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

Chapter 97 Fuyuki's C Team

With Kotomine Kirei's exit, the duel space also collapsed, and the guy named Kotomine Kirei disappeared without a trace, leaving no trace.

Rin Tohsaka breathed a sigh of relief; she had successfully avenged her father. Sakura's problems had also been solved, and her life was complete. All that remained was to win the Holy Grail.

"So, should we continue to fight Caster?" Emiya Shirou asked. In his opinion, dealing with these scumbags was reasonable, but the methods were a bit too extreme. Inviting all the magicians of Fuyuki to play a battle royale game with him in Fuyuki was just too willful.

"Of course!" Rin Tohsaka gritted her teeth. This was her territory, and Jiang You's reckless behavior would attract the wrath of other magical organizations. Not only her, but all the participants in the Holy Grail War would be implicated. "No one wants to see him bring magical matters into the open like this; we must stop him!"

"I'm afraid they don't think that way. The allure of the Third Method's crystallized product is simply too great." Red A, who had been watching the whole thing unfold, took the radio from Shirou Emiya and turned it on again. A voice, seemingly providing commentary, came through. "At least until someone gets their hands on the Third Method crystal, Caster is safe."

"It would be even better if there was a TV to save us; Assassin's clone is broadcasting live." With Red A's eyesight, he could see the broadcast screen in the living room of a distant house, showing a duel taking place somewhere, with many clueless bystanders watching.

[Oh? This nameless magician's defense is quite strong, even blocking three attacks. This three-star "wild monster" is not bad either. Beneath the appearance of a famous teacher, he actually has the heart of a professional killer. If it were a normal fight, this magician would probably not end well. Miss Medea, which side are you on?]

"Bai Mao, so why would we do such a stupid thing...Okay, honestly, I'm not optimistic about either side. While a magician has an overwhelming advantage over ordinary people, this guy's use of magic is so crude it's unbearable to watch, so the "wild monster" is more likely to win."

[Okay, we see this magician perform his family magic, successfully destroying the opponent's front-line servants. Great! The familiar's continuous attacks have left only the last 300 life points! The "wild monsters" have lost their health like a candle in the wind! Does this mean the first match of Duel City will be decided here?]

"Wow, they really didn't try to hide anything at all. The previous announcement could have been dismissed as a joke. Now there's no way to hide it anymore." Jason didn't expect Caster to go this far; this time, they're making an enemy of the entire magic world.

Jason soon noticed something else: "Wait a minute, what about my glorious deeds? The most difficult guy fell to my hands, why isn't anyone coming to admire my battle?"

Jason is not a modern magician. He doesn't really care whether the mystery is weakened. After all, in the Age of Gods, this is common sense.

"No way, are you really this shameless in the legends?" Cú Chulainn walked in carrying his gun. "It was clearly Hercules who was doing all the damage, okay? As for the lack of a broadcast... earlier there was this masked, dark-skinned guy carrying some weird thing running over, and I just stabbed him to death."

"..."

Jiang You saw the sudden email reward containing the Soul Crystal and [Gilgamesh]*1, and he knew Kotomine Kirei had been killed. If Kotomine Kirei had been a little more patient, he wouldn't have left so early. It can only be said that for pleasure, he even gave up his life.

"But what's the use of just one card? Where's Wang Cai?" Jiang You looked at the meaningless card in his hand with disdain. There weren't any equipment cards in his deck either. Nevertheless, he still told Bai Mao what he had learned.

According to the latest news, the highest prize in the Cathedral District has been won by Master Rin Tousaka! Congratulations to her! With the two stars she gained as a seeded player, Rin Tousaka now holds seven stars, securing first place by a landslide. The grand prize is just around the corner! Okay, let's continue watching the live competition.

“Ilya, I remember you told Mother that the Third Law is your family's long-cherished wish, right?” Minamoto no Yorimitsu had appeared beside Rin Tohsaka without her noticing, subtle lightning crackling slowly seeping from his sword. “Then this thing naturally can't be given to others. Should we keep her?”

Toosaka Rin suddenly became nervous. The Einzbern family's obsession with the Third Law was obvious to all. How could Illya give up?

"Rin Tohsaka, you said you were going to defeat Caster too, right?" Illya's ruby-like eyes were fixed on Rin Tohsaka.

