Chapter 25

Therefore, what needed to be done next was clear. No matter what, so much had already been done. While the initial objective had not yet been fully achieved, it was sufficient.

"Dragon of Albion, with my final magic, unleash yourself completely."

A faint light flickered from a distant, unknown mountain peak.

It must be some kind of flame, Novia thought.

Then, a calm voice echoed.

"Finally, it's out."

After the voice of the Dragon of Albion sounded in his mind, the silver-haired youth finally realized where he was.

This was a place that was nowhere, a world that was nowhere.

The youth blinked, gazing at the strongest dragon with eyes of unfathomable depth.

"I don't know why, but the Texture covering the planet's surface has been peeled back."

"Hmph, you're lucky. That's why the strongest me has come out to help you weakling."

A planet changes its physical laws according to the life forms active on its surface. In the past, when mystery and magic overflowed, the era came to an end as humanity became the dominant force, gradually declining.

After the Age of Gods ended, the planet became independent from nature. The "human world," which covered the planet's surface as its appearance and skin, and the "Fairy Land" that existed on the other side of the world, separated by a thin layer, were both "Textures."

The cognition of the intelligent life form that held dominion over this planet, in other words, the physical laws, and the Texture established by these physical laws, constituted the human world. However, the Texture that enveloped the planet was like a thin skin that could be peeled off with a gentle tug, or a tablecloth that could be blown away by a gust of wind.

To maintain the Texture and prevent it from peeling off, several "Anchor of Storms" were used to fix and anchor the Texture to the planet.

And just now, the Texture had been peeled back by someone. The Dragon of Albion, quickly realizing this, had come at the cost of its soul being damaged. It could not bear that the strongest of itself could not eliminate the weak and disgusting things time and time again, nor did it wish for this human to die like this. After all, no matter how weak he was, he was still the contracted partner acknowledged by the strongest of itself. If he were to die, it should be at its own hands.

However, it naturally couldn't say such things.

"...Thank you, Dragon of Albion."

At the same time, a power surged from within his chest. It was an abnormal heat that gave the illusion of one's internal organs burning fiercely.

"Enough with the chit-chat, let's settle this quickly. The Texture is going to be re-pinned soon, and I need to get back before then, while this arrogant fellow is still so flustered and scared," the soul of the strongest dragon declared. "Just destroy his existence and his world, all at once."

In an instant, terrifying magic erupted from Novia's entire body. His lightly swaying silver hair, illuminated by the magical currents scattering across the land, suddenly seemed to glow like a golden torch, and a trace of crimson appeared in his eyes.

"My name is Albion, the planet's strongest dragon. Announce the time!"

Opening its 'Spear' to an extreme degree and feeling the overflowing magic throughout its body, Novia wove words. The blue and red particles gathering around him, signifying the highest magic levels, could only be described as dense.

"I am the Messiah! I am the King of Israel! I am the monarch who will establish the Heavenly Kingdom on Earth! I cannot possibly lose, you lowly creature, demon! As the Messiah, I must—"

This was a roar that shook Jerusalem. A black shadow, the same hue as Doro's body, surged up simultaneously, writhing like a living thing, echoing with a voice that seemed to curse all who heard it.

"The two of us will kill you now."

The roaring sound of thunder and fire, created by the strongest dragon at the cost of its damaged soul, sped forward, and the surging magic was unleashed all at once.

This blow, comparable to the full power of a great god from the Age of Gods, engulfed the "King of Antichrist," tearing apart all things and causing collapse. The intensity and resistance of mystery were meaningless before this attack; the torn space was already a physical phenomenon.

It was like the end of an aging, giant star, consuming not only the surrounding air but also a portion of the earth. The void continued to expand, and as if waking from a dream, everything soon returned to its original state.

All the Jews who had provided their life force to Doro Bar Kochba, along with all areas of the holy city of Jerusalem except for the First Temple, instantly turned to dust. The holy city vanished into smoke.

There was no way to resist; no one could describe this moment.

It all happened in an instant.

Then, the Spear of Albion drew an arc of light, slicing it in two—

The miracle that descended here completely crushed the King of Antichrist who proclaimed himself the Messiah.

All that remained were a few scattered points of Aether and the Texture, which had been peeled back by someone for three minutes, was once again fixed and anchored to the planet.

