A/N: Here's the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!

Things proceed apace~

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“O-Of course not! I share no similarities with that woman!”

Wait, what? Shirou had been about to say something along the lines of ‘it doesn’t matter, we need to get down there and help anyways’ but then Saber goes and says something like that and it brings him to a complete halt. Sure, there’s a battle going on down there and they really should get to work but…

“Saber? Are you feeling alright? She actually looks nearly identical to you.”

“Heh. Nearly identical is right.”

When Sakura says that, Saber gets redder in the face than before, making Shirou furrow his brow and look back into the distance. He tries to peer closer, he really does… but he’s not seeing it. What exactly are they all talking about exactly? He doesn’t-!

SMACK!

“D-Don’t stare at her, Shirou! Honestly, what kind of Master are you?!”

Shirou just gapes at Saber as he holds the back of his head where she’d lightly tapped him. Seriously?! Where was this even coming from? He’d expect this sort of behavior from Rin, but not from THE Artoria Pendragon! Seemingly ashamed of her behavior, Saber can’t even look him in the eye as she crosses her arms over her chest defensively.

Deciding that enough was enough, Shirou just growls.

“Tch. Look ladies, we need to get down there and back up that Servant. Seeing as they’re currently the underdogs, they’re probably on our side… it looks like our enemies having overwhelming numbers is probably going to be a running theme in these Singularities.”

Everyone nods, but before they can actually get a move on, Dr. Roman’s voice comes over the communicator.

“Ahem. Actually, there are no Servants nearby. That woman, whoever she is, was born in this Era, not Summoned here. We’ll start looking through the database back here in Chaldea to try and figure out who she might be, but just know that she’s no Servant.”

Well that’s even weirder. Also good to know, Shirou supposes. Still it doesn’t change anything.

“Right! Let’s get down there and turn the tide!”

To the credit of the woman in red sharing Saber’s face… it’s entirely possible she might have been able to win the battle singlehandedly. She’s quite strong and watching her fight… well, it’s a little mesmerizing, even as Shirou and all of the others come charging down the hill. However, she’s up against what seem like nearly insurmountable odds and while she seems to be holding her own, the closer they get, the more it becomes obvious she was reaching the end of her rope.

Her muscles are trembling, sweat beads across her brow, and her sword strikes, while crisp and swift as can be, are already starting to slow down.

But then they show up and… well, it’s not very fair to the other army. As Dr. Roman said, there are no other Servants in the area. Just theirs. And when you think about it, four Servants and four Masters against an entire army of soldiers? That’s no contest at all, really.

The fighting is swift and brutal and the bigger army is quickly routed and forced into retreat before the likes of Artoria, Ereshkigal, Medusa, and Mash. Ritsuka couldn’t do much beyond stay back and give orders, and Rin was all too happy to conserve her own magecraft given how expensive it could be. Sakura also refrained on account of her magecraft being… well, incredibly horrifying. So long as it wasn’t necessary, it was better for her to stay back and observe.

Shirou though… Shirou fought on the frontlines alongside the Servants and their mystery woman in red. And perhaps the woman wearing Saber’s face could tell there was a difference between him and the others, because when the fighting is won and the battle is over, she turns to him rather than anyone else, stepping up to him with a curious intent to her.

Of course, Saber appears between them in an instant, eyes narrowed at her doppelganger. This brings the other blonde up short, even as Shirou resists the urge to cover his face with his palm.

“Saber, be cool. We just helped this nice lady out, she’s not immediately going to try to run me through.”

“… As you say, Master.”

Stepping out from behind Saber, Shirou gives the swordswoman they’d saved his best friendly smile. Of course, it’s already too late. She only has eyes for Artoria Pendragon. After a moment though, she does shift her gaze to him, narrowing them questioningly.

“Who are you people? Why do you have a bodyguard with my face but not my body?”

Her face but not her body? Shirou is confused even as Saber bristles. And then finally… it dawns on him. He doesn’t know what it says about him as a man that he didn’t notice it before. Is it a good or bad thing that he was so oblivious to what had Saber so upset about the comparison between her and this woman?

