Following the answer in his heart, Nero never wavered in the face of Iskandar charging with thunder and lightning.
Even the sky dimmed under the dazzling electric light, and even the earth trembled under the dull thunder.
.......
Nero had only experienced a similar but slightly inferior momentum when facing Caesar.
However, now that I think about it, Caesar, who was as famous as Alexander who fought in Asia Minor and Egypt and Persia, was still merciful when fighting himself.
Otherwise, Nero should have felt such oppression at that time.
No matter what kind of king, I'm afraid he would feel threatened when facing such a conqueror.
Maybe some will be afraid of it, maybe some will admire it, and maybe some will be crushed after recognizing it.
But no qualified king would turn a blind eye to Iskandar's conquest.
However, Nero was not a cowardly king who would be frightened, nor was he a noble king who would admire him, nor was he an arrogant king who would approve but not look down upon him at all.
"Although such a rule is powerful, I hate it from beginning to end."
Nero closed his eyes and carefully used his heart to feel Iskandar's "kingliness" and "dominance" during the charge.
She chose to reject that power.
Nero prospered like no other.
"Then show me - what you ask for, what you long for, the kingly law implemented by Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, in her The face of Rome under government.”
Iskandar shouted.
"Then, let me conquer!"
"Hmm!"
Nero inserted the primordial fire into the yellow sand at her feet in front of her, and the passionate flames on the blade instantly ignited Iscandar's mental landscape.
Just like the willow catkins and poplar catkins that are lit in midsummer.
It echoed the flames of Animusfia that lit up the sky behind Iskandar, and finally merged into one.
"Then let's have a good look at it————! The Golden Theater (Aestus Domus Aurea) that I am fascinated by!"
The yellow sand was burned away, and gorgeous marble floor tiles were exposed under the flames.
The dark nothingness originally left by the burning of Animusfia was replaced by a grand palace.
It is said that Rome, which was disgusted with the palaces built for the relatively frugal lifestyle of the Octavian era, wanted to build a new palace in the city, but met with unanimous opposition from the Senate and Roman citizens.
Nero was ostensibly forced to give up his idea, but then something unexpected happened that didn't look like a coincidence.
A fire broke out that burned half of Rome and lasted for five days and five nights.
After this, Nero Claudius, the fifth Augustus of Rome, naturally built the Domus Aurea (Domus Aurea) he expected.
And Nero's Noble Phantasm [The Golden Theater that invites the heart to wander] naturally inherited this folk legend.
In fact, in the realization of the Golden Theater's Noble Phantasm, there is also another Noble Phantasm obtained by Nero due to the fire of Rome.
Burning all the existing obstacles, she then built her own golden theater from the beginning, the absolute emperor's circle.
A grand magic similar to but different from the inherent barrier, using magic to reproduce the grand buildings in the mental landscape.
If the inherent barrier is to directly overwrite the world in one's heart and stick it on this world like a patch.
Then Nero's Golden Theater is to use magic to recreate his mental landscape brick by brick in the original world.
Therefore, it is more durable and stable than ordinary inherent barriers.
If there is enough magic power, it can even exist in the world semi-permanently like the city of Chakdis that Elizabeth has weaponized.
The flames that burned the seven hills and the red cliff fire of Animus Fiana itself could burn the battlefield. Even Alexander the Great's army could not survive.
Even if the area Iskandar rides over is always reconquered by him as a wasteland, it will be completely burned in the next moment by the fire of Nero and Animusfia, and then on top of its ashes. Bloom new life.
That was the Rome that Nero represented.
Even if it was looted by the Gallic barbarians, it could still regroup, and even if it was defeated by Carthage several times, it could still win the final victory.
The history of Rome was by no means a smooth one. Rome probably suffered more failures than any other country.
However, after the fire burns down, the heart-wrenching Golden Theater will be built.
After three sunsets, Rome's future will continue.
Thus, the barren plains were replaced by golden theaters.
The rays of the sun shine through the dome of the courtyard and are reflected between the gold-plated walls at subtle angles, illuminating the entire theater with splendor.
The breeze blowing from nowhere blew countless rose petals into the air, filling every corner of the Golden Theater.
Thousands of Roman columns of various styles support the walls of the gorgeous theater. Just looking at it will remind you of Roman arches.