Even though she didn't understand what Illya meant, Tōsaka Rin nodded. This was her duty as the de facto manager of Fuyuki.

“Then, next time we meet, we’ll be enemies. Only I can defeat Caster.” Ilya didn’t care about the mystery; she just wanted to snatch Jiang You away and meet her mother. Of course, a large part of it was also because she liked the way she spent time with Jiang You—he would include her in his antics, like a playmate. If Jiang You wanted to play this way, she would play along.

It was just that Illya was very unhappy that Jiang You was not brought along to play this time. She would definitely give him a good beating, but that didn't mean she was willing to see others attack him.

"Berserker, let's go." Illya whispered two words in Minamoto no Yorimitsu's ear, which made Yorimitsu put away his sword and smile. He hugged Illya and leaped up, disappearing into the moonlight.

"Sakura, you'll help me, right?" Rin Tohsaka was worried that Sakura Matou would give the same answer.

"Sister, what are you saying? Of course I'll help you." Matou Sakura gave Tohsaka Rin an affirmative reply, her face full of gentle smiles.

Shirou Emiya looked at this schoolmate he had been with for a long time and always felt that her smile was not so genuine. However, out of politeness, he did not say it out loud, just thinking it was his own illusion.

"I originally just wanted to explain the details of the Holy Grail War to you today, but I didn't expect so many things to happen. Now it has come to this. What do you say, Emiya-san?"

"Of course we'll help you and Sakura, Tohsaka-san." Shirou Emiya felt that Caster was going too far by forcibly involving so many ordinary people in this incident.

"As the representative of the Clock Tower, I naturally have to see this kind of serious incident through to the end." Without even asking, Bazett stated her position directly, her stance always clear: "I have already reported this matter to the Clock Tower, and more people will arrive to provide support in a few days. This is no longer just a matter of the Holy Grail War; Caster must leave the scene as soon as possible!"

Thus, the four formed a solid (?) alliance with common interests.

Chapter Ninety-Eight: Flying is no longer news in Fuyuki these days.

"So here's the question: with Caster's Noble Phantasm, it doesn't give him an advantage in terms of numbers, right?" Jason raised the question first. Jiang You had several specially summoned Servants at his disposal. Apart from Illya, who had clearly stated she wouldn't cooperate, their number of Servants would actually be even smaller without Jason.

“In fact, Lancer fought against the black Berserker he summoned, but did not trigger his Noble Phantasm,” Bazett reminded Jason of the information he already knew.

“Now that you mention it, I remember. When Hercules attacked him, other Heroic Spirits blocked the attack for him.” Jason slammed his fist down, recalling some details of his encounter with Jiang You. “That means unconventionally summoned Heroic Spirits can evade his Noble Phantasm, doesn’t that mean—”

“That’s right, Jason, you are the key to defeating Caster.” Rin Tohsaka added to Jason’s statement. Because of the duel, Jason had already revealed his true name, and Rin Tohsaka was too lazy to hide it any longer. “I checked Caster’s stats with Master privileges. He doesn’t have any hidden Noble Phantasms. Apart from his Noble Phantasm and Luck, everything else is just average C-rank. As long as you can surpass his Noble Phantasm, most Servants can easily crush him.”

"Then there are the Servants summoned by Caster. Besides the information about Assassin provided by Ms. Bazette, I can confirm that one of the Servants is Medea."

Hearing this name, all the Masters and Servants looked at Jason. The story between them was well known to everyone.

"Don't look at me, I'm trying to avoid her as much as possible." Jason stated firmly his evasive attitude. "So Medea is in your hands!"

Cú Chulainn sighed, "The thought of having to protect a guy like that later gives me the creeps."

“I wholeheartedly agree.” Red A nodded in agreement, feeling that Jason had dragged down the overall level of the Heroic Spirits of the Age of Gods.

"No way! I'm a key player, aren't I? At least show me some respect!" Jason exclaimed, jumping up and down. "I can accept being called the Light of the Celts, but how can a super mercenary like you talk to me like that!"

Like the completely inexperienced Shirou Emiya, Matou Sakura watched and listened silently, only offering a gentle smile when Rin Tōsaka turned her head towards her. Medusa, not one for words, simply remained silently by Matou Sakura's side.

