Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

"Why are you saying that, teacher? You've been teaching me for so long, it's too formal of you to say that. But I will do whatever you say, teacher, and I'm willing to do anything."

"No matter what, I still hope that you can prioritize your own safety."

“Teacher, I am your student, your disciple. But now I am a soldier on the battlefield. So please don’t say those things to me. To give an order to a soldier, just say one sentence. Just say, kill them all, that will do.”

A barely perceptible madness clouded their emerald eyes as the two stared at each other on the blood-soaked ground.

The blonde girl thought to herself, "How wonderful it would be if, in the final moment when those azure eyes close forever, only my image remains."

Nero had never had any particular interest in the things around Novia, but ever since Novia took that strangely shaped 'gun', she had an intense desire to destroy it completely, perhaps due to a strange sense of vigilance within her.

"Kill them all."

Episode 041: The Siege of Jerusalem (Please refresh)

The holy city of Jerusalem was conquered by King David around the first millennium BC. He then expanded the city to the south and made it his capital, renaming it Jerusalem.

After King David's death, Solomon the Magician ruled. Three hundred years after Solomon's death, the Babylonian Captivity occurred. The Neo-Babylonian Empire conquered Jerusalem, occupied and destroyed the city. The city walls were destroyed, but the only thing that could not be destroyed was the First Temple built by Solomon. Therefore, a large number of gold and silver artifacts from the temple were taken to Babylon. The eyes of the rebels were gouged out, and they were chained with bronze chains and taken to Babylon.

After many years, more than six hundred years later, outside Jerusalem, an event is about to unfold once again, or even surpass the 'Babylonian Captivity'.

After Novia's Roman army swept through the surrounding Jewish settlements, castles, and caves, the Roman army, which had converged from three directions, began a protracted siege. Three months had passed, and this nightmarish period was still far from over.

Although the sun had risen, both outside and inside Jerusalem were shrouded in bloodshed. The difference between day and night was merely a matter of darkness versus crimson, because the extremists among the Zealots had set fire to their own food supplies to lure the Roman army into attacking the city. As a result, a large number of soldiers and civilians starved to death inside, leaving corpses strewn across the fields and swarms of flies.

Extreme ideologies led to extreme actions. Everyone in Jerusalem went into a state of combat, preferring death to expulsion, and believing Jesus to be the Messiah.

"Teacher, the Magicians Team Three is currently infiltrating the Jerusalem barrier, under my command and assistance. Teams, begin calibrating the magic circuit second hand. Shall we proceed according to the scheduled time?"

Nero bowed to Novia and asked for her permission.

Within the Roman Empire, there naturally existed legions composed entirely of magicians, groups that could be described as having completely abandoned their individuality, all being Roman magicians directly subordinate to the empire.

“There’s no need to continue like this.” Novia shook her head. “The Holy City perfected by the Magic King Solomon is not easy to conquer. I suppose Doro has lost his conscience and fear of taboos and is relentlessly squeezing the blood of the people in the city.”

Over the past few months, Novia had naturally suspected that Jerusalem's magical supply was so abundant that it was likely being supplied by human lives. Otherwise, it would be impossible to explain how Jerusalem's defenses could be replenished so quickly after he breached them once with his 'gun'.

Of course, what Albion the Dragon said to Novia at that moment was, "Because you are too weak, I, at my strongest, cannot use my full strength. If I were still alive, I could have slapped you away with one blow."

After spending some time together, Novia figured out that apart from being able to freely control the 'gun', the Albion Dragon's consciousness didn't seem to have much else. It still needed Novia to provide magic, but the power was decent, so it was acceptable.

"Should we continue the siege?"

“There’s no need to delay any longer. It seems we have no choice but to destroy this land as well. Nero, have all the magicians provide me with support.”

Since it was impossible to destroy Jerusalem by normal means, Novia thought that the underground land would also be destroyed. The method she adopted was to take the magic of tens of thousands of magicians in the Roman army and use the 'spear' to completely destroy Jerusalem.

"Yes, I'll go and pass it on right away."

"By the way, your headache is probably due for a relapse. Drink this, and it should relieve the pain for about twice as long as last time."

The blonde girl drank the pure white water that Novia handed her without hesitation.

Is this why I've had headaches since I was a child? Teacher.

The words rose in his throat but couldn't be uttered, probably because it was too quiet here; the silence felt painfully pronounced.

"For so many years, I've relied on your water to relieve my headaches..." The girl's voice trailed off. "Speaking of which, although you, teacher, will never lose, I would be very heartbroken if you were to get injured in the battle."

It's really not good to rely on things outside yourself for emotional support.

Years ago, when Agrippina said she wanted Nero to be baptized by him, that's what he said to Agrippina—

'Her chronic illness should end, and she should be handed over to me.'

