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

Chapter 400 I love watching women fight!

What kind of bizarre species is this?
When Director Caesar showed everyone the images and data that Xia Mi had brought back, everyone's expressions froze for a moment.

These enormous, cone-shaped bodies are undoubtedly inspired by the Demon God Pillars, but these demonic beasts have no eyes. Instead, they are covered with densely packed scales, horns, and spikes. In certain areas, they branch out into huge mouthparts that reveal fangs, like several heads that have grown out of the main body... Is this a completely new singularity hybrid species?

The Demon God Pillar's design, with its entire body covered in eyeballs, is already enough to make you lose your sanity. And you guys called Demon Beasts Hell, with your multi-headed designs, are just as bad. Just which genius designer came up with this?!
While everyone was still in awe, Mashu looked at the grotesque heads and sharp mouths that had emerged and muttered, "A multi-headed monster..."

Then something occurred to her, "That's right! Horace's Epistles mentions 'you are a multi-headed monster' to describe Rome. Now, these multi-headed monsters from the singularity are gathered in Rome... and the great dragons described in the Bible are also a kind of 'multi-headed monster'..."

Nuwa narrowed her eyes. "So, the leader of the monsters that inhabit Rome is that seven-headed, ten-horned red dragon?"

"Yes, dragon!"

Xia Mi continued, "...Have you noticed that this magical beast He actually looks like a hybrid species with dragon-like characteristics?"

"Dragons?"

Upon closer inspection, Emiya confirmed that, just as Xia Mi had described, the metallic-looking yet menacing pointed scales were remarkably similar to the physical characteristics of a dragon. The fangs in the mouth were a given, and the pointed "head" at the very top resembled a long, slender dragon tail that stretched out freely.

From this perspective, the monsters at first glance seem to be the product of extreme modification of a large number of dragons. It's hard not to associate these monsters with a powerful boss lurking behind them—the Great Red Dragon.

"In that case... Xia Mi, during your entire exploration of the tunnel, did you encounter any local dragons?"

When asked this question by Emiya, Xia Mi realized in the blink of an eye that this place, as her hometown fiefdom, had been abandoned in the distant past. Even though the dragon attendants from back then had been moved away by her and Fenrir, it couldn't just be left empty. Other dragons would eventually come smelling the scent.

In the 1st century AD, where the singularity is currently located, there should still be many dragons active and even infiltrating human civilization.

...However, there was absolutely no sign of her hometown!
Not to mention their ancestral fiefdom in Rome, there isn't a single singularity in the entire Roman region! The keyword "dragon" doesn't even appear in the vast amount of information circulating among the Servants!
"So, the dragons that disappeared in that area... were all transformed into these magical beasts? Right, and there's also the previous speculation about the identity of 'Beast Nero' and the 'Great Red Dragon'... So, the cause of this singularity's distortion is entirely related to dragons?"

Director Caesar was taken aback.

Prior to this, Chaldea focused on resolving singularities, that is, eliminating the factors that maintained the singularities in each era and correcting historical distortions. As for the dragons in history, these were somewhat irrelevant; Chaldea generally did not do anything unnecessary to avoid distorting history again.

But the situation is different now.

"Do you have a more detailed account? We need more information about the monster Her! And what is Rome really like? A complete and prolonged lockdown in this era is extremely unusual. Could a monster like Her be something that emperor raised and bred?"

"...I filmed the exploration process, but there isn't much information you want to know. I've already said it before, I couldn't infiltrate. I was sent back before I even got into the interior of Rome."

The atmosphere froze instantly, filled with barely concealed disappointment.

"Phew, maybe I can do it next time!"

Mei Liuqina puffed out her small chest and spoke frankly: since entering the singularity, she hadn't had much of a chance to fight. As for her evaluation of Xia Mi's performance, her attitude of not even glancing at it was self-evident.

"Hmph, we can do it too!" Jeanne Alter raised her chin. "We breached Caligula's capital a few days ago, it didn't seem like much of a challenge!"

Black Mary, as a teammate, also spoke up, "Indeed, the Servants on that battlefield are all rookies who are no match for us. It's better not to entrust such characters with important tasks. They should just accept their own weakness."

Xia Mi suddenly felt a tightness in her chest, as if she had been hit by a cold arrow—she had been struck by Black Mary's subtle, sarcastic remarks.

