The infinite sword system has been mastered, and you say this is the dragon clan?

Chapter 396 Michael is a red-haired man! Therefore, the Sword Emperor is Michael's human form!

Apart from the one in Rome on the Italian peninsula whose situation was unknown, most of the high-ranking officials of the Roman Empire experienced similar feelings of fear to varying degrees.

This is terrifying!

With a single sword strike, he cleaved the entire island nation, sliced ​​out the abyss, and tore apart the sky. Holy crap, is this still human...? No, is this still a Heroic Spirit?

"Sparashi! So this is what a pure 'sword' can be like!"

In Tarragona, the capital of the province of Tarraco in Spain, inside Trajan's palace, Ashiya Dōman, using a paper effigy to represent Emperor Trajan who was the first to observe the details of the battlefield, is excitedly gesturing and exaggerating as he recounts the events to the emperor he serves:

"Hehehe, Your Majesty, that thing is simply beyond imagination! That heaven-piercing sword that cleaved through Cyprus Island, in my humble opinion, is nothing short of a groundbreaking feat that combines the right time and place to twist the heavens and earth, creating entirely new laws and unparalleled power!"

"Look again at those spreading clouds and the sea. To be able to cut such a perfectly smooth cross-section from something completely liquid in an instant—this clearly demonstrates that the swordsmanship has reached the ultimate divine realm!..."

"Enough, you Japanese monk. I've already seen what you described through your farsighted magic. If you're only interested in embellishing words like a poet, you might as well resign from this sinecure as a court magician and join the emergency relief force to the front lines to cover the retreat of Odysseus's remnants—"

The middle-aged emperor, seated on his throne, stared intently at the image transmitted back by the paper shikigami with sharp eyes, conveying a clear message: say something useful.

"Otherwise... I believe that Paracelsus, who is more scholarly, would be very willing to take your place."

The emperor, wearing a laurel wreath and with strong facial features, dressed in a purple toga robe with gold trim, was Trajan, the first of the "Five Good Emperors" in the history of the Roman Empire.

He expanded Rome's territory to its greatest extent, a true master of both civil and military affairs, and was even bestowed the titles of "Best Emperor" and "Best Leader" by the Senate. He was also the emperor openly supported by the Senate after the Holy Grail War began in this singularity era…

Well, as for Julius Caesar in the west, the Senate would never have supported him, given their history of assassination attempts. This action was subsequently met with retaliation and a bloodbath by his successor, Augustus, also known as Octavian.

By simply learning a little about the lives and abilities of the various Roman emperors, and weighing those with power and good relationships, the Senate would find itself with no choice. Not supporting Trajan was not an option either.

However, the emperors who did not have the support of the Senate did not seem to care much. In this day and age, the Holy Grail War was about who had the most powerful Servants. Servants directly determined the empire's productivity and combat power, not the support of those old nobles.

"Uh huh huh..."

Ashiya Dōman's expression stiffened, slightly annoyed, as Trajan's seemingly impatient tone interrupted his passionate narration.

But when he thought of the "privileges" these emperors possessed, he was extremely restrained, and he also had to suppress his emotions because he was carrying out a task assigned by the alien god boss.

He said in an embarrassed tone:
"This humble monk believes that this 'Sword Emperor' must have a master guiding him! The complex spells he sets up on the battlefield are somewhat similar to the geomancy and feng shui of the Central Plains, showing an exceptional ability to regulate the earth's veins and channel the water flow. However, the level of skill displayed by the spells on the battlefield is extremely profound, reaching the point of instantly changing the world. It is a divine skill, almost like the Dao of Immortality..."

Then, Ashiya Dōman gazed intently as he spoke.

"Well, although I am well-versed in the Yin-Yang Dao of the East, I am not familiar with the Chinese system and dare not make any judgments. But with a little effort, it is not a problem to determine the threat and condition information of that kind of technique. Believe me, Your Majesty, that Paracelsus must be completely ignorant of all kinds of Eastern secret techniques."

When this place came up, a few doubts flashed through his mind: Come to think of it, the abilities of this Sword Emperor on Cyprus Island look somewhat familiar.

But it doesn't quite match the information about the Godslayer Emiya, and his appearance doesn't match either.
...And who is the divine sorcerer from Shenzhou who is helping him behind the scenes? Their skills are like those of immortals in myths and legends, far beyond the reach of this humble monk.

