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

"If I didn't use it, what's the difference between that and not having any effect?" Shinji Matou scoffed at this, what hidden effect?

Ibaraki-dōji raised her middle finger at Matou Shinji, seemingly unsure whether Jiang You's Noble Phantasm or the Holy Grail had imparted some strange knowledge to her: "That's because you're not worthy!"

"I'll cover two cards in the back row and end my turn!" Shinji Matou used up all his cards.

"My turn, draw a card!" Ilya began her turn.

"【Dojigiri Yasutsuna】Effect: Send one 【Tsuchigumo】 from your Deck to the Graveyard, draw one card!" Because the Equip Spell Card was still on Illya's field, even though the equipped target was no longer there, its effect was still controlled by Illya. Illya successfully replenished her hand to three cards.

"Next, the effect of [Snow City] adds one [Lieselite] to my hand." This is a very standard starting hand for the Einzbern deck. "[Lieselite]'s effect sends me to the Graveyard, Special Summoning [Heavenly Garment] from my Deck in Defense Position!"

【Heavenly Clothes】Defense 1200

"Immediately after that I usually summon myself!"

【Illya】Attack Power 1500

"Finally, I will use two cards to Special Summon [Illya (Heavenly Robe)]!"

[Illya (Heavenly Clothes)] Attack Power 2500 → 3000

"It's this card again. To be honest, I'm tired of seeing it." Shinji Matou complained. Illya summons this card in almost every battle, and it has to be said that the effect is indeed quite good.

"What right do you have to talk to me like that?" Ilya retorted. "Didn't you start with a Crest Bug?"

"Then, the effect of [Illya (Heavenly Robe)] is to Special Summon [Crest Worms] in your Graveyard to my field!" If this card is successfully summoned and I take over Ibaraki-Douji, Illya can directly use an attack to remove all of Matou Shinji's Life Points.

"Why does nobody say anything when you summon my card from the graveyard! That's not fair!" The Minotaur on the field is a bull, but no one speaks up when it comes to the Minotaur in the graveyard. Shinji Matou felt that this should be treated equally. "Do you think I'm not on guard? I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card [Insect Magic Recreation] to Special Summon [Crested Insect] and [Winged Blade Insect] from my Deck and Graveyard with a maximum combined Level equal to the Level of the Tributed Servant."

"And I'm going to summon a [Crest Bug] from the graveyard and a [Winged Blade Bug] from the deck!"

[Marked Insect] Attack Power 500

[Winged Blade Insect] Defense 1000

Because it was launched later but arrived first, [Marking Bug] had already left the graveyard when Illya's effect took effect, causing the effect to lose its target and fail to activate.

"Entering battle phase!" Illya is temporarily unable to summon any more Servants and can only enter battle.

"First, [Illya (Heaven's Robe)] will attack [Ibaraki-dōji]!" Ibaraki-dōji must be dealt with first, otherwise if she continues to grow stronger, Minamoto no Yorimitsu will have no way to stop her attacks. Illya's current health is already too low to withstand further depletion.

Shinji Matou LP2500→LP2300

"Next, [Minamoto no Yorimitsu] will attack [Crest Insect]!" Although attacking [Matou Sakura] can deal up to 1800 LP damage in one go, if the Creation Insect is not dealt with while Minamoto no Yorimitsu is still immune to other card effects, the next turn will be dangerous.

The purple lightning charred the Crest Bugs, proving its excellent insect-repelling effect.

"[Minamoto no Raikou] Effect! After destroying an enemy Servant in battle, add an Equip Spell Card from your deck to your hand. The card I'm adding is [Spider Cut]!"

[Minamoto no Yorimitsu] Attack power 3000 → 3500

"Spider Cutter? That famous sword that killed the Tsuchigumo who tried to ambush Minamoto no Yorimitsu while he was sick?" Matou Shinji pondered. "The defensive effect is already written into the Minamoto no Yorimitsu card itself, so this weapon is used to counterattack in the legendary way?"

