"You still haven't made up your mind?"
At the headquarters of the United Roman Empire, after venting his rage over the frontline defeat, the dark figure strode deep into the imperial palace and spoke coldly to the figure seated upon the throne.
"I need more time to think," the figure on the throne replied slowly.
"Then hurry up and decide. My patience won't last forever."
With that, the dark figure turned and left, entering a nearby magecraft workshop. He took out the Holy Grail and began muttering incantations. As the Grail emitted a golden glow, two familiar figures emerged from the summoning circle before him.
"Go. Kill Nero."
—
"Be careful. Mana signatures ahead."
Nero, Daniel, and their party began exploring the island shortly after landing, seeking the rumored deity. They'd only just entered the forest when Doctor Roman's voice sounded through the comms. As he finished speaking, a swarm of skeletal soldiers appeared from the trees, accompanied by numerous floating spirits.
"Mash."
"Yes, Senpai."
Responding to Ritsuka's warning, Mash raised her shield and rushed forward, blocking a volley of bone arrows aimed at Nero. Ritsuka followed up, firing a mana blast that eliminated several skeletal archers. Thanks to Da Vinci's designs, Ritsuka's magic projectiles were considerably more potent than those of average magi.
Outfitted head-to-toe with magical gear—courtesy of Da Vinci—Ritsuka now bore enchanted items from her shoes to her cloak.
"Rin, shall we compete to see who gets more kills?"
Scanning the undead enemies ahead, Luvia immediately suggested a challenge.
"You think I'd back down, drill-head?"
Naturally, Rin wouldn't be outdone by Luvia's provocation. Once Rin accepted, Luvia took the lead, throwing five gems of various colors.
"You…"
Seeing Luvia shamelessly expend so many precious gems, Rin hesitated, heart aching, before reluctantly pulled out several of her own from her spatial ring.
To be fair, Rin was no longer short on gems—Daniel's support and Nero's rewards had made her wealthier than ever. But years of scrimping and saving had ingrained caution into her. Yet this was Luvia. Losing to her was not an option.
The two then split up—Rin going left, Luvia right. Medea followed Luvia, Artoria followed Rin. Neither Servant took offensive action; they were strictly there for protection.
With the flanks covered, Mash and Ritsuka handled the enemies in the center. Cú Chulainn merely watched from the side. Undead monsters like these were far beneath him.
Only Artoria, Medea, and Cú Chulainn had come to the island. The others—Jing Ke, Boudica, and newly-recruited Leonidas—had taken the overland route with Nero's main forces. In a world where Servants roamed freely, no army could march safely without one.
"There's a cave over here."
After clearing the undead in the forest, the group scoured the island for signs of life. None were found—only monsters. Just as Nero was about to lose heart, she spotted a cave entrance. Her eyes sparkled and she immediately dashed inside.
"A labyrinth, monsters... It's like a trial. Maybe there really is a god here. Trials and divine rewards go hand in hand."
As they entered, they encountered more monsters—spirits, undead, golems. While spirits and undead might spawn naturally, the golems were definitely artificial.
Roman voiced his thoughts: Western deities often tested heroes through trials, then bestowed treasures.
"Treasure, huh? I don't see any!"
Nero, previously growing weary from the maze-like cave and non-stop fighting, was reenergized by the prospect of treasure.
"It's probably deeper inside. But we'll have to beat the guardian first."
"Then let's press on!"
"Wait, be careful! That's a chimera—not your average monster."
At the cave's depths, they finally encountered a peculiar beast with the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and a serpent for a tail.
Roman immediately shouted a warning.
"So this is a chimera? Looks way bigger than in games."
Seeing the chimera, which was the size of an elephant, Daniel was stunned. He'd imagined something more akin to a large lion or tiger.
"This is a rare chance—Mash, Ritsuka, you two take it down."
Although the chimera was formidable, many in the party could have defeated it. Daniel had been about to have Cú Chulainn step in, but Roman requested the young Master and Demi-Servant be given a chance to grow.
"We're in too!"
Luvia immediately volunteered. A true Phantasmal Species was a rare encounter, unlike the lesser undead. Her excitement was palpable, and she dragged Rin in with her.
"Fine." Rin didn't object—rare opportunity or not, she wasn't backing down.
The four charged. Mash led, shield raised; Ritsuka followed; behind them came Luvia and Rin.
"Stay alert. If things go wrong, step in."
Daniel turned to Artoria, Cú Chulainn, and Medea.
"Don't worry—I'll keep an eye on them," Artoria assured.
The battle began with an explosive flurry. Luvia and Rin hurled multiple gems, while Ritsuka launched a watermelon-sized fireball.
"Not bad speed. And it breathes fire too. Thank god for Mash's shield."
Despite its size, the chimera was fast—lionlike, not sluggish like an elephant. It attacked with claws, fangs, fire breath, and venomous tail strikes, but Mash intercepted everything with her shield.
With Mash tanking, the others unleashed their full offensive capabilities. Luvia and Rin went all out, using multi-gem barrages: triple-shots, quintuple bursts—even seven-gem combos.
"Beast-Binding Six Shackles!"
