The scene was a little blurry.
Lin Qi was lying on the bed with his eyes closed, resting, when he suddenly felt the world go dark before him.
He opened his eyes in confusion and discovered that Nero was standing at the bedside, head lowered as she looked at him.
The light was mostly blocked by Nero, and there was a strange smile on the girl's face.
Nero suddenly raised her smooth, pale foot and placed it on Lin Qi's chest.
Lin Qi finally reacted, but before he could even begin to panic, he heard a wet, tearing sound.
A bizarre red sword pierced through Nero's chest—
"My guard! Do not let yourself be shackled by these bed-dwelling monsters! Prepare to march with me!"
The door was suddenly pushed open at that moment, slamming violently against the wall as a bright, ringing voice filled the room.
Lin Qi jolted awake, shooting straight up from the bed, looking blankly toward the door.
There stood Nero, already changed back into her rather revealing original dress, looking refreshed and full of spirit.
Looked like she had slept well.
"Good! Since you are awake as well, hurry and get ready, then depart with me!"
Nero nodded with satisfaction, then turned to leave without looking back.
Lin Qi sat on the bed in a daze for more than ten seconds before returning to his senses.
"So it was just a dream after all..."
Lin Qi muttered under his breath, letting out a sigh of relief.
No wonder the events just now made no sense—abrupt, disjointed—it was a dream.
After all, anything can happen in a dream, and logic is rarely invited.
He hurriedly changed into Chaldea's standard uniform, picked up the flag resting at his side, and followed after Nero.
Time to talk about the current situation.
Before encountering Lin Qi, Nero had actually been fighting on the front lines.
Due to the inexplicably overwhelming numbers of the allied army, along with the enemy commanders' strong strategic skills, and the additional threat of Boudica in the north—who had obtained the power of a Servant—Nero had been driven back again and again, constantly on the defensive, losing over half her territory to the alliance army.
If not for three powerful warriors later joining Nero's forces, Nero would likely already have been beaten all the way back to Rome's doorstep.
As for why she returned—well! They really were beaten back to her doorstep!
Though it wasn't the main allied force, a contingent of enemy troops had circled around through the Mediterranean.
Rome didn't have many defending forces stationed there, and once surrounded, they had no choice but to request Nero for aid.
Originally preparing for a counterattack thanks to her three newly gained powerhouses, Nero had no choice but to abandon that plan and personally lead her army back to destroy the forces besieging the capital.
And then Nero encountered Lin Qi.
And since Lin Qi had fought quite fiercely yesterday, in just one day he had shattered all the enemy forces he had secretly ambushed, leaving them too crippled to reorganize into any functional army.
This was a pleasant surprise to Nero, who had expected things to drag on for a day or two more.
So she decided to march again the very next day!
As for why not rest longer—Nero had no choice. She had already been at a disadvantage; if she didn't push forward now, wouldn't everything be over?
And although the three frontline generals were indeed powerful, none of them possessed the ability to command an army. They could hold the line with strength for a while, but if things dragged on too long, the enemy would eventually exploit their flaws.
By then, a full collapse wouldn't be impossible.
Back to the present.
After a long journey, Nero and her group finally reached the front lines.
Amid thunderous cheers from the soldiers, Nero began her pre-battle speech as a matter of course.
"Warriors! I am Nero Claudius..."
This time, Lin Qi did not stand beside Nero. Instead, he went toward a more secluded corner.
There were two quite eye-catching figures there, each massive and towering over two meters tall.
One of them was clad in an elaborate red suit of armor, with two long, iconic feather plumes atop his helmet. A closer look revealed his skin was not that of a human—but steel.
This was the Servant known as Lu Bu.
In the Nasuverse, especially with generals from the Three Kingdoms era, they might as well be giant robot war machines—it was hard to imagine what kind of demon war must have raged during the Eastern Han's chaotic end.
The outfit of the other Servant was much simpler. His body was covered in bulging muscles, and his torso was wrapped in leather straps that looked more like restraints. His lower body wore only a thin bronze skirt-like armor that covered just the essential areas.
"Looks like not much has changed after all..."
Staring at the two figures who were exactly as he had remembered them from the story, Lin Qi let out a sigh.
In Lin Qi's opinion, the difficulty of conquering this Singularity was far higher than that of the first Singularity.
In the France Singularity, completing the main goal of recruiting Siegfried meant victory was already half-won, and even if things went wrong, Jeanne Alter could still be handled eventually.