“That’s right!” Since Shinji Matou had already guessed it, Illya no longer needed to hide it. “The effect of this card is: once per turn, when the opponent declares an attack, pay 500 Life Points and banish one Servant card from your Graveyard to destroy that Servant.”

"Finally, I set a card face-down in my back row to end my turn." Ilya had two cards remaining in her back row at this point.

"I see. So you wanted to circumvent the effects of the Crest Bugs by disrupting their effects?" Shinji Matou stroked his chin, having already found a way to win. "Clever, but not comprehensive enough. You should know that the Matou family's insect magic isn't limited to just Crest Bugs!"

Chapter 145 The Strongest Winged Blade Insect After Evolution (Not Really)

"My turn, draw a card!" Shinji Matou looked at the card in his hand, a knowing expression on his face. "Victory is already in my grasp!"

“I summoned the Crest Bug to cover for the Winged Blade Bug. How many hits can you withstand with your current 1800 HP?” Shinji Matou pointed at the buzzing flying insect on the main character’s field. “You should know that the Winged Blade Bug can directly attack the main character.”

"Two." Ilya could do that simple arithmetic. "But you'll need to summon another one, and I have the [Spider Cutter] that can block attacks, so we'll need three. Or are you saying victory will be in the turn after next?"

"Good to know!" Shinji Matou slammed the card from his hand onto the field. "Then of course, it's this turn! I'll Normal Summon [Winged Blade Insect]!"

The second Marking Bug appeared on the field.

[Winged Blade Insect] Attack Power 1000

"Are you going to..."

"That's right, the effect of the Insect Magic Workshop is to Special Summon another [Winged Blade Insect] from the Deck!" Actually, summoning a Crest Insect here has the same effect, as it can consume one of Illya's attacks to interrupt, but Shinji Matou still chose to use three Winged Blade Insects for more entertainment value.

[Winged Blade Insect] Attack Power 1000*3

"Then let's get into the battle phase! First up is the first one!"

"I won't let you succeed! [Spider Cutter] effect! Pay 500 life points, and destroy [Winged Blade Insect] by removing one [Shuten-dōji] from the graveyard!" Ilya decisively activated the weapon's effect, reducing her own life points once again.

Ilya LP1800→LP1300

"Hahaha! Feeling resentful, huh? No matter how much you struggle, it's useless!" Matou Shinji watched Illya's humiliated expression with satisfaction. Even under the killing intent of Minamoto no Yorimitsu, he couldn't help but utter these cheeky words. "I wanted to see that kind of expression on your faces, the resentful expressions of you high and mighty magicians who have been defeated by me!"

"Second one! Someone's about to lose!"

The winged blade insect swooped down towards Illya. If it hit, Illya would only have 300 health points left, like a candle in the wind.

"How... how could this happen!" Ilya's unwilling expression quickly turned into a playful laugh, and she stuck out her tongue. "I told you all's fair in war, how could you fall for it twice? I activated the Trap Card [Confuse Master] to redirect the [Winged Blade Insect]'s attack target to [Minamoto no Yorimitsu]!"

"What!" Shinji Matou stared at Minamoto no Yorimitsu's 3500 attack power. With the Winged Blade Insect's 1000 attack power, he would be defeated if he clashed with it. "I won't give you a chance! I still have a face-down card, [Book of False Servants]! Pay 1500 LP, I'm going to seize control of [Minamoto no Yorimitsu]!"

Shinji Matou LP2200→LP700

Shinji Matou's health was also lowered, but he could endure the pain for victory and the future: "As long as you change the number of monsters on your field, your attack will be reversed! And your trap cards will also fail to activate due to insufficient conditions!"

"Then as long as the number of monsters doesn't change, it'll be fine, right?" Ilya's other card had been face-down for a long time; it had been lying dormant until now, all for this moment. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card [Origin Bullet]! Negate and destroy your Book of False Subjects!"

