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Page 122
In an instant, Nero understood that this was her future; she would die alone, without a single Roman by her side.
Intense fear gripped her heart like a pair of giant hands, rendering Nero speechless. Just as she was on the verge of collapse from this torment, the Sixth Beast blinked. The brief interruption of her vision allowed Nero to recover from her futuristic state and begin to gasp for breath, her full chest heaving with each breath.
Just as she was wallowing in fear of the future, the Sixth Beast suddenly let out an excited roar, and the flowing black mud on the ground suddenly rushed towards Nero, grabbing her bare heel and climbing up her fair calf. This sudden change startled Nero so much that she jumped up and down on the spot.
"God Ancestor, God Ancestor, please save me!"
Amid Nero's desperate screams and the Sixth Beast's excited roars, Quinn saw the smile on Sajou Ayaka's face completely freeze. Her palms were still covered in crimson blood, which was being absorbed by the Sixth Beast. However, the ancient blood pact that should have been established between her and Sajou Ayaka had not taken effect.
Even though he wasn't directly involved, Quinn's gaze towards the Root Princess carried a hint of pity; he seemed to see Ayaka Sajou's hair turn from golden to a vibrant green.
As for Aika Sajō herself...
She stared stiffly at Nero, whose body was mostly covered in black mud. What she saw was not a human, but an even-toed ungulate with golden horns on its head. A huge sense of grievance and shock surged into the heart of this princess of origin, causing her to let out a silent roar.
There are cows!
Chapter 291 The Red Dragon Conqueror
Pain, injustice, disbelief...
Sajō Aika had never suffered such humiliation in her life. She stared at the sixth beast she had summoned, which had just called her "mother," and watched it wrap around Nero, trying to merge with her. Indescribable emotions surged within her.
In Ayaka Sajou's past life, everything she encountered went smoothly. As the Root Princess who was born with her magic circuits connected to the Root, she could be called the world's favorite daughter. Everything around her developed in accordance with her wishes. As long as she wanted, the world itself would respond to her thoughts and fulfill her wishes, especially when she didn't have any strange or bad ideas.
Therefore, for Ayaka Sajou, nothing has ever been unpleasant. Even after meeting Quinn, the various forms of monitoring and restrictions she faced were all based on the premise of 'her willingness'. But the situation at this moment is the only exception.
Sajō Aika never imagined that the sixth beast she had summoned would suddenly betray her and fall into the arms of another woman. This unprecedented experience made her blush, and she wished she could destroy the thing that had made her lose face immediately.
However, she couldn't do it.
Although Quinn calls her the Princess of the Root and considers her the world's daughter, in reality, Ayaka Sajou is well aware that her abilities have limits.
She can do many things that are considered miracles by modern magicians and even magicians of the Age of Gods. She can use the barrier "Monster Princess" to materialize the power of the primordial goddess and the womb of all beasts, and the ancient magical powers such as "Holy City Flame" and "Holy City Fall" to resurrect the power of the ten crowns of the apocalyptic beast in the modern era. She has the same or even greater strength as a magician. At first glance, she seems to be invincible and is the strongest human in the world... but she is just a human.
She can be injured, bleed, and naturally die. She only has one magic circuit in her body, and exerting force is the biggest weakness of this almost omniscient and omnipotent darling of the source. She cannot destroy everything with a wave of her hand like a true god, nor can she play with the continental shelf like Arcueid. Naturally, she cannot destroy the quantum record tape and the foundation of human reason like the beast did, so she cannot destroy the beast either.
Perhaps killing Nero now would be an extremely simple thing for her, but she knew very well that if she attacked Nero, Quinn would be unhappy, and she didn't want to upset Quinn because it was true that she had said she had fallen in love with Quinn at first sight.
For this woman who can see through the past, present, and future and possesses almost absolute future vision, Quinn is one of the few beings who are not even within her field of vision. Therefore, before Quinn caused a great stir and became a well-known figure, she didn't even know of Quinn's existence. Otherwise, given her personality, she would probably have gone to Quinn's door ten years ago when Quinn first appeared.
