Let me introduce you, this is my girlfriend, the Israeli boxing champion

Now, children, take care of my grave,

Reward my conquests with prayers.

Buried here is the greatest and last conqueror of the Macedonian dynasty - the controversial Basil II.

"What a dilapidated sight! If other emperors of the Macedonian dynasty saw how shabby your tomb is, they would probably laugh their heads off."

"Or will you be like Diocletian and not care about these issues at all?"

Justinian commented on this younger generation: he has the character of a warrior, is a great military general, and has the ability to rule and manage. However, these alone are already remarkable achievements.

"Since Constantine the Great, you Abrahamic emperors have been working tirelessly to save this country, even the most rebellious Isauria. In comparison..."

She now finally understood Julian's feelings at that time.

"I don't know if it's fate or an established fact, but for me, nothing good will happen as long as I'm associated with Rome."

"The consequences of that fire were so severe that even Emperor Trajan could not make up for it, but as the first person involved, I don't remember what happened at the time."

"All I vaguely remember are the strange roars of beasts and the songs sung by that beautiful voice."

Things that once existed but no longer exist

But it is something that will eventually climb back from the bottomless depths

The waves that rise from the windless shore approach the city

Born as the king of the world with the power to blaspheme everything

She didn't remember anything that happened next, but she remembered these four sentences clearly, as if they were forced upon her mind.

"After all this, Rome became like that... If I can meet Lord Romulus in Constantinople this time, I might be able to figure it out."

Nero continued to nag at the tombstone for a long time, and finally went back alone. She wanted to go to the Golden Horn and take the first step in pushing the dominoes.

——So much so that she didn’t realize that there were other Heroic Spirits besides herself at that time.

The bright red woman looked at the receding figure, feeling lonely and out of place. No matter how good his relationship with her was, he was powerless to do anything about it.

"Bashir."

The emperor turned around when his name was called. His beautiful long hair swayed with inertia, setting off his bright face in the setting sun.

"Mr. Justinian, are you sure?"

"...It controls the phenomenon of affectation and decadence. It makes the woman who is the source of all evil ride on its back, and it gathers all the angry people in the world who are always condemned, degraded, and insulted. In the center of the golden vortex, they embrace and fuse, and devour each other endlessly. It is defined as the sixth beast with the power of killing."

"It's not just Trajan. Many people, including us, have the same question. Finally, we have the answer."

"But this answer... is a little unexpected to me."

"Expected? Did they only destroy the city of Rome?"

The middle-aged man called Justinian smiled and said that after nearly a hundred years of studying theology, he could be said to be a master of Monophysitism and Miaphysitism.

——It’s just that this day has come a little too late.

"Although the Bible says it is a beast of 666, it actually has seven heads, Bashir, do you know why we have never been to Rome like this since Constantine?"

Without waiting for the woman to answer, he gave the answer himself:

"Because another name for Rome is the City of Seven Hills..."

Chapter 163 Venus Nero, Return (Part )

On April 4, the Ottoman cannons roared as usual, and the Christians in the city went to church for worship as usual. The only laborers were planting crops on the reclaimed land, and even some priests could be seen among them.

"It's like going back to the days of the monarchy..."

Leonardo da Vinci was holding a book sent from Chaldea as she strolled through the city. People of different skin colors, beliefs, and cultures were communicating with each other without any hindrance or scruples.

She thought of the Blue Mosque directly opposite the Hagia Sophia. Although it looked shabby from the outside, she could still see the shadow of the city from it.

——The shadow of Jerusalem.

Constantinople, Baghdad, Damascus, Cordoba and Isfahan, these cities still exude their ancient glory today, and compared with them, Rome seems a little backward.

".......Feeling the pleasant morning breeze blowing from the sea, Mamtim II suddenly had an idea and ordered all the ships being transported to raise their sails, just like sailing on the sea. Unless you see it with your own eyes, no one will believe what happened here. Later, this bold tactic became an important element of the Ottoman conquest myth, and was gradually given a strong religious color and destiny argument."

