Saffron Apartments, Saffron City, Kanto Region
Psychic_Moostache's POV
'So the monster finally shows his true form. How vile.' he said with thinly veiled disgust as he beheld the monstrosity that was the true form of Lev, or rather, Flauros.
He knew Flauros was a monster from the very beginning, but he had severely underestimated the sheer scale of evil that lay beneath the skin of the corpse that monster had possessed.
As if being a grotesque tentacle of flesh and eyes wasn't sickening enough, the fact that Flauros's skin was made entirely out of thousands upon thousands of souls under eternal torment just made his blood boil hotter and his eagerness to see him suffer rise even further.
[LemmeSeeUrManager: Oh arc!! No wonder that monster was radiating so much dark and ghost energies!! It's nauseating!]
[ILiekQTThings: THAT IS THE MOST HIDEOUS, UGLY PIECE OF SHIT I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE!! NO AMOUNT BLEACH WILL BE ENOUGH TO CLEAN THE TAINT MY EYES HAVE BEEN SUBJECTED TO!! ]
[Dr_Griseous: Hm, based on the various faces I can see from here, It seems the humans that make up its body were frozen with the last expressions they made before they died. ]
[Gallan-Tate: Please shut up @ Dr_Griseous, I do not want to know more. Now hurry up and kill it Gudao!! ]
[Dr_Griseous: Oh, I am afraid that is not going to happen so quickly. Gudao and Chaldea are going to struggle against this oversized Spiritomb. ]
It was an insult to spiritombs everywhere to be compared to that thing, but knowing how much humans love to make simple comparisons, there was nothing he could do to get people to stop if the comparison stuck.
Honestly, it's a good thing he stopped watching Gudao's stream at home and rented this apartment solely for the purpose of watching the stream. His wife, Garnet, would have fallen ill if she felt these negative emotions directly.
Gardevoirs were rather sensitive to emotions, and Garnet was no different. If anything, her sensitivity to emotions was even more potent than other Gardevoir, and was actually closer to a Hatterene but without the nasty attitude.
In any case, after Sabrina's mind was broken and was reduced to the psychic potency of a normal person, he swore he would never repeat the same mistake again.
He had made it his life's goal to get revenge for his trainer, and had been training his mental abilities nonstop at every opportunity he could muster to find.
One such opportunity was the stream itself.
He had the ability to manipulate items across worlds using twitch as a medium in the past, albeit in a limited capacity.
Minor levitation, mind scanning, and other party tricks a newborn abra could do, yet, even this weak psychic power was significantly reduced when the potshot redeems were introduced.
The gate between his world and Gudao's had gotten thicker doors and his current mental powers could not budge them. Even moving a small leaf was an impossible task at his current level. Yet, despite the limitations the barrier put on him, it also came with boons, mainly that it served as a good wall for his mind to punch to train up his mental fists.
Testing the gate everyday had drastically improved his mental powers by leaps and bounds over the last few months, but alas, his progress was not fast enough.
Which was why he could only watch as Flauros decimated Gudao's servants without being able to lend them a psychic hand in aid. It was frustrating that the only direct help he could provide were paltry donations and basic preprogrammed attacks that would not do more to Flauros than be a nuisance.
Flauros was tanky, and seeing how even the servants were struggling to make lethal blows, that meant that Chaldea had no choice but to whittle away at Flauros's defenses if they wanted a chance to kill him… and that is if they themselves don't get swallowed up by the monster's magical storm and die instead.
[The-Undefeatable: Alright, disgusting flesh tentacle aside, this is basically just a plain Max Raid Battle. They can do this, they just have to play smart and take him down before they get wiped out. ]
[SoniaYampers: Easy for you to say Leon, this is Gudao's first Max Raid battle and it's at a higher difficulty than any we have in Galar. ]
[The-Undefeatable: I know… but I believe in them and their victory. ]
[Damn, Balmung would have come in handy right about now. Fucking Zenobia pretty much ruined our chances of making this battle easy. ]
He observed the battle intently.
Gudao and Martha were using healing spells on the banged Charlemagne, who was in no shape to fight, let alone stand like he was. Mash and Jalter had to play as the defensive shield to protect them from another devastating attack that the bastard was charging up.
With all these servants in defensive positions, that only left Tarasque, Tamamo Cat, Gudao's shadow servant, and Astolfo on the offensive against Flauros.
By some miracle, Zenobia had survived Flauros's attack but she was in no shape to help, and the group didn't trust her after all she did.
The goddess looked distraught at the horrid form of the monstrosity looming over them. He could feel the cocktail of anger, shame, fear, and hopelessness in her aura. It was the complete opposite of the confidence and pride she once radiated.
Based on the context clues she dropped during her battle and what she said, her own beliefs empowered her. Being restrained by chains that she could not break, while also being attacked physically and mentally, had eroded that belief and left her a husk.
Zenobia's condition had not improved even after Astolfo let her go so he could fight in the front lines.
Seeing she was a lost cause, Zenobia was ignored and Gudao had to be told to not waste his energy healing her, as she was the one who exacerbated this mess of a singularity in the first place.
"Raaaaaahh!!" The guttural roar of Tarasque caused his headphone's speakers to rumble, even though he set it at a low volume. The dragon's claws raked the mass of flesh and cut deep gashes into the monster.
He winced as the camera unnecessarily zoomed in on the claws shredding the crowd of suffering people that Flauros used as skin.
His eyes then shot up in shock as he saw just how deep the pile of suffering humans went.
[Geez… I can't even crack a joke. This shit is fucked up. ]
[Junior_Researcher: I recall that Da Vinci's lessons on Ars Goetia, specifically Flauros, mentioned how they were a duke of Hell that is represented as a humanoid leopard with big claws. A demon summoned to get vengeance on other demons and would betray and deceive their summoner at any moment should proper precautions not be followed.
Aside from the deceiving part of its legend, the appearance of Flauros the real world is NOTHING like the Flauros of the myth. Either there is some kind of obscure magical law bullshit happening here that I am unaware of, or perhaps someone intentionally wrote down false information in that publicly available book.
Regardless of the truths of the matter, that will not soother my tired mind tomorrow, because I will be unable to close my eyes tonight. ]
A rush of blood censored the grotesque sight but it was only for a brief moment as the wound closed the damage done by the dragon.
Then, a burst of sunlight struck one of Flauros's eyes, which caused the monster to let out a half shriek half hiss as the eye was flash cooked in milliseconds.
"One of the Tails of Amaterasu, I left you alone because I did not wish for that goddess of yours to interfere in my King's plan. I assumed you would have stayed on that island and minded your own business, but it seems I was wrong."
The monstrosity's eyes all jumbled around, and he could feel the absolute fury in their erratic movements. Then, they all simultaneously focused on Tamamo Cat, who looked like a Deerling caught in headlights.
Then the eyes shone bright and focused beams of light slammed into the young girl, sending her skipping across the ground until she got back on her two feet.
The clinking sounds of a chain caught his ears and a blur of pink moved around the pillar of flesh, laughing like they didn't have a care in the world, while simultaneously slashing dozens of eyes in a heartbeat.
Flauros did not appreciate being blinded and retaliated.
Astolfo was forced to block a laser beam from hitting his chest and was pushed back by the force of the attack.
With a quick flick of his sword, the sharp chain dug into the cursed looking flesh, which kept the Saber from moving farther away. Astolfo swung himself from the tentacle like he was swinging from a vine and gave Flauros a cheeky grin.
"Nice trick, now let me show you my killer technique!" Astolfo's chain sword glowed and it violently wrapped itself around the tentacle, shearing flesh as it tied up Flauros in a web of steel.
