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

"I Normal Summon [Matou Sakura] and activate Sakura's effect to add [Emiya Kiritsugu] to my hand."

As soon as she stepped out of the Emiya residence, Sakura Matou, who was looking for a base, found herself walking into Jiang You's card game again.

"Caster?" According to Matou Sakura's memories, Caster's Noble Phantasm could only generate the past, present, and future corresponding to himself and his Master. Why was she being directly summoned by Caster? Given her personality, she didn't actively ask.

Nodding to Matou Sakura, Jiang You continued his actions. "Activate [Sakura's Dream]. This card can only be activated when [Matou Sakura] is on the field. Use a [Holy Grail] Spell Card from your deck as material for a Fusion Summon. Come, Sakura! Pour out all your resentment and hatred!"

【Sakura Dream】

【Matou Sakura·Black Holy Grail】

The emerging black mud swallowed up Sakura Matou, and in the black vortex, the blackened Sakura Matou descended.

Her originally purple hair had turned exceedingly pale. Long, black stripes of magical energy seamlessly covered her upper body, then blossomed like red spider lilies at her hips. Red veins like pulses spread freely down her legs, creating a strangely beautiful and eerie appearance.

[Matou Sakura·Black Holy Grail] Attack Power 2400

"This posture is a little uncomfortable." Sakura Matou knew that this would be her future, and the violent magic power in her body made her uneasy.

"Sorry, it seems that the form affects your senses. I will pay attention next time." Jiang You heard Sakura Matou's complaint and tried to maintain his favorability.

"It's okay, I believe in Caster." Matou Sakura shook her head, "I can help you too."

This favorability is rising quite fast. Jiang You sighed at the effectiveness of the Soul Crystal. "Then I'll leave it to you. I'll activate the effect of [Matou Sakura: Black Holy Grail]. When it's successfully summoned, I'll Special Summon as many [Shadow Tokens (1000/1000)] as possible on the field in Attack Position."

[Shadow Derivative] Attack 1000 *4

Black and red magical creatures wearing clothes similar to Sakura Matou's occupied all the remaining battle areas.

"Then, activate Matou Sakura's other effect, release two [Shadow Tokens] on the field, and designate a Servant on the opponent's field to gain control of it. Artoria, come to my side."

"My king, Tristan feels ashamed to face you. He asked me to convey this to you." Seeing Artoria standing against him, Lancelot breathed a sigh of relief and conveyed Tristan's words to her. Tristan's original intention was to let Artoria follow her heart. The Knights of the Round Table would support her, instead of going forward alone and making a choice that she was unwilling to make.

But Artoria couldn't bear to hear it now. She had long since lost the distinction between her true heart and her duty. "No... Tristan is right. I don't understand people's hearts. It's because I stubbornly cling to my own ideas. If only I hadn't pulled out the sword from the stone, the Knights of the Round Table wouldn't be in this state..."

"King Arthur, you are too perfect, and you want to be even more perfect. The end of Camelot was not your responsibility, which is why I feel so much regret. Even when faced with me like this, you never questioned me, nor did you ask me to atone for my sins. You simply stood firmly before us, showing us the right path. I have always longed for you to judge me personally. If you could have executed me in anger, I would not have embarked on such a mad path in my desire for atonement..."

Lancelot confided his sorrowful wish to Artoria.

"No, no..." Artoria, who had just experienced the Battle of Camlann, was at her lowest point. The weak side of herself that she had abandoned was clearly visible here. "It is precisely because I am not perfect that the Knights of the Round Table fell apart. It's all my fault."

"King..."

It felt like the two were about to start arguing, and Jiang You couldn't bear it any longer, so he launched into a tirade, "Let me summarize: King Arthur's true intention was to establish a lifelong Knights of the Round Table, to establish a lifelong Camelot. Sister, is your gravity so strong? Nothing lasts forever. The Knights of the Round Table were only able to assemble because of you. If it weren't for you, their behavior would have been a mess long ago. The fall of Camelot and the end of the Age of Gods are inevitable, and it won't matter who comes."

Then he pointed at Lancelot. "As for this Knight of the Yangtze River, he's essentially confessing his love to you, Artoria. He's been dead for so long he didn't even dare to tell the truth. Ever since he learned your true self, he's longed for you and developed a forbidden love for you. He became so twisted because he didn't receive the punishment he deserved for his betrayal, turning love into hate. That's why he's here, eager for you to execute him personally."

"?" The shocking fact made Artoria's brain freeze for a moment. She looked at Lancelot in surprise. "Lancelot, is what he said true?"

Lancelot felt that the atmosphere he had created was completely ruined by someone, turning the relationship between the king and his subjects into a twisted emotional dispute.

He cried out in despair, "Yes, King! I admire you, I love you! Such a fragile girl has carried the fate of the nation on her shoulders, holding up a clear sky for everyone. I cannot take my eyes off you. You are so shining, so beautiful, I long for your gaze! Even if your gaze is filled with anger and dissatisfaction with me, rather than reluctant forgiveness for the sake of justice!"

