Gaul, 60 AD, Septem Singularity
Ritsuka POV
After Zenobia left, there was a visible decay in morale among all the soldiers.
Morale was so low after that interaction that Nero had to make her own speech to reassure the troops. It did help restore some of the troops's morale, but it never reached the levels it once had before this morning.
[Mighty1Oak: It can't be helped, they were just told one of their forefathers, a man they worship as a god, is now seeking their destruction and hoping to rebuild a new, better country from its ashes.
And that was after they were told their current country is going to go through centuries of hardship that trace back their problems to their current leader. ]
[Still, how can they be so willing to believe that guy was the actual Julius Caesar? ]
[ThunderCles: Well, they are aware that dead people have been returning to life, so they are probably much more accepting of the possibility.
Heck, we were all riding the same boat as them just a few months ago. ]
[PerfectlySaneHex: Meh, who gives a hoothoot? The important thing is that Gudao rejected that stupid bitch Zenobia. ( ≧ᗜ≦) ]
[__Red__: :Concerned Ash Emote : @ PerfectlySaneHex ]
There wasn't really much he could do to help them, considering many of the Romans seem to distrust him. Though he did note that some of them did show appreciative nods in his direction, while a few others just winked at him and gave him a thumbs up.
Anyway, it's better for Nero and Charlie to handle that stuff while he attends to other matters.
Like relaying the situation to Simon through long-range magical communication magecraft.
"I see, so that's what happened. Damn, we should have not left you guys behind."
"It's alright Simon, securing the grain for the troops was more important. In the end, nothing catastrophic happened aside from a really depressing history lesson for Nero and the army."
"I wouldn't doubt it. I remember Constantine had talked to me about it before. He never shared the full details, but what he did share was not something Emperor Nero or the troops needed to hear at that time, so he rarely talked about it."
"Do you think you'll be able to make it back to us on time?"
Unfortunately, Simon's answer left him disappointed.
"I could do it by myself, but a week is too short of a timeframe to rally and march the troops into enemy territory, even by sea."
"It's alright, I'll be sure to go over the plans with Nero when she finishes putting out the fires Zenobia lit up. For now, I think it would be for the best to have you send Elizabeth and Tamamo over."
He felt the sense of relief wash over him through the mental link.
"Honesty, you are a saint for having the patience to deal with that woman as easily as you do. She was much more trouble than help at times."
He scratched the back of his head, "Sorry about Tamamo, her temperament is a bit volatile."
Simon scoffed through the link, "quite the understatement. During one of our raids, she almost burned a grain warehouse after the enemy holed themselves inside the building for goodness sake!!
Not only that, but I have had a few close encounters with death because she mistook me for a bird!! How can she mistake the great Simon Magus for a bird?!"
Yep, that sounds like Tamamo alright. While it would have been better for Tamamo to apologize, he still felt responsible for her, so he apologized in her stead.
[Bugsy_Buzz: I wonder what he's talking about. ]
[Electrical★Streamer_Iono(MOD): Dunno, he just started doing his mind reading thing and is making funny faces with zero context. ]
[MinaPaint: Probably getting life advice from Tamamo or Elizabeth. ]
[Electrical★Streamer_Iono(MOD): 'Girls, I rejected a crazy bombshell who wants me as her husband, what do?' ]
['Have you considered beating them up and using a pokeball to catch her?' ]
[Pokeballs are trash, they should use Ultra balls. Zenobia is a legendary, she will overpower a pokeball. ]
[Actually, Quick ball would be best, and then ultra balls. ]
[HippityHoppip650: 'Zenobia: you caught me already? That was quick' ]
[ .·°՞(≧ᗜ≦)՞°·. ] x 234
[Blood_Countess: This chat is filled with nothing but perverted scum. ]
[LemmeSeeUrManager: If you commented in chat, that statement also applies to you, because you are also a part of us. ]
[Blood_Countess: As if. ]
[The-Undefeatable: Still salty about the fact your younger self is a bonafide idol with fans huh? ]
Then after their talk, he connected to Elizabeth to relay the news.
She was very excited and happy to hear from him after so long, but she did a complete 180 when he told her the details.
"MANAGER!!! WHY DIDN'T YOU CALL US EARLIER!!?"
He flinched as Elizabeth shrieked inside his skull. He rubbed his temples to relieve the budding migraine in his skull.
[Gudao took confusion to the head, it was super effective. Gudao is confused. ]
"Senpai, are you okay?" Mash held him steady as she noticed him take a step back and nearly trip over a rock.
"Thanks Mash, I am alright, Elizabeth is just upset she didn't get a chance to be here to confront Zenobia."
