Your Madness, I Will Bear It, for I Too Am Rome

What is most important to Caligula?

It's Rome, it's my family.

Yes, even though this young ruler of the Roman Empire had descended into madness, he still loved Rome and his family.

However, he eventually went mad, so his way of expressing 'love' also appeared extremely distorted.

Let them embrace death.

May they attain eternal peace.

This is precisely why Caligula cannot tolerate the insult of his ancestors.

Those ancestors who founded Rome and created this free, passionate, and beautiful country.

So when Caligula heard the indescribable murmurs, he undoubtedly went mad. He roared, he howled to the sky...

'[Moon Cell] has detected a license request.'

The Royal Authority Seal has appeared.

'--pass.'

In that instant, the clear moonlight that had enveloped the Roman Court slowly spread across the sky, and in that same instant, an invisible, heavy pressure descended from above.

Mars ' massive crimson machine took a half step back.

Nero pursed her lips, her pretty face filled with nervousness.

Even Rovi felt the pressure. The power of the ' Moon Cell ' falling from the sky gave Rovi a feeling very similar to the heavy feeling he had when he was in Greece and faced Chaos's gaze.

In terms of specifications, the Moon Cell is still inferior to Chaos.

Chaos is a genuine stellar life form, exceeding the size of a star—its power covers a vast area and influences a region far beyond the reach of a single star system in the vast cosmos.

The Moon Cell detects information about the entire solar system, but it does not include the most blazing and intense star, so its scope is limited to the solar system.

And——

There is no doubt that he surpasses the stars, and it is even more undeniable that he far surpasses Rovi, who is far superior to this body.

Even though only a portion of the 'gaze' was visible, and even though the gaze did not possess all its power, the pressure from that moment still made Rovi feel the pressure.

"Hahaha, you're here, Caligula!"

"Roar... Rome!"

Someone roared and slowly walked out in the moonlight.

Mars spun the crimson machine around: "Here it comes—"

"Oh dear, I am the patron saint of Rome, I'm afraid I can't help you."

Rome was the kingdom founded by Mars.

Mars had sworn that he would never harm any Roman.

This is his righteousness as a guardian deity. As the god of war, He embodies 'justice,' so He will not, and cannot, join forces with Rovi.

"Hmm!" Nero stepped forward instead, the girl in the flowing red dress placing her hand on the hilt of the Roman-style katana hanging at her waist, a smile appearing on her pretty face, "Though I am weak, I will not stand idly by!"

"My passion is boundless!"

"Go somewhere cool and stay there!" Rovi Weiqi then tapped Nero on the head. "This is not a battlefield for you!"

"Ouch... it hurts!" The fiery red-haired girl instantly crouched down, covering her head in defense.

Rovi smiled and walked forward.

Regardless of whether he could or wanted to, he would never allow anyone to interfere with his battlefield.

Come and join your own battle.

He will only use his body to face danger, to seize death or profit from the danger.

Become stronger and stronger, die a swift and painless death.

It's just a choice between the two.

"Caligula, is that so?" Rovi looked at the figure that emerged from the shadows as it walked out of the palace.

He was a rather tall man with short, dark blue hair that curled up like messy, dry straw on his head, standing out sharply. Beneath it was a dark, rugged face. He wore golden armor and a black battle skirt, and his physique was robust. His eyes, however, were a mixture of black and red, giving him an air of madness.

Caligula, the young Roman consul, once praised as an outstanding figure by the citizens and the Senate, is now nothing but madness.

He saw Rovi, and roared, "Rome... my... Rome..."

"Rome is at your feet." Rovi shook his robe and smiled, "But this Rome is not yours."

"Cruel, tyrannical, your madness, your very existence will only bring pain to Rome, Caligula."

"Therefore, today, I represent all the people of Rome, here—"

"I'll kill you!"

"Roar!" Caligula's undisguised murderous intent and frenzied rage erupted. Rovi's words, his so-called words representing all the people of Rome, only fueled his anger.

