Therefore, what had to be done next was already clear. They had come this far already; although the original goal had yet to be completed, it was enough.
"Dragon of Albion, release yourself completely with the last of my mana."
A faint light rose from an unknown mountaintop some distance away.
That must be some kind of flame, Novia thought.
Then, a calm voice rang out here.
"You finally came out."
Only after the Dragon of Albion's voice sounded within his heart did the silver-haired youth notice where he was.
This was a place that was nowhere, a world that was nowhere.
The youth blinked and stared at the Strongest Dragon's profoundly deep eyes.
"I don't know why, but the Texture covering the planet's surface has been lifted."
"Hmph. You got lucky. That's why the strongest me has come out to help a weakling like you."
The planet altered its physical laws according to the life active upon its surface. The age that had once overflowed with mystery and mana had come to an end as humanity became the dominant force, gradually declining.
After the end of the Age of Gods, the planet became independent from nature. The human world that covered the planet as its outward appearance and skin, along with the "Fae Realm" existing on the reverse side of the world beneath a thin layer of skin, were both Textures.
The cognition of the intelligent lifeform that held dominion over the planet—in other words, the physical laws—formed the Texture known as the human world. Yet the Texture wrapping the planet was like a thin skin that could peel away with a light tug, like a tablecloth that a gust of wind could blow away.
To keep the Texture from falling off, several "Storm Anchors" secured it and tethered it to the planet.
Just now, someone had lifted the Texture. Realizing this immediately, the Dragon of Albion came at the cost of damaging its soul. It could not tolerate the strongest version of itself failing again and again to destroy some weak, disgusting thing, and it also did not want this human to die like this. Weak as he was, he was still a contractor reluctantly acknowledged by the strongest it. If he was going to die, he ought to die by its hand.
Naturally, it would never say any of that aloud.
"...Thank you, Dragon of Albion."
At the same time, a power surged from within his chest—an abnormal heat that created the illusion that his organs were burning fiercely.
"Enough chatter. End this quickly. The Texture is about to be nailed back down. I need to return before then, while that arrogant bastard is still so flustered and afraid," the Strongest Dragon's soul said. "We just need to wipe out his existence and his world in one go."
In an instant, terrifying mana erupted from Novia's entire body. The youth's gently swaying silver hair, illuminated by the torrent of mana spilling across the earth, seemed to bloom with the radiance of golden torches, while a trace of blood-red appeared in his eyes.
"This name is Albion, the planet's Strongest Dragon. Let the hour be proclaimed!"
As he opened his "lance" far beyond its limit and felt the mana filling his entire body, Novia wove his words. The blue and red particles gathering around him created an unprecedented level of mana, describable only as dense.
"I am the Messiah! I am the King of Israel! I am the king who will establish Heaven on Earth! I cannot lose! You lowly thing, demon, as the Messiah, I will—"
This roar shook Jerusalem. Black shadows of the same hue as Doro's body rose all at once, writhing like living creatures and resounding with a voice that seemed to curse all who heard it.
"We're going to slaughter you right now."
The roaring thunderfire created by the Strongest Dragon at the cost of damaging its soul raced forth, and surging mana was unleashed all at once.
Comparable to the full-force strike of a great god from the Age of Gods, it swallowed the King of Antichrist, tore apart all things, and brought about collapse. The strength and resistance of mystery meant nothing before this blow; the torn space itself had become a physical phenomenon.
Like the end of an aging giant star, it devoured not only the surrounding air but part of the earth as well. The void continued to expand, and then, as if awakening from a dream, everything soon returned to its original state.
All the Jews who had provided Doro Bar Kochba with power through their lives, along with every part of the holy city Jerusalem except the First Temple, instantly turned to ash. The holy city vanished in smoke.
There had been no chance to resist. No one could describe that moment.
Everything had happened in an instant.
Then, Albion's lance drew an arc of light and cleaved it in two—
The miracle descending here utterly crushed the King of Antichrist who had called himself the Messiah.
All that remained were a few motes of aetheric light, while the Texture that someone had lifted for three minutes was secured once more, tethering the planet again.
Roman Prisoner
The destruction of Jerusalem declared the Roman army's complete victory in suppressing the entirety of Judea Province.