Mash gained a look of understanding, "ah, I see. I understand, Elizabeth is rather loud after all. You have my sympathies for having to listen to her ear rupturing voice inside your head."
Did Mash just casually diss Elizabeth? Not that he disagreed with her but, it wasn't nice.
"Mash, while I agree with you that Elizabeth's voice can be a bit much, you shouldn't talk smack behind people's backs when they aren't here to defend themselves." He politely but firmly told Mash, who looked surprised.
"Ah, sorry. I was only stating the truth. Her voice actually ruptured a lot of eardrums on the enemy side. You were there, did you not notice the bleeding ears?"
Yes he did, but there was not much he could do besides limit Elizabeth's combat potential with restrictions.
"Just… nevermind, Simon is going to send them over to help, so let's just drop the subject."
He gave Simon the mental signal and sure enough, both Tamamo and Elizabeth arrived in a burst of light.
Elizabeth took a step forward and made a dramatic pose that looked like it had come straight out of super sentai, "everyone! The cute idol duo, Elizabeth and Tamamo Cat have rejoined the battle!"
Tamamo followed along and made a complementary pose to Elizabeth's.
"Nyah, ready or not, the pie to the face shall come!"
✦✧✦
Several hours later
Altera slowly curled her fingers with caution, like a mountain climber who was carefully navigating a steep cliff.
She had already lost count a few times, but this time she was starting to get close to the answer.
"Four…teen…. Fif…teen. Fifteen!! Three plus twelve is fifteen!!" Altera showed her tiny hands to him.
[YAY! SHE SOLVED IT!! ]
[Good job!! :Altera Headpat Emote: ]
"That's right. Three plus twelve is fifteen, good job Altera." The girl beamed an excited smile at him. It was a great achievement, as she hadn't been able to even count to ten before, and now she could do simple addition in just a few days.
He had never expected Altera would ask him for math lessons when she found out he actually went to school and was currently attending university.
She really does enjoy math, even though she struggles with it.
Most people older than her would groan about the difficulty of the problems, but Altera never complained. She was a model student that put his previous tutees to shame.
[Ms.Roxanne: The joy of teaching children is the greatest reward a teacher can experience.:UMU Emote : ]
"Alright, I think we've done enough for today. You can go ahead and take a rest now." He told the small girl, who just nodded excitedly.
"Thank you for the lessons, Mister Ritsuka." She got up off her criss-cross applesauce and ran over to Mash and gently pulled on her shirt.
"Can you play with me a bit?"
Mash nodded, "I don't mind."
The wagon creaked as his kohai got up and let Altera lead her into the furthest corner of the wagon. The small girl then picked up a rag doll and wooden toy horse that were lying on the floor and handed the doll to Mash, who accepted it with care, and began to play.
[D'aw! How adorable!! ]
[Don'tTouchMyBuns!: It's nice to see Mash in good spirits again, she has been rather in the dumps as of late. ]
[IceCold-Melony361: Seeing young Altera has really made me want to give my son a little sister… sigh, alas, I am much too old to dream of having such a blessing again.]
[Lusamine_Aether: I feel the same way, though in my case, my daughter is still young so I can definitely still enjoy these kinds of moments with her. ]
[I will give you the daughter you desire @ IceCold-Melony36. ]
< message deleted by moderator >
[IceCold-Melony361: Not interested. (¬⤙¬ ) ]
[Psychic_Moostache(MOD): Strike 1. Please do not sexually harass people in chat or on stream. You will lose your privilege to interact with Gudao Stream if you continue to accumulate strikes. ]
"Great work as always Ritsuka, you even got me engaged with that lesson of yours," Boudica commented, to which he just shrugged.
"Thanks, I had a lot of practice, but it's mostly Altera's passion for learning math that helped."
Boudica seemed to gush over his praise for her daughter. Then she silently turned to observe Mash and Altera's playtime.
They sat for a while there, just enjoying the sounds of play, when Boudica abruptly asked a question that caught him off guard.
"You're using us as a distraction, aren't you?"
He wanted to protest, but he couldn't lie, because.she was right.
"Yeah, I am."
"...I was able to hear the entire speech, you know? And I have to say, I am impressed you had the willpower to reject Zenobia's offer to marry her. Lesser men would have abandoned their friends to be with Zenobia… yet you refused her so that you could save your family."
[Boudica isn't wrong. Even Nero herself would have not be able to reject Zenobia is she offered herself up like that. ]
[PerfectlySaneHex: You people underestimate the power of Gudao's loyalty. He would never intentionally do such a horrible thing like abandon his family and friends to their doom.]