Of course, what is indispensable are the statues of the Greek sages that Nero loved and the colorful flags embroidered with the hymns of Rome, Nero and the Julius Claudius family.
In the center of the theater are the bronze statues of Animusphia and Nero that still stand in Rome.
The most astonishing thing is the size of the entire golden theater.
"Even after two thousand years, the Golden Palace you built by Your Majesty still has 9,000 square meters left - well, using current units, it still covers an area of three grammes. As for the Golden Palace, it can be tested At its peak, the area reached 800,000 square meters, which is as big as 300 Ugrams."
This was one of the bedside stories Animusfia told Nero one night.
A story about Nero himself.
How big is 800,000 square meters?
The Forbidden City in China is only 720,000 square meters, and the most famous city square in China and the largest in the world is only 440,000 square meters.
As for the famous Red Square in Russia, it is only 90,000 square meters.
Therefore, Iskandar's entire "King's Army" was included in Nero's magnificent golden theater.
Iskandar's forward charge gradually stopped.
It wasn't that his horse stopped, nor that he himself lost his will to fight.
Rather, Iskandar's power was eliminated from the physical level.
The thunder cloak behind him that could cover the ground had long since disappeared, and the charge that could make the earth tremble was unable to shake the Golden Theater at all.
The conquering king Iskandar, who seemed to be able to conquer both mountains and oceans before, is now just an ordinary strong man riding a horse in this golden theater.
After noticing this change, Iskandar smiled bitterly and stopped Bucefalas' charge.
In Nero's Golden Theater, Nero is the well-deserved "Creator" and the "First Cause" of all phenomena.
The strong can become weak in her hands, and the weak can become strong in her hands.
When there is light in words, there is light; when there is love in words, there is love.
Nero's words are law, rules, and "truth" that must be followed.
This was the pinnacle of imperial power, the pinnacle of Augustus, the pinnacle of prosperity.
Exclusively for Nero, the absolute emperor's circle.
The successors who were entangled with Animusfia also lost their previous power, and Animusfia broke free from their blockade.
Several giant dragons burning with raging fire passed through the "King's Army" at the same time, and after swallowing countless soldiers, they returned to Nero's side, and finally re-condensed into human form.
Animusfia, whose body was covered with numerous small wounds and soaked red with blood, appeared in front of Nero again.
However, that wasn't the end yet. Half of Animusfia's body was scorched black by the flames, and her remaining right arm was limp and limp as if it had been entangled by a giant python. Only the palm of her hand was still intact. He seems to be holding the Spear of Ouranos tightly.
"Governor!"
Nero quickly prepared to help Animusfia, who looked like she would collapse to the ground in the next second.
"No, Your Majesty."
Animusfia stopped Nero who was about to help him.
"I can recover."
Rapidly absorbing the magic power from the Spear of Ouranos, Animusfia's body recovered at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Although Animusfia looks quite scary now, it is not a bad idea to just put it in the morgue and bag it.
But in fact, the damage done to him by the successors was limited.
The real injuries he suffered at the hands of Ptolemy and Seleucus were not as serious as the injuries caused by forcibly activating the Noble Phantasm in the Eight Stone Soldier Formation.
However, the biggest injury this time did not come from the hands of others, but from Animusfia itself.
Animusfia, who intentionally merged her soul with Zhou Yu's spirit base to blur the boundaries between the two, was just adding insult to injury to her already worrying soul.
After just a few breaths, Animusfia regained her ability to fight.
"I'm sorry... Governor, I have been relying on you all this time. You are obviously fighting for Yu Cai until now... but Yu is still confused and can't help me with anything."
After receiving the almost impossible apology from His Majesty, Animusfiya showed an unexpected expression on her face.
"What, that expression of yours."
"I just didn't expect that Your Majesty would actually apologize. Well, that's of course. I'm the only one looking at you now, but please pay attention next time and know————————"
"August was not wrong. . . . You're going to say that, aren't you?"
Before Animusfia could say anything, Nero gently pointed his index finger in front of his mouth.
Animusfia was stunned for a few seconds, then nodded helplessly.
"Exactly that."
"don't want."
The words that Nero continued to speak were even more beyond Animusfia's imagination.