The first night in Duel City passed uneventfully, with only two duels taking place.

In order to prove the authenticity of the soul crystal, Jiang You used threats and inducements to buy the temporary use rights of Liudong Temple overnight, and arranged for Medea to work overtime to set up the position, and placed the soul crystal in a prominent position as a display.

Regardless, the duel broadcast caused a stir in Fuyuki, both for the cards that displayed perfect "projections" and for the actions of the upper-class individuals being treated as prey. Some sought to suppress the incident, but Hassan the Hundred Faces' espionage and infiltration abilities were inhumane. The television station was completely under control, and most requests for foreign aid were intercepted. A normal blockade was sufficient to allow Jiang You to complete the three days of the duel.

People are always curious about new and amazing things, so Fuyuki seemed to be caught up in a frenzy. The ticket counter of the amusement park was always crowded with onlookers, and even many ordinary people wanted to try to qualify for the duel.

With such intense public scrutiny, the human trafficking issue has become completely uncontrollable. No matter where the "monsters" hide, they will be discovered within ten minutes.

"How many magicians have tried to steal the Soul Crystal directly now?" Jiang You looked at the pile of corpses in the room and felt he had underestimated the allure of the Soul Crystal. Even after seeing the real thing, quite a few magicians still tried to bypass the rules and steal it directly.

However, they still underestimated Caster's position and Assassin's surprise attack ability. Everyone who came was left behind, and the deaths were really varied.

"It's the eleventh one. Can't they even use their brains? Anyone with a gadget of this caliber is definitely not someone a third-rate magician like them can handle." Medea rolled her eyes, thinking that modern magicians were overconfident and completely incapable of assessing the situation. "And please, don't drag me into being a commentator anymore. Do you really think I'm a slave? What about what you promised me?"

Medea still wanted to get her own deck, or to snatch control of Jason from Rin Toosaka, but Jiang You didn't plan to let Jason leave before the end of the event. He had too few contestants with names, so he had to divert Medea's attention.

"Don't worry, I've already booked a model shop for you. It's in the city center, three floors above ground and a basement, more than enough for you to convert into a workshop." Jiang You knew a bit about Medea's interests, and addressing them directly would quickly improve his favorability.

As a result, Jiang You not only calmed Medea's resentment but also obtained a trap card that could interrupt effects or the Minotaur, namely [Wanfu Biying Biejie].

"Really?" Medea pulled her hood down, trying to hide her delighted expression from Jiang You. "That's thoughtful of you. So, what's the exact location? I need to go and investigate in person."

"The store in the north of the city center isn't too remote or too noisy. The renovation team has already been contacted for you, and the store can be renovated anytime. Of course, you can also renovate it yourself. Here, these are the keys." Jiang You could see that Medea was impatient, so he tossed the keys over.

"Ahem, the Magic Workshop is indeed something I need. I happen to need to make some magic props, so let me take my leave." Medea took the key and flew directly towards her destination. Given the current chaos in Fuyuki City, a flying creature is hardly news.

"So Konami's management system is also included." Jiang You looked at the panel that suddenly popped up and felt more and more that this game was a super Frankenstein's monster. However, the funds provided by Atram were more than enough on a secular level, and there was no card purchase system, so it was completely unnecessary.

"Let's see how the battle is going." Jiang You turned on the TV; the Fuyuki Channel was currently the highest-rated channel in Japan. Apart from the local residents of Fuyuki, most people elsewhere treated it as a special performance with amazing special effects.

Jiang You glanced at the contestants' rankings based on the stars they received.

1st Shinji Matou

Chapter Ninety-Nine: The Hundred Faces Has Been Commercialized

"No way, is Shinji really that strong?" Jiang You couldn't believe his eyes. It's true that Matou Shinji is almost an all-rounder when it comes to magic, but normally Matou Shinji's deck isn't much stronger than an ordinary person's. Even if he keeps hunting those neutral tickets, it's difficult for him to keep the stars from being snatched away by those magicians.

"Not sure, let me take another look." Jiang You felt he was doing something wrong and turned the TV back on.

[This is host Baimao broadcasting the live duel. We can see that the current first-place contestant, Shinji Matou, has been attacked again. This time, his opponent is the ninth-ranked magician, Mr. Zenjo.]