Basically… Saber and the woman in red shared the same face, but definitely not the same bosom. In fact, Shirou suspected that if one took off their red and blue attire in it’s entirety and stood them side by side, the mystery woman would be… much more developed in a lot of ways compared to Artoria. Though its weird… now that they’re standing face to face, he’d swear she’s shorter than Saber, despite being more… stacked.

Clearing his throat, Shirou considers lying… really, he does. He just discards the idea after a moment as everyone else approaches. Lying will get them nowhere here. And with Saber sharing a face with the swordswoman they rescued, there’s simply no point in it really.

“We’re travelers from another world. We’re here on a mission to recover a sacred artifact known as the Holy Grail. Also whatever you’re dealing with here, I’m pretty sure the Grail is the cause of it. Because this isn’t how things are supposed to go.”

The woman in red’s eyes widen, even as palms meet faces behind him. From the sound of things both Rin and Sakura are facepalming at the moment. A glance back shows this to be true, but at least Ritsuka gives him a thumbs up and makes it clear she would have said the exact same thing!

“The Grail… I think I know of what you speak. I’ve seen it in my nightmares…”

Oh? Now that’s interesting. However, before they can speak further, Shirou sees a flash of something… and moves without thinking. His blades appear in his hands and he steps in front of the swordswoman in red, blocking a blow clearly meant to kill her from reaching its target. In the process, he finds himself face to face with a spiky purple-haired warrior sporting red and black eyes.

This is a Servant, Shirou belatedly realizes. Not just a Servant, but definitely Berserker Class from the amount of strength bearing down on him. He only lasts half a moment before he begins to buckle under the other man’s strength, but half a moment is all Saber needs to rush to his side. Not just Saber either, but also Medusa, Ereshkigal, and Mash. Hell, even the swordswoman rushes in.

“Caligula! Dishonorable as ever!”

Growling, the now-named Caligula pulls back so that he doesn’t get skewered from multiple directions. Despite being a Berserker, he’s clearly capable of intelligent thought at the moment.

“Tch. I’d wondered how you managed to rout my army so completely that they wouldn’t stop running away no matter how I disciplined them. I see now that I am outmatched.”

Shirou’s eyes widen as he realizes what’s about to happen. The Berserker is already starting to fade away into spirit form so he can retreat from the battlefield unmolested. A cowardly move some might say, but when you’re one Servant against four, it becomes all too strategic.

Only… just as Caligula is fading from view, something happens and he snaps right back into place. The red and black eyed man looks just as confused as all of them, before glancing down at his feet in a pure lack of comprehension. Shirou follows his gaze down… and sees Sakura’s shadowy tentacles have snaked past his feet at some point and wrapped around the Berserker’s ankles.

“What? What is this?!”

“Did my Senpai say you could leave, Servant?”

Sakura’s smug tone makes Caligula growl in anger… but then he looks at the situation he finds himself in and grows rather pale.

“Well… shit.”

Needless to say, with spirit form and retreat no longer available to him, he doesn’t last much longer. Even activating Madness Enhancement does nothing for him despite raising his physical attributes by quite a lot. Between them all, the four Servants and four Masters destroy the Enemy Servant without taking any real damage beyond a few small scrapes and bruises that heal fast anyways.

When all is said and done, Shirou turns to the swordswoman from earlier, who is looking at him in a new light. At least, that perverse little smile that he’s seeing on her face is something he’s never seen on Saber’s face before. Not even while Artoria was in the throes of a foodgasm. Hopping over to him, the woman in red clasps her hands behind her back and twists from side to side.

“Umu! You saved my life, didn’t you?”

Shirou laughs and scratches the back of his head sheepishly.

“Well… I’m sure you would have dodged or blocked if I hadn’t stepped in, right?”

Without a single ounce of shame, she nods to that.

“Oh yes! I definitely would have. Still, you DID step in… I like a man as heroic as that! And you should be happy to know that you did not just save anyone’s life… you saved the life of Nero Claudius, Fifth Emperor of the Roman Empire!”

Wait, what?