"Vulcano Caligorante!" Astolfo pulled his sword back, and the sharp sword links moved and shredded Flauros like he was a slab of meat in a grinder.
Flauros actually let out a pained groan as its body was rendered into mush.
"Hey! Leave some for me Astolfo!!" Ah, it would seem Saint Martha has finished healing Charlemagne. The king of the Franks charged into the fray, the wings of his noble phantasm already unfurled and heading into an incoming collision course against the demon pillar.
"O everlasting Holy Light, O infinite colors, O my peerless knights! Demonstrate my royal prowess! Joyeuse Ordre!!"
The beam of light engulfed a portion of Flauros, as the monster was too large for Charlemagne's light to cover him completely.
Flauros let out an inhuman shriek of pain as the light burned its body, and his sword sank into the suffering bodies of the humans that made up its skin.
For a moment, he believed it would be enough to defeat the monster. Unfortunately, Flauros was a tough son of a bitch who proved too bulky and enduring to be felled that easily.
Tarasque whined in pain as the hulking mass of flesh moved like a whip and slapped the dragon away like it was a fly.
[So fast! It moved at a tremendously fast speed without being impaired by its size!! ]
[DRaigHan: Tarasque no!! My GOAT!! (ㅠ_ㅠ) ]
Astolfo and Charlemagne were forced to jump away to evade the hulking dragon's body as it rocketed towards them at supersonic speeds.
Flauros saw his chance to strike and shot two laser beams at the unprepared servants.
[Watch out!!! ]
Charlemagne managed to block the attack in time, but the same could not be said for Astolfo.
The laser struck the bunny boy in the chest, burning through flesh and bone before passing through to the other side.
"Astolfo!!" Charlemagne cried out as his friend fell on his back with a thud.
[Astolfo's down!! \(˚☐˚")/ ]
[ILiekQTThings: \(˚☐˚")/ ]
The King of the Franks ran to his friend's side, and was aghast at the damage.
Nearly all of the upper half of Astolfo's chest was gone and it was barely being held together by cauterized muscle and skin.
His dress was ruined, stained with blood and singed by the laser beam that punched through his chest.
[Fuck, he got turned into a donut… ]
[ILiekQTThings: Why is it that everything I find cute dies or turns ugly?!! Why is existence so cruel!?｡°(°.◜ᯅ◝°)°｡ ]
Astolfo moved his mouth, but no words came out. Fortunately for the pink servant, he could read lips, so he could understand him. His heart tightened at Astolfo's message before he sighed and hovered his mouse over the donate button. He never got the chance to deliver Astolfo's last words to Charlemagne because someone beat him to it.
What he didn't expect was the identity of the person who redeemed a message through the Text to speech feature.
[Bunny_Aachan donated 100 bits]
["I'm sorry my King… I was playing around too much and got careless… I had a lot of fun adventuring with you again… Hope to see you in Chaldea soon… it's fun."]
Astolfo's eyes glazed over and he vanished into motes of light.
So Astolfo couldn't use his own limbs to type, and had the stream help him type and convey his last words.
Smart, but tragic.
A sentiment normally diluted by the fact that fallen servants could easily be resummoned was, unfortunately not the case here.
After all, there was no guarantee that Gudao could summon Charlemagne to reunite with his knight anytime soon. He might never get a chance to either, but that was his pessimism speaking.
Focusing back on the fight, the camera showed Tarasque groaning in pain and covered in dirt and bloody wounds and a bruise from where he was struck. Martha was by his side and comforted the injured dragon before she recalled him into the ether to rest.
And like the scumbag that he was, Flauros laughed at their misery.
"Hahahahaha!! Is that the best Chaldea can muster? And you think you can interfere with our King's plans when you are this weak?! How arrogant."
He really hoped someone would punch this bastard in the face, even though Flauros lacked one in its anatomy at the moment.
Charlemagne gritted his teeth and clenched his sword in his hand in anger, "You're wrong Astolfo, as your king and as your friend, I am the one who failed you. I promise I will avenge your death."
Charlemagne then sent one of the most grave and furious expressions he'd ever seen on the man at Flauros. The monster seemed to not find it concerning at all, instead he still chose to continue mocking Charlemagne.
"Hah, so the great Charles the Great wants me dead for killing his pet rabbit? Go ahead and try!! And die trying like that flamboyant retainer of yours!!"
Charlemagne's fury was cooled by the chill of death as the giant tentacle started chanting his accursed magical chant again.
Thankfully, unlike last time, Charlemagne chose to make a beeline towards Mash and Jalter. He arrived just in time to avoid getting caught up in the wave of malice that rolled across the battlefield.
The duo shielder and Avenger grunted as they held back the momentum of the wave when it crashed into their defenses.
Visibility turned pitch black for a brief moment before it quickly returned, signalling the end of the attack.
The moment the attack ended, Jalter redirected the damage back at Flauros. The skyscraper sized piece of meat was skewered and grilled over Jalter's hate filled fire, but the monster still refused to die and broke the steel spikes from its body with ease.
The servants watching were not deterred and jumped into battle once again.
This was bad.
They've lost so many hard hitters already, which means the battle will drag on longer than optimal.
The flag and shield combo saved their asses twice, but just because it was a safe combo did not mean it will last forever.
The longer this battle lasts, the more likely that Gudao will eventually hit a point where he will be forced to rest, leaving them vulnerable.
They were paying the bulk of the magical energy cost with their sum of holy grails, but it still required Gudao to use up a bit of his own energy reserves as a catalyst whenever he needed to have one of his servants unleash their ultimate attacks.
Gudao had been having his servants spam noble phantasms for weeks now, and he already noted the strain it's taking on the young man's body.
Chaldea was also aware of this and that is why he was told to rest his body as much as he could because it needed to heal and replenish its lost energy.
"Shit, bastard is a lot tankier than we expected. Ritsuka, Mash, there's a leyline nearby! Get as close as you can to it and summon reinforcements!!"
That was not going to work, because Romani yelled that plan out loud for Flauros to hear. There was no way that monster would allow such a thing to happen, but the duo still had to try and do as the Doctor asked.
However, the plan failed exactly like he thought it would, when multiple lasers shot out to interrupt Mash before she could even think of placing the shield on the ground.
"Summoning denied. Oh, but don't stop on my count. By all means, keep trying, it's easier to shoot a stationary target than a moving one."
Flauros's eyes shifted, and when the camera followed his gaze, it revealed that the demon god pillar was looking straight at a trembling Zenobia.
"Speaking of stationary targets, I'm surprised you kept that woman alive. Does she mean that much to you that you refuse to end her, boy?"
Flauros's question revealed his intentions, and Gudao's panicked expression only confirmed the monster's thoughts.
Its eyes started to shine brightly, clearly charging an attack.
Zenobia noticed too and tried to crawl away as the monster aimed his lasers at her broken body.
"You've been a fun distraction Zenobia, but I am afraid your usefulness has come to an end. Now get out of my sight."
The eyes all fired their built up lasers at once, causing the air around the surface of its skin to distort due to the heat.
Nero placed a firm hand on Gudao, preventing him from even considering helping Zenobia, but even if everyone moved to help her at that moment, it was already too late.
She was too far away, and was a literal sitting ducklett that was awaiting slaughter. She desperately covered her face in fear, and closed her eyes, preparing for the worst… but the worst never came.
A comet of light sped towards Zenobia and took her away before she was eradicated by the intense heat of the lasers.
The camera showed that the comet was actually a chariot being drawn by horses. Boudica and Altera had arrived just in time to save Zenobia from her untimely death.