According to the Roman magi accompanying the army, throughout the entire campaign, counting the actions of the Jewish rebels themselves, nearly all Jews in Judea Province had been killed, their settlements razed to the ground. Eight hundred thousand Jews had starved to death or died of disease in Jerusalem.
It could be said that every inch of Judea Province now ran with immeasurable blood. However, from this day onward, it would no longer be called Judea Province.
Upon learning of Novia's overwhelming victory, the Roman Empire decided to announce the prohibition of Jewish civilization, rename Judea Province as Syria Palaestina Province, and execute all believers who remained steadfast within Jewish communities in other provinces, Alexandria, Galilee, Caesarea, Golan, and other regions. Scrolls of Judaism and all kinds of scriptures were to be burned, with none permitted to be hidden.
The Jewish Temple that had not yet been destroyed would first be destroyed, then rebuilt as a Christian temple. Christianity, whose spread had previously been slowed in provinces controlled by the Senate, now spread uncontrollably.
The reason both issued and unissued orders of the Roman Empire were carried out so thoroughly was related to the darkness that had covered the earth for three minutes on the day Novia led the Roman army into decisive battle against the Jews of Jerusalem. Moreover, many magi had felt the surrounding mystery rise immensely during those three minutes, as though the long-lost Age of Gods had reappeared.
People throughout the Empire spread the tale—
"The King of Antichrist dimmed before the Lord's messenger and was surely destroyed."
Once again, a miracle of Christianity had been displayed upon the earth. Faced with profit and survival, most people of the Roman Empire could still tell which mattered more.
Having successfully destroyed Jerusalem, Novia was now heading for the summit of Golgotha outside Jerusalem, the mountain where Jesus had suffered.
He had arranged for everyone from Rome to burn the corpses of the dead, lest a plague spread. However, perhaps because Kouhaku, the Twenty-Seventh Progenitor, had been ordered by Novia never to allow a single Dead Apostle into the blood-soaked Judea Province, no hordes of Dead Apostles appeared.
This was his first time coming here, but both sentiment and reason demanded it. Not only was Novia ostensibly Christianity's undisputed leader at present, but there was also the earlier total solar eclipse.
No matter how much Novia rewrote history, he did not believe he could influence changes in natural phenomena. Furthermore, he had learned from the Dragon of Albion that the Texture covering the planet's surface had been lifted for three minutes before closing again...
He believed that in the Type-Moon world, aside from the pigeon—or perhaps the pigeon prince—there was nothing else capable of doing this because of him.
After a while, Novia reached the mountaintop and saw with his own eyes that the cross upon which Jesus had been nailed still stood there, rust-covered and seemingly unchanged.
The silver-haired youth wanted to say something, but for a while, he did not know what to say. In the end, he placed the staff Martha had given him upon the cross and said:
"Sister Martha said this was something you gave her. Although she gave it to me now, I still think it would be better returned to its original owner. Still, it helped me a great deal, so thanks.
"After I go back, I'll rebuild the Jerusalem I destroyed. I'll also build a better church here, so you won't have to keep enduring the wind and rain, and Paul, John, Martha, and the others will be happier when they come to see you..."
Afterward, feeling there was no need to continue, Novia turned to leave. Yet, as if remembering something, he stared for a long while at the sky above the cross before continuing:
"Oh, right. Your father—Yahweh, Jehovah, Lord, whatever He is called—I remember He made a covenant with Abraham, didn't He? And now, I have thoroughly wiped out the Jews and Judaism. All that remains is the religion of you, Jesus the Savior.
"Anyway, what I mean is, if you can hear me, I hope you'll pass on a message for me. If He is displeased by this and wants to make a move, then coming after me alone will be enough, because all of this has to do with me alone. Everyone else was merely used by me. That's all...
"Well then, farewell, Jesus, Son of God whom I have never met."
After leaving the summit of Golgotha, Novia headed for the First Temple that had survived Jerusalem's destruction. He had deliberately avoided affecting this place, since the body of Solomon, the Sorcerer King, was inside. There was no need to destroy it along with everything else.
The instant he entered the temple, Novia saw a dazzling little mountain of treasure worthy of a treasury. These must have been the valuables Doro had plundered throughout Judea Province during this time. Although Novia had previously simply burned such things while suppressing Judea Province, that had been to avoid traps.
