Solved with One Arrow / An Army of One

However, there aren't enough materials right now, and Mephistopheles needs to continue researching Japan mythology and checking the design of the real- Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi. Only after all of this is finished can he begin making Ritsuka Fujimaru's weapon.

Time passed quickly, and on the third day, everyone embarked on a new tour.

They are going to a new world, a world called Rome!

Chapter 149 Solving the Problem with One Arrow

In the year 0060 AD, with the help of spiritual teleportation, everyone once again arrived in a special time and space. Looking up at the sky, they could see that in this beautiful place, the huge halo still existed, just like when they were in France.

"Something very similar to what happened in France last time," Romani said into the communicator.

Mephistopheles muttered, "What's so similar? It's the same thing."

"Do you know what this thing is?" Romani asked immediately, realizing he should have asked Mephistopheles. Perhaps Mephistopheles, the mysterious True Magic who went to the Age of Gods, knew the secret of that halo?

"The theoretical framework looks like the Fifth Magic, but it is essentially energy. You can think of it as gasoline for an engine, or magic for casting Magecraft," Mephistopheles said.

Upon hearing Mephistopheles's words, Romani fell into deep thought. After a while, he said, "I understand. I'll go and speak with Leonardo da Vinci right away!"

"You've already guessed?"

"We have some guesses, but we can't be sure yet. We still need to brainstorm!" Romani said, then immediately disappeared from the communicator, and Olga Marie took his place.

Olga Marie said to the group, "Now confirm the area you have been teleported to and the era you are in."

Mash Kyrielight quickly checked the relevant data and replied, "The era is correct. It is indeed the first century AD, the era of Nero Claudius, the fifth emperor of the Roman Empire, during which the Singularity existed. There is no mistake about that."

She then looked around, her eyes filled with confusion as she gazed at the hilly area where she was now.

"But we're in the wrong place; we're in a hilly area."

"A hilly area. According to the coordinates, you should have been teleported to the capital of Rome. How could you be so far off?" Olga Marie was also puzzled. She checked the data displayed on the machine again and confirmed that the positioning and other information were correct.

Mephistopheles, seeing the puzzled looks on everyone's faces, asked directly, "I'd like to ask, who are we locating? Is it based on Earth's latitude and longitude for teleportation, or is there some other point for teleportation?"

"That's not latitude and longitude. We use the corresponding character as the basis for positioning and then teleportation. For example, this time your character is Nero. Since Nero will be in the palace, you will naturally be teleported nearby, which is equivalent to teleporting to the capital."

Olga Marie spoke, then paused for a moment in thought.

"It's strange. Although Nero poisoned Empress Dowager Agrippina a few years ago, he shouldn't be facing that kind of crisis in his later years yet, so he shouldn't have to leave the palace... You should be in Rome, the prosperous capital where the people adore their emperor."

"The terrain here is flat, and I wouldn't have any problem even if there were a flock of sheep grazing in the distance, Director." Mash Kyrielight's sarcastic remark remained sharp.

Mephistopheles yawned at this moment. "Is there any need to doubt? There's no need to doubt. It's obvious that something went wrong with Nero, which is why this guy isn't in his city now. Either he was kicked out, or he was killed and buried nearby. There's always one possibility that can explain this situation."

Upon hearing this, the others had to admit that Mephistopheles's words made a lot of sense. Olga Marie said, "Indeed, this is already Singularity. There's no need to be surprised by anything that happens. You all need to be careful, but you also need to complete the mission as soon as possible!"

"No problem, I think I can break through here quickly, so I can take my time to look around and do some sightseeing, right?" Mephistopheles asked with a smile.

Olga Marie struggled to suppress the urge to roll her eyes and whispered, "Let's confirm the information first, then we can consider whether or not to go on a trip!"

She was well aware of Mephistopheles's strength, so at this moment, her demands were not so strict; she only asked that they first conduct reconnaissance and gather intelligence.

Just then, the sound of clashing metal came from afar, along with human voices—shouting and fighting.

Mephistopheles shrugged. "As expected, something went wrong, didn't it?"

The group immediately ran in that direction and soon spotted a group of people in the distance.

It was a battle between two groups, one large in number and the other small in number, but both sides used crimson and gold as their symbols, although the designs of the symbols were slightly different.

The group leading a small number of soldiers was headed by a woman dressed in red, whose appearance instantly evoked images of figures like Artoria or Jeanne d'Arc of Arc.

Seeing this, Mephistopheles knew he had found the real deal.

"That's Nero," Mephistopheles said, pointing to a small force. "The one leading him is him."

All eyes were drawn to the woman's figure. This woman, whom Mephistopheles called Nero, was now dealing with most of the enemies in the battle. She single-handedly held off a massive army, like a war goddess.

She didn't exude any aura of a Servant; she simply displayed such power through her own human strength.