"Ah, so the cavalry has arrived. How quaint, it seems like your stolen EX rank luck is still active even though you lost most of your power, Zenobia. No matter, enjoy your pitiful existence while you can, for it will not last long."
✦✧✦
Mash POV
"Boudica?! Altera?! I thought you guys were still with the Roman army?!" It was a surprise to see them here since they were adamant on not helping them in the final battle.
"Oh, we were, but we broke out after Altera finished all her assignments. She wanted to turn in her work to Master in person. "
As if to illustrate her point, Altera climbed out of the chariot with a stack of paper and walked towards Senpai.
The petite girl handed the stack to him and Senpai accepted it with a shrug. He put the stack in his storage then he patted Altera's head as a reward.
Altera preened at the praise; however, once it was over, she noticed one of her hands were still outstretched.
"Is there something you need, Altera?" Senpai asked.
"I need a sword please, I lost my blade and I cannot butcher that slab of meat without a strong cleaver." Altera told him and her answer left both of them confused.
"You want to help? But I thought you two weren't going to help us fight?" She asked and Boudica answered her.
"Ah, about that, I said I wasn't going to help you fight against Zenobia…but I never said anything about Lev." She then turned a hateful gaze at Lev, who was already getting attacked again by the other servants.
Senpai accepted their reasoning and called for shadow EMIYA to appear.
"Give her something you think will be a good fit for her. "
Shadow EMIYA nodded at Senpai's request and extended his hand. She didn't know if EMIYA traced Balmung in his hand as a prank against Boudica, as a favor for Kriemhild, or because it was the best weapon for this situation. It didn't matter because Altera did not hesitate to accept the giant longsword into her tiny hands.
[Kream: Yes!! Avenge your papa, Altera!! Make us proud!! ]
"Thank you Nameless, now If you'll excuse me, I'll be off." Altera's demeanor changed from a sweet child into a serious combatant. Then her tiny form blurred into motion as she dashed towards Flauros.
Flauros noticed her approaching form and let out a mirthful chuckle, "So the petite destroyer has chosen me for destruction. Heh, do your worst, there's no way you'll be able to annihilate me without your Photon Ray!!"
The blade in her hands glowed brightly as it filled with true ether, then with a loud but cute voice, Altera called out the noble phantasm's true name .
"Balmung!!"
The familiar sight of true ether engulfed the form of Flauros, which proved effective enough to cause the monster to writhe and shriek in pain.
[ILiekQTThings: Lol. Get wrecked you freaky tentacle!! ]
She braced herself as the shockwave of the blast hit her face. The rushing winds deafened her briefly but recovered quickly enough for her to hear Flauros cursing at Altera.
"Damn it!! You little menace!!! I should have ordered you to stab yourself back then!! Grk!!"
Flauros's cursing was interrupted by dozens of its eyes popping like balloons.
"Damn, even without her pseudo divine blade, the little squirt can still pack a punch." Jalter complimented the small girl after she sliced through so many of Flauros's eyes at once, but whatever good mood Jalter had after watching the spectacle turned bitter the moment Zenobia spoke up again.
"Boudica…. I'm sorry… I failed…" Boudica looked down at Zenobia. It was difficult to see the woman she had grown to respect be reduced to such a state, but she knew it was what had to be done.
Boudica shook her head, "It's alright Zenobia, you tried your best to look out for all of us and we appreciated the effort. Now just sit back and let us handle this leech first, then we'll talk more after."
Zenobia meekly nodded at Boudica's words, but she startled when Jalter clicked her tongue loud enough for the defeated queen to hear.
"Cheh, you should have left the bitch to die. It was a waste of energy that could be better put to use fighting that thing." Jalter sarcastically quipped at Boudica, who just sighed and shook her head at Jalter's vulgarity in disapproval, like how a mother would do to her rebellious teenaged daughter.
"Sorry, but I cannot abandon a precious friend of mine, even if I know what she did was wrong. So keep your comments to yourself young lady, or else I will put soap in your mouth to clean up your dirty tongue of yours."
Jalter was about to make a snarky retort, but she stopped as the magical energy in the air spiked again. She and every servant around her felt the incoming attack.
"Fuck… again?!! Everyone get your asses over here or you'll fucking die!!" Jalter cried out and everyone did as she ordered.
Tamamo almost didn't make it but she managed to make it into safety by diving headfirst into Martha's bosom.
No one was harmed, as they all managed to reach her and Jalter's protection but she was starting to get worried.
She didn't know how much longer they could keep doing this.
The servants were fine, they can handle the intense rigors they have been going through, but Senpai and Nero are still normal humans.
Even for someone as resilient as Senpai, fighting multiple battles back-to-back after running around for weeks while hiding in caves was exhausting. It was a fact only made worse by the constant drain he had to endure so that they could continually use their noble phantasms to prolong their survivability.
They needed to finish off Flauros quickly, but she didn't know how they would be able to do that with how resilient the demon god pillar was.
If only they had more servants…
Just as she finished that thought, whatever gods were watching decided to grant Mash's prayer into reality.
She felt her body tingle all over as a floating summoning circle manifested over her shield.
"Connection established?" How was that possible? She hasn't even made the proper preparations yet, and a servant was answering their call!!
Wait, it wasn't a summoning, it's something different! Someone is coming!
The unexpected phenomena was so out of left field, it drew attention to herself.
"Oh? So the shield responded to the leyline without your input? Interesting, but irrelevant. No matter who you summon, they will not have a chance to form a contract with you, nor will they be able to avert your inevitable deaths!!"
Flauros's eyes shone red and she flinched when those dozens of eyes focused on her shield. Whatever servant decided to answer the call will be killed the moment they manifest into reality.
The three circles spun as normal, while Flauros's eyes shone brighter in anticipation.
She tried to move out of the way of the attack, but Flauros's eyes tracked her with ease. She let out a frustrated grunt when she realized the attack was inevitable to evade.
Sure enough, the moment the circles exploded in a brilliant flash of light, Flauros took that as a signal to fire his beam of light.
The beams travelled so fast that all she could do was stand her ground and mutter an apology to the poor soul who was about to be killed.
Except, that never happened.
A surge of dense magical energy flooded the area, taking her breath and the breath of everyone around her, away due to its weight.
The energy caused both Nero and surprisingly Flauros to let out a gasp at the same time, but whoever emerged from the summoning circle did not give either time to process his presence as she felt a heavy kick slam into her shield, which forced her feet to skid backwards by several feet.
The air around her exploded in a sonic boom as whatever kicked her used her as a catapult to launch themselves into the air, just like a surface to air missile.
She followed the trajectory of the figure and saw a muscular roman soldier in a skimpy spandex outfit that reminded her of a wrestling uniform.
The man's body was accelerating at incredible speeds towards Flauros with his arms shining a golden, divine light.
The man crossed his arms and his body cut through the laser beams like they were made of wet tissue paper.
"Impossible, you-"
The overly muscular man did not allow Flauros to finish that sentence and cut him off with a skyshattering roar.
"ROMA!!!" The servant smashed into the demon god pillar with enough force that it resembled a pillow getting punched by a fist made of stone.
[ヽ(°〇°)ﾉ ] x 1241
[KicksYouIntheFace193: FALCON PUNCH!! (੭˃ᴗ˂)੭ ]
An 'X' shaped construct of light slammed over Flauros's body. The attack was so devastating that it carved an even larger 'X' shaped gash on its body.
The newlymade gash was so deep, that she could see a second layer of differently colored flesh underneath.
The figure then kicked Flauros and used them as a springboard to crash land in front of her with a heavy thud.
