Why bother with the Holy Grail War? Let's play cards!

"That bastard!!!!" It was a furious roar, and it was hard to imagine that the usually gentle Dr. Roman would make such an expression.

"Doctors this age are still looking at this stuff?" Matthew looked at him with disdain. He was clearly the most reliable adult in Chaldea, yet he was still watching that kind of thing in private. "But Dr. Roman is currently the acting director, which is the highest position in Chaldea. Is there really anyone who can control him?"

"Has little Chaldea really become this corrupt?!" Jiang You feigned shock. "Is there any hope for humanity if things continue like this? Damn it, we have to summon the Beast to deliver a heavy blow!"

Wang Ha glanced at Jiang You, but ultimately said nothing.

"Alright, now that the obstacle is gone, let's continue with our previous topic. In short, you just need to know that in the 04 Fuyuki Holy Grail War, the first director of Chaldea, Marisbury Animusfiah, won, and the Servant he summoned was—" Jiang You drawled out the name of that Servant, emphasizing each word.

"—Solomon"

Chapter 180 Today, King Solomon will be killed on the spot.

"!!!!" This was quite explosive news; every Servant except for King Hassan was surprised by the appearance of this name.

"So... this is the beginning of everything, starting with that Holy Grail War in 2004?" Gudako had a deep impression of the first singularity, the burning Fuyuki, which was the beginning of all her adventures. At that time, she knew nothing about magic and unknowingly embarked on her journey to save the world.

"Yes, after the old director won the victory, it was not him who used the Holy Grail, but his Servant, Solomon."

"!" Matthew realized the problem. "If Solomon's initial goal was to burn away humanity, he could have simply made a wish to the Holy Grail, and none of this would have happened."

“Very clever. Solomon’s goal is not to burn away humanity; he just wants to live another life as an ordinary person.” Jiang You looked at Roman, who had recovered from the shock of discovering that his colleague was a traitor, because now something even more embarrassing had happened.

When Jiang You said this, Roman was already certain that Jiang You knew everything, which made him sweat on his forehead.

"By the way, the Holy Grail is just a magical cube to a certain extent." Jiang You took the opportunity to explain the function of the Holy Grail to others, since Chaldea already had a bunch of them anyway. "It's understandable if you want it to change its spirit origin, but to think it can destroy the entire history of humankind is giving it too much credit."

After briefly mocking the Holy Grail, Jiang You continued the story: "Then the real Solomon became an ordinary young man in his twenties, spending several wonderful years with the old director... So, who is this young man in his twenties who enjoys the old director's deep trust and holds an important position? It's really hard to guess~"

“There’s someone you’re talking about who fits your description.” Gudako and Matthew turned their gaze to Roman’s projection, which was practically naming him.

"Don't use such a strange way of putting it..." Roman chuckled, trying to brush it off, his eyes darting around. "I do know the director well, but Solomon and all that..."

"Matthew, do you remember seeing Dr. Roman wearing a ring?" Jiang You wouldn't give Roman a chance to escape; he was going to defeat the former Magic King, Grand Caster, right here today. (From a societal perspective.)

"Mr. Jiang You, you even know this?" Jiang You's knowledge was so detailed that Matthew subconsciously clutched her chest, feeling as if she had been constantly monitored. "I did see the doctor wearing a ring, but wasn't it something like his wedding ring?"

"That thing is actually one of the Ten Commandments of Solomon. If you've noticed, the Magician King who appeared in London (?) only had nine rings on his hand, and the missing one is the one Dr. Romani is wearing." Jiang You proved the truth of his words with facts. "The effect of this ring is to return everything Solomon has to God, specifically by exploding with this fake King Solomon. So, remember to keep an eye on Dr. Romani; this guy is a larger version of Arash, or perhaps Joan of Arc?"

