Hi everyone and welcome back to the start of chapter 31 of the story! Yep, a new chapter 5 days after the previous one. I'm on machine mode! Now lie on your beds/couches or sit in your chairs and let's start reading!
DISCLAIMER: All the Nasuverse characters belong to Nasu and are property of Type-Moon, with the exception of the OC's that belong to me, the author.
People runned in panic, fleeing from the enraged and descontroled Boudica who was in a blind rage, slashing and cutting at everything that appeard in front of her. Something off was happening to her. This wasn't normal of the redhaired woman's behaviour, who despite not liking romans, these actions of attacking mere civillians were still seen as unexpected of her.
"Kill! Kill! Kill! KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU!" Boudica shouted with pure rage, swinging her sword around violently, trying to hit and cut any roman person that was nearby.
Peko and Nala were the first ones to arrive to the scene, staring in shock and disbilief at the agressively heated Boudica. Just on yesterday's night she was so happy, smilling and partying with them, no more minding to spent time with the people who she used to naturally dislike. Seeing this mood swing all of a sudden was honestly strange to see.
"What's gotten into her? She appeard to have enjoyed the party dinner with us yesterday, so why she's acting like this now?" Nala asked as she and Peko were running torwards her.
"I don't know. But we should think about stopping her first and ask those questions for later!" Peko responded to his sister.
A civillian who was running away from Boudica accidentaly stumbled and fell to the ground, with the bloodthirsty woman right behind him.
"N-No! Please don't kill me!"
His begging was useless, as Boudica ignored ot or didn't seemed to have heard it, walking closer to the terrified citizen. "I need...to kill! Every. !" Boudica growled, lifting up her sword and ready to slay the defenseless roman in front of her.
"Stop Boudica!" Nala reached fast enough to clash her sword with Boudica's, preventing her from killing the person on the ground. "This can't be you! Calm down and tell us what's putting you so angry!" Nala tried to talk Boudica into her senses, only to be shoved away by the brute physical strenght of Boudica's grip on her sword.
"It's no use Nala! She isn't going to hear it!" Peko said as he went to stal the woman from going after any civillians. He saw how redish Boudica's eyes were. How full of blood and violence there was in them. "T-This isn't normal. She must be under the influence of something!"
"Move aside kid!" The voice from Cleopatra sounded behind Peko. The boy proceeded to do it so and the egyptian woman kicked successfuly Boudica in the face, sending her flying some meters back. "What the hell are you doing Boudica?!" She shouted to Boudica.
More from behind, Ritsuka and Mash, accompanied by Caesar and Romulus had also arrived to the area.
"Is everyone alright? Has she killed any civillian yet?" Mash asked to Peko and Nala.
"Thankfully we are and Boudica hasn't killed no one." Peko answered before looking at some soldiers trying to restrain Boudica that ended up slashing all of them. "But I don't know exactly how we can stop her."
"How did this happened?" Ritsuka asked them, wanting to understand how Boudica got so violent and berserkerish all of a sudden.
"I heard from some soldiers that she just walked out of her tent already like that by the morning." Nala told Ritsuka. "Is this what they call waking up on the wrong side of the bed?"
"Far worse than that. Boudica is completely out of control!" Ritsuka said. "We have to find a solution to stop her!"
"Stop her without killing her." Caesar added. "The way she's moving and acting, it's clear that this isn't her normal behaviour."
"Instead we will try to subdue her." Romulus told them. "And if that doesn't work, then we might need to knock her unconscious."
"Is that the best options we have?" Ritsuka asked to Romulus.
"Unfortunately it is my son." Romulus said, looking at the rageful Boudica. "I wouldn't like to do this, specialy after yesterday's night. But, to protect my children from her fury, it needs to be done."
Ritsuka understood Romulus words. No one of them wanted to fight Boudica, but it was either that or let innocent blood be spilled. "Okay then. We will stop her!"
"Good to hear!" Cleopatra said. "Seeing a friend of mine acting like that and most probably against their will, it honestly makes my blood boil a bit too." Cleopatra said in a cold and agressive tone, sprinting torwards the enraged redhaired woman.
"All of you need to pay! Nothing will be left of your damn kind!" Boudica continued to yell as she fought the soldiers, not paying attention to Cleopatra running torwards her.
"Boudica!" The yell of the egyptian queen was enough for Boudica to turn around and block the kick with her shield.
"You..." Boudica grunted as she looked into the eyes of Cleopatra. "Grrr! You need to die too!" She shouted, using her strenght to pull Cleopatra away. Meanwhile, Caesar appeard on her left side.
"This aura...She looks a different person from the previous Boudica that we knew." The ex-dictator tought before cutting Boudica on her left leg. "Make sure to not fataly wound her!" He warned to the rest as Mash went forward to clash with Boudica.
"Please wake up Boudica-san! You aren't like this!" Mash implored her as she was blocking Boudica's attacks with her shield. "She won't hear us! We really have no other choice!" Reaching to that conclusion, Mash broke Boudica's battle posture by using her strenght to push her and then hit her hard with the shield, temporarily stunning her. "It's our opportunity! She's opened!"
Nala immediatly sliced Boudica in the abdomen with a superficial cut. As Boudica turned around to hit her back, Peko blocked the incoming blow with his sword, allowing Nala to have time and kick her in the cheek. Barely recovering from that attack, Boudica got strongly bashed by Mash's shield, making the angry redhaired fall to the ground. But even then she still couldn't rest as Cleopatra delivered a sharp kick on her chin, making Boudica fall with her back on the ground.
Seeing that Boudica was trying to get up quickly, Cleopatra sprinted behind her and locked her arms around the furious redhaired body, restraining her. "Stop this already Boudica! Snap the fuck out of it!" Cleopatra shouted to her ears while Boudica would savagely struggle to get away from Cleopatra's grasp.
"DIE! DIE! DIE! ALL OF YOU NEED TO DIEEEEE!" Boudica screamed and roared, showing no signs she was willing to calm down. Everyone else watched sadly and dumbfounded at Boudica's unending rage and defiance to stop her violent impulses.
"She is out of herself." Peko said. "It doesn't even seems real to look at her this way." He said with sorrow.