The man's bulging back muscles were fully visible to all, his eyes never leaving the monster in front of him.
[DownBad_Cowgirl: What a physique!! Those thighs, those glutes!! Hunky mysterious daddy is built to utter perfection!!]
The soft footsteps of Nero walked closer to the front, her eyes glued to the muscular man in front of them with a deep reverence.
"You… I've never met you before in my life… and yet, I know who you are…." Nero breathed out, and the man grunted in approval. Then, he looked over his shoulder and her eyes widened when she saw his face.
Those were the eyes of a berserker… yet this man had the face of a caring grandfather when he looked at Nero.
"It is only natural you would recognize me, my dazzling little Rome. For I am-"
Flauros's inhuman shriek interrupted the man before he could reveal his name, but the sudden cut off from Flauros only served to elevate the revelation of this servant's true name.
"Romulus!!Damn you!! How did you escape the tower?!!"
Romulus scoffed, "It is simple, I heard the plea of Rome for help and I came to save it from the Demon Pillar who wishes to destroy it."
"The holy progenitor of Rome… Romulus. It is an honor to be in the presence of the very god who founded my… no Our Roma." Nero said, still dumbstruck by the revelation that a literal god had decided to help her save her Rome.
Romulus merely smiled, "You are correct, O child of Rome, I am ROME ITSELF. Lancer Romulus!"
"Lancer? Not a berserker?" She was so surprised by the fact he wasn't a berserker despite looking and talking exactly like a berserker would that she blurted her thoughts aloud.
"It does not matter what class I am in, I am here to save Rome. And save Rome I shall!!" Romulus declared.
Flauros wriggled in anger, Cheh, so you managed to figure out a way to hijack the demiservant's shield to transport yourself to her side. How clever of you Romulus… for a berserker. I may have underestimated your mental faculties, but in the end, your madness made you neglect one small detail…"
The tentacle's eyes shone a deeper crimson than the normal color she had gotten used to seeing from Flauros, "You are still my servant, therefore you are still obligated to listen to me!!! So I order you to kill your precious Nero Claudius and The Last Master of Chaldea!!"
Her heart dropped as she saw a corona of magical energy emanate from Romulus's body.
[DownBad_Cowgirl: No!! Daddy!! Please don't join the bad guys!! Even if it would make you 100x hotter, please don't!! ]
They all tensed at the prospect of having to fight another powerful servant, but to her relief that was not the case.
She could see the servant's muscles tense and involuntarily twitch from strain. Her mouth fell agape when she realized that Romulus was resisting the command from Flauros by sheer willpower.
Flauros let out a chuckle, "Defiant as the day I summoned you. Well let's see how much longer you can resist!! I ORDER YOU TO KILL THE LAST MASTER OF CHALDEA AND AND NERO CLADIUS!!! NOW!!"
The light around Romulus intensified, but Romulus refused to budge. He casually looked at Senpai like he wasn't suffering immense pressure to murder him and everyone around him," Brave one, use the dagger of the Witch of Betrayal on me. Make a contract with me… so we can show the glory of Rome to this monster."
How did he know about Rule Breaker?!
Senpai did not seem to pay the fact that Romulus knew something he shouldn't know any mind and nodded in agreement; However, before he could relay his order, Shadow EMIYA had already projected the blade and was rushing towards Romulus.
Flauros heard their entire plan, and he was not so keen to let them complete it.
"Don't think you'll have your way so easily Romulus!!" A laser beam crossed the distance and was about to strike EMIYA down, but she refused to allow it.
Lev had been a friend, someone who she trusted and saw as family. She still had mixed feelings about his betrayal, but she refused to allow her feelings to paralyze her!!
Gritting her teeth, she threw herself in front of the laser beam with her shield at the ready.
Using the momentum of her run, she deflected the attack with a heavy swing of her shield.
Her intervention had bought enough time for EMIYA to sink Rule Breaker into Romulus.
"Gah!! Damn!! Damn!! Damn!!" Flauros cursed as the aura of his commands shattered, which showed that Romulus's connection to him had been severed.
The moment EMIYA pulled out the dagger, Romulus and Senpai had already made eye contact and nodded in sync.
"Our contract is complete." Romulus turned back to the furious Flauros and narrowed his eyes.
"Now prepare yourself Master, for I will now pay back this monster 100 fold for what he has done to my Roma."
The magical energy around Romulus surged and the air became saturated with power.
"Show me your resistance! Show me how you claim victory!"
The red frilly thing on his back glowed and expanded into a giant beam of light. The man levitated to the sky in an absolute show of dominance against the horrendous monster in front of him.
"The past. The present. The future. All of it is the light and love of Rome."
The beam expanded until it became a literal tree of light. The branches touched the sky and the roots grew downward, but they never touched the ground.
A breathtaking castle emerged around them, and she could feel the weight of its power, but the moment Romulus said his next words was when everything started to go wrong.
"Show your brilliance amidst that torrent! Can it rival Rome?!"
"!!!" Senpai let out a grunt as he clutched his arm in pain.
"My Praetor!! What is the matter?!!" Nero asked in alarm.
"Master!!" Jalter also cried out in worry after seeing Senpai suddenly in pain.
She ran towards him, and she could feel his body was warm. Lifting his sleeve, she gasped when she saw his magical circuits were starting to glow a light orange color.
"Romulus's noble phantasm is causing Gudao-kun's magical circuits to overheat! " Da Vinci said, worry etched into her tone.
"Shit!! Call it off!!" Jalter yelled out but Senpai refused.
"No… I can still keep going… we need to finish off Lev now… don't worry about me, I can take it."
She pressed her lips into a thin line before she reluctantly allowed it to happen. It looked like she and the others were going to have to rely on her own reserves for the remaining battle.
Thankfully they had a leyline nearby, but it was still going to be a difficult fight.
She looked back to the god coming down to earth and hoped that it would be enough to end the fight.
Romulus himself did not falter in his chant and spoke its final verse.
"Magna Voluisse Magnum!"
The branches of the light tree expanded and turned into whips that lashed out at Flauros.
The demon god pillar cursed as it was assaulted by dozens of lashes, each one tearing pieces of its body away and leaving devastating, irreparable damage to the monster.
Finally, the grotesque pillar of flesh could no longer withstand the assault and was promptly hacked into pieces by Romulus's noble phantasm.
By the time Romulus's noble phantasm had winded down, Flauros had been reduced to a mountain of butchered meat.
Senpai let out a gasp as he slumped, exhausted by the strain of Romulus's attack.
Unfortunately for them, the battle was far from over.
The butchered meat vanished into black and purple motes of light, but it left behind a furious Lev that was glaring daggers at Romulus, but his ire for the lancer was briefly put on hold as Lev turned to face her.
"I must commend you Mash Kiryelight, you have gotten significantly stronger than the last time we met. I was not expecting you to be capable of deflecting my attacks at all, so you have exceeded the expectations I had of a mere demiservant like you."
The glare vanished and his signature smile made a full comeback. An action which made her stomach churn in anxiety.
"However, don't get cocky. No matter how powerful you get, neither you or Romulus will ever beat the power of a holy grail!"
Lev reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a golden chalice.
"So that is the so-called holy grail you have been looking for." Nero asked, her gaze transfixed by the chalice.
"Yes, this is the real deal, I was originally going to offer this thing to a worthy fool to drive this era into chaos, but alas, their qualifications were all left wanting."
His eyes went to Altera, which prompted the little girl to raise her projected copy of Balmung at him. Meanwhile, Boudica sent a death glare at the man, her sword already charging holy light to smite the demon before her.