“Zen City?” Jiang You looked at the magician. He seemed to have seen him in the timeline ten years ago, but there were some subtle differences: in this timeline, the Zen City family's magic lineage had been completely severed. Although he was now a commoner unrelated to magic, magical genes still flowed in his blood. The reason he was able to participate in the competition was to revive his family's magic.

Although Mr. Chancheng doesn't know magic, his family's knowledge and history still preserve many powerful cards, making him a formidable competitor. Mr. Lancelot, please share your thoughts.

【Ahrrrrrr——】

[What Lancelot means is: Mr. Zenjo has good combat awareness and a strong will, but his strength is too weak, and he didn't do a good job of gathering information on his opponent. Unless he gets a huge stroke of luck, he'll have a hard time winning.]

Ahrr?

"No, Bai Mao, how did you understand what Lancelot was saying?" Jiang You said that Lancelot's intelligence was almost non-existent in his berserk state, and he could only understand some simple instructions. Bai Mao's encyclopedic knowledge was so profound.

"Master, I don't understand." The true form of the Hundred Faces had been following Jiang You, acting as a relay point for all the Hundred Faces, transmitting information to him. "I was just making things up, but the audience likes it more when we're doing this kind of stunt. The ratings have gone up a bit now. Although I think it would be even better to have Miss Medea show her face. Beauties from other countries are more eye-catching."

"...You're wasting your talents on assassination." Jiang You felt that Bai Mao, as a heroic spirit, had put all his skill points into other areas of combat; otherwise, he wouldn't be so useless.

"And let me remind you one thing. Lancelot's Noble Phantasm, 'Not for One's Own Glory', can be disguised as someone else."

"You mean..." Bai Mao immediately understood Jiang You's meaning, "As long as Lancelot is prevented from speaking, that's fine. I'm also proficient in imitating accents. I'll go and inform the others right away!"

At this time, the live battle is still going on.

"Shinji Matou, I've heard of you." Although the Zenjo family is no longer among the ranks of magician families, their ties with other families haven't completely ceased. Their eldest daughter, Aoi Zenjo, married Tokiomi Tohsaka through this connection, so she still knows about news from the Fuyuki magic world.

【The Last Magician of Zen City】 2-star attack power 1200 → attack power 1400

Zenjou summoned his great-grandfather, the last generation of magicians in his family. "You also failed to inherit the Matou family's Magic Crest because of blocked magic circuits, right? That's why you adopted a girl from the Tohsaka family to carry on the legacy. You and I are the same kind of people, both desperately wanting this thing. So, I won't hold back!"

The mention of the inheritance of magic angers Shinji Matou. In other areas, he's smooth sailing and an absolute genius. This is why he's so hostile to Sakura Matou—he should be the best heir to the Matou family!

"No, I'm not like you!" Shinji Maki revealed a maniacal smile, something seemed to be writhing beneath his skin. "I'm not a half-baked magician. In this magic competition, I will make everyone submit to my feet. The Soul Crystal will surely be mine!"

Zenjo just thought that Shinji Matou was blinded by his winning rate, but he had to admit that Shinji Matou had a talent for dueling.

"Next, I activate the Field Spell Card [Zen Castle Mansion]. While this card is on the field, [Zen Castle] Servants gain 200 ATK and DEF, and while there is a [Zen Castle] Servant on the field, I can perform an additional Normal Summon each turn!"

"Next, I summon myself! [Heir of Zen City]! Let me begin my path of revival!"

[Zen City Heir] 2-star Attack Power 800 → Attack Power 1000

"Finally, I cover two cards and end my turn!"

"What a weak scene!" Shinji Matou, having faced much stronger opponents, was almost dismissive. "Let me show you the Matou family's magic. My turn, draw a card!"

"First, I activate the Field Spell Card [Bug Magic Workshop]!"

In the dark basement, the sparse chirping of insects surged like waves.

"Bug Magic Workshop's effect: Once per turn, Special Summon a [Spirit Blade Bug] or [Mark Bug] from your deck in Attack Position! The one I'm going to summon is, of course, [Mark Bug]!"

Strange-looking bugs crawled out from the corner.

[Marked Insect] Attack Power 500