"Can the Clairvoyance really be this detailed?" Roman couldn't find a way to refute it, because the ring on his hand was an easy target for identification as a Noble Phantasm. He was no longer the King of Magic and didn't have the ability to hide it. There wasn't enough time to find Da Vinci to make a fake one. Besides, he felt that Jiang You was capable of such detail and could definitely find it.

Roman's words have already acknowledged his identity.

"Doctor, you're King Solomon?" Matthew was the most surprised, having grown up alongside the doctor. In her astonishment, she blurted out, "So the most powerful Caster Magic King, Solomon, is someone who likes watching Magical☆Merry livestreams and often sneaks desserts..."

"Matthew! Please let me go!" The truth is the sharpest blade. Matthew knew quite a few of Roman's little flaws. Roman, utterly exasperated, collapsed to the ground.

"Is this Solomon... completely different from what I imagined?" Cursed Arm rarely expressed his opinion, and it was hard to imagine seeing a look of confusion on his skull mask.

"Don't judge people by their appearance. Even though Solomon was fooled by Merlin's website, heroes still have to make a living, no matter where they are," Jiang You said to Roman. Just like how King Hassan is actually a kind old man under his armor, and King Hassan would even carefully choose a return gift for his mother's bento, we can't judge people by their appearance just because they have a big reputation.

"Thank you so much!" Roman glared at Jiang You through gritted teeth. If he hadn't mentioned Merlin, he might have actually believed it. He was certain this guy was qualified to be a Grand Caster; only these guys had such outrageous foresight and a twisted sense of humor. If he had known it would turn out like this, he would have dragged all these candidates off the Throne of Heroes and killed them before making his wish.

"You're welcome." Jiang You was actually thinking that if he were there, even if Roman went up and exploded with Goetia, it would probably just be a card game. So, if Roman used the card "The time for farewell has come; with this, I abandon the world," would it explode again? He was... quite curious. Jiang You decided to try it in his second playthrough. In his first playthrough, he would try to achieve a Happy End without using a guide.

"The doctor is the original King Solomon, so who is this guy doing these things now?"

"That's what happens next. You've probably heard the story of King Solomon and the Seventy-Two Demon Gods, right? So, what happens to them after Solomon relinquishes his identity as the King of Magic? Do they simply vanish?" Jiang You looked at Roman, feeling that King Solomon might be the source of the Tohsaka family's bloodline. This was the biggest and most disastrous failure, costing the entire history of humanity. "Or perhaps, because the contract disappeared, they revived from Solomon's corpse?"

“Since all this has happened, there’s no need to guess anymore,” Tawara Tota interrupted Jiang You’s question. “Then they must have already revived, so they hate Solomon and want to take revenge on the human group that Solomon protected?”

"You're half right." After all, Beast is a being full of contradictions, possessing both human evil and human love. "The aggregate of the Demon Pillars, Goetia does indeed hate Solomon. His true purpose is not to seek revenge on humanity, but to restart the entire history of humanity and create a more perfect 'humanity'."

Chapter 181 Lancelot's integrity is as big as Ilya's breasts.

"A more perfect human?" Gudako never imagined that the mastermind behind this had such lofty ambitions.

"Yes, but how to define 'human' is up to him. Fujimaru Ritsuka, you don't want the entire history of humanity to be wiped out, do you?" Speaking of which, Tiamat's thoughts seem to be similar. Jiang You can't accept that the thing Tiamat created is a new human. New humans should go drifting naked in space.

"Isn't that denying all history? Humanity will still be destroyed. As one in seven billion humans, I definitely want to live." Regardless of Goetia's initial intentions, this act is the slaughter of all existing humanity. Even if Gudako didn't have any lofty ideals, she wouldn't offer herself up for slaughter. "But why is he doing this?"

"That's another matter. It would be too lengthy to explain everything, so just ask me when you need to." Talking about it like this would go on forever, especially since the second part's plot is much grander, with disasters reaching a level that only Ultraman could handle. By the time everything was explained, Artoria's Holy Lance would probably be complete. "Anyway, let's get through this first, my Master. You haven't even finished a tenth of your journey yet."

