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

"Is this the insect magic of your Matou family?" Zenjou covered his mouth, he didn't expect the insects summoned by Matou Shinji to be like this.

Baimao even held a popularity vote for the players. Shinji had gained great popularity on the first day due to his extremely high win rate and decent looks, but because of his deck, he had never surpassed a certain golden guy.

“Powerful, that’s the reason for becoming king.” Shinji Matou shrugged. He’d seen these things since he was a child and was used to it. “As long as it works well, powerful cards don’t matter if they just have an odd appearance!”

"Next, I activate [Record Holder]! Special Summon [Matou Shinji] from your deck in Attack Position!"

[Shinji Matou] Master, 1 star, Attack 200

Matou Shinji summoned himself to the battlefield. "My own effect! My fans already know it, but I still feel it's necessary to explain it to you. When this card is successfully summoned, once per turn, you can activate a Trapped Card directly during the turn it's covered. Of course, this effect also has a side effect. While this card is on the field, all your servants except this card have their attack power reduced by 500, and they are immediately banished when they leave the field."

[Marking Insect] Attack Power 500 → 0

"What a troublesome side effect! It makes me look like a useless teammate, doesn't it? Anyway, I activate this card I just covered, [Book of False Minister]!"

Chapter 100 Shinji Maki: What a delightful duel!

"Use the effect of [Book of False Minister] to pay 1500 LP to gain control of a Servant on your field! Take it and you!"

Shinji Matou LP4000→LP2500

Zen City's great-grandfather was captured by the ancient book with the red cover, and control was transferred. "Due to the effect, your attack power is reduced to half of its original value, and the effect is nullified."

[Zen City Heir] Attack Power 1200 → Attack Power 500

"Damn it!" Zen City player was surprised to find himself dragged into someone else's field, which was somewhat absurd. "But so what? You paid such a high price only to get a blank slate with 500 attack power and no effect. None of your Servants can break through Grandfather's defenses. You're being too reckless, even though my grandfather's attack power is much higher."

"So you don't understand dueling at all." Shinji Matou slammed a card onto the field. "LP is like having full health as long as you still have it! Once your defenses are breached, 4000 LP is no different from having none. I'll Normal Summon [Matou Sakura]! Hehehe... Sakura, so what if you become a Master? You'll still have to be at my beck and call, won't you?"

Matou Sakura actually has no interest in Soul Crystals; she summoned Heroic Spirits solely to rely on their power to escape the Matou family's control. After killing Zouken Matou in this timeline, she had already considered withdrawing from the Holy Grail War. If it weren't for Jiang You's misguided actions, she wouldn't have joined Tōsaka Rin's plan. She now serves as the cook for this temporary subjugation team.

So, Sakura Matou, who was collecting food with Medusa, was summoned away directly.

Medusa blinked, not particularly surprised. After all, it wasn't the first time. The remaining two members of the Matou clan had complete Matou decks. Since Matou Shinji often dueled, and Sakura had been pulled away while she was cooking last time, Medusa figured she might as well learn to cook, or perhaps even kill that seaweed-headed person herself.

【Matou Sakura】Attack Power 1200

"Don't make that face. Who told you that Sakura's effect is a perfect match for me? [Matou Sakura] Effect: When this card is successfully summoned, transfer control of one card on your field to your opponent!" Matou Shinji's expression twisted as he laughed loudly.

"What are you going to do?!" Chancheng already knew what was about to happen.

"It's exactly what you think!" Shinji Matou pointed to himself, his grin barely contained. "I get to enjoy the benefits while others bear the consequences. It feels amazing!"

What a magical moment! The two sides of the duel actually switched places, but this is not uncommon against the top-ranked player, Shinji Matou! And Shinji Matou's side effect is that he banishes cards that leave the field. Currently, the participating players have almost no way to utilize the banished area. It can be said to be very vicious!

[The Last Magician of Zen City] Attack Power 1400 → Attack Power 900

"Don't get cocky! I activate the Trap Card [Defense Magic]! During the turn this card is activated, [Zenjo] Servants cannot be destroyed by battle, and [Zenjo] Servants cannot take battle damage during battle!" Zenjo revealed his trump card. The Zenjo family's magical ability is Guard, and it's said that a long time ago, an ancestor could even transfer attacks to another dimension, but of course, that's just a rumor. Zenjo never thought his family's magic could reach that level.

Chancheng looked at his final backfield. It was a Counter Trap Card that negated destruction. It was a powerful card that negated a specific effect and counterattacked to destroy the chosen target. It was practically impregnable. As long as he could survive this turn, his deck would respond. This was how he had always fought his way through. Though weak, he had never lost!

"Can't be defeated in battle? But it doesn't matter! You don't have another turn! I activate [Five Hundred Years of Obsession] from my hand! I send [Heir of Zen City] on the field and [Crest Bug] in my deck to the graveyard, and Special Summon [Matou Zouken] from my hand. Come on, old man, I have the final say now!"