But this Singularity? There wasn't exactly a clear, must-complete key strategy before the final battle.
It wasn't because of anything complicated—just the simple fact that the difference in combat power was absurd, and there was no single easy win condition to secure victory.
Think about the enemy lineup: Romulus, a Demon Pillar, possibly Altera appearing at the end, plus various other Servants appearing before that...
Just thinking about it gave Lin Qi a headache.
Now compare that to their side.
Sure, Lin Qi admitted that with Lu Bu's combat power, he could fight almost anyone head-on—but the problem was, he was a Berserker.
Once the fighting started, good luck trying to command him.
And as for Spartacus...
Lin Qi could only say that the impression of him from that one certain anime had stuck too deeply—like some pet being teased around, and aside from his last self-destructive blast, he didn't seem like a heroic spirit at all.
And crucially, Boudica hadn't joined Nero's army.
"So based on all that, Your Imperial Majesty—you might be a little too confident..."
Lin Qi couldn't help recalling what Nero had said yesterday.
He didn't blame Nero; after all, he also worried that putting the original script in front of her would crush her spirit, so he only mentioned vaguely that the final battle would be difficult, without explaining further.
Lin Qi sat gloomily on the small stool beside the two Berserkers, thinking over and over again about how to win.
"Sigh, I still like Red Hare better..."
Borrowing Red Hare from Lu Bu's Spirit Origin was much more convenient than using Lu Bu himself, wasn't it?
With that thought, Lin Qi actually began to imagine what it would be like to have Red Hare by his side.
Suddenly, a large, broad hand gently rested on his head.
Lin Qi froze slightly and looked up.
At some point, Spartacus had reached out and was carefully patting his head.
"Weak one! Do not fear—this sword will sweep away all oppressors for you!"
Spartacus carefully controlled his strength, afraid of harming Lin Qi even in the slightest.
With his other hand, he gave a few swings of the oversized greatsword that looked small only compared to his massive frame.
It was like a great bell had rung in Lin Qi's mind.
Lin Qi snapped out of it.
Damn—
What was I even thinking just now?! What right do I have to look down on a true hero?
He hadn't shown his thoughts outwardly, but guilt flooded Lin Qi's heart in an instant.
Just because of some ridiculous anime, he had subconsciously judged a Heroic Spirit who had left his mark in history...
I'm such an idiot!
Lin Qi cursed at himself internally and quickly composed his emotions.
He looked solemnly at Spartacus.
"Then let's fight together! We'll defeat the oppressors side by side!"
Hearing Lin Qi's words, Spartacus revealed a hearty smile and gave Lin Qi a pat on the back.
Lin Qi was infected by Spartacus' smile, and the gloom from earlier was swept away as the corner of his lips lifted slightly.
"Oh? Looks like you two are having a good chat."
A black-haired woman in a white outfit walked over.
She was holding a wine jug in her hand.
"Spartacus doesn't get this cheerful around most people he meets."
As she said this, Spartacus was still wearing the same smile as before.
As if agreeing with her words.
"Jing Ke?"
Lin Qi immediately recognized this rare Chinese Servant from the game.
"Hm? You know me?"
Jing Ke paused mid-drink and looked at Lin Qi with surprise.
"More or less..."
"Hmmmm..."
Jing Ke stepped closer to Lin Qi and examined him carefully.
"So you're from the same land as me too, huh. No wonder."
Jing Ke nodded in understanding.
"It was just one failed assassination, but I didn't expect so many people to actually know about it, sigh..."
She took a gloomy sip of wine.
"Probably because the First Emperor himself is famous—the first emperor to unify the land—and you nearly succeeded in assassinating him, so naturally a lot of people know your name."
Lin Qi thought for a moment and said.
"Hah? So I'm supposed to thank that guy for making me famous? ...Though I guess I'll admit he did make a pretty good start."
Jing Ke first pointed at herself incredulously, then grew more annoyed the more she thought about it.
Even if the First Emperor did well afterward, if Jing Ke had a chance to go back, she would still stab him without hesitation.
And this time she'd make an even better plan—absolutely stab him to death.
For no other reason than to complete her mission—and vent some personal spite on the side.
"In my time, anyone who was an adult would know who you were. Ranking pure name recognition among assassins, you'd be at the top."
Lin Qi gave her a thumbs-up.
"It's just that your popularity got a little too high, so a lot of weird derivative stories appeared later..."