"It hurts me to watch her like this too Peko." Ritsuka told the boy. "So let's knock her out and put her fury to rest."
Peko slightly rised his head. "Yeah. You are righ-Hm?!" From his peripheral view, the boy had noticed something in the shadows of a building from his right side. It was hardly a thing to see, but he saw it. Almost if it was blending in with the shadows, he saw something equaly dark move. As if there was a piece of shadow there that got live of it's own. "Hey! I saw something move there!" Peko shouted, pointing at the shadowy place of the building.
Ritsuka and Nala turned their head to look at where Peko was pointing. Both were able to see the thing before it moved back in order to hide from them.
"W-What was that?" Ritsuka asked in shock while Nala sprinted at an incredible speed torwards the place.
"An enemy?" She pondered, entering in the narrow space beetween the two buildings. It was so dark that she couldn't see a thing. "Damn it! It must have escaped!"
"Get out of the way Nala!" Peko warned his sister as he summoned a ball of light from his fingers and launched it in the middle of the dark alley, illuminating the place.
"There!" Ritsuka pointed to the wall on the left, were the thing they saw was. Now in the light of Peko's summoning ball, it was clearer to see the thing more clearly. It was a simple formless shadow at first, but it had four horns on the top of it, with six glowing round white eyes and red tracings on the rest of it's dark body.
Not wanting to lose the opportunity by staring at it in bewilderment and shock, Nala tried to hit it with her sword. "Take this!" She swinged the weapon torwards the shadow's head, who in a small fraction of time moved it's body away from the slash and started to run away on the wall, going torwards the other end of the alley. "The shadow is fleeing! Hurry!" Nala told to both Ritsuka and Peko who had momentarily frozed by the sighting of the shadow. Nala's yell brought the two back to reality and they started running behind her.
Exiting from the other side of the alley, Nala looked around and at everywhere to see where the shadow was. She couldn't find it. "W-where was it? Where did that thing go?" She questioned in confusion as Peko and Ritsuka had exited from the alley as well.
"Can you see the shadow Nala?" Ritsuka asked, looking to the side, trying to find it.
"N-No. It just escaped." Nala responded. "But how? How could that thing do it in broad daylight and open area no less?"
"Perhaps it didn't escaped, but instead vanished." Peko told his sister, checking the walls of the buildings behind them. "It really left no trace behind."
Mash appeard running behind them. "Why were you running to here? Something happened?" She asked.
"We saw some sort of shadow that ended up dissapearing." Ritsuka told her. "Didn't you saw it too Mash?"
"S-shadow? I didn't saw it." Mash said. "Could it perhaps be connected with the reason why Boudica went on a rampage?"
"Hmm, maybe." Peko said. The shadow was nearby and looked like it was watching them. So it could be possible. "By the way, how's her situation?"
"She fell unconscious all of a sudden just now." Mash told them. "Her fury was fully gone in a second."
"Then we shall wait for her to wake up and ask what happened." Nala said.
"Agreed." Ritsuka responded. "Let's go back to the others then." He said and the three nodded, returning to the place where now Boudica layed unconscious in the arms of Cleopatra with Romulus and Caesar nearby.
"What was all that running about? Did you saw something?" Caesar asked them.
"Yeah. A shadow or something similar. But it immediatly dissapeard before we could even fight it properly." Ritsuka replied.
"A shadow? Now that sounds peculiar." Romulus said, putting an hand on his chin.
"Do you know anything about it?" Peko asked Romulus.
"No actually." Romulus responded, looking at Boudica. "But perhaps she does. However let's not hurry on it. Boudica will take some time to wake up."
"Then we should spent that time in checking if everyone is alright." Nala said, looking to the area around. "Boudica made some serious damages here."
"Exactly what I was thinking." Caesar responded. "We should worry about the possibly wounded first."
"Alright! I want all of you to go around the city helping anyone who got hurt." Romulus ordered them. "Cleopatra, watch over Boudica at my tent in the colosseum and tell us when she wakes up."
"Understood." Cleopatra said as she carried Boudica's unconscious body to the colliseum.
"And what are you going to do?" Mash asked Romulus.
"I'll try to contact our allie in the east. I'm feeling their help will become more necessary now than ever."
"..Hmmm...gh..." Boudica groaned as her eyes started to slowly open.
"B-Boudica! You are waking up!" Cleopatra's voice echoed inside her head as the redhaired was still adjusting her vision. "Everyone, come here! Boudica as woke up!" The egyptian woman stepped out of the tent to tell the others.
Finally getting her vision cleared, Boudica saw she was inside Romulus tent. "What...happened?" Boudica touched her head, feeling the slight headache from waking up. Despite of her mind being blurry and foggy in those moments, she reminded of what happened, feeling unsettled with herself. "D-Did I...done all that?!"
"You are finally awake." Romulus said, entering with everyone else inside the tent. They were all looking at her seriously, wanting to know the reason why she had gone rageful like that, but deep down feeling happy that Boudica was now okay. "Now please, do tell us what made you so mad to the point of attacking civillians, Miss Boudica."
Boudica lowered her head with huge regret, staring at the ground. "Did somebody die?" She asked them with a slight tremor, fearing that she might had innocent's blood on her hands now. Even if she disliked them, she still didn't want to be on the level of coldly killing innocent people, even if they were roman. If they were angry at her by what she had just done, they had every right to be.
"Some wounded aside, no one died." Ritsuka told her, relieving the weight on Boudica's soul.
"Oh thank goodness." Boudica said in relief before covering her face. "I-I'm sorry...I didn't meant to..." Her voice started to shake as the woman herself felt terrible and ashamed by what she did.
Mash went next to her trying to comfort the woman. "It's alright Boudica-san. What matters is that deaths were avoided." She put an hand on Boudica's back. "Besides, we know that you would never do that. Something happened to have you gone on a rampage like that."
"And that's what we were gonna ask you." Peko told her. "Did something happened on yesterday's night after the dinner Boudica?"
"I...think so." Boudica responded, trying to remember what happened exactly on that night.
"Did an enemy or monster attacked you? Casted a spell or something?" Nala asked her, trying to jog the woman's memory.