Mephistopheles looked at the woman, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

"The beasts of this world? The Beast of 666? But unfortunately, they have nothing to do with what I need..."

He still remembered some of the settings for Nero in FGO from his previous life, but the most popular one was that Nero was Beast 666 and also a Babylonian harlot.

If it were Mephistopheles from that time, he would probably be very interested in this kind of topic, but unfortunately, after experiencing the world of A Certain Magical Index, Mephistopheles lost all interest in Nero and the so-called 666 and Whore of Babylon he represented.

He was a member of the Golden Dawn faction, and relying on some knowledge from his previous life, he even managed to steal some things from Aleister Crowley, which naturally included some knowledge of the Thelemic System of True Magic.

Similarly, it also includes other mythological knowledge.

These naturally include 666 and the Whore of Babylon, but in any case, they have absolutely nothing to do with Nero!

"Go help!" Mash Kyrielight said, already raising her weapon. Mephistopheles nodded, signaling Mash Kyrielight and Ritsuka Fujimaru to proceed. As for him, he wanted to continue observing the situation, so he didn't plan to take action immediately.

With Mash Kyrielight joining the fray, the battle became much easier. After all, those soldiers were just ordinary people, while Mash Kyrielight was Demi-Servant, possessing the ability to fight ten or even a hundred enemies at once.

The battle ended quickly, and the woman in red shouted, "Alright, the battle is over. Put away your weapons!"

She ordered her soldiers to put away their weapons, then looked at the men who had just helped her. "And you gentlemen, are you reinforcements sent from the capital?"

Before anyone could answer, she continued, "I thought the capital had been completely locked down... Well then, you should all be commended."

"Even if you were once on the enemy side, it doesn't matter. I am magnanimous. Let bygones be bygones. More importantly, I was quite pleased with the battle just now. Ying Ruo, a young girl, was able to wield a weapon almost as tall as herself..."

"Yes, I quite like it! It has a strange beauty that's hard to describe!"

She even shouted again to herself, "Fine, you are allowed to fight alongside me and experience this supreme honor!"

Mephistopheles listened to these words and muttered to himself.

"Good heavens, is this Nero from the Type-Moon World? Putting aside the fact that a woman is called the Beast 666, which is a really bizarre setting, how did her brain... end up matching Nero's? Is this still that bastard Nero?"

Mephistopheles couldn't help but raise his right hand and gently rub the bridge of his nose.

As someone who had been reborn as Britain twice, Mephistopheles simply couldn't stand Nero.

He believed that if he had the sword that the Britain royal family used when they inherited the throne, the holy sword called Katina, he would definitely not hesitate to slash at her first!

I'd be doing Britain heritage if I didn't slash him a few times.

However, Mephistopheles subsequently fell into self-doubt.

Was it really necessary to behead such a seemingly foolish emperor?

"... However, your attire is quite unusual. Is it a bit too revealing? Are you from another country?"

He left all the negotiations to Mash Kyrielight and Ritsuka Fujimaru, while Mephistopheles maintained his composure, too lazy to talk to this Rome tyrant.

Walking together, Nero, who already knew the group were from foreign lands, asked with some confusion, "Since you are from foreign lands, where are you from?"

She glanced at Mash Kyrielight and Ritsuka Fujimaru: "Britain? No, the Far East? It doesn't seem like it either."

She judges not only by appearance but also by clothing, but the clothing is too difficult for her to judge.

"It's Chaldea." Ritsuka Fujimaru chose the most suitable answer from several options, a mysterious name, a name that wouldn't reveal her special identity to the other party.

Mephistopheles watched Nero's bewildered expression from a short distance away, barely suppressing the urge to roll his eyes.

The Chaldea oracle isn't exactly a mysterious thing, so how come I've never heard of it?

After some further discussion, we finally understood what was going on in this place.

Not long ago, an organization claiming to be the Roman United Empire suddenly appeared out of nowhere and began a war against the Legitimate Roman Empire to which Nero belonged. It was clear that their goal was to wipe Rome off the face of the earth and replace Rome with themselves.

Originally, the group was simply exchanging information by walking and chatting like this.

However, it was clear that their conversation could not continue, as the enemy reappeared.

Seeing the massive number of soldiers, Nero couldn't help but show his anger. "Hmph, those impatient United Empire Army! How dare they interfere with my jade-like voice, utterly rude!"

"Go forth! You rather daringly dressed young lady, accept my command and become my shield!"

"Ah, uh, what!?" Mash Kyrielight was stunned for a moment, and she couldn't help but look at Ritsuka Fujimaru. "Senpai, we've been ordered around without even realizing it."

This battle wasn't particularly difficult either. Mephistopheles remained on the sidelines, watching the show. Nero didn't say anything, since Mephistopheles didn't seem to have any fighting ability.

However, the rest time was still not enough, because new enemies appeared, and their aura immediately put everyone into battle preparations.

That's the aura of a Servant!

