[FDJ]Chapter 118: Persuasion to Surrender

With the soul of the second Servant returning through the Holy Grail, Richard, who was holding the Grail and pursuing Saladin, sensed something amiss. He stopped chasing the old man who seemed to be an illusion and turned his gaze toward the corner of the underground passage. On the slope, Saladin revealed his true form. His illusion magecraft, which he thought was high-level, was gradually being seen through by Richard.

"Not running anymore? I didn't expect you to have constructed such a large-scale underground passage in the valley."

"It wasn't built by me. The inhabitants originally built it. I just had people connect it a bit more, forming a more complex network," Saladin replied, posing as if he was ready to be dealt with. His little remaining magic and already declining body were struggling to hold on. In contrast, Richard held the Holy Grail in one hand, using it as illumination, and carried his sword in the other, no longer with his previous casual demeanor. "I'm curious, does your stamina and magic also come from the Holy Grail? Or is it..."

Before Saladin could finish his question, Richard proactively provided the answer.

"I hold a total of 21 Command Spells. I never expected that after additionally sealing off the possibility of summoning Ruler, you could still summon Servants to trouble me. Including now, you exhausting your magic is nothing more than a pathetic struggle in a cage."

"21..." The elderly Saladin took a deep breath, expressing his admiration. "From the beginning, you never intended to let others participate in this Holy Grail War?"

"Of course, I didn't want to add extra killings and unforeseen factors. I just wanted to drag on until the appropriate time to use the Holy Grail. The Servants can help me conquer a sufficiently large territory. From the start, I never intended to play the Holy Grail War game with you all. I don't need to sacrifice Servants to fill the Grail with magic. Relying on the Grail to fulfill wishes? How shallow must that wish be? It can be simply achieved through a large amount of magic."

According to Richard, it would be best if everyone offered their necks for slaughter to avoid unnecessary waste during the executioner's selection of sacrifices. His arrogance far surpassed his current 20 years of age.

"And your arrangement for me and all Islamic believers is...?"

"As long as you surrender voluntarily, the killing will stop. You can choose to convert to Christianity or get out of the new Crusader Kingdom. A very lenient arrangement, don't you think?"

"You simply dislike the lack of profit from killing and are too lazy to deal with the impact of large-scale massacres, right?" Saladin didn't believe the young man before him harbored goodwill, merely that he was too lazy to deal with enemies with victory in hand.

"Then how about you help me design a magic ritual to deal with heretics? The requirement is not high, just to turn you heretics into bread and water. The resources wasted on you would be returned to the devout Christian believers in the Holy Crusader Kingdom, giving you a chance to atone." Richard said these horrifying words without changing his expression. His cruelty had transcended normal human boundaries, leaning towards divinity. His religious fanaticism and idealistic madness had eroded and overshadowed the human part of Richard.

"Child, your thinking is problematic."

"Does it make sense for both sides to keep fighting and slaughtering each other's soldiers and believers? The hatred has reached a point where it can never be resolved, only deepening over time. I now promise that if you surrender, you can leave with your lives. Isn't that merciful enough? To gain our forgiveness, unless none of you heretics are left alive! Starting with you, starting with everyone here who believes in heresy, cleanse all heretical doctrines! Do you want to drag all your compatriots to death for your faith? Wouldn't it be better to leave this holy land like the Jews and never come back? This place belongs to the most devout servants of the Lord, to me and the equally faithful believers of our Lord."

Richard had no regard for false kindness. He didn't need to pretend to be a good person like Saladin to gain enough support and aid. Richard alone could make thousands experience true cruelty, not to mention having the Holy Grail and multiple loyal Servants. Only an arrogant stance could further amplify his strength, crushing those who dared to resist with mere pressure.

The golden light naturally emitted by the Holy Grail was far more stable than candlelight, yet this symbol of divinity only brought Saladin greater pressure, as if the 20-year-old youth standing before him had already ascended to godhood.

"You just mentioned the 'Kingdom of God.' So, you indeed intend to…"

"No need for more words, give me an answer. Surrender or die? Though I find slaughter troublesome, I'm still willing to put in the effort to kill a weak old man." Richard pressed forward relentlessly, giving the impression that he might draw his sword at any moment.

Saladin, whose appearance made him seem even older than his years, had, as he said, used up almost all his magic in repeated attempts to escape. He had always considered himself a ruthless person, but now he found himself facing a young man ten times more ruthless than he.

"Make your decision. In your eyes, we are nothing but a flock of ridiculous sheep, defeated even before you mobilize your army, driven to desperation by your sword. I feel that my choice doesn't matter."