Now that everything was settled, these could naturally be put to use. Aside from handing part over to the Roman treasury, they could be used to build infrastructure such as roads, while the magical materials could be given to magi to help those in regions with poor harvests improve their farming. Ordinary gold and silver treasures could also be exchanged with wealthy people for grain... In short, that was Novia's general plan for now.
Going around the treasury, Novia finally saw Solomon, the Sorcerer King, "seated" upon the throne. At first glance, he was no different from a living person, but apart from his face, the rest of him was already covered in dark green livor mortis, and it looked as though his body would crumble at a touch.
Logically, using a human corpse as a source of mana through such a method meant that even if the brain itself had been contaminated by that twisted mana and gone mad, it would not have been strange. Yet Doro had continuously controlled that insane black mana, which naturally puzzled Novia.
However, after he had completely destroyed Doro, the unknown mass of twisted mana that fell from Doro's body made him suddenly understand.
Could this be the still-forming Goetia sealed within the corpse?
At this moment, Novia held that mass of gathered mana. Though he could not think of a solution for now, perhaps he might gain something unexpected if he found some magi to trade it to. This was Goetia, the Beast of Pity, the Evil of Humanity that would later bring about Human Order Incineration.
However, Novia ultimately rejected that idea. Human Order Incineration was merely this Beast's extreme method of preventing Earth's bleaching and the horrific ending—worse than the planet's destruction—caused by Chaldea's old director's extreme Human Order safeguard.
But in the second arc's story, if Goetia had merely wanted to oppose the old director's plan, there would have been no need for him to hide things. He could have joined Chaldea directly, explained everything he knew, and worked with them to thwart the old director's scheme...
If his only aim had been to prevent bleaching or end the suffering of all living beings, then why had Goetia initially emphasized "creating a planet without the concept of death"?
As a transmigrator, Novia could only guess that if FGO were to have a third arc after his transmigration, then Goetia's true purpose in carrying out Human Order Incineration had most likely been to prevent the mastermind who would appear afterward. Yet by a twist of fate, he had stopped Chaldea's old director, the currently known mastermind...
Therefore—
Novia placed the unknown mass of twisted mana back into Solomon's corpse, reburied the body properly, and ensured that no one would discover it again.
"Remember, you owe me one life."
Roman Triumphal Procession
A fierce wind swept through Rome's streets, its forests beyond the city, and the nearby harbor. Though the wind was strong, the Romans who had long been waiting once more did not make a sound. To them, the howling wind was like heavenly music, while the vast sky blessed the earth with the sun's grace.
For today, a Triumphal Ceremony was to be held.
A Triumphal Ceremony was the ritual held when a general vested with supreme command returned victorious from battle and entered Rome in procession. Being granted a Triumphal Ceremony was Rome's highest military reward, and its recipient gained the title of "triumphator." It was said that Rome's first triumphator had been Romulus.
This ritual was a momentous event in Roman military and political life, a grand festival that set the entire nation rejoicing. All senators and government officials would leave the city to greet the victor, while tens of thousands of citizens lined the roads in welcome. The celebration was a spectacular sight and lasted one day or several days.
Theoretically, victory in a civil war would not earn a triumph, and the enemy's identity was also one of the conditions. Successfully suppressing a rebellion would not earn a Triumphal Ceremony; the enemy had to be foreigners. Yet because of the slaughter of Jews in Syria Palaestina Province and the miracle, the Emperor and the Senate had prohibited the existence of Jewish civilization, so they could also be regarded as foreigners outside the Roman Empire.
The time came to noon, when the sun was at its most dazzling.
On Campus Martius outside Rome's Servian Wall, Novia stood atop an ornately decorated chariot drawn by four white horses. He wore a glittering purple triumphal robe, held an ivory scepter adorned with a golden eagle in one hand, and a laurel branch in the other—
These were symbols of Roman victory.
There should also have been a bell and a whip hanging from the front of the chariot, because Romans used bells to clear the way when escorting criminals. This was meant to remind the triumphator that fate was unpredictable: though he might enjoy glory and wealth today, he could suffer the harshest punishment in the future. However, after discussion between Emperor Claudius and the Senate, this part was removed.
By tradition, the triumphator's face also had to be painted bright red, and Novia was naturally no exception.
"Teacher, please don't move around."
"Was there really a need to paint my ears too?"
Novia lowered his head, meeting the gaze of the golden-haired girl standing on tiptoe.
