Loser System and Berserker Me - C.101: The Eternal City - Rome

“Are you sure you aren’t joking with me?!” Charlemagne widened her eyes in disbelief as she looked at the map.

“Your Majesty,” one of the holy warriors under her command replied, “I am not joking. Tens of thousands of soldiers have escaped from the frontline, and the Eternal City is filled with pitiful people who have been scared out of their wits. Mounds of corpses could be seen everywhere.

“There’s no doubt that the Scourge of God is pressing close. For some reason, he’s more familiar with the local terrain than we could have imagined. He is always able to attack from unfathomable angles. He knows of roads that even locals are unaware about.

“Also, the Genoese appear to have thrown their lot with him…”

After collating news from multiple sources, Charlemagne was forced to concede that the legendary Scourge of God was even more formidable than she had imagined. In less than a week, she had already lost more than half of her army of 400,000.

Many kings, dukes, counts, and important figures had lost their lives too.

“Those bunch of useless people!” Charlemagne murmured in displeasure. “I thought that they could at least whittle down the Khitan Caesar’s forces, but they aren’t even capable of that.”

She shook her head. “These descendants are more useless than I could have imagined. It looks like I’ll have to personally make a move.”

Her lips curled into a smile.

“Very well, I shall see in person what you, the Scourge of God, are capable of. Let’s go.” Charlemagne turned to the holy warrior. “Gather my army of Holy Warriors. Tell them that it’s time for them to offer their bodies to their emperor.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the holy warrior replied.

…

Gathered around a campfire were brawny men either quietly wiping the weapons in their hands or enjoying their fragrant wine. Their massive physiques, firm muscles, and crimson eyes made it clear that they would be an unstoppable force on the battlefield.

Tak tak…

The holy warrior arrived at the entrance of the camp.

All the brawny men turned to the holy warrior like metal pieces drawn to a magnet.

The holy warrior displayed no fear despite being stared at by so many terrifying men. Instead, he chuckled softly and spoke up, “Warriors, the time has come for you to offer yourself to our eternal liege!” 𝗳r𝐞𝐞w𝐞bn𝚘ve𝚕.co𝐦

“Hehehe!”

The brawny men revealed bloodthirsty smiles. They couldn’t wait to feast on their enemies’ flesh and screams.

A few servants brought in a holy meal before anxiously fleeing away. Those who were slower even peed their pants.

“Hmph!” the holy warrior sneered as he overlooked the servants’ lack of respect.

Since Charlemagne became the Eternal City’s Shadow Emperor, the Papal Army silently became an army of Holy Warriors that unconditionally fulfilled her command. Many years of bathing in holy favor had made these warriors exceptionally violent, bloodthirsty, and tenacious. They would fight to their dying breath.

It was no exaggeration to call them the most terrifying army in the world.

The downside was that none of them lived more than five years after being tamed, and they needed to constantly have their holy favor replenished, which meant that they couldn’t stray too far away from the Eternal City.

However, it didn’t matter.

“Our souls…” The Holy Warriors drew a cross in front of them. “…shall ascend to heaven.”

【I should have this in the bag.】

System 12345 pondered.

【My host hasn’t been doing anything extraneous. He has been scouting out the different date spots before rushing straight for the Eternity City. Mm, that’s a good idea. It’s a date, after all. Making preparations in advance shows his sincerity, making it easier to move the lady.】

【But speaking of which, what in the world did my host do for Charlemagne’s attention on him to soar so quickly?】

【Hmm, it looks like my host has caused quite a bit of uproar along the way too.】

【Could it be that news about the arrival of an unparalleled beautiful man in Italy has spread around, so Charlemagne can’t help but pay attention to him?】

【Heh, she’s a young woman, after all. Despite being tied down by such a heavy fate, she can’t help but dream of passionate love. That’s why she couldn’t resist paying attention to the dreamy man who has just arrived in her territory. She thought that it was just fleeting news, but never in her wildest dreams could she have thought that the man has come for her…】

【Uehehehe.】

【…】

【That… should be it, right?】

System 12345 found itself lacking in confidence.

…

When the blood twin-headed eagle flag appeared at the horizon, the Eternal City nearly succumbed to a pandemonium.

Nearly 200,000 soldiers were stationed in the Eternal City, so it shouldn’t have made sense for them to fear the few thousand strong Shu Yichao.

Yet…

It was this army of a few thousand people that trampled the 200,000 men strong army up north before lunging toward the Eternal City like a ferocious tiger descending from the mountain. All the blockades, passes, and fortresses along the way crumbled like sand.

In past Holy Wars the Pope could only direct from afar, but this time, the Pope got a chance to supervise the battle from the frontline. This was such a stark contrast that it was fear-inducing.

The soldiers trembled. The nobles hid in churches and prayed helplessly. Drunk men squandered all their fortune on night fun, alcohol, and gambling. Waves of people escaped from the city.

The despair suffusing the city was almost palpable. Even the nuns and clergymen were suffocating to it.

“What pathetic sins,” Charlemagne watched the ruckus unfolding in the city with coldness. “Adultery, alcoholism, lechery, blasphemy… It looks like I’ll have to properly cleanse this city after driving off the Scourge of God.”

She wore a sturdy armor; half of it was sculpted with an iris flower, whereas the other half was sculpted with the Holy Romain Empire’s twin-headed eagle. It symbolized the fact that ‘she’ had founded those two empires with her own hand.

Tring tring tring!

Charlemagne’s little bell rang in reverberation through the cathedral.

The Pope’s body suddenly shook as if he was suffering a stroke.

She had decided that this would be the final time she would control him. His body was greatly aged, whereas the holy smoke could only be withstood by someone with a good physique.

With a dull thud, the Pope’s consciousness was erased.

“Go on,” Charlemagne murmured, “Go to the city walls to command the Crusade. My Holy Warriors will lend you a helping hand. Once you vanquish the Scourge of God, I’ll allow you to return to the Lord’s embrace.”

With that, she put on her mask and sauntered outward, intending to watch her Holy Warriors tear apart Shu Yichao’s heavy cavalrymen.

The Pope stiffly made his way toward the city walls with two Holy Warriors supporting him.

A huge battle was on the brink.