Ch. 91 - Romulus

"My people! You are the beating heart of Roma!"

Romulus stood on a pedestal in the city square, the eyes of his dear children all trained upon him. Their gazes were hopeful, yet clouded by fear, trepidation, and doubt. For how could they not be? The empire they had abandoned was now marching on their doorstep. Many were afraid that they would claim vengeance or punishment. Desertion and fleeing the empire was a crime punishable by death. They had been sure that following the man who claimed to be Romulus was correct, and even more certain after they had prospered under him. And now it was all to be taken away.

"Your loyalty and your perseverance bring nothing but joy to me!" he boomed. "I thank each and every one of you for your efforts! Your happiness is my own happiness, your pride is my own pride! And of course, your sadness and worries are mine as well! I know that many of you have come from the Empire under my banner. You fear retribution. After all, the laws are fair yet strict – you believe you face death for what you have done!"

"And yet!" he continued. "This, too, is Roma! Whether you are under my auspices or that of the empire's, your hearts still beat for Roma! The form and the nature of the empire and myself are one and the same! All under Roma!" As he spoke, he brought out a standard. On it flew proudly the banner of the Roman Empire: Emblazoned with bright red, with a golden lion proudly in the center.

The entire crowd burst into surprised murmurs as the banner. "Does this not gladden your heart?" Romulus cried. "Purple is the color of the emperor and of the United Roman Empire, yes, and red is the color of Mars! Both are also Roma! It matters little what banner you march under! Thus, hear my words and know this: No matter what happens, Roma will triumph! And so long as Roma triumphs, all of you shall be safe! All of you shall prosper! For you embody the spirit of Roma! I, Romulus, will promise this! Believe in Roma as I believe in Roma!"

"Holy Progenitor!"

Romulus turned slowly to a legion that had knelt before his presence, the legate in front the only one who was facing him. "Allow us the honor of supporting you and Roma with you!" he cried. "It is nothing less than our duty to fight and die alongside you!"

The Holy Progenitor smiled, yet grief tinged his eyes. "You are truly a son of Rome," he declared. "And I thank you with all my heart. Yet you cannot, my son. None of you can. Roma's spirit lies within you all, and I cannot bear to have you spill and shed blood for ought else. No, you have another duty, one greater than supporting me: You must bear the spirit of Rome – my children – away! You shall ensure they shall not come to harm in the days to come, so that Roma can be rebuilt and made whole once more! This charge and burden I lay upon you, my son. Will you see it through?"

The legate's mouth fell in shock at the charge, yet with tears in his eyes, he lowered his head. "Your will be done, Holy Progenitor. All hail!"

"HAIL!" the soldiers all roared.

"All hail!"

"HAIL!" the people cried as one.

"ALL HAIL!"

"HAIL!" they roared. "HAIL TO THE HOLY PROGENITOR! HAIL TO THE GLORY OF ROMA! HAIL!"

Romulus listened to their cheers and could only smile as pride bloomed in his breast. He never spoke falsely, and they had not proven that falsely. These people truly were the blood and spirit of Roma.

Later, the founder of Rome watched silently as the long caravan departed from the city towards the south. Shepherded and guarded by the brave soldiers of Roma, they would without doubt find refuge in the neighboring city, well away from the attack. He felt a familiar chill down his spine as another presence made himself known to him. "This does not interfere with your plans, mage," he growled. "Do not interfere."

"I don't believe you're in much position to be giving commands, Romulus," Lev Lainur sneered, his cane loud on the battlements. "Chaldea marches on your doorstep despite every single advantage you and those other Servants have been given. The empire hasn't been stomped out. There is no way I could have made this any simpler for any of you. And now you're wasting time evacuating these mortals. I knew Servants were incompetent but you are nevertheless testing my patience."

"Those of Roma are not easily swayed or controlled by your whims," Romulus retorted. "Whether your plans succeed or fail is on your own merit. No matter what you do, however, Roma shall still stand until the end of time itself!"