Of course, it is not ruled out that the third part will be released immediately after the end of the second part, and Gudako will be trapped in an endless journey of salvation. After all, there is a mobile game with the same map layout as FGO that has successfully released four parts.

"Wait!" Gudako jumped in surprise. They had already dealt with five singularities, but Jiang You said they hadn't even completed one-tenth of them. This was terrifying for her. "So, the Magic King has prepared another forty-five singularities!?"

"No way, how did you come up with that?" Gudako clearly misunderstood Jiang You's meaning. "Once the next singularity is resolved, it will be the final battle against Goetia. Master, you will accomplish the great feat of tearing Goetia apart with your bare hands."

Gudako initially thought Jiang You was exaggerating to explain her victory, but she quickly guessed the real reason. "So, there are other disasters threatening human history?"

Thinking of this, Gudako felt weak. She had tried her best to survive through five singularities, and the journey ahead was so long. Could she really hold on?

"Hey, really?" Roman suddenly regretted answering the Holy Grail's call. There was just too much trouble; he felt even busier after becoming human. Could he apply for early retirement? Although he had already retired once, this was essentially a rehiring after retirement.

"Bingo, as expected of my Master." Jiang You had already addressed him as Master without asking, taking it upon himself to bring the two closer. "Having saved the world multiple times, your status is almost equivalent to 'Messiah'. I look forward to seeing you on the Throne of Heroes."

"Me?" Gudako never dreamed that she would be tied to the chariot of saving the world just because of a blood donation. "These are not things I could do on my own. It was the heroic spirits who charged forward again and again that brought me to this point."

"Don't underestimate yourself. Without so many heroic spirits like you, we wouldn't be able to unite like this." Jiang You secretly tried to gain favor with them. "Like me, I came to this singularity because of you."

Seeing that the topic was starting to veer off course, King Hassan reminded him, "The Lion King's Noble Phantasm will soon reveal its true form, and there is little time to waste. There are still Servants waiting for your visit in Atlas, so hurry up and set off. When you have made up your minds, my sword will transform into a raptor and peck out that person's eyes. My black robes will transform into the night and devour that holy city."

After saying this, Wang Ha released a powerful aura that pushed everyone out of the temple, not even bothering to go through the process of chopping off the Cursed Arm's head.

"So, Mr. King Hassan has agreed to help us?" Matthew helped Gudako up and wiped the dust off her. In fact, King Hassan had deliberately held back with Gudako; the other Servants had all fallen and were completely disoriented.

"Yes, the First Lord means that as long as we go to Atlas and learn the truth, he will assist us." Cursed Arm breathed a sigh of relief, because with someone's intrusion, the First Lord seemed to have forgotten about his own affairs. This way, he could offer up his head after everything was over, so at least he wouldn't leave with resentment. He had no intention of being cunning in front of the First Lord. "Although we already know most of the truth now."

"The problem isn't completely solved yet. You also know about that person who said the Lion King's Noble Phantasm will soon reveal its true form, right, the unknown Caster?" Roman got straight to the point.

Having covered most of the matter, Jiang You gave his reply: "You should know about the Tower at the End of the World, right? It's a tall tower standing at the end of the world. If we consider the tower as the mother structure, then the spear in the Lion King's hand is its subsidiary, possessing the ability to contain human souls. I remember the maximum number was around 500, right? The current title of Camelot is formed from that holy spear."

"So, the selection process for entering the city is actually about choosing 500 noble souls?" Matthew realized the crux of the problem. "The Lion King wanted to protect people in this way? But there are only 500..."

"It's less about protecting 500 people and more about preserving them as specimens of humanity's past existence. The Holy Lance can only preserve souls, not sustain life. Besides, the Tower is something erected at the edge of the world. Once it's completed, this singularity we're in will become the edge of the world, and all living beings will cease to exist." Loving humanity while simultaneously killing those not chosen by her, Artoria the Lion King is practically on her way to becoming the Beast.

