[FDJ]Chapter 107: Faith's Blessing

Everything happened without warning, surpassing everyone's expectations. Even the highest beings did not anticipate that their plan to seize the Servant would be hindered by a hidden book.

After Berserker Godfrey broke through a large cluster of bubbles, he seemed to regain a bit of his sanity. Instead of persisting in eliminating the remaining bubbles, he stopped in his tracks and looked around, including the item that had caused him to pause earlier.

A book.

It appeared ordinary, but Berserker Godfrey was certain that he hadn't noticed a book in his path before his charge.

In his moment of hesitation, his brother's shout in the distance further cleared his mind. Even in his madness, he could discern that he was being influenced by the bubble creatures.

Immediate retreat would be the rational choice for anyone, but Berserker had no interest in that. Once he vaguely understood the enemy's sinister intentions, he resolutely decided to fight them to the end. He couldn't expose his back to the enemy of his Master. Honor and the devoutness of his faith were above all else, and in his ideals, retreat did not exist as an option.

On the other side, Rider Baldwin I couldn't contact his Master, Richard, nor could he get his brother to retreat through shouting. He knew his brother's temperament. He made the most rational choice and did not go back to assist his brother in his resolve to confront the unknown creatures. He could provide various reasons to justify his correctness, but as he watched his brother's figure, he still felt an indescribable anger tempting him to go back and become a fervent devotee.

This reminded him of the news he heard about his brother participating in a difficult siege. And then he had the opportunity to return to Jerusalem to inherit the vacant throne. At that time, no one believed that the most devout and valiant knight would meet an unfortunate end on the battlefield. The myth of the invincible hero on the battlefield of Dorylaeum, who could launch a decisive counter-charge with only five accompanying knights, suddenly came to an end... It ended.

At that time, Baldwin I couldn't understand or believe that his invincible brother would meet with an accident in a minor battle. He even suspected that his brother had been assassinated and investigated everyone involved in that battle. This included the time when they became Servants together, and he had questioned his brother about it. Even if Berserker Godfrey admitted to being careless and getting hit, Baldwin I didn't believe it. He thought his brother intentionally refused to expose the past schemers, considering it normal to overlook such things.

Until now, he believed it. It wouldn't be surprising for a knight who only charged forward to fall on any battlefield. If he hadn't arrived in time to help, Berserker Godfrey, trapped in the cluster of bubbles, would have been struck down long ago.

Wanting to take courageous steps forward, Rider Baldwin I could only watch his brother continue to charge ahead. It was his nature. Honor was just an illusory crown for Baldwin I, something to strive for when it could be obtained. There was no need to fight purely for honor and faith in a situation where failure was certain. Was there a difference between charging forward when you couldn't win and committing suicide? Even if there was a 10% chance of victory, he could gather the courage to follow in his brother's footsteps.

And so, Rider Baldwin I watched as the opening he had managed to create slowly closed.

Suddenly, he reached out and intercepted the young girl who had taken a step toward him. With his short, stylish hair, the King of Jerusalem halted her progress. "Are you Saladin's magus? You're young, yet so cruel to yourself. What kind of drug did Saladin give you?"

With just a glance, Rider Baldwin I understood why the heavily injured girl could still move. The magical sigils displayed in her damaged eyes provided the most direct answer. Her body was nearing the state of a Dead Apostle, still functioning thanks to the fragmented reserves of consciousness. What difference was there between her and the living dead?

"The book... it's there."

Although the girl was stopped, she continued to sway her body, attempting to bypass Rider Baldwin I. She no longer possessed the comprehension of a hostile Servant, and even her basic abilities, such as breathing and walking, were regressing. Regardless of whether he paid attention to her or not, this 15-year-old girl would eventually turn into a Dead Apostle.

"Is that book so important? More important than your life?!"

In any other situation, Baldwin I, with a kinder heart, would have given the girl a quick and painless death. With a cruel heart, he would have severed her legs and watched her continue to crawl forward. But today, at this moment, he vented his accumulated anger upon the half-dead girl.

"Even though there are choices to live on, why don't you cherish your own life?! Damn it, where is your knight? Where are your allies? Fine, your ally is Eleanor of Aquitaine. But where is your knight? I'm going to break his neck right now! What kind of knight can't even protect their own Master?!"

"The book..."

Ignoring Baldwin I's reproach, the current Aphaf also couldn't understand what the other person was angrily saying. She still struggled to extend her hand, attempting to continue moving forward.

"Is your Servant inside the book?"

Baldwin I's sudden burst of anger vanished as he looked at the closing gap of bubbles. It seemed like now, except for him, everyone was inside, even a 15-year-old girl who continued to move forward despite being heavily injured.