The red book that attempted to seize control of Minamoto no Raikou was pierced by the origin tube and its effect failed to take effect.

"Then, let's deliver the final blow, Matou-nii-san." Illya smiled and waved goodbye to Matou Shinji.

"No, no... No! Winged Blade Insect, stop! Don't hit it, you can't!" Shinji Matou repeatedly gave the winged blade insect commands, but to no avail. The winged blade insect met Minamoto no Yorimitsu's blade head-on. With Minamoto no Yorimitsu's swing, purple lightning erupted, engulfing both the winged blade insect and Shinji Matou.

Shinji Matou LP700→LP0!

The direct damage of up to 2500 knocked Shinji Matou away, and he rolled on the ground several times like a ball.

"The victor is the magician of Einzbern, the Master of Minamoto no Yorimitsu, the legally beautiful white-haired, red-eyed loli—Illya!" Celebration confetti rained down from the sky, bringing the finals of the contestants to a close.

"What the hell is that last sentence?"

Bai Mao said it was Jiang You who said it, and she added it because she felt the title wasn't long enough. Of course, she wouldn't say that in the current situation: "In the end, the legend is still superior. Of course, Shinji Matou has also shown great strength. The difficulty of reaching this point with a mortal body is beyond anyone's imagination. Let's give him the warmest applause."

The audience did not hesitate to applaud. They all agreed with Hyakko's words that if Shinji Matou had a powerful servant, he might not be able to win the battle.

Faced with this scene, Shinji Matou just sat there blankly.

“It was so close. If I had summoned a Crest Bug back then… no, even a Crest Bug wouldn’t have worked. If I were the Master… no, no, no, it can’t be like this! I could still…” Shinji Matou’s voice gradually grew louder from his initial whisper, but the cheers at the scene drowned out all his words, and no one heard him.

Suddenly, Shinji Kirito spat out a mouthful of blood and fell to the ground.

Jiang You's eyelids twitched. As far as he knew, his current Noble Phantasm was set up in a non-Dark Game environment. The weakness after failure was a conceptual state. Even if the injury could be fatal, it would not cause damage to the body. The blood of Matou Shinji clearly had nothing to do with him.

"Jingmi, there's something I need to ask you for a favor." Jiang You made a request to Jingmi, who had been challenging him to a duel.

"...Just give me orders, that's the value of my existence..." Jingmi lowered her head, or rather, she had been waiting for her Master's orders, her tone full of joy.

"I'm fine, hehehehe, it's just my old ailment acting up again." Shinji Matou's condition drew everyone's attention, and Hyakko, who was in charge of medical care, immediately came to his aid, but he declined with a smile. "I just need to rest for a bit, I don't want to spoil the fun for the others."

"Is Shinji really this understanding?" a longtime fan asked his companion in a low voice. They all knew that Matou Shinji was a boastful and arrogant person who would take advantage of others' success, so this kind of statement didn't seem like something Shinji would say.

"Maybe it's because the competition is different from daily life? Aren't you usually a grumpy person when you play games?" They admire Shinji, who can win against Heroic Spirits with a regular Magician deck (the champion fans have already left), and his personality is secondary.

"What you said makes sense..."

Chapter 146 Lancer is dead again! So inhuman!

Bai Mao originally wanted to arrange for Matou Shinji to be taken to the hospital for care, but Matou Shinji insisted on staying to observe the final duel to see if Illya could defeat the mysterious organizer. Bai Mao did not want this to affect his Master's reputation, so he agreed after confirming with Jiang You.

"I hope all the contestants will take good care of their physical condition, as duels are extremely demanding on endurance." Hyakko gave Matou Shinji a meaningful look.

"Alright, while we wait for the next duel, let's also congratulate the viewers who supported Ilya. Let me see, there are 12 people, accounting for 34% of the total votes. You have won a total of 5000 chances to draw a model. Let's begin this exciting moment!"