But thanks to this time difference, Aika Sajou's personality became much kinder. So, no matter how wronged she felt or how angry she felt, she would just puff out her cheeks and look at Quinn as if she had suffered a great injustice, trying to get Quinn to help her punish that blond minotaur.
However, her appearance only elicited an awkward smile from Quinn.
The current development is something Quinn never expected.
[You had anticipated that the Sixth Beast would possess Nero, but you never imagined that the Sixth Beast, having already formed a contract with Ayaka Sajou, would turn around and possess Nero again. This development exceeded your expectations.]
But upon closer reflection, this isn't entirely incomprehensible.
[Because Nero is more suitable than Ayaka Sajyo. In the old setting, Ayaka Sajyo was indeed the one who awakened the Sixth Beast and was called the Goddess of the Ghouls by Ramses II. But ultimately, her awakening of the Sixth Beast was a reproduction of ancient magic from the past. Nero, on the other hand... she herself was once called the 'Great Red Dragon with Seven Heads and Ten Horns' by Christians. In a sense, the evil beast that Christians feared was Nero. Thinking about it this way, it is reasonable that the Sixth Beast prefers Nero rather than Ayaka Sajyo.]
However, when you saw Ayaka Sajou complaining to you with a pained expression, you still patted her head reassuringly, which brought a satisfied look to the face of this woman who looked like a young girl but was actually about your age.
As for Nero, who was chosen by the Sixth Beast...
Clearly, without you informing her of your purpose, she was somewhat flustered by being suddenly chosen by the evil Sixth Beast. For the first time, this Roman emperor displayed utterly unrefined fear and dread before you. She jumped around in terror, as if her body was crawling with cockroaches, trying to shake off the black mud clinging to her. This extremely energetic behavior made you realize just how much the Sixth Beast adored this Roman emperor.
[The black mud is essentially no different from the evil of this world. Any Servant who comes into contact with it will have their Spirit Origin corrupted by the malice it contains. Only those who are extremely powerful can resist it. However, Nero, who is neither a Servant nor a demigod, seems to be completely unaffected. This is clearly the result of the Sixth Beast's deliberate actions.]
All of this makes you realize that the Sixth Beast's attitude towards Nero is unique, completely different from its attitude towards Europa II in Britannia. This beast seems to have no intention of corrupting Nero's will and body. In other words, Nero will not be affected by the Sixth Beast, at least not for now.
This change is good; it puts your mind at ease.
[You know you don't need to worry about the sixth beast's larvae lurking somewhere you don't know. Nero's existence allows you to openly observe the beast's development and predict its changes in advance. The beast's special attitude towards Nero also ensures you have enough time to set up traps and deal with it only when it transforms into its complete form, Beast. You can even foresee a future.]
A bold idea is taking shape in your mind.
The one true God expects you to defeat the beast, but the form of that defeat is still undecided. So, is there any possibility?
[You can personally cultivate a complete Beast6 who listens to you unconditionally and trusts you completely. In this way, both the crisis of humanity and your own crisis can be resolved.] Where is Lin? Where is Mei? Where is Kong? Where is Lin?
[You have obtained a legendary resolution – Red Dragon Conqueror]
Chapter 292 Beast VI: People are different
Red Dragon Conqueror
The Sixth Beast has chosen its most favored vessel—Nero Claudius, the Roman emperor later vilified by Catholicism as the "Great Harlot of Babylon," the "Seven-Headed, Ten-Horned Red Dragon," and the "Beast of 666." With the future vilification merging with the Sixth Beast, Nero has indeed become the most suitable candidate to become Beast 6. Nurture her, guide her, and control her future. Before this great red dragon fully matures, leave your mark upon her.
When you succeed, your "intelligence" will transform into "genius."
Please note that the world is watching your every move.
The simulator's message had been on Quinn's mind for a long time. Not long ago, Quinn had used the excuse of "this is a blessing" to temporarily appease Nero, who was possessed by the beast, and let her return to Rome to continue to handle the various affairs that she should handle as emperor.
Although his method of getting Nero away was very perfunctory, Quinn's attention remained fixed on Nero. The reason was simple: the simulator hadn't given him such a "task" in a long time, and once this task was completed, Quinn would have collected all three innate traits.