Nero blinked her emerald-green eyes and wore an expression that said this was absolutely necessary.
"That is because I will stand beside you shortly, Teacher, and hold the Golden Laurel crown above your head. Umu, from the perspective of an artist like myself, if I stand with Teacher, then my left ear and Teacher's right ear being symmetrical will look better. Besides, I worked very hard to seize this position. I have to create an incomparable effect."
By tradition, the person holding the Golden Laurel above the triumphator's head during a Triumphal Ceremony had to be a slave.
However, the Roman soldiers who had participated in the war had unusually volunteered to stand beside Novia during the Triumphal Ceremony. Perhaps it was because they sincerely revered Novia, who had brought them victory and was protected by a god.
Thus, the significance of standing beside the triumphator was immense. This tradition would likely change because of this from now on.
"Fine. Then make sure you insult me a little more gently later."
Novia answered with a smile.
For the person beside him to hold the Golden Laurel represented the triumphator's glory reaching its pinnacle, but they also had to constantly whisper in the triumphator's ear to remind him that he was merely mortal.
"I don't want to do that." Nero gently shook her head, then lowered her gaze as though holding something back. "No one who can insult you, Teacher, exists. You are amazing, Teacher. I'll say it again—you really are amazing!"
"In that case, just say whatever you want."
After that, the two continued exchanging meaningless words until the Triumphal Ceremony began.
Novia's chariot advanced amid the attendants' escort. Ahead of him marched a solemn guard bearing the symbol of "supreme authority" upon their shoulders. The symbol consisted of an axe inserted among a bundle of laurel branches, representing Rome and power.
Behind him were the Roman soldiers selected for their military achievements in this campaign. They too were dressed in red and finery, riding tall horses.
Beyond them came the procession carrying the spoils of war. According to the magi accompanying the army, the treasures within the First Temple alone would take an entire week to transport. In other words, this Triumphal Ceremony would last a week, not even counting propaganda displays showing scenes of war and other items intended to flaunt their achievements.
The greatest difference from a traditional Triumphal Ceremony was that there was no procession of conquered captives. Roman commanders of old believed that if there were no enemy high-ranking generals or heads of state among the captives, they could not add splendor to the ceremony or please the Romans.
To avoid allowing Roman commanders to use them to feast the Romans' eyes, those captives often escaped such humiliation through suicide.
In 30 BC, Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, who had fallen into Octavian's hands, would rather die from a venomous snakebite than let Octavian take her to Rome.
Now, for obvious reasons, no captive Jews could be found at all, so that portion was naturally canceled.
When Novia reached the city gate, he encountered the senators and other officials waiting there. These men would accompany him in the Triumphal Ceremony.
From this moment onward, he formally entered the final stage of the Triumphal Ceremony. Novia would proceed from the Triumphal Gate along the Triumphal Road to Flaminius Circus, then follow the Via Sacra to the square, ascend Capitoline Hill, and reach the final destination—the Temple of Jupiter.
However, this final destination had been rejected. After discussion, the Emperor and Senate changed it to the Pantheon, and only the symbol of Christianity, now widespread throughout the Roman Empire—the cross—remained within the hall.
Although the crowds scattering flower petals along the route cheered for Novia's procession, the army following him was unlike those in previous Triumphal Ceremonies. Not a single person whispered to another, pointed fingers, or freely praised, mocked, or condemned their commander, Novia.
This was because Romans believed that when a commander was granted a Triumphal Ceremony, his honor and glory reached their peak. Not only would mortals admire him, but even the Roman Gods would grow jealous. To prevent the triumphator from suffering reversal at the height of prosperity and tragedy amid joy, soldiers were deliberately encouraged to mock and insult him as much as possible, hoping to soothe divine jealousy.
For example, when Caesar held a Triumphal Ceremony after conquering Gaul, his soldiers used the opportunity to mock his lustfulness, shouting at Roman citizens along the procession route:
"Guard your wives, citizens! We have brought back a bald old lecher..."
But now, everyone in the army merely followed the crowds in cheering with fear and reverence in their hearts. There was not the slightest sound of mockery or insult.
"This is a symbol of prosperity and passion, isn't it? In everyone's eyes, Teacher, you are truly full of radiance and compassion."
Nero continuously whispered softly into Novia's ear.
"Radiant Rome is blessing this day."
Before you continue