Lev didn't care for their hostility and allowed a disappointed look to cross his face, "Truly it is a shame that you aligned yourself with the Chaldeans, Altera. Originally I planned to unlock your full potential as a destroyer should my plans go awry, but that is not a viable option anymore… However, I will cut my losses and find an equally powerful servant to help me achieve my goal.
Who knows, perhaps I should summon a servant who could pierce through young Mash's defences with ease… or perhaps I should try summoning an actual god of Greece that isn't a haughty weakling."
His grin widened and he brought up his hand, the golden cup glistening in the sun.
"With the holy grail and my expertise in summoning any servant I want regardless of their consent I-"
Despite how much Flauros gloated about how he was superior to them in every way, the man was still easily susceptible to a rather glaring, human weakness.
He talked too much.
A fast moving ball of light struck Flauros's hand mid sentence, burning his fingers into coal. The energy projectile hit the grail and sent it flying out of his hands.
"Gah!!' Flauros clutched his hand and froze in shock when his ears caught the sound of an empty cup bouncing on the ground.
Then his neck snapped towards the direction where the attack came from and his eyes opened in fury when he saw the one responsible for that sudden attack. Tamamo Cat was smugly grinning at him, relishing his rage like it was a sweet drink. She waved her oversized hand in greeting, which only served to incite Flauros even more.
That moment of distraction proved to be dangerous for Flauros's health as Romulus threw himself at the man and landed a haymaker to his face.
"Guah!!" Flauros fell to the ground and Romulus took advantage of the situation by mounting the man and began to punch him while he was writing on the floor from the pain.
"Now's your chance!! Take him out now that he doesn't have the grail!!" Romani barked out his order and everyone who heard was happy to comply.
After the events that had occurred since the fall of Chaldea till now, everyone had a bone to pick with Flauros, even her.
She slammed her shield on Flauros's face before he could direct another curse from his mouth. She was tired of his lies, tired of the betrayal!
She mourned Professor Lev, the kind man who was a good friend of hers. Flauros was not Lev, that man was as dead as the previous Director whom he deceived.
Flauros had caused so much pain that the acquisition of the grail became a secondary objective. Their primary objective was now for all units to kill Lev Lainur Flauros, the monster who had blown up her home, massacred the staff of Chaldea, and the man who was helping incinerate all of humanity.
This decision would, in hindsight, be seen as a grave mistake.
✦✧✦
Zenobia POV
She looked down at the golden cup that had just touched her mangled thigh.
With trembling fingers she picked up the golden chalice and held it up to her face in reverence.
It was heavier than she expected, the weight surpassing similar golden chalices she had drunk from in the past. Likely because it carried the weight of an unfulfilled wish inside its cup.
She had tried getting her hands on this artifact since the moment she laid eyes on it, but Lev always refused to let her have it because she disagreed with his ultimate plan for humanity.
Worthy or not, that drivel did not matter anymore, because she had obtained what she always wanted after so long.
"So you finally got the fancy cup huh? So? What are you going to wish for?"
What does she want? She wants her home to be safe, for Palmyra to live on as an actual country for eternity, with living citizens for her to rule.
She doesn't want to rule a ruined city filled with ghosts.
'If you do that, you would doom billions of lives if you get your way. Why not just accept the past is gone and live your future with Ritsuka? You still love him too don't you?"
She does.
It still hurts seeing him on the other side, as an enemy, but she has made up her mind.
As for helping kill billions for her home, her answer remained the same, she didn't want to do it but she had run out of options.
She wanted to save her home and have the future survive incineration, but she found out it was pointless because The World itself would never allow it. Her home was doomed to be destroyed, and nothing she could do could stop it.
'That's right. You're getting it, now give it up. Give up the grail and give up your farce of an ambition.'
Doubt crept into her heart, and spread across her body like a cancer when she realized the voice was right.
'Perhaps it's for the best that I give up the grail.'
Her fingers went slack, the cup sliding from her grasp.
'Just a little more… give in.' The voice urged, and she nearly complied with its wishes, but
moments before the grail slipped and fell to the ground, her hand clutched the vessel, refusing to let go.
She was confused why her hand disobeyed her, when a traitorous voice in the back of her head spoke up.
"Why should I…?"
'Hm? Can you speak louder? It's awfully difficult to hear you over the sounds of your cowardice.'
She gritted her teeth and gripped the grail in her hands harder.
'I said… why should I care?!!'
Why should she care about people of the distant future who she has never even met?! How do their lives matter more than the people she had known her whole life and the place she called home?
Why should she allow her home to be conquered, enslaved, and turned into a fancy corpse for people in the future to gawk at and later desecrate for their own petty beliefs?
She was naive.
She wanted to have Palmyra be the civilization to replace Rome, for it to stand on its own two feet as its own nation unbeholden to another, but now she knows the truth.
The World itself wanted Palmyra dead, and for Rome to pave over its ashes into a future that had no place for her or her people.
Well you know what?
To Hell with The World, to Hell with Rome, and to hell with Pan Human History!!!
The grail responded to her burning resolve with a warm hum, a hum which turned into a shockwave as the grail expelled an absurd amount of magical energy.
The fighting stopped and all eyes turned to her. She could see the shock and horror in their gazes as they realized what she held in her hands and what she was planning to do.
"Crap!! She's making a wish!! Someone, stop her!! " Chaldea's director frantically issued a command, but it was far too late.
She could not be stopped, not anymore.
She lifted the grail with both her hands and opened her mouth to speak her wish aloud.
"I wish for you to give me the strength I need to protect my home, My Palmyra, from those who seek to destroy it!"
The grail shone with the intensity of the sun and magical energy poured out of the cup like a flash flood.
The energy filled every crevice of her body;however, she could not properly enjoy the sensation as Romulus ran at her like a man possessed.
The progenitor of Rome had recognized the danger of her wish and taken the initiative to stop her. He reared his fist back and threw a punch directly aimed at her face.
If that fist hits her, her brain will be splattered across the ground and she will die an instant death. Heh, how merciful of him to give her a painless death, even after all she had done to his Rome.
Unfortunately for Romulus, it was already far too late.
She could not contain the glee from her face as she activated the displacement spell in her necklace and teleported away from the lethal blow when it was mere inches from crushing her skull.
She reappeared dozens of meters in the sky, and her rags returned to its glamorous splendor once more.
She grinned as she savored the dumbstruck terror on her enemy's faces as they realized that she had returned to full power and had reclaimed the skies.
She spread her arms out and felt her divine core greedily drink the grail's magical energy and convert it into divine power.
Her divine skill activated and expelled every impurity from her flawed form.
Marred skin sealed itself and became flawless and silky smooth. Her hair extended and gained a divine sheen that made her purple hair luminescent.
Her vulgar oversized muscles softened and her bones creaked as they shrunk until her body reached a more compact form.
If she looked like Stheno before, then she would look like a near identical copy about now, with the only difference being her more mature appearance and her olive skin color.
Her final change came in the form of a new dress. The old white dress armor she wore had transformed into a long, flowing dress that was more beautiful, elegant, and divine than what she wore before.
It was adorned with many small black roses, with a large black rose as the centerpiece of the outfit, which sat at the center of her chest.
She wore the same open toed sandals Stheno wore, but in truth they were unnecessary. After all, why should a perfect goddess need to sully her feet by touching, let alone walking on the filthy ground?
Her eyes glanced down at the ants that were gaping at her new perfect form in awe.
She let her face contort into the most toxic, but sweet smirk she could muster as she blessed the peons below her feet with the privilege of hearing her beautiful, perfect voice.
"That's right you lowly mortals!! Gaze upon perfection!! Burn it into your feeble minds, for it shall be the last thing your unworthy eyes will ever see before the sandstorm blinds you forever."