"How can this be allowed!" Gudako naturally couldn't agree with the Lion King's actions. "We must stop her! I've made up my mind, let's go back and ask King Hassan to take direct action!"

“I think you still need to go to Atlas.” Jiang You glanced at the tightly closed shrine. King Hassan’s meaning was clear: Gudako still needed to make the trip. But Jiang You didn’t plan to go with her; he was too lazy to follow the plot. “Besides, Da Vinci is still in Lancelot’s hands. You need to go there and bring her back. If you launch an attack now, you’ll lose two allies and gain one enemy. You know, Lancelot can be turned. Matthew, you just need to call him ‘Dad’ a few more times.”

"This sounds ridiculous... Would Lancelot, as a knight, really turn against his own side because of a single sentence from Matthew?" In Xuanzang's knowledge, knights should be extremely loyal, just like her disciple.

“If it’s Lancelot… that’s quite possible.” Bedivere’s gaze shifted elsewhere.

Chapter 182 Jiang You, known as the Little Hall of Heroes

On the way down the mountain, Gudako curiously asked Jiang You about the history and legends of his being a Heroic Spirit, but Jiang You fooled her by saying that he was also looking for the answer, and that an unknown red Archer who was now a Dark Night Hero in Fuyuki had also done it.

Soon, they reached a ridge overlooking the village. The descent was much faster than the ascent, though it was a pity for Gudako's knees. However, considering her stamina from running with Hercules, it shouldn't be a big deal. Anyway, poor Hercules even had to help cushion the knee.

"Now we can get back to the village before dark. Everyone must be tired after traveling for so long. Let's get some sleep once we get back to the village." Matthew looked at the darkening sky and wanted to take a hot bath to relieve his fatigue.

As an Archer, Tawara Tota possessed a remarkably broad field of vision. He frowned as he looked in the direction of the village. "Wait, there are lights in the direction of the village, countless torches are moving! Those are—soldiers from the Holy Capital?!"

This news shocked everyone. Cursed Arm, as the village leader, was frantic: "Silence, protect Fujimaru Ritsuka. Sanzang, Tawara Tengtai, Bedivere, and Jiang You. I beg you…! Please go and save the people of the village…!"

“We’ll do it even without you saying so, Tawara-teng, let’s go!” Even the strange Xuanzang here is compassionate. She immediately led Tawara-teng down the mountain to catch up. As a servant who had completed the entire journey to the West, she was naturally no problem with such rugged mountain roads and was even able to keep up with the speed at which the cursed arm leaped on the cliff.

"In that case, senior, let's set off too." The few who remained, except for Jingmi, had no ability to move quickly, and their journey would take a long time.

"This is too slow. It's about time to call in reinforcements." Jiang You decided to use his traditional skill to summon all his fully upgraded Servants.

Lancelot, Medea, and Illya in her Heavenly Garment form appeared before Jiang You. Tranquility and Hundred Faces were absent because their Spirit Origins had already been used; Lancelot could be summoned because his Spirit Origin was not the Saber-class Spirit Origin of the Knights of the Round Table.

“Ahrrrrr—” Lancelot roared like a beast as he entered the scene, then stopped abruptly upon seeing Matthew, straightening his back.

After careful observation, Matthew felt a familiar spiritual reaction in Lancelot, and she couldn't help but look at him a few more times.

"No doubt about it, this is Lancelot, but not from this timeline. His class is Berserker, you can just call him Berserker Lancelot." Jiang You confirmed Lancelot's identity for Matthew.

“Master, you really weren’t lying. This feeling… it’s definitely the Age of Gods.” Medea excitedly sensed the magical energy in the atmosphere. She hadn’t expected Jiang You to arrive in the Age of Gods’ timeline so quickly. “Judging from the current situation, you probably need my help, right? Just tell me. You know where I plan to go after this.”

