[Interior – Leonel's Room – Morning]
The faint glow of dawn began to filter through the cracks in the stone window. Leonel was sleeping peacefully, finally enjoying a well-deserved rest. The atmosphere was calm... until a thunderous knocking made him jump out of bed.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
—Leonel! —Archer Emiya's voice pierced the door like an arrow.— We have problems. An enemy Servant is rapidly approaching the fortress. And he's not coming to talk.
Leonel's eyes shot open and, without wasting time, he got up, dressing quickly. He opened the door and found a serious-looking Emiya, his swords already on his back.
—Wake Nero, I'll take care of Mash and Kiyohime —the archer ordered before turning and disappearing down the hallway like a shadow.
Leonel didn't hesitate. He ran through the stone corridors of the fortress, dodging servants and soldiers surprised by his sudden passage. Reaching Nero's room, he knocked urgently.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
—Nero! Empress! We have a threat, I need to speak with you right now!
There was a faint groan on the other side of the door. A few seconds passed... and it opened slowly.
—Mmmh...? Who dares disturb an empress at this hou...?
The sentence was left unfinished.
Leonel froze for a second.
There stood Nero Claudius, Empress of Rome... wearing a thin, semi-transparent red robe with golden details, adorned with lace ties. Her hair was loose, falling in golden waves over her shoulders, and her crimson eyes were still drowsy.
The image was enough to leave Leonel paralyzed, his cheeks completely red.
—E-Eh...! I-I'm sorry! —Leonel immediately turned around, covering his face.— Sorry for waking you like this, but there's an enemy Servant approaching the fortress!
There was an awkward silence.
And then...
—Fufufu... Did you blush at the mere sight of my nightwear? You're more adorable than I thought! —Nero said between laughs, before going back inside and starting to dress hastily.— Very well! If there are enemies at the gates, then I, the great Nero Claudius, shall receive them as befitting!
—I-I'll wait outside... —murmured Leonel, still red as a tomato as he walked away.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the fortress...
[Interior – Shared Bedroom of Mash and Kiyohime]
—Mash, wake up —Emiya said in a firm voice.
—Nnnh... Mmm? Senpai...? —Mash sat up in bed with a start, blushing, clearly still affected by the events of the previous night (though technically she hadn't drunk anything).
—Leonel-sama is in danger! —exclaimed Kiyohime, waking up at the same time. Noticing Emiya in the room, her expression quickly changed.— What are you doing here?! This is female territory!
—Get dressed. There's a Berserker Servant coming this way —said Emiya, unperturbed.
Both girls froze.
—A Berserker?! —they exclaimed in unison, and then began preparing as if it were a speed competition.
[Exterior – Fortress Walls]
Minutes later, Leonel and Nero, now in armor with their weapons ready, looked toward the horizon.
The sound of footsteps, a distorted echo of fury and madness, was approaching. From the mist emerged a figure... muscular, with a torn tunic and completely deranged eyes.
—It's him... —Leonel whispered.— Caligula.
And behind them, Emiya, Mash, and Kiyohime arrived at the wall, all ready for combat.
The morning's tranquility was officially broken.
[Interior – Strategy Room, Resistance Fortress – Minutes Later]
A large stone table occupied the center of the room, covered with a detailed map of Rome. Small figures represented fortresses, troops, routes, and conquered sectors. Around it were Leonel, Nero, Mash, and Archer Emiya, all with serious looks as an air of tension hung in the air.
Leonel closed his eyes for a moment, placed one hand on the map and the other on his chest.
—Persona. Tezcatlipoca. Show me what the enemy is hiding.
A dense shadow briefly emerged from his feet, manifesting a fleeting image of the god . His eyes glowed, and fragments of information floated like visions above the map: approach routes, increasing magical energy, and the blurry silhouette of a Servant approaching, trampling everything in its path.
—He's of the Berserker class —Leonel reported, eyes still closed.— Huge, overwhelming magical strength. He moves without stealth. He's practically screaming his presence to the world. But he's not alone, there are small magical signatures accompanying him... pawns, perhaps.
Nero crossed her arms, observing the map attentively.
—Do you know who it is?
Leonel nodded, opening his eyes slowly.
—Yes. It's Caligula.
Silence. A heavy silence fell over the room.
Nero's eyes opened in surprise, and then... pain.
—Uncle... —she whispered.
Mash looked at her with concern.
—Caligula? Wasn't he... the emperor before you?