—This storyline differs from the original FGO game plot. Emiya realized from the beginning that the alien god's conspiracy was hidden in the "Celestial Chaldea" within the Chaldea control room. Therefore, he strictly sealed off the control room, and the "Spirit Transfer" plan, which was originally intended to restore history, was replaced by "Imaginary Number Submarine".

Therefore, the alien gods could not obtain any information from within Chaldea. Even if Emiya brought in external aid such as Nuwa or Tang Sanzang, the alien side would have no way of knowing, because Chaldea had no need for that celestial sphere except for observing the map of human history.

This is completely different from the FGO original storyline's attitude towards the Celestial Sphere, which was utterly undefended.

It's the kind of situation where someone only takes in money and never gives anything back, not even a penny.

Just then, a new paper bird flew in from outside the palace gate.

The seemingly unremarkable paper shikigami entered the hall directly. It unfolded automatically before Trajan's eyes, forming a brightly colored parchment battle report.

"Oh? Caligula's capital has been captured?"

Trajan's heavy mood, still dampened by Odysseus's crushing defeat, eased slightly. "Those newly joined Servants, like Joan of Arc and Marie Antoinette, are actually quite brave and contributed a great deal in battle?"

Ashiya Dōman's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and his face lit up with joy:
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations on gaining another vast territory, along with the Lesser Holy Grail that Caligula seized. With this, Your Majesty has become the first emperor among the Roman states to seize power and expand your influence!"

"Ha, take the lead? Secure the first victory?" Tula was unimpressed. In his eyes, Caligula was a mad king who was utterly incompetent, and defeating him was a piece of cake.

Even if they successfully capture Caligula's capital with these new recruits and generals.

This also cannot conceal the fact that his main Odysseus army suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Cyprus.

Although Trajan had laid a backup plan, allowing reinforcements to be dispatched immediately upon the battlefield's sudden shift, their current mission was to fight to the death to halt the Sword Emperor's pursuit and ensure the survival of Odysseus and other important generals.

According to Caster's preliminary report, the front lines still suffered heavy losses, with only one-tenth of the fighting force remaining. In addition, Cyprus was split in two and could not be preserved. The army had to transfer to the fleet and then cross the turbulent sea to withdraw again.

The chaos caused by the military's defeat during this process resulted in further losses.

If the Sword Emperor had any strength left after unleashing that earth-shattering move, and had pursued and killed his troops extensively in the process, the consequences would have been unimaginable!
Even afterward, there are still countless troubles to deal with... Replenishing the ranks takes time, and even if his Holy Grail Drops are abundant, they are not inexhaustible. Training new mid- to low-ranking officers to make up for the losses also takes time.

The Holy Grail War in this singularity certainly propelled the progress of civilization and expanded the scale of the war.

But it also caused the "post-war recovery costs" for the losers to rise sharply.

In this light, the Roman sword emperor truly made a name for himself and became famous throughout the world.

Seemingly sensing Trajan's inner turmoil, Ashiya Dōman immediately offered his advice:

"Your Majesty need not worry. After withdrawing your troops, we should wait to join forces with Caligula's army and then work together to break through Augustus's impregnable defenses!"

"In my humble opinion, if it weren't for Augustus deploying a joint defense line along the coast of Corsica, Sicily, and other coastal provinces and peninsulas, the situation in Rome wouldn't be as unpredictable as ever!"

"And once we break through this blockade, His Majesty will be on the verge of reclaiming Rome, the ancestral homeland!" "At that time, the one who has seized the ancestral land will be forced to reveal himself!"

Trajan raised his eyes and looked at Ashiya Michiman with disdain:

"You monk, you've been deliberately sowing discord for quite some time now, haven't you? Who is that person in Rome? Do you think I don't want to know? Stop talking nonsense about this. I have other plans. Step aside."

"……Yes."

Ashiya Dōman gave an awkward, Roman-style salute, then quickened his pace and left the palace. His face, in the backlight, gradually appeared restless and gloomy.

'Hmph, Rome… the birthplace and starting point of the Holy Grail War over a year ago. This humble monk wants to see what those demons are really up to.'

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

After Emiya shattered the island and split the sea with his sword, Cyprus has descended into a thrilling and energetic battle royale.

"Silly child, the island is sinking, run!"

"Croak, this is so exciting! To witness such a battle between powerful individuals is worth dying for!"

"Is it better to die for one's country than to wait for death?" "I will die for my country!"

"..."