-x-X-x-

Needless to say, Nero’s true identity was a bit of a shock. Maybe not as surprising as it might have been if they hadn’t had Saber with them, but still pretty surprising. Obviously anyone who had Artoria’s face had to be important, even if this time period was set long, long before Camelot ever existed. Still, Shirou hadn’t expected the swordswoman to continue the tradition of being a woman in what was normally a man’s position. Seriously, wasn’t Nero supposed to be a guy? But then, King Arthur was also supposed to be a dude.

All in all, they’d wound up following Nero back to the City of Rome at her request. She had barely taken her eyes off Shirou during their travels… even when they were making their way through Rome’s market and had to fend off a surprise attack by the enemy there as well.

Finally, they were at Nero’s Palace, enjoying a rather extravagant feast. The Roman Emperor was currently on her third cup of wine but barely slurring her words as she swished her wine goblet this way and that.

“They call themselves the United Roman Empire… and unfortunately Uncle Caligula was only one of many. I do not know how many so-called Emperors claim to be part of this United Roman Empire. All I know is that they dilute my title with every forsaken breath they take!”

Slamming her fist into the table, Nero growls.

“Unfortunately, I cannot defeat them. They outnumber my forces greatly and have so far managed to claim half of the empire from my clutches. Even Rome itself is not safe, as they very nearly managed to take the city last month. I don’t know how much longer I can hold them off.”

Suddenly turning to Shirou, who of course has been given a ‘place of honor’ right by the Roman Emperor’s side, Nero reaches out and grabs his hand with her own.

“You will help me, yes? You and your allies are powerful warriors one and all. You even stopped my uncle’s escape earlier today with terrifying but effective magic! So please… help me save my Empire.”

Shirou opens his mouth to assure Nero that they’ll do everything they can, always ready to be suckered in by a pretty face… especially the same pretty face, it would seem. But before he can speak, Rin clears her throat and cuts in.

“We might be able to help you. But as Shirou already said, we’re here for our own purposes. If we do not retrieve the Holy Grail from this realm, then our world will be destroyed. You said you’ve seen it in a nightmare?”

Reluctantly turning away from him… but still holding his hand, Shirou notes, Nero slowly nods to Rin.

“Indeed. In this, I suspect our goals are aligned then. It is my belief that the Holy Grail you seek is a weapon utilized by my foes in the United Roman Empire. If you help me destroy them, we will no doubt find it among the rubble we leave behind in our victorious conquest!”

Well then…

“Sounds like a plan to me!”

Nero beams at him, while Rin glares. But then, Shirou is used to Rin’s glaring. Before anyone else can say anything, Mash suddenly speaks up.

“Um… excuse me Emperor Nero? Do you know if there’s a man called Lev Lainur among this United Roman Empire by any chance?”

When everyone looks Mash’s way, she flushes and hides under her hair’s fringe.

“It just stands to reason that he might be behind all of this…”

Ritsuka grins and gives Mash’s shoulder a squeeze.

“That’s a good question, you’re right Mash!”

“A-Ah… thank you Senpai…”

Meanwhile, Nero just shrugs.

“The name is unfamiliar to me. But… behind all of this? What do you mean?”

They quickly explain who Lev Lainur is and what he’s done, at least in broad strokes. By the end of their explanation, Nero is slowly nodding, the Roman Empire’s eyes narrowed.

“Hmm… why I have never heard that name before, my scouts report that there is a powerful mage fighting for the United Empire on the frontlines. Perhaps that is him?”

Suddenly, Dr. Roman interjects for the first time in a while, his voice coming through all of their communicators. Its his more serious ‘Acting Director’ voice, Shirou notes.

“Ahem. If that is the case, then we need to get all of you to the frontline as soon as possible. If we can stop Lev here with your overwhelming firepower, then we have a chance of making the rest of the Singularities a cakewalk!”

There are nods all around at that, though its clear that Nero doesn’t fully understand. Still, for now it’s late and they’ll have to wait until morning anyways.

“Then the frontlines is where we shall go… on the morrow! For tonight, partake in my hospitality. All of you will have rooms prepared for you.”

Then, still holding Shirou’s hand, the Roman Emperor stands and pulls him up to his feet as well, beginning to drag him along. Blinking rapidly, Shirou looks to all of the others as he’s being all but pulled from the dining hall.

-x-X-x-

A/N: Nero gonna Nero~