After Chancheng disappeared as a sacrifice, he returned to his own ground. Countless flying insects then gathered where he had left, slowly forming the image of an old man.

【Matou Zouken】Attack Power 1800

"This junior really has no respect for his elders." Zouken Matou gave Shinji Matou a seemingly kind smile, tapping his cane on the ground repeatedly. "Don't forget who this deck belongs to?"

Seeing Matou Shinji take a few steps back in fright, Matou Zouken nodded in satisfaction. Then he looked at Matou Sakura beside him, his tone now so amiable: "Sakura has really grown up, hasn't she? Her wings have hardened, she even dares to kill her grandfather."

For the first time, Matou Sakura felt that Jiang You's Noble Phantasm was so annoying. Everyone was talking to their deceased loved ones and expressing their feelings to each other, but Matou Zouken was still restless after his death.

"But this is fine too, fine too!" Zouken Matou let out a cackling laugh, the meaning of which was unclear. Clearly, he harbored ill intentions.

"No next turn? Your card can destroy my grandfather directly?" Zenjo couldn't imagine how Shinji Matou would win.

"Destruction? Hehehe!" Shinji Matou regained his confidence by confronting Zenjou, and his expression became arrogant once more. "How could it be so simple? Watch closely, I'm entering battle phase! First, [Crest Insect] attacks [The Last Zenjou Magician]!"

The twisted bug returned to 500 attack power due to Shinji Matou's departure, but its attack power was still 400 lower than that of the weakened target.

"what are you doing?"

Watching the Crest Worm being sent to the graveyard, Zenjo felt something was amiss - Shinji Matou didn't lose any health, so there was no reason for him to do something that would only cost him a small amount of attack.

"You were too eager to climb the ranks, and the reason you lost was because you didn't pay attention to me! [Crest Worm] effect: If destroyed, gain control of the card from which the battle took place!" Zenjo had a total of two cards, and Matou Shinji had already played them all.

"My trap card! Help! Why can't I activate it!" Zenjo kept giving instructions to the face-down cards in the back row, but to no avail, because the effect of [Crest Worm] did not require targeting, and he had no chance to counter it.

[The Last Magician of Zen City] Attack Power 900 → Attack Power 1400

In fact, it cannot be blamed on Chancheng for not doing enough intelligence work. The duel event has not even started for a day, and everyone is busy scrambling for easily obtained neutral resources. If there is no team, how can they have the energy to pay attention to other people's cards in such a short time.

"I now have a total of 4400 attack power on the field, while you only have one copy of yourself with 200 attack power! It's time to end this! First, let's have Sakura... Grandpa... never mind, let's use someone else's card! [The Last Zen Magician] attacks [Shinji Matou]."

A total of 4400 points of field attack directly took away Zen City and, by the way, took away his dream of revival.

"Ahhhhhh—" Chancheng fell to the ground in a dejected, forward-bending posture.

"What a delightful duel!" Shinji Matou's stars increased again, maintaining his lead in first place.

Chapter 101 How could a Heroic Spirit's own deck possibly be clunky?

"What a thrilling minotaur battle!" Jiang You himself also possessed the [Book of False Ministers], and even the [Ten Thousand Talismans Will Break the Rules] and the [Engraving Insect]. In terms of minotaur combat, he was no less formidable than Matou Shinji.

Jiang You felt that with Shinji's settings, there was a high probability that he could make it to the finals, and then he could compete with him to see who was the king of the Minotaur.

Congratulations to Matou Shinji for winning again. With his current number of stars, he can easily reach the finals without having to fight! Just like his card, he is a record holder!

Baimao has gone on the commentary path and never returned. His clones are running around with cameras, recording the live action of the duel. Unbeknownst to her, her own fame has also increased, but not in the direction of Assassin.

The audience saw a wonderful performance and gave Shinji Matou a round of applause.

Shinji Matou posed in a showy manner. He really enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention and even blushed in front of the magicians.

"Thank you all for your support. I will definitely win the championship!"

"Champion? Did I allow you to compete with me?" Gilgamesh looked down at his challenger, who was dueling with him, his golden goblet swirling with amethyst-colored wine, a picture of leisurely composure. "I will not submit to anyone. If you admit defeat, I may spare your life! Hand over your star!"

How could a magician who came to vie for the Soul Crystal possibly pass up an opportunity to rise to the top in one step? Having possessed extraordinary power for so long, magicians naturally develop an arrogant personality. The challenger even uttered arrogant words to Gilgamesh. "You know the rules. If you want it, come and take it yourself."

"Then let me show you the difference between you and me!" Gilgamesh unleashed his power.

"First up is the first Noble Phantasm, [Original Text: Durandal]!"

"Then comes the second Noble Phantasm, [Original Text: Blade of Slaughter and Immortality]!"

"Next is the third Noble Phantasm, [Dawn of Destruction]!"

"Then I will attack! Kneel before me, miscellaneous cultivator!"