—That's right... —Nero said softly, averting her gaze from the map.— My uncle. He died a long time ago... His mind was no longer stable even then. And if he's been summoned as a Berserker... then whatever reason remained within him is gone.
Leonel observed her with respect, but without hesitation. He stepped forward and began marking points on the map.
—We can't let him get here. If he gets inside, this place will fall in minutes. Archer, go to this eastern tower. Use your range to halt any attempts at a quick advance. —He pointed to a hill.— Mash, you'll cover this point with a small squad. It's the most direct route, and surely the one they'll take. I need you to hold.
—Yes, Senpai! —Mash responded decisively.
—I'll take a position to the north, in case of a flanking attempt... but most likely the Berserker will try to break the front line. —Then he looked directly at Nero.— What do you want to do?
The empress remained silent for a few seconds. Her expression was no longer one of sadness, but of resolve. Her crimson eyes shone with contained fire.
—I will face my uncle. I, Nero Claudius, am the current Empress of Rome. If Caligula comes to destroy this land, then it shall be my duty to receive him and stop him with my own hands! I will not allow his madness to stain what we have built!
Leonel nodded with a half-smile.
—Then I'll go with you. I won't let you face him alone.
—Ufufu... as brave as ever, Leonel. Very well. Let the symphony of war begin! —exclaimed Nero, raising her still-sheathed sword.
Emiya rolled his eyes with a slight smile, while Mash gripped her shield tightly.
The battle was approaching. And this time, the enemy wore the face of the past.
Everything was white. Absolute silence. Fragments of memories floated like broken glass suspended in the air.
A figure dressed in the imperial toga walked with firm steps on an invisible floor. It was Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, better known as Caligula, but not the monster history remembered. He was young, determined, with a clear gaze and a face full of ideals.
—"Rome needs me... and I need her." —he thought with conviction, as he watched the red rooftops of the capital of the world from a balcony.
In his early days as emperor, Rome flourished. The people smiled, the streets were clean, the markets abundant. He was called the "new dawn of the empire." His vision went beyond war and conquest; he dreamed of an immortal Rome, where art, wisdom, and divinity coexisted.
A soft voice, almost a whisper, broke the peace of that memory:
—"Do you not wish for your name to shine forever in the firmament?"
The scene changed. Night. A starless night. Caligula lay in his bed, breathing calmly, unaware that the presence of a goddess was slipping through the veils of reality.
From the shadows of the moon, Artemis—or perhaps Selene, depending on who told the story—descended unseen. A jealous, capricious deity... who found the perfect toy in that young emperor.
She placed an ethereal hand on his forehead as he slept.
—"My blessing is my mark. May your soul gaze upon eternity... even if your mind cannot bear it."
A sharp pain pierced his head. And from that night on, something within him changed.
The following memories became dark, confused. Fragmented. The streets stained with blood, laughter turned to screams. The Senate stopped trusting him, the people began to fear him.
Caligula saw himself from outside: laughing uproariously while executing anyone who looked at him wrong, declaring war on the sea, appointing his horse as consul... and in the background, the moon shining with unnatural power, always watching him. Always observing.
—"I am Rome! I am a god!" —he screamed on a throne surrounded by broken statues, as his mind unraveled like parchment in fire.
And now, in the present, all that remained of him was a distorted echo of that promising young man... a grieving, enraged soul, dragged along by chains of madness.
One last image crossed his mind: the young Nero, his niece, smiling at him with admiration on a sunny day in the past.
He reached out a hand toward that image... but it faded.
—"I ruined it... Rome... Nero..."
But the cursed blessing still burned in his soul.
Caligula opened his eyes.
His gaze was an abyss. His roar, the cry of a broken god.
[Exterior – Ruins of Rome, shortly before dawn]
The sky was tinged with shades of red and orange, as if Rome itself was bleeding in anticipation. The ancient stones of the fortress reflected the soft light, like silent witnesses to an imminent battle.
On a hill behind the lines, Leonel sat with his eyes closed, in lotus position on a slab of cracked marble. His breathing was slow, deep, measured.
A few meters ahead of him, on the open field, Nero Claudius stood firm, her sheathed sword at her side, her face serious. The empress usually radiated almost theatrical confidence and energy, but now... there was something different in her posture. Stillness. Tension. Nostalgia.
Leonel didn't need to see her face to feel it. Through the bond between them, he knew: she wasn't hesitating, but she was suffering.
