Type-Moon, Does a Little Cheat Count as a Cheat?

"Teacher, why would you say that? You taught me for so long, and now you're being too formal. But whatever you tell me to do, I'll do it. I'm willing to do anything."

"No matter what, I still hope you'll prioritize your own safety above all else."

"Teacher, I am your student, your disciple. But right now, I am a soldier on the battlefield. So please don't say things like that to me. To give an order to a soldier, one sentence is enough. Please say it. Kill them all. That's all."

A faint, barely perceptible madness clouded her emerald eyes as the two stared at each other over the blood-soaked earth.

The blonde girl thought, How wonderful it would be if, at the final moment when those azure eyes closed forever, I were the only thing reflected in them.

Nero had never cared much about the things around Novia, but ever since he had taken that strangely shaped "spear," she had desperately wanted to destroy it completely. Perhaps it was simply some inexplicable warning in her heart.

"Kill them all."

Jerusalem Offensive and Defensive Battle (Please Refresh)

The holy city of Jerusalem was captured by King David from the Jebusites around 1000 BC. He expanded the city southward, made it his capital, and gave it this name.

After King David's death came the rule of Solomon, the Sorcerer King. Three hundred years after the Sorcerer King's death, the event known as the "Babylonian Captivity" erupted. The Neo-Babylonian Empire breached Jerusalem, occupied and destroyed the city, and tore down its walls. The only thing they could not destroy was the First Temple built by Solomon. Thus, they could only carry off the vast amounts of gold and silver vessels within the temple to Babylon, gouge out the eyes of those who resisted, bind them in bronze chains, and take them to Babylon.

After many years, more than six centuries later, an event that would once again surpass the "Babylonian Captivity" was about to unfold outside Jerusalem.

After the Roman army led by Novia swept through the Jewish settlements, forts, and caves around the outskirts, the three converging Roman forces began a prolonged siege. Three months had already passed, yet this nightmare-like ordeal still showed no sign of ending.

Though the sun had risen, both outside and inside Jerusalem were submerged in bloodiness. The only difference between day and night was darkness and crimson-blackness. The extremists among the Zealots had set fire to their own food supplies to lure the Roman army into attacking the city. As a result, vast numbers of soldiers and civilians starved to death within. Corpses lay everywhere, and flies swarmed in clouds.

Extreme ideas gave rise to extreme actions. Everyone in Jerusalem had entered a state of war. They would rather die than be expelled from their land, believing Jesus to be the Messiah.

"Teacher, the third mage unit is infiltrating Jerusalem's barrier under my command and supervision. All units, begin synchronizing your Magic Circuit second hands. Shall we proceed according to the scheduled time?"

Nero gave Novia a salute and requested his instructions.

Within the Roman Empire, there were naturally legions composed entirely of magi. They could be called groups that had completely abandoned themselves, all Roman magi directly under the Empire's command.

"There's no need to keep doing this." Novia shook his head. "The holy city perfected by Solomon, the Sorcerer King, will not be easy to breach. Doro has likely already lost all reverence for conscience and taboo, relentlessly draining the blood of those within the city."

Over the past few months, Novia had naturally made his own guesses about why Jerusalem's magical energy supply had been so abundant. Most likely, human lives were being used as a source of magical energy. Otherwise, there was no way to explain how Jerusalem's defenses could have been rapidly restored after he had breached them once with the "spear."

Of course, the Dragon of Albion's explanation to Novia at the time had been, "It's because you're too weak, so the strongest me can't use her full strength. If it had been when I was still alive, I would have flipped it open with one slap."

After spending this time together, Novia had figured out that the Dragon of Albion's consciousness seemed capable of nothing besides freely controlling the "spear." It still required him to provide magical energy, though its power was decent enough to be acceptable.

"Then should we continue the siege?"

"There's no need to delay any longer. It seems we have no choice but to destroy this land along with the city. Nero, have all the magi support me."

Since it could not be breached by conventional means, he would destroy the ground beneath it as well. That was Novia's plan. He would gather the magical energy of the tens of thousands of magi in the Roman army into himself and use the "spear" to utterly annihilate Jerusalem.

"Yes, I'll convey the order immediately."

"Oh, right. Judging by the time, your headaches should be due for another relapse. Drink this. It should ease them for twice as long as last time."

Holding the white water Novia handed her, the blonde girl drank it without hesitation.

Is this why I've had headaches ever since I was little, Teacher?

The words rose to her throat but never passed her lips. Perhaps because it was too quiet here, the silence became painfully apparent.

"For all these years, I've relied on this water of yours to ease my headaches..." The girl's voice withered midway through. "Come to think of it, although you absolutely won't lose, Teacher, if you were injured in battle, I would be terribly distressed."

It really was not good to treat something other than oneself as emotional support.