"Also, did you saw some sort of shadow like thing?" Ritsuka added to the mount of questions. "One with horns and white eyes?"
"Hey! Give her a break!" Cleopatra scolded them. "One question at a time. She just woke up now."
"And with all the drink she had last night, her mind must be a bit dizzy." Caesar commented, remembering how much she and Romulus had drunk at the dinner.
"A shadow..." Boudica tought before gasping audibly. "I think I saw some kind of shadow in my sleep. There was more than one tough. It was like...being in a nightmare." Boudica told them, remembering piece by piece of her nightmare. "There was also someone...or something, talking to me in the dream. Speaking about souls, hate, revenge and other things."
"Now that sounds really like a sinister nightmare to have." Ritsuka commented.
"Did you saw where did that voice was coming from?" Nala questioned Boudica.
"Not really. It was all dark around me for what I can remember." Boudica hugged herself. "Then I saw those images again. My homeland and tribe being destroyed by the romans. I was right there but still couldn't do nothing. My people dying left and right with our homes being burned. Everyone being chased and executed on sight." Boudica's voice trembled in fear and shock. "A-And my daughters...they were..."
"It's okay. You are here with us now, and your daughters are alive." Cleopatra told her. "It was all a nightmare. A terrible one but still just a nightmare."
"But everything seemed so real. The bodies, the blood, the fires, screams, every single thing was exactly how I remembered when it happened." Boudica said, the flashes of the nightmare passing on her mind.
"Hm, I presume everyone else has already reached to the same suspect as I." Romulus told them, reaching to his own conclusion as long Boudica would tell moe information about her nightmare.
"That voice. Could it be the reason behind it?" Peko tought. "Dreams and nightmares are usually confusing and weird, so couldn't it just be Boudica's mind at the time imagining that nightmare?"
"But they don't make a person go on a rampage and attacking others." Mash told the boy. "At least not normal dreams. Not even nightmares."
"That's a good point Mash." Peko responded. "It must have happened something in Boudica's nightmare to have her act so rageful in the morning."
"Then we all reached to the same conclusion that it was something on Boudica's nightmare that caused her to go furious." Ritsuka told them. "Now we need to confirm if that was the voice, shadows, or perhaps another thing?"
"Maybe all of those." Caesar said to Ritsuka. "Do you remember anything else Boudica?"
"Hum, my vision was getting bloodier and I felt my head burning, with giant shadows manifestating around my homeland in the sky. The voice would get louder as I was starting to lose control of my own body and mind, thinking about one thing repeatedly. Kill. Killing every roman that I saw in front of me." Boudica revealed to them. "And after that, some dark pound appeard beneath me and I swallowed by it. Then...I don't remembered what happened next."
"That's probably when you went berserk." Cleopatra said, figuring what happened.
"And that surely doesn't sound like a normal dream at all to have. Let alone a nightmare." Nala added.
"Then...could it be some kind of magic or anything of that genre?" Ritsuka asked to everyone else, putting that possibility up the table.
"Most likely that I assume." Romulus replied to him. "Magecraft was certainly involved in the situation."
"Then now we have to guess who or what did that." Mash said, before turning her head to Boudica. "Do you know how the voice sounded like Boudica-san?"
"It was kinda distorted and echoing." Boudica responded.
"Well, that turns the things difficult to know who it was." Nala said, not being able to get any clues from Boudica's description of the voice.
Right in the middle of them all, the hologram of Romani appeard. "It can't possibly be the servants from Nero's side that we previously knew."
"Right. Jing Ke, Spartacus and Lu Bu don't appear to be the kind of servants that can pull that sort of magecraft and illusions." Peko said, remembering of the three servants they were once allied with.
"Could have it been Seneca then?" Nala asked, thinking about Nero's advisor.
"He might know some magic spells but it's only that. He's just a pretty average human magus of this time. To pull something of a dream like that, one would need more strong magic circuits, an incredibly amount of mana and great magecraft abilities." Romani said to the girl. "In short, he had to be either a very talented mage or a powerful servant with that kind of magecraft, wich he's neither of those."
Ritsuka agreed with the doctor's point. "Yeah. Plus, I believe he wouldn't be the type of person to do that."
"Then, could it have been Nero perhaps?" Mash tought. "But thinking better, I also believe it can't be her. She's not a servant nor seemed to display great amounts of mana."
"She could have decided to just hide her potential to anybody, but I don't think she as the capibility to do that." Peko said. "If she had truly great magic power, she'd probably show it off to everyone."
"So it isn't Nero as well." Nala rubbed her head. "Then who could have been behind all that? The voice, the nightmare, the shadows..."
As everyone was working their minds and theories, Romulus tought about his very own. "Have you considered that it can be that mage from the fututre Lev Lainur? Or even maybe a new servant." The two possibilities made the rest tought for a good second, and realize that it could very much be true.
"How could we have forgotten about that jerk?" Nala said. "He really looks like the person who could do that sort of thing."
"Yep. Being scummy and manipulative definetly are his characteristics." Ritsuka commented.
"However hold down your horses." Romulus told them. "He definetly is the sort of mage that could pull that off, but last time I heard his whereabouts, was in a message from my ally on the east that at the time was fighting him. Maybe he can still be there."
"Or the worst happened to our ally and now that mage is here." Cleopatra told him.
"That may be true." Caesar said. "Altough I wouldn't like to imagine that."
"So it can be Lev..." Ritsuka said as he went quiet. The rest of the Chaldea group proceeded to stay quiet as well. Following them, Romulus, Caesar, Cleopatra and Boudica also went silent. Now the tent was just all of them staring randomly nowhere and muttering no word. Just complete dead silent. It came to the point were a confused Romani was scratching his head.
"H-Hey guys. Did you all lost your ability to speak or something?" He tried to call them, only to receive more silence instead. Romani inventually tought why they were doing this and gasped. "C-Can't it be that they can't see nor hear me?! Are they under some powerful spell?! Crap! That is bad!" Sweating nervously, Romani tried to call their attention. "Hey everyone, I'm right here! If you can hear me but can't see me then be careful! You are most likely under a-"
"We are under no spell doctor." Mash told him, breaking the silence and looking at his hologram.
