"What the hell is going on?" Tiberius asked, looking alarmed at the situation.
They could see through the water of the garden of the Domus Lupis that Rome was invaded by skeletons armed with swords, bows and spears, wyverns that fluttered happily in the sky, massacring the people of Rome, dragon tooth warriors, goblins and Oni.
"I don't know exactly, but this is certainly an inside job," Yuto replied.
"Do you suspect there are other conspirators?" Tiberius asked with alarm.
"I don't know, but it's definitely the work of a magus," Yuto replied.
At a time when the age of the gods was still ongoing, finding them was not strange but such an attack could only be the work of someone from within. Before it was activated the Bounded Field, prevented anyone from entering and leaving Rome, and then they had started to appear the phantasmal species and demonic beings.
"Destroying the bounded field is nothing, yet all these enemies are a problem," Yuto said, snapping his tongue.
"If it's just about opening the way for you, then we can too," Claudius said, agreeing with his father.
"It's not wise at least for now," Yuto said, as a sword appeared behind his back, supported by leather straps. "These are not easy creatures to take down. You may be able to beat one, but there are hundreds. You will die before you can reach the culprit."
"We can't just stand here and watch," Claudius said, gritting his teeth.
Yuto understood his frustration, but that was not a battle humans could fight.
"Going out means going against death, and I don't want that to happen to you," Yuto stared at Claudius. "I want to repay what you gave me, but I can't do it if I have you in my way. I am simply not able to fight and protect you at the same time."
"Do you have a plan at least?" Tiberius asked.
Yuto touched his chin. As long as they stayed inside the domus, they would be safe and he didn't have to worry about them. The real problem was how to get to the enemy leader quickly.
"It seems I have no choice. I must resort to that." Yuto turned on the magic circuits and opened his own separate space from which he pulled a carpet. "Jack, make sure these gentlemen don't do anything suspicious."
Jack nodded.
"Are you going to ask for her help?" Merlin asked with a curious smile. "Summoning her will draw the attention of the Counter Force."
"If you have a better idea, I'm willing to listen," Yuto replied firmly.
"..."
He had many regrets, especially not having done something to prevent certain events. He had seen first-hand the atrocities committed by Romans and they were even worse than what the school books wrote. Rape, torture and massacres of innocent people were the basis of the Roman mentality born from the idea that they must be the centre of the world and should be an example.
"Tell me where to go. We'll take care of the rest," Yuto said. "It doesn't matter if they notice you."
"Very well," Merlin reluctantly nodded.
Archer observed what was going on in the city through the water. The citizens' desperate cries rang in his ears. Innocent people's blood flowed like rivers down the city street. Men and women alike used makeshift weapons to protect their lives and those of their families.
Their efforts were in vain.
Archer was disgusted by his accomplice's work, despite his emotionless face. He simply found those actions in the name of the ambitious project of the "king" repugnant. He was used to seeing death, having caused much of it himself, but he couldn't stand it when it was pointless.
"Was it really necessary to do that?" Archer asked. "It's one thing to eliminate potential obstacles, but what about citizens?"
The magus was an elderly gentleman. He was quite short, maybe no taller than five feet, with a forward-bent body and a stick to keep from falling forward. The man was nearly toothless, with a few rotten teeth and a toothless smile. He was dressed in a black tunic that reached all the way to the ground.
"These are our lord's orders," the man said, foolishly chuckling. "A small group of rats can easily be replaced by other rats."
Archer understood that they intended to use those creatures to bring Rome to its knees, regardless of the lives of citizens who could be "replaced" by deporting people from other lands. However, they would almost certainly all be slaves.
"When all is over, those who survive will have no choice but to bow down." The old magus chuckled. "It will begin an era of justice, order and equality in which he will be our God."
"It's a contradiction," Archer pointed out.
"What?" the old magus asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Equality and order are the results of justice," Archer said. "Everyone is equal before justice and that creates order."
"Oh, I see. You're a philosopher," the man chuckled smugly. "Where did you study?" Athens? Alexandria? Pergamon?"
"Life," Archer said simply.
Archer rose and walked towards the door of Jupiter Stator's temple, more interested in the output of magical power he sensed.
"Where are you going?" the magus inquired.
The old magus gave Archer a suspicious look. Their lord seemed to believe in Archer, or at least in his skills. But he had no trust in Archer, who declared himself loyal to the "king," but his actions contradicted their lord's wishes, preferring not to intervene against the self-proclaimed defender of Rome during Caesar's attempt or to reveal the presence of the same during the Villae Estens meeting. Although he justified his actions as the best possible course of action at the time, the suspicion that he was a spy remained.
"It appears that a new player has entered the game," Archer said, looking in a specific direction.
"Did your king calculate this?"
"It is impossible! He has meticulously calculated everything!" the magus vehemently denied. "The king's plan is perfect unlike you and those idiot conspirators."
"Oh, really?" Archer replied sarcastically.
He could tell they didn't know who he was talking about. When he was involved, there were no perfect plans.