044: Prisoner of Rome

The destruction of Jerusalem marked the complete victory of the Roman army in suppressing the entire Judea Province.

According to the Roman Mages who accompanied the army, during the entire operation, coupled with the actions of the Jewish rebels themselves, almost all the Jews in Judea Province were killed, their gathering places razed to the ground. Eighty thousand Jews starved to death or died of illness in Jerusalem.

It could be said that every inch of land in the present-day Judea Province flowed with countless drops of blood. However, from now on, it would no longer be called Judea Province.

Upon learning of Novia's great victory, the Roman Empire decided to declare the existence of Jewish civilization prohibited and rename Judea Province to Syria Palaestina Province. In other provinces, all those who still believed in regions like Alexandria, Galilee, Caesarea, and Golan would be executed. Jewish scrolls and various scriptures were to be burned and not kept.

The still-undestroyed Jewish Temple was to be destroyed and then rebuilt as a Christian temple. Christianity, which had been delayed in its spread under the control of the Senate, now began to spread uncontrollably.

The reason why the orders issued or not issued by the Roman Empire were carried out so thoroughly was related to the three-minute darkness that enveloped the land on the day Novia led the Roman army to battle the Jews of Jerusalem. Furthermore, many Mages felt a significant increase in the surrounding mystery during those three minutes, as if the Age of Gods had returned after a long absence.

People began to spread throughout the empire—

"That King of Antichrist is dim in comparison to the Lord's messenger and will surely be destroyed."

Once again, the miracles of Christianity were enacted upon the earth. Faced with profit and life, most people in the Roman Empire knew where their priorities lay.

Novia, who had successfully destroyed Jerusalem, was now heading towards the summit of Golgotha, outside Jerusalem, the mountain where Jesus was crucified.

The Roman army had been tasked by him to burn the corpses to prevent the spread of plague. However, it was likely due to the order given by Novia to the Twenty-Seventh Progenitor Kouhaku that not a single Dead Apostle was allowed to enter the blood-soaked Judea Province, so there were no swarms of Dead Apostles.

This was his first time here, but it was only right and proper that he should come. Not only was Novia ostensibly the undisputed leader of Christianity at present, but also because of the total solar eclipse that had occurred previously.

Novia pondered that no matter how much he rewrote history, he would never be able to influence the changes in natural phenomena. Moreover, he had learned from the Dragon of Albion that the Texture covering the planet's surface had been peeled back for three minutes before being closed again...

He believed that in the world of Type-Moon, only the Dove or the Dove Prince had such abilities, and that it was because of him.

A moment later, Novia, who had reached the mountaintop, personally saw that the cross on which Jesus was nailed still stood there, its surface mottled with rust, as if it had never changed.

The silver-haired youth wanted to say something but didn't know what to say for a while. In the end, he placed the staff Martha had given him on the cross and said:

"Sister Martha said this was from you. Although it's been given to me now, I still think it's better to return it to its owner. However, it also helped me a great deal, thank you.

When I go back, I'll rebuild Jerusalem, which I destroyed. I'll also build a better church here, so it doesn't have to keep enduring the wind and rain. And it will make Paul, John, and Martha happier when they come to see you..."

Afterward, feeling there was no need to continue, Novia intended to turn and leave. But as if remembering something, he stared at the sky above the cross for a long time and continued, speaking:

"Oh, right. Your father, Yahweh, Jehovah, Lord, whatever you call Him. I remember He made a covenant with Abraham, right? And now, the Jews and Judaism have been completely wiped out by me. Only your sect, the Savior Jesus, remains.

In short, what I mean is, if you can hear me, I hope you'll relay a message for me. If He feels unhappy about this and wants to make a move, just come for me alone. Because this only concerns me; everyone else was just used by me. That's all...

Well then, goodbye, Jesus, my savior whom I've never met."

After leaving the summit of Golgotha, Novia headed to the First Temple, which had survived the destruction of Jerusalem. This was a place he had deliberately spared, as it contained the remains of the Sorcerer King Solomon, and there was no need to destroy it along with everything else.

The moment he entered the temple, Novia saw a treasure trove of radiant, shining mountains. He assumed these were the treasures Doro had plundered extensively throughout Judea Province during this period. Although Novia had simply set fire to these things when quelling the rebellion in Judea Province, it was also to avoid traps.