Nero Claudius, who had always obeyed Animusfia's advice, actually denied Animusfia's proposal.
"I have always walked on the road paved by you, the Governor: correct, noble, just...and lonely. Augustus will be great like that, and Rome will become very powerful. Right————Just by doing this, I can detect the fact, but——————”
Nero's words suddenly stopped, and she stared closely at Animusfia.
Animusfia could even see her own reflection in Nero's clear eyes.
"Sure enough, Yu still doesn't want to be that kind of Augustus. Yu wants to act according to Yu's thoughts."
Nero extended his arms to indicate the magnificent golden theater around him.
"Look, Governor, this is the scene I have been waiting for. Don't you like it?"
Animusfia couldn't help laughing when she saw Nero who seemed to be trying his best to prove to himself how good the Golden Theater was.
Do you want to act according to your own style, but don't want to disappoint him?
"What, why are you laughing now?"
"You just need to do what you want in your heart, Your Majesty. My suggestions are just suggestions after all. No matter what you do, I will always stand behind you."
"No, why do you ignore Governor Ru's advice like this?"
Nero shook his head resolutely.
"If you really think so, please remove my bronze statue from your theater."
"Hmm... You are so cunning, Governor. You actually made such a request. No, I will never agree to it."
"I guess so."
Animusfia sighed, and then said to Nero:
"The person who should be sorry is actually me, Your Majesty. I have always restricted your royal ways, forced you to walk on the path I chose, and made you a puppet controlled by me. I did not realize the seriousness. It has added confusion and trouble to you, but fortunately, it seems that you have made the right choice."
He bent over Nero.
"Please feel free to be an emperor like [Nero], Your Majesty."
"You won't be disappointed... angry?"
"Please be more confident, Your Majesty. How could I dare to be angry with you?"
"Really?"
"I never lie."
"But you often don't tell the whole story."
"It's completely true this time, don't worry, Nero."
Animusfia used the way Nero would only address her when he briefly dropped the name Augustus when the two of them were alone.
"Hmm!"
Nero, who finally got a sure answer from Animusfia, nodded with peace of mind and satisfaction.
At this time, the "King's Army" had regrouped and came behind Les Candar, and El-Melloi II also came to his side.
"Is that the way Mediterranean kings and ministers get along?"
El-Melloi II asked Iskandar.
Looking at it this way, when he summoned Iskandar, the conquering king restrained himself a lot.
"No, other people are not like them at all. I think they can't be regarded as simple monarchs and ministers."
"I guess so."
El-Melloi II turned around and glanced at the king's army, which had been reduced by almost half.
Even with the bonus of the Noble Phantasm [Departure Watch] that he released using Zhuge Kongming's spiritual base, the king's army was still greatly weakened in the [Golden Theater of Heart-Thrilling].
The original Noble Phantasm of [Zhou Yu] was extremely restrained by the Noble Phantasm of a large-scale legion like Iskandar.
Thanks to his outstanding performance, the damage caused by Animusfia was controlled within a certain range.
As a result, after the effects of the deployment plan and the golden theater canceled each other out, most of the king's army was killed by Animusfia in an instant.
Even Iskander himself.
With his spiritual base itself weakened, he could not even continue to suppress the "poison" left by Jing Ke with the Dagger of No Return.
A trace of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, but the conquering king himself was still sitting on Bucephalas without any pain.
It was as if he wasn't hurt at all.
Defeated.
This is the fact that Zhuge Kongming's spiritual power informed El-Melloi II.
If Iskandar had not been poisoned, the opponent's military advisor was not the [Zhou Yu] who could stand up to him.
Then maybe there is still some chance of winning.
But since even the "Wolong" can only see the inevitable outcome, then this battle probably won't be a miracle.
"Want to charge? One last time."
"Ah, of course."
Coming again? Knowing that there is no chance of winning but still charging forward.
El-Melloi II, who was still Weber at that time, actually couldn't understand why Iskandar's king's army followed him to the abyss.
But then he understood.
The so-called Alexander——Iskandar is a person who can make others do such things.
People can't help but follow him, and then follow Iskandar to every corner of the world without hesitation, until the end.
"The so-called king is the one who knows that the end of the road is destruction but still moves forward without regrets!"
