The sounds of battle cries still surged endlessly across the battlefield.
Lin Qi and Nero stood before the city gate, silently observing the city that served as the allied forces' capital.
There were no soldiers inside, nor any residents.
It was deathly quiet, an empty city.
As Romulus had said earlier, this was likely the battlefield he had chosen for their decisive fight.
Nero turned her head to look back at the chaotic battlefield, but couldn't find any trace of the two Berserkers at all.
She could only say with a headache:
"The two generals have run off to who-knows-where. It seems this battle will have to rely on ourselves alone."
"...Relying only on us... do we really have a chance?"
Standing at the entrance to this boss stage, the matter Lin Qi had been worrying about was now right before his eyes.
Even if Romulus went easy on them and let the two of them defeat him, there was still that guy Flauros afterwards... and there was a possibility Altera might be summoned too...
Relying solely on them, could they really win?
"I told you to believe in me! Even if the sky falls, I will hold it up for you!"
Hearing Lin Qi's discouraged words, Nero glared at him somewhat unhappily.
Lin Qi lowered his gaze to look into Nero's eyes.
He asked doubtfully:
"Er, is Your Majesty sure you can hold it up for me?"
Lin Qi's height was about 1.7 meters, while Nero's height was only 1.5 meters!
Nero was stunned for a moment.
Then, she understood the implied meaning in Lin Qi's words.
"Height... height is not something I can control?!"
Nero was both angry and flustered. She measured her height against Lin Qi's back and forth, realizing that even on tiptoe there was a significant gap.
Her small face flushed bright red.
"Besides, who says being short means you can't do it! If I just lift both hands and push up, isn't the height just about the same as yours?"
As she spoke, Nero grew more agitated, stretching both hands upwards with all her might; the combined height just about made her a palm's width taller than Lin Qi.
Seeing this, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, Nero put her hands on her hips and emphasized seriously:
"Even if the sky really does fall, if you have just a bit of awareness and tilt your head to the side, it won't hit you after I hold it up!"
I only said that to lighten the mood a bit...
Lin Qi didn't voice this thought out loud. Instead, he decisively gave Nero a thumbs-up:
"As expected of the Emperor!"
It seemed Nero was truly sensitive about her height. It was better not to bring it up again.
With their mutual banter, the atmosphere did indeed become much more relaxed.
Although the practical problems still remained.
Nero's army wasn't actually at an advantage; the difference in troop numbers compared to the allied forces was too great, and they relied almost entirely on Servant-level combatants to hold the field.
Looking at it this way, maybe it was better to just let Lu Bu and Spartacus charge ahead with the soldiers outside—
After all, even if they found them, there was no guarantee they'd obey.
But doing so would leave them with far too little combat strength for the decisive battle...
"Ah, about earlier, I'm a bit sorry. I actually knew the opposing leader was the Founder. I was worried about you... so I never said it out loud."
Lin Qi scratched his head, speaking a bit apologetically.
Nero blinked her eyes.
"Hmph, if you were from my era, I would surely punish you for the crime of deception!"
"But, well, your guess wasn't wrong. The Founder's appearance did give me quite a fright. If you had said it in advance, I might have really hesitated, and this battle wouldn't have gone so smoothly."
"I appreciate your honesty! Though it would be even better if you were more honest!"
"After all, you've probably known all this all along, right? Never saying it, always keeping it bottled up inside is not a good thing!"
Lin Qi: "It's just that the intensity of the battles to come will probably be ridiculously high. Saying it out loud would just dampen the mood..."
"How dare you! If you can accept it, how could I, the Emperor, be unable to accept it!"
...
Lin Qi still told Nero roughly everything he knew.
After receiving all the information, Nero's face also fell, and she was silent for a few seconds.
But no matter what they thought in their hearts, no matter what they did, the enemy was there.
They wouldn't vanish into thin air.
They would eventually have to face them.
The two of them walked through the city gate together, passing through long, completely empty streets.
The sound of their footsteps echoed in the vacant environment.
Finally, they stood before the giant palace doors.
It was like standing before a fog gate in a souls-like game.
"My guard! Do you feel afraid?!"
"A little..."
Actually, he had been all along. From the moment he stood before this entrance, Lin Qi's heart had been thumping nonstop.
But based on Lin Qi's experience, as long as he gritted his teeth and rushed in, once the fight started, the nervousness would fade.
Lin Qi had thought Nero would say something quite imposing for a pre-battle pep talk.
He never expected—
"I'm actually a bit afraid too... That's the Founder, after all! Any Roman emperor in my situation would feel apprehensive, right?"
The mere thought of going in to fight Romulus made Nero shudder involuntarily.
Seeing this, Lin Qi smiled faintly and said softly:
"But if the Emperor is by my side, I won't be afraid."
Bullseye again!
If this were some kind of game, the conquest progress bar above Nero's head would probably have increased significantly.
"Umu!!"
"Just for those words, I shall let you witness my true splendor!"
Saying this, Nero was about to push open the door and pull Lin Qi inside.
"Wait a moment!"
"Hm? Is there something else?"
"Let me cast some buffs first!"
Casting buffs at the door is an essential part of the souls-like game experience.
Of course, the main reason was that Lin Qi was afraid once the real fight started, he simply wouldn't have a chance to use his enhancements.
They slowly pushed open the large door.
Sunlight streamed through the crack, gradually illuminating everything inside the palace.
Their gazes, as they looked inside, simultaneously fell upon Romulus, standing in the very center.
He was leaning on that peculiar weapon of his, and only when the two entered did he open his closed eyes.
He looked at the entering Nero and Lin Qi with a gaze devoid of much emotion.
Just like a boss in some video game.
No one spoke. Lin Qi and Nero just glanced at each other slightly.
Then, they nodded almost imperceptibly.
The next moment, Nero, gripping her sword with both hands, transformed into a red streak and shot forward.
The tip of her sword aimed directly at Romulus's neck.
Lin Qi, meanwhile, stayed in place and began drawing Runes.
This was the most commonly used and suitable combat method.
After all, Lin Qi's combat skills were too poor; his role in close-quarters combat at the front was, most of the time, not as useful as providing long-range support from the rear.
"Clang!"
As expected, Nero's attack was easily blocked single-handedly by Romulus using that strange weapon.
Several fireballs following closely behind Nero also whistled through the air.
They closed in on Romulus's body.
Romulus glanced peripherally at the incoming fireballs, but showed no intention of blocking them.
"BOOM!"
The fireballs exploded, enveloping Romulus's body in flames.
Hitting the target should have been a cause for celebration.
But Lin Qi clearly saw that beneath the flames, Romulus's body hadn't sustained the slightest bit of damage.
Romulus casually waved his free hand, and the flames on his body dissipated into sparks.
His other hand was still continuously parrying Nero's attacks.
It was like playing around with a child.
He even patted off non-existent dust from his body.
Lin Qi was stunned.
He had long been mentally prepared for Romulus's strength, but he never expected Romulus to be this strong.
The Rune magecraft he had mastered was completely incapable of harming him!
In the brief moment Lin Qi was stunned.
Romulus struck, forcing Nero back, and then in the blink of an eye, appeared right in front of Lin Qi.
The massive "wooden club" in his hand cast a shadow over him.
It looked like it was about to come crashing down.
Seeing this, Lin Qi hurriedly activated [Dodge].
Dodge!
The "wooden club" passed through Lin Qi's body and smashed heavily onto the ground, shattering the high-quality floor tiles with that single blow.
"Oh?"
...