End Of Madness

As the confrontation between the two parties was about to begin. Stheno, Elizabeth, and Tamamo Cat retreated to a safe distance. Stheno had already said that she didn't have combat capabilities, and even if she had, she wouldn't have helped.

Fujimaru also retreated a little not to hinder the fight. Naturally, Mash followed to protect him in case an attack got through in his direction. Jeanne did the same; she wanted to fight by her companion's side, but conserving her Magical Energy was crucial. You never know when her Noble Phantasm will be needed again.

Jalter was the first to clash with Caligula's fist using her flag. The impact dispersed the quiet sand beneath their feet.

Vlad also sprinted toward the enemy, although he would prefer to work more as a commander, he understood there were situations where that could not happen. Using the raised sand as a cover, he transformed into shadows and immediately appeared behind him.

The Berserker Servant didn't waste any time and, with a rapid thrust, aimed directly at Caligula's heart.

The Emperor's reflex kicked in at that moment, he rotated his body and used his free arm's wrist guard to change the trajectory of the spear, creating sparks when both made contact.

"Don't get distracted!" Jalter quickly unsheathed her black sword and swung it in an attempt to cut him in half.

"HAAAH!" With a mad howl, Caligula stomped the ground, making it cave in. Jalter lost her balance momentarily, making her miss her attack. However, she managed to create a small, bleeding slice on his chest.

After Avenger's failed attempt to kill him, she retreated. Something that Vlad also did. Just then, Cu Chulainn appeared high in the air, above the Emperor.

Joining two fingers together, he drew an imaginary line. The line transformed in multiple Runes arranged one next to another. The Runes then lit on fire and became arrows that rained down on the Berserker Servant.

Noticing the incoming attack, Caligula crossed his arms on top of his head in an attempt to resist it. When the fire arrows hit him, they created mini-explosions all around.

The moment the attack was over, the Emperor was revealed to be mostly unharmed. The fact that he was wet from swimming his way over helped a bit in that.

Unfortunately for him, he was not given any rest. Kiyohime did a semi-circular motion with her fan, releasing a straight line of blue flames toward him.

Caligula crossed his arms again, this time in front of him. The attack hit him with incredible force, pushing him back while leaving deep trails on the sand.

The assaults on him weren't over yet. Lancelot and Nero charged at him as soon as he finished blocking Kiyohime's flames.

At this, Caligula's expression twisted into a sick grin. "Offer it up! Your body, your life, your soul. Everything! NEEEROOO!"

Conflicting emotions coursed through her eyes for a moment, but as quickly as they came, they disappeared. Nero promised herself that she would stop her uncle's madness. She would do this to end the suffering she felt her uncle was having.

A red aura enveloped Caligula for a few seconds before it faded away. He didn't waste time and also charged at them. Lancelot, being a Servant, arrived faster. Holding his black sword with two hands, he brought it down on the other Berserker.

The man in question raised both hands and caught Lancelot's sword. However, he underestimated his opponent's power. The weight behind his sword was slowly pushing down him to his knees.

"My turn!" With Nero's shout, Lancelot retracted his sword and moved to the side just in time for her to come dashing forward with a quick stroke.

The young girl stabbed her flaming sword on the kneeling Caligula's shoulders. However, the Berserker Servant didn't even flinch. Grabbing his niece's weapon with his undamaged arm, he smiled at her. "So beautiful...your color. Like blood." His smile soon turned in an expression of extreme rage. "GIVE IT TO ME!"

Realizing something was wrong, Nero tried to retract her sword, but Caligula's grip was so firm she couldn't do it.

"You should not concentrate only on who is in front of you." Vlad's voice was heard behind him. The Servant didn't have time to react when his opponent's spear pierced him. It wasn't over as Jalter also attacked him using her flag, she stabbed Caligula's back with just enough power to go through his back and his heart.

"Ngh...!" The Emperor released a low grunt before his arms fell powerlessly to his sides. Seeing this, Nero and the others took out their weapons from inside his body and retreated some steps back.

"Did we defeat him?" Nero asked with a slightly hurried breath. Although she didn't do much, the whole situation unknowingly made her tired both mentally and physically.

"He is not—" Before the approaching Cu Chulainn could finish speaking, a surge of Magical Energy grabbed everyone's attention.

The kneeling and wounded body of Caligula started healing. Proof that he used his skill Imperial Privilege A.

Berserker's Magical Energy kept rising as he stood up. Nero was frozen in place for a second, she tried to retreat, but Caligula darted at her, rapidly catching her in a deadly grip by the neck.

A blue light, courtesy of Martha, came from the sky to where he stood. With the same mad grin, he jumped back, successfully avoiding the strike.

"Let me...go..." Nero grabbed her uncle's arm, trying to free herself to no avail. Caligula was increasing the force of his grip with each passing second.

It was at that moment that Lancelot appeared to his side. "Hrrrgggh!" With a strange shout that demonstrated his madness, the Black Knight went for a horizontal swing.