"H-Huh?" Romani reacted with utter confusion.
"We were just trying to see by figuring out it was Lev and staying silent, he would eventualy come out of his hidden spot and reveal himself to us." Ritsuka explained to the doctor, smiling as he told his and everyone else ridiculous plan.
"H-HUH?! What the hell of thinking is that?!" Romani exclaimed comically in huge disbilief. "You really tought he would appear just like that?!"
"Don't know. He seems that type of vile person to appear behind the shadows and start clapping with an arrogant smile, congratulating us sarcastically for discovering that he was the real culprit all along." Nala said to the doctor.
"Darn it! Is it bad that I somehow agree that he would kinda of do this?" Romani cursed to himself.
"But it seemed he didn't appeard. So he is either playing with us or just not here at all." Peko said.
"Wich leave us our only viable option now. That of a new servant" Ritsuka said staring at Romani. "Do you know any servants that can enter and manipulate someone's dreams doc?"
Romani closed his eyes and put a hand under his chin. "Hmm, There are quite some handful of servants that could do that."
"I wouldn't like to have one of them walking around my dreams. There would go my peaceful nights." Ritsuka said.
"Same." Peko commented. "Do you have a guess on who might be doctor?"
"Hmmm, wait. Boudica, you said that the voice in your nightmaren was talking about souls and something like that, right?" Romani asked to the redhaired woman.
"Yes. The voice was talking about my soul for what I remember." Boudica responded.
"Hmmm. Intresting..." Romani said as he went back to thinking. The toughts of the doctor ended up taking a while.
"So? Do you know who is it?" Peko asked him.
"Hmmmmm."
"Doctor-san, tell us already." Mash said, feeling a bit impatient now like everyone else.
"Hmmmmmmmmmmm."
"C'mon! Spit it out already!" Nala said frustrated.
"Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm."
"We know doc. Very funny." Ritsuka laughed dryly.
"Hmmmmm-Ow!" Romani flinched his body as he took a slap on the back of the head by Da Vinci.
"Just say that you don't know already damnit!" She shouted angrily at him.
Romani cackled a bit nervously, rubbing his neck. "Yeah, unfortunately I don't know. Sorry guys."
They all reacted with a huge sigh.
"Then we wont move from square zero." Caesar said, crossing his arms.
"There are many servants with incredible skills. I don't blame the doctor for not knowing it. The options are many." Romulus said.
"So that will remain a mystery for now." Mash said sadly.
"It looks like it." Peko responded.
"Hey now guys! Don't be all down like that!" Romani tried to cheer them up. "For now let's focus on other things, alright?"
"Guess so." Nala replied to the doctor.
"So how about we talk abou-hm? Wait a bit." Romani told them as he looked to his monitors. His face changed, meaning that he had detected something. And generally that wasn't good. "Oh no! Bad news people!"
"Enemies nearby?" Ritsuka asked Romani, guessing what the threat was.
"Yep! Two servants reaching-"
"Great Founder!" A soldier entered the tent in a hurry. "There are two unknown enemies at the gates of the city! We are trying to stop them but they are way too strong!"
"Lead us to the gates then." Romulus told the soldier and looked behind to the rest. "Let's go!" He said and everyone nodded.
On the entry gates, the soldiers were being killed and slashed by fighting the new two invaders. Both were servants. A muscular bald man with deep black skin, white patterns on the body, and golden eyes and teeth. The other one was wearing a red cape and spartand helmet, holding a shield and spear in his two arms.
"Two new hostile enemies on sight!" Mash said as everyone reached to the local, preparing her shield for combat. "Ready for the orders master!"
Ritsuka nodded. "Sure! Go ah-"
"No. Your group and Boudica need to take all the civillians out of here to the other side of the city!" Romulus interrupted Ritsuka as he, Caesar and Cleopatra stepped to the front. "We will take care of those two instead."
"You sure?" Peko asked him. "It could be quicker if all of us-"
"Don't worry boy. We can handle it." Caesar told Peko. "Plus the people are clearly in a frenzy. Someone needs to calm them and get them to safety."
"We are servants too. It's not like we cant take them head on." Cleopatra added.
"If you say so." Nala speaked, staring at the two enemy servants. "But they also look tough."
"I already passed through many tough things." Cleopatra replied. "Two strong servants don't scare me."
"And neither me or Caesar." Romulus told to the Chaldea group and Boudica. "Now go! Help the citizens evacuate the area!"
Even if the three of them were full of courage and certain of themselves, Ritsuka still didn't want to leave them behind. "But Romu-"
Boudica touched the master of humanity in the shoulder. "Do as he says. He is the founder of Rome after all. And Caesar and Cleopatra also aren't much behind in their combat skills. You have to trust in them Ritsuka! All of you need." She told to the Chaldea group.
"Boudica-san is right. They are giving us time and space to help the people escape. We shouldn't be wasting the time they are giving us." Mash thought, looking at Ritsuka. "She's right master! We have to believe in their capabilities to fend those two servants off!"
Hearing that, Ritsuka agreeed with the shielder. "Then let us evacuate the citizens to safety!" He told her before staring at Peko and Nala. "Are you two in?"
"Absolutely! We are going to make sure everyone stays safe!" Nala exclaimed to Ritsuka.
"Didn't even needed to ask us Ritsuka! I'm in!" Peko exclaimed too.
"Alright! Find and help the people escape then!" Ritsuka ordered and looked behind to Romulus, Caesar and Cleopatra. "We are counting on you!"
Romulus smiled a little. "Same here. Now go and save my children!"
Ritsuka and the rest of the group alongside Boudica, left the area, leaving Romulus, Caesar and Cleopatra to fight against the enemy.
"I presume it's been a little way since you have participated in a fight Great Founder." Caesar told Romulus. "Are the movements still sharp?"
"As sharp as a wolf's tooth." Romulus responded, summoning his weapon, a tick lance made of red wood. "It will be a pleasure to fight side to side with the notorious Julius Caesar for once. The famous egyptian queen as well."
