stonecrandall Page 128
Page 128
Under these circumstances, it is impossible to summon a Grand-rank Servant like King Solomon. Since King Solomon cannot be summoned, it is natural that the Humanity Incineration Style, which is based on King Solomon's magic, can no longer be produced.
However, faced with your confident assertions, Dione's vision of the future was clearly different.
"Is that so? Then if King Solomon wasn't summoned, why did the sixth beast appear?"
Chapter 306 Pretext for Declaring War
Beasts can be summoned in a chain.
When one beast appears, other beasts will follow, escalating the calamity.
Quinn knew Dione was right. The appearance of the Sixth Beast must have a reason. When this beast appeared, other beasts would also appear in human history. Perhaps the other beasts would not be targeting him like the Sixth Beast, but they would definitely threaten him. After all, even if a transmigrator wanted to establish himself in this world and survive normally, he would inevitably form a symbiotic relationship with the people of Type-Moon.
Now, Dione has laid this problem bare before Quinn, and her meaning is quite direct.
King Solomon has been summoned. Once King Solomon's wish is fulfilled, the magic he created will become sentient and transform into the merciful beast Goetia. Then, the process will begin, preparing for the incineration of humanity to burn humanity to ashes.
[You understood Dione's hint, but you were involved in the establishment of Chaldea. You can't understand how anyone could summon King Solomon without your knowledge. In your memory, the only person in the entire Type-Moon universe who has ever summoned King Solomon is your partner.]
Your relationship with Animusfia is fairly good, which makes it much easier for you to find the answers. You just need to communicate with Animusfia to find out everything.
If Animusphia has not yet summoned King Solomon, then you only need to stop him. If he has already been summoned, then you can prepare a plan to deal with King Solomon in advance.
Therefore, you have only one response to Dione, just as you once responded to Zeus.
"I'm sorry to trouble you, but I have my own way of handling this, just like my previous response: humanity has its own destiny."
The tactful refusal caused Dio's eyebrows to tremble slightly, and a barely perceptible pain appeared on his face.
Her eyes dimmed for a moment, and her lips tightened slightly, but after a moment of silence, she sighed softly, her voice so low it was almost inaudible: "...Yes, those are the words you would say, Europa. This time I will not make the wrong choice again."
With these words, Dione raised her head, her gaze returning to calm.
“In that case, I will not deny your choice, but I will take Jupiter with me.”
"Who wants to leave with you?" Jupiter immediately responded, "I am the King of Gods, and no one can decide my fate, not even you."
No, you guys can argue here?
Quinn was at a loss. From his perspective, it was certainly a good thing that Jupiter was willing to follow him. The problem was that he couldn't directly speak up and reject Dione's goodwill on Jupiter's behalf. Jupiter himself had to persuade her. After all, it wasn't Zeus who appeared here, but Dione, who was Jupiter's mother in another sense.
As a result of his not intervening in the argument between the two, the entire Pantheon was in turmoil for a time. Fortunately, the former God-King and the current God-King were only arguing verbally and did not escalate into a fight, which was a good thing.
Meanwhile, the God of War and the God of Love, who had been silent for a long time, took the opportunity to come to Quinn's side. These two chief gods, who were closely related to Quinn, were already used to the endless quarrels between the two. When they saw that Quinn was caught in a dilemma by the quarrel between the two, they secretly pulled Quinn and Medusa to another corner of the temple, where they joined Mordred and the others.
“These two have always been like this; they’ll start arguing whenever they disagree. They’ve toned it down today. When you’re not around, Jupiter usually just takes action,” Aphrodite said. “Ever since your death, Jupiter has harbored a deep hatred for the three Zeus brothers. But don’t worry, they won’t argue for long; Jupiter always wins.”
“That’s right. After all, although Jupiter is still young, his strength is undeniably the strongest,” Mars chimed in.
With the words of these two main gods, Quinn breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. In that case, let's get straight to business."
[Leaving Jupiter and Dione aside, you discuss the current situation in Rome with Aphrodite and Ares, your plans against the Sixth Beast, and the current arrangements of the young Empress Nero.]
[You plan to satisfy Nero's desires without turning Pan-Human History into a Lostbelt, waiting for that almost insatiable human desire to fully mature the Sixth Beast, before directly defeating Nero and transporting him to Chaldea during this time, thereby achieving your goal of imprisoning the Sixth Beast.]
[Your plan may seem arrogant to the gods of love and war, but coincidentally, these two gods love people like that. Whether in love or war, bold and confident people always prevail, and your actions perfectly embody this trait. They have decided to help you fulfill Nero's needs in multiple ways.]
[This is why you abandoned the God of Fire, who also remained in the mortal world, and specifically sought out the God of Love and the God of War.] Are you there, Lin Kong? Are you there, Lin...?
For Nero, the greatest regrets in her life were twofold: the inability to receive love from others and the Roman Empire's unfavorable military campaigns and widespread unrest under her rule. These were precisely the two things that the gods of love and war could remedy.