Because of Jiang You's request, Baimao started the model lottery in advance, and the big screen began to draw the winning contestants with a turntable with 24-26 audience members in groups.

In the rest room.

"Illya, are you nervous? You've been winning all the way." Minamoto no Yorimitsu noticed Illya's unease and pulled her into his arms from behind. She ultimately didn't kill Matou Shinji because he noticed a black-clad Servant staring at him. Furthermore, Illya wanted to protect Jiang You, so Minamoto no Yorimitsu temporarily abandoned the idea of ​​acting directly there.

"Of course I'm nervous! I'm about to duel that guy, and not to mention this is his own Noble Phantasm, something he knows best. He's never lost a single time." Although Ilya hadn't seen Jiang You's own cards, she knew he had a rather cheesy card that converted every banished card into his power. "That guy defeated an overpowered Servant. I was originally planning to defeat him and make him apologize to me."

"I see." Minamoto no Yorimitsu had never heard of Jiang You before. She had always thought of him as a third-rate Servant, but as a mother, she unconditionally believed Illya's words and would treat Jiang You as an enemy of the highest caliber. "It's alright, Illya, just do your best. I'll respond to you when you need me."

"Thank you, Raikou."

Just when Minamoto no Raikou was about to continue asking Illya to call him mother, there was a knock on the door of their rest room.

"Who could it be?" You have to know that this is a special space created by Medea, and only a few contestants and staff members of the organizers are allowed to enter.

"Should we open the door?" Minamoto no Yorimitsu instinctively gripped his weapon. Now that Ilya had the opportunity to seize the precious treasure, it was inevitable that others would have malicious intentions.

Ilya nodded, also wondering who would come looking for her at this time: "Please come in."

The 5000-draw lottery lasted about an hour and a half. It was almost noon, and Jiang You had even thoughtfully prepared lunch. It was a set menu from various famous restaurants, quite expensive, and all paid for by Mr. Atram. After all, you can't take it with you when you die.

The boxed lunch even included an option for Mapo Tofu from Hongzhou Banquet Hall in Taishan, which caused quite a few curious viewers to collapse and fall ill, adding to the workload for Bai Mao and Medea.

"The reward collection information for 5000 lucky viewers has been sent out. After the event ends tomorrow, you can go to Miss Medea's model shop to collect a pair of Illya or Minamoto no Yorimitsu models. Please make sure you recognize the Fuyuki TV station's number XX-XXXX, and be careful not to be scammed!" Hyakko is becoming more and more adapted to this era.

"In short, thank you for keeping our viewers waiting! The next duel will be presented by our Noble Phantasm holder, Mr. Jiang You, and contestant Ilya!" Following Bai Mao's announcement, Jiang You stepped out from the connection point of the alternate dimension and appeared before everyone for the first time.

"This is our organizer, Mr. Jiang You, Caster of the Holy Grail War!" Bai Mao provided lighting for Jiang You, but unfortunately, he had virtually no fame, and only a few scattered applause came from the audience. However, Jiang You didn't seem to care much.

"Enough with the chit-chat, let's begin this final battle!" Bai Mao tossed out a gold coin.

"Mr. Jiang You takes the first step!"

The duel space opened up.

“Something’s not right…” Matou Sakura frowned as she looked at the two on the field.

"Is something wrong?" Sitting next to her younger sister, Rin Tohsaka was scrutinizing Jiang You's appearance for the first time. In her eyes, compared to the other Heroic Spirits, Jiang You's demeanor was more like that of an ordinary person. Although his Victorian-style dress was quite pleasing to the eye, it looked somewhat out of place on him, appearing mismatched. "Are you referring to Illya, or Jiang You?"

“Neither of them is right.” Matou Sakura’s gaze swept between the two. “Given their relationship, they shouldn’t have started a duel without saying a word. Illya definitely has a lot to say.”