In order to become a Heroic Spirit, I had no choice but to cause trouble in history.

Zheng—

With the crane wings in hand, Zuocun severed Caligula's arm as he fell.

"Ughh ...

Caligula looked to be in great pain, roaring irrationally.

"My swordsmanship—I've never heard of it requiring magic!"

Zheng—

With a swift swing of his sword, Caligula reacted and began to fight Zuocun with his magically powered body.

"Swordsmanship of this caliber... is it really possible that no magic was used?" Mash asked, stunned.

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Chapter 430 Repelling Caligula

"Why... are you blocking my way!" Caligula and Zuocun fought at extremely close range.

"What I...what I did...was fate...!"

Because his sword was not imbued with magic, and because this Noble Phantasm not only blocked the flow of magic within his body but also affected his mental state to some extent, Zamura felt somewhat dizzy and lightheaded.

"Lawrence... can this thing untangle this troublesome state...?" Camilla asked, rubbing her head and frowning.

“The gem potion can only alleviate the physical injuries of the spirit, and it has no effect on mental injuries.” Lawrence shook his head.

Nero also joined the battle; as a human, her swordsmanship contained no magic.

Caligula also immediately turned his attention to Nero after Nero appeared, launching a relentless attack on him.

"I offer... your life! I offer... your body!"

"I offer this...!"

He roared.

"Everything!!!"

Zuo Cun, carrying the crane's wings, snorted coldly.

"Fighting me... and I actually got distracted."

"I'm not the kind of person who would give a distracted opponent a chance... so!"

Zheng—

The crane's wings pierced deeply into Caligula's flesh.

"Oh—oh oh!!!"

"My dear... Yu Mei... daughter!"

His spiritual foundation gradually dissipated.

"An enemy Servant is disappearing?!" Mash looked at Caligula, who was turning into an illusion, with some surprise.

"This reaction... is not a withdrawal." Lawrence was trying to find a way to break the magic-sealing artifact; she couldn't even condense a gem right now.

Camilla and Simonetta were in even worse shape. Without magic, they were just ordinary noblewomen, possessing at most the physical strength of vampires. Moreover, Simonetta, being a berserker, was already mentally fragile and was close to fainting under the influence of such a powerful artifact.

Caligula has already fallen into a clear disadvantage in his battles against Nero and Samura.

"Zomura, keep him here!" Ritsuka decisively gave the order.

"—This is a sign of spiritualization, it can't be retained!" Zuocun frowned.

"Ah...ah...why...refused to give..."

With a sound that resembled a lament, Caligula disappeared.

The battlefield has returned to calm.

After waiting for two minutes, everyone disarmed themselves.

"We can't sense any life anymore, and the enemy army has begun to retreat." Mashu breathed a sigh of relief.

Caligula's attack was too sudden and unexpected, and it even forced the opponent to use his Noble Phantasm, causing great trouble for our side. If it weren't for Mr. Samura being able to exert his strength even without a supply of magic power, this battle would have been a tough one.

"Ultimately, it's just a lack of experience. Don't take it to heart. At least we didn't suffer casualties like we did in Orleans, right?" Lawrence was quite philosophical about it and smiled.

Ritsuka sighed: "Indeed... I should adapt to this fast-paced combat as soon as possible."

Nero looked somewhat forlorn.

Her troops suffered heavy losses in this battle, and that person... Caligula...

"...Are you a general in the Allied Forces...?" Nero's eyes held a mixture of longing and pain. "I never imagined I'd see that face again... Uncle..."

Zuo Cun stretched his wrists: "While skill doesn't require magic, it'll take some effort to slice through that Heroic Spirit's skin without my sword being imbued with magic... My wrist's numb..."

"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Samura." Ritsuka smiled.

Lawrence is figuring out how to break this magical artifact that can block magic while also influencing the mind to some extent.

"They have all sorts of Noble Phantasms...and they're all so powerful." Mash sighed, feeling the stagnant magical energy within her and her somewhat chaotic mind.

"Ah, I understand." Lawrence suddenly slammed his fist down.

She walked over and took Mashu's hand.

"Huh? Miss Lawrence?" Mash was startled.

“It will hurt a little, but all you need to do is this—” Lawrence smiled and stabbed Mashu’s hand hard with the ring on his hand.