With your negotiations with the two chief gods now complete, the conflict between Jupiter and Dione seems to have long since ended.
[Looking at the disdain and satisfaction on Jupiter's face, you know that the two chief gods were not lying to you. The contest between Jupiter and Zeus was indeed won by your puppet. As for Dione, she looks like a lonely old woman, standing alone with a forlorn expression, but she does not show any obvious intention to back down. Clearly, the dark side of this great god does not intend to leave so easily.]
[You have no objection to this, after all, there are many beings in this world that can threaten you, but Dione is not among them.]
During this brief moment, the Roman Pantheon lived up to its name, finally housing multiple deities.
[The news of the gods' return quickly spread throughout Rome under your deliberate arrangement. The return of Jupiter, Mars, and Aphrodite—three gods of paramount importance to the Romans—coupled with the vile rumors from the province of Judea, gave Nero an unprecedented pretext for declaring war.]
The young empress clearly realized that you were helping her, and even though you didn't have much time to communicate, you were able to reach a consensus on what followed.
Thus, on the third day after the gods' return, the proclamation from the Roman emperor was sent to the Senate.
The emperor resolved to send troops to the Jewish province to completely eradicate this scourge from the empire.
Chapter 307 Gradually Becoming Beastly
The actual content of the resolution Nero conveyed to the Senate was quite simple, and its general meaning can be summarized as follows:
The Jews betrayed her trust, brazenly violating imperial law, which enraged and humiliated her. In order to regain face and punish those Jews who had disgraced her, she planned to mobilize troops from other provinces of the empire to Jerusalem to deal with the current Jewish leadership and the extremist Jews involved in the retaliation.
This wasn't exactly a justifiable pretext for war, but it was enough for this era. The loss of face for the emperor was as humiliating as the loss of face and authority for the entire empire.
Therefore, under normal circumstances, the senators had little reason to oppose Nero's decision.
However, just as Nero suspected when he went to Jerusalem and the Jews knew his preferences from thousands of miles away, there were indeed groups within the Roman court and Senate who had received bribes from Jews.
This small group of people has received a large amount of money and beautiful female slaves from the Jews in the past. The support from the Jews has assimilated this small group into the Jews' internal agents.
Whether driven by greed for more bribes or by fear of their hard-won positions being jeopardized by the exposure of their bribery, they had become sympathetic allies with the Jews. Naturally, when Nero's resolution was presented to them, these people began to try to sabotage him.
Unfortunately, these insignificant obstacles were destined to be useless, because with Nero's decision, the gods in the Pantheon also provided assistance.
Having already spoken with Quinn, the God of War issued a divine oracle to the Roman priests who believed in him almost the moment Nero began preparing for war. On this day, the priests in the Temple of Mars throughout the Roman Empire heard the call of the gods—to wage war against the heretics who blasphemed the gods.
Mars's oracle was incredibly straightforward, quite unlike the usual way gods delivered their oracles.
Such a large-scale divine oracle was extremely rare even in the ancient divine age, let alone in this era where the gods have long since disappeared. The priests, hearing the voice of the gods again, were more excited than ever before. They did not think about the meaning of Mars' words at all, but instead began to spread the news that the God of War had issued a new divine oracle.
The actions of the religious priests, the group closest to the common people, put immense pressure on the senators. They also caused those who had accepted bribes to completely abandon any thoughts of hindering Nero's rule, and they immediately changed their stance, becoming even more enthusiastic in supporting the emperor than many of the normal senators who already supported him.
All of this was within Quinn's expectations, except for one thing that took him by surprise.
"My Lord God Ancestor, you would never guess the support I received!"
When Nero excitedly ran up to Quinn and started shouting, Quinn was initially interested in playing a guessing game with the girl. However, it was clear that Nero simply wanted to show off and revealed the answer before Quinn even had a chance to guess.
"The British and the Batavia, in return for the kindness and tolerance I have shown them, these foreigners who would otherwise have stirred up trouble, now support me!"
Ah, is that right?
Nero's excited smile left Quinn completely bewildered; he found it hard to describe his own feelings at that moment.
Back when he was in Britain, he paid a considerable price to gain the support of other countries. At that time, he made promises to other countries at great cost, planned lucrative schemes, and used all kinds of benefits and rhetoric to win the support of the French and the armies of other British countries.
Now, on Nero's side, the young emperor simply reduced the original taxes and military service, and yet she gained the support that Quinn had worked so hard to obtain. This disparity is truly too great, making one realize just how valuable the word "Rome" really is in Europe.
With just a few preferential treatments, provinces that are always on the verge of rebellion can immediately regain their loyalty. This is a tactic that only empires with long reigns and enormous power can pull back.
However, this situation did not make Quinn very happy. Instead, he became more cautious in observing Nero's condition to confirm the growth of the Sixth Beast.
And the confirmation process is very simple.
When Quinn asked Nero to bathe with him, Nero made almost no attempt to hide his joy. When the two met openly and naked in the bathhouse of the Roman palace, Quinn saw red marks on Nero's body through the hazy mist of the bath.