The magus snorted, then burst out laughing. "And what would a fool like you know of the 'end of time'?" he mocked. "But I suppose that is to be expected of one such as yourself. You always believe that whatever legacy you and yours leave is 'eternal', never thinking about the consequences in the future. Or if there even is one in the first place."

The Progenitor of Rome finally turned to glare at the sneering man. "What nonsense do you speak of?" he snarled. "Roma is eternal – what would you know of it?"

Lev rested a condescending glare at Romulus, then shook his head. "Nothing you need to know of, nor understand," he replied dismissively. "And frankly, all of you have taken far too long. I had thought I could simply leave it to all of you but evidently, I was mistaken on that front. It seems I shall have to intervene more personally."

"What are you playing at, mage?" Romulus snarled. If he had his way, he would strike down this damned magus himself long ago.

Grinning malevolently, he held up the Grail in response. "I have someone more pliable to my orders than you lot. I'm sure he'll be able to succeed where all of you have failed spectacularly. In the meantime, I shall be taking direct command of the army. You… well, do as you wish. At this point, Chaldea's defeat is all but certain."

Romulus glared as Lev sauntered off before vanishing in a cloud of golden dust. That damn Lev Lainur. Ever since he and his cohorts had been summoned, it had been a never-ending stream of insults, direct and indirect. Of course, that paled compared to the greatest insult of all: Being forced to attack his own beloved empire. While shedding blood internally was also a part of Roma, this was nothing more than a horrific mockery and tragedy.

Still, there was little point ruminating about it. Just as Lev had much he apparently had to do, he still had matters to take care of on his end. It would mean his own destruction, but that was always the case, one way or another. It mattered little in the long run.

He turned to stare at the top of the imperial palace, where the red banner of Rome fluttered high and proud among the purple of the United Roman Empire flags. The same banner he had shown in front of the people of Roma before they retreated from the capital. It could not be a more fitting image that dwelled within his heart, and despite his grief and pain, he smiled.

Roma would endure.

The double-ended spear yielded only slightly as Tamamo Cat's paw and Joan's blade crashed against it. With a booming laugh, Romulus twisted them aside, flinging them into the air before deftly raising it to deflect the two spiked chains that sped toward him. Both spikes bounced off without a scratch on the blade, then withdrew as Medusa pulled them back and darted to another corner, seeking another opening. A talisman suddenly appeared and flashed – the only warning Romulus had or needed before he dodged the sudden fountain of flame bursting forth from his former position.

As Nero charged in, he raised a powerful leg and kicked her aside. The emperor raised her scutum barely in time but was sent flying back from the blow, the shield bearing now yet another large dent among many from the Servant's sheer strength. With a roar, he followed up by drawing his spear back and throwing it at Tamamo. The Caster barely managed to dive aside as it flew past her at unnerving speeds. "I do not know if this would be easier if he fought like an actual barbarian," she grumbled as she brushed off her sleeve cantankerously.

Meanwhile, Loki charged in to take advantage of Romulus being empty handed. Grinning madly, they raised their red, serrated blade – and was caught by the arm, pulled in, and given a devastating punch to the gut before being smashed to the floor. Before the Lancer could follow up, two chains wrapped around his leg and yanked him back, causing him to stumble. The Avenger wasted no time and quickly retreated with a growled curse, their grin replaced by a visage of rage and hatred as the Progenitor summoned his spear to him to regain his footing.

"Attis!"

The Progenitor of Rome glanced over to see a ghostly, bandaged being appear behind the young Master – Ren Amamiya, as he recalled. The being gestured with the dagger in his hand and suddenly, around him and all his allies were three circling lights of red, blue, and green. As the lights faded from existence, he spun around to block a gladius stab – and marveled at the surprising weight of the blow. As they clashed, he stared into the eyes of his daughter, and saw nothing but blazing determination.

