Finding Purpose In The Multiverse: Meta Essence Quest Mode

Rome Even In Death Is Still Rome

Entry 164:

Julius Caesar POV:

As I sit within my citadel dealing with the bane of all leader's paperwork, a soldier appears before me, and he kneels, "I have a report, Your Majesty. Enemy attacks are intensifying, and we have a message from the front. A small unit led by the pretender, Emperor Nero, is advancing with incredible force. It's as you said, Your Majesty. There's a "special" enemy leader among them."

I raise my eyebrow at this as I ask him to elaborate. "A group of foreigners has appeared to aid the pretender empress, numbering around seven, each one a monster in their own right."

As he describes them, I find myself getting annoyed as the description given by the man matches the man that launched me into the sky with Caligula, and now he appears again to halt my goals. I care not for the goals of Romulus and Alexander as I seek to retake what was mine, or I will die.

I was on the cusp of being one of the greatest rulers of Rome, but venomous cowards slew me, and my friend Brutus betrayed me. I still sometimes feel the blades stabbing me over and over again, and I never got to return to Cleopatra, but I heard she had a son, which gives me some peace.

"Sir, how should we proceed?" The soldiers ask as I say in response, "Do nothing and do not approach them as a servant is worth armies of men, and I will not send my men to slaughter."

The soldier then asks, "Then will you take up arms yourself, my lord?" I shake my head and smile. "I am not going into battle. They are coming to me. I'm not moving. The rest of you better not meddle with them, either."

The soiler attempts to deny this by saying, "But, Your Majesty! We are soldiers of the true United Roman Empire! If our rule over Gaul is the will of the gods-." I raise my hand and say calmly, "Then what shall I rule once you are all dead? Only in rare exceptions can humans cannot defeat a Servant. Regular men like yourself would be slaughtered."

The man tries again to argue my glory, but I simply look at him and say, "Then fight in moderation, but do not send all of our forces against them. They will all die. That being said, I'm sure you are going to die for the sake of the Rome that you believe in. Honestly, I've had it with "that one's" whims. Perfect government. Perfect leadership. But then you're left with a colony of people without a will."

The man then bows and leaves. I turn to see the dumpling seeker eating from a box as he says, "I would agree as perfect leadership will leave those without a spark to cross upon the Earth." I remain calm as I ask, "May I ask how you got in here past all of my guards?"

The man smirks as he says, "You and I both know that you know the answer to that question and do not worry, your men are not dead, as I simply went through them quite literally." I then ask another question: "I sensed your power from the last meeting, and you are still holding back. Why do you continue this fuss? What is there to gain from prolonging this?"

He then simply says, "Because this is not my story alone, and I could literally skip to the ending, but I won't, at least not yet. But take heart in the fact that while you may fail, your legacy lives on." I nod, and he disappears, and I then take my sword and begin to gather the men.

If this being desires a show, let me show him how a Roman and a ruler decide the story.

"Rouse yourselves, men! We march to end the pretender and show her the glory of true Romans!" I say to the men gathered in my citadel, and as they cheer, it feels both wonderful and hollow. Honestly, it feels similar to when I outsmart my enemies, but in this case, that being has this entire narrative wrapped around his finger.

Linus Ozias POV:

I then teleport back to my tent as while Caesar was a man to be looked up to for various things, he was, for now, at least an enemy until we summon him in Chaldea. It's funny how I went from learning about these figures in history class to dealing with different versions of these same figures.