Chapter 120: I Will Always Love Nero
Huge crimson waves suddenly surged in from the coastline—the tsunami, something that had no place in this era, appeared as if from nowhere and began to engulf the surrounding cities.
"Unbelievable, a tsunami like this in this time period!!!"
Doctor Romani's eyes stared at the bizarre display in front of him, his forehead drenched in sweat.
"The gravitational forces above the sea surrounding Rome are continuously shifting!!!"
"Sheba Observation Lenses No. 09, 12, 15 are down!!!"
"An unidentified massive magical energy reaction is continuously rising inside the city of Rome!"
The alarm sirens echoed throughout the control room, and the observation technicians continuously reported unforeseen events.
"Confirm immediately—Is the unidentified object inside Rome a Demon God Pillar?!"
"Currently in the process of confirmation… we've analyzed the mana wavelength—only a small part matches that of a Demon God Pillar, the magical energy is still increasing!!!"
"It's still increasing?!"
Doctor Romani stared in disbelief at the values on the screen that were still skyrocketing.
"This has already far surpassed the Demon God Pillar that appeared at the Singularities!"
"Romani, step away from the monitor. I'll take over the analysis…"
Da Vinci immediately stepped up, pushed Romani's chair aside, and began operating with blinding speed, analyzing the bizarre data.
"Ethan, Mash!!!"
Snapping back to his senses, Doctor Romani shouted into the communicator:
"You two, find shelter now! The tsunami is coming!!!"
As soon as Romani's warning was heard through the communicator, everyone immediately turned around to look.
Not far off, a massive wave, several dozen meters high, was crashing forward at terrifying speed, swallowing up every patch of land it touched!!!
The soldiers in Iskandar's army, seeing this horrifying sight, each showed expressions of utter panic.
"Why is there a tsunami this huge?!"
"We're screwed—we're all gonna die!"
Just as the soldiers' morale began to collapse, Iskandar immediately reached out and grabbed the reins of the Gordius Wheel, giving them a strong yank.
"Hyaaaa——————!!!"
The two Divine Bulls pulling the chariot immediately raised their heads to the sky and roared.
"MooOOOOOOOOO!!!"
Then their entire bodies erupted with blue lightning, and they leapt high into the air with all their strength, pulling the chariot straight up into the sky!!!
"——————!!!"
"Reines!!!"
Reines was almost flung off the chariot due to losing her balance, but Waver quickly reached out and grabbed her in time.
Ethan and Mash clung desperately to the edge of the chariot.
Jeanne Alter and Mordred, however, showed no signs of panic, leaning against the sides of the chariot with perfect balance.
"Boy, take the Master straight to the city of Rome!"
Iskandar shouted directly to Waver as they soared through the sky.
"Rider, what about you?!!"
Waver immediately called back down.
"I'll get this army to safety first—then I'll catch up."
Right after saying that, Iskandar turned back and drew the Sword of Kupriotes from his side, putting all his strength into a mighty slash toward the ground behind him!!!
"HAAAH————————!!!"
The lightning-charged slash carved a deep trench into the earth, temporarily forming a barrier to block the surging tsunami.
"Hurry! If you don't want to die, follow me up the mountain!!!"
The soldiers who had lost all will to survive suddenly snapped back to their senses at the sound of that thunderous shout.
"That's right—up the mountain!!!"
"Quick! Follow the King up the mountain!!!"
Iskandar yanked the reins of Bucephalus hard, leading the army in a dash toward the nearby mountain.
His gaze followed the Gordius Wheel as it flew off into the sky.
I'm counting on you for now, boy.
No… Waver Velvet.
...
"Why… why isn't it working…!!!"
Lev stared at the black and red tentacles sprouting from Nero's back, seeing no movement whatsoever, and finally began to rage.
"Andromalius, to make up for your mistakes, I reincarnated you into the vessel most suitable for your era—a body that is the most perfect of this age! And yet why do you still not respond?!!"
Amid Lev's furious screams, the two long, crimson tentacles gradually stopped moving, and even began to disintegrate.
"Aaaahhh!!!"
Nero clutched her head, writhing in agony.
The headache grew more and more intense.
"The feeling of being rejected by Rome's founding Emperor… how is it? Fufufu…"
Another voice echoed inside Nero's mind.
"You… just who are you… Aaaahhh!!!"
Nero struggled to endure the migraine that nearly drove her unconscious.
"Is it really that important, who I am? Do you want to drive these invaders out of Rome?"
The whispering voice in her head became ever clearer, accompanied by the searing pain.
Images of Lev and the face of the Divine Ancestor at the moment of death flashed through Nero's mind.
"Aah… I am the Emperor of Rome… I must make that magus pay!!!"
Nero screamed, rising violently. Her eyes were now filled with a bright red hue, like blood.
"When fruit ripens, it begins to rot. Even the richest fragrance turns to poison. All prosperity eventually leads to decay—that is the sin born of mankind."
"In this way, 'Corruption' is complete. Though the wineglass is not yet full, Rome shall be swept away and reborn in the waves of ending."
...
The black and red tentacles on Nero's back continued to writhe in agony.
"Mere powerless fragments dare to dream of stealing my body?!"
Under Lev's watchful eyes—
The black and red tentacles immediately dropped from Nero's back, curled on the ground, and quickly rotted away.
The shard of a Demon God Pillar implanted within her body also crumbled into black ash and vanished into the air.
"Impossible! This power…!!!"
Lev's instincts screamed in alarm—what stood before him now was a threat far beyond his ability to deal with.
"…No, you are clearly just a normal human. Nero Claudius in this era is just an ordinary human—just who are you?!!"
"Me? If you want me to give my name… you're not worthy."
"Don't underestimate me, human!!!"
Lev roared in fury, simultaneously beginning to transform into the true form of a Demon God Pillar.
A massive column of flesh erupted from the ground, with countless eyes along it glaring down at Nero below.
"I am one of the Seventy-Two Demon God Pillars of King Solomon! Demon God Flauros!!!"
"Oh? A mere avatar dares to challenge me? Such admirable courage."
The sky began to darken. A tremendous, indescribable magical energy burst forth from around Nero.
Her aura seemed to grow more arrogant; dark red magical glyphs appeared one after another across her body, and her eyes transformed into a deep, blood-like red.
"A Beast that only knows how to burn the world for fuel could never understand the joy of pouring desire into a goblet. Come, let me show you the sweetness of Corruption."