A swarm of coins surrounded Nero, targeting her from all directions. She managed to temporarily knock them down thanks to her incredible speed, before backing down a few steps as the unlikely weapons gathered behind her counterpart.
"What the hell? Do you have a power similar to Gil's?"
"My power is incomparable. I left Rome a city of gold and prosperity. This is the testament of my wealth."
"You know, you're not hot nor nice enough to brag this much. And what's up with your other little trick?"
"Intactus."
"Untouchable?"
"That's the name of my skill."
"That doesn't clear things up."
"The height of my power was never reached by a man after me, so no man can touch it if I deem them unworthy."
And with that, (male) Nero released hundreds of coins, attempting to crush the girl in front of him. In a blink, she disappeared from his sight and before he could realise it, she was standing behind him. Our Nero tried to cut him, but her blade was stopped once more.
"You thought that my skill needs to be consciously activated to work, didn't you?"
"Well, that was my hope."
"A peasant's mistake."
"Yeah, now you're really starting to sound like a guy I know."
"Don't demean me, woman!"
A column of coins crashed down like a waterfall, penetrating deep into the ground. Despite this, when the emperor turned around, his eyes were still facing the red sword of his enemy.
Nero dodged another arrow from the alternate Caligula.
"I told you to stay out of this!"
"Yeah, stay out of this, Uncle!"
Nero shouted as she avoided another attack.
"Well, this is impossibly annoying. Hey, me, I mean you, I mean... well, just to be clear, you have a sort of invisible barrier around you, right?"
"Call it what you want."
"Sure, sure. And it protects you from all harm, right?"
"Yes."
"Even when you don't see or realise you're under attack, right?"
"Indeed."
"Cool, cool. Very well then...
Behold my glory...
Hear the thunderous applause...
Sit down and praise... My Golden Theater!
Kingdom of Heaven and Hell...
My heaven, reconstructed! This is where the limelight shines!
Aestus Domus Aurea!"
The golden theater appeared in all its glory, enveloping both Neros.
"A change of scenery? I must admit, this location isn't the worst. But why do you insist on fighting instead of just surrendering?"
"I'm going to cut you now."
"Haha... hahaha... HAHAHAHA... even after spelling it out for you... you just don't get it... my skill protects me from all-"
"LAUS ST. CLAUDIUS!"
Nero dashed forward, stopping in a sort of bowing pose before looking back as the theater slowly faded away. Her enemy slowly turned to face her.
"... how? HOW?"
"Every threat, every attack, every attempt at hurting you is blocked by your barrier, right?"
"Yes..."
"See, there's the problem... your barrier can't stop something that never happened."
"But... you cut me..."
"Maybe so, however, something that doesn't happen at any point in time, happens really or not? To an outside eye, one second we were facing each other, the next, you were split in half. There was not enough time for your barrier to recognise the threat."
"But... my barrier... is instantenous..."
"Sorry, pal... I'm faster."
The alternate Nero fell down, his upper body now separated from the bottom half.
"What? What in Diana's name did you do?"
Caligula exclaimed as he readied his bow. Before he could shoot, though, he felt a sharp pain in his throat and reached for it with his hand. When he looked down, he saw blood on his palm and even more blood gushing out of his neck.
"Sorry, Unc, but I'm kinda in a hurry. I have friends I need to protect."
Nero said as she moved forward, ready for another confrontation.
***
"Damn it... I'm in a stalemate... if I block his attacks with Avalon, the resulting impact will shred through our army... and he keeps me on the defensive..."
Artoria analysed the situation as she tried to gain distance from Germanicus, but the Roman emperor kept closing in as more eagle statues piled on the end of his spear. Artoria barely dodged a thrust that soared through the battlefield like an air cannon.
"What kind of power is this?"
"This is the strength of the Roman legions I commanded through Germany and of those whose honour I restored by granting them a proper burial. The full power of seven legions can be channeled through my spear."
Germanicus struck the ground, making it quake. Taking advantage of this surprise move, he aimed at Artoria's head, but she deflected the blow with Excalibur. However, the resulting clash made her lose even more balance, leaving her wide open for another attack. This time, Germanicus's spear drew blood, but not hers. D'Artagnan had placed his body in front, stopping the attack.
"A great soldier shouldn't mindlessly throw his life away like this."
"Mindlessly? My duty is to protect the king and his kingdom. These warriors are defending the king, so it's only natural that, to make them succeed, I should be willing to offer up even my own life."
"D'Artagnan! You mustn't! You're the reason the army is holding its own!"
"Don't worry about that, Queen of Knights. My death will only enhance my ability, since my very soul will be infused in them. This is the final aid I can give you. You take it from here. And please... help the king with all your might."
And with that, D'Artagnan vanished in one blaze. Artoria gently bowed her head in respect, acknowledging the will of the fallen warrior. Meanwhile, Germanicus added all his remaining talismans.
"It's time to end this, great queen."
"Indeed."
Germanicus dashed forward in one decisive motion. Artoria was still unsure of what to do exactly until she saw a figure running towards the two of them from the side. It was Jeanne.
"Artoria! Use Avalon! I'll redirect the impact."
Without hesitation, the Queen of Knights followed the Fire Maiden's instructions. As expected, Avalon dispersed the strike in all directions, but Jeanne acted in perfect sync.
"LUMINOSITÉ ETERNELLE!"
The power of Germanicus's attack was completely deflected back at him, tearing away his armour and part of his skin. Before he could retract his lance, three men approached him from behind, seemingly unbothered by the strong cutting winds.