With her divine core connected to the holy grail and the leyline nearby, she felt like she could do anything now! Unfortunately for the ants below her feet, what she wanted now was to wipe the slate clean.
She clasped her hands together in prayer, but she didn't pray to another god or goddess. She prayed to herself and willed the magical energy from the leyline and from the grail inside her to feed her magnum opus.
"The World wishes to destroy Palmyra to save the future, so I will destroy the future to save Palmyra!! Let the world be engulfed in darkness and suffocate by the sands of my home for an eternity!!"
The magical energy around her stirred, and the air began to swirl menacingly. Then the wind intensified and that was when the dust and dirt in the area got picked up and carried by the wind.
In a matter of moments, a cyclone of sand and dust howled into existence, with her serving as the eye of the storm.
This was not a true sandstorm, as real sandstorms were not cyclones. It was more of a sand hurricane that was increasing exponentially in size.
Her storm had already blocked out the sun, stripped the green from forests, turned the nearby rivers into mud, and had smothered all local life that was unfortunate enough to live outside a burrow, a cave, or a building.
The only living things left to challenge her divine decree near her vicinity were Romulus, the insects scuttling on the ground, and Chaldea.
For a perfect goddess like herself, the latter two were essentially the same thing. Unfortunately for Chaldea, scorpions were dangerous when left alive inside a home. It was beneath her, but she was a generous goddess and decided that she would bless them with her divine presence and smite them by crushing them beneath her foot to ensure they didn't bring harm into her home.
Thankfully, she no longer had to worry about the pink menace shackling her in chains, courtesy of Flauros. So the only true obstacle she had to worry about killing is Romulus, though considering how he's stuck to the ground with limited ranged attacks, her complete victory is all but guaranteed.
✦✧✦
Ritsuka POV
The howling winds of the sandstorm were so loud that it drowned out the blaring "red alert" siren and the panicked voices that came from Chaldea.
He could see the walls of wind, sand, and dust stretch for miles into the air and had it not been for Stheno's light, visibility would have been low from down here.
"Director!! The Human Order Foundation Rank of singularity Septem has jumped from B to EX!!! " One of the operators exclaimed.
"EX?!! Shit!! Ri…tsuka, Ma..sh!! Emergency ra…hift!! You…re way out of your…epth!! " Romani's voice started to turn to static due to the interference.
Nero turned to his wristband in shock and disbelief of what she had just heard.
"You would dare take my Praetor and run with your tails tucked behind your legs during such a critical moment?!!"
"YES!! I…OULD!! IF RITSUKA FALLS, THE WORLD AND ROME IS DOOMED!! WE… CAN ALWAYS COME BACK AND UNDO THE DAMAGE!! "
Romani's words had an impact on Nero as her eyes turned a shade of black for a brief moment as she glared at his wristband.
"You coward!! You are unworthy of the name Roman!!" Nero cried out, but Romani did not back down at all and repeated his order.
"Doctor!! We can't leave now!! If we do, Nero will die and Rome will fall!! The situation will be worse!!" Mash rejected Romani's demands, which earned her an appreciative smile from the petite emperor.
Romani was about to retort but someone from chat that he hadn't expected to interrupt spoke up.
[Best_Kohai-BB donated 100 bits ]
["Sorry to interrupt your little family spat here, but Mash is right, Romani. If Gudao-Senpai and Mash retreat to Chaldea, the chances that this singularity will mutate into a lostbelt completely is 100%.
Heck, my own equipment is already detecting a lostbelt depth of E from this place, and the only reason it hasn't completely turned is because of Gudao-Senpai's presence in this era.
If you decide to pull him out now, restoring order to this era will become extremely difficult, if not impossible when he returns..
Zenobia knows who you are, knows your capabilities and weaknesses, and they will easily be able to stop your return by blindsighting you before you can even get a chance to fight back. "]
"Uh, what's a lostbelt again?" He asked, confused since he doesn't remember if they covered that in a previous lesson.
"A Lostbelt is, in simple terms, a history which has hit a dead end. The World considers them "unnecessary" and as such, they are pruned before they can become parallel worlds.
Which means if Septem turns into a Lostbelt, we will not be able to resolve it, we will be forced to destroy it. " Da Vinci explained, and he understood why her tone was so grave.
[Lusamine_Aether: Do these lostbelt worlds have their own people? What happens to them if they get pruned? ]
[CasCu: It's rather obvious no? They go poof. Their history and their existence is seen as wrong from what it should be, and as such they are erased. It's fucked up. I know, but that is the unfortunate reality of our world. ]
[ShortShorts_QUEEN: Wait… if Septem becomes a lostbelt, does that mean that the people we met in this era, like Martha, Simon, and even Nero will be erased for good!!? (ᵕó_ò)]
[GARcher: Yes, that is the case, which is why Master is going to have to have a hard choice to make very soon. ]
Nero let out an angry, but confused grunt, "I am not good at these terms of magecraft, but all I need to know is that we have to stop Zenobia before this lostbelt thing happens right?"
"Yes. If what BB says is true, so long as we defeat Zenobia here, and claim the grail, Septem will not become a fully realized Lostbelt. "
Suddenly, Flauros let out a chuckle, which drew everyone's ire.
"What is so funny?" He snapped at Flauros, who just gestured at his surroundings with an open palm.
"This whole situation!!" Flauros turned to face him, his smile filled with a mixture of mirth and another emotion he couldn't place.
"Do you have any idea how long I've been trying to persuade Zenobia into helping my king's cause? Week after week, day after day, and she refused me at every turn. I had given up hope on her and decided to do things by my own hand… until now! "
Flauros covered his face with one hand and laughed, but he could hear the cheery tone breaking into disappointment and frustration, "Of all the things that could have finally gotten her to side against humanity, it was not my whispers of power, nor her allies backing her claim. Nor even the sweet satisfaction of revenge. No, all it took for her to snap was heartbreak!!"
His grin widened as his eyes bore into his soul, "You should feel proud Ritsuka Fujimaru, because this colossal clusterfuck would have never happened without YOUR help!"
"Bullshit!!! Ritsuka is not responsible for this! The only one responsible for this is you, Lev!! " Romani snapped back at the madman who ignored him and continued to laugh like a maniac.
His laughter agitated his servants and Nero; However, they weren't the only ones sick of Lev's presence.
The howling winds carried Zenobia's voice all around them. Despite how far away she is, it felt like she was speaking from nearby.
"You've overstayed your welcome here, demon. Return to the hole from whence you came."
SHLICK.
"Grk!!" Flauros found himself pinned to the ground when Zenobia's spear impaled him through his back.
It was not the last either, as Flauros suffered the same fate Siegfried had prior and was turned into a pin cushion by a rain of giant ballistas.
He looked up at Zenobia and winced at the sight.
There was barely anything left of Zenobia at this point. She looked like a near carbon copy of Stheno with only a few differences.
"Ah, what a relief to be free of that cockroach. Now I can implement my plans without getting hassled."
He pursed his lips and spoke in the loudest voice he could muster without yelling.
"And what exactly are you planning, Zenobia?"
Zenobia's gaze fell on him and her face turned smug, "Wouldn't you like to know handsome? Well, since you asked me politely, I shall let you know."
She gestured at the sandstorm raging around them.
"Like I said earlier, this sandstorm of mine will grow large enough that it will cover the entire world. It will kill every plant, every person, and every animal on this planet. The only places it will not touch will be my empire's territory, and a few select regions.
These regions are and were my allies' homes and places of birth."
She looked at Boudica and Altera who were sending her conflicted looks.