After the brief moment of shame and anger passed, Lancelot, who had completely let go, felt a sense of relief. He had basically no regrets about this Holy Grail War.

"You, I..." The pain and regret of the Battle of Camlann, and the impact of Lancelot's true feelings made Artoria confused and she had no idea how to answer.

"Aren't you disappointed in me?" She finally asked this question.

"Never, my king," Lancelot replied affirmatively. "As long as you follow your heart, no matter what choice you make, we will support you! So, please judge me, your shameless subject!"

"Are you going to take action, King Arthur?" During this time, Jiang You asked Sakura Matou to help repair Lancelot's blood line. Lancelot, with only 1600 LP left, had entered Artoria's killing line.

Altria looked at Jiang You and nodded.

"Well then, Artoria, make a direct attack on Lancelot, Excalibur!"

A golden torrent of magic surged into the sky, engulfing Lancelot. Amidst the dazzling golden light, Lancelot revealed an expression of relief.

Lancelot LP1600→0

Chapter 21 Illya: The Nasty Caster

"Satisfied?" As the duel space vanished, Artoria and Matou Sakura returned to their original time and space. Lancelot also transformed back into his original Berserker spirit base.

Lancelot was unable to respond due to the frenzy, but his quiet appearance had already given the answer.

"You're satisfied, but this uncle is dying." Illya, who had been performing the entire healing magic, looked at Jiang You speechlessly. After the battle, Matou Kariya felt like he'd suffered a fatal blow, his already weakened body on the brink of death. If Illya hadn't continued performing the magic, he would have already passed away.

"It seems that duels between rival players in the Holy Grail War can cause effective damage even without engaging in dark games." Jiang You quickly understood why this result occurred.

"So, are you going to save him or not?" Seeing that her magic power was almost exhausted, Illya urged Jiang You to make a decision quickly, "If you don't save him, I'll give up!"

"I want to save her, but I don't know how." Jiang You spread his hands. As a relatively normal person among the Four Warriors, Matou Kariya has been trying to rescue Matou Sakura in his own way. Jiang You thinks it would be okay to help him if possible.

"Hand over the Soul Crystal... What's with that look in your eyes? I won't snatch it away. I have experience in the Heavenly Clothes state. It would be very easy to guide the magic power within the Soul Crystal and let him live for a few more years."

"Can this thing be used like this?" Jiang You realized that there were many ways to develop this game.

"Why else do you think we, the Einzberns, have been trying to recreate the Third Law?" Illya sighed deeply. "And you, Caster? How come you don't understand this? I can't understand why the Soul Crystal, the manifestation of the Third Law, would be associated with a wasteful person like you."

"Actually, I feel like I should be more of a Dueler than a Caster."

"This guy probably has 5 seconds left to live. 5-4-" Facing the funny Jiang You, Illya started the countdown with a cold face.

Time was running out, so Jiang You had to take out the soul crystal.

After obtaining the soul crystal, Illya channeled the magic power within the crystal to perform healing magic.

Matou Kariya's breathing had stabilized, but the magic circuits on his body, which were filled by the crest bugs, had mostly been destroyed. The remaining magic power was insufficient to replenish Lancelot's spiritual base, causing Lancelot's panel to drop several levels. But at least he survived.

After returning the Soul Crystal to Jiang You, Illya wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Alright, let me emphasize again that I'm not good at healing magic. You can think of it as simply using the Soul Crystal's immense magical power to forcibly heal the wound. He only has about four or five years left to live."

"Thank you for your hard work, Illya. As for Berserker, your Master, I'll leave him in your care. From now on, take him away from this Holy Grail War."

Hearing Jiang You's words, Lancelot pointed at himself, and Jiang You quickly understood what he meant. "I've already received your help, so don't try to steal my game."

After arranging Matou Kariya's group, Jiang You waved to Illya and said, "Let's go, Illya, let's go and bring Sakura out."

"Yes, yes, I don't even know who the Servant is anymore."

When the two men came in front of little Sakura Matou, Sakura Matou just looked at them with lifeless eyes, without any reaction, like a porcelain doll at the mercy of others.

At this time, Sakura had already suffered years of torture, and her young heart was extremely fragile. She was more numb and submissive than she would be ten years later.

Jiang You squatted down, lowered his head, and brought his eyes level with Xiaoying: "Xiaoying, everything is over. I kept my promise to you and came to take you away from here."

"Ying lives here. This is Ying's home. She doesn't need to leave." Ying didn't know Jiang You, and she had long been accustomed to this kind of life that felt like falling into the bottomless abyss. Naturally, she couldn't agree.

Jiang You knew that Sakura was afraid. According to the original storyline, when everything was nearing its end, Sakura would indifferently watch Matou Kariya, who had been trying to help her, die, and say, "How stupid! Who told you to rebel against Grandpa?"