Now that everything was settled, these could naturally be used. Besides handing over a portion to the Roman treasury, they could be used to build infrastructure, such as roads. With the magical materials, some mages could be enlisted to help people in regions with poor harvests with their planting. As for normal gold and silver treasures, they could be exchanged with the wealthy for grain... In short, this was generally Novia's decision for now.

Bypassing the treasure vault, Novia finally saw the Sorcerer King Solomon 'seated' on the throne. At first glance, he looked no different from a living person, except for his face. However, the rest of his body was already covered in dark green corpse spots, and it looked as if his body would crumble at a touch.

Logically, using a person's remains as a source of magic, with this method, even if the very marrow of his brain was contaminated by that twisted magic and he went mad, it wouldn't be surprising. But Doro continuously manipulated the black magic, which was truly insane, naturally causing Novia confusion.

However, after he completely eliminated Doro, a mass of unknown twisted magic fell from him, and he suddenly understood.

Could this thing, being born within the remains, be Goetia?

At this moment, Novia was holding this mass of magic. Although he couldn't think of a solution for now, perhaps he could find some mages to trade with and get unexpected gains. This was Goetia, the Beast of Humanity that would later cause the Human Order Incineration.

However, Novia dismissed this thought. The Human Order Incineration was merely the beast's extreme method of preventing the planet's bleaching and the extremely terrible, worse-than-planetary-destruction outcome caused by the Chaldea director's extreme human order preservation.

But in the second part of the story, if it was solely to oppose the director's plan, Goetia could have joined Chaldea openly, explained everything he knew, and together thwarted the director's conspiracy.

If the sole purpose was to prevent bleaching or end the suffering of all humanity, then why did Goetia initially emphasize "creating a planet without the concept of death"?

As a transmigrator, Novia could only guess that if FGO, before his transmigration, were to have a third part, then the true purpose of Goetia's Human Order Incineration was likely to prevent the mastermind behind this future event. However, by chance, he ended up preventing Chaldea's director, the currently known mastermind...

Therefore—

Novia placed the unknown mass of twisted magic in his hand back into Solomon's remains and reburied them properly, ensuring they would not be discovered again.

"Remember, you owe me a life."

045: Roman Triumphal Procession

A fierce wind blew through the streets of Rome, the forests in the suburbs, and the nearby ports. Although the wind was strong, the waiting Romans made no sound. To them, the howling wind sounded like heavenly music, and the sun's grace blessed the earth.

This was because today, a Triumph was to be held.

A Triumph was a ceremony held when a general with the highest command authority returned to Rome with their victorious army. Receiving the honor of a Triumph was the highest military award in Rome, and along with it came the title of "Triumphant." Legend has it that Rome's first Triumphant was Romulus.

This ceremony was a momentous event in the military and political life of the Romans, a grand festival that brought joy to the entire nation. All senators and government officials would go out of the city to welcome them, and thousands of citizens would line the streets to cheer. The city would be deserted, making for a spectacular sight. The celebration would last for one or several days.

Theoretically, the victory in a civil war would not earn a Triumph, and the identity of the enemy was also a condition. Suppressing a rebellion would also not earn a Triumph; it had to be against foreign peoples. However, due to the extensive slaughter of the Jews in the Syria Palaestina Province and the miracles, the Emperor and the Senate had banned the existence of Jewish civilization, thus they could be considered foreign peoples outside the Roman Empire.

Time came to noon, the most glaring hour of the sun.

On the Campus Martius outside Rome's Servian Wall, Novia stood in a gorgeously decorated chariot pulled by four white horses. He wore a gleaming golden purple triumphant robe, holding an ivory scepter adorned with a golden eagle in one hand and a laurel branch in the other—

This was the symbol of Roman victory.

Moreover, a bell and a whip should have been hung in front of the chariot. This was because the Romans cleared the way for criminals with the sound of bells, serving as a reminder to the Triumphant that fate was unpredictable; today they might be honored and wealthy, but tomorrow they might suffer the harshest punishment. However, this was removed after deliberation by Emperor Claudius and the Senate.

According to traditional custom, the Triumphant's face was also to be painted with bright red rouge, and Novia was no exception.

"Teacher, please don't fidget."

"Is it really necessary to paint your ears too?"

Novia lowered his head, meeting the gaze of the golden-haired girl who was standing on tiptoes.