This means that from now on, Agrippina will no longer be able to secretly poison Nero, and secondly, she will give him the formula for the poison.

This is what Novia remembers: in the original story, Nero was constantly poisoned by his mother, Agrippina, from a young age, so even if Locusta, the mushroom-like woman known for her poisons, created an antidote, it was to no avail...

The silver-haired boy planned to find the mushroom girl Locusta in the province of Gaul, but he was unable to find her. So he tried to develop his own poison formula, but unfortunately his abilities were limited and he could only develop a temporary relief effect.

Novia does not deny that he initially considered using poison to directly control Nero, as it was the most convenient and perfect method that required no precautions.

But after thinking about it for two whole days and nights, he felt that it was unnecessary. He should try to find a way to solve her headache before it became incurable, since he was, after all, her teacher.

He naturally didn't tell Nero this, because Novia felt that if she knew her mother had been poisoning her since childhood...

As a child, it's inevitable to feel sad.

........

After a while, the Jews in Jerusalem were surprised to find that the Romans, who had been surrounding the holy city so tightly, had all retreated.

We won?

Before the cheers of victory could even echo from the carnage-strewn Jerusalem, suddenly—

Like the magical armed force that destroyed the Jewish coastline, a pillar of light, seemingly intent on burning the sky and the earth, attacked the Holy City.

"W-wh-what?! What is this?!"

"No, I don't know—"

In that instant, seeing the scene before them that seemed to shatter the stars, the Jews gathered on the city walls were thrown into chaos and confusion.

"So what! With the Messiah with us, defeat is impossible!"

As time marched on, destruction was declared. The raging, devastating beams of light, like a cloth fluttering in the air, flowed with the wind, heading towards the side of the holy city.

At that moment, at the gates of Jerusalem, the city gates that had been impassable for months were shattered with a single, gentle tap of Novia's wrist.

"what are you?"

He whispered softly.

Doro, radiating an ominous, dark magic, responded with a mocking nod, colder than ice, unmoved and devoid of emotion.

“I am the Messiah, and God has declared that all nations will submit to me and establish a kingdom on earth. Therefore, I will kill you all.”

042: 1 The Book of Revelation in the New Testament

“Come to the true Messiah, Novia, who is more sinful than Jesus.”

"You deliberately allowed the burning of food, causing the Jews inside to starve to death, and then provided you with magic."

Novia frowned, looking at the 'Antichrist' Doro Bar Kochba, who exuded an ominous, dark magic.

During this time, the pitch-black 'magic power' emanating from Doro fell to the ground like snowflakes. If a naked body touched it, the skin would be scorched. If it got into the eyes, it would cause blindness, and if ingested, it would cause the internal organs to dissolve. It was an ominous magic power equivalent to 'death'.

"It is their honor to make sacrifices for the great Messiah."

Immediately afterwards, outside the holy city at noon, a black and blue light, even more dazzling than sunlight, erupted.

The blood-stained desert ground suddenly cracked open, followed by a sharp metallic clang, the impact sweeping across the surroundings and shattering the city walls.

The confrontation between the two was not only a personal battle, but also a battle of support from behind. One was the magic power of all the magicians in the Roman legion, and the other was the lives of everyone in Jerusalem. Presumably, even the highest level of magic eyes would not be able to properly perceive the two people's super-fast and continuous clashes.

"Compared to the weaker individuals you've encountered so far, your strength can finally be considered a mere 'game.' While it's not quite a battle yet, at least you no longer have to suffer from boredom. Be joyful."

As Doro closed in on Novia, his magically blackened hand swung down with tremendous force, striking the 'gun'. Although Novia successfully blocked the blow, the bones in her shoulder cracked at that moment.

"However, what you call a gun is more like a combination of two swords."

"Because this is the strongest stance."

The boy's voice and attack were released simultaneously, almost like launching hundreds of attacks at once. The speed of the 'gun' increased to faster than its limit, and a hundred times came, followed by a hundred metallic sounds. His simultaneous attack was blocked head-on by Doro's hands, which were gathered with magic power.

The surging magical force of the high-speed collision created shockwaves around both objects almost simultaneously.

"What a sorry sight. Is this all the so-called strongest spear you spoke of is? In the end, you're nothing more than a low-level person. How long can you maintain this? The magicians behind you are probably panting heavily in the city due to the rapid depletion of their magic power."

"That's not necessarily the case."

The words were brief. Although on the surface it seemed like they were fighting without taking any damage, there was no doubt that they were being worn down. But Novia remained calm and composed, as if she had become an insignificant speck of dust, even suppressing her breathing and heartbeat.

'Damn it, that disgusting, lowly thing dares to insult me, the strongest... And you, you weakling, dare to say something back? I didn't allow anyone other than me to insult you.'