"Mouth of the World Serpent!"
While Mash tanked, Luvia and Rin tossed specialized binding gems at the chimera, trapping it in place. Together, their gem magecraft immobilized the beast.
Given high-grade gems, their bindings could even hold Heroic Spirits for a time—let alone a chimera. In Illyasviel's world, Rin had once immobilized Hercules.
"Where's the treasure, mysterious mage? We beat the guardian, but there's nothing!"
After the chimera fell, the group scoured the area—only to find nothing. Nero was crushed.
"Huh? No way. There should be treasure. Otherwise, what's the point? Unless... this wasn't a trial after all?"
Roman was baffled.
"Let's go."
After another round of searching yielded nothing, Nero gave up. In truth, she didn't care about treasure—she just enjoyed the journey. As Empress of Rome, she'd seen all the riches she could want.
"There's Servant activity—near the coast!"
Just as they exited the cave, Roman's shout came through. While inside, Chaldea's sensors had been restricted, but now that they were out, they were working again.
"I'll go first."
Daniel instantly locked onto the battle and vanished. Cú Chulainn followed, with Nero's group trailing behind.
"It's them again. They've been summoned a second time."
At the beach, Daniel saw two familiar faces—Caligula and Caesar—both of whom had already been defeated once. They were now engaged in battle against three female Servants. One was Elizabeth, returning from the Hundred Years' War. The other two Daniel didn't recognize—one had long purple twin-tails, the other had cat ears, paws, and a tail.
"Weren't you guys just banished? Why are you back already?"
Daniel's arrival brought the battle to a halt.
"I didn't want to come back, but... it's not up to me," sighed Caesar.
If given a choice, he wouldn't have returned. But he didn't have one.
"Well then, sorry—but I'll have to send you back again."
Daniel summoned his red spear—Gáe Bolg Alternative.
"Barbed Spear of Piercing Death."
A crimson flash pierced Caligula's chest again. Daniel had targeted him first to prevent him from using his Noble Phantasm.
Soldiers had accompanied Nero to the beach. Had Caligula unleashed his Noble Phantasm, it would have turned them into crazed monsters, forcing them to slaughter each other. Cú Chulainn had once killed him for this very reason.
"Death of Gold."
With Caligula gone, Caesar showed no grief. He simply activated his Noble Phantasm and launched a barrage of attacks. His Phantasm used luck-based mechanics to chain endless strikes. With high enough luck, the onslaught would never end.
Most couldn't withstand it.
Daniel was not most people.
He blocked Caesar's blows with his spear—then moved in for the kill.
"Barbed Spear of Piercing Death."
Before Daniel could strike, Cú Chulainn moved in with a blur of blue. A crimson glow tore through Caesar's chest.
"Talk about bad luck," Caesar murmured, looking down at his wound. He smiled wryly, then vanished in golden light.
"Hey, Master—when do we get our rematch?"
"Someday," Daniel replied.
Since contracting with Cú Chulainn, they'd sparred once. Without using Noble Phantasms, Daniel had won. Cú Chulainn was still annoyed by that loss.
"Steno, Tamamo Cat—so it was them."
Nero and the others arrived, and Daniel soon learned the identities of the other two female Servants. One was Steno, the other Tamamo Cat.
"Why was there no treasure in the maze?!"
Upon learning Steno had built the underground labyrinth, Nero protested. Her reason for building it was simple—she was bored.
She had no allegiance to either Rome or the United Romans. She'd agreed to be summoned purely for fun.
"There was treasure. But she ate the treasure chest."
As a divine Servant, Steno had prepared a trial with rewards. But she lacked anything worthy of a god, so the 'prize' was supposed to be Tamamo Cat jumping out of a chest.
However, no one ever came to take the challenge. The island was too remote, and with Rome at war, the people had no time for such games. Eventually, Tamamo Cat got bored and ate the chest.
"Now's really not the best time for a 'hero's trial,' huh."
Daniel shook his head. Had this been a peaceful Roman Empire, people might have flocked to the island. But now? The world was in chaos.
"Guess I'll pick a better time next time," Steno mused.
Nero invited Steno to the capital, but was immediately rejected. Steno had zero interest in human affairs.
"Still, you cleared the maze. I should give you something."
After some thought, Steno offered them a reward: the location of the United Roman Empire's headquarters—something Nero's side had never been able to determine.
"Well, not bad I guess. Let's head back. I'll reward you all handsomely—unlike a certain goddess who thinks monsters make good prizes."
Despite gaining valuable intel, Nero was still salty about the "treasure." For her, dissatisfaction trumped divinity.
Roman had planned to ask Steno to help with the Singularities, but gave up. If she wasn't interested, neither Elizabeth nor Tamamo Cat would follow.
"Now it's time to assault the United Roman HQ. The Holy Grail has to be there. Maybe Lev too..."
With the headquarters located, they no longer needed to liberate every city. Securing the Grail would restore the Singularity and the empire.
"Another failure? Useless fools."
Back at United Roman HQ, the mage in black felt his summoned Servants vanish once more. Scowling, he took out the Holy Grail and began summoning again.
But this time, he was no longer summoning Roman emperors.
______
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