Nero blinked her emerald green eyes, showing an expression of "This is absolutely necessary," and said, "Since I'll be standing beside you later, holding the golden laurel wreath above your head, hmm, as an artist, I think it would look better if we stood together with me on your left and you on your right for symmetry. And I worked hard to get this position, so I must create an unparalleled effect."

According to tradition, the person holding the golden laurel wreath above the Triumphant's head during a Triumph was a slave.

Even so, the Roman soldiers who had participated in the war, uncharacteristically, all voluntarily stood beside Novia during the Triumph. Perhaps it was their heartfelt reverence for Novia, who had brought victory and was protected by a god.

Therefore, standing beside the Triumphant held great significance, and this tradition would likely change from now on because of this.

Among the many candidates, Nero, who had swept through the southern regions of the Syria Palaestina Province and was undoubtedly the next emperor, and considering that Novia was her teacher, with all these identities combined, Nero naturally secured this position among the many soldiers without surprise.

"Alright then, you'll have to scold me lightly later."

Novia replied with a smile.

This was because the person beside the Triumphant, holding the golden laurel wreath, not only symbolized the peak of the Triumphant's glory but also had to whisper constantly in the Triumphant's ear to remind them that they were merely mortal.

"I don't want to do that," Nero gently shook her head, then lowered her gaze as if enduring something. "No one can scold you, Teacher. You are amazing, I'll say it again, you are truly amazing!"

"In that case, say whatever you want then."

After that, the two continued their meaningless conversation until the start of the Triumph.

Novia's chariot advanced, surrounded by a retinue of attendants. Ahead of him marched the solemn guards carrying the symbol of "supreme authority," which consisted of a battle axe inserted into a bundle of laurel branches—a symbol of Rome and strength.

Behind him were the Roman soldiers selected for this occasion based on military merits. These soldiers were also adorned in celebratory decorations and rode tall horses.

Beyond them was the procession carrying war spoils. According to the Mage accompanying the army, the treasures from the First Temple alone required a week to transport. This meant the triumphal procession would last for a week, not including propaganda like paintings depicting scenes of battle to showcase military achievements.

The most significant difference from traditional triumphal processions was the absence of conquered enemy captives. Roman commanders of the past believed that without high-ranking enemy generals or heads of state among the captives, the ceremony lacked splendor and failed to please the Roman populace.

To avoid being displayed for the Roman people's enjoyment by their commanders, the captured individuals often chose suicide to escape such humiliation.

In 30 BCE, Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt who had fallen into Octavian's hands, preferred to be bitten to death by a poisonous snake rather than be taken to Rome by Octavian.

However, now, for well-known reasons, no Jewish captives could be found, and thus the custom was naturally canceled.

As Novia reached the city gates, he encountered the senators and other officials waiting there. These individuals would accompany him in the triumphal procession.

From this moment on, he officially entered the final stage of the triumphal procession. Novia would proceed from the Triumphal Arch along the Triumphal Way to the Flaminius Circus, then along the Via Sacra to the Campus Martius and ascend the Capitoline Hill to the final destination – the Temple of Jupiter.

However, this final location was vetoed. After discussion, the Emperor and the Senate changed it to the Pantheon, with only the symbol of Christianity, the cross, which was widely spread throughout the Roman Empire, remaining inside.

On the way, Novia's procession was cheered by the crowds scattering flower petals along the route. However, his army was not like in previous triumphal processions; not a single person whispered to another or gestured casually, praising, mocking, or condemning their commander as they pleased, including Novia.

This was because the Romans believed that a commander, by being allowed to hold a triumphal procession, had reached the pinnacle of honor and prestige, envied not only by mortals but also by the Roman Gods. To prevent the triumphant individual from experiencing a reversal of fortune and turning joy into sorrow, they intentionally had the soldiers mock and insult the triumphant figure to appease the gods' jealousy.

For instance, when Caesar held his triumphal procession after conquering Gaul, the soldiers took the opportunity to mock his lechery, shouting to the Roman citizens lining the procession route:

"Keep an eye on your wives, citizens, for we bring you a bald, old lecher..."

But now, everyone in the army followed along with the crowd's cheers, filled with fear and reverence, without any trace of mockery or insult.

"This is truly a symbol of prosperity and passion. Teacher, you truly shine with brilliance and compassion in everyone's eyes."

Nero whispered softly into Novia's ear.

"The resplendent Rome is blessing this day."