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

"No, I didn't hit you, right? Why did you stab me!" The effect of the Reverse Light Sword in reversing causality failed before the duel rules. Jiang You received Bazett's duel invitation. Both of their hit detections were blocked by the rules, and the Wanfu Biying Jie also failed as expected.

"This is your Noble Phantasm?!" Bazett was also seeing her Noble Phantasm overridden by another effect for the first time, which meant that Jiang You's Noble Phantasm possessed rules that at least exceeded the causality level of the Reverse Light Sword. Only then did she notice the extra knowledge in her mind.

"So you can deal with everything except the effects of your Reverse Light Sword?" Jiang You realized after hearing Bazett's words that the Reverse Light Sword was designed to counter his Noble Phantasm. If he didn't deal with this thing, Bazett would probably activate the Reverse Light Sword whenever and wherever he wanted, and then attack him at any time and in any place.

Be careful when going to the toilet that someone might poke your kidneys!

"I was originally planning to save the battle with you guys for later and finish the side quests first, but it seems I'll have to resort to the Dark Game!" With no other option, Jiang You had to use the Dark Game to prevent Bazett from using her Noble Phantasm on him. "Dark Game activated, duel begins!"

Jiangyou LP4000

Bazett LP4000

"The Dark Game!?" Bazett was startled by the knowledge in her mind. She felt she had been somewhat reckless. "Are you planning to turn me into Atram's like that too?!"

"Not quite. Although a mage's moral compass is generally hundreds of meters below the sea level, I'm not that extreme." Jiang You didn't know much about Bazett, but considering the performance of Magical Girl Illya, she was an exception among mages, much above the sea level. "Although I will suffer some damage, my purpose is simply to prevent you from using your Noble Phantasm on me."

In fact, most of the prominent magicians in the Fate series are exceptions, each with higher moral standards than the last, while the lowly villains who disregard human life are all incredibly incompetent.

Even prominent villains usually have some unfulfilled wishes.

"So, Miss Bazett, would you like to raise the stakes?" The Dark Game has already begun, and both sides can make corresponding demands. Jiang You hopes the event will be lively, so he won't let her leave immediately. The first playthrough is all about immersion.

Bazette did think about letting Jiang You exit the game directly. He had great confidence in Cu Chulainn's deck because Cu Chulainn's deck contained the legendary Queen of the Kingdom of Shadows and not many servants could be her match.

Jiang You's behavior made her unsure. Someone possessing a Noble Phantasm that defies causality couldn't be an unknown figure; he certainly wasn't telling Cú Chulainn the truth. "No need to escalate the stakes. If you lose, immediately stop killing ordinary people!"

"You call this an ordinary person?" Jiang You kicked the middle-aged man who had been knocked back to his side by the aftershocks of the battle. "He's supplying magicians, so he's practically a member of the underworld, right? Or do you think it's normal to sell and dismember ordinary people as expendable resources?"

Bazett then realized the reason behind Jiang You's behavior. Although she was a magician, she still had a relatively normal sense of right and wrong. She did understand Jiang You's anger, but as a magician, she also had a responsibility to maintain 'mystery': "But making this a big deal..."

"Mysterious, huh?" Jiang You laughed loudly, not buying it. "He doesn't even care about my Master, let alone me? Enough talk, let's duel!"

“In that case, it’s my turn!” Bazett quickly seized the initiative.

"First, I activate [The Legacy of the Red Branch Knights]. Once per turn, I Special Summon one [Red Branch Knights] Servant from my Deck. The card I'm summoning is this one: [Fergus Mark Roy]!"

A muscular man with his upper body bare appeared on the battlefield. He was holding a giant sword that looked like a drill in his hand, his eyes narrowed into a straight line, and he looked honest and simple.

【Fergus】 Saber 6-star, Attack Power 2400

Fergus looked around in confusion, and soon spotted a familiar figure. "Hey, isn't that Cú Chulainn? To be able to meet him again as a Heroic Spirit, what a stroke of luck!"

However, Cu Chulainn, who was fighting Lancelot, did not notice the appearance of his friend and adoptive father. He had become so presumptuous that he had lost control of his facial expression and looked like a hunting dog looking for food.

"Fergus, hero of the Celts, please help me defeat the Caster who is disrupting the order!" Bazett made her request to Fergus. Although Fergus could not disobey her duel order, Bazett did so anyway.

This action naturally earned Fergus's considerable favor: "Oh dear, how could I possibly refuse such a request from such a beautiful Master? Let me gracefully deal with them using the 'Spiral Sword'!"