'Please don't be so angry. It's my fault for not providing you with enough magic to demonstrate your power.'

While exchanging thoughts, Novia and Doro exchanged blows once again, the power of which was enough to cause the walls of Jerusalem to collapse.

'Hmph, are you going to retreat? Although this guy's source of magic is despicable, if you drag this out, you'll be dragged down to your death sooner or later.'

'Powerful, invincible, but not to be yielded to. To give up now is a little too early... Please unleash your full power once more, Dragon of Albion.'

Several seconds passed, followed by a silence that lasted about half a breath.

'But you—'

"Enough said. I suppose you've already made your decision, and I've nodded in agreement. These things are just like that; that's fine."

"...This is exactly what I, in my strongest form, should say: to help you eliminate this arrogant thing that has obtained that distorted power."

A powerful flash of light erupted, not physically, but with an immense magical force capable of scorching the spiritual senses, manifesting on the 'gun'. The weapon's body, from the bottom up, was covered with a terrifyingly rapid flash, and on its blue-black exterior, an angry red covered the blue.

Magic was thus woven together, forming the 'strongest' shape.

The surging magic was released all at once, an overwhelming torrent of destruction erupting from the head of the Albion dragon.

When the world finally reappeared on her retina, Novia saw an incredible sight—

The Antichrist was not killed, but was reborn in an instant, like an image engraved on film being played in reverse.

"Hahahaha! What a pity, what a pity. Your attack was indeed enough to defeat me, who only uses the lives of all the people of Jerusalem as a source of magic."

The silver-haired boy stood quietly, listening to the words spoken by the crazed man who looked at him.

"But unfortunately, even Solomon's remains were discovered and used as the power of me, the true messiah!"

"You actually used the remains of the Magic King Solomon?"

After speaking slowly, Novia took a deep breath and tasted blood in her mouth.

Doro is now planning to use Solomon's remains as a source of magical energy...

So, what about Goetia in the remains?

Although I hate Solomon, I can't just stand by and watch his remains be desecrated like this. Could it be that almost a thousand years have passed and he still hasn't been born?

"The Magic King? Even if he were alive, he would still have to obey the orders of me, the Messiah."

Doro laughed maniacally, then approached Novia step by step.

“I admire you, I forgive your sins, I will kill all the Romans except you. Come, follow me, now you have no magic left, you have failed.”

"Your argument isn't very convincing; it doesn't work on me." Novia smiled slightly. "After all, I just hope that all people, lives, and minds that avoid evil and promote good can live in happiness and peace. That's enough; it's not that there's only one kind of person."

"I see. It seems I have no choice but to subject you to a punishment even more painful than that of Jesus."

The dialogue ended unilaterally.

Then--

Everyone on the European continent witnessed that scene.

Therefore, for the First Epistle of Revelation in the New Testament, the sudden total solar eclipse is a historical fact that has been preserved and passed down to later generations.

The world has lost its color, and darkness has spread everywhere. He who has an ear should hear what the Holy Spirit says, including the King of the Antichrist.

043: The Miracle of Three Minutes

On May 26, 5 AD, nineteen years and fifty-three days had passed since the day of Jesus Christ's crucifixion.

The record left to posterity on this day is the sudden total solar eclipse, which plunged all living things on the entire European continent into three long minutes of darkness.

In ancient times, the occurrence of a total solar eclipse would cause great fear and trepidation to many civilizations, each with its own explanation. Some said it was a celestial dog eating the sun, while others said it was a python swallowing the sun. At the same time, it was also a symbol of divine wrath.

"You...no, impossible...how could this be...what's with the magic surrounding Solomon's remains in the First Temple? I...I am the Messiah..."

As expected, Doro was terrified by the sudden total solar eclipse. He even hesitated to crush Novia's neck and took a few steps back in a panic, pointing at Novia angrily.

"You brought darkness, you corrupted people! Yes, absolutely, you are Azazel!"

Novia didn't reply, but continued to hold the 'gun' in a fighting stance. The blood that had just been stained on her lips had been wiped away, but even so, blood kept flowing from the corner of her mouth, and her lungs felt like they were on fire.

However, he was indeed puzzled, because there had never been any records of a total solar eclipse before his time travel during the period of 50 AD. It seemed that the last one was on the day of Jesus' crucifixion. But that didn't matter. What he needed to do now was figure out how to defeat Toro on the other side.

The magicians of the Roman legion have exhausted their magical support and their own magical power, and are nearing their limit, making victory unlikely.

But since this is something entirely new that happened because of me, I can't just pass the buck to someone else because I can't do it myself. I still have to bear the necessary responsibilities. Besides, it seems that Doro has cut off the source of magic power that he was drawing from the body of the Magic King Solomon.