He sighed, "truth be told, it wasn't easy to reject her offer. I am aware of what Zenobia is going to go through and understand that she is fully justified in trying to save her home from becoming ruins."
He clenched one of his fists, "but choosing her would have been a betrayal against everyone I have met so far that has helped me on my journey, and I refuse to become that kind of person."
His eyes met Boudica's, who was now regarding him with respect, "I see, well, I guess that means you will be heading out to fight her soon."
He nodded, "Yes, after tonight, we will have to start making our way towards Hispania and fight her. So Mash and I will, unfortunately, take a while before we return for the next lesson."
[ILiekQTThings: NUUU!! I NEED MY DAILY DOSE OF ALTERA CUTENESS!! ]
[Best_Kohai-BB(MOD): Altera moe can be addicting, but it cannot be helped. Ritsuka Senpai has to go fight a stripper and her backup dancers as well as the bastard in the top hat so he can save the world. ]
[Top-Hat-PSY: I still cannot believe such a well dressed man could hide such evil.]
[GroundHippowdon: I honestly cannot wait to finally see Lev get put in his place. Prick thinks leaving his eyes closed will stop us from putting sand in them. He is dead wrong. ]
"I know we've only known each other for a short amount of time, but please try to be careful. Zenobia is no joke, you've seen that with your own eyes. You're going to have to go all out if you don't want her to overwhelm you with her noble phantasm," Boudica warned him, her tone carrying more concern than he expected.
Memories of Alexander's army flashed into his mind, of the sheer devastation she unleashed on an army of thousands of men, then, the crater that she left in northern Italia.
The fact that they were going to have to fight what essentially qualified as an aerial bombardment terrified him, but it had to be done.
"Yes, I know, thank you for caring for Mash and I."
After that, he spent a few more hours writing on a few pieces of parchment. He was focused solely on his task while trying not to think about Zenobia or her ultimatum.
He could worry about that later, he can't have that negativity affect his work. When he finished, the sun was already starting to set as the orange lights shone from outside.
He handed the small stack to Boudica, who gingerly put it away.
Mash was already by his side just as he was about to head out of the carriage.
"Take care, both of you. We'll see each other soon."
"Bye mister Ritsuka, bye Miss Mash! I'll see you later." Altera waved, but her farewell was somber. She wasn't dumb nor deaf. She was within earshot of his and Boudica's conversation after all.
Boudica nodded, "well, it was nice knowing you Ritsuka Fujimaru, and Mash Kyrielight. And like I told you earlier, neither I or Altera will join your fight against any of my allies. So if you want us to join your roster, you will have to defeat Zenobia and Cleopatra by yourselves. "
"I'll hold you to that when I am in the summoning room." He didn't try to press why she enunciated her words in her previous sentence and just put it aside for later.
He and Mash headed back to his tent.
✦✧✦
Later That Night
Despite the chaos of the morning, nighttime was calm and serene. The crickets were chirping, the owls hooting, and the moon hanging over the night sky had been enough to illuminate the glistening skin of Nero under its light.
"Praetor, I am a woman of my word, and I have come to reward your loyalty with my beautiful body."
[PerfecrlySaneHex: FUCK OFF!! ]
[Burning_Jealousy: I WILL RIP OPEN THE FABRIC OF REALITY AND BURN YOU ALIVE IF YOU DARE TRY IT!! ]
[OMA, This is freaking hilarious!! She actually came to give Gudao a booty call! ]
[GoldenKarp: Won't matter. He's gonna get cockblocked by the other girls before he gets a chance to do anything. At least, that is what anime taught me. ]
His heart beat pulsed in his ears as Nero got closer, but before she had a chance to touch him, his tent door flapped open and a pale hand emerged from behind him and yanked him away.
A warm body held him in a protective embrace, it had a sweet, smoky scent that belonged to someone he knew.
"The fuck you are shrimp! Buzz off, Master needs to rest to recover his magical energy!"
[GoldenKarp: Called it!! ]
Nero's eyes widened as she beheld Jalter, "Miss Jalter, apologies, I had no idea you were already eloped with my Praetor."
Jalter's heartbeat started beating faster.
"W-Well…" Jalter mumbled before she looked away, a blush on her face. She looked like she wanted to say something but didn't have the courage to say it right away but Jalter never had a chance to finish her sentence as another pair of footsteps quickly walked towards him and opened the tent flap.
He felt himself get pulled away from Jalter by the gentle, floral aroma that he recognized belonged to Mash.
Meanwhile, Martha's staff blocked the path between Nero and himself.
"Sorry Emperor Nero, but Jalter and Senpai are not like that. She was just doing her duty as Master's servant and guarding him from nighttime attackers,"Mash glanced at Jalter.