Within Leonel's mental space, Tezcatlipoca, his Persona, floated among black mist, adorned with gold, quetzal feathers, and jaguar fangs. His gaze, astute and fierce, was fixed on the invisible horizon of the coming battle.
—"Your enemy's soul is fragmented," he said in his grave, ritualistic voice.
—"It roars with pain. It does not feel, does not reason. But memory remains... hidden like obsidian under earth."
Leonel furrowed his brow.
—Does that mean there's still something human in him?
—"Yes... and that makes him more dangerous. Memories guide him, but do not control him. He is like a wounded jaguar: wild, erratic, but guided by a memory he does not comprehend."
Leonel clenched his fists. The aura of his Persona began to vibrate around him, invisible to others, but present like a pulse beating alongside his heart. He was ready to summon Tezcatlipoca at the slightest sign. From the rear, his role was to ensure Nero did not face that darkness alone.
He opened his eyes.
Before him, Nero remained on guard, her fingers delicately touching the pommel of her sword. The wind played with the golden strands of her hair, and though her body was straight, her gaze carried the weight of centuries past.
—"Uncle..." she murmured to herself.
—"That day... when you said Rome must burn to be reborn... I didn't understand what you meant."
She swallowed and took a step forward.
—"But today... if I must be the one to stop you, then I will do so not as an empress, but as your blood."
Leonel stood up behind her, without a sound.
—Are you ready?
Nero slightly turned her face, and a spark of fire shone in her eyes.
—"I always am. Rome will not fall to madness."
From the distance, a guttural cry shook the air, announcing the Berserker's arrival.
The roar of a lost soul.
And the battlefield awaited them.
[Exterior – Outside the Fortress, red dawn over Rome]
The battle had begun before the sun had fully risen. Caligula's war drums rumbled like the thunder of a mad god, and with them, a horde of spectral soldiers—deformed vestiges of a Roman army, marching like puppets moved by hatred.
Mash Kyrielight raised her shield, blocking a spear with a metallic clang, her expression tense but determined.
—Leonel! We'll hold them! Don't let them pass on the right flank!
Beside her, Archer Emiya was already firing burst after burst of black arrows that exploded in the air, knocking down enemies by the dozens, but still, Caligula's army did not stop.
—They're not alive —muttered Archer, frowning.— They feel no fear. They only obey.
Kiyohime, dressed in her light armor with chains shining like serpents, danced among the enemies, knocking down and burning everything in her path.
—My dear master will see that I won't let these puppets touch him! BURN!
Nero's soldiers shouted her name, charging with swords, shields, and spears under her golden standard. Though fewer, their fervor for their empress made them relentless.
In the center of the chaos, the air seemed to split in two.
The troops instinctively parted when Caligula made his appearance. His figure was not that of an emperor... it was that of a broken deity. His body was covered in arcane scars, tattoos like bleeding moons, and his toga seemed woven from shadows. In his eyes there was no reason, only devotion. Fanaticism. Madness.
—NEROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! —he screamed, his voice a roar that shook the ground.— MY BEAUTIFUL NIECE! MY ROME INCARNATE! COME TO ME! YOUR PLACE IS BY MY SIDE IN ETERNAL GLORY!
Nero Claudius emerged from among the marble columns with stoic calm. Her sword, Aestus Estus, vibrated in her hand. Her red mantle waved in the wind, as if Rome itself were embracing her.
She stopped a few meters from him, staring intently into those deranged eyes.
—There is no glory in pain, uncle... No empire in madness.
Caligula laughed.
—LIES OF WEAK MEN! ROME MUST BE REBORN! WITH FIRE! WITH BLOOD! AND YOU! MY BEAUTIFUL FLOWER! I WILL MAKE YOU A GODDESS BY MY SIDE!
The empress did not look away. She showed no fear, but her eyes reflected a deep sadness.
—You were an ideal, Caligula. You were hope... before the moon stole your reason.
—I cannot give you back what you were. But I can do something for you.
Caligula advanced with a roar, and his sword, deformed by madness, glowed with purple light.
Nero raised her weapon with elegance, assuming the imperial combat stance.
—I will free you. Even if it means cutting you down with my own hands.
And with a burst of light, the two emperors clashed. Fire against shadow. Pride against ruin. The true battle had begun.
[Battlefield – Central Zone, in front of the Ruined Temple]
The wind ceased.
There were no final words. Only silence.
Nero Claudius and Caligula faced each other amidst the chaos like two opposing pillars of fire. Among the fallen bodies, the golden dust of invocation and the blood, Rome burned again... not in flames, but in memories.
