With a top-tier Saint Graph in hand, why not grow rapidly amidst bloody slaughter, lead an army to flatten the United Roman Empire, kill Lev, reclaim the Holy Grail, and return to the singularity?
The answer stood before themāDraco.
A monster born by adhering to the principle of "corruption." She manifests when a city that once flourished and peaked begins to rot, to savour that wickedness.
She is called the Beast of Sodom.
A beast from the New Testament that brought ruin upon the great city of Babylon.
Before Sakatsuki arrived at the singularity, the only places in this world that could truly be called "cities" were the eternally prosperous Roman Empire and the fleetingly brilliant but peak-reaching United Roman Empire.
And the collapse of those cities was a feast even the Beast would rejoice over.
Whether Sakatsuki conquered the United Roman Empire or turned against and destroyed the Roman Empire, any problem arising in either would tip the balance of stability. Since arriving at the singularity, Dracoādetached from her shadow form and possessing Neroāwould appear, feast upon the crumbling prosperity, break free of her seal, and gain freedom.
At that point, the problem of repairing the singularity would instantly escalate into one of exterminating a Beast. And at that time, Ritsuka Fujimaru had only experienced two singularities. Be it mentally or in strength, he could not yet contend with an Enemy of Humanity.
Even Sakatsukiās presence wouldnāt helpābecause the Command Spell that controls life and death was still in the hands of Nero... or rather, Draco now.
"So, when are you going to use that Command Spell?" The white-haired man calmly pointed out Dracoās trump card. "When will this Damoclesā sword pierce my heart?"
"This is mine. How I use it is my freedom," Draco said as if guarding a treasure, covering the back of her hand and snorting at Sakatsuki. "Youāre such a petty man. Even with all the advantages, you still want to take everything from me?"
"Under the pretense of an expedition, gathering your power, and then playing house to build a so-called āGreat Qināāwith that banner, you alone shook the foundation of the Roman Empire and cracked open the immature eggshell... Thatās going to stunt the growth of this little dragon, you know?"
"No worries, Iāll raise you myself~~" Sakatsuki grinned, and predictably received a glare.
"Spare me. I donāt like places with such weak desires. Especially pitch darknessāthat gives me a headache."
"Thatās not up to you, Draco. Youāre going back with me, one way or another."
"Oh? But to repair the singularity, the United Roman Empire must be destroyed, right? Once I devour that nationās demise... you will all meet your tragic end."
Even though Sakatsukiās power had already grown far beyond hers after the battle that brought down the nation, the blonde girl in a red dress still sneered and declared:
āTo repair the singularity, the United Roman Empire must be destroyed, correcting human history.
āTo seal the Evil of Humanity, the collapse of the nation must be prevented, so the Beast cannot feed and grow.
Now unshackled, Fujimaru wore a grave expression. As Sakatsuki and Draco smiled at each other in silent confrontation, he struggled to devise a plan.
Was there a way to repair the singularity while also suppressing Draco?
The "United Roman Empire" had already become a deeply rooted concept. Destroying or suppressing it would mean calamity for the nationāmeaning the Beastās meal was already prepared.
Therefore, the concept of the "United Roman Empire" must not be recklessly tampered with.
With this premise, could the singularity still be repaired...? Impossible.
Fujimaru couldnāt just walk up to Lev and say, "Hey, for various reasons, can you hand over the Holy Grail?" Even assuming he could find Levāif Lev didnāt blast him in the face with a mana cannon, thatād be considered lucky.
"No, Fujimaru, there is one way," came the doctorās voice from the other side of the communicator. "If you can convince Sakatsuki to eliminate the Beast, then we can repair the singularity without worry."
"Hey, hey, Roman, thatās pretty underhanded of you," Sakatsuki rolled his eyes. "Besides, you guys canāt kill Draco either. Donāt forgetāsheās currently parasitizing Nero. Killing her means this singularity collapses completely."
After all, without Augustus, can Rome even be called Rome?
"...Then what do you plan to do, Sakatsuki?" Boudica asked.
To this, the man responded with a smile:
"Now that Iāve taken Rome, itās about time I go support Waver, isnāt it?"
Before anyone could react, boundless bloodlust surged forth and swept everyone up, carrying them like shooting stars toward the distant battlefield.
***
United Roman Empire ā Capital.
Qian, Kan, Gen, Zhen, Xun, Li, Kun, Dui.
Representing earth, wind, fire, water, mountain, lake, sky, and thunderāthe Eight Trigrams rotated, forming an artificial world that tightly suppressed the entire capital. No matter how the beasts inside roared or how light bullets flew, it remained unmoved.
Elsewhere, two humanoid war gods clashed. With majestic mana and awe-inspiring weapons, they carved out a hundred-mile-wide battlefield.
"Rome!!"
"ā ā ā !"
A towering red spear swung out like a massive tree. Its growing vines surged forward like a furious torrent, wrapping around the berserker, tearing his flesh and mana until he was completely absorbed as nourishment for the trunk.
Yet this vast torrent, this rampant growth and unending devouring, was stopped by a blinding red light.
The flying general, wielding a Fangtian Huaji, roared. His black-gold armour crackled with blue-white lightning. He charged through hurricanes, his explosive force condensing into a single pointātearing apart the brilliance and love of Rome!
"OOOOOOOH!" The red cape flared wildly. Wearing golden-red armour that still revealed his bulging muscles, the god-ancestor Romulus bellowed. Powered endlessly by imperial authority, he stood upon Roman soil like Antaeusāunshakable.
"My spear reaches all thingsāMagna Voluisse Magnum!"
Thousands of giant trees, entire forests erupted from the ground, forming the tree of Romeās founding. It embodied Romeās past, present, and futureāa physical manifestation of the concept of Rome and the unstoppable might of its founding!
It was a terrifying Noble Phantasm, turning a nationās destiny and the weight of its institutions into raw mass!
Facing this overwhelming pressure, the armored flying general raised his Fangtian Huaji without hesitation. He too spoke a True Name, showcasing the brilliance of his lifetimeāhis peerless martial skills that astonished the Three Kingdoms and even time itself.
"ā ā ā āā!" (Special Translation: God Force!)
In the deadly sea of trees, LĆ¼ Bu Fengxian swung his weapon. His left hand gathered spirit particles into a black-gold Sun-Shooting Bow, while his right compressed the halberd into a life-sized arrow.
With the bow drawn, the arrow split into five:
Slash, thrust, strike, sweep, and parry!
The culmination of a lifetimeās martial artsāthe embodiment of the Divine Generalās Five Weapons!
In that instant, the anti-army Noble Phantasm shot out and collided with the flourishing forest. First, there was silenceāthen a single point of light burst forth between the crossing Phantasms, expanding instantly into a towering sea of fire. The already-ravaged earth was scorched anew. Even the aftermath broke beyond the battlefieldās bounds, invading the land a hundred miles awayā
Destructionādestruction of all things!
Amid the all-consuming battle between these two Heroic Spirits, a streak of bloodlight slashed across the sky, quietly descending upon the battlefield.
***
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