"Next, I use [Inherited Bacteria Keeper], the card name is once per turn, discard a card, and add a Servant card of [Red Branch Knights] and a Counter Trap Card [Backlight Sword] to my hand! The Servant card I want to add is [Cu Chulainn]!"

“Then I usually summon myself, [Bazett]!” Bazett summoned himself into the battlefield.

【Bazett】 4-star, Attack Power 1800

"Using my own effect, I discard a card from my hand to Special Summon a [Red Branch Knights] Servant from my hand! Come, create a legend once again with your former comrades, [Cu Chulainn]!"

Cu Chulainn, who was competing in martial arts with Lancelot, was locked by the rules. The rules wrapped around Cu Chulainn spread out Lancelot's attack, and with Cu Chulainn looking regretful, he summoned him to the duel.

“Master, I’m really getting into the swing of things here.” Cú Chulainn had found a worthy opponent and his fighting spirit was ignited. However, after reading about Jiang You’s Noble Phantasm, he knew that his battle with Lancelot couldn’t be decided here. “What a troublesome Noble Phantasm. Caster and all that are really annoying.”

[Cú Chulainn] Lancer 7-star, Attack Power 2500

"Hey, isn't this Fergus? This Noble Phantasm can even summon you too." Cú Chulainn greeted his acquaintance, then quickly realized something. "So, my master is also in that thing called a deck? That makes him practically invincible! Isn't victory guaranteed?"

Cu Chulainn knew how outrageous his master was in this world, and there was a hint of pity in his eyes when he looked at Jiang You.

Chapter Seventy-Nine: A Hundred Appearances Can All Dance

"Finally, I set a card in the back row to end my turn." Bazett's back row trap card was almost a given: [Reverse Light Sword].

Jiang You looked at Cu Chulainn, who had a resistance-breaking effect once per turn thanks to his Arrow Protection, and Fergus, who had the "Cut Three Hills" legend that allowed him to declare three attacks per turn. He decided to deal with the face-down card in the backfield first.

"My turn, draw a card!" The addition of Tranquility significantly expanded Jiang You's Hassan deck, but his attack power remained a concern. Furthermore, cards for Illya and Matou Sakura were unavailable due to story restrictions. Therefore, without stacking Berserker Nobunaga's Ambition, the combined attack power of all Hassan servant cards wouldn't exceed 2000.

Jiang You said that if all else fails, he would just summon Romulus to overturn the table and give these servants a little crown shock.

“First, I usually summon [Hundred Appearances], the effect of Hundred Appearances…” Jiang You began his opening move in a very conventional manner.

"Trying to summon hordes of Assassins? Don't even think about it!" Bazett had seen Hundred Faces in groups during previous battles and quickly grasped their general effect. "I activate the Counter Trap Card [Reverse Light Sword]! This card can be activated when the opponent declares an attack or uses an effect to negate and destroy that card!"

Before the hundred figures formed from shadows could fully appear, Jiu's head was severed by a sword.

"The effect of [Reverse Light Sword] is that after activation, this card is not sent to the Graveyard, but is directly Set!" As a living Noble Phantasm, Bazett's understanding of Reverse Light Sword is superb, and he can activate it continuously as soon as he fills up the magic power.

"That's the effect I want. Hundred Faces has an endless supply of clones. I activate the magic card [Delusion]! Summon Hundred Faces to the field once again!"

[Hundred Appearances] Attack Power 800*3

[Morning Glory] Attack Power 0

"Then, I will stack three [Hundred Faces] and summon——[Fanatical]!"

The girl next door appeared on the battlefield again, quickly putting on a hood and a veil.

[Kuangxinzi] Attack power 1000 → 2500

Kuang Xinzi glanced at Jiang You with a resentful look. She could sense that she would be called out to work overtime from time to time.

"From now on, it's a continuous paranoid heartbeat!"

"First, first shot! Target [Fergus]!"

A twisted arm stretched out from behind Fanatic and grabbed Fergus directly.

"I never expected such a cute girl to be so ruthless. You can't judge a book by its cover!" Fergus watched as Kyoko ripped out his heart, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. "To die before one's ambitions are fulfilled is a warrior's fate. The rest is up to you..."

“You’re still the same as ever, you can’t handle women.” Cú Chulainn, carrying his magic spear, shook his head helplessly. He knew Fergus’s personality; in normal combat, Fergus couldn’t muster any real killing intent towards women, so dying at their hands was only natural. “But don’t think you can defeat me so easily!”

"Speaking of which, you died quite decisively from this skill in a certain timeline. Well then, the second one, Delusional Heartbeat!" In the HF timeline, Cu Chulainn also died from Cursed Hassan's Noble Phantasm. Although Kyoko's Delusional Heartbeat was somewhat ambiguous, it was enough.