With another joyful laugh, he flung Nero away from him. "Excellent!" he roared. "Truly excellent! You are all children of Roma! The spirit, the flame of Roma burns bright within you!" He whirled his spear about him, warding off both Loki and Jing Ke as they tried to approach from his flank and rear. "But I do not believe this is all you are capable of! Show me your strength! Your will! Your ROMA!"

The next moment, he felt chains wrapping around his spear arm and pulled behind him – leaving him open for Joan and Loki to charge in to gut him. He jumped back with a wide grin, catching Medusa off balance as she didn't suddenly expect the chains to go slack. With his free hand, Romulus grabbed the chain and pulled with all his might, lifting the Rider off her feet and slamming her down on Joan and Loki, forcing them both to dodge to the sides. That done, he swung Medusa around like a flail before he finally released, sending her crashing into Tamamo with a booming laugh.

Suddenly, he felt his strength being sapped away. Another ghostly being appeared to his side, wielding a rapier, and a gust of cutting wind was blown in his direction. From the other side, a talisman-created tornado howled towards him as well. He thundered forward, using the clashing winds to propel himself, and aimed himself right at Ren – who now had a ghostly dragon at his back. His spear lunged forward-

And crashed against a great black shield. With a powerful roar, Mash flung Romulus back, sending him flying through the air. "Nice going, Mash!" Ren called out before focusing back on Romulus. Suddenly, a sphere of blue energy came into being and exploded, pushing him even further back. Righting himself, the man slid to a halt as he used his spear as a brake, the wooden blade grinding against the floor. There were odd burn marks on his skin that were rapidly healing as the Lancer slowly stood back up. Reaching up, he gently touched his nose, then pulled his hand away to see the blood that had leaked from his nostrils. "Fascinating," he murmured.

Morgana glanced over at Ren. "Nuke?" he asked shortly.

The Phantom Thief nodded in response. Nuke was the only element he hadn't used yet in the singularities. Frankly, he had been wary of it – it was emphasized in his studies the kind of damage nuclear radiation could cause in the real world, both short term and long term. In the Metaverse, it was one thing; it operated on different rules entirely. He and Makoto often spammed nuclear attacks with impunity when necessary, swiftly bringing down enemies weak to the element.

Reality, however, was where he needed to be careful. The last thing he wanted to do was cause collateral harm. He quickly glanced at his allies, trying to see if there were any issues with his attack. As far as he could tell, there didn't seem to be any detrimental effects to them, whether it was Servants or flesh and blood like Nero and Morgana. His eyes darted over to the communicator. No indicators or notifications from Chaldea, who probably had a Geiger counter measuring the atmosphere.

He breathed a quiet sigh of relief to himself. Good. No particular repercussions except to his target – and it seemed Romulus was affected by the nuclear radioactivity as well. He rapidly called up Atropos once more to heal Medusa, Tamamo, and Loki and was about to have them attack while Romulus suffered the effects of radiation-

Or rather, he should be. Whatever effect it had certainly wasn't visible as the Holy Progenitor simply stood back up proudly as he whirled his lance, wiping away his nosebleed with a swift motion. "A most interesting attack, Ren Amamiya!" he boomed. "However, that shall not be enough to defeat the heart of Roma! Come! That cannot be all you have!"

Nero clicked her tongue as she tossed aside her scutum – now little more than bent scrap metal from the sheer power and weight of Romulus's blows. "On that, I agree with you wholeheartedly!" she replied. "With me, my allies! We must press forward once more!" With that, she charged with a hearty war cry as Romulus turned with a beaming, proud smile to meet her.

And gave Ren some leeway to analyze the situation, his Third Eye roving about as he collected information as quickly as he could. Everyone was giving it the best they could, attacking from every angle possible while Joan, Nero, and Mash took his attention as much as possible. However, Romulus showed no signs of wearing out or slowing down despite the relentless assault. In fact, the man seemed positively elated by the battle, all things considered.