"Isn't that right, Jalter?" The cold way she said it sent chills down his spine. Despite her cuteness, Mash can convey some scary emotions sometimes.
"Yeah, Master's friend is right."
Mash's grip on his arm tightened at the mention of the word 'friend' but didn't comment.
"I am here to protect Master from nighttime attackers… particularly those that are blonde, tiny, and have a massive ego the size of Jupiter." Jalter was very clearly describing Nero there, but the emperor didn't seem bothered by it.
She evaluated the three women carefully before she came to a conclusion.
"Umu, I see. So there is no room in thy bed for me. Truly, today has been quite an ordeal filled with rejection after rejection. I am truly envious of you, Ritsuka Fujimaru."
He cleared his throat, trying his best not to choke on his embarrassment, "so, is there another reason you wish to see me tonight emperor Nero? Perhaps something more business related?"
Nero crossed her arms, "actually yes, there was. Although I would have preferred to have a post sex political discussion, I do not think your paramours would appreciate it."
"W-We are not his paramours!! We are his servants!!" Martha blurted out a bit too loudly, but Nero just raised a brow, clearly skeptical.
"I will not argue about private affairs out in the open like this, but I would very much still hope we have some privacy while we discuss the Zenobia problem in detail."
With Nero's intent to have sex with him neutralized, the girls did allow Nero inside his tent. However, they refused to leave his side for a moment, not trusting the emperor to keep her clothes on in their absence.
"I will come straight to the point, while Zenobia was kind enough to provide the general location to her base, Hispania is no small territory.
We do not have the resources nor time to send scouts to scour all of Hispania for that base. Not before a week passes and she makes true to her word and blows up my Roma." Nero did not mince any words, she spoke the simple facts to them.
[Pretty much. And there's also the possible ambush scenarios that can happen when they try and move in. ]
"We are okay on that front, we are able to pick up on Zenobia's energy readings. So it shouldn't be difficult to get her specific location using that. " Romani said.
Nero nodded, "well, that is one less thing to worry about, however, that still leaves one glaring issue that will hinder our success."
He knew what it was, that is why he said goodbye to Boudica and Altera earlier.
"The army's marching speed right? We don't have time to march towards the location even with the exact coordinates," He said, which earned him an umu from the emperor.
"Precisely. That means there is only one viable option for you and your group of heroes… you will have to storm their base directly on foot without my army to back them up."
"We figured that would be the case." Mash said, and he agreed.
"If that is the only path we can take, then we'll walk it." And they already spent an entire day just doing nothing, so they were already down to four days of the week… or was it six?
He really should have asked Zenobia in the moment how many days she considered a week before she left.
Nero was in disbelief at hearing his words, "Are you are not afraid of charging into enemy territory and fighting an entire army without backup by yourselves?"
He thought back to Orleans, to the constant game of cat and mouse he and the others went through to avoid fighting Fafnir.
Nero was right, without an army, the battle was going to be much more difficult. The only reason they were able to win last time was because the french army served as a good distraction while Emiya and the others tried to kill the dragon.
Now though? Now they were on their own, and they didn't have the luxury of training like in Naruto and Dragon ball. So the risk of death was uncomfortably high.
Regardless, he won't let these setbacks discourage him.
"We've already survived worse conditions, Your Majesty. And besides, it's not like we have a choice. We do nothing, and the future is doomed regardless, so we may as well go down fighting. " Especially since they were not the same people the last time they faced Lev. Even if he died, he still owes that creep a punch to the face.
[TheIcePryce: Normally I would say such a foolish decision, and while Heroic Spirits are a great equalizer, they are still going into uncharted territory which is as obvious as a trap as it gets. ]
[SurgeOfLightning: True, but it wouldn't be a climactic battle if it didn't involve sieging a fortified base. ]
Nero pressed her lips together and looked down at the floor, "I apologize, I keep relying on you too much. You two truly deserve better than having me as an emperor."
"Don't say that Emperor Nero. You are a great emperor." He tried to reassure her, but what Nero said next just broke any further comments he had prepared for her.
"If that is true, then why does history remember me so harshly?"
His mouth felt dry as the emperor asked that question. She was acting rather somber, which was out of character for Nero, but it was not without a good reason.
The revelation about her future and how her death affected her Rome in centuries to come had affected her more than she initially presented in the morning.
"If it is my destiny to become a tyrant that hurts her people, that my death became the precursor to a long succession of short-lived emperors, why should I bother trying to preserve history? Now that I am aware of my fate, I do not think I will be able to walk the steps history wishes me to walk."