The pervasive moisture could blur the vision of ordinary people, but it could no longer conceal the lines on the girl's skin. Those bright red lines, symbolizing the sixth beast, were like blood seeping from beneath her skin, meandering along Nero's back and chest, rising and falling with the beating of her heart.
Even just by looking at them, Quinn could clearly feel the pulse of those patterns.
Not only that, Nero's body has changed a lot compared to before. Not long ago, Nero's figure was still in the category of a young girl, but now, her height has increased significantly. This increase is not strange for her age, but as a veteran FGO player, Quinn can see that Nero's figure is moving closer to the mature "Beast of Sodom".
This made Nero's already remarkable charm even more outstanding. When water droplets slid down her golden hair and flowed over her fair skin, no man could resist being moved. Even women would be captivated by her charm, which was like that of a newly blooming rose. Moreover, Nero's voice now had a languid and magnetic quality that she hadn't had before, which, combined with her confident and generous personality...
At this moment, Nero had indeed become one with the Sixth Beast.
The mortal parts of her body are decreasing, and the nanomachines originating from Jupiter and the magic of the Sixth Beast, which are hidden within her, are gradually beginning to transform her body. The source of the power supporting this transformation is the magic generated by the historical changes during this period.
[Nero is growing up very well, very well. The compatibility between the Sixth Beast and her is extremely high. You are certain that the Sixth Beast will truly mature once this war against the Jews ends.]
Therefore, you merely shared Nero's joy and did not continue to guide her.
Nero was unaware of your attitude; she simply wanted to share pleasure with you, and you enjoyed a very pleasant Roman-style bath together.
The formal plan for dealing with the Jewish province was finalized the following day.
Seven legions, including those of British and Batavian descent, will be sent to the province of Judea. Under Seneca's supervision, they will prioritize the arrest of Jews who have caused chaos and will be tried strictly in accordance with imperial law. This can be considered Nero's last act of mercy towards the Jews.
Naturally, such a large-scale arrest operation would cause a shock, and historical Jewish rebellions would be brought forward as a result. In this era, if the retaliatory acts committed by the Jews were tried according to law, there would only be one outcome—the death penalty.
No one wants to die, not even a Jew.
But all of this is no longer relevant to you. There is only one thing you need to care about now.
[Observe how the Sixth Beast draws power from the rise and fall of civilization itself]
Chapter 308 Human Principles: ? What are you trying to do?!
The repression of the Jewish province did not last long.
As a vast empire spanning across Europe and maintaining a massive army, Rome held an overwhelming advantage over any other country in Europe at this time. Even with the debuff of internal strife, the Romans were still able to quell the Jewish rebellion that had already broken out. Moreover, the Roman Empire, now with numerous buffs, also had foreign legions joining its ranks.
From the time Nero gave the order to the time the imperial army assembled outside Jerusalem, only a few months had passed. This time was enough for the Jewish province to react and take a series of defensive measures. Even so, when the seven legions were at the gates of the city, the Jewish defenders on the walls of Jerusalem were still terrified, because such a formation meant the destruction of their nation and the extinction of their race.
These soldiers were not high-ranking priests or priests; they knew very well what the seven legions of Rome meant, and they knew how slim their chances of winning this war were. All they could pray for was that God would save them.
In reality, this did not happen.
Since the Messiah, who belonged to the Christians, died at the hands of the Jews, God has been utterly disappointed in the Jews.
In the past, there were wise men like Moses and King Solomon who attracted the attention and favor of God through their personal charisma. But now, such Jews no longer exist. To the God who is both merciful and cruel, He also desires that the Jews suffer.
When even the God of the Jews completely abandoned them, a chain reaction of events was already inevitable.
With almost no decent resistance, the enraged Roman legions stormed Jerusalem. Before the Romans, the foreign legions sent by Britain and Badavian had entered the city. These foreign legions fought extra hard in the war in return for Nero's mercy, which gradually changed many Romans' views of these foreigners. This can be considered an initial sign of a historical change.
But more than the potential for improved relations between Britain and Batavia and Rome in the future, the situation in the province of Judea has already truly changed.
With the fall of Jerusalem, the Romans' treatment of the Jews also came to a quick end. In the original history, the Romans often dealt with Jewish rebellions with extreme cruelty. All those involved in the rebellion would be executed, the city would be looted, and even the Jewish Bibles would be burned.
Now, the Roman legionaries are sweeping away every Jew who violates the imperial law like autumn leaves. Anyone who is unwilling to accept the imperial law is exiled, but those who are willing to accept the Roman law and just want to be honest and law-abiding citizens are allowed to stay.
Compared to the original history, this treatment was undeniably lenient, and it further enhanced Nero's reputation among foreigners.
This was undoubtedly a good thing for an emperor who wanted to enhance his personal influence.
At least, that's how Nero saw it.
She increasingly believes that the future she glimpses is gradually becoming a reality, and she also increasingly believes in her ability to change it. Have you thought about it yet? Have you thought about it yet...?
If she can maintain this state.