Not to mention, Ren had the suspicion that he wasn't trying his best: Despite being outnumbered ten to one, Romulus had yet to pull out his Noble Phantasm – or had any need to utilize it, apparently. Not to mention, Nero, despite being a regular human, was still fighting despite the Servant having more than enough capabilities to simply incapacitate her, if not kill her, where she stood. Romulus undoubtedly wouldn't fight them if he didn't have to, but that didn't matter right now. It meant they could take advantage of his ease. The problem was…

"We're getting worn down."

"You noticed too, huh?" Ren commented to Jing Ke, who had appeared beside him. Though the Assassin still smiled, it was more strained than usual. "If we keep this up, Romulus can just pick us off one by one once we're tired – or worse, Lev could just appear out of nowhere and do him the favor. Don't suppose you have a way to take care of him easily?"

The Assassin stared at Romulus currently fighting off the others. "I do, actually," she replied. "My Noble Phantasm. But he'll know as soon as I activate it, and I'm not sure I can get close enough to manage it."

"So, all you need is an opening, then?" Ren asked.

Jing Ke blinked in surprise as she looked over to Ren, then smirked. "Just one," she confirmed. "Think you can give me that?

Ren grinned. "Done and done," he answered. "I'll leave the timing to you."

Chuckling, the Assassin nodded. "Well alright then, my assistant," she replied. "The floor is yours." With that, she stepped away and vanished once more.

The Phantom Thief smiled, then reached out with his mind. 'Jing Ke has a way to finish this, but we need to give her an opening,' he rapidly explained to his Servants as well as Morgana. 'Stagger your attacks and hit him hard and fast from every angle you can. Make sure he can't focus properly.'

'We've already been doing that,' Loki pointed out in an annoyed voice. 'I doubt us attacking harder will actually disorient that Roma musclehead.'

'I'll be joining in too,' he reassured them. 'Just play it safe and keep him off his feet.'

'We shall see it done then, Master,' came Medusa's murmured reply, as calm as always. Ren nodded before turning his attention back to Romulus, preparing another mask in his mind once more.

"Clotho!"

The Weaver of the Thread once more appeared in a flash of blue flames. With a wave of her spindle, Romulus stumbled, shaking his head as a fog of forgetfulness descended on his mind – and barely warding off the chains and swords from Medusa and Joan, respectively. He wasn't done, however. As Clotho faded from existence, he switched masks once more. One who could take advantage of the situation.

"Dionysus!"

The multi-faceted, multicolored Persona burst into being, arm held aloft. Romulus blinked blearily at the persona's appearance before he was forced to deflect a sword block from Loki and kick away Mash, followed by jumping out of the way of another geyser of flames. Jing Ke still had not made her move yet, and it was clear why: Despite the affliction, Romulus still had more than enough martial skill and instinct to ward off any attacks, direct and indirect.

Fine with him. Dionysus waved his hand, and a burst of disorienting lights and images exploded around Romulus's head. The Progenitor's eyes bulged for a split second before the man began roaring in pain, clutching his head like it was fit to burst any second. Tamamo Cat and Loki lunged in and were both warded off with a sloppy swing from Romulus before he was sent stumbling forward by a razor wind sent by Morgana. The Lancer shook his head and staggered up, only to be hit with another Psiodyne and causing him to scream in agony once more.

Suddenly, a hurricane of unfurled scrolls exploded all around Romulus, filling the air with sounds of fluttering and forcing the melee combatants back. However, Tamamo hurled two more talismans, each of them sparking with electricity. They flanked Romulus on either side and arced with lightning between each other. The Holy Progenitor roared in pain as bolts coursed through his body, his red eyes trying to focus despite the assault. Loki began firing his gun as Joan summoned more swords and launched them at the Lancer, causing him to stumble yet again.