"Likewise Great Founder." Caesar replied. "It's an honour to aid the figure of the enitre empire existence and my lover."
"Now with the compliments out of the way, who fights who?" Cleopatra said, pointing at the two servants.
"That shouldn't matter in the great scheme of things Cleo." Caesar told her. "But if you ask my opinion, perhaps the one with golden teeth. He looks like a formidable adversary."
"Then you and me against him Julius!" Cleopatra said, looking at the dark skinned servant. "Also, do you think if I kick him hard enough in the face, I can keep one of his golden teeths?"
Caesar sweated a bit. "You were thinking about that now?"
"So that leaves me with the other one." Romulus focused his attention to the other servant with spear and shield. "He seems very capable. The looks also resemble that of a powerful warrior. So he must be from that land full of heroes and deities." Romulus prepared his lance. "However, that doesn't mean we romans fall shortly behind." He smiled. "Let's go, Caesar, Cleopatra!" He told the two, sprinting torwards the enemy.
On the other side of the city, The Chaldea group and Boudica were making sure everyone was going past the gates and no one was being left behind.
"Do you think they will be fine?" Peko asked Ritsuka as they were checking the people exiting the city.
"I think so. We already saw how Caesar and Cleopatra fight and Romulus must be good at it too." Ritsuka responded.
"Dont think too much on that Peko!" Nala told her brother. "Just focus on getting these people out of here!"
"U-Understood! Sorry for havings doubts about them." Peko told.
"No problem! I want them to succeed as much as you do." Nala replied back.
"Do you think that those two servants were summoned by Nero?" Mash asked to Boudica.
"So probably that it's almost a certainty." Boudica responded to the shielder. "Thankfully, it seemed that our attackers are only those two."
"A bit weird honestly." Nala said. "I expected that they would do a full on assault since there is two servants of Nero's army and all."
"I bet that's because our soldiers would then see them coming a mile away." Ritsuka responded to the girl.
"Pretty much that." Boudica said. "Now come on! We need to-"
The sound of buildings being destroyed on the other side of the city called their attention.
"They already begun to fight." Peko said.
"Wich means we have to be quicker!" Boudica told them. "Focus on helping the people now!" She ordered. "It's the best I can do for the things I did earlier today."
"S-Sure Boudica!" Ritsuka said before staring at the twins. "Peko! Nala! Let's look for more people around the city! Mash! You stay with Boudica and help the ones that are already here to evacuate!"
"Understood master!" Mash affirmed.
"Okay. Peko, Nala, follow me!"
"Right behind you Ritsuka!" "Ay ay Ritsuka!"
"Ggh!" Romulus clashed with the warrior in a duel of spears. "He is indeed very talented. The way he moves around and uses the spear is prove of that. This is no unknown historic figure." Romulus pushed his enemy away. "But yet something feels off about this man. He doesn't speak nor he makes a sound. Not even when attacking or defending. Is it perhaps the way he was summoned? Romulus looked at the warrior who was about to attack him with the spear. The founder of Rome blocked it again. He then pushed it to the side and directed a powerful punch torwards the enemy, who blocked it with his shield. The impact however, was strong enough to destroy the buildings behind the warrior servant.
"Hm, that shield..." Romulus commented as he observed that the enemy shield had an up side down 'V' on it. "I guess I know who you are then, king of Sparta."
The warrior replied back by distancing himself of Romulus, creating space beetween the two. The servant than scraped the blade of the spear on the golden shield, creating sparks and setting his weapon on flames. Something told Romulus that his enemy had decided to step up his game. Even if the face was hidden behind the spartan helmet, Romulus could see that the king eyes were some fierce ones. He had no intention of going easy, after all this king was from a location were children were raised to be fearless soldiers and prideful fighters.
"Oh, I see that you want this to be an honorable battle." Romulus smiled, stretching the lenght of his lance. "Then come! As this empire founder, I'll show you what the people of Rome are capable of!" He and the servant launched to each others, dealing blow after blow. In mere seconds, the buildings around them were collapsing with each hit they would make. Their bodies would get hit and hit back, sustaining the injuries that they would cause on one another. Romulus would summon tree branches from his lance that the enemy ended up burning with the flames of his spear.
"Natural Body"
Romulus casted a spell on himself, making his body more durable to the enemy attacks. The spartan king bashed his shield against Romulus who blocked it, but not without being sent flying three buildings away. As quick as he was sent flying, the founder of Rome appeard behind the dust of the broken buildings and punched the servant right in the helmet. "ROMA!" He shouted, sending the enemy flying into other buildings as well.
Knowing that this wasn't the end and waiting for him to come back, Romulus crossed his arms and moved his neck, watching the dust slowly dissapeard to show the king of Sparta still on his feet, altough the helmet was now with some cracks from the punch it had took. The servant hit the bottom of his spear on the ground three times, resulting in the weapon's flames getting wilder and larger. He then picked it up from the ground and exercising his arm muscles, he threw the spear at an incredible speed torwards Romulus.
In retaliation, Romulus used his own lance to parry the attack and send it back flying back to it's sender. "Gggaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!" Romulus screamed as he put an incredible amount of strenght to cancel the spartan king attack. Felling the spear getting weaker, Romulus was able to send it away from him, landing right next to the feet of it's owner who picked it up.
"Heh." Romulus expressed a smile despite the sweat and blood on his body, staring at the enemy. "Your power and skills truly match up to your story."
On the other area of the city, Caesar and Cleopatra were fighting the other servant. It could be a two versus one fight, but the enemy was fighting his two opponents and standing on his ground pretty well. While he had barely sustained any injury, Caesar and Cleopatra were pretty wounded already. It almost looked like their enemy wasn't in numerical disadvantage at all.
"Hey, Julius?" Cleopatra speaked to her partner.
"What is it Cleo?" He asked, taking some breaths to recover his stamina.
"After all this is over, we are going on the most expensive and luxorious cruise we can find. And it will be by seeling the golden garnments of this guy right here." Cleopatra cleaned some bit of blood in the corner of her mouth. "And of course, bring our children and all."
Caesar smirked at her. "I am fully on accord with that idea my dear. The problem would be choosing wich swim short to bring. I have too many!"
