Shirou's Thirty Million Avatars

She was actually a woman. If she had let Guinevere regain her freedom sooner and sincerely blessed them, things wouldn't have ended up that way.

Thinking of the past, she instinctively wanted to apologize, but after hesitating again and again, she never managed to say it.

"You're here, which means we're not enemies for now."

Noticing her extremely cold attitude, Lancelot lowered his head in dejection.

If he could, he would have gladly been punished by the king's own hand.

But knowing the king's nature, she would surely blame herself for everything and bear it silently.

At this moment, Lancelot's guilt deepened, the crushing weight of remorse pressing down on him until he could barely breathe.

Seeing the two staring at each other in silence, Kariya Matou let out a soft sigh.

The King Arthur and the Lancelot who betrayed her—their relationship was all too predictable.

"No time to waste. Let's hurry outside the city to help."

"Let's go, Saber."

Artoria immediately turned to Kiritsugu Emiya, asking suspiciously:

"What are you planning this time?"

"Help Emperor Nero defeat the King of Conquerors."

"That's all?"

"Yes, that's enough."

As for what came after—using a Command Seal to make Saber kill herself, or finding another way to let Emperor Nero win—that would depend on Nero's opinion.

The Holy Grail had already been corrupted and was unusable, so the Servants were naturally useless now.

Thus, getting Emperor Nero to heal his wife was Kiritsugu Emiya's greatest goal at the moment.

"Your Majesty, the enemy is charging. Please fall back."

"No! I stand right here. I will not retreat a single step. Rome is behind me, and I shall stand with Rome."

"Then, Your Majesty, please forgive your subject's impertinence."

The next moment, several Servants dressed as generals stepped forward, blocking Nero's path.

"Enough! You brainless fools are blocking my view."

Nero frowned in displeasure and shoved one of the men aside.

Her height was the eternal pain in her heart, especially at times like this.

Here she was, the strongest in the army, yet treated like a child—it had to be because of her height.

The King of Conquerors, Iskandar, charged in on horseback, his sword aimed straight at Nero as he declared loudly:

"Emperor of the Roman Empire, Nero! I, the King of Conquerors, Iskandar, have come! Do you dare face me in battle?"

"Your challenge, I accept."

Nero had just smiled and agreed when a crowd rushed forward from behind her, blocking her path and desperately stopping her.

"Your Majesty, you cannot! This is the enemy's trap."

"Your Majesty, what emperor goes to fight on the front lines? As long as we still draw breath, we will never let a single hair on Your Majesty's head be harmed."

"Exactly! Your Majesty is the supreme commander. As long as we have a shred of life left, we will never let you take the field."

Seeing these subordinates before her, Nero was momentarily furious.

"Silence! You are merely projections I summoned—illusions. I am the strongest in this army right now."

"Even so, until we are all dead, Your Majesty must not take the field."

"Move aside, all of you! That is an order!"

"Never! If Your Majesty insists on going, then please step over our corpses."

Damn it! These people.

Like this in life, and still like this in death.

I want to charge at the front like that King of Conquerors over there, to lead the assault and slay the enemy.

Here I am, the strongest in the entire army, yet I'm treated like a child, protected behind everyone else.

"You idiots, listen to me! You must win!!"

In that instant, the Roman army's morale soared, and cries of "Rome! Rome!" once again rang through the heavens.

This scene only heightened Iskandar's already fervent excitement.

"Hahaha... Emperor Nero, a ruler like you was still called a tyrant? Those historians all deserve to be hanged."

"My peerless army! The enemy we face today is the strongest we have ever encountered."

"They not only boast a battle-hardened army and a prosperous, thriving city, but also an enlightened and beautiful monarch."

"But even so, I never doubted my ultimate victory."

"Charge forth, everyone!"

The Macedonian army shouted in unison:

"Victory! Victory!"

Chapter 22: Flower of Rome

By the time Kariya Matou and the others arrived outside the city, the King of Conquerors' Macedonian army was nearly spent.

Around him, only a handful of commanders still fought valiantly.

As for the opposing Roman army, though they too had lost many men, they maintained a solid formation, guarding steadfastly before Nero.

"Magic power's exhausted, armor's in tatters, hahaha... Looks like this expedition ends here."

Iskandar raised his sword with a laugh, striding step by step toward Nero:

"Emperor Nero, come take my head—that's your privilege as the victor!"

"Very well, I shall send you off with my own hands."

The moment Nero spoke, the many commanders before her dropped to one knee.

"Impossible! We're at the end—Your Majesty must not risk yourself."

"Your Majesty, please stop!"