"Miss Xia Mi, you actually did pretty well. Running away when you can't win is normal! Although you failed, it's fortunate that the enemy discovered you... I mean, it's fortunate that you discovered a new enemy, so that's a gain, right?"

Mashu, the little angel, spoke a fair word in a soft voice, but this way of making amends made the scene suddenly quiet for a moment.

Xia Mi was almost in tears upon hearing this, as if she were in a competition for non-human beings such as Heroic Spirits held by Chaldea, with the loudspeaker announcing, "Congratulations to Miss Jormungandr for winning last place in this competition! Our motto is, competition second, friendship first! Come up on stage and receive your consolation prize!"

Wei glanced at Xia Mi, "Don't look so sad. We're not going to pursue mission mistakes now... How do the performances of those demonic beasts compare to those demonic pillars that burned away humanity? You should have some combat records, right?"

"If you don't mind, take a look?" Xia Mi sighed silently as she replaced the projected image. She felt increasingly aggrieved.

Once this embarrassing record was made public, her previously hidden reputation was completely ruined. She was essentially being tortured in public, and had nowhere to hide her face.

What was originally a joke about being humiliated and being the king of chickens, which was only circulating in the Emiya family, is now likely to be spread throughout the entire kingdom by busybodies.

"...Judging from the images, the individual combat power of this kind of demonic beast seems to be even stronger than that of a regular demonic pillar." This wasn't the first time Emiya had encountered a demonic pillar, and he drew this conclusion after a brief comparison.

Mash, standing nearby, also stared wide-eyed at the violently shaking scene. She was no stranger to seeing massive demon pillars that stretched across buildings. Even ordinary Servants would need a dozen or more to defeat such a size, but their attack range would be limited in confined spaces.

This monster, He, is not only more aggressive, but also has a wider variety of attack methods.

It can use its sharp, whip-like upper head to whip intruders from bizarre angles, or use its several lower heads to open their sharp mouths and tear at the terrain, or fire powerful magical light cannons. When the light grazed the edge of the tunnel, it easily scraped off large amounts of mud and rock, widening the road in a terrifying way.

However, it is clear that Xia Mi was quite calm and composed when dealing with the few scattered magical beasts at the beginning. The scene was slightly shaky, and her clothes were slightly dirty.

As more and more individual magical beasts appeared, countless beams of fire ripped through the air, causing open spaces to explode and churn, resembling the surface of water swept up by surging waves. She immediately began to suffer setbacks.

The reversal was so swift it was astonishing; it seemed that once a certain boundary was crossed, these monsters would appear in large numbers, just waiting for the unsuspecting Xia Mi to step into the trap.

Therefore, facing the immense firepower unleashed from the numerous "dragon heads" of the monsters, Xia Mi ultimately chose to detour and retreat. The scene shook violently midway, and she could be vaguely seen destroying a passage. Only after maneuvering underground for a distance did she completely shake off the enemy. "Have you noticed that the appearance and attack frequency of the monsters seem to be related to the distance they explore?"

Nuwa closed her eyes and pondered for a moment before suddenly speaking, “Although the image keeps shaking and changing direction, I’ve calculated it in my mind. It’s roughly based on the walls of Rome. Once you cross them, you’ll be attacked by the monster He. The deeper you go, the denser the distribution of the monster He becomes.”

"Considering the current external situation—Augustus has established a joint defensive line with the unknown emperor of Rome—we should further consider whether it is the monster He that is guarding Rome, or whether Rome itself is restricting the monster He's movements?"

"If it is the former, it means that the monster He Yi or the Great Red Dragon are in cahoots with the two emperors. The monster He Yi is in charge of underground defense. They are taking a conservative approach because they, as the mastermind, already know that the Holy Grail War is just a trap and a sugar-coated bullet, and they are just waiting to reap the benefits."

"If it is the latter, it means that the joint defense line of the two emperors is actually meant to defend against the dragon-like monsters in Rome. They also know that there is something wrong with the Holy Grail War, but it is not a conspiracy. They have some reason to block communication between the inside and outside, just to restrict the monsters or the conspiracy."

After hearing this reasoning, Xia Mi felt somewhat bewildered.

No, was it you who explored the scene, or was it me? How come I didn't figure out all these things right away?
"These are all just speculations! Perhaps there's a third possibility? And is the mastermind behind this Holy Grail War really the same entity that created the Great Red Dragon? Why would they actively distribute such peculiarly mechanic-based Lesser Grails to the participants, causing the war to escalate?"