A few years ago, when Agrippina had said that Nero should receive baptism from him, Novia had told Agrippina—

"Her chronic ailment should end, and it should be placed in my hands."

What he meant was, first, that Agrippina could no longer secretly poison Nero, and second, that she had to hand over the poison formula to him.

Novia remembered that, in the original course of events, Nero had been poisoned by her mother Agrippina since childhood. Therefore, even the antidote made by Locusta, the mushroom woman renowned for poisons, had been useless...

The silver-haired boy had intended to find Locusta, the mushroom woman located in the province of Gaul. Unfortunately, he had never managed to find her, so he developed something himself based on the poison formula. Sadly, his abilities were limited, and he could only produce something that relieved the symptoms for a while.

Novia did not deny that, at first, he had indeed considered using poison to directly control Nero. It was the most convenient and perfect method, requiring no precautions at all.

But after thinking for two whole days and nights, he decided there was no need for that. He should find a way to solve her "headaches" as much as possible before they became incurable. After all, he was her teacher.

Naturally, he had not told Nero this, because Novia felt that if she learned her mother had been harming her with poison ever since she was little...

As a child, she would surely be heartbroken.

After a while, the Jews of Jerusalem were astonished to discover that the Romans, who had originally surrounded the holy city so tightly that not even water could pass through, had all withdrawn.

We won?

Before cheers of victory could rise from corpse-strewn Jerusalem, something sudden happened—

Just like the magical armament that had destroyed the Jews along the coastline in one strike, a pillar of light that seemed capable of burning the sky and earth descended upon the holy city.

"W-What the hell is thiiis!?"

"N-No idea—"

In that instant, seeing a scene before them that seemed capable of shattering the stars, the Jews gathered atop the city walls descended into chaos and panic.

"So what! With the Messiah here, we cannot possibly lose!"

Time advanced, heralding destruction. The raging, annihilating pillar of light flowed toward the side of the holy city like a sheet of cloth dancing in the air, carried by the wind.

And at that moment, at Jerusalem's gate, the gate that had remained impossible to cross for months shattered with a thunderous crash from a light strike of Novia's raised wrist.

"What are you?"

He murmured softly.

Doro, whose entire body radiated ominous black magical energy, responded with a mocking nod. Colder than freezing point, unmoved, and utterly emotionless.

"I am the Messiah. The divine word. All people shall submit to me, and I shall establish a kingdom upon the earth. Therefore, I will kill every last one of you."

"New Testament: Book of Revelation"

"Come to the side of the true Messiah, Novia, you whose sins are deeper than Jesus's."

"You deliberately allowed them to burn their food supplies, causing the Jews inside to starve to death, and then used them to provide magical energy for you."

Novia frowned as he looked at Doro Bar Kochba, the "Antichrist" whose entire body radiated ominous black magical energy.

During this time, the black "magical energy" radiating from Doro had fallen to the ground like snow. Any exposed flesh that touched it would be burned black. Looking at it caused blindness, while accidentally consuming it melted one's internal organs. It was ominous magical energy equivalent to "death."

"It is their honor to make sacrifices for the great Messiah."

Then, outside the holy city at noon, black and blue light more dazzling than sunlight erupted.

The bloodstained desert ground ruptured from nothingness. Sharp metallic crashes followed, shockwaves swept through the surroundings, and the city walls shattered.

Their confrontation was both an individual clash and a contest of the support behind them. One side had the magical energy of every mage in the Roman legions; the other had the lives of everyone within Jerusalem. Even the highest-ranked Mystic Eyes likely could not correctly perceive the two men's successive exchanges at such extreme speed.

"Compared to the lowly people I have encountered thus far, your strength can finally barely be called a 'game.' It can hardly be called a battle, but at least I need no longer suffer from boredom. Rejoice."

Doro closed in before Novia's eyes and swung down his hand, blackened by magical energy, in a massive motion. It struck the "spear." Though Novia successfully blocked it, the bones in his shoulder cracked at that instant.

"Still, this so-called spear of yours looks more like two swords combined into one."

"Because this is its strongest form."

The boy's words and attack were released at once. The "spear," accelerated beyond its limit, moved as if it were launching hundreds of attacks simultaneously. A hundred strikes came crashing down, followed by a hundred metallic clashes. The attacks he unleashed all at once were blocked head-on by Doro's hands, condensed from magical energy.

The surging magical energy from their high-speed clashes created shockwaves around them almost simultaneously.

"How pathetic. Is this all the so-called strongest spear you speak of can do? In the end, you are nothing more than a lowly person. How much longer can you keep this up? The magi behind you must undoubtedly be gasping for breath in the city from their rapid magical energy consumption."

"That may not be the case."

His words were brief. Though he appeared to be fighting on without injury, he was unquestionably being worn down. Yet Novia remained calm, as though he had become a speck of insignificant dust, even suppressing the sounds of his breathing and heartbeat.