The island, now irrevocably split in two, was shattered and trembled violently. The land, spanning nearly ten thousand square kilometers, seemed to mourn and cry out. Birds and beasts scattered and spread the news. Large numbers of Servants, having lost their leaders, fled madly to the north and south banks like ordinary scattered crowds, or strangely stayed in place, unwilling to leave.

Within the chasm of the abyss, boiling seawater and scalding magma churn together, unleashing bursts of high-pressure, high-temperature steam. Super currents, surging back as they cut through the seawater, sweep across countless bodies of water, forming a massive tsunami that engulfs everything in their path.

"Pity……"

Emiya stared silently at the newly forged "ultimate sword" in his hand.

After unleashing a devastating and devastating strike, the crimson cross-shaped sword began to shatter from its blade. The emerald-red body dissipated into fragments in the air, and soon transformed back into the scarlet holy spear, Longinus.

I was originally thinking of giving this sword, which didn't even need its own god-slaying power but used the power of heaven and earth to unleash an earth-shattering attack, a super powerful and domineering name.

For example, "Emperor's Sword - Majesty of the Nation" and "Demon Sword - Slashing the Emperor".

Now it's fine, it's just broken, which saves trouble and eliminates the need to rack one's brains to come up with a name.

With a long sigh, Emiya looked up at the scene of countless people fleeing in panic on both the north and south banks. Among them were a few Berserker-level bloodthirsty Servants with fanatical expressions, shouting "Quack! Sword Emperor, we love you!" before being mercilessly taken away by their companions.

He glanced at them briefly and then paid no further attention.

He came here only to break the "invincible mentality" of Trajan and Caesar, the two strongest Roman powers, in one battle, so as to reduce resistance during subsequent sieges. Creating more casualties would be meaningless.

Emiya focused his attention on the general-level Servants, starting with the two closest Indians, Arjuna and Karna, who had already succumbed to their attacks.

If you take a blow from his Emperor's Sword at close range, even if you have the fancy Aegis protection, unless Athena herself bestows her power upon you, you'll have to obediently accept your death.

By the way, this protective barrier with Aegis power, is it from Odysseus?
When Emiya frowned and looked into the distance, he didn't see Odysseus. Only Finn, acting as temporary commander, led the remaining troops away...

[Ding! Congratulations on completing the Battle of Cyprus level! You have broken through all the defenses of Trajan and Caesar, even forcing them to launch a joint attack in an attempt to fight back, but they ultimately suffered a crushing defeat...]

BB's voice suddenly rang in my ears, "[Now, Senior is the world-renowned Sword Emperor Demon King! From Jerusalem to Rome, Italy, your infamy is known to everyone...]"

"?"

Emiya felt that BB's words were a bit strange. "It's understandable that I have a bad reputation in other Roman countries, but why is it that I'm being talked about like this in the Eastern Roman Empire as well?"

[Hehe, just kidding with the senior! Actually, the senior's actions were so astonishing that even Constantine and Pope Joan were taken aback, and they urgently convened a high-level meeting to analyze the speed and impact of the senior's conquest under such strength.]

[By the time they discovered that the people under their rule were beginning to discuss the astonishing phenomena in Cyprus on a large scale, with various conflicting accounts, they realized that their original propaganda plans were already too late!]

Therefore, the Pope, without hesitation, had to change her existing rhetoric to steer public opinion in a favorable direction. Although it's only just begun, I think she might also benefit greatly from it!

"What's the matter?"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Two days later, the Emperor joined forces with Constantine's troops in the city-state of Caria on the north coast of Cyprus.

After defeating Caesar's army in the first battle, Emiya took advantage of the situation to move north. Hector's remaining troops dared not fight head-on against the Sword Emperor alone.

Their troops retreated westward, and even Caesar moved the capital to the province of Macedonia across the bay.

Now in Kalia, Emiya's attention was focused on the missionary team led by Joan. They had set up an exquisite circular platform in the square, with believers holding up signs and portraits around it. Solemn symphonic music was being played on the stage to create the atmosphere, and a choir was reciting scriptures.

“He said, ‘Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace but to bring war and conflict among nations, for I have come to divide people…’”

"And war broke out on the earth. His messenger Michael came to fight against the nations. He had emerald wings and crimson hair, and a million faces and mouths, and spoke a million languages. His might destroyed hundreds of thousands of armies in one night. They were all defeated, and there was no place for them on the earth anymore..."

Emiya stared intently and suddenly felt that the portrait in the advertisement looked familiar. Although there was a halo and wings, the figure wearing a cloak, with red hair, and that face, wasn't it just him?

Am I Michael's stand-in?

(End of this chapter)