Settling Down in Rome.
The Servants of Chaldea, together with Nero, fought against the specters that the Black Mist had made out of the fallen soldiers. While they were formidable opponents for regular humans, Servants had no trouble fighting against the ghosts, and were able to quickly destroy a number of them without much trouble.
Despite Gwen thinking that Nero wasn't much of a fighter at first glance, she was pleasantly surprised when the blonde showed her ability to fend off the specters, albeit with a bit of trouble.
Meanwhile, the remaining Servants were having little to no trouble dealing with the Black Mist. Not only were they unaffected by the attempts of the Mist to corrupt them, and they could easily destroy them with just their weapons alone, not even counting their Noble Phantasm. She was happy to have such formidable allies to fight against this enemy, it reminded her of home.
Using her scissors, she cut one of the specters in two while using her needle to pierce another one that was about to hit Jalter.
"I had it" - the Alter said as she used her flames to burn another one of the spawns of the Black Mist.
"Sure you did" - Gwen answered with a smile before heading jumping far and attacking another group of specters.
While they weren't hard to defeat, Cu felt like they were getting a bit too annoying for his taste, and wanted to get it over with as soon as possible.
"Hey Master, how about you give me a bit of a boost and I end this now?" -
"Your Noble Phantasm… Do it, just be careful about hurting our side" -
"They'll be fine, I'll just be burning a few annoying ghost" -
After Ritsuka used one of his Command Seals to charge up Caster Cu's Noble Phantasm, the Servant then unleashed the full power of the Wicker Man onto the specters of the Black Mist, who were charred inside the flames of such a powerful weapon until nothing remained of them.
"Well, that was interesting. Although I would highly prefer not to have to face them ever again" - Gwen said as her scissors disappeared in her hand - "Is everyone alright?" -
"We're fine, they were easy to handle" - Mash said as the rest of the rounded up.
"I must say, you all are exceptional warriors, perfect additions to my fight against the United Roman Empire" - she said as she put her sword down - "Who are you anyways? You seem to be foreigners. Maybe you came from Brittania? Or the Far East?" -
"None of that, we came from Chaldea" - Ritsuka answered as he extended his hand as a greeting.
"Chaldea? Sounds like a fancy institution, no wonder they have so many fine warriors on their ranks" - the girl said right after - "Oh, where are my manners, I should introduce myself. I am Nero Claudius, fifth emperor of the glorious Roman Empire!" -
"... Is she supposed to be someone important in your world?" - Gwen asked.
"So she's Nero? I had a feeling" - Ritsuka answered - "Yeah Gwen, he's… Or rather, she's, a very important figure for Rome" -
"Umu umu, I see my reputation extends far and wide. In any other occasion, your help would be rewarded with a feast in the capital, but unfortunately, I cannot provide such a thing for the moment" -
"What happened to this place anyways? Who is this United Roman Empire you speak of?" - Artoria asked.
"My dear Rome is currently endangered. The territories of my great Empire are scattered, broken and divided. On one side, you have the true Roman Empire, which I rule and whose capital is set in Rome. On the other, you have the fake United Roman Empire, an alliance ruled by several emperors who appeared out of nowhere not too long ago before stealing half my land. We don't know anything about them, not even the capital where they gather. No scout we send ever return" -
"Do the soldiers that attacked us before the Black Mist belong to the United Empire?" - Gwen asked.
"They do. Not only that, but the man you fought before, general Caligula, he is…" -
"Your uncle, right?" - Mash asked.
"You are correct, Shielder" -
"But shouldn't he be dead by this point?" - Ritsuka asked right after.
"Yes, dear mage. Uncle Caligula even killed our Court Mage. He showed me some impressive spells, but then he… He easily died by that 'emperor's' sword" -
"For a mage of this age to be killed with such ease. It's clear, we're dealing with a Servant" - Roman said with the communicator.
"Oh, do you have a formless mage with you as well? You are an interesting group, no doubt" -
"It was likely caused by the anomaly that we came to retrieve. One of the emperors is in possession of a Holy Grail" - Mash said.
"No wonder they were able to bring someone like Caligula back from the dead. Him, alongside all the other emperors that are in the United Empire are likely Servants" - Ritsuka added.
"They are formidable opponents. I've sent every general and troop I've had in the fight against them, but their numbers never seem to dwindle or lower. As much as it pains me to say this, this situation exceeds me, that is why…" - after Nero said that, she bowed her head in front of Fujimaru and Mashu - "I ask… No, I implore you, become generals of Rome and help me bring the United Empire down!" -
All of them stared at Nero in silence, each one with their own thoughts over the current situation. To Gwen, her thought was that she felt weird that an emperor would bow in such a way in front of someone, although given the situation, it was likely a desperate plea for help.
"If one of the emperors does hold a Holy Grail, that means we have a common enemy to fight. What do you say, Senpai?" - Mash asked.
"Nero, lift your head up, that's a not a good sight for a ruler" - he said with a smile on his eyes - "We'll help you deal with the United Empire" -
"That was a rather quick response" - she said as she raised her head - "But I appreciate it. Come with me, my generals, I shall take you to the glorious city of Rome!" -