Her eyes turned serious, "which is why I ask you, would you also stand in my way if I chose to oppose history?"
[Uhh…. That is a tough question to answer given the… circumstances we are on. ]
[Heart0f6old: Welp, it looks like this is one of those pivotal choices that you see in games. His choice now will affect the ending of this arc. ]
The tone in Nero's voice got dark and it lacked the joy it usually held. He could lie to her and tell her he would never do that, but he was not that kind of guy, so he told her the truth.
"There's nothing wrong with wanting to change your destiny. That is something all humans desire, so your desire to change your grim future is normal. Even so, if opposing you means keeping the incineration of humanity from happening, I would do it… but I would definitely not be happy about it. "
Nero sat in silence as she studied his face, clearly she was looking for something. Whatever it is she found, she seemed content.
"Very well, I accept your answer Ritsuka Fujimaru. Your dedication to your mission to save humanity, and by extension Roma, from all threats(including myself) is admirable.
She put her hands on her waist and shot them all a toothy grin, "you have inspired me. Which is why I will be joining you on your siege."
That sounded like a horrible idea, Mash seemed to think the same as she tried to talk the emperor out of following them into danger.
"Emperor Nero, I don't think it's a good idea for you to expose yourself to danger like this. If you die, then it won't matter if we defeat Zenobia, we will still have lost."
Nero waved away Mash's concerned plea, "sorry but, I am not the type of commander that lets others fight my battles for me to take my glory. No, I shall come with you!"
She brought up her hand and clenched it into a fist, "I vowed to Zenobia that I would strangle her with her own braided hair, and I meant it!! I will fight alongside you whether you like it or not!"
[PerfectlySaneHex: :UMU Emote : ]
[Burning_Jealousy: :UMU Emote : ]
[SurgeOfLightning: Nero might have her hiccups, but any commander willing to fight side by side with her grunts in the front lines is a commander worthy of respect. ]
[Meh, it won't matter anyway. The World is just going to mindwipe her memories once the singularity is resolved. ]
"Well, there's not much we can do to convince you otherwise so why not?" he extended his hand out to Nero, a gesture which she returned by clasping his arm with her own.
They released each other from their grips and both of them were in high spirits, but Romani decided to rain on their parade with cold reality.
"Well, now that we have our team formed, it's time for us to talk about strategy… So how are you guys going to deal with the aerial bombardments? "
_____________________________________________________________
Shapeless Isle, 60 AD, Septem Singularity
Before Chaldea Arrived
Stheno POV
The sand beneath her sandals crunched as she walked over the gorgeous beach. The sun had started dipping into the horizon, which bathed the world around her in an orange light.
Ever since she manifested in this era, it had become a new routine for her to wander the beach, enjoying the beauty of nature. Of course, it paled in comparison to her own beauty, but she still could appreciate the lesser beauty of other things than herself.
She was a perfect goddess after all, it would be foolish to assume that anything could surpass her allure.
Yet despite how much she enjoyed these peaceful walks, the longing in her heart was hard to ignore.
This small island, these beautiful beaches and landscape, oh, how she wished that she could share it with her beloved sisters. Yes, even her freakish, giant little sister Medusa.
She sighed out loud, the little bit of happiness she had slipping out her lips and carried away by the cool, salty breeze.
Sadly, such a dream was out of her grasp. She would never be able to return to that island with her sisters, not anymore. That was why she couldn't pluck them down to be summoned alongside her and had to pick two other servants to descend with her.
She picked Elizabeth Bathory on a whim, as she is a woman that greatly appreciates beauty and is an idol just like herself. While her voice is a hazard to anything and everything aside from dragons, Stheno could admit that Elizabeth isn't a horrible singer or idol when she sings for others.
As for Tamamo Cat, well, she brought her because she found the berserker quite entertaining to be around. She was a berserker that had her own way of speaking, but she also enjoyed deciphering the meaning behind the madness of her words.
Apart from that? She also brought Tamamo Cat along because she had heard the woman was an excellent cook.
And so far she hasn't disappointed her.
Even with the limited ingredients on this island, she always manages to make a 5 star feast worthy a goddess such as herself.
Her musings on dinner are brought to a halt as a presence made itself known.
She hummed at the presence's method of entry into her island. Not by sailing the sea or flying in the sky, this person willed himself here through magecraft.
How interesting.
She smiled demurely at the sudden intrusion, her mind already thinking of quests she can impose on this rather unusual hero.
She could hear his heavy footsteps crunching the sand beneath his feet as he approached her from the back.
Her hand tucked one of her bangs behind her ear as she turned to face him.
If she could summarize the appearance of this man in one word, it would be: 'Dapper.'