"Unfortunately, everything else here has disappeared except for this area; this isn't a complete timeline." Jiang You didn't need to lie to Medea about this. In a sense, 2.5 could actually meet Medea's requirements, though she certainly wouldn't be satisfied. "But it doesn't matter; there will definitely be a chance to take you back to your homeland."

Medea was slightly disappointed, but quickly put the matter aside. She now had a stable place to live and could occasionally torment Jason. She was quite satisfied with her current situation and was recently preparing to travel alone to modern-day Colchis. "Looks like I'll have to work again. Let's get to the point first."

"Medea, please help me cast a flight spell." Even if Medea doesn't have that ability, she can at least use enhancement magic to strengthen their bodies.

"It's a little troublesome because we didn't prepare anything, but if we don't worry about protection, we can get it done quickly." Medea nodded; this was much easier than setting up the venue.

"You've kept me waiting too long!" Ilya puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction. She had clearly said it during the duel, but Jiang You had waited so long to summon her.

"You should still be in class at that time," Jiang You said, tugging at Ilya's cheek. She retaliated with a flurry of playful punches. "Anyway, Ilya, this time I need to rely on you as before."

"Mr. Jiang You, you actually possess a Noble Phantasm that can summon other Servants?" Matthew felt that this assistance was quite powerful. With Jiang You's help, she had received assistance from multiple Heroic Spirits at the same time. However, the Heroic Spirits summoned came from different regions and even different times, which left her puzzled.

"Let's discuss the rest later; there are more important matters to attend to now." Jiang You gradually recalled this distant memory. Normally, he could only remember the more important plot points, but he had only managed to retrieve the events from his mind after witnessing the scene firsthand. If all went according to plan, the Lion King's holy lance, Rungomminiad, was already aimed at the village and would be released around nightfall. His Noble Phantasm couldn't capture Artoria, who was far away in Camelot; he had to reach the village before then.

If possible, Jiang You also wanted to try who would be pulled in front of the other party for a duel if attacked from a super long distance.

"It's ready!" Medea handed the group cloaks similar to hers. "They have magic to reduce weight and levitate; just inject a little magic. But there's no time to inscribe defensive magic, so be careful not to get hit, or you'll fall straight down."

While Gudako's skills in magic were limited, she did have some experience. This cloak, similar to the Chaldean uniform, served as a magic aid. As a sub-Servant, Mash was also familiar with the existence of magic, and the two quickly found the trick and began to float. Their speed wasn't very fast; Jiang You would have been much faster on flat ground, but the advantage was that they could travel in a straight line, significantly shortening their arrival time.

"How amazing! It feels even better than things made by Leonardo da Vinci himself!" Gudako exclaimed in admiration at the novel experience.

“Senior, she’ll be angry if she hears you say that, and then she won’t give you the discount.” Matthew was even more worried that Da Vinci would make things difficult for them.

Medea sighed as she watched Jiang You bouncing around in place, then infused him with magic to make him fly. "That child has clearly been practicing magic for less than a year. How could you, a Heroic Spirit, be outdone by her? You should probably give up being a Caster. I feel that with your intermittent whimsical ideas, you'd be more suited to being a Berserker."

Chapter 183 Let's Play a Dark Game, Cui Beishang

Even with Medea's help, they reached the village in about half the time, but they were still a step too late, as the knights had already entered the village.

While the Upright Knights weren't as strong as the Heroic Spirits, their sturdy armor and razor-sharp greatswords were an impenetrable fortress against the Mountain People. Their actions were more of a massacre than an attack. Everyone they encountered, regardless of gender or age, perished.

"Illya! Medea!" Unlike the situation in Fuyuki, stalling for time here wouldn't be of much use; there was no way to get the Lion King out quickly. Furthermore, since his own forces were still relatively strong, Jiang You didn't include the people here in his Noble Phantasm's range. Instead, he sent his Servants and former Master to clear out the miscellaneous enemies.