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[FMMIKA] Chapter 319: Undefeatable Dragon Emperor
🕑 Added 2023-12-07 19:54:19 +0000 UTCAfter Alexander's defection, Lev became even more cautious in summoning Servants. He quickly formed a United Roman Empire, pushing Nero to the outskirts of Rome, seemingly on the brink of ultimate victory.
However, to his surprise, failure struck inexplicably.
To be fair, it wasn't entirely inexplicable. Lev summoned Nero's uncle to fight her, a move only a fool would make.
Among the Roman Emperor Servants that Lev summoned, Caligula resisted the most. Especially when dealing with his own niece, he could hardly put even 10% of his skills to use.
This was Lev's miscalculation. Yet, in all honesty, he probably felt somewhat unjustly treated.
Who would have thought that Caligula would be so fond of his niece, Nero? It made no sense. She wasn't even his biological daughter.
In a short time, Lev, as a mage, found himself curiously entertaining gossip—though it was just a fleeting moment. In an instant, he regained his focus, contemplating what lay ahead.
What followed was Nero embarking on her extraordinary journey. She swiftly eliminated four Servants, headed north to Gaul, and engaged in a fierce battle against Caesar, ending in a draw.
This only added to Lev's frustration. He couldn't help but suspect that Caesar had intentionally let her off the hook.
He conveniently forgot that he had doubted Caesar before and limited his military authority, summoning four or five weak and useless Roman Emperors to weaken Caesar's power.
Originally, Lev thought numerical superiority would give him an edge, oblivious to the fact that a larger force could lead to internal conflicts.
Thereafter, amidst Lev's concerns and unease, Artorius conquered Macedonia and returned west, altering the world's dynamics.
'Should I summon more Servants?'
Lev couldn't help but ponder. However, he quickly dismissed the idea.
'No, probably not. If I summon more Servants, that damn 'Counter Force' will undoubtedly summon more Servants to reinforce Rome. It would be another even match, utterly pointless.'
In reality, calling it an even match was Lev patting himself on the back.
The United Roman Empire, plagued by internal strife, had a low conversion rate between numbers and combat strength, sometimes even inversely proportional. Nero's Roman Empire, on the other hand, could convert all its strength into combat power effectively.
Even with Rome's archenemies, Boudica and Spartacus.
'If I hand over all authority to Romulus, have him replace me in commanding the military and governing the United Roman Empire...'
Considering this, Lev couldn't help but think—if it were the divine ancestor of Rome, he could naturally reconcile differences and squeeze out everyone's strength.
Of course, this thought only lasted a few seconds before disappearing without a trace.
'No, absolutely not. He's not loyal enough, that man. He could betray us anytime, anywhere. And, more importantly, his power...'
The Demon God felt a twinge of shame as he spoke. The power possessed by the divine ancestor Romulus was no less than his own in terms of rank, perhaps even surpassing it—after all, he was the son of the Roman Chief God, the progenitor of the Romans, and one of the most important gods.
The belief in the Roman gods, a polytheistic faith, held that rulers would become part of the Roman gods after death.
The divinity possessed by the emperor was equivalent to that of a secondary god in the Roman pantheon.
Due to the inherent strength of the Roman pantheon, the divinity of a secondary god in the Roman pantheon was almost on par with the chief god of a typical weaker pantheon, even approaching that of a king of the gods.
So, rounding it all up, the rank of the divine ancestor Romulus was much higher than that of the seventy-two demon gods.
After all, the seventy-two demon gods were losers, coming together for warmth after their defeat in the Age of Gods.
On the other hand, the Roman-Greek gods were victors. The land of Canaan was like something untouchable, passed back and forth among the Persians, Greeks, and Romans.
Although, later on, with the widespread dissemination of the Roman Catholic Church, the era of the old gods came to an end, the legends of the Roman-Greek pantheon continued.
And what about these seventy-two demon gods?
They became demons, devils, monsters in legends—third-rate goods tossed into hell to clear the sewer pipes.
Even though times had changed, winners were still winners, and losers were still losers. Just thinking about it sent shivers down the demonic spine.
So, when facing Romulus, Lev's emotions were quite nuanced.
On one hand, there was a feeling of 'You've finally made it, we seventy-two demon gods have finally stood up'. On the other hand, there was a subtle desire to deny and resist the 'fear'.
Therefore, he would never hand over all his power to Romulus. Romulus was just a figurehead for him and a high-level helper.
Due to his decision, Lev gained some benefits. But at the same time, it also destined one thing.
When the Dragon Emperor and his five hundred thousand Roman soldiers appeared on the battlefield in Gaul, the outcome of this battle was beyond question.
Even if Lev didn't hand over all his power to him, even if Caesar had no restraints and could go all out with all his heart and soul, there was no way to defeat Dragon Emperor Artorius.
This was confirmed by Caesar after several medium-sized skirmishes.
His army was completely destroyed, cities and fortresses were captured, and then, several 'emperors' who were his colleagues were killed. They were effortlessly killed by the purple female warrior under Artorius.
The war in Gaul tilted overwhelmingly towards the Dragon Emperor. It was evident that the final battle was about to unfold on the plains outside Paris.
In this situation, Nero felt very complicated.
'That guy is unexpectedly strong.'
Nero felt happy for gaining an excellent ally and stabilizing this battle, ensuring that Gaul would return to her hands.
But apart from that, there was also a strong sense of unease.
As an emperor, both experience and instinct told her that having someone stronger, more excellent, and more beloved by the people than the emperor herself was a dangerous thing, even if that person was her lover.