Then Jing Ke appeared above Romulus, with a grin full of confidence and certainty as she dove towards him. "I fear not my own death, I seek not my own life," she intoned while unsheathing her dagger from a wooden sheath. The blade glistened in the light of magic, shining bright and cold like a shooting star. The dagger came down-

And Romulus spun to meet her, his bright red eyes murky yet still easily meeting her gaze. Jing Ke's eyes widened as, faster than she could react, the Progenitor of Rome swung his spear up. With her momentum and the force it was being swung, there would be no doubt it would be a fatal blow. She could only chuckle bitterly in her mind. So, this was how it was to end: Just like her legend, ten paces short of killing her mark. Truly, a failed assassin from beginning to-

"Decarabia!"

Ren's shout caught her by surprise once more. In her peripheral vision – that was all she could afford – she thought she saw some sort of large orange star behind the Phantom Thief. Then once more she saw the spear approaching her. Closer. Closer-

And it bounced off, to the shock of both the Assassin and the Progenitor. The latter recoiled suddenly with a startled roar of pain, like he had been the one struck instead of her. She could only be shocked and surprised at this turn of good fortune and the frankly sheer amount of coverage she had, but that only lasted a moment. The next, she was focused once more, diving with both hands on the dagger – and cut a long, thin line on the Lancer.

"A Single Act of Killing."

Romulus scowled and immediately swung his spear. At such a close range, defenseless from landing, Jing Ke had no escape – the impact flung her back as if she was shot by a cannon with a gigantic gash running down her torso that spilled all her lifeblood. It sent the Assassin crashing through the throne, reducing the wooden seat to splinters as she finally landed, slumped against the wall. The Holy Progenitor himself staggered, finally dropping his spear which shattered into golden dust, and coughed up blood.

As he looked up at Jing Ke, who was fading away, he gave a bloody grin of pride. "Well… done!" he rasped. "Truly… well done, all of you! Worthy… of Roma!"

Ren and Morgana immediately ran to Jing Ke, his eyes widening as he saw her starting to dissolve into golden dust. The former's circuits were burning from the number of personas and spells he used, but that mattered little. "Mona, can you-" he began.

"Don't," Jing Ke rasped with a bloody grin. "My Noble Phantasm works as well as it does because I've fully accepted my death. My assassination of the First Emperor was meant to be a suicide mission, after all. I botched that one up, and I made up for it here with the Progenitor of Rome. No regrets on this front."

"Wha-" Morgana spluttered. "But even if you accept death, that still means we can heal you-!"

"You can't," the Assassin replied simply. She weakly raised her arm and pointed to her chest, where the gash had reached. "Spirit core's been destroyed," she explained. "Can't heal from this."

Ren said nothing. He had a Recarm spell he could use. There hadn't been a need to use it beforehand, and frankly he wasn't sure if it was enough to restore a Servant's spirit core. But above all, he couldn't use it if Jing Ke didn't want to. "Are you sure?" he asked quietly, catching both Morgana and Jing Ke's attention. "If I say I had an ability that may restore your spirit core, do you want it?"

Jing Ke blinked. Then blinked again. "You're serious…" she murmured. Then she chuckled again before coughing, blood coming out of her mouth. "Thanks for the offer, but no," the Assassin replied. "Like I said, I've accepted my death, Ren. And Servants… we're not meant to be here permanently anyway. Something like this… is probably the best way for me to go."

The Phantom Thief gulped but nodded. If that was what she wished, then he would respect it. Morgana looked in shock between Ren and Jing Ke, then shut his eyes tightly. Otherwise, he didn't disagree either. By now, her limbs had vanished and the lower half of her body. "Hey, Ren?" she called out. "If we meet again, we're drinking."

Despite everything, Ren laughed. "I'm underage," he pointed out yet again.

The Assassin chuckled heartily again. "And that means more for me," she noted once more. With that, she closed her eyes with a smile, and finally dissolved. A second later, Jing Ke was no more.