"You can bring whatever you like honey. Every one is beautiful on you." Cleopatra complimented him, making the ex-dictactor to slightly blush.
"T-Thanks dear. I appreceate it. "He then looked at the enemy in front of them. "But before we can do that, we need to get rid of him first!"
"Agreed!" Cleopatra said before jumping torwards the enemy, ready to dropkick him. The enemy blocked the attack with one of his axes, causing Cleopatra's legs to slightly bleed. "Tsk!"
Caesar appeard on the left to cut him by surprise. The enemy however blocked that attack too with his other axe, now blocking both Cleopatra and Caesar's attacks. "His muscles and body are stiff!"
"Gggrgh!" Making pressure on the enemy's axe, Cleopatra was able to make her legs destroy the servant's block and kick him in the face. "That doesn't mean his undefeatable!"
Seeing his defense now and body exposed, Caesar cut him in the left side of the chest with his sword. "That's right! No matter how strong the foe is, Julius Caesar never gives up on a fight!"
"That's the spirit honey!" Cleopatra backed it off to the ground, staying next to him. "As the queen of Egypt I also have no intention of giving up!"
"Hehe." Caesar cackled. "You are just the same as ever Cleo. Always figthing for your objectives. That's one of the things that made me fall in love with you."
"Same here. No man that I met in my life will ever compare to your wit and dexterity Julius." Cleopatra told him, before the two sprinted torwards the enemy.
Caesar clashed with one of the dark skinned servant axes. Cleopatra rushed torwards him and dodged the incoming attack from the other axe, proceeding to roundhouse kick the enemy in the chin.
"Nice one Cleo!" Caesar said before slashing the enemy again. "We are doing it!"
The enemy however, wouldn't just stand there and watch. Instead, he threw one of his axes at Cleopatra, who barely managed to dodge. Following that, he then quickly grabbed Caesar with his now free hand, caughting the ex-dictator by surprise since he wasn't expecting such action from the enemy. Quickly, the enemy servant threw Caesar at Cleopatra.
"What a-" Cleopatra tried to catch him, but the force the enemy threw Caesar was so great that both he and Cleopatra were sent flying all the way to the building behind them, causing it to collapse.
With the dust setting off, Caesar and Cleopatra were lying in the debris, trying to recover and get back up again.
"Got anything broken?" Cleopatra asked Caesar as she breathed tiredly.
"No. You?" Caesar replied and asked her back.
"Maybe a fingernail. It took me hours to paint it." She moved her head, staring at the enemy in the distance. "I'll make him pay for that."
"Now he has provoked the ire of the egyptian queen hasnt he?" Caesar joked a bit as he tried to get up.
The enemy wouldn't let them do that. With the two down at the moment, he took the chance and threw the remaining axe at them, mainly Caesar. The man was still taking his time to get back on his feet, and so when he looked forward, he could only see the axe coming torwards him. Caesar couldn't do nothing, not even having time to try and dodge it. It was the end for him. Or that would be, if Cleopatra hadn't put herself in front of him and take the brutal blow instead, her body receiving a tremendous cut.
"Blurgh! D-damnit!" Cleopatra cursed as she coughed a huge amount of blood out of her mouth.
"C-CLEOPATRA!" Caesar screamed in terror as he saw his partner with a now massive cut on her body, with blood flowing out of the injury. But despite that, Cleopatra was still standing on her feet. Even if it was trembling and unbalanced, Cleopatra's body refused to fall back on the ground.
Deeply injured, Cleopatra looked to the sun shinning through the clouds. "Ah, I guess I'll have to use it..." She smiled. "Hey J-Julius...Do you know what I always...wanted to have?" She talked to Caesar despite not looking at him.
"As a royal, I always had everything. And what I didn't had...I would want that too." Cleopatra speaked . "I would even want more of what I already had. Gold, treasures, expensive clothes and food. All of those things made me feel great and powerful."
"What are you trying to say Cleo?" Caesar asked confused. "Your body is-"
"Throughout my life...I always seeked more things to make me happy. And in the end of it...I'd say there was only two things that really made me feel like that. All the rest...treasures and physical richness, can always be replaced...unlike the other two- gergh!" Cleopatra coughed out more blood from her mouth.
"Please stop talking Cleo! You are only wasting your energy!" Caesar told her, before noticing the enemy servant charging torwards them. "He is coming torwards us! We have to move out of the way!"
Cleopatra didn't moved. She knew the enemy was coming but still didn't moved, deciding to stan right there. "The two things that I've always wanted. The ones that truly give me the happiness that I could ever hope for..." Cleopatra prepared herself for what would happen next. "It's the joy of the people of my kingdom..." She turned her head around, giving a radiant smile to Caesar. "And you...my love." As she said that, a bright golden energy, surrounded her body, changing her clothes to a beautiful dress.
"Cleo...what are you-" Caesar gasped. "No! Don't do it!"
"I should experience being called a concubine, no?"
A golden line moved around Cleopatra's body, slowly transforming into a blue and golden snake.
"This is the snake of time
the omen of Egypt's downfall."
"You will die if you unleash it with your body in that state!" Caesar screamed at her, trying to convince her to stop. But she had already decided and the process couldn't be stop now. Specialy when the enemy was getting closer.
"I command you
as the final pharaoh."
Cleopatra fixed her gaze at the enemy in front of her, and with a hand movement, the serpent launched itself torwards him, shaping into giant golden lines of flames
"O Serpent Who Ends The Time of Dawn:
Uraeus Astrape!"
The flames mercilessly attacked the servant repetedly until they all exploded into a big ray of golden light that pierced the sky above. This was Cleopatra's Noble Phantasm.
Caesar looked in awe to such power. That had been the first time he had ever seen Cleopatra Noble Phantasm. And he never expected it to have been such a destructive power. The area where it had been unleashed had even been almost entirely wiped out. Once the Noble Phantasm had totally dissapeard, the enemy servant also started to vanish. Such brutal attack that he couldn't have resisted. Now all he could do, was to lament silently how he missed the chance to have met his most important rival and arch enemy who had gone away the day before he was summoned here. It was truly dissapointing to the persian emperor, who wished to have an opportunity for have a rematch. And with those thoughts, his body faded.
