A Twisted Reunion

The Emperor of Roses turned her view towards the sound's direction, deeply hoping that all that she was hearing was merely a hallucination, maybe caused by the exposure to the Black Mist, or simply by the stress of all the fighting.

But as soon as she locked eyes with the one that called for her, she realized, to her horror, that what she was seeing was entirely real.

"Uncle Caligula…" - she said, trying to compose herself as her uncle's body walked towards her.

Whatever had happened to the Berserker had turned him into a pawn for the Black Mist. Every breath of his made the dreaded mist come out as he clumsily walked towards the Chaldeans, almost as if what was there was nothing more than a corpse being controlled as a puppet, barely able to stand upright by itself.

"Nero… Nero…" - the creature that resembled Caligula mumbleded, stuttering through its words. It was taunting her, presenting itself with the body of someone she cared for.

"No… No, you're not here! I don't know who you are but this isn't my uncle!" - she yelled, as the Chaldeans surrounded her, ready to fight off this apparition.

Meanwhile, Gwen peered deep into whatever took control of Caligula. It was the makings of the Black Mist, no doubt about that, but she didn't kill him during their previous fight, he had escaped with his life, so why was he here?

Theories ran through the head of the girl as Caligula continued to walk towards Nero, before stopping dead in its tracks and talking with a voice that at the same time was, and wasn't it's own.

"Nero… Don't you want to see your uncle?" - its voice was heavily distorted. Like everything else of it, it almost appeared like it was a mere moment away from falling apart - "Come to me…" -

"Stop talking like you were my uncle!" - she yelled, almost on the verge of tears.

Everything went silent at the moment, and Caligula looked at the ground for a brief second, before staring at the sky and letting out an unnaturally terrifying roar. The previously sunny day stopped completely, and black clouds covered the sun in no time, before disappearing and giving way to a black moon that bathed the Earth with its terrific light.

Seeing the danger that it posed, Gwen immediately jumped to action. Scissors in hand, she attempted to decapitate Caligula, but her attack was stopped just as fast as it began. Caligula caught both blades with its hands and tried to keep them separate, just as Gwen tried to close them.

"Guys… A little help?" - she said through her struggle, but received no answer.

She looked over her shoulder to see what was going on, only to be horrified when she saw Nero and Ritsuka, alongside the Servants that came with them, on the ground, struggling to move and keep their eyes open.

This Caligula, whether the one that Gwen fought before or simply an aberration made by the Black Mist, had a variation of the Berserker's Noble Phantasm, Fluctulus Diana. Gwen was able to resist because of her connection to the Hallowed Mist, a direct counter to the Black Mist, but her friends were not so fortunate.

Compelled by her wish to help her new friends, Gwen made a dash towards them, summoning needles to use as projectiles to keep Caligula at bay while she aided them. After getting to their side, she summoned her Hallowed Mist in the form of a protective field around them, which seemed to do the trick. They were able to get up once again.

"What… What happened?" - Nero asked as she picked up her sword again, but before Gwen could answer, Caligula roared again and charged them with the ferocity of a wild animal. It crashed against the barrier created by Gwen at full strength, cracking the earth beneath them.

Jeanne Alter and Heracles charged at Caligula, using both of their weapons to push it away yet careful to not leave the barrier, as stepping into the effects of the Noble Phantasm would render them weak yet again.

"Hey Gwen, you're the expert on these things, what the hell are we fighting against?" - Jeanne yelled at the girl.

"I'm not sure! I don't even know if this is the real Caligula!" -

First the giant monster of Black Mist, and now this. Viego was not willing to give Gwen even a moment of respite, nor to her allies. Caligula stood still for a few seconds, eyes locked into the barrier created by Gwen. It then directed his attention towards the girl herself, and both locked eyes. It was then that Gwen felt her knees failing her, her eyes growing heavy, alongside the rest of her body.

She wasn't as powerful here as she was in Runeterra, and despite her Hallowed Mist being more of a match against Viego's corrupting Black Mist, the sheer amount present here, alongside the emotions emanating from Caligula were slowly overwhelming her. She wouldn't be able to hold for long.

However, she still had one trick up her sleeve. It would weaken her, yes, but right now it was the best way to handle this. She pulled out one of her needles and inserted it into her own body. It hurt, but she couldn't stop now. She moved the needle around until she felt one of the threads that made her body, and pulled it out from herself.

Everyone looked with both shock and horror as she did this. She was panting heavily and struggled to get up from the ground, but she did, and walked towards her friends before offering them the thread.

"Please, I need your help. Use this thread, this offering of mine. Let the Hallowed Mist flow through you" -

There was only enough thread of her for 2 of them, so a choice had to be made. Artoria was the first to step forwards, the light of her Excalibur already worked wonders against the Black Mist, so it was a no brainer. The second piece would go to…

"Let me fight" -

"Emperor Nero?" -

Gwen was confused. She was planning on giving the thread to Heracles, but for her to step up, wishing to fight…

"I don't know if he's my uncle or not, but if he truly is trapped inside that body, puppeted by that dark magic, then it's my duty to set his soul free. From one Emperor, to another" -

The wish to fight to set one you care for free, Gwen knew that desire all too well, due to her time with the Sentinels of Light. If Nero wished to be the one to defeat Caligula, then so be it.

She nodded, and gave the Emperor the second portion of her thread. She and Artoria tied it around their arms, and suddenly felt the soothing feeling of the Hallowed Mist course through their bodies.

The rest would remain inside the field created by Gwen, while herself, Artoria and Nero would face off against Caligula.

They were all tired, but not ready to give up yet.