Damn it. That disgusting lowlife dares insult the strongest me... And you, weakling, say something back. I never permitted anyone besides me to insult you.

Please do not be so angry. It is because I failed to provide enough magical energy to display your strength.

As they conversed in their hearts, Novia and Doro crossed paths once again in a blow powerful enough to collapse Jerusalem's walls.

Hmph. Are you retreating? Though this guy's source of magical energy is vile, if this drags on, you'll be worn to death sooner or later.

Strong, invincible, yet unable to yield. It is still a little too early to give up now... Please unleash your full power once more, Dragon of Albion.

Several seconds passed in silence, as long as half a breath.

But you—

Say no more. I'm sure you have already decided, and I have nodded too. That is simply how this sort of thing is. This is enough.

...Those were supposed to be the words of the strongest me. I'll help you destroy that arrogant thing that obtained such grotesque power.

A brilliant flash erupted. It was not physical light, but an immense magical energy capable of searing spiritual senses, manifesting upon the "spear." The weapon's body was covered from the base upward. At a terrifying speed, red like fury spread across its blue-black exterior, covering the blue.

The magical energy was woven together, forming the shape of "the strongest."

The surging magical energy was unleashed all at once. It was an overwhelming torrent of destruction, like the breath spewed from the head of the Dragon of Albion.

When the world finally returned to his retina, Novia saw an unbelievable sight—

The "Antichrist" had not been slain. Rather, he had regenerated in an instant, like images engraved onto film playing backward.

"Hahahaha! What a pity, what a pity. That strike of yours truly would have been enough to defeat me when I was only using the lives of everyone in Jerusalem as my source of magical energy."

The silver-haired boy stood quietly, listening as the crazed man stared at him and spoke.

"But what a pity. I discovered even Solomon's corpse and used it as the power of this true Messiah!"

"You actually used the corpse of Solomon, the Sorcerer King?"

After speaking slowly, Novia took a deep breath and tasted blood in his mouth.

The Doro before him intended to use Solomon's corpse as a source of magical energy...

Then what about Goetia within the corpse?

Though he hated Solomon, he could not simply watch his corpse be desecrated like this. Could it be that nearly a thousand years had passed and Goetia had still not been born?

"The Sorcerer King? Even if he were alive, he would have to obey the orders of me, the Messiah."

Doro gave a crazed laugh, then approached Novia step by step.

"I admire you. I forgive your sins. I will kill every Roman except you. Come, follow me. You have no magical energy left. You have already failed."

"That argument isn't very good. It won't persuade me." Novia smiled faintly. "Because I still hope that everyone who avoids evil and promotes good can have lives and hearts that remain in happiness and peace. That is enough. Not just one kind of person."

"I see. Then it seems I must make you accept a punishment more painful than Jesus's."

The conversation ended there, one-sidedly.

And then—

Everyone across Europe witnessed that sight.

Thus, for the "New Testament: Book of Revelation," the sudden total solar eclipse was a historical fact preserved in records and passed down to later generations—

The world lost its color, and darkness covered the land. What the Holy Spirit said, whoever had ears should listen. So too did the King of Antichrist.

Three Minutes of Miracle

May 26, AD 52. Nineteen years and fifty-three days had passed since the day Jesus Christ was crucified.

What remained in the records of later generations was a sudden total solar eclipse. Every living thing across Europe fell into three long minutes of darkness.

In ancient times, total solar eclipses caused many civilizations to tremble in fear. Each had its own explanation: a celestial dog devouring the sun, a python swallowing the sun, or a sign of divine wrath.

"You... No, impossible... How could this be possible... What is happening to the magical energy in Solomon's corpse within the First Temple? I... I am the Messiah..."

Naturally, Doro feared the sudden total solar eclipse. Even his attempt to crush Novia's neck faltered. He staggered back several steps in panic and pointed angrily at Novia.

"You brought this darkness. You cause people to fall! That's right, it must be right. You are Azazel!"

Novia did not respond. He merely continued holding the "spear" in a ready stance. The blood that had just stained it had already been wiped away, but blood still flowed incessantly from the corner of his mouth, and his lungs burned like fire.

Yet he was indeed confused. Before he had transmigrated, there had never been any record of a total solar eclipse around AD 50. The last one seemed to have been on the day Jesus was crucified, but that was no longer important. What mattered now was how to defeat Doro.

The magical support from the Roman legions' magi, along with his own magical energy, had run dry. He was already at his limit, and the chances of victory were slim.

But this was indeed something new that had happened because of him. No matter what, he could not throw it to someone else to solve simply because he could not do it. He still had to bear the necessary responsibility. And Doro seemed to have been cut off from the magical energy source he had been drawing from the corpse of Solomon, the Sorcerer King.