A man clad in golden armor and with purple hair appeared there. He spoke haltingly, as if his reason had evaporated.

"My dearest... Yu Mei...'s daughter... ah."

"Uncle!" Nero exclaimed immediately, but then fell into doubt. "No, no, let me call you that for now. What reason could possibly make you wander aimlessly in this world and become a foolish person who joins the Allied Forces? Caligula!"

Mash Kyrielight was immediately shocked. "Wait, she called him 'Uncle'? In this era, humans and Servants are still related by blood?"

At this moment, taking advantage of Nero's verbal sparring with the other party, Mephistopheles introduced Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash Kyrielight.

"As our group moved forward, we finally witnessed this exciting scene: the Rome Emperor Nero, who had lost Rome, and his uncle Caligula, who was the third emperor of the Claudian Dynasty."

"Look at Nero's shocked face. I'm sure you've all guessed it by now. Caligula died a long time ago, so why is he here? Let's continue to enjoy the history of love and hate in Rome!"

"As for that lady who was surprised earlier about the blood relationship between Servants and humans, may I ask which Servant is not related to a human by blood? Of course, if their bloodline is extinct, that's another story."

Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash Kyrielight rolled their eyes at Mephistopheles's explanation. Ritsuka Fujimaru retorted, "Mephistopheles, are you really treating this place like a vacation?"

Mephistopheles immediately nodded. "Of course! We've finally come to this era, how could we not do ourselves a favor by traveling?"

At this moment, Caligula was still frantically explaining why he was doing this, but he spoke so slowly that Mephistopheles, bored, had already taken out his bow.

"What I... have done... is... due to... fate... I offer... your... life, I offer... your... body." He roared, uttering words filled with murderous intent, "Offer everything!"

He had already charged forward with his weapon, ready to fight his junior. Nero looked pained and helpless, Mash Kyrielight was also prepared for battle.

Before anyone could make a move, an arrow, radiating light, flew out from behind them and struck Caligula, who was roaring and charging towards them.

The immense force pierced his chest, destroyed his heart, and ended his life in an instant!

Chapter 150 One Man Forms an Army

Caligula helplessly stretched out his hand, wanting to say something, to continue questioning why the other party was resisting, but he could say nothing, because his body had dissipated, turning into pure magic.

Nero was stunned by what he saw. "He's vanished! My uncle has vanished..."

Mash Kyrielight watched the soldiers in the distance; with Caligula's death, the soldiers began their retreat.

"My uncle is probably the commander of that unit. I never expected to see that face again..."

As she spoke, she looked behind her and saw the man she hadn't paid attention to at first, now putting away a bow.

Clearly, that attack was fired by the guy introduced as Mephistopheles.

"That was clearly a berserker, it's a pity Mephistopheles took him down with one arrow, otherwise we could have seen if someone was remotely controlling him," Olga Marie said to the group through the communicator.

"It was definitely remote control. I can immediately guess who did it," Mephistopheles said.

Nero naturally heard the voice as well, and she asked, "Hmm?! There's been a woman whose voice I've only heard but whose face I haven't seen since just now. Judging from my intuition, could she be Magecraft or something?"

"You can understand it this way: I and they all belong to Chaldea."

Romani wanted to continue, but Nero interrupted him.

"It's alright, everyone. Although we're not entirely clear on the situation of the missing person, the battles you all fought here were truly spectacular. We thought this woman was already quite formidable, but we didn't expect that the frail-looking man to possess such formidable fighting power as well. He deserves praise and commendation!"

At this moment, she finally began to introduce herself.

"Before inquiring about your identities, we must begin with me. I am—the true guardian of Rome, representing the very existence of Rome itself."

"That's right, the one who swore an oath to the gods, the progenitors, himself, and the people that he would rebuild the empire! I am none other than Nero Claudius, the fifth emperor of the Roman Empire!"

The self-introduction was full of confidence, but because of Mephistopheles's various spoilers, the group of people were not surprised at all, and just silently looked at each other.

Seeing this indifferent reaction, she even revealed a smug smile, "Hehehe, scared, aren't you? So scared you didn't react at all!"

Mash Kyrielight and Ritsuka Fujimaru nodded earnestly, cooperating with each other.

This made Nero even happier. "Right, right? Very well, be amazed, be captivated by me, for this is all thanks to my grace!"

Mephistopheles sighed again, "What an idiot."

Having entrusted the task of communicating with the Rome to Mash Kyrielight, Mephistopheles looked into the distance, pondering what he should actually be doing.

If we were to set up a terminal, the most suitable place would be... that volcano in the distance.

Mephistopheles walked over to Ritsuka Fujimaru and pointed to the distant volcano. "Take Mash Kyrielight there and work on the terminal architecture."

Ritsuka Fujimaru asked with some confusion, "And you?"

"I'll go and meet my rivals here. If I'm lucky, I can take them all out in one go."