"Heh..." Cleopatra smiled as her white dress went back to her previous clothes. "We did it...Julius..." With no more energy left, Cleopatra's body collapsed on the ground.
"Cleo!"
"Gargh!" Romulus grunted in pain as his body was sent flying all the way back to the colliseum, only stopping once he crashed into his own tent at the arena, destroying it completely. It has already been some half an hour that he has been fighting the enemy. The state where the city was now was of absolute shambles. Romulus knew that it would be difficult for the people to continue living here. Hearing the footsteps of the enemy servant entering the colosseum, Romulus went right back up. But as he did so, he noticed a thing on the ground right next to him.
"?" He stared at the now torn image of the wolf with the two babies beneath her. Romulus would always stare at the image every day since he was summoned here. It speaked of his past. Of memories that he still couldn't remember due to the young age. Not only that, but also remind him of the existence of the other child. The one Romulus would never forgive himself for what had happened to him. Truly, how could such squabble end up in a tragedy like that? It was never the founder's intention to have done what he did. Instead, he dreamed of the two being co-founders of their great kingdom that would later expand into today's empire. And has history told, only Romulus was the sole founder of Rome. No one else. The greatness he and his sibling could have spent together, never came to exist. Just one of them achieved divine status.
Romulus picked up the image and took a closer look, before closing his hand into a fist with it. "Would you forgive me if you'd saw everything that I built, brother?" He pressed the fist to his chest, feeling his own hearbeats. "Now that's not the time to think of that. I also consider you part of Roma." With the thoughts done, Romulus stared at the arrival of the enemy who was now some meters away from him, standing on the other side of the arena. He hit the shield three times with his spear before entering in a offensive posture.
Romulus did the same. "You're right king of Sparta. This battle is coming to an end now." With that said, he and the enemy both sprinted at each other, with their respective weapons ready to hit their opponent. As the two were literally close to each other, they clashed their lance and spear against each other as many times as it was possible.
"Ah, greek warriors are truly something. Guess that Greece is that powerful when it comes to a region full of mana from the Age of the Gods. However..."
Finding an opening, Romulus lance made a cut on the enemy's arm that was holding the spear. "That golden age of your nation as already ended! In this period, it's Roma who shines the brightest!" Romulus exclaimed as he took opportunity and punched the servant on the head, making him lose balance and expose himself. "If this was Greece you would certainly win. Instead, you are the one fighting against the host here!" Romulus prepared his lance. "The man who created the most famous and impactful empire in the history! Son of the roman god of war Mars!" Pointing at the servant's open chest, Romulus pierced his lance at the servant's open chest. "This is Roma's domain!" The blood oozed out of the king of Sparta's body. That was the final and decisive fatal blow of their fight.
"Now return to your peaceful rest where your brothers await you, O king of Sparta." Romulus told him, taking out the lance out of the defeated enemy's body. With his body wounded and no more energy to fight, the servant let go off his spear and shield. Altough he couldn't speak due to have been summoned in a corrupted manner, the spartan king wanted to tell Romulus how much of a good fight this was. Even if he was summoned for just a day, it was good to feel the sensation of figthing, against a renowed figure no less. So, the king of Sparta bowed in honour to the fight both had, before his body had entirely dissapeard.
Alone, Romulus looked to the sun shinning through the clouds. It's rays illuminating the arena. With the battle won, Romulus made his trademark pose. "This is...ROMA'S VICTORY!" He shouted to the empty seats of the colisseum. If this had been one of those colisseum fights, it was guaranteed that the viewers would have gone wild with such fight.
Taking a time to rest and recover a bit of his energy, Romulus walked away from the arena, hoping to find the rest and that Caesar and Cleopatra had already finished their own battle.
"Hey, the sounds of the fight have stopped." Peko told to Ritsuka and Nala as the three were searching for more civillians that might could have get scared to move out of their spots as the fights happened. But thankfuly that didn't looked to be the case, as they wouldn't find no one stucked or in distress in the middle of the debris. Therefore, all the people were evacuated and in safety on the outside of the city.
"So, does that mean they won?" Nala asked him.
"Seems so. If they hadn't we would still be hearing noises of those two hostile servants breaking the building or see one of them right now." Ritsuka told to the two siblings.
"Sounds reasonable to me." Nala said.
"Then how about we see if they are all okay?" Peko proposed.
"Sure. Let's go see them." Ritsuka told the two and they all went to check on the three servants that stayed behind to fight. Walking more to the area where fights happened, they saw how almost no building was left intact. Behind the wreckage, they got glimpses of an entire area of the city that had been almost decimated. Climbing to get pass through the little mount of ruins, Ritsuka was able to get on the other side and was met with a shocking image.
"Oh no." He said as his eyes widened in worry to what he had just saw, and for a moment he had forgot about Peko and Nala who where still behind the small mount of wreckage.
"Hey Ritsuka! What's happening?" Peko asked him.
"What are you seeing?" Nala did the same.
Being reminded of the fact the two kids were still on the other side, Ritsuka quickly helped the two to get across the wreck. "It isn't...a good thing." He told to the two as he helped them climbing the wreckage, who then saw the same image Ritsuka saw and just like the master of humanity, they got worried.
A little in the distance, they saw a distressed Caesar who was holding the very injured body of Cleopatra who by looking at her face, was feeling weak and tired with blood tainting her clothes and chin.
The trio immediatly went to their side. "W-what happened? Is Cleopatra okay?!" Nala asked to Caesar.
"Unfortunately she got a critical hit when we were fighting that servant. She did it to protect me and then...unleashed her Noble Phantasm in order to defeat the enemy. It drained too much of her mana." Caesar explained in grief, holding tightly Celopatra's hand.
"So is she..." Peko didn't dared to finish the sentence. He wouldn't want to. He wouldn't want to admit that this would be Cleopatra's end.
"Heh. You kids w-worry too much..." Cleopatra smiled weakly to the three. "Where was all...that pity when you where fighting against me..?"