Meanwhile, Nero stepped up to Romulus, who had also started to dissolve. "Holy Progenitor," she murmured. "I ask you, were you truly our enemy? Was I… was I ultimately not worthy of the mantle of emperor?"

Romulus smiled warmly. "Holy Progenitor you call me," he replied. "Yet I am but a Servant here, bound to the wishes of my Master. But that matters not. I have borne witness to your struggles – here and elsewhere – as you have fought for your people, for the empire, and for yourself. All that and more is nothing less than the purest essence of Roma."

He placed a gentle, reassuring hand on Nero's shoulder. "So, raise your head, oh emperor," he declared. "Know that your actions and strength are truly Roma. As my daughter, Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, I cannot be any prouder of you. You are truly worthy of your title and of Roma."

Nero closed her eyes as she felt an enormous burden lift off her shoulders. Warmth seemed to flow from the man's hand into her body, suffusing it with strength and dignity. "Thank you, Holy Progenitor," was all she could say. For once, she had been rendered speechless as gratitude and pride bloomed from her heart like a rose.

Romulus then turned around, just in time to witness the Assassin vanishing into golden particles. "She did not hesitate to trade her life for the success of her assassination," he noted. "Her spirit and courage are truly Roma. She is to be honored and commended."

Ren forced out a laugh as he slowly stood back up. "Kinda weird to be complimenting your assassin, Romulus," he commented with a small grin. As much as he wanted to grieve, this wasn't the right time for it. Besides, Jing Ke would've preferred him to be laughing about it instead of crying. Hell, he could practically hear her laughing at him for crying over a dead assassin. And that gave him the strength he needed to smile in turn.

The Holy Progenitor in turn laughed, the sound booming throughout the throne room. "Assassinations are yet another part of Roma," he declared. "It was a masterful strike! No more, no less! But there was another crucial part here that made sure she succeeded." He placed a hand on Ren's shoulder. "You have guided your men with skill and aplomb. Despite who I am and the might of Roma, you did not hesitate to do what must be done. Your cunning and abilities are truly Roma as well."

The Phantom Thief raised an eyebrow. "Not exactly sure if Phantom Thievery is part of Rome," he commented with a wry smile.

Romulus laughed again. "That, too, is also Roma!" he declared. His red eyes met Ren's grey ones, mirth and amusement dancing in his gaze. "Know that I am impressed by you, Ren Amamiya. You carry the spirit of Roma with you as well. Take heart in that for your battles to come."

Ren blinked with surprise as he felt his body fill with strength and vigor. It almost felt like his exhaustion from the fight was nothing more than an illusion. Actually, no – he felt stronger than before. "Thanks, Holy Progenitor," he replied, deciding to use the man's title out of respect. "You certainly gave us hell though – don't suppose you could've taken it a bit easier on us?"

The Lancer grinned. "My strength is Roma!" he roared. "It would not do for me to hold back!" Then the hand he had on Ren's shoulder dissolved, catching their attention. "But it would seem my time is up. You have my blessing, oh children of mine! Go forth! And know that your hearts beat for ROMA!" With that final declaration, he vanished fully, and Romulus was no more. In the sudden silence after, the throne room suddenly felt far emptier and larger than before.

"It seems we are done with this pathetic farce of a fight."

Everyone immediately whirled around to see Lev step towards them, his cane loud against the tiled floor as the dawning sunlight illuminated his sneer. "I did not expect much from the so-called Progenitor of Rome," the magus commented. "Nor the first emperor of the Roman Empire or the Spartan king, but even I must admit I had not anticipated them to be such utter failures. Well, I suppose that's the 'greatest' humanity can muster."

"Lev," Morgana growled. "I was wondering where you were. Finally showed yourself after getting everyone else to do your work for you, huh? Pretty cowardly if you ask me!"