He wore a brown suit and top hat like humans of the future, and he was smiling at her. Not the usual smile of a man who has fallen head over heels for her, but rather, his smile had dark intentions.
A typical hero encounter all things considered.
How uncouth, but a hero is a hero, so she is obligated to give her usual greetings.
"Good day hero-" she paused when she saw man's smile curved beyond what was humanly possible.
Narrowing her eyes, she exerted her divine will and…
𓁹
𓁹𓁹
𓁹𓁹𓁹
𓁹𓁹𓁹𓁹
𓁹𓁹𓁹𓁹𓁹
𓁹𓁹 𓁹𓁹𓁹𓁹
Whatever form of positive emotions she showed towards the man vanished as she beheld the true form of the monster in front of her.
She felt a bile of disgust crawl from her stomach, but she forced it down. A perfected goddess does not expel or excrete impurities, for she is perfect.
She regarded the man with a much more stoic, but annoyed look, "apologies, you are not the magnificent warrior I was expecting at all, far from it actually. Allow me to correct myself."
She crossed her arms, just to show how displeased she was with this man trespassing on her temporary home.
"What is the main villain that created the instability of this era doing in this humble abode of mine?"
The monster's chuckle was mirthful, "A villain am I? Well, you're not wrong. As for why I am here, well it should be obvious, no?" he tilted his neck.
"I'm here for you."
The audacity of this man.
She couldn't help it, she laughed at the man's bold declaration. However, she did not allow herself to behave unladylike and covered her mouth as she did so. Her guest may be a monster, but she was still a perfect idol.
"Oh dear, to think my beauty could be capable of charming even a monstrosity like you… should I be surprised or disgusted I wonder?"
The thing did not confirm or deny her claim, he just kept that creepy, ever-present smile on his face.
She hummed, "still, this revelation is quite unexpected. Nevertheless, if you came here for me, it is still within my duty as a beautiful goddess to grant a hero, and I use the term very loosely, his quest."
"Oh, to receive a quest from a goddess such as yourself. What an honor."
She did not miss the subtle sarcasm in his tone.
"No, no, the honor is all mine." A dark shadow fell over her eyes, and her smile curved upward at the possibilities.
She was under no illusion that this monster was dangerous, but he admitted he was here for her, so that meant his possession of that body had granted him the same weaknesses as any other man.
Her cruel smirk turned sweet and she exuded her charm to its fullest potency.
Any normal man who was exposed to her unfiltered, raw allure would be frothing at the mouth as he kneeled before her feet. It doesn't matter what this thing is, so long as he takes the shape of a man, he will not be able to resist the sweet allure of a goddess and will become her enslaved pet.
Except, the monster didn't react.
Her brow twitched and she realized that a smile alone will be insufficient.
As much as it disgusted her, she needed to use a bit more firepower.
The pink glow of her noble phantasm shone brilliant pink as she gave the monster a faint, cute smile.
"Hey you… look at me…"
She brought her dainty hands together and formed a heart, then she aligned the monster's body inside the heart shape of her hands. Using all the moe of a perfect idol, she closed her eyes and unleashed her most perfect of smiles.
The same smile that led that bitch Athena to cast her and her sisters away to their shapeless island.
"Smile of Stheno!"
The pink heart manifested over the monster's chest. The monster only managed to acknowledge the attack with the raise of a brow before a pink explosion of hearts and rainbows hit the creature square in the chest.
She smiled in satisfaction when her attack landed, but it was short lived when she saw the creature emerge from the aftermath like it had been nothing.
Her Smile of Stheno had no effect.
The sweet smile that promises the pleasure and love of a goddess vanished, turning into a displeased and sour frown.
She scoffed, displeased by the results, "I was mistaken, you are not a man after all."
The thing let out a mocking chuckle of its own, "I never claimed to be one, you just made an error in your assumptions and tried to seduce me. How typical of a Greek divine spirit."
Did this bastard just subtly compare her to Zeus?
"If you're not here to claim me as a woman, what exactly is it that you want? Do you wish to make me an underling in whatever plot you are using to undermine the counterforce? Sorry to disappoint you, but I am a weak goddess and I will be of no help against your enemies."
The monster hummed in a playful tone, "well, you're right. You are a pathetic excuse for a divine spirit."
Her eyebrow twitched, her pride and patience as a perfect goddess chipped by the blatant insult.
"So weak and helpless that even a human could easily subdue and use you to relieve his carnal desires… However, I am not as shortsighted as humans are, nor am I driven by such vile human emotions like lust.
No, I am here for a much more noble goal."
"Hah! Noble you say? What kind of nobility involves bringing about untold amounts of death and suffering to mortals?"