"If Your Majesty insists on going, then step over our corpses. To be trampled by Your Majesty is our highest honor!"

"A bunch of fools!" Nero huffed, glaring at them, and could only abandon her plan to kill the King of Conquerors herself.

Unlike a commander like the King of Conquerors, Nero as a general always directed from the rear, never venturing to the front lines to fight hand-to-hand.

Thus, she had anticipated this situation.

"Apologies, King of Conquerors. With these fools blocking the way, I likely won't be taking your head."

"No need to apologize. You have loyal subjects. This time, I lose without regret."

Iskandar let out a few hearty laughs, brandishing his short sword as he charged straight at Nero.

The next moment, countless arrows and javelins rained down.

Though he blocked some, more slipped through, piercing his body. He dissolved into motes of light and vanished.

In the blink of an eye, Nero, Kariya Matou, and the others were back outside the arena.

The surviving Roman soldiers faded away as well.

Nero glanced around, her gaze settling on Kariya Matou. She nodded slightly and said with a smile:

"It seems your mission went smoothly."

"Then, I hereby declare this Nero Festival a complete success!"

"Though parting is bittersweet, today's experience will surely become a precious memory for every participant."

"Finally, I shall offer a gift to every participant fortunate enough to witness this, wishing you all eternal health and happiness."

With that, Nero rested her sword on the ground and smiled gently.

"Behold my talent, hear the thunderous applause; bear the glory of the ruler, bloom like a flower. Burst forth! Chariot of Argalia! "

The surroundings transformed into a resplendent golden palace, red flower petals raining from the sky, and Nero herself radiated a holy light.

Standing atop the dais, Nero began to sing once more.

This time, her voice was utterly enchanting.

In the eyes of every listener, boundless starry rivers seemed to appear.

Light scattered across the earth, flower petals fell without end, and the moving melody echoed in their ears.

"...Then, until we meet again, everyone!"

As the projection faded from the sky, the city buzzed with chatter.

"Impossible, right? The gap between Emperor Nero's two songs is way too big."

"So beautiful—it's heavenly! Wuwu... I never thought Emperor Nero's claim of being an artist rivaling Apollo was true."

"Sorry, Emperor Nero, I take back what I said before. I never knew you could sing so well. That awful first song must have been a broadcast accident."

"Exactly! Definitely an accident. Emperor Nero is the undisputed Flower of Rome. Hearing her sing—this life is worth it."

"Wuwu... I'm so moved! I wish I lived in the Roman era, so I could hear Emperor Nero sing often."

"Crap! I thought it'd be as bad as the first song, so I didn't record it. Did you?"

"Yeah, I got both."

"Copy me a copy—no, sell me one! I'll pay top dollar..."

Back in the arena, Nero turned to see the stunned expressions on Kariya Matou and the others, and asked with a smile:

"What do you think? Lost in awe of my stunning talent, unable to contain yourself?"

"Your Majesty Nero, was that first song of yours deliberately sung that way?" Kariya Matou couldn't help asking.

"What do you mean? Weren't both songs equally beautiful?"

As the words left her mouth, Nero suddenly seemed to recall something and laughed:

"Ah, now that you mention it, I suppose the difference lies in how much heart I put into each."

"The first song was sung for myself—carefree, whatever tune came to mind, I sang it. The second song, however, was a blessing piece personally written by the Emperor's Husband, with a fixed melody that couldn't be altered a single note."

"Even one wrong note would have made the blessing's effect vastly different."

Kariya Matou and the others stared at her speechlessly, all thinking the same thing:

Case closed!

No wonder the first song was so awful—it was sung on a whim, whatever tune popped into her head. What a free-spirited person.

If every song she sang was as beautiful as the second, it was no wonder she was called the Flower of Rome, and no wonder no one objected when she claimed to be an artist rivaling Apollo.

Kiritsugu Emiya was the first to snap back to reality. He bowed his head and asked:

"Your Majesty Nero, when might you go to save my wife? Three Servants have already fallen, and I fear for her condition..."

"Rest assured. You kept your promise and eliminated Archer, even if your methods were a bit underhanded. But I'm not one to fuss over such trifles. So, I'll treat your wife right away."

Nero nodded with a smile, and golden light flickered in her eyes.

After scanning the surroundings, her gaze settled on the southwest.

"Taiga Fujimura is carrying your wife around looking for a doctor. Go bring her here."

"Understood."

Kiritsugu Emiya's face showed concern, but considering the matters here weren't fully resolved, he didn't move immediately. His gaze unconsciously drifted toward Artoria.