal threads.

"Alright, this is the weapon built according to your design ideas, completely modified with the head of the dragon you named Albion..." She paused for a moment, changed her tone and continued, "But although your design blueprints are very accurate, there are some parts that I really couldn't modify in your way, so I could only use what I thought was the correct way. Please forgive me for that."

"It's nothing. I should be thanking you for going to such lengths."

Novia reached out and took the 'gun', and then walked straight toward Cialis after seeing her ethereal threads retract.

"Indeed, your contract with me lasts until it is fulfilled."

After saying just that, Xia Li calmly took a deep breath and watched the silver-haired boy walk towards her with a blank expression.

She's exhausted, both physically and mentally. A year of pent-up patience has left her vulnerable enough that anyone could easily take her down. After all, magicians are generally self-serving and efficiency-driven; they should be prepared to expose their weaknesses prematurely.

She didn't feel regretful, but she felt a vague sense of resentment.

Novia didn't say much about it, but simply carried the purple-haired girl on her back with one hand and walked towards the ground.

"Please put me down. I'm not at the point where I can only rely on others. There's no such clause in our contract."

The girl stared at Novia beneath her with displeased purple eyes.

"As expected, you probably wouldn't agree to be carried out directly." The silver-haired boy didn't turn his head. "So it's easier to just do it directly."

"...The mystery of this place and the treasures found everywhere are enough for you to build an organization comparable to the Atlas Institute and the Wandering Sea."

"Getting this 'gun' here is enough. Besides, Albion's body is covered in disgusting little maggots that look neither human nor beast. I think burying the thing's body underground later is the best option, to avoid it causing trouble everywhere when it goes out that day—"

"Cough cough."

Before Novia could finish speaking, a sound came from the 'gun' he was holding.