"We three the legend,
We three the hero,
We three the unity,
Let our swords cross!
All for one and one for all,
DANSE DE BRAGELONNE!"
Their three rapiers pierced right through the back of the Roman, greedily drinking his blood. Germanicus fell to the ground, mortally wounded.
"I was hoping... we would have an honourable duel... hmph... 'Queen of Knights'... what a joke..."
Those were his last words before disappearing, strong enough to stun Artoria for a moment. A gentle hand on her shoulder made her snap out of it.
"You did- we did the right thing, Artoria. We must win at all costs. Athos, Portos and Aramis sacrificed themselves for us. We must move forward for them and for everyone else."
"... and what if in this journey we lose sight of who we are?"
"I'll make sure it won't come to this. I promise."
With one final nod, the two women separated.
***
Salter dashed forward, noticing two men in regal and rich clothes hovering above the ground.
"Having fun, you bastards? Why don't you come down and face me?"
"Why should the Sun test its strength against the Earth and come down from the high sky?"
"Does the Sun bleed if cut, dipshit? Or will your veins sprout out helium and hydrogen?"
"Insolent pest, you're talking to an Emperor!"
"Nobody is going to respect a pretty boy afraid of getting his hands dirty, Eliogabalus!"
"Well then, why don't you go down and face her, Aurelianus?"
"With pleasure. After all, the God of the Sun holds conflict very dearly. That is why we call the Sun undefeated."
"Spare me the fanatical talk and come here already."
Aurelianus rapidly dipped back down on the battlefield, charging his sword with flaming energy and releasing a powerful slash. With a swing of Excalibur Morgan, Salter deflected it.
"Was that all you got?"
"Not at all, I'll turn you into air, young lady!"
Aurelianus' sword gathered and created even more flames as he jumped up and prepared to release a beam, a powerful and compact solar flare.
"SOL INVICTUS!"
The emperor couldn't even land that his confident expression turned into one of surprise. Rather than respond immediately or try to dodge his attack, his enemy seemed determined to take it head-on.
"Does she have no common sense or fear? Where are her survival instincts?"
Salter did possess common sense, fear and instincts. However, for the time being, her will trampled over them, pushing them down, deeper and deeper, forcing them further and further to reach a boiling point, concentrating all her response into a singular moment, one simple motion. The flames were now inches away from her. Then...
A sudden red flash. A deep crack formed, cutting the battlefield in half. Everything in that particular direction had seemingly disappeared into thin air. Of the two combatants, only Salter was still present.
"Oh? It seems like you are not a defenseless woman after all. Did you use a magic trick to make him vanish? Or is he hiding in some kind of-"
"You talk too much."
Salter commented drily as she sent a Mana Burst in his direction, cutting Eliogabalus' arm right off. The young man screamed out in pain.
"You bitch! How dare you?! HOW DARE YOU?! He was just a priest, a servant! I am the Avatar of Apollus, of Helios, of the Sun itself! By the Authority of the Gods, die!!!
APOLLONIAE FUROR-"
Before he could finish his attack, another red flash happened. He also disappeared into thin air and all the energy he was accumulating dispersed in a golden blaze.
"You stupid kid. I didn't even need to make myself shit my pants to beat you."
Salter turned around, admiring for a second the unusual spectacle of a dragon and a helicopter flying at the same time.
"Those two are too close... I'll strike that witch down myself. Her and that stupid dragon..."
***
All the clones of King Louis unleashed magic bindings that got tighter and tighter the more Remus struggled to break free. Creating two spinning spiked balls, one of them launched them towards the Grand Servant. Breaking free from his restraints, Remus attempted to swat them away, but a portal opened, making them disappear. Another Louis shot out a dark blast. Remus was ready to block it, but, to his surprise, the attack had no weight to it.
He realised that it was nothing more than an illusion and jumped upward just in time to avoid the reappearing spiked balls. Four of his identical enemies teleported around him, trapping him in a 3D cage. From the sky, a massive fireball, a giant hand emerging from the ground and a dragon made out of lightning all came raining down.
Crossing his spears, Remus rapidly opened up his arms, creating an omnidirectional push of wind that atomized everything opposing him. Once his feet were again touching grass, Remus looked around.
"Despite your efforts, it appears that the battle is not going well for your forces. I don't envy your position, Sun King."
"I don't envy myself either."
"Oh? So you're acknowledging you are not fit to rule?"
"No, I'm acknowledging my worthiness. I have nothing to envy from anyone, even myself."
Lifting his scepter, all weapons that had been dropped to the ground by the dead French soldiers began floating. Then, copies of them started appearing suddenly. Mana started gathering around them and they seemed to possess a strength they had never had before, as if they had been turned into Noble Phantasms. With one downward motion, King Louis sent them flying at accelerating speed toward his adversary and his army.
The bombardment lasted several seconds, and every time a weapon fell to the ground, it got back up, ready to strike another man. Finally, once it was done, the offensive had claimed the lives of several Roman soldiers.
"I would say that evens things out. Still thinking everything is going to plan, failed King?"
Just then, something unexpected happened. The entire Roman army, soldiers, horses, generals, historical figures, and servants vanished into a sea of dust particles that immediately were channeled into Remus' great spear.
"I am. You want to know why? Because I have the strongest army? The strongest generals? The bravest soldiers? No, none of that matters. What counts, the reason I know I'm going to win... is because I am here.
ROMA INVERSA"