Three consecutive weapon releases plus an attack declaration completely cleared the opponent's board and caused 1500 points of direct LP damage.

Challenger LP4000 → LP2500

"Very good. You were able to stand up even in the face of overwhelming power. I'll give you a little praise!" Gilgamesh didn't actually mean any praise; he still looked down on people.

"What a joke! How could there be cards of this level! What kind of monster has the Holy Grail War summoned!?" The challenger's deck was worlds apart from the Heroic Spirit's deck. He was using his Magician deck to crush the neutral monsters and collect their stars, but Gilgamesh had his eye on him.

Now, he has become the one being crushed.

"But the battle isn't over yet, I still have a chance, draw a card!" The challenger's lips curled into a wide grin as he looked at the cards in his hand. "My deck has answered my call! Even the legendary Gilgamesh will fall at my hands! I activate the spell card [Cut Magic]! Our card's characteristic is cutting! This card can designate a target and destroy it!"

"Die, Hero King!"

"Hmph!" Gilgamesh sneered. "Useless! Useless! Useless! I am the strongest! I activate the effect of [Original Text: Dasethin]! I release it, nullify your effects, and because of the effect of [Gate of Babylon], you will suffer another 500 LP damage!"

The last Noble Phantasm also shot out from behind Gilgamesh, directly piercing through the challenger's palm holding the card.

"Ughhhhhh!" The challenger cried out in pain as it shot through his hand.

Challenger LP2500 → LP2000

"How could this be? This is practically cheating!" For an ordinary magician, Gilgamesh's single card effect is an insurmountable gap.

"Cheating? Are you questioning me?" Gilgamesh's eyes flashed with murderous intent, and he threw the precious golden goblet in his hand onto the ground. "You really spoil my fun! You mongrel, why don't you end your round?"

The challenger was overwhelmed by Gilgamesh's momentum, and due to the restrictions of the rules, he covered one card each in the front and back fields and ended his turn hastily.

However, in the challenger's own opinion, he did have a chance of winning. After all, Gilgamesh had used up a lot of resources to summon him, and the next time he drew cards, he would only have two cards, and he also had defensive measures in the backfield to respond to the attack declaration.

"My turn begins! Draw a card." Gilgamesh didn't even look at the card he drew, because the law of victory had already been completed.

"Use the effect of [King's Treasure] to equip four more equipment cards from your deck to me!"

The backfield was once again filled in an instant, and the densely packed Noble Phantasms increased Gilgamesh's attack power to 5000.

"How...how is this possible? With so many equipment cards, won't it clog your hand?" The challenger collapsed to his knees in despair. Gilgamesh's resources were consumed extremely quickly, but the replenishment speed was equally fast. He could even fill the field with a single card without consuming any cards in his hand.

"Hahahaha, behold my glory, you bastard!" The continuous release of Noble Phantasms once again cleared the entire scene.

Challenger LP2000 → LP1000

"Uh ah ah ah ah ah!"

Before the challenger could finish his cry of pain, Gilgamesh had already launched his attack. "Enter the battle phase! Be proud to be defeated by me!"

Challenger LP1000 → 0!

The battle ended in a completely crushing manner, and Gilgamesh stood at the center of the stage of victory like a king.

[This is a truly fitting battle style for the King of Heroes. So far, no one has been able to harm Gilgamesh. How long can this streak last? Let's wait and see!]

Gilgamesh looked at the Hassan of a Hundred Faces who was recording the video, snatched the camera from his hand, and signaled the other Hassan of a Hundred Faces to hand the microphone to him.

Matou Shinji, listen carefully. Only I deserve to be number one. Although the most fragrant wine should be saved for last, these miscellaneous cultivators are truly boring to me. So, as an appetizer, challenge me to a duel—besides these weak magicians, there are other Heroic Spirits here. Let's see who can be the first to eliminate a Heroic Spirit!

Chapter 102 Actually, There's a Traitor in the Alliance

“Gilgamesh…isn’t that the protagonist of the oldest known epic hero in the world?” Shirou Emiya looked at the blond man challenging Shinji Matou on the TV screen, searching his memory for knowledge. “And he’s not an Assassin, is he? Caster can summon Servants from all over the world.”

"No...it shouldn't be a Servant from Caster's side." Rin Tohsaka looked at the information Bazett sent back. They had searched almost every area but couldn't find Caster. Even Ryudouji Temple, where Soul Crystals were displayed, had been infiltrated by the more mobile Medusa, but she still couldn't find her. It seemed that Caster wouldn't appear until the duel event was over.

"I had Jason summon Atalanta and tried it. That poisonous Assassin did give us a ticket to trigger the Noble Phantasm. But it didn't work, as if it was judged as a derivative."

“So Gilgamesh being able to trigger Caster’s Noble Phantasm should mean he’s a properly summoned Servant,” Shirou Emiya continued, following Rin Tohsaka’s train of thought. “Then why would there be an additional properly summoned Servant…?”