Not that she cared about them, but she was getting tired of this asshole and was losing her patience with him.
The thing tilted its head, "oh, you need not worry about that. The intricacies of my king's plans are far above you. But it is for the greater good, a goal which will be made easier with your acquisition."
The thing walked closer to her, which made the annoyed and disgusted emotions gain a new companion.
Fear.
A small bead of sweat broke through her perfect skin. This monster was not here to claim her as their woman, nor was he here to kill her. If he was, she would already be dead.
The way this thing cryptically talked about a "noble goal for the greater good," could only mean one thing.
This thing wanted to use her for some sort of ritual. To use her body as a catalyst to summon something or someone to further his evil plans.
She expected for men to seek her out to defile her, so this should be nothing new… but whatever form of defilement this monster had in store for her, she felt it would be one thousand times worse than whatever a group of perverted beasts would do to her bare body.
She refused to allow herself to become some exotic ingredient for whatever potion he wished to brew, so she sent a mental command to her guardians.
It was time for them to serve their purpose and protect their master.
"Hm?"
Her blood ran cold as she felt the man's gaze pierce through her body, and observe her soul. He was analyzing her as if she was some kind of specimen in a lab.
The thing had caught onto her intentions and made his move.
The magical energy around her body tensed and held her in a firm grip, rendering her immobile.
She let out an ungraceful squeak as the powerful force lifted her off her feet and into the air.
All her remaining politeness evaporated as she chided the brute who dared lay a hand on her.
"Hey!! Unhand me you foul beast!! Unhand me!! I am a goddess!! I will not be treated like some doll!!" suddenly the world blurred as her body jerked in his direction.
She tried to let out a scream but the monster's filthy, imperfect hand clasped over her mouth, silencing her.
"Ah, peace and quiet, I was getting pretty tired of hearing you yap my ears off."
She glared at the monster who was handling her like some doll and froze when she saw her attacker from up close.
The man's smile had split into a grin of razor sharp teeth. His eyes no longer closed, but wide open and showing his inhuman irises.
Her muffled screams did little but give pleasure to the monster at seeing his prey squeal and struggle moments before he devoured her.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO STHENO YOU CREEP?!!" relief washed over her at the sound of Elizabeth's outraged voice.
She was flying towards them at full speed while Tamamo Cat ran next to her.
"Nya!! Prepare to taste the power of the sun!!" Tamamo Cat created a ball of sunlight and was about to shoot it at her attacker, but she abruptly stopped when he stuck out his arm, the same arm that he was using to manhandle her.
This bastard was using her as a living shield!!
The brilliant glow of Tamamo's light vanished, a conflicted look crossing her face.
The monster grinned widely when he saw that his cowardly action had worked.
A high pitched whining sound came from the monster's face when it fired two consecutive lasers at her bodyguards.
Neither of her guards saw it coming and were struck by the beams.
Thankfully, she could still feel they were alive, but just momentarily paralyzed.
"Apologies ladies, while I would normally humor you and your pathetic attempts to fight me, your goddess and I are going to be late for our date. So if you'll excuse us."
The small bit of hope she had was crushed beneath this monster's boot when she saw and felt the space around them warp. Even if they could move, it was too late for either Tamamo or Elizabeth to save her in time.
The last thing she saw of her island were the desperate visages of her protectors as she was dragged away to parts unknown.
✦✧✦
Hispania, 60 AD, Septem Singularity
The floor was cold, hard, and it looked like it hadn't been cleaned in decades.
She was currently lying prone in the center of a highly complicated magical circle drawn into said disgusting floor. Her sensitive nose picked up the scent of metal from the blood markings of the summoning circle.
She had stopped resisting, as escape was now impossible, but even so, that didn't mean she gave up on trying to understand the monster's goal.
From a logical standpoint, this kidnapping made no sense.
Her eyes met the monster's stolen face as he was busy painting more sigils on the circle with blood.
"Why are you doing this? This seems like an unnecessary amount of effort for little gains. I might live on an isolated island, but even I was able to sense the overtly powerful divine spirit arriving in this realm earlier.
Why would you kidnap and abuse a weak goddess such as myself when you have the founder of Rome in your retinue?! He would make for a better footsoldier than whoever it is you plan to summon."
The monster paused in his work, frowning like he was remembering an unpleasant memory.
"Ah yes, Romulus. I had intended to use him to help me destroy Rome, but the bastard was surprisingly resistant to my influences. He refused to follow my commands and destroy Rome."
His face contorted into a grotesque frown, "then the weakling had the gall to strike and injure me, ME!"