"Say it again when you're dead." Archer vanished in a spiritual form.
"Holy shit. I'm exhausted," Yuto said, collapsing to the ground.
"Without the Holy Grail, the amount required to summon a servant is entirely at your own expense," Merlin said.
Tiberius, Claudius, Lavinia, and Lavinia the younger stood in awe as the knight stood in the centre of the magical circle. She was dressed in silver and red armour that covered her entire body, with a helmet covering her face. She gave off the impression of a fierce warrior.
"Well, this is a little strange. It's not a Holy Grail conflict." Mordred looked at Jack. "What's this brat doing here?"
"Hey, Jack's not a brat!" Jack objected angrily.
The summoning had gone well, and Merlin's intervention had been beneficial. He had given Mordred memories of the Sixth Holy Grail War to keep her from killing Yuto when she discovered they were half-siblings.
"Come with me." Yuto led Mordred through the situation.
"Hey bastard, do something!" Iulianus yelled.
"If you have time to yell, take up arms and fight, you asshole!" Yuto barked at him, agreeing with everyone else. Yuto raised his gaze to the sky. "I need your assistance in reaching the Jupiter Stator's temple. You only need to kill the enemies who are attacking us."
"It's a simple, no-frills plan." Mordred grinned excitedly. "I like it. Let's do it."
Yuto and Mordred left with the promise of returning victorious.
To be honest, Yuto had no idea how to win. It was possible that if they killed the magus who controlled them, they would begin to unleash. Even if they just knocked them out of the way, killing all of the enemies was impossible unless they gathered them all in one place and then exterminated them.
"So, the Holy Grail War was nothing more than a farce devised by that witch, wasn't it?" Mordred bit her tongue. "That whore."
"As soon as Gilgamesh disappeared..." Yuto raised his sword in front of him, releasing a swirl of wind that swept away both earthlings and wyverns in his path. "The witch appeared and diverted the Holy Grail's energy to activate her spell. I fought her, and then I ended up in Rome."
"And it's been almost four hundred years, isn't it?" Mordred gathered the magical energy and directed it at the enemy, disintegrating them.
Mordred cast a fleeting glance at Yuto. If he had remained roughly the same as he had been during the Sixth Holy Grail War, it meant that Caliburn had deemed him fit to be king.
"Why didn't you summon me before?" Mordred inquired as she thwarted another enemy attack.
"I've never had any major issues so far. I could do it myself," Yuto said, killing another swarm of magical beasts.
"What has it changed now?" Mordred swung Clarant down, severing a werewolf.
"The Gate of Babylon," Yuto pointed out.
Mordred shivered when she heard that name. The danger of someone opening that door was greater than any mortal foe.
"I doubt anyone can use Ea and Enkidu, but it is different when it comes to the Holy Grail," Yuto added.
"They'd have an infinite supply of magical energy," Mordred said, staring at the creatures that had besieged Rome. "All right, let's take them all out!"
Yuto grinned.
They charged forward, using force to reach Jupiter Stator's temple in the Roman Forum, but Archer was waiting for them, armed with Kanshou and Bakuya.
"Give way!" Yuto exclaimed.
"Hmph..." Archer let out a snort.
"Are you aware of the massacre in town?!" Yuto barked at him.
"What's the big deal?" Archer replied flatly. "Everyone has to die sooner or later."
"Yes, but we can't decide when!" Yuto replied.
"It's hilarious to hear that from you," Archer replied, mockingly smiling. "You turned your back and pretended not to notice the atrocities committed by these people. You've also committed atrocities in the past."
Yuto's face darkened and his body visibly shook.
"You and I are the same. We simply act following what we believe to be the safest path to our goal," Archer stated.
"Goal?" Mordred frowned.
"I'm a Counter Guardian. My mission is to remove everything that threatens mankind's future," Archer declared.
"Do you want to kill him?" Mordred jumped in front of Yuto. "You asked me to watch over him."
"I don't remember ever doing anything, and it wouldn't matter even if his existence was seen as a threat." Archer's gaze was drawn unselfishly to Yuto. "We can fix this story in the simplest or the most complicated way." Archer's hands formed an unnamed sword. "Give me your head and this tragedy will stop."
Alaya had sent his dogs against him, just as Merlin had predicted.
"If Alaya wants my head…"
Mordred turned to see Yuto's stoic expression. She shivered. It was the same look King Arthur had and the one Yuto had when they first met.
"Then you won't be enough to stop me," Yuto said, nodding to Mordred.
Yuto was well aware of the risks he was taking, but he was willing to take them.
"If you want to stop me, you'll have to fight Mordred." Yuto smiled at Archer's frown. "Can you really fight her?"
"That's not right! "Jack wanted to go with Dad!" Jack snorted.
"It's dangerous out there," Lavinia the younger warned softly.
Jack puffed up her cheeks, irritated.
"What's wrong with that little girl?" Tiberius inquired, perplexed.
"She just wants to please Yuto," Merlin said as he approached Jack. "He left you here for a reason.