Hearing this, Richard no longer maintained the threatening posture. "Within three days, your army must retreat. Otherwise, I will lead the elite Crusaders to flatten every structure in the valley, leaving no man or beast alive. You can choose to stay and witness the grand moment of the Kingdom of God being established. The servants of the Lord will treat you as an honored guest, and you can return with their divine oracle as a testament."

"An angel indeed…" Saladin understood what the Lord's servant represented, and the two religions overlapped significantly in this regard. For instance, the Quran was said to have been taught to the Prophet Muhammad by Gabriel, the same angel who delivered God's messages to Jesus and Moses.

Richard did not respond. The Holy Grail in his hand flashed, and he disappeared from Saladin's sight. The tunnel returned to darkness until Saladin, with a look of terror, lit a candle with magical fire.

"What does the Allah truly intend?" His lament ended there. Saladin dared not ponder further about matters far beyond his reach, and his devout faith forbade him from contemplating such irreverent thoughts.

...

Suzuki and others rushed to the palace to find the guards on high alert. However, thanks to Aphaf, they managed to enter, only to find a body double of the Sultan sitting in the Sultan's seat. The panicked nobles inside the palace, seeing Aphaf arrive, hurried over to seek help. In their eyes, though Aphaf was a slave and not even as old as their daughters, her reliable strength and various strange magecrafts made her a potential defense against the formidable archers outside.

"She sure ran fast," Eleanor couldn't help but laugh at the scene, leading Suzuki toward the direction of the underground passage she had previously discovered.

"What about her?" Suzuki gestured towards their ally surrounded by the nobles.

"Calming these cowardly pigs is also an important task."

As Eleanor tried to lift the rug covering the hidden passage, an elderly man pushed it aside and emerged.

The group exchanged glances, all feeling a bit awkward.

"Oh, Your Majesty the Sultan, you're back?" Eleanor helped him up and called for attendants to settle the dusty Saladin.

"I encountered an assassin as soon as I left, but he didn't do much to me and let me return," Saladin said lightly, though his clothes were soaked with sweat, and his depleted magic was evident to Eleanor.

With Saladin's return, the panicked nobles quieted down and distanced themselves from Aphaf.

"You see, as soon as you returned, they quieted down. It's almost as amusing as raising livestock."

"No, my sheep are much quieter than they are, and they produce milk and meat," Saladin wittily replied to Eleanor, then glanced at Suzuki and Aphaf. "Did you encounter any danger?"

"It's been handled," Eleanor glossed over the details, providing only a vague response.

"Has the Assassin retreated?" Saladin's greatest fear during Richard's pursuit was that the Assassin, the most threatening of the seven Servants, might assassinate the unconscious Aphaf. Seeing Aphaf safe and sound here, his greatest worry was alleviated.

"Thank you for your assistance," Saladin didn't forget to express his gratitude to Suzuki.

"We didn't help much. It was thanks to Aphaf herself suppressing the Assassin. By the time Rider arrived, the Assassin was in poor condition and was defeated by Rider's Noble Phantasm," Suzuki was still curious about how Aphaf could summon Berserker's armor, but given the urgency of the current situation, he refrained from asking.

Saladin's first reaction was one of puzzlement, but he didn't pursue the matter further. "What's the situation outside?"

Eleanor gave Suzuki a meaningful look, signaling him to remain silent. "Archer is outside, destroying the defensive positions. The enemy Rider is patrolling the perimeter and could join Archer in invading at any moment. The rest is unknown. Which Servant attacked you?"

She knew who had attacked Saladin; she was well aware of Richard's battle plan for today.

"Richard, your son," Saladin added after speaking. "Honestly, with the power he currently wields, he could easily flatten this palace, which was once a temple. Do you know where he got his power from?"

Suzuki was about to share what he knew but was preempted by Eleanor.

"My son might possess the Holy Grail."

"Yes, that's correct. He was indeed using a large golden cup as a magical catalyst."

Saladin roughly described the shape, size, and patterns of the Holy Grail. Suzuki confirmed that these matched the false Holy Grail observed by Chaldea, meaning the golden cup in Richard's possession was indeed the most important relic in this Holy Grail War.

Suzuki couldn't help but recall the scene in 451 AD when Attila used the Holy Grail to achieve power beyond that of ordinary Servants, with the ability to further strengthen himself by absorbing other Servants. Richard's extraordinary power might be explained similarly.

Previously, Suzuki suspected that the opponent had the Holy Grail, and now it was confirmed. A new question arose in his mind: why didn't Richard, who controlled multiple Servants, directly initiate the wish-granting ritual? Gathering seven Servants wasn't entirely impossible; he could first capture Don Quixote. Moreover, for the chance to make a wish, there would inevitably be infighting among the Servants. How could Richard ensure that the six Servants coexisted peacefully?