And then, as if an invisible signal had been given, they lunged at each other.
—Haaaaah! —shouted Nero, charging with Aestus Estus held high, her flaming sword tracing a bright arc toward Caligula's chest.
Caligula didn't dodge. He didn't block. He didn't need to.
His bare arm, covered in lunar tattoos, stopped the blow full on. The impact resonated like a gong, shaking the air with a shockwave.
—PAIN IS PURIFICATION! —he screamed with a macabre smile, and with a swipe, knocked Nero backward as if she were a doll.
But Nero rolled over herself, used the momentum to get up again, and smiled.
—You're still strong, old emperor... but so am I.
High up on a half-ruined tower, Leonel observed everything from his elevated position. His eyes were closed, in deep concentration. His right hand touched the ground, and a dark energy accumulated around him like smoke.
—Come... Tezcatlipoca.
A bluish portal opened like a crack in reality. From it emerged an imposing figure, wrapped in black feathers, golden bones, and a crown of obsidian: Tezcatlipoca, the Smoking Mirror.
His eyes glowed with mystical power as he scanned the battlefield.
—Report. —Leonel ordered.
The god's grave, mystical voice responded in his mind:
—Caligula has spiritual reinforcements linked to the moon. His vulnerable points are unstable, but they open briefly when he attacks with his left arm. He uses his madness as fuel: if you anger him, he becomes predictable for a few seconds...
—Perfect. Let's use that.
Leonel opened his eyes and raised his magical communicator, linked to those of his Servants in battle.
—Mash, his defense drops when he spins to crush. Dodge and counterattack from behind.
—Kiyohime, be careful, his troops are spiritually reinforced. Aim for the legs, they're less protected there.
—Archer, east zone, flank open, but watch for the spearmen. Use high ground. Move now!
—Understood! —responded Mash, backing away just in time to dodge a sword slash before pushing her enemy back with her reinforced shield.
—Ufufu~ Thank you, my master~! I'll make them burn inside and out! —shouted Kiyohime delightedly, already unleashing a green flame.
—About time someone here thought —grumbled Archer.— Trace, on. —And immediately formed two twin swords to cut down a group of approaching spearmen.
Meanwhile, Nero launched herself back into the fray.
Her attacks were elegant, like an imperial dance, each thrust a musical note in a fatal opera. Caligula, however, didn't seem to fight: he seemed to break everything in his path.
—GIVE ME YOUR CROWN! —he roared, and leaped, raising both arms like hammers.
Nero barely dodged, a shockwave pushed her back, and then she attacked his left arm with renewed strength.
CLANG!
—"Got him!" —thought Leonel, seeing how Caligula faltered for just a second.
—NOW, NERO! LEFT ARM! AIM FOR THE TENDONS!
The empress did not hesitate. She pivoted on her heel, changed the direction of her sword, and drove her blade between the torn muscles of the mad emperor's arm.
Caligula screamed. A mix of pain, fury, and... euphoria.
—AAARGHHH! YES! YES! THAT'S IT! A WORTHY EMPRESS! MORE! MAKE ME BLEED MORE!
But Nero, far from going mad, kept her gaze firm.
—I don't do this for glory. I do it for you. To give you back the peace the moon stole from you.
The battle wasn't over. But Rome... was beginning to breathe.
[Battlefield – Unknown Hour]
The sun no longer illuminated the sky.
Not because it was night... but because the battle between Nero and Caligula had erased any notion of time.
Hours had passed.
The air was thick, each breath costing like an unpaid debt. The ground was stained red, mixing blood, ashes, and memories that would never return.
Nero panted.
Her body trembled, her arm held Aestus Estus with difficulty, and her laurel crown was torn. Sweat mixed with cuts on her forehead, and every step was an effort. But she still stood.
—Is that all you have, Caligula...? Has your madness exhausted your strength...? —she asked through gritted teeth, though she knew she was the one yielding.
Before her, Caligula laughed.
It wasn't a laugh of victory.
It was an empty laugh, as if mocking reality itself. His body bore wounds, deep cuts, and a burn crossing his torso... but his madness sustained him. He felt no pain. He knew no exhaustion.
—BEAUTIFUL! GOLDEN CHILD OF MY BLOOD!! MY HEIRESS!! —he screamed, his eyes shining with the reflection of the invisible moon.— YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE MY ETERNAL LOVE!!