"what you want to say?"

"I don't think he can replicate what he once did. The legend of the conqueror will end with the prophet Ayyub, the standard-bearer who died at the Wall of Sighs."

He was so high-spirited at that time, but in just one night, he became so fragile.

"The world line is closing. Some things cannot be changed. We all know that."

"But if you really had a chance to change history with your own hands, would you give it up?"

With El-Melloi II's words still fresh in his mind, Leonardo looked in confusion at the valley outside the city where Chaldea would re-complete the Conqueror's great conquest.

"Maybe... I shouldn't have come here in the first place."

......

...The first ship was moved down from the top of the mountain to the valley of springs. Mehmed II, who was particularly particular about details, had ordered all sailors and soldiers to board the ship and put it into action as soon as it was full of water; at the same time, another artillery company was transferred to the shore to support the ship.

It was still some time before noon when the first warship splashed into the calm waters of the Golden Horn Bay. The crew was fully armed and on high alert to deal with possible surprise attacks. Other warships soon entered the water one after another. On that day, a total of 70 ships entered the water one after another near the Spring Valley. These ships were all paddle-sailed warships, that is, fast and light warships with a shallow draft. As for the larger warships, they stayed in Shuangzhu Port and continued to block the outer channel.

All the subtle details of the operation - the timing, the route and the technology used were quite advanced for the time. In fact, towing 24 warships over the mountains and into the Golden Horn in 70 hours is an amazing feat even today. The whole operation was a masterpiece both strategically and psychologically, cleverly planned and executed.

Even later Greek historians reluctantly praised it, saying, "This was a great achievement and an outstanding naval strategy."

“So how can we restore it?”

After reading the action instructions sent to her in advance, Mashu felt a headache for the first time because this was beyond her scope of implementation.

"Didn't I tell you, Matthew, we have the invincible Nero, Augustus of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, the absolute Roman orthodoxy, His Majesty Nero Claudius!"

"Master, please stop tormenting me..."

Although she understood Ritsuka's good intentions, Nero was not happy at all at the moment. Seeing Ritsuka's endless chatter, she quickly interrupted the topic:

"Tell me, what should I do?"

"—we have to go back to Twin Pillar Harbor."

The Marmara Sea is still calm today, as if the fierce battle not long ago did not exist at all. Nero stood on the beach, the sea water covered her feet; she squatted down and touched the beach with her hands, and the fine quicksand flowed through the gaps between her fingers into the quiet sea.

She once thought that the turbulence of the sea dominated the quicksand, but that was wrong. Sand is the essence, it contains the sea no matter how vast and violent it is. Although it is invisible, it is submerged, just like the great empire that once spanned the Mediterranean, but was eventually destroyed by the sand from the north.

"This is...our sea."

"Hey, Nero, it's time to take action!"

Elizabeth's voice came from behind him, and Nero shouted back with pretended impatience.

"Got it! Flatter and more eel-like Elizabeth!"

"Who are you calling an eel?"

Elizabeth shouted back angrily, but became sad after shouting.

"Tamamo, is there really no other way?"

White and soft hands were placed on her shoulders, and furry fox ears rubbed her hair. Tamamonomae behind her shook her head to indicate that she was powerless.

"This is her own decision. Now that she has made the choice, there is no going back."

"The theater comes from the sea - luxurious, majestic, and beautiful. Witness it, this is the splendor of singing glory."

"——That is, my Golden Theater."

The Golden Theater that Chaldea saw was a strange and bizarre magical thing.

"At first glance, I thought they were adding wind instruments to the Golden Theater, but the organ and other things have completely become gun ports. What kind of imagination is this? Is the designer mentally normal?"

Olga Marie said she could not understand the Roman aesthetic at all.

“This is what is called the Opera Fortress.”

Romani thought thoughtfully.

But in the eyes of Elizabeth and Tamamonomae, none of these were as good as that statue - that extremely revealing statue.

"NRVN QSR."

Tamamonomae murmured, her head began to ache slightly, and the things that had long been buried deep in her memory showed signs of awakening.