In CK3, when a player simultaneously acquires the traits Hercules, Alluring Beauty, and Genius, they can obtain the title of Bloodline Progenitor. In Type-Moon... Quinn is quite curious about what effect this so-called Bloodline Progenitor will have. Although he is already powerful enough, he is not yet among the strongest.
Quinn's trip to Britannia was not without its benefits; however, while bringing Morgan and his group back to the modern world meant he no longer had to worry about any problems with his modern base, his own strength had not actually improved.
Now, an opportunity to further enhance his personal abilities is presented to him, so Quinn naturally has to take it even more seriously.
However… this so-called cultivation, guidance, and control is indeed somewhat difficult for Quinn. He has served as a hero mentor and taught many good students, but that was all based on the students not yet having established clear values or their own organizational power. Both Hercules and Artoria belong to this situation, while Nero…
She was already the emperor of the Roman Empire, and having the entire country under her control, she also had her own dreams. After her mother's death, Nero was truly "like a fish in the sea, a bird in the sky, unfettered by cages and nets." Apart from Quinn and Medusa, she was the most powerful person in all of Rome. If we only consider authority, Nero at that time probably surpassed all previous emperors of Rome.
After all, there may have been more than one Roman emperor who received divine favor, but she was the only one whose divine ancestor would personally endorse her.
As an emperor with such authority, she could easily turn the entire Roman Empire into her own kin with just a little effort, and Nero certainly had the talent to do so, which was what troubled Quinn the most.
In Quinn's eyes, Nero was now invincible, without any flaws or weaknesses. Unless Quinn directly interfered in the internal affairs of the Roman Empire in the name of the God Ancestor, Pan-Human History would inevitably develop into a singularity, and Nero would no longer trust him.
While Quinn was pondering how to complete this task, the scene in Rome was quite different.
-
Upon returning to the Roman court, Nero felt as uneasy as a night sky shrouded in dark clouds.
After returning to Rome, the emperor did not summon anyone again, nor did he tell anyone about Quinn's sacrifice at Palatine Hill. Upon her return, she secluded herself in her luxurious yet desolate study, isolating herself from the world.
Her hands gently caressed her chest through her clothes. Beneath the deep red dress, her fair skin was as smooth and delicate as cream, and the full and voluptuous curves were enough to make Sajou Aika, who would probably never have anything like it in her life, shed tears of blood.
In the past, Nero might have stood in front of the mirror admiring her perfect body. After all, as someone who appreciates good looks, she also has a bit of a narcissistic tendency. But now, she has lost that interest because there are some 'foreign objects' on her chest.
Those were strange patterns formed by blood-red veins, like an upside-down spider web tightly connected to her skin, constantly surging. The dull, powerful pulse was now being transmitted to her hands through the obstruction of her clothing, making her acutely aware that she had been parasitized.
Something unknown was attaching itself to her body, as if it were using her body to conceive itself. This feeling of being parasitized was enough to drive any normal woman to a mental breakdown.
Even Nero was no exception. If Quinn hadn't promised her that the thing parasitizing her was not hostile or harmful to her, and could even be considered a kind of blessing, Nero would probably have already contemplated suicide.
Yes, Nero believed Quinn's explanation.
Aside from the fact that Quinn was the progenitor of the Roman gods and there was no reason for him to harm her descendant, Nero saw his future when he witnessed the thing emerging from the Holy Grail. That future was far more terrifying to the emperor than anything he was currently experiencing.
"I... I would actually die in a rebellion?"
Nero's eyes seemed to lose focus, her delicate body trembling slightly. She couldn't believe that she would face such a fate.
Just as Quinn worried, Nero was not a puppet without her own opinions. She had her own dreams, which is why she wanted to rebel against her birth mother and even committed the act of killing her own mother. Her ideal was to make Rome great again, or more precisely, to create a Rome where all Romans could be happy.
She loved Rome and all Romans, so when she saw her future fate, Nero felt an unprecedented fear. She couldn't understand why her future would lead to such a tragic end. She had clearly intended to pour out her love for all Romans and create an empire that would make all Romans happy, but when she was betrayed, not a single Roman stood up to protect her.