A dense amount of magical energy flooded the small room. Her body shivered at the sheer malice emanating from this monster.
Then as soon as it arrived, it vanished and the monster managed to recover his decorum. He went back to writing the marks on the floor, his smile now returned in full, but unlike before, it was smug.
"I quickly put him in his place. I told him that I would destroy his beloved Rome whether he was a part of my plan or not, and do you know what he said to me?"
She wasn't allowed to make a response as the monster answered the question himself.
"He said that only someone with the divine right to rule could become king. That no matter what I did, his Roma would rise up and fend me off as I did not have the support of the gods on my side."
A feeling of dread washed over her as the monster's plans unfurruled before her.
"I see, so you're going to use me to summon a god of olympus aren't you? Aphrodite perhaps? How very ambitious…. And utterly foolish. The Age of Gods has long passed, you will never be able to summon what you want, even if you use me as a catalyst, chief gods will not bow to a monster like you!"
His grin grew wider, and his demonic features came back in full view.
"Oh my dear Stheno… who said anything about summoning a god?"
What? He's not planning to summon a god? A powerful hero perhaps? But to use her as a catalyst is still a massive waste! He can just use a relic, there are plenty of scraps he could pilfer that would allow him to do so.
So why?
The man seemed satisfied with the summoning circle and to her surprise, he pulled out the holy grail that was the cause of this entire singularity.
"Look at you, trying so desperately to figure out my plans. Well, consider me in a generous mood. I'll tell you… I'm doing an experiment."
"What kind of experiment?" She asked, not liking where this conversation was going.
"It's a very simple one, what will happen if I rip out a bratty goddess's divine core and stuff it inside a pawn that is more willing to follow my plans?"
A gasp had already left her lips long before the monster had finished his sentence.
No… no way… he's not going to do that… he wouldn't dare!
She flinched as the grail shone brightly, and activated the blood under her body.
Sparks danced around the magic circle as it drank and swelled with magical energy.
No, she needed to get out of here. She can't let this happen, anything but that. She refused to let this man disfigure her and give her beauty to another!
She'd rather die!!
She went still as multiple tendrils of magical energy grabbed hold of her metaphysical essence.
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!"
And start ripping it apart.
The pain started at the base of her foot.
It felt like she was getting skinned, while also having her flesh, bones, and nerves chopped up into fine pieces of mulch.
Her tears burned her cheeks as her body could not gracefully handle the agony she was being subjected to.
She looked down and her heart dropped when she saw her legs were glowing a bright white.
He was really doing it, he was really going to rip her apart!!
Gah!! It hurts… it hurts so much… She has never experienced this much excruciating pain before. Even Gorgon was much gentler in ripping apart her flesh and devouring her than what this monster was doing to her right now!!
The pain continued to grow worse as it travelled up her body.
By the time the disassembly reached her neck, her screams had already grown silent. She had screamed so loudly that her throat had gotten hoarse from the exertion.
She felt like she was falling, and crushed all at the same time.
The light dulled, and a beautiful, deep purple gem floated in above the circle where Stheno once was.
"Now for the tricky part..." The holy grail in Lev's hand shone once more, and the gem melted into the summoning circle, which glowed with a much hier intensity than before as the divine magical energy filled the circle with mystery.
However, this part of the process proved too much for the last remained of Stheno's consciousness to handle as the void began to consume her.
The last conscious thoughts Stheno had was of a memory of her sister Medusa and Euryale while they were still living together as a family in their home.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
AN: Poor Stheno was Ripped Into Shreds, all so Lev could get his hands on a shiny rock for his troubles. Fun fact, the Stheno interlude was actually supposed to be the preview video shown before the singularity started. However, Flowerman and I felt it would give away too much if I placed it at the start, so it got delayed.
And it has been getting delayed for months, and was ironically posted near the end of the Septem arc. I was initially gonna post it as a separate chappie alongside the main story, but I always ran out of time. So I mixed it with this week's chapter.
While Zenobia is a hot waifu in our eyes, it's worth noting that by greek standards of beauty, she is rather unattractive. Too bad for the bratty goddess, she's stuck inside a muscle mommy, and she's hating every second of it.
For anyone wondering what Stheno's dissasembly looks like, I basically took some inspiration from Nitocris Alter's 1st ascension.
Image here.
Nitocris Alter: "Phew. My Spirit Origin has finally gotten accustomed to this place. Well you see, my divine aura has been leaking from my Spirit Origin, and anywhere you see shining is actually breaking down."
Once again, thanks to @Flowerman for helping me with Nasu Lore and for listening to my ramblings that I call "my outline."
Hopefully you guys enjoyed, I'll see you next week.