"Since that's the case, your back row is completely exhausted!"
Cu Chulainn took a sprinting stance and looked at Bazett. "At the very least, we need to reduce the number of Assassins. Don't back down just because your teacher is out of the game, Master!"
"If it's a battle, then I'll give it my all until the very last moment!"
Bazett pointed forward. "[Cu Chulainn] attacks [Hundred-Faces]!"
At this moment, Jiang You only had two copies of Hundred-Faces left on the field. He discarded [Morning Glory] from his hand to activate its effect.
"If I lose more, I'll be in serious trouble!"
Cu Chulainn was forcibly switched to Defense Position.
[Cu Chulainn] DEF 2400.
Bazett could only end her turn with frustration.
"Well then, two copies of Hundred-Faces are enough to finish you off!"
Jiang You decisively activated Destiny Draw, adding a card to his hand.
"[Archivist of Hidden Knowledge] effect—I'll return [Fanatic] and [Pale Dance of Death] from the Graveyard to the Deck and add [Mastery of Encyclopedias] to my hand."
"Are you trying to summon [Fanatic] again to break through Cu Chulainn?"
Seeing the troublesome [Fanatic] return to Jiang You's Extra Deck, Bazett assumed he intended to use continuous Delusional Heartbeat effects to deal with Cu Chulainn again.
"Don't underestimate Assassin. Two copies of Hundred-Faces are more than enough! [Mastery of Encyclopedias] activates its first two effects—ATK increases by 500, and I destroy one card on your field!"
[Hundred-Faces] ATK 800 → 1300.
Cu Chulainn was immune to destruction this time. But don't forget—Jiang You still had the Continuous Spell [Library of a Hundred Personas] in play.
"[Library of a Hundred Personas] effect—tribute one [Hundred-Faces], and destroy Cu Chulainn!"
The sacrificed [Hundred-Faces] transformed into a writhing shadow that engulfed Cu Chulainn, sending them both to the banished zone.
"Bazett, this is the final blow!"
The remaining [Hundred-Faces], boosted to 1300 ATK, landed a clean hit, reducing Bazett's Life Points to zero.
Bazett LP 1300 → LP 0.
Even though this wasn't a Shadow Game with life and soul on the line, losing still dealt a significant impact. Bazett coughed up blood and was sent flying backward. Cu Chulainn immediately sensed her mana weakening drastically—her supply of magical energy had dropped to a mere tenth of what it was before.
Cu Chulainn rushed to Bazett's side and checked her vital signs. Fortunately, she wasn't in critical condition—she would recover with some rest.
"Since my goal has been achieved, take your Master and leave."
Jiang You was already preparing for his real performance—fully exploring the open-world gameplay of this war. He didn't want Bazett to exit the stage too soon.
"Then we'll take our leave."
Cu Chulainn remained on guard as he slowly retreated, wary of a sudden attack. He was at an absolute disadvantage now, and he had already resolved to risk everything to get Bazett out safely. Only when they reached a safe distance did he finally disappear into the forest.
"You're not going to finish them off?"
Medea stroked her Noble Phantasm, puzzled as to why Jiang You had let go of such a good opportunity to eliminate a powerful opponent.
"I think I forgot to tell you the details about the Holy Grail. I'll explain as we move."
Jiang You had already decided—tonight, he would mark everyone on his list and pull them into his Noble Phantasm's capture range. That way, he wouldn't have to worry about them escaping when they logged in tomorrow.
"Tonight, we'll have to work a bit harder and mark these people. The only one we need to be cautious about is Kirei Kotomine—he's likely the only high-level combatant on this list."
Jiang You ordered [Hundred-Faces] to directly capture the non-mages to speed up the process, while the magi would require his personal attention to avoid them taking out [Hundred-Faces] instantly.
"What do you plan to do with that fake priest?"
A girl with a hint of anger in her voice blocked Jiang You's path.
"...Not again."
Jiang You turned around and saw a twin-tailed girl. She had yet to learn the truth about this timeline's Kirei Kotomine. As her guardian for the past ten years, even if she wasn't particularly close to him, she wouldn't allow harm to come to him so easily.
Rin Tohsaka clenched a gemstone tightly, staring at Jiang You with a wary expression—she could sense Atrum's presence inside the case he was carrying.
"What did you do to your Master and the people here!?"
Seeing her reaction mirroring Bazett's, Jiang You immediately understood what Atrum had been up to. He knocked on the case. "Behave, or I'll put you in an even smaller one."
Rin began channeling mana into her gemstone—she wouldn't let this rogue Servant act unchecked in her territory. Jason, in turn, ordered his allies to prepare for battle.
"Instead of asking me what I did, why don't you ask them what they did?"
"...What did they do?"
Perhaps Tokiomi Tohsaka had known, but there was no way an eight-year-old girl who had hastily inherited her family's legacy could have grasped the darkness of society. If any of this wealth had reached her hands, the Tohsaka family wouldn't have gradually declined after Tokiomi's death.
"That's something you should ask your dear father's prized disciple. I'm sure if you tearfully confront him, he'd be happy to tell you. And while you're at it, you might want to ask him how his own father died."
Jiang You checked the time—it was already late. If he delayed any further, he'd probably oversleep tomorrow. He needed to wrap things up quickly.
"Sorry, I don't have time to play with you right now. If you want to duel me, come join my event. I promise the prizes will be worth your while."
Jiang You took a step forward, but that slight movement seemed to provoke someone hidden in the shadows.
Jason hastily issued an attack command.
In an instant, Jiang You felt a massive pressure overhead—a giant axe-sword was crashing down toward him.
No, rather than slicing, it was more like smashing. If this strike landed, Jiang You would be reduced to pulp!
A lamppost flew past his right ear, intercepting the axe-sword. It was a well-timed assist from Lancelot.
"...Berserker?"
Jiang You stared at the familiar Servant, suddenly feeling a little guilty—because he had promised someone to be her Servant.
"Illya is here too?"
Just as Jiang You was scrambling for a way to maintain his good standing, Medea stepped forward. "Heracles was not summoned in the usual manner. He must be someone's Noble Phantasm."
Medea had long since analyzed the summoning mechanics of this Holy Grail War. She was currently working on a way to exploit the system and officially summon herself to obtain a proper Deck.
"So this little lady is the one who summoned him, huh?"
Medea fired several mana bolts into a nearby thicket. "Come out, Jason!"
"Asclepius, you're a Caster too, right? At least put up a shield for me!"
A blonde Servant tumbled out from the bushes, smoke still rising from his shoulder where he had failed to dodge completely.
"I have no interest in your romantic disputes."
Asclepius and Atalanta also emerged from hiding, arms crossed, making no effort to help Jason.
Facing Medea's overwhelming killing intent, Jason trembled and awkwardly raised a hand in greeting.
"Hello there, my ex-wife."