The creature with long blond hair and pointed ears laughed at my statement, and Aiko looked at me like I had gone insane. With a wicked smile on his face, Melkior spoke.
“To see the Truth so soon is quite an accomplishment, Fifth. You must have been a scholar in your past life. Yes, you are correct. The actions of the Coalition bring shame to the perfect universe created by God, and our single goal is to prevent them from further corrupting the universe.”
Selim shouted something at the top of his lungs. The volume with which he shouted and the vitriol in his voice was the only information I needed to know what he was about to do. I turned my head just in time to see him summon a scimitar from his [Inventory] and begin charging toward Melkior.
“What a shame,” Melkior muttered. He slowly raised a hand toward Selim, and I knew whatever he was going to do next would not be good for the Syrian.
Selim had to step near me to reach Melkior, and I did not let him get past. Just as he put all his weight on one foot, I swept Selim’s leg, causing him to fall to the ground like a sack of potatoes.
The scimitar-wielding man raised himself back onto his knees before swinging out toward me once more. The scimitar would have struck me in my thigh, but his attack was way too slow for it to hit me. I casually took a step back, and the scimitar cut through air a few inches in front of my thigh.
Selim got back on his feet, shouting at me in Arabic the whole time, before trying to disembowel me once again with his scimitar. I couldn’t translate what he was saying directly, but I was pretty sure he called me the, “Servant of Satan.”
Taking up a boxing stance, I dodged three slow attacks aimed at my head and body. Even though Selim was armed and I had nothing, I never felt concerned for my own safety during Selim’s attack. He was so slow and weak that I felt like I was fighting a toddler. My primary concern was with ending the fight without hurting him. Selim wasn’t weak, as far as normal humans were concerned, but the power of the [Greater Brand] was so significant that it made fighting normal humans a trivial concern.
Selim stepped in to slash at my throat, and I saw my opportunity to attack. Moving at the same time as him, I stepped in and grabbed Selim’s sword arm. As he shouted in anger, I used both my hands to put him into a standing arm lock that I had seen in a few MMA fights. The grapple was clumsy, but I was able to pull it off with my far greater strength. Selim’s wrist hyperextended, and his scimitar clattered to the floor.
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I kicked the scimitar away, and Selim used that opportunity to free himself from the grapple. He tried to punch me, but I ducked the hit. With my 29 [Perception] and 24 [Speed], there was no way such an attack would make contact.
I countered Selim’s attack with a quick half-power jab to his cheekbone. He took a step back, dazed by the sudden attack, giving me an opportunity to grab Selim by the shirt and throw him to the ground. I wasn’t a grappler, so I was only able to subdue him after more than thirty seconds of unskilled flailing.
Eventually, I was able to force Selim into his stomach and pull his arm behind his back. He tried to struggle, but I pulled his arm back painfully, and he stopped. With the threat of a broken arm, I was able to temporarily subdue Selim.
“Selim,” I growled through gritted teeth. “Take the brand. If you don’t, you’ll die.”
Of course, Selim didn’t understand me. He just looked up in my direction and glared angrily. I turned to Melkior and asked, “Do you have anything else that could convince him?”
“Normally, I would just kill him. Rebellious Lords are typically more hindrance than help. If you think he should live, Fifth, then I’ll put in a little more effort.”
Melkior knelt down in front of Selim and pressed a single finger to his forehead. I had to stamp down on Selim’s free hand with my leg to stop him from reaching out toward the elf.
After a second, a thoughtful expression crossed Melkior’s face, and he withdrew his hand. Melkior looked directly into Selim’s face and said, “There is no true god but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet.”
The two voices Melkior spoke with converged when he said the words “Allah” and “Muhammad.” The phrase didn’t mean much to me, but Selim looked like he had just seen a ghost when he heard those words. Fear and confusion were obvious on his face, and his skin turned a shade lighter. It was as if the very foundation of Selim’s entire worldview was shaken by that one sentence.
“We both believe in God, Selim. In truth, it is the Coalition of Light who are the enemies of God and humanity. You need not believe me, however, but you must believe your own eyes. Look over there, and you will see the Throne of God surrounded by four of His angels.”
Melkior gestured for me to release Selim, and I did. Slowly, Selim lifted himself to his knees. He knelt there with his head bowed as if in prayer, and I knew he had been swayed over to the side of the Conquering Horde.
A cold chill passed through my body as I realized where the stories of Satan came from. Most Abrahamic religions believed that Satan was the one who convinced Eve to commit the first sin, and I could truly believe that Melkior served as the originator for that belief. Melkior knew exactly what to say to make Selim switch sides. In five sentences, Melkior turned his greatest enemy into his greatest ally.
Needless to say, I was glad he was on my side.