Without care, Caligula smashed his free fist against his sword with brute force. The weapon mentioned above, after the initial resistance, began to dig deep into his hands.

"Argh!!" With a shout of his own, Caligula used his niece, who was still struggling to breathe, as some sort of weapon. He smashed her against the other Berserker, releasing her in the process.

However, that caused the young Emperor to become unconscious. The blonde girl fell on the ground like some discarded object. "Nero!" Fujimaru, Jeanne, and Mash yelled in unison, worried by the state of the girl.

Seeing her state, Martha didn't hesitate to use her skill to heal her and the other wounded members. Sadly for her, Caligula wasn't going to let that happen.

It took time, it certainly did, but what he was waiting for happened. The previously red sky became black. Where once the sun triumphed, now the moon did. Presently, he met the necessary conditions.

Looking up, Berserker smiled in madness, something that slightly unnerved the rest.

« "Goddess... Oh, I can see the Goddess..."

『Flucticulus Diana!』 »

Without any previous warning, Caligula used his Noble Phantasm. Immediately, Martha felt like using her skill or even her own Noble Phantasm, for the matter was not possible anymore. Not only that, she felt like her sanity was wavering, similar to what happened in Orleans.

The Saint wasn't the only one in this particular situation, though. Everyone in the area, except for the girl trio who were far away at this point, was facing the same consequences.

Some Servants had it better. Mainly Berserkers, as their salinity was not the highest, to begin with. Of course, there were others, like a certain girl, who seemed to be a Berserker, despite not being one.

The one who had it most difficult, however, was Fujimaru. He was just an average human and being in the range of Caligula's Noble Phantasm; he was suffering.

The Master, who was running toward Nero together with the other two girls, fell to his knees, grabbing his head.

"Senpai, are you okay?!" Mash was suffering the same effects, but being a Demi-Servant had its perks. The lilac-haired girl kneeled beside him, dropping her shield and holding him between her arms.

Jeanne also stopped but for a different reason. Caligula was sprinting toward them with his right hand clenched into a fist. She didn't take long to come to a decision; she moved in front of the two and readied her flag to meet the incoming charge.

It seemed that all that was for naught as before he got close to them, Martha appeared beside him and hit his side using her staff. The Saint had a not so friendly expression on her face, making Jeanne wonder if she had become a Berserker or something.

Caligula staggered a little while he held his side with a twisted face. It wasn't over yet as his back was hit by a stream of flames, causing him to take some steps forward. When he turned around, he saw Kiyohime holding her fan as small, orange sparks danced wildly around her.

His 'suffering' wasn't over yet, though. Beneath his feet, a magic circle formed itself, and from it, a torrent of flames shot upward, engulfing him.

"ARGHHHH!!!" His scream was heard by everyone present, a cry that contained both pain and rage.

The culprit, Cu Chulainn, was pointing his staff at him. He was breathing faster than usual, and his red eyes shined, looking more feral than usual. It wasn't easy to fight that mental attack from Caligula's Noble Phantasm.

To the Emperor's bad luck, the finishing blow came sooner than he expected. Avenger was at her boiling point; she had endured for too long, so now it was the time to vent.

She may not be able to use her Noble Phantasm, but that didn't mean she was useless. With her sword in one hand and her flag in another, Jalter charged at him with all the speed she could muster.

Caligula, who was still roaring in anguish, didn't notice her figure getting closer. That is what marked his downfall. Before he could register what was happening, his head separated from his body.

The whole place turned silent. The only thing that people present could hear was the sound of Caligula's head hitting the ground, and after that, his headless body, falling with a thud.

Just then, Nero regained his conscience. The first thing she saw was the head of her uncle, looking in her direction with a smile. This smile, however, was a pure one. It wasn't like the ones before, filled with madness.

The little girl opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Emperor or not, seeing the head of a familiar lying around was not something easy to take in. It was a traumatic experience, to say the least.

Not soon after, Caligula's body started to fade, signaling their battle was over. With his disappearance, every Servant present could use their skills and Noble Phantasms once again. Also, the maddening aura was not in effect anymore.

Wasting no time, Martha used her skill Miracle D to heal the wounds most of them suffered. It was not much, but it was better than nothing.

Fujimaru, who was having some troubles thanks to Flucticulus Diana, slowly got himself together. He was panting heavily and had sweat all over his face.

"Are you okay, Fujimaru?" Once he knew it was all over, Romani's hologram appeared and asked the Master about his condition.

"Yes... yes, I'm fine." He answered after a moment. After a few seconds, he was able to stand up on his own.

"Good job, now there is one less Emperor." Dr. Roman congratulated them. Although his voice got lower at the end, as he noticed Nero was looking down with saddened eyes.

The group took a moment to rest, having nothing more to do. Thinking a little, they probably would have to return to Rome after this. After all, the Goddess was a disappointment, and they already defeated another Emperor.