[FDJ]Chapter 99: Night of Madness (Part 8 )

Alone, Saladin read through the ancient texts by candlelight. As he came across the word "Yog," his previously stiff expression finally changed, and madness uncontrollably spread across his cheeks. However, Saladin quickly realized his condition and used magic to forcefully calm himself down.

"Yog-Sothoth? Is it the ultimate target of the cult's summoning this time?" Saladin hurriedly picked up the previously opened ancient tome and quickly found the marked pages within its tattered parchment. He cross-referenced them one by one as if searching for the key to all the mysteries.

"Omniscient?" Combining the descriptions from various documents, Saladin confirmed the consistent portrayal of this entity by past scholars. Yog-Sothoth was a god from a different world, possessing complete knowledge and not belonging to the surface of the world. It hailed from an unknown realm, and once it appeared, unimaginable catastrophes would ensue.

Some self-proclaimed extraordinary magus described it as being all-knowing but lacking omnipotence. If approached correctly, it could potentially be utilized to reach the Root. Of course, according to subsequent documents, Saladin could confirm that magus who entertained such ideas were either insane or insignificant nobodies. He had little desire for the Root and wouldn't harbor such exceedingly mad thoughts. Contacting an existence far beyond the realm of humanity and attempting to borrow its power was not only suicidal but also dragged numerous innocent lives down with it.

"The Endless Void..." The document with its full name also contained an honorific for it, but the following words were lost. Saladin skipped the damaged section and continued reading: "...the Gate. Yog breaks through the forbidden barrier of the imaginary Gate, and magus with imaginary number attributes are particularly prone to being manipulated. They must stay away..." He couldn't help but recite part of the description.

As Saladin read this, an undeniable chill ran down his spine. Among his subordinates, he didn't have any magus with the rare imaginary number attribute. However, he trusted his subordinate Aphaf, who could be considered a "Wind" attribute magus or, in fact, any attribute at all. Aphaf's unique Mystic Eye of Recording undoubtedly recorded more than one kind of imaginary number attribute magecraft. At the very least, Saladin had witnessed Aphaf using imaginary number magecraft multiple times to open gates and reach their destinations.

The unknown filled Saladin with an involuntary shudder. He rarely encountered such a situation.

At that moment, the nearly burnt-out candle suddenly snapped, and Saladin, skilled in divination magecraft, instantly understood that all the current events were veering towards the worst possible outcome. All he could do was wait for dawn to arrive quickly and for Aphaf and Suzuki Yuki to return safely.

...

All the colorful bubbles that formed the towering structure were completely disintegrated under the divine light. This time, Berserker concentrated all of his Noble Phantasms on the target, affecting only an area of less than two hundred square meters. However, everything within this range vanished without a trace.

This included the forcibly expanded imaginary space, the "Gate."

Nothing remained, not even the ground, which had "evaporated," revealing rocks deeper than ten meters below.

Berserker remained in place, seemingly catching his breath. But Eleanor and Don Quixote had no intention of attacking at this moment. They were not only shaken by the power of Berserker's recent attack but also sensed that even in their "exhausted" state, Berserker had the strength to easily defeat them.

The absolute strength was so despair-inducing, and the encounter with Berserker Godfrey's high-level bubble monster added to their misfortune.

"Is it over?" Suzuki, touching the copper mirror, gradually dimmed. The endless whispers ceased in his ears. He felt the pressure that had been building up since opening the gate suddenly disappear, along with Berserker Godfrey's full-power strike.

Eleanor and Don Quixote no longer detected the aura of the unknown bubble, the whispers that transmitted vast knowledge to all intelligent beings in their surroundings. Berserker had annihilated the monster.

"While Berserker has expended a significant amount of magical energy, let's retreat immediately," said the elderly knight, Don Quixote, without feeling it was impolite. If they couldn't win, there was no need to die needlessly. At least, now was not the time.

Just as Eleanor was about to turn the chariot around, Aphaf, who was semi-unconscious in the chariot, slowly regained consciousness. She glanced at everyone and then excitedly looked in the direction of the village. "There, there are still many gates in that direction. Magical energy is gathering..."

"But there's no one in the village. I've destroyed all the monsters," said Don Quixote, although he believed in his Master. Based on his instincts, he didn't sense any problems in the distance.

"There are people! There are people over there! Someone has opened new gates! Not just one, but all the remaining 'gates' in the village are opening."

Aphaf hadn't finished speaking when all three of the present Servants once again felt a faint whispering sound. This time, it was more agitated than before, as if the monster composed of bubbles had been provoked.

Berserker Godfrey ignored the chariot in front of him and immediately turned around when he sensed something was amiss. In the next moment, he unfolded the steel wings behind his armor, gripping his sword with both hands. With a jet propulsion, he flew low towards the direction of the village. When heresy appeared, it had to be eliminated. There was no time for rest.