"Its fragrance thickens the sword and sharpens the armor. The way of existence becomes ambiguous, and all disadvantages become meaningless. ██ comes from the sea. Look, the seven heads of the hazy waves. People who store treasures on the earth, now is the time to pour desire into the golden cup."

Justinian finally confirmed his inner speculation.

"But in this case, Nero does not represent the miasma of corruption, but the lingering fragrance of prosperity. So, who is 666?"

PS1: Corrupted Miasma → 666 Beast

The lingering fragrance of prosperity → Whore of Babylon

Essentially the difference between L/R of B6

Chapter 164: The Octopus Spider Project

An hour later, a meeting was held at Hagia Sophia.

Only 13 people attended the meeting, which was held behind closed doors. During this period, Boudica took over the emperor's duties, responsible for maintaining the city's affairs and resisting the attack of the Ottoman army.

Aside from Basilius, most of the attendees were commanders from all over Europe and Venetian captains, as well as El-Melloi II and Alvin.

But the thirteenth is somewhat intriguing: the Genoese Giovanni Giustiniani.

Originally, the Venetians did not want the Genoese to get involved, but with the strong support of the emperor and the municipal governor Minotto, they agreed to his participation. Apart from his status, Giustiniani himself was an experienced commander who could provide a lot of valuable experience for specific operations, and this was reflected in previous battles.

While waiting for the commanders to arrive, Alvin leaned on the balcony railing alone, looking at the ship quietly staying there, with an indescribable complexity in his eyes.

“What is supposed to come will come.”

El-Melloi II came over and patted Alvin on the shoulder to express his relief.

"But I never thought that the ship that came would be this one. It turned out to be Nero Claudius."

And it was sailing on dry land, and even flying the Ottoman flag. What is this? Legitimacy +1?

"Giovanni and the others are here."

“It’s just a process.”

“But the process still has to go through.”

After everyone arrived, Constantine XI looked around at all the people attending the meeting. Except for his brother who was in Morea and Boudica who was guarding the city, the remaining thirteen people were the ones he could trust.

What an unfortunate number! He coughed a few times to expel the thought and began the meeting that would decide the fate of Constantinople.

"To be honest, when the messenger's message reached St. Romanus Gate, I questioned the authenticity of the incident. But when I saw the crescent-shaped flag with a red background, I had to accept the fact."

"The Ottoman navy crossed the Valley of the Springs and broke through our blockade of the Golden Horn, like a dagger in our heart."

"As for now, please tell us your own methods."

——But it turned out to be surprisingly quiet.

"What's wrong? You're not talking?"

"Your Majesty, rather than saying nothing, it's a good understanding of yourself."

Giustiniani made his own statement, as the Venetian governor and Constantine himself had said against all odds that he was a man who could be trusted in all matters.

"On the way here, we have already acknowledged that this is not our battle. We are the only ones who can fight the heroic spirits on that ship head-on."

"Use heroic spirits to fight heroic spirits." added Barto of Venice.

"Okay, okay, let me put it another way. How can we provide the greatest support to the heroes on our side?"

"What are the possibilities of a daytime attack?"

"It's impossible. Although we have an advantage on the sea, the Ottomans have already set up artillery positions on the high ground near the Spring Valley. You have to know that those cannons are completely different from those on the galleys. They can sink the caravel with one shot. If we attack head-on in broad daylight, we will definitely be wiped out by the Ottoman artillery."

Facing the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights who raised this question, the Archon of Venice patiently explained that after all, these Teutonic lords were one of the most elite forces at present. Although Basileus had nominally become a vassal of the two major knightly orders, he still had to be careful.

After several discussions, the meeting fell silent again.

"I can take a thousand men and storm the Ottoman batteries under cover of night. That's the best I can do for you, Mr. Alvin."

The person who said this was the old general Ioannis from Trebizond - Ioannis Komnenos, a descendant of Emperor Alexios who turned the tide and saved the collapsing empire, and also a descendant of Andronicus who buried the Komnenos dynasty.