"...There are too many problems, but the biggest problem is the lack of information, making it impossible to verify."

Caesar rubbed his temples, his head throbbing. He felt the meeting could end now. Things had been getting busier and busier lately. He had been longing for a heroic life like Emiya's, but the cold reality had turned him into a workaholic who worked from dawn till dusk every day.

I shouldn't have readily agreed to take over the director position that Emiya had so readily handed over to me!
My eyes are getting sore from just looking at all those mission briefings from heroic spirits, frontline personnel, and staff from various departments. Hmm, I'd better end this meeting soon.

"Ahem, there's one more thing!"

Director Caesar suddenly saw Emiya raise his hand:
"It's today, I haven't had a chance to say it yet. As the Sword Emperor, I sent banquet invitations to those two countries. Now that I've discovered the mystery has been solved in Rome, I plan to bring Trajan and Julius Caesar on board after Constantine, tell them that there's a problem with the Holy Grail War, persuade them to cease hostilities, and then have them join me in attacking the Italian peninsula."

"Emiya, we ourselves don't have a definite conclusion or conclusive evidence. Even if we had evidence, it would be difficult to change the will of that feudal emperor. Do you want to fight them face to face again?"

Caesar said somewhat uncertainly, "Isn't it rather unseemly for the emperor to fight at a banquet?"

[Hehe, as long as it's not the emperor fighting, isn't that enough?]

BB's familiar mischievous laugh immediately told everyone that she had been holding back something big for a long time—

For example, having women fight...

"Women fighting?"

Completely unaware of the "selection of a concubine" affair, Caesar was instantly bewildered, like a Mongol.

Emperors are vying for power; why would they send women into battle? Besides, all the Heroic Spirits of Chaldea have joined other emperors' factions; where would Emiya find any women to serve by his side...?

boom!
Nuwa, Mei Liuqina, and their entourage slammed their fists on the table and stood up.

A competition to select concubines and empresses, is that it? Well, their chance has come! Let me show you what it means that true beauty belongs only to the strong!
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.

"Be careful. Crete's defense level doesn't seem high, but we still need to be cautious."

After being disguised, Krimhildr resembled an assassin even more ruthless than an Assassin, or more accurately, a secret agent. She looked like a sophisticated and elegant young lady meticulously dressed and made up for a trip. ...In terms of her background, she was a princess, making this a natural fit for the role.

Although she lacks the ability to conceal her presence, in this area where Servants might be everywhere, using more unassuming infiltration methods makes her less likely to be detected.

For example... honestly spending money to buy tickets.

"Damn it, that cunning merchant! He's stubbornly sticking to his high price, ripping me off with so many dinars (ancient Roman currency)!"

Krimhild was furious. When she went through the first checkpoint, she paid money to a Christian in a white robe, and immediately her huge treasury of gold coins, which she had acquired for Caesar's generals, shrank by half.

Because she also had to pay an entrance fee to her servants and guards, who were actually the "Avengers Legion" she had recruited.

Upon seeing the generous young lady's "generous" attitude, the believer immediately beamed with joy, "Thank you for your generosity, Miss! May God bless you!"

God bless you!

May you, you big-headed devil, be blessed!
Krimhildr nearly lost her haughty composure. She had come to the island to carry out her plan to avenge her husband, not to indulge in pleasure. She glanced coldly around; she had already heard about the Sword Emperor's banquet and even his "selection of concubines."

This is an opportunity that cannot be missed. It avoids the disadvantage of her fighting head-on, which would be like throwing an egg against a rock. On the contrary, the banquet scene will make the famous generals on the battlefield relax for a while, and poisoning, assassination... or even a crime of passion may not be impossible.

In the Nibelungenlied legend, Krimhilde is a vengeful madwoman who, in order to avenge her husband's death, chose to marry the king of the Huns and instigated him to start a war. For her, temporary submission and subservience meant nothing.

“You guys go and try keeping an eye on the banquet staff, especially those involved in the kitchen and food delivery. I'll go look for other ways.”

Krimhild gave instructions to her subordinates, then turned to look for the registration portal for the Sword Emperor's Consort Selection, only to be stopped.

"Miss, you need to ask about concert tickets. Please look at the notice board over there."

We have to pay more? These Christians are just greedy!
"I just paid for my ticket, and they want concert tickets here?... Listen to the resounding voice that echoes throughout Rome☆ The dazzling debut of the red idol Elizabeth Bathory?"

(End of this chapter)