Did Rome deny their emperor?

Did Rome deny itself?

Reason was scarce, but Caligula's deranged self was still aware of it.

"Kill you, kill you, kill you—"

Anger turned into murderous intent.

The killing intent transformed into a surging power.

The permission granted by the ' Moon Cell ' caused Caligula to surge with immense magical power, which was almost tangible and appeared as deep and unfathomable as an abyss.

"Divine Being level... no, in an instant, he crossed the boundary of the Divine Being level and reached the level of a chief god?"

Crimson Machine God's eyes flashed as if burning, and in an instant, it measured the magical power surging around Caligula.

And this isn't even the ultimate solution.

Caligula's power is expanding.

But Rovi took action. He didn't intend to completely reclaim the permission granted by the Moon Cell from Caligula. No longer simply seeking death, he wouldn't wait.

So he took a step forward, his robes billowing, and in an instant, the King's Treasure opened, and layers upon layers of Noble Phantasm poured out.

——Fruit.

In the Western world, compared to the ' Heavenly Emperor's Treasure Vault ' held by the Core of Chaos, the King's Treasure is more readily available and less aligned with the rules of the Great Source Foundation.

Sharp edges flashed and spiraled outwards, like thousands of shimmering swords raining down from the rippling golden waves, sweeping towards Caligula from all directions.

"Roar!" Caligula roared, and the violent roar brought with it a fierce storm. In just an instant, the magical power that had transformed into a tangible abyss dispersed the surrounding Noble Phantasm.

But Rovi moved forward at that moment.

He grasped one of the thousands of scattered Noble Phantasm, held the handle tightly, and stepped forward.

One step forward, one step forward.

A dazzling, cold light slashed towards Caligula's neck, but a loud thud was heard. Caligula raised his hands, using the armor on his arms—part of his armor—to block the incoming Noble Phantasm's edge.

When Rovi missed his attack, he flicked his robe, stomped his foot, and instantly launched himself high into the air.

A cold light, rising from below with the force of a dragon ascending, carrying the power to withstand a thousand mountains, swept directly toward Caligula's chin.

The sharp edge struck, stinging painfully. Caligula jerked his head back, but still couldn't avoid a spurt of blood from his chin.

He staggered back half a step, just managing to steady himself.

Rovi, who had lifted himself up from below, then suddenly fell back down.

The air exploded, and the overlapping shockwaves pierced the ears like the roar of a dragon.

This refers to the forehead.

In this one move, he swiftly beheaded the tyrannical king!

Mars frowned as he stared intently at Rovi, who was displaying extraordinary martial arts skills. Nero opened his mouth, somewhat surprised and worried.

She didn't want Rovi to get hurt, but she also didn't want Caligula to die...

He was, after all, her uncle.

They were relatives and elders who had been kind to her.

Even if it's crazy.

But this is an inseparable bond...

"Roar!" The roar exploded again, and violent magic gathered above his head, forming an abyss-like barrier. The falling blade struck it, and the sound of shattering echoed through the air. It only blocked for a moment before Rovi broke through the magic barrier.

But in that instant, Caligula opened his arms, his arm muscles bulging, his palms open, and slapped from both sides toward the center at the same time.

It trapped Rovi's knife in the middle.

With unparalleled power, it forcefully stopped Rovi's knife.

Block it—

"Rome, I am Rome!" The Emperor of Rome's obsession was expressed through his frenzied roar.

Rovi frowned. "Has the amount of magic power accumulated to this extent?"

It vaguely crossed the line between the main gods.

We reached a higher level.

Even if Mars were to make a move at this moment, he might not be able to completely overpower him.

Humans favored by the ' Moon Cell ' are truly terrifying.

but...

"But is this power really what you want, Caligula— "

Rovi released his grip on the knife, and his legs sank down, landing firmly on the ground.

Caligula still held the blade up, his hands outstretched, his chest and abdomen exposed.

So Rovi clenched his fist and stepped forward.

With a bang.