The remaining soldiers behind Iskandar also raised their spears in the air without a trace of timidity, shouting loud war cries to echo him.
Lins of spears and thunderous roars instantly transformed part of the Golden Theater into a battlefield filled with yellow sand.
The battlefield now here is not only Iskandar's mental image and dream, but also the vision of every soldier in the Eastern Expedition Legion he leads.
It is the collective dream of the "King's Army".
Even El-Melloi II, who had seen this scene before, was no exception.
However, what was different from the last time was that this time he could not only watch, but could actually charge with that person as a member of the king's army.
Animusfia and Nero's attention was also attracted by the deafening cry of "The King's Army" behind Iskandar.
"It seems we have to make a decision, Your Majesty."
"Hmm, the Conqueror King's military strength is really impressive, but unfortunately, I will not lose to him."
"You are indeed much more confident, Your Majesty."
"Of course, although Alexander the Great had many ministers, he also had the help of the governor you. Although the number was not as great as that of the governor, I was satisfied as long as I needed the governor. In this case, I also had the governor who ruled Rome. Is there any reason to lose?”
"Is that so... I really appreciate your kindness, Your Majesty, but I'm afraid that I am not the only one of your ministers."
Facing the mighty king's army, Animusfia waved her hand gently.
For a moment, countless ripples appeared on the wall of the golden theater behind Nero, and then figures walked out of the ripples.
It is strange to say that the flames that Nero built the Golden Theater actually contained part of Animusfia.
And Animusfia can also be regarded as half the owner of this golden theater.
Feeling that the external legions had finally arrived, Animusfia waved her hand and let all the Roman legions in.
"This is......."
Nero looked with some surprise at the soldiers who walked into the golden theater one by one and then formed a military formation.
"It's your Majesty's army."
"Imberado! Imberado! Imberado!"
As if to compete with the king's army on the opposite side, the legions behind Nero and Animusfia also began to chant loudly.
With the blessing of the Golden Theater, the soldiers who were originally ordinary people have become existences that can almost compete with the Servants.
Even as Romans, they received a bonus from "Rome" at this moment.
If you really want to give it a name, you can call it [Legion Privilege].
Seeing the legions in front of him who were no less powerful than his own, the smile on Iskandar's face became even warmer.
This is good, so that we can truly have the feeling of conquest and war.
If he really wanted to bring his life to an end again, this would be the place where Iskandar would most like to end it.
"charge--------!"
Iskandar raised the dagger in his hand high, and as soon as he finished speaking, a thick bolt of lightning penetrated the Golden Theater and fell straight on his sword from the sky.
However, not only was Iskandar not injured at all by this lightning, the magical aura coming from his body was even stronger.
El-Melloi II saw that Iskandar had begun to completely release his magic power regardless of the toxins in his body.
In this way, no matter what the final outcome of this battle is, Iskandar will no longer be able to maintain his status as a follower.
The building parts of the Golden Theater above Iskandar also began to collapse under the influence of lightning, revealing a clear blue sky again.
Then Iskandar swung the blade forward sharply.
"Ionian Hetairoi!"
The moment the sword blade was swung down, all the servants in the King's Army (Ionian Hetairoi) let out a thunderous war cry and rushed forward.
And Iskandar's figure galloped out earlier in front of everyone in the King's Army.
"Oh la la la la la la la la!"
Iskandar shouted and launched a final charge forward.
The original meaning of "Hetairoi" in Greek is "partner".
Later, the "Hetairoi" Guards formed by the King of Macedonia, who were like friends and ministers, were also called the companion cavalry because most of them were elite cavalry.
The Companion Cavalry was not pioneered by the most famous Macedonian king, Alexander the Great, but the name of the Companion Cavalry was definitely carried forward by Alexander.
In just a dozen years, the Friends Cavalry has developed into an existence that is comparable to the Theban Holy Army, the Spartan Warriors, and the ten thousand immortal army of Persia.
Even if they were not counted among the companion cavalry, other veterans of Alexander's Eastern Expedition later received a resounding title.
"Argyraspides"
The Ionian Hetairoi commanded by Alexander actually included not only the Hetairoi, but also the Argyraspides, who were victorious in every battle.
These are the true companions of Iskandar, the Ionian Hetairoi.