"We'll go support that Berserker," Aphaf suddenly said something incredible. Although Suzuki had briefly entertained the thought, the difference in power was too great. Even if Berserker accepted their support, they might not last a few rounds against the bubble monster.

Don Quixote immediately reached out and grabbed his Master's hand, signaling her to calm down. "Are you planning to throw your life away? Unless you use your final Command Spell, I won't agree to such a reckless decision!"

Rationally speaking, interfering in a battle of that level was tantamount to suicide. Berserker didn't seem to need anyone's assistance either. Perhaps if they displeased him, he would strike them down with a single swing before turning his attention elsewhere.

"Master, what's your opinion?" Eleanor threw the question to Suzuki. She had a means of escape herself. Judging from Berserker's previous behavior, it seemed her son had ordered him not to harm her with a Command Spell. She could accompany her Master on the adventure, but leaving immediately was probably the correct choice.

Under the gaze of the other three, Suzuki, who had not fully processed the recovered memories, pondered for a few seconds. Then he slowly asked, "Why do we need to support Berserker?"

"The high-level monster that appeared from my imaginary space only saw us as toys to impart knowledge to. But it viewed Berserker as a puppet to control, and it has been attempting to manipulate Berserker. Although it was consecutively bombarded by Noble Phantasms and failed, if it successfully controlled the powerful Berserker, it would be a disaster for everyone here."

Suzuki imagined Berserker using his Noble Phantasms against both sides or cities. Humans wouldn't stand a chance against that level of power.

"Stealing Servants?" Suzuki found it hard to believe, but when he recalled the content he learned in his necromancy class, Servants were essentially familiars, top-level familiars that surpassed the summoning limit of humans. Seizing contracts during familiar battles had always been an effective strategy. Humans couldn't do it, but that bubble monster with vast knowledge probably could.

Just as everyone hesitated, a spell of flames and ashes appeared in Aphaf's necklace, and a piece of paper emerged from it, floating in front of Aphaf.

After Aphav finished reading it, the paper immediately burned to ashes.

"The Sultan has sent us a warning. Based on the magical traces collected in the past few days, he speculates that the magus who summoned the monster's true intention is to summon an extraterrestrial creature called 'Yog,' which is a sentient being comparable to the divine wisdom we understand. There have been magus who attempted to reach the Root by making contact with this being, but the summoner's intentions are currently unknown. We must be extremely cautious."

After hearing her, Suzuki wondered if all the so-called wise prophets had a habit of stating the obvious after the fact. The situation that Saladin had been worried about had already occurred. Aphaf's magecraft had been manipulated, opening the door...

"No, if someone in the shadows can open the door at any time, why do they have to let you open it first?" Suzuki quickly pondered the situation in front of him. With limited information, and lacking training in dealing with non-Holy Grail War events, he could only rely on the strategies he had learned for the Holy Grail War to consider this problem.

"You opened the door, which was considered a success in magecraft. Opening the door again afterward would just be repeating the previous success... I understand now. The people in the village won't use imaginary magecraft now. They have anchored the result of your success, so there's no need to open the door again, right? After you opened the crack just now, the monster forcefully expanded the crack itself. Its body is composed of bubbles, so there's no problem with squeezing through."

Based on her more extensive magical experience, Aphaf immediately understood Suzuki's meaning. "You mean that even if the monster manages to squeeze out now, it won't be as smooth as before?"

Suzuki didn't answer that question, but everyone present understood his speculation. The summoning of spirits is closely linked to the summoner and the summoning method. Magus can summon Servants with the power of the Holy Grail, and the current method of opening multiple doors in the village is likely less effective than Aphaf's method of opening a single door. "Rider, head to the village immediately and help Berserker close the door. If the situation becomes unfavorable, we'll retreat."

Eleanor drove the chariot and quickly arrived at the village. The surrounding forest had been cleared by Berserker's Noble Phantasm. Even from a distance, they could see the current situation in the village.

Berserker was charging towards a specific door. As Suzuki had expected, they heard whispering voices, but they didn't have the same threatening presence as before. Suzuki had the bronze mirror for protection, holding it in front of his chest and extending its protective effect to Aphaf on the chariot as well.

"Is that your Mystic Code?" Aphaf, with her Mystic Eyes, could tell at a glance that the bronze mirror was of high quality, not only ancient but also possessing the power to see through illusions.

"It was given to me by a magus I encountered before. Is it some kind of protective charm?" Suzuki still hadn't realized that the Mystic Code Aetius had given him was rarer in the 21st-century magical world than the ancestral treasures of families that had been passed down for hundreds of years.

The bronze mirror automatically emitted light, pointing towards a specific door. Following the light, Berserker and the others saw two magus lying near the door, both showing no signs of life. And there were even more bubbles attempting to squeeze out from this door.