Chapter 123: It's over, His Majesty really wants to rebel!
As the image of the blonde-haired girl floating in mid-air appeared on the screen, the long-awaiting viewers in the livestream room finally exploded in excitement.
[UMU-Emperor!!!]
[A veteran fan since the Extra era here, if I don't see Nero, I can't eat or sleep well!!!]
[Emperor Nero is still as dazzling as ever… though something about her current state feels a bit off…]
[Don't care anymore! I want to hear Emperor Nero sing right now!!! Hurry up!!!]
[Alright everyone, our "UMU Sect" is currently recruiting a large number of members. If you'd like to join, please send a Padoru cover video to our sect leader, Curse Chef-san!]
[One slot for UMU Sect please!]
[Application to join UMU Sect +1.]
[Application to join UMU Sect +2.]
[Application to join UMU Sect +69.]
[Application to join UMU Sect +6969.]
...
[System: 'You Are Also Rome' has sent 100 Saint Quartz!]
[Message: She's finally here! The world's No.1 Diva, UMU-Emperor Nero Claudius!]
[System: 'Padoru Padoru~' has sent 100 Saint Quartz!]
[Message: ?~~~Ha shirē soriyō, kaze no yō ni~ Tsukimihara wo~ Padoru Padoru~~~?]
[System: 'British Trouble Kid' has sent 100 Saint Quartz!]
[Message: The person above, how are you able to play audio in your donation, stop that now!!! I don't want to hear it anymore, Padoru Padoru~~~~]
…
Amidst the extremely heated comments, Ethan confirmed that the girl floating before him was indeed Nero Claudius.
The fifth emperor of the Roman Empire.
And also the one who was supposed to be the true sovereign ruling Rome in this era.
But now, the Nero before him was floating unnaturally in mid-air.
It was as if even gravity could no longer bind her.
Not only that — according to the Doctor, the magical energy radiating from her was even stronger than that of a Demon God Pillar.
There was no mistaking it.
This Nero was…
"To think a mere mortal dares to set foot here—truly worthy of my reward."
Nero reached out her hand in this direction, and immediately, a tremendous pressure surged forth!
A deep crimson barrier instantly rose, blocking all the Servants standing beside Ethan.
"Hey, don't tell me you think that thing can stop me?"
Mordred channeled magical energy into Clarent, then swung her sword straight at it!!!
"CLAAANG——————————!!!"
Clarent's blade struck the red barrier wall directly, but it didn't leave even a single scratch.
"Stop wasting your strength. This is a barrier with an extremely high magical density."
Waver pushed up his black glasses and immediately stopped Mordred from continuing to expend her mana.
"The opponent isn't a normal entity. If she hasn't made any hostile moves toward us yet, then the most logical action is to observe her strength first before doing anything."
"Indeed, for now we should prioritize gathering information."
Hearing Waver say this, though Mordred still felt unwilling, when she saw Ethan nod in agreement, she begrudgingly sheathed her sword.
"Doctor, can you tell us the identity of that girl?"
Mash immediately called for help from Doctor Romani.
"Analyzing the opponent's data across all parameters. Results will be available soon."
Though Doctor Romani said that, by now he had already started to suspect something.
He stared intently at Da Vinci who was processing the data, his expression gradually turning grim.
"How much longer are you planning to use that body?!"
Lev's angry voice echoed from within the body of Demon God Flauros. Right after, the eyes on his body emitted beams of light, continuously attacking Nero.
"I can feel it… you're no friend of humanity either. So why don't we join forces?"
"Join forces?"
Nero burst into laughter.
"A Beast that doesn't even understand the meaning of Depravity, and you think you're worthy of talking about forming an alliance with me?"
She extended her hand forward, and an invisible barrier immediately manifested, halting all of Lev's attacks.
"Oh? Looks like that avatar of yours does have some connection to humanity, after all."
"G-Gahhh!!!"
One side of the Demon God Pillar's massive body was suddenly crushed against what seemed to be an invisible wall, then all the eyes on his grotesque form flared with magical energy, triggering a massive explosion!
"BOOOOM————————!!"
A deafening explosion rang out ahead!
The destructive force was so immense that it flattened the entire surrounding area.
Mash had managed to deploy a defensive barrier in time, but the red ward had already risen, preventing her from getting any closer.
"With magical energy fluctuations like that… it's unlikely that girl could survive unscathed."
Iskandar crossed his arms, looking ahead—but his eyes suddenly widened.
"Oh? Seems I was mistaken. That girl… is terrifying."
As the smoke cleared, what remained before everyone was a wasteland.
The earlier strike—an all-out attack powered by the immense magical energy of a Demon God Pillar—was enough to wipe out an entire city.
"Why… why are you completely unharmed?! You haven't even changed your posture!!!"
Lev's incredulous voice echoed from within the Demon God Pillar.
"Though you call yourself a demon god, at your core you're still inextricably linked to humanity. So how could you possibly harm me in the slightest? Furthermore, even if you had no connection to humans at all, thinking such a low-level attack would make me move… is pure arrogance."
As she spoke, Nero once again reached her hand toward the Demon God Pillar.
"Go tell your king this: if he truly achieves what he desires, I'll gladly raise a glass in celebration for him. But it seems… his time has already run out."
With that, Nero suddenly slammed her palm downward!!!
Immediately, a black hole opened right above Demon God Flauros, and his body began to violently tremble!
"This magical energy! Even in your current state… you still have this much power!!!"
Lev's maddened screams rang out as he poured all his strength into resisting the crushing force.
But slowly, his body began to be pulverized.
"No… humanity must be reborn by our hands… not entrusted to you!!!"
At last, before the eyes of Ethan and the others, the Demon God Pillar was pushed to its absolute limit and exploded with a tremendous blast!!!
"BOOM——————————!!!"
Like an overripe tomato crushed in an instant, black-red fluid burst from the twisted mass of flesh, flooding out in a monstrous wave!!!
"Get on the chariot now!!!"
At Iskandar's command, the whole group leapt onto the chariot to escape.
"MOOOOOOOOOOOOO————!!!"
The two Divine Bulls of Thunder strained forward with a mighty roar, the wheels of the chariot sparking with lightning as it shot into the sky!
Iskandar also mounted Bucephalus, charging directly after.
At the same time, the blood of the Demon God Pillar began spilling into every street.
The royal palace, the plaza, the markets, the residential districts—
In the blink of an eye, all of Rome was engulfed.
"Alright, one eyesore dealt with. Now… it's your turn."
Floating mid-air, Nero's eyes locked directly onto the Chaldea group.