His crazed face twisted in an instant, pain and ferocity simultaneously displayed on his dark, hard face. Even a madman fears pain, let alone when Rovi's punch struck Caligula's 'core' directly.

His heart.

It has red stripes.

That is the 'information authentication' granted by the Moon Cell, which is the most direct information output interface between Caligula and the Moon Cell.

This punch shattered the flowing light above, and also destroyed the extremely dense magical power emanating from Caligula's body.

Rovi interrupted Caligula's 'signal' by unplugging the network cable.

Even setting aside the power from the Moon Cell... Caligula is merely a mortal.

Staggering backward, blood and sweat splattered out simultaneously, Caligula's body slightly curled up.

But his dark eyes slowly returned to white, the red light faded, and he was no longer mad... The light that shattered the right of permission also shattered the influence of the massive information from the Moon Cell that was unacceptable to ordinary people.

A brief escape from the madness.

"Hahaha, am I awake?" He breathed heavily, letting out a strange laugh. "What a... nightmare!"

"Uncle!?" Nero tried to step forward.

But Rovi stopped him. "He hasn't fully recovered yet, you can't go up there."

"Yes, I haven't fully recovered, and I can't possibly fully recover." Caligula shook his head violently. He slowly stood up. Although his eyes had returned to calm, there was still a distorted remnant on his face.

The influence of the Moon Cell cannot be completely eliminated; even Rovi could only completely shield it. "Nero, my niece, I can sense that you have also fused with the power of the Moon Cell, but only with one part of it. In any case, you must never follow in my footsteps—"

"Is it wrong?"

Faced with Rovi's questioning, Caligula hesitated for a moment. "Wrong, but... not wrong either."

That's absolutely right.

The information gleaned from the brief encounter was enough for Rovi to gain a profound understanding of many things. Regardless of the immense computing power he possessed from the Machine God, the renewed effect of Athena's [Divine Protection of Wisdom] after returning to the Western world allowed him to see the whole picture even through a small part.

Therefore, he knew that Caligula before him was not forced to accept the gaze of the Moon Cell.

He actively chose to bear and accept it...

"The cold Moon Cell gazes upon the earth, and someone must always stand in its way and bear the brunt of it. I am the ruler of this country, the king of this land."

"I am Rome."

"Who else but me could do it?"

The essence of the Moon Cell is to record the world through its 'eye'.

But the ending that was gazed upon, the one that never came to pass, was originally Rome, this land, and Caligula, as emperor, who bore it all alone.

As he himself said.

He was the Emperor of Rome.

He has always loved this land.

"This is the madness I must bear—"

"Then you're wrong." Rovi stepped forward.

He didn't let Nero get close because Caligula was not stable enough at the moment and could fall into madness again at any time.

But ultimately, it was simply because of Nero's weakness.

However, Rovi did not have this problem.

So he approached.

So he slowly reached out his hand.

He said, "This is not the kind of madness you can handle, Caligula."

"This is insane..."

"It should be mine."

Caligula looked at the person approaching him and felt a strange feeling, a strange sense of closeness, a strange... longing that stemmed from his bloodline.

He opened his mouth and asked, "Who are you?"

"My name is Rovi."

The Sage Rovi, the Grandmaster Rovi.

He was also the Father of Rome...

Rovi.

"I am Rome too."

Because I am also Rome.

So I should bear the consequences of your madness.

"You are deeply corrupted by the Moon Cell, and even I cannot remove this curse."

"You are doomed to die."

"But at least in the end."

"I will make you die as a 'human being'."

"As a human being. As the Emperor of Rome— "

Rovi reached out to Caligula: "Emperor, what's your opinion?"

Killing cannot solve the problem.

Even a once wise ruler, a king who went mad to protect his country, deserves his due dignity.

Caligula.

"I have only one request for you."

"Shedding the outer shell of chaos and madness."

"Wear your crown and enter the underworld in glory."

"Pluto of the Underworld has prepared the highest ritual for you!"

This is to pay tribute to the supreme emperor... his final dignity.