Adopted into the Matou family, she was left helpless. Rather than becoming a member of the Matou family, she was abandoned by the Tōsaka family, left all alone. Therefore, she dared not rebel against Zouken Matou, nor did she dare to identify with Kariya, who rebelled against Zouken Matou. To avoid further harm, she built a thick shell around herself.

"Don't worry, that old man Matou Zouken is dead, and he died very completely." Combat drops don't lie.

"Grandpa, is he dead?" Sakura Matou finally looked at the young man in front of her, but the light that had just risen in her eyes quickly faded. She was adopted here by the Tohsaka family. Tohsaka was no longer her home, and her nominal head of household was dead. "So, I don't even have a home anymore."

"This isn't Sakura's home, there's no such thing as a home." Jiang You placed his large hand on Sakura's head, stroking it gently. "Home should be warm, where you can express your likes and dislikes without worry, confide your grievances to your family, and share your happiness."

Jiang You knelt on one knee and gave Xiaoying a knight's salute. He then extended his hand and slowly held it out to her. "Little princess, come with me. Tomorrow I will take you to see your mother, and then I will accompany you to beat up your unreasonable father!"

Xiaoying raised her little hand hesitantly, wanting to hold Jiang You's hand, but was afraid of suffering the same treatment again.

"Can I trust you?"

"Of course, I'm betting my knight's honor!" Jiang You continued his role-playing!

"You are a ghost knight." This time it was Illya's turn who couldn't bear it anymore. She grabbed Sakura Komatou's hand and put it into Jiang You's hand.

"Sakura, I'll call you that for now." Illya pointed at Jiang You and lectured little Matou Sakura in the manner of an elder, "Listen carefully, this is Caster, the guy who killed Matou Zouken, the head of the Matou family. Even Matou Zouken is no match for him. If he wants to do something, you have no right to refuse. His attitude now shows that he cares about you very much. Why are you hesitating? How foolish!"

Seeing Xiaoying's body relax slightly, Jiang You picked her up. "Why are you so fierce? Don't scare Xiaoying."

Jiang You's words made the veins on Illya's forehead jump. Jiang You was obviously a servant of the Einzbern family, and she should have a closer relationship with Jiang You. "Why don't you be gentler to me? I'm obviously not having a good life either!"

"So I'm here to help you. With me here, your father and mother will be safe and sound." If he fails, he can just try the second round. Jiang You said he didn't feel any pressure at all.

"And I promised you that I would help you whether it's here or ten years later. I will definitely come." The new expansion pack has already sent an invitation, how could I refuse.

Illya's mood improved visibly, while Jiang You showed a disappointed expression as he looked at the repeated rewards.

Chapter 22: Einzbern's maid is very smooth

"Eh! Brother Xiao Jiang, your eyes are so scary. Tell me, did you secretly kill your boss?"

Just as Jiang You was trying hard to eat noodles and thinking about which plot characters to kill in the five battles to get the soul crystals, Xiao He suddenly came up to Jiang You mysteriously and asked cautiously.

"What are you talking about? Even though that bald guy is a big talker, at least he has never deducted my salary. Stop slandering me." Jiang You replied to Xiao He with a puzzled look, only to find that she was indeed a little panicked.

Xiao He took out a small mirror and asked Jiang You to look at himself. "Why do you look like this, Brother Jiang?"

Oh my god, where did this fugitive suspect come from?

Jiang You quickly rubbed his brows, pushing his thoughts about the plot out of his head. Apparently, the game being too realistic has its drawbacks; it's even making him want to kill. This needs to be addressed to reduce the realism of the player feedback.

It was a bit absurd that a card game could generate murderous intent. Jiang You began to wonder if he was a natural killer.

You have to adjust your mindset and stop thinking about killing and robbing. You have to enjoy the game. After all, the limit of soul crystals is limited.

"It's because I stayed up too late these past two days and didn't sleep well." Jiang You said perfunctorily and finished the remaining noodles. The plot doesn't wait for anyone.

When Jiang You left the restaurant, time in the restaurant stopped again.

"This time, you were too hasty." The proprietress stared at Xiao He. "You spun a lie for him, and he accepted it. He treated what he thought was a fake human as an object to produce materials. It was very reasonable. You've already set a so-called upper limit for him, and you're weaving new lies here. Aren't you afraid of creating new loopholes?"

"If we don't strengthen this concept, he could break through our limitations at any time. Whether he discovers a flaw or devours all of humanity's souls, neither outcome is acceptable to us."

The landlady was neither happy nor sad. "He briefly expressed the desire to destroy humanity, and I've successfully captured that thought. You said he was absolutely human, right?"

"What do you want to do!" This so-called Xiao He showed such a rich expression in front of Jiang You for the first time.

"You used the power of the Crown to protect him, so I can naturally mobilize other powers as well. His consciousness limits him, but the evil he has unleashed will not constrain him. I don't want to miss this opportunity." The proprietress looked up at the sky. "I want to survive."

……