The twisted hand reached out to grab Cu Chulainn again. Cu Chulainn raised his magic spear and dodged the attack on his heart with a very tricky posture.

"【Cú Chulainn】Effect: Once per turn, cannot be destroyed by other effects!" Bazett explained, unaware that Jiang You could see the effects of other cards.

“I’m better at taking other people’s hearts than having my own heart ripped out.” Cú Chulainn pointed his red spear at Kyoko, not finding this kind of legendary card battle unpleasant.

"It's not over yet, the third shot!" Jiang You removed the last material from the Mad Nose, and this time Cú Chulainn's defense-breaking effect had also been lost, so he could not rely on himself to defend against this attack.

[Kuangxinzi] Attack power 2500 → 1000

"Master, I entrust my life to you!" Cú Chulainn entrusted his life to Bazett.

"I won't let you down, Lancer!" Bazett raised his arm, and blood began to emanate from the Command Seal-wielding arm. "If any Servant related to the [Red Branch Knights] is destroyed, I can release myself as a replacement!"

Fanatic's delusional heartbeat fell on Bazett, and his bright red heart was ruthlessly pulled out, and Bazett was destroyed.

The pain in his chest was so real that Bazett, returning to the main station area, clutched his chest and gasped.

"How heartless, to let a little girl suffer in his place." In fact, Jiang You also saw his own phantom pain, but that didn't stop him from talking about Cú Chulainn.

"I do feel a little guilty, but how can you say that!" Cú Chulainn pointed his spear at Jiang You. "It's all your doing! Only by winning can I prevent my Master from getting hurt again! This little girl can't activate her effects anymore, right? Come on, try to break through my defenses!"

"As you wish! I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card [Pale Dance of Death]. Card Name: Once per turn, I Special Summon another [Hundred Faces] from the Graveyard and destroy you, [Cu Chulainn]!"

"What!?" A serene, ethereal figure appeared behind Cú Chulainn, slender fingers gently tracing the back of his neck.

The purple poison then covered Cu Chulainn's entire body.

"You little brat, just wait, I'll be back on the field next round!" Cú Chulainn struggled in vain and was dissolved by the poison, sent to the graveyard.

Another effect of Cu Chulainn is that he can Special Summon himself in the next turn after being sent to the Graveyard. However, unlike Heracles, Cu Chulainn summoned by this effect will be banished when leaving the field.

“I understand, it’s a continuation of the battle, see you next round.” Jiang You waved to Cú Chulainn, who had returned to Lancelot’s side, earning him a disdainful click of his tongue.

Because of the duel, all the servants present stopped fighting and just watched quietly. Because there was no need to fight at all, they were summoned to the battle area from time to time, and they couldn't tell who was the winner.

"Although it's a bit excessive, the effect of [Hundred Appearances] doesn't last once per round, so I can directly fill up my frontcourt!"

The densely packed Hassans covered

[Hundred Appearances] Attack Power 800*3

"There are 5 Hyakumos on the field, so I activate [Encyclopedia Mastery], and all its effects apply! Hassan on the field gains 500 attack points, destroys your [Reverse Light Sword], and draws a card!"

[Hundred Appearances] Attack Power 800 → 1300*3

[Morning Glory] Attack Power 0→500

"Total 4400 damage! Time to say goodbye, Miss Bazette!"

Chapter 80 Scáthach, where is your newbie protection period after your debut?

The two Hassans stabbed Bazett's waist with daggers from the left and right, bringing out a large amount of blood.

Bazett LP4000 → 1400

Just as the third Hundred Faces launched their attack, Bazette's graveyard lit up.

"The effect of the Spell Card 'Warrior's Boiling Point' in the Graveyard is: banish this card when the opponent declares an attack, flip a coin. If heads, destroy that Servant and restore half of its original ATK as Life Points; if tails, restore half of its current Life Points!" This is the secret of the Red Branch Knights. A warrior who has lost half his body can regain his vitality by drinking this. However, the effect requires a successful Luck Judgment.

A golden coin appeared out of thin air in Bazette's hand. Bazette flicked his finger, and the coin spun and fell to the ground, bouncing several times.

It's the front.

"Beautiful! Luck is on our side, Master!" Cú Chulainn cheered. Surviving a desperate situation is also part of the battle.

A transparent silver-inlaid wine glass appeared above Bazette's head, and crimson liquid poured over her head like a waterfall.

The last Baimao couldn't launch his attack at all. Instead, he was sucked into the vortex of red liquid and disappeared without a trace.

Bazett LP1400→LP1800

"Well done! Now, let's have [Little Morning Glory] launch a direct attack!" Jiang You declared his final attack of the round, lowering Bazett's health bar.