Is life not important? Or perhaps these people aren't afraid of death? Or maybe they are under the protection of their Master and won't die at the hands of the enemy. Baldwin I couldn't understand. Even though he maintained his sanity... everyone else present seemed to lack any semblance of sanity. His brother was a berserker in a state of madness, and now the injured girl he intercepted had also lost her sanity, perhaps regressing to a state beyond comprehension.

"You're all mad! Can't you use your brains and calm down for a moment?!"

But when he turned his head, all he could see was the desperate expression of the girl moving towards destruction. Even her proud Mystic Eyes and knowledge were gone. Her magic circuits were in complete disarray. Yet, even in such a state, she had the determination to move forward.

"What's the use of the book?"

"Vivar is inside... my Servant... With a Servant, I can continue... participating in the Holy Grail War." Aphaf, as if understanding that pleading with the person blocking her would allow her to continue moving forward, laboriously spoke in short phrases, her hand still attempting to grasp the edge of the remaining seam.

"Participating in the Holy Grail War, so what? The true Holy Grail may help you magi reach the Root, but the golden cup currently in the hands of my Master is nothing more than a high-quality replica. At most, it can grant wishes that ordinary people cannot achieve. Reaching the Root is impossible."

"I want... to make a wish. My eyes..."

A fist struck the closed magical construct of bubble barriers. Rider Baldwin I didn't want to hear any more from the girl behind him. He didn't want to engage in conversation with her for even a second.

"You want to go in? Then go in!"

The fist couldn't break through the magical barriers, but Rider Baldwin I still possessed the fake Holy Lance, Longinus. He switched to this sacred lance and thrust it with all his might, piercing the seemingly sturdy magical construct. Baldwin I created an opening in the barrier.

Before he could thrust the lance a second time, the girl bent over and squeezed into the magical construct. Holding the sacred lance in his hand made Baldwin I feel uncomfortable. Acquiring the false legend temporarily was not something to be proud of.

Perhaps even courage was just an excuse.

Inside the magical construct, a sprawling cluster of bubbles covered the entire space, stretching for several kilometers and obscuring the sky. The number of bubbles was still so vast that it was difficult to count. The only ray of sacred light had not gone out. Berserker Godfrey, with his large sword, repeatedly slashed and hacked at the merging bubbles. The flashes that exploded around him had become too numerous to count. At this moment, his armor had become so shattered that it could break apart completely in the next round of concentrated flashes.

But even so, his swinging of the large sword never faltered. Despite being affected by the enemy's strange manipulation of time twice in a row, Godfrey had roughly grasped a countermeasure. Regardless of the speed at which his magical energy was being consumed, he stabilized his condition with the utmost devotion. Unless he fell, there was no way to halt this Holy Knight who burned with the most fervent faith.

The blade sliced through layer after layer of bubbles and stabbed into the repeatedly plowed ground, and the knight finally showed signs of fatigue. Large pieces of armor fell off his body, revealing the equally sturdy chainmail underneath. Even his helmet had multiple cracks.

For the first time, the colorful flashes were given the time to converge into a devastating beam of light, aimed directly at the knight's front. The knight's armor immediately shattered, leaving only fragments, and the beam unsurprisingly pierced through the Servant's body until it struck the magical construct created by the bubble monster itself. The entire construct trembled.

"Roar! Ahhhhh!"

The knight let out a loud, resounding roar. The pain, surpassing the sum of all previous attacks, triggered the Berserker's 120% battle frenzy. Despite suffering a fatal wound, he was able to continue fighting. The guardian of the Holy Sepulchre could not be killed with just one fatal blow!

Drawing his sword once again and standing up, Berserker looked up at the cluster of bubbles that had now formed a tower connecting the heavens and the earth. His roar was filled with an indomitable fervor and burning belief. He burned himself, unyielding until death.

Flashes continuously appeared around him as he launched yet another charge. His mad roar drowned out the whispers of unknown origin. The divine light pierced through a wall-like layer of bubbles, directly into the base of the towering structure.

Hundreds or even thousands of bubbles were shattered by the divine power every second, far outnumbering the flashes filled with wisdom. The Servant knight, who was nearing his limits, once again posed a threat to the bubble monster.

However, amidst the knight's brilliant charge, the attention of the bubble monster was also drawn to the girl making her arduous way towards the center of the battlefield. The existence known as Yog's manifestation relied heavily on this girl's presence to repeatedly manifest, especially at its current scale. Over a hundred thousand spheres of intellect had already arrived in the mortal realm, and the girl played an indispensable role in their appearance.

Therefore, the girl successfully made her way to the central area of the battlefield and reached out to touch the faintly visible book on the ground.