"That was a different situation!" Nala almost yelled at Cleopatra. "We now see you as a friend and-"
"Friend?...Girl...we just met for a week..." Cleopatra giggled a bit before coughing blood.
"So what? We still value you." Ritsuka responded to her. "Plus, don't talk now."
"Ritsuka is right Cleo. Just concentrate in resting dear." Caesar told to Cleopatra.
"But I'll have to admit...That it's nice of you to consider me your friend..." Despite everyone's advise, Cleopatra continued to talk and stared to Peko and Nala. "Also...despite of thinking you two kids are a bit annoying...that just makes me remember of my little brother and sister...I still need to apologize to them..."
From the distance, Mash and Boudica appeard, helping a injured Romulus to walk. As the three saw what was happening in front of them, they also came in a hurry.
"Master, what happened here?" Mash asked Ritsuka when she arrived.
"She's dying. Cleopatra is dying Mash." Ritsuka said sadly.
"Pff...what nonsense is that..? I ain't dying that soon..." Cleopatra told him, trying to comfort her allies and friends.
"Those wounds tell otherwise." Boudica said as she looked to the big cut on Cleopatra's chest. "Tsk! Damnit Cleopatra." Boudica put a hand in front of her eyes. "How could you let that happen to you?!"
"She did what needed to be done to defeat the enemy." Peko responded to Boudica. "But still..." Some tears started to form on Peko's eyes.
"You did explendid Cleopatra." Romulus told to the egyptian woman. "You and Caesar did. Now get your rest."
"Oh and I will have my rest Romulus...a well deserved rest..." Cleopatra responded to him.
"I see that you also won your fight Great Founder." Caesar told to Romulus. "However, it looks like this weren't fights without loses."
Cleopatra looked to everyone around her. They were all sad, desolated and grievous. "H-Hey guys...why the long faces? We won and saved the people here...Isn't that a good thing that good people do...?"
"I-It is Cleo. But, I wished it could have went better..." Caesar responded, trying to contain the tears in his eyes.
"Oh hehe...and it was Julius...My silly chubby ball..." Cleopatra smiled to her partner, looking him in the eyes. "Also...I am not dying...I am just...taking...a rest..." Cleopatra said weakly as her voice went lower and eventually ceased alongside her eyes who had totally closed.
"C-Cleo? Cleo!" Caesar screamed as he let the tears run down his face. "Please, don't leave me now! We still have things to do together remember?!" He told as many of the others where now trying to contain their own tears at seeing the broken Caesar trying to keep talking with a now dead Cleopatra. "That cruise with our kids! Just please stay a little bit more with me Cleo! Don't abandon me just ye-"
Without warning, Caesar received a punch in the face.
"What part..." The voice of Cleopatra came out of her mouth as the egyptian woman opened her eyes and stared angrily at Caesar "of taking a rest...didn't you understand?!" She screamed at the ex-dictator. Everyone was instantly surprised by seeing the sudden reaction of Cleopatra, who all thought had just died in front of their eyes.
"Didn't she...had just died?" Mash said as confused as everyone else.
"That's where it comes the good news people." The hologram of Romani appeard to them, with the doctor smiling. "Altough injured, Cleopatra's Saint Graph managed to not get criticaly hit during the fight, so she still lives!" Romani told them. "Ain't that wonderful?"
"I-Is it true dear?" Caesar asked Cleopatra.
"Yep...Had it been a little lower...and that would have been my end. But luckily...the fortune never leaves my side..." Cleopatra laughed a bit before coughing again. "But seriously I need to take some rest..."
Caesar hugged her tightly. "Oh Cleo! I'm just happy you are fine! You scared me for a moment!"
"Yeah. You scared all of us Cleopatra." Ritsuka said, having a smile of relief just like everybody else for seeing that the egyptian queen would actually live.
"How dare you?" Nala however was a bit irritated. "You almost made me cry and care for you idiot!" She tried to have it out with Cleopatra before Boudica could restrain her by the arms.
"No need for all that indignation Nala. You are just happy to see her alive too, don't you?" Boudica talked to the girl.
"Good to see that in the end all came out well then." Peko said with a smile, before taking a look around the city. "All the citizens got out safely but, it doesn't look like they can get back to their houses that soon." He said with a frown.
"It will take a longtime to rebuild all of it." Mash commented.
"No problem. What matters is that everyone is safe." Romulus told them. "For the time being, we will build an accampment full of tents for them to live as we reconstruct the city."
"That looks like the better option." Ritsuka said.
Romulus smiled as he got up from the ground. "Now then. With the population of the city saved we now shoud- grhg!" Romulus flinched his body and hold his head as he felt a huge pain on his head, getting everybody's preoccupation.
"Great Founder! What's wrong?!" Caesar asked him.
"Is it perhaps his injuries?" Peko wondered, seeing that the man's body had took quite the hits.
"No! Unfortunately it isn't that!" Romani exclaimed to them as he saw the anamysis of the Singularity in his monitor. "Crap! This is bad! One of the worst things that could have happened right now!"
Everyone hear Romani's words with total apprehension.
"What is it doc?" Ritsuka asked Romani.
Romani explained them. "It's Rome. It's-"
"Roma! The city!" Romulus said as he sweated and breathed nervously. "It's burning!"
To be continued...
And that's it for chapter 31 of the story! I said at the beggining of this Singularity that all the servants minus Stheno, Elizabeth and Tamao Cat would still appear so here you have the two of the three last servants that were still missing: Leonidas and Darius III. And yeah while they appeard as quick as they went, unfortunately I couldn't find a way to implant them more on this version of Septem without making overall changes and rewrittes to my story of the Singularity. So yeah, unfortunately the two get the shortest end of the stick, just like in the og version. (At least Leonidas as more interaction and cool character moments in Babylonia).
As for the Cleopatra moment, I hoped it didn't felt too much of a fake out death. Like, could it even count as that if she appears to be alive in the same minute she supposesly died? Is that I never had the intent to kill her. But let me tell you that if there is a fakeout death that happened originally in the game, it will most likely happen in this story too.
So that's all I wanted to say and see you next time on chapter 32! Peace!
P.S: Nothing feels better than taking a shower at midnight.