Lin Qi scratched his head awkwardly.
"What stories?"
Jing Ke asked curiously.
Lin Qi told her some of the things that often circulated online—like her dagger being longer than the map, or hiding a spiked club inside the map...
"Hahaha! People from your era are weird!"
Instead of getting angry, Jing Ke burst out laughing.
"A spiked club inside a map—hahahahahaha..."
Imagining the scenario, Jing Ke shook with laughter, slapping her thigh over and over, almost running out of breath.
"With a spiked club I probably wouldn't even make it close to that guy, but just imagining myself walking up with one—hahahaha—"
The image was too ridiculous—Jing Ke could only imagine what kind of expression the First Emperor's face would make.
After the pre-battle speech and a few additional instructions, Nero finally had a moment to spare.
She had been wondering where to find Lin Qi and the others, when she heard Jing Ke's crisp laughter.
Following the sound, she found her guest officers all clustered in one corner.
"My warriors, what are you talking about? To be laughing so happily?"
"Haha... nothing really, just something only I and this fellow countryman would understand, nothing important."
Wiping away tears of laughter, Jing Ke answered casually.
"Hmm? Really?"
Nero looked at the two skeptically.
"Pretty much. If someone isn't from the same country as me, they wouldn't understand what I said."
Lin Qi explained helplessly.
Nero didn't really understand his explanation, but it was a minor matter.
"Never mind. Since you're all here, I don't have to send someone to find you. There's a strategy meeting coming up—we can't have anyone missing!"
"Do I have to go?"
Lin Qi pointed at himself.
"Of course! You are my personal guard—you should at least have a rough understanding of the battlefield situation!"
"And General Jing Ke, you are also a rare talent, so you must attend as well!"
Nero looked to Jing Ke, who was secretly drinking.
"Huh? An assassin like me gets to be a general now?"
Jing Ke raised an eyebrow.
But the truth was she had only carried out one assassination.
"As for the remaining two strong generals... hmm... the two of you should stay here and rest well!"
Nero looked up at the two Berserkers, thought for a moment, then decided resolutely.
It wasn't that she didn't want to bring them—but even if she did, with their rank of Mad Enhancement, would they even understand a single word?
Hearing Nero's words, Lu Bu exhaled a puff of white air and remained silent.
Spartacus kept smiling just as before, quietly watching everyone.
——Dividing Line——
—————————
"...That concludes all intelligence we currently have on our army and the false emperor's forces."
The intelligence officer finished his report and tactfully stepped aside.
This intelligence officer was the one Nero had casually promoted during her battle with Caligula.
One had to admit that Nero's eye for people might be a little mystical—this guy had never handled such tasks before, yet once he was assigned, he managed everything neatly and efficiently.
So much so that those originally responsible for this work felt ashamed.
"Thank you for your efforts."
Nero nodded, then frowned deeply.
Because the allied army appeared so suddenly and took over half of Rome's territory in such a short time, Nero's side had no real idea who their enemy truly was.
Sending scouts? Not one ever returned.
In the end, all Nero knew was that the enemy also flew the Roman banner—and was aided by emperors of Rome's past.
Everything about them was shrouded in fog.
And most crucially, they were severely outnumbered. The enemy force was several times larger than Nero's—by how much exactly?
"The situation now is that Caesar, the false emperor, has his main base in Gaul—but he is not the leader of the alliance. There is someone above him... so where is the true headquarters of the alliance army?"
Everything else could be handled, but if they didn't even know where the enemy's main base was, how could they ever win?
"Want me to go investigate? With Presence Concealment, if I want to hide, almost no one can find me."
Jing Ke volunteered.
Nero was considering her offer.
"I might know something—like, roughly—the location of their capital."
Lin Qi said, sounding unsure.
"Oh? Even my guard has insight!"
"It's just a rough guess. For reference only."
Lin Qi walked in front of the map, recalling everything he had stored in his mind.
He really wasn't good at reading maps. He barely knew where he was standing now.
But he had done some homework in Chaldea—he studied the maps on Chaldea's display while matching them with his memories from the game.
At the very least, he had a faint impression of where the final boss fight took place.
Lin Qi pointed to a location on the map.
"Here, huh... mm, it's a fitting spot for a capital. I'm surprised you even know this much."
Nero meant it in terms of ideal capital placement.
"No, I have zero ability to judge locations. I can't even read maps."
Lin Qi refused the compliment.
...