"Thank you for saving me, Boudica. I truly treasure your presence at my side and you are a valuable friend.
Which is why I am giving you and Altera my blessings to leave in peace. My sands shall not harm you, even when you tread through the worst of the storm.
Return to Brittania and live your days in peace."
Everyone waited to hear Boudica's response to Zenobia's offer with bated breath. Again, Boudica would not have broken her oath if she decided to leave now, because Lev/Flauros was dead.
"I feel the same way Zenobia, and I am glad you have been kind enough to grant my wish for peace in Brittain… but I am afraid I have to decline." Boudica's sword shone brighter as she pointed it at Zenobia.
"I do not want the world to die for the sake of my peace, so I will fight you to ensure everyone in the future gets to live a peaceful life!"
"I don't want to destroy civilization anymore, Auntie Zenobia. I believe in the future that Master and mother believe in, and I will fight you too!" Altera got into a battleready stance and narrowed her eyes at Zenobia.
Zenobia stared at the mother/daughter duo with a look of resignation, "So Ritsuka got to the two of you as well… Understood, I will not make any more attempts to coerce you to join my side. I, however, still owe you a debt, so I will still spare your people and your lands after I kill you."
Zenobia lifted her slender arm to the sky and thousands upon thousands of spears of light manifested above her. The goddess smiled at Boudica and Altera warmly.
"I will make your deaths quick, I do not wish to inflict an agonizing death on a friend."
"Mash, Jalter, use your noble phantasms now!!" He cried out in panic.
"But Senpai!! We can't you're at your limit!!" mash tried to argue but he shut her down.
"It's either magic circuit damage or death!! Hurry up and do it, I can handle it!!" He commanded, and reluctantly, his servants complied.
He felt a warm sensation on his arm alongside a tingling numbness, but he ignored it as Jalter and Mash put up their defenses just in time to stop the rain of death from blowing them into pieces.
The sheer force of the blows were both more potent and numerous than before. Minutes of nonstop attacks passed and it was proving to be too much of a strain for Mash and Jalter to handle.
Jalter growled as she held her flag firmly, "Shit!! How much longer is that bitch going to keep firing!!?"
"Hold the line, we can't let up or everyone will die!" Mash told her, but Jalter snapped back at her.
"I know already!! Stop stating the obvious!!"
More time passed and it was starting to get ridiculous. It seemed like Zenobia had an endless amount of magical energy to spare just to kill them.
There were so many explosions going off around them that it was impossible for any of his servants to fire off their long-ranged attacks safely, because they would be shot down by the ballistas colliding into them and exploding.
Boudica noticed the strain that Mash and Jalter were going through and made a call.
She lifted her glowing sword to the sky and closed her eyes, then she chanted a verse that held the weight of a noble phantasm.
"I will protect you."
He was proven right as wooden wheels manifested around the ground and rolled protectively around them when Boudica cried out: "Chariot of Boudica!!"
The ground protected by the wheels glowed, and he could feel his body becoming much more durable than it was before.
He also saw it was having an effect on the girls as the burden on their bodies lessened, allowing them to breathe much easier.
He looked at Boudica in worry as he realized she used her own magical reserves to deploy that noble phantasm, but she noticed his gaze and waved away his unspoken worry.
"I am okay, my noble phantasm in this form is not that energy intensive to manifest, but I still have limited uses, so please try to figure out a way to end Zenobia quickly. "
Boudica flinched as the powerful hand of Romulus touched her shoulder.
"My Rome, I appreciate the resolve of you and the child who attempted to trample Rome in the future, but I am afraid even with your help, the barrier will still be too much."
Boudica sent a glare at Romulus, "My name is Boudica, Not Rome. I am Brittanian, an Iceni queen. Never forget that!"
"Mind your tongue when you speak to the progenitor!! If he declares your name is Rome, then you are Rome!! Besides, you are more worthy of that name than the spineless man whining from My Praetor's wrist!"
"Call me what you want, I have humanity's best interest at heart!! " Romani defended himself but Nero just scoffed at him.
Romulus shook his head, "No. You are Rome, and so is this Romani. Everyone here, even our enemy in the sky, has Rome inside their hearts."
Nero grumbled, "Well, I suppose if the progenitor says so…"
Boudica scoffed, "I don't care if you're a Divine Father or a god, quit wasting our time!! Either do something or shut up!! You're distracting us with your pointless rambling!!"
"You reject Rome, but you are someone who is in desperate need of Rome's love. But do not fret, for I am Rome and My Love Reaches All!!"
Boudica visibly flinched as Romulus got into a "praise the sun" pose and bellowed out his next words loud enough for even Zenobia to hear.
"Moles Necessarie!!!"
A fortress emerged from nothing and the strain that the three servants were subjected to vanished as an invisible barrier blocked Zenobia's nonstop barrage with ease.
Since he hadn't fallen to the ground in exhaustion or pain, that meant that Romulus, like Boudica, had used his own reserves to erect this sanctuary for them.
Nero looked at the walls with her mouth wide open in shock, "Brilliant!! Absolutely brilliant!! Truly a fortress worthy of the progenitor of Rome!!"
"Oh? Another defensive noble phantasm? How boring and unoriginal. Don't you weaklings have any other type of noble phantasms to show off?"
Altera chose that moment to respond to her aunty's taunting by unleashing a blast of true ether.
The rain of destruction stopped as Zenobia dodged out of the way.
This window was enough for the other servants to spring into action.
Tamamo Cat started spamming miniature sun blasts at the sky, while Shadow EMIYA fired broken phantasm after broken phantasm.
Unfortunately, none of the attacks hit, so they were all just wasting energy until something hit.
Charlemagne saw this and took a deep breath as he realized the gravity of the situation, then he looked at the group of people around him.
"Well, it's time for me to show off how cool I am." The servant's magical energy spiked, and the drain became noticeable when his body started to fade.
"Charlie?" Nero's voice cracked as she saw her general starting to vanish.
Charlemagne smiled at Nero, "It was an honor serving under you Emperor Nero, but I am afraid it is time for me to go."
The words hit Nero like a truck, as her lips trembled from Charlemagne's declaration, but she did not beg him to stop, nor did she order him to stay by her side and live.
She gave him a firm, final farewell.
"I do not wish for us to part so soon, but I understand. I thank you for your splendid service to Rome, and I pray that your final endeavor shall be successful."
Charlemagne nodded, then looked at him, "I'm headed out Master. Again, I apologize for Astolfo's eccentricity and hope you continue to get along with him. Oh, and please pass my apologies to my knight, because I do not think we will see each other for a while."
He wanted to ask him why, but seeing how he was working on a limited timeframe, he held his peace.
"I will."
Charlemagne nodded before he jumped into the sky and extended his wings for the last time.
Then he showed off a beaming smile before he sped off in Zenobia's direction.
Zenobia noticed his approach and scoffed when she recognized Charlemagne.
"I remember you, you are the other Roman emperor of the future serving Nero. No apologies, the King of the Franks, and father of Europe, Charlemagne.
You are already fading away like a mirage. Do you honestly expect to stop me from-"
"Shut up for a moment and look at my sword!!"
Zenobia blinked at Charlemagne's sudden bizarre request.
"This is the most cheerful sacred sword in the world!! You could say it is the most joyeuse weapon!"
Zenobia had heard enough of his rambling and flew at him with her spear pointed at his chest. To her surprise, Charlemagne did not evade and allowed himself to be pierced.
The momentum kept his body pushing the spear deeper into his body, until finally, his gut touched Zenobia's hands.
The goddess's eyes widened as she realized her mistake and tried to let go but it was too late.