If there are any problems, it will be your responsibility to protect everyone."
"Really?" Jack blinked rapidly.
Merlin nodded and turned towards the barrier he had cast before the banquet started while no one was looking. They were safe from monsters, but enemies could be lurking inside. He suspected Iulianus in particular, who could use the chaos to do something against Yuto.
Claudius approached Merlin. "You're Yuto's friend, right?" he asked.
"It is more correct to say that I am his teacher," Merlin responded. "Indeed I taught him the swordsmanship."
"Who is that knight and where did he come from?" Claudius inquired.
"That knight was Mordred and it's... uhm..." Merlin pinched his cheek, unsure how to finish the sentence. "She is a mane connected to Yuto's family."
He decided it would be best to stick to Roman beliefs without going into too much detail. And the Mani were as much like the Servants with Chaotic Neutral alignment as Mordred. But he preferred saying nothing about Jack, who resembled a lemur, an evil spirit of Roman mythology.
"Actually, he summoned her to fight the other," Merlin explained, tapping the stick on the ground and demonstrating Mordred and Archer's fight. "Yuto fears confrontation with that man."
It wasn't so much that he couldn't beat him as it was that he couldn't.
"You notice him! He's a coward who is afraid to fight a single man! AHAHAHAH!" Iulianus laughed haughtily. "Listen to me! It's a loss to marry your daughter to that loser."
A vein pulsed on Tiberius' forehead. Iulianus had been discrediting Yuto all along, and Tiberius was tired of shim.
He wanted to punch Iulianus, but Merlin's hand rested on his shoulder. When he turned around, he noticed the man shaking his head.
"Do you want to know why he instead of you?" Tiberius inhaled deeply. "I had a dream." Tiberius shared his vision with them. "There was this completely broken man who committed numerous crimes, the most serious of which was to devalue his life." However! He rebuilt himself and became a man worthy of the title."
"What does that have to do with him?" Iulianus grumbled, annoyed.
"Because Dad is that person," Jack stated, turning towards Lavinia the younger. "When Jack first met Dad, he was emotionless. He lived to kill Gilgamesh. But he's changed. We are not sure what Mordred did to him, but Dad has become a happier person, and Jack prefers this version a lot more."
Lavinia the younger gave a small smile. She knelt and gently placed a hand on Jack's head.
"RRROOOAAARRR!"
"What exactly is this? The roar of a beast?!" Tiberius said while covering his ears.
"No, it's much worse!" Merlin said this as cold sweat fell from his brow.
Giant creatures flew into the sky. These were much bigger than wyverns, with large black scales and golden eyes. There were about three of them, each shooting fireballs.
"A pack of Fafnir!"
Yuto swallowed nervously as the situation escalated much faster.
It had been simple to defeat the magus responsible for the bounded field, and it had already vanished, but he had not summoned the creatures. Someone except Archer was the perpetrator.
"Eh eh..." the magus chuckled gloomily. "My Lord's plan is complete."
"What?!" Yuto turned to face the old magus.
"We only had to buy time for our lord to arrive," the magus said.
"Bastard! Don't you care about the lives of innocent people?" Yuto barked at him.
Yuto had witnessed similar actions before, but never on this scale. That was a full-fledged conquest, and there was no way to stop it by relying solely on himself, Mordred, Jack, and Merlin.
"Rome you known has finished!" Our-" A downward blow of Yuto's sword severed the old man's head.
Yuto analysed the situation. It was a desperate. He had never felt so helpless in his life, not even against Gilgamesh.
"The situation has escalated unless you say." Yuto turned to see Octavian and a group of soldiers arrive. "At this rate, Rome will be reduced to ash."
"Yeah," Yuto confirmed.
"Have I not told you already? You're just a person," Octavian said. "I thought you required assistance. I've brought some allies, and others are helping to rescue civilians."
"Thank you," Yuto replied gratefully.
"Do you have a plan?" Octavian had not panicked despite the danger; his mind was calm and focused on the current situation, trying to find the best solution to solve the crisis with the fewest losses.
"Bring them here. Even the Fafnirs," Yuto said. "When they are gathered, I will imprison them."
"Do you not want to kill them?" Octavian inquired, perplexed.
"Of course, but I can't go wild when there are civilians involved," Yuto replied.
"I understood," Octavian nodded. "Very well. I'll trust you again."
"Wait. "Give me your weapons," Yuto told the platoon.
He couldn't do much to help them. He couldn't guarantee victory, but he could improve their chances of survival by reinforcing their weapons and armour.
"I don't have time to reinforce others' too. It is your responsibility to defend them," Yuto warned.
Octavian gave a small smile before turning towards his men. "Did you hear what he said?! Go now!" he turned to Yuto again. "I hope your idea works."
"I hope so too," Yuto mumbled.
Octavian went off to contribute.
Yuto took a deep breath and turned to face the Fafnirs, calming and concentrating.
That was a battle to save history.
One that couldn't be lost.
He had to get serious after a long time.
"I am the bone of my sword."