"Ah... ouch?" Mashu felt a sharp pain on the back of her hand, then felt the magical energy within her slowly returning to normal. "What is this...?"

She looked at the wound on the back of her hand in surprise.

"Do you know the Chinese idiom 'hanging one's head from the rafters and pricking one's thigh with an awl'?" Lawrence smiled and gave himself a slap. "The root of this Noble Phantasm is that the chaos in one's mind affects the flow of magic in the body. Although the meaning of 'hanging one's head from the rafters and pricking one's thigh with an awl' is to study without fear of pain, it also reflects a principle from another perspective."

That is—pain, in a sense, stimulates the mind.

"Of course, this move is only effective after that berserker Caligula has gone quite a distance. If he is present, the effect will be greater, and this move will not be effective."

Lawrence held up one finger to explain.

"So that's how it is..."

Camilla silently stabbed herself, then stabbed Simonetta.

Zuo Cun smiled, then pulled out the dagger from his chest and stabbed his own palm.

He then stretched his body and said, "Sigh... it feels so much better when my magic flows freely. I felt terrible just now."

Lawrence rolled his eyes, grabbed Zuo Cun's hand, and magic emanated from it.

"Doctor, there shouldn't be any communication problems now, right?" Ritsuka asked.

"Perhaps it's because mechanical items aren't affected by that kind of Noble Phantasm; there were no communication problems." Dr. Roman displayed the information on the Heroic Spirit Caligula on the big screen: "Caligula, the third emperor of the Roman Empire, was originally a wise ruler, but he went mad because of the moon goddess Diana (Artemis), and afterwards ruled the empire with terrifying methods."

"That's probably why he manifested in the world as a Berserker."

Nero pursed his lips and lowered his eyes slightly.

"Judging from the way he escaped in spirit form just now, Caligula probably has a Master," Lawrence said solemnly.

"It is evident that his rationality is insufficient to support him in using spiritification to escape during the battle, and... in terms of the dignity of ordinary heroic spirits, they would not use spiritification during the battle—it would be a disgrace."

"The current intelligence... is roughly what we know about the enemy's parameters. What's next?" Zuo Cun looked at his unharmed hand and wiped the blood off the poison feather. "Master?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka thought for a few seconds and looked at Nero, who seemed somewhat sad.

“Your Majesty Nero, as your aiders in the recent war, we have a request.”

"Ugh?"

"If it were possible, could you take us to your capital, Rome?"

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Chapter 431 Lawrence's Social Skills

“This is the capital of Rome…” A group of people followed Nero.

"For the times, this place is truly prosperous..." Lawrence exclaimed in amazement.

The size and prosperity of Rome had exceeded her expectations.

Keep in mind, this was in the first century AD.

“That’s right, and everyone here has smiles on their faces.” Mashu was also surprised.

"It's a very vibrant city." Ritsuka and Mashu held hands, looking as if they were on a picnic.

The two assassins stood together, bored and silent.

"Hmm! Of course, this is, after all, the capital under my rule, the most excellent capital that even young girls sing praises to!"

Nero looked very confident and proud.

"Do you know the saying, 'In the beginning there were seven hills, [Septem Montes], and everything began here!'"

"Our ancestors, the founders of Rome, the divine ancestor Romulus, together with these hills, ushered in this history filled with glory and praise."

As she spoke, she greeted a shop owner by the roadside, took an apple from her basket, and started eating it as she walked.

"Although she is the esteemed Emperor, she is truly a vibrant young woman." Lawrence looked at Nero, who was leading the procession at the very front, with amusement.

“Mmm, this apple is delicious… Ah, friends from Chaldea, would you like some apples too?” Nero turned to look at the group. “While it won’t heal injuries, it’s quite effective at relieving stress!”

"Huh? To relieve stress..."

Fujimaru Ritsuka didn't stand on ceremony and took the apple from Nero's hand, starting to eat it herself.

"Oh, what a hearty way to eat!" Nero seemed quite pleased.

Simonetta also grabbed one.

"Oh! Master, Miss Simon..." Mash was somewhat flustered.

"It's alright, it's alright. There will be some money left over from your servants to give the shopkeeper. If you want some, just take it," Nero said with a smile, taking another bite of the apple.