Charlemagne coughed up blood, which caused Zenobia to flinch as it landed on her face, and said: "After all… it's like… MONTJOIE!!!"
A light beam engulfed Zenobia, causing her to let out a cry of pain.
She let go of the spear and Charlemagne fell from the sky.
He vanished before he hit the ground.
✦✧✦
"What a spectacular Rome he was… I'm sorry for not being able to protect you. " Romulus said, the sadness in his tone infectious as Charlemagne's actions had finally sunk in.
But it didn't last long as EMIYA took advantage of the damage to land a few arrows on the dazed Zenobia who was still reeling from the attack.
Tamamo joined him as she managed to land a massive sun attack on Zenobia's body.
The goddess teleported away, but now she was even higher in the sky, far, far away from everyone but Archer's range.
The storm howled louder as Zenobia bellowed her words.
"Enough!! You had your lucky shot!! Now I am out of patience!! All of you die!!"
Thousands of javelins fell from the sky once again, and this time, they were even more relentless than before.
"For someone who whines about originality for noble phantasms, she's rather gung ho about spamming the same trick over and over again." Jalter hissed, already fed up with having to deal with this barrage of attacks again.
With Charlemagne gone, they no longer had a viable way of reaching Zenobia.
Her unending attacks would shred any arrow that EMIYA could fire, and there's only so much Jalter or Tamamo can do with their vision that was obscured by the explosions.
What should he do? How was he going to get everyone out of this alive?
Who is left?
Wait…
He looked down at his hand, and saw two remaining command seals. He looked up at Zenobia then back at the command seals.
…he still has a connection to Stheno. Perhaps he can bring her closer so that they can restrain and take her out?
But that didn't turn out well the last time and he got scolded for it., and he only has two shots. Plus, Zenobia was also aware of that tactic already.
Which means he had to get creative with his command. They are out of options and this is the best shot they have left.
But what command should he give?
Should he send someone to appear next to Zenobia? If he did, maybe he could give the command to Romulus? But that would risk their barrier and Zenobia was too agile in the air for him.
Maybe he can send Shadow EMIYA or Carmilla? The latter has the advantage conceptually against women but her lack of range is still a gamble.
Perhaps Lord Vlad?
…
An epiphany hit him at that moment, and it all made sense.
He was an idiot, why didn't he think of this before?! It was obvious!!
His hand tattoo glowed a bright red color, he held his arm up and clasped it with his other. Then he took a deep breath and gave his command.
"STHENO!! BY THIS COMMAND SEAL, I ORDER YOU TO SEPARATE YOUR DIVINE CORE FROM ZENOBIA'S AND COME TO ME!!"
The barrage came to an abrupt halt the moment his command seal vanished.
Zenobia clutched her chest as she realized what had happened to her and let out a groan of pain.
"It worked…" Mash breathed out, surprised that the command seal would affect Zenobia like that.
"I figured if that Daric guy could fuse his soul to Lord Vlad's spirit origin, that it could do the opposite." He winced and sent an apologetic look at chat.
"Sorry Lord Vlad."
[Lord_Impaler: No offense taken Master. Now end this woman already, I tire of hearing her pagan ramblings. ]
He nodded and looked to the sky in worry. It's taking way too long, and Stheno still hadn't shown up.
Zenobia let out a cry, and to his surprise she broke through the command seal by sheer force, the same way Romulus did.
Shit it failed.
Zenobia's soft giggles reached their ears, which was made only creepier by the winds whistlimg menacingly around them.
The giggles turned to cackles before they settled down into silence once again.
Then she reappeared closer to them, close enough he could see her condescending smile looking down at him.
"Ritsuka my adorable, sweet little idiot… you almost had me there for a moment. Nice try, but sadly for you~ your command seals cannot undo perfection."
Her gaze fell to his hand and she hummed.
"It seems like you only have one command seal left. Very well, I will humor you."
She spread her arms out, but instead of the pose used for dominance, this one resembled more of an inviting hug pose.
"I will give you one last chance. Hit me with your last command seal. I give my word to you as a perfect goddess that I will not attack you, but if any of your servants dare to hit me, the deal is off and I will start to ignore you and begin my march across the world."
She tilted her head, "So? What will it be?"
"Ritsuka… you're going to do it aren't you?" Romani tiredly asked, but he gave his response by clutching his hand.
The last command seal was glowing faintly.
"Senpai… she's baiting you, if she can shrug off your commands then she's hoping you waste them."
He clenched his fist, "We are screwed either way Mash. Both Charlemagne and Romulus had to use their own reserves because I couldn't handle the strain anymore. None of our noble phantasms have a chance to hit her when she can fly."
Jalter clicked her tongue, but chose not to argue, Mash meanwhile just sighed.
"Well, whatever command you give, I hope you make it count, Senpai. I trust you." Mash said her peace and stepped away.
With the all clear given, he calmed his building anxiety by controlling his breath.
Forcing Stheno and Zenobia apart by brute force was not going to work.
He knew Stheno was still there, trapped and in pain. He felt everything about her through their connection, and he knew she wanted to get out.
He thought back to the last few months, of the dreams he saw, and the life Stheno lived before she died, and most importantly, what her deepest wish was.
He clenched his fist and looked at the smug Zenobia, and focused on his connection with Stheno.
"Stheno, I know you're in there somewhere, please listen to me. You probably already know this, but I have been dreaming of you for the last few months.
I have seen everything, from the good and the bad. And while I disagree with how you treat your sister Medusa, I know how much you deeply care for her and Eurayle. I know how much you long to be reunited with them and live on that island again."
Zenobia raised a brow at him mockingly as he continued to speak, "while I am unable to take you back to that island, I can grant you your wish to reunite with your sisters again, but in Chaldea.
We've already run into Medusa before, so all it would take for her to show up would be a catalyst and I'm sure they would show up!!"
He gripped his arm so hard that it started to hurt, "But I cannot do that if you stay asleep and let Zenobia kill me and everyone here. You're just as much a part of Zenobia as Zenobia is to you, so I beg you, Stheno! By this command seal, please wake up!! Wake up and shatter the chains Zenobia is using to bind you and reject the imperfection clinging to you!!"
The command was given and the magic hit Zenobia, but to his dismay, she just laughed at him like he was an idiot.
"That's it? That was your best shot?! Ahahahahahahaha!! How desperate of you Ritsuka!! To think you would waste your last command seal on that longwinded speech for a dead goddess!"
Romani sighed, "It was a good try, Ritsuka. But I hope you are ready to face the consequences of-"
Suddenly Zenobia's face went from smug to panic and she let out an involuntary scream, startling the man.
"Owowowo!! I spilled my coffee!! What happened?! " Romani asked, and the answer revealled itself for all to see.
"N-No!! You're not supposed to do this!! You can't!! I am the goddess now!! Not you!! Stop!!"
Zenobia clutched her head in pain as she slowly lost altitude, too distracted from the pain to stay afloat.
"Um… should we do something?" Nero asked, taken aback by the strange event happening in front of her.
"There is no need. The fight is over."
Hope returned to his chest as a familiar voice graced his ears. He turned and saw that those gemlike eyes were no longer looking at him mockingly, but with affection.
Her body posture was also not aggressive at all, and was more demure compared to her prior self.
It finally worked.
Stheno had prevailed against Zenobia and taken her body back.
"Welcome back, Stheno. "
The petite goddess was looking at him with a deep crimson flush painting her cheeks.
"Yes, your beloved goddess is back, my darling Hero~"
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AN: Webnovel is a bitch that can't handle girthy chapters, so I will post two chapters this week.