Even... when she fled the rebellion, she had no one by her side and could only die alone in the wilderness.
Driven by this extreme fear of the future, Nero felt as if she had returned to the days when she was controlled by her mother, Agrippina the Younger, and was practically a puppet. She had finally escaped that shadow, but now she had fallen into another darkness. This intense fear was the fundamental reason why she chose to believe Quinn's explanation.
If this thing possessing you can indeed help you change your future, then it is indeed a kind of blessing.
Thinking of this, Nero's fear eased slightly. Where is your Lin? Where is mine? Is your Lin here or not...?
After all, compared to a future where one's ideals and efforts go unrewarded, being possessed by some evil spirit is not unacceptable. As Nero began to convince herself to accept the Sixth Beast, the throbbing of the blood-red veins in her chest seemed to receive some kind of signal and began to become active.
As his veins throbbed, a large amount of magic was poured into Nero's body, and in an instant, Nero noticed the changes in himself.
I am becoming stronger.
This change is obvious. Before becoming emperor, Nero had done things beyond human imagination, such as wrestling with lions in the arena, to prove her bravery. But in the end, she was still human, and her power was only at the level of ordinary mortals at the end of the age of gods.
However, Nero could now clearly feel something in her blood being awakened. As that substance circulated throughout her body, her energy increased, giving her the feeling that she could work tirelessly at her desk reviewing documents for at least half a month without sleep.
Such a drastic change dispelled Nero's last bit of fear. The reason was simple: although the thing parasitizing him looked ugly, it actually had some real benefits!
Having received the benefits, Nero, no longer afraid, began to consider communicating with the other party. So, she went to the mirror, took off all her clothes, and stared at her reflection naked. The ugly dark red veins were clearly displayed in front of her.
“I want to change the future.” Nero stated his thoughts directly. “The Divine Ancestor said you are an opportunity. I believe in the Divine Ancestor and am willing to trust you. If you are willing to help me, I will allow you to stay in my body. How about it?”
The mirror did not respond, only reflecting Nero's every move. Just as Nero began to doubt whether this parasite on her could communicate normally, she discovered that the scene in the mirror was changing. The mirror, which had only reflected her own image, began to show the outline of a city.
It was not Rome, nor any city Nero had ever visited, yet the name of that city spontaneously came to mind—Jerusalem.
As the names of cities emerged, the things Nero could see in the mirror became increasingly complex and numerous. Eventually, she saw the riots in Jerusalem and the rebellion of the Jews. At that moment, she finally understood why Quinn, the patriarch of gods, had said that this was an opportunity.
-
Nero gains the special trait "Beast Egg" and the special decision "Future Vision".
[Nero activated the resolution—future vision—and received information about a 'Jewish rebellion.' Nero decided to address the issue of relations between the Jews and the Romans ahead of schedule.]
The sudden pop-up message interrupted Quinn's train of thought. He stared at the two messages in disbelief, feeling a chill run down his spine. At that moment, he could almost see the same smile that the man had given him, rushing to elbow him.
No, how come he gained future vision so soon after being possessed?
Damn beast6, just how much do you like Nero?!
Chapter 293 Is this right? Yes, yes, no, no, right?
People are different, and this statement couldn't be more fitting for Ayaka Sajou and Nero. Some people covet what others can't afford, and some people will drive them to work themselves to the bone, not to mention that the bicycles being driven will even offer themselves as tribute.
This kind of thing is somewhat abstract, but when Quinn thought that it was Beast6, he felt a little relieved.
Now that things have come to this, he no longer needs to think about how to guide Nero. With the powerful weapon of future vision, no amount of guidance can compare to her taking a peek into the future. Using information asymmetry to guide Nero's direction is now an impossible task.
In this way, Quinn was left with only one path.
Gain Nero's trust and make her believe that you are someone she can always trust, so that even when she transforms into a beast, she will still consider you a friend.
The simulator's prompts gave him a feeling of being back in Britain. However, compared to Morgan, who still needed his advice back then, Nero, sitting on the Roman throne and handing documents to court advisors, was clearly more experienced in state affairs. To be precise, she could indeed see the future.