And with an inhuman roar, he charged again, unleashing a series of brutal, savage blows that drove Nero back.
She resisted. Blocked. Fell. Rolled. Got up. Fell again. Got up once more.
In the rear, Leonel had not moved. But his eyes were completely open.
Tezcatlipoca floated behind him like a living shadow. Runes spun in his eyes, reading every movement, every muscle, every tension.
—Tell me, now! Is there an opening?! —Leonel demanded.
Tezcatlipoca nodded with a rumbling voice:
—Yes. There is a moment: right when Caligula unleashes his three-strike combo, his left arm is exposed for a thousandth of a second. He has repeated the pattern fourteen times... he's predictable now.
—Good! Nero, Leonel here! —he shouted, activating the communicator.— When you block his third strike, pivot on your left heel, launch a low diagonal thrust towards his armpit! That's his only zone without magical reinforcement. That's your chance!!
Nero pulled herself up once more, gasping, but with a spark in her eyes.
—My dear strategist... I trust you.
Caligula came again. Like an unchained beast, roaring, leaping with monstrous fury. The sequence began:
A descending blow.
A lateral sweep.
A brutal palm strike with his left arm.
Now!
—I WILL SEND YOU TO THE OBLIVION YOU DESIRE! —shouted Nero.
She blocked the third strike with both hands, spun sharply on her left foot, and with one last cry of her entire being, launched a low thrust, straight into Caligula's exposed armpit.
Time seemed to freeze.
The edge of Aestus Estus pierced flesh and magic alike.
—Ggghhaaaaahhhhh— Caligula screamed, for the first time, in real pain.
Nero's golden fire coursed through his body, and the link with the lunar curse broke for a second. On his face appeared something... something that had been absent all this time.
Lucidity.
And then, tears.
—...Julia... why... am I... so alone...? —he whispered, before falling to his knees, the madness fading like smoke in the wind.
Nero lowered her sword.
Her legs could no longer support her. She fell, sitting before her fallen predecessor.
—...I was alone too, uncle. But I found people who made me strong.
The battle wasn't completely over yet... but Rome had won a piece of peace.
And Leonel, up high, simply murmured:
—Objective accomplished... now only the cleanup remains.
[Battlefield – Silence after the storm]
It was all over.
Caligula's army lay defeated, fading like purposeless echoes.
Mash, Kiyohime, and Archer slowly lowered their guard, still attentive, but knowing the greater threat was no longer standing.
In the center of the field, Nero Claudius remained upright, her sword bathed in faint light.
Before her, on his knees, Caligula began to fade. Golden fragments of prana peeled away from his body slowly, like petals carried by the wind.
The mad emperor, for the first time in a long time, was... silent.
—Hmph... —he whispered, his voice trembling, without fury, without screams.— Beautiful... brilliant... Nero...
His eyes, which just minutes ago overflowed with madness, now showed something different: clarity. Humanity. Pain.
—What... what have I done...?
—Rome... I loved her...
—You... I loved you too... as the last spark of our lineage. But my mind... was lost...
Nero, her sword now sheathed, approached. The wind stirred her loose hair, and her legs trembled... but she did not retreat.
—One day... you came to the palace... and you smiled with that light only you had... and I... —he coughed, a thin line of light escaping his lips— I was no longer a man... only a beast remained... and I dragged you down with me.
—No... —Nero shook her head softly, kneeling before him. Her expression was serene, sad, but firm.— You were not a beast. You were a man broken by the weight of an empire. By the weight of eternity without love.
Caligula looked up, his pupils dilated, becoming human again. Tears of light fell from his eyes.
—I am sorry... little flame of Rome...
Nero took his hand, even as it barely had form. She smiled, softly, with a regal warmth.
—I forgive you, uncle. For everything.
—And I promise you something... from now on, I will carry Rome high. Not as an empress of blood... but as an empress of dreams.
—I will be the voice you couldn't be. The song you didn't hear. And I will cleanse every stain that history left upon us.
Caligula tried to say something more... but couldn't. His lips curved into a smile... a sincere one. For the first time.
And then, with a final flash of light...
He disappeared.
Nero looked down for a few seconds, and then stood up. The wind blew with a new scent: not of ashes... but of renewal.
Leonel, from the distance, bowed his head, respecting the moment.
Mash, Kiyohime, and Archer approached, knowing something had changed... not just on the battlefield, but in Nero Claudius.
An empress had been reborn.
And Rome... was burning once more. Not in flames of destruction, but in hope.