Scoffing, the magus shot a dismissive look at the catlike being. "'To do my work for me?'" he echoed. "Did you not listen to a single word I just said? If they actually had done what I ordered them to do, then you would all be dead, and I would not have to see any of your disgusting faces. But they had failed to a rather breathtaking degree: Only one Servant dead, the Masters still alive, and they couldn't even properly get rid of one damned mortal in this timeline." At the last phrase, he shot an irritated glare at Nero.

The emperor stepped up, her face a visage of stern rage. "So you are the mage Lev Lainur," she stated. "The one who had summoned the Holy Progenitor, my honored predecessor, and the legendary king of Sparta – and set them on my beloved empire. You are the cause behind all this." She raised her gladius and trained the point at the magus.

"I hereby name you eternal enemy of the Roman empire," Nero declared. "Those who willingly consort with you are also enemies to the Roman empire, and thereby are also my enemies as well. Plead your case, and if I deem it satisfactory, I shall make your execution swift and painless. That is the only mercy I shall grant you, Lev Lainur."

Lev Lainur blinked in surprise, then broke down into hysterics, almost holding his gut from laughter. "You? Execute me?" he gasped through his mirth. "How utterly, adorably pathetic that you believe you have such authority! The arrogance of humanity truly knows no bounds! And you, Nero, exemplify it to a truly absurd degree! Like ants lifting leaves and believing they are the strongest creatures that exist on this planet, never realizing they can easily be trodden underfoot at any second! Ah, you truly never fail to amuse!"

"Glad we could entertain you," Ren called out as he stepped up with a small smirk. "Sorry we couldn't properly set up a welcome party for you – we wanted to thank you for everything you've done for us. But at the very least, this party does have plenty of guests." At the signal, a pair of spiked chains darted out from the shadows as Loki suddenly appeared beside the mage, pistol in hand, and fired at his head. Lev's head jerked to the side from the impact of the shot as the spikes sank into his back…

Then suddenly, he glared. A wave of power erupted from him, pushing the spikes out of his flesh as the Avenger was blasted back. "So it seems," he growled as he stood back up properly, ignoring the gaping wounds in his head and back. "But if that's the case, then you are a poor host, so it falls to me to… entertain you in turn. Witness the glory that shall be your destruction!"

He raised his arms as dark fog surrounded him, laughing madly as his figure was shrouded. The fog rapidly grew in size, filling the room as everyone immediately backed away from it in caution. "We are infinite," he boomed. "We are superior. To know us is to know death. Bow your heads in humility and know you are but specks compared to our might."

The fog dissipated. Instead of Lev, there now stood a massive pillar of black flash, lined in disgusting red eyes as it stretched from the floor to the top of the throne with ease. The red eyes roved about all separately, creating a disturbing, disorienting image as its cross-shaped pupils roamed about, as if taking in every detail – with one eyeball in the center directly trained on the group.

"We are Flauros," it declared. "And we are your demise."

"Damnit!"

Ritsu had tossed aside her helmet, and with it the wig of blonde hair. It had been far too stifling and limited her vision too much for her to work with. Her own natural orange hair shone brightly in the morning sun. She had given the game away as a body double but at this point, it really didn't matter. With an army bearing down like this and this much time passed, they would be screwed whether Nero was here or not.

Bestial roars echoed throughout the plains. Glancing over, she could see the flash of red from Lu Bu, his halberd gleaming as he wielded it with surprising skill. Darius roared back, his massive golden battle axes in his hands. Each time they clashed, the sound was like that of meteors striking metal, ringing with a din that surpassed anything the URE could make as they continued their non-stop march. Around them were the war cries of Boudica running down scores of skeletons as arrows fell like rain.

But that wasn't important. All Ritsu could focus on was Astolfo in her arms, her hand glowing green as she desperately exhausted the mystic code's energy. Her eyes stared in horror at the gigantic wound in Astolfo's chest, refusing to close despite her fervent efforts. Her ears could only hear his pained gasps and weak reassurances. Everything, her so-called brilliant plan, had fallen apart.

"Damnit, damnit, damnit! WHY?!"