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

"Maybe they've already met in private? Look at Illya, she was very supportive of Jiang You's antics from the very beginning." Rin Tohsaka didn't find anything strange about it; Servants and mages all have peculiar personalities.

“I’ll go first.” Jiang You placed a card in the front row. “I Normal Summon [Hundred Faces Hassan]! [Hundred Faces]’s effect…”

Along with the shadows, three Hundred Faces appeared in the battle area, along with a little brown loli.

[Hassan with a Hundred Faces] Attack Power 800*3

[Morning Glory] Attack Power 0

"Is that so? Has the duel already begun?" Shinji Matou was in a separate spectator seat, leaning against the railing as he watched the scene unfold. "Then now, no troublesome fellow can stop me!"

Three of the servants present were currently locked in a duel, and Saber and Archer were temporarily weakened due to their defeat. They did not have the strength of Gilgamesh to force himself to possess magic, and a large portion of Gilgamesh's combat power lay in his Noble Phantasm, and he did not rely much on his own martial arts.

"And Lancer, as the last sacrifice, naturally has no way to stop me!" Shinji Matou let out a cackling laugh and looked in Bazett's direction.

Cu Chulainn sensed an unusual gaze and turned in the direction of it, where he saw an expression that made him feel sick.

"Seaweed Head, what are you looking at..." Before he could finish his complaint, a sharp pain shot through his heart, as if something had torn open his heart and crawled out.

Large mouthfuls of blood gushed out of Cu Chulainn's mouth, and he fell to the ground before he could convey the message to Bazette.

"The legendary wielder of the Demon Spear, who was said to specialize in piercing others' hearts, died because his own heart was destroyed. How ironic!" Shinji Matou laughed even louder. "Now, the conditions for the Holy Grail to manifest are complete. I really have to thank you!"

Chapter 147 Shinji Becomes Shinji's Cup Again

"Cú Chulainn!" Bazett rushed to check on his Servant upon seeing him fall to the ground. He saw Cú Chulainn's Spirit Origin dissipating before he could even utter a word. After he vanished, several strange, mana-devouring insects also fell to the ground.

Soon, the insects that lost the magic power supply from their host also lost their vitality because they had no means of survival.

"This is... Insect Magic!" Although Bazett didn't know much about the local starter families, she had been playing cards for so long that she naturally knew what kind of magic the Matou family used. She immediately looked in Matou Shinji's direction with murderous intent. These things must have been planted when Matou Shinji defeated Cú Chulainn.

"Hehehe, young man, you're really impatient. But the fact that my magic is so distinctive is also a problem." Shinji Matou looked up at the soul crystal in the sky, clutching his chest; his heart was starting to ache. "So, even the magic circuits temporarily expanded in this body can't support the Holy Grail's form?"

"Fine, it's just a temporary shell anyway, so let's give up! As long as we can open that hole, anything is possible." Shinji Matou laughed as he tore open his chest, and a small insect scurried out of his body.

As the bug left, Shinji Matou's body began to swell and his flesh and blood began to grow. After his consciousness regained control, the incomprehensible pain made him cry.

"What, what's going on, Grandpa? Sakura, help me!" He instinctively cried out for help from the magicians he knew, but the only one who could help him at the moment was the culprit, Zouken Matou. Shinji Matou's body was unable to supply the Holy Grail with what it needed, so his flesh could only continue to expand to meet the Grail's demands, quickly breaking through tens of meters in height, and the chunks of flesh formed a tall tower.

Fortunately, Shinji Matou's area was an independent range, and this expansion did not affect other spectators. However, this overly distorted and weird scene made the spectators scream and want to escape.

Then a black hole formed above the "tower", and malicious black mud poured out of the hole, about to spread to the audience seats.

“Although Jiang You did mention this situation and took countermeasures, seeing it still feels disgusting.” Medea manipulated the section of Matou Shinji floating away from the crowd, but the black mud, as a manifestation of malice, also had an corrosive effect on this space, and some places even began to burn. Medea could only do her best to maintain the existence of this space, otherwise, once the space disappeared, everyone here, including the Servants, would fall into the black mud.

Medea sensed an ominous aura from the black mud, and she didn't dare to bet on what would happen if her servant fell in.

"So that's how it is? I was saying that I sensed something strange about Shinji Matou earlier, and I thought it was because of him. So it was that fictional demon from the Third Holy Grail War?" Zouken Matou was now finally certain about the Holy Grail's situation; his idea that his main target was the Soul Crystal was correct. "Since the Holy Grail is in trouble, then I'll take this!"

"This is... the Holy Grail, just as Caster said." Rin Tohsaka sensed the powerful malice emanating from the hole. "But even with Lancer, only one Servant left the field, so why does the Holy Grail have enough magical power to manifest?"

"I think it's probably the effect of the Dark Game." Matou Sakura had witnessed Jiang You turning Matou Zouken into a soul crystal. The only Servant she had seen Jiang You kill with the Dark Game was Gilgamesh. Medusa was present during that battle, but no soul crystal was created. The Servant's soul must also be affected by the Noble Phantasm.

The extremely chaotic scene gave Zouken Matou an opportunity. He used the power of magic to rush towards the soul crystal.

He was well aware of the wondrous uses of the Third Law Crystal. As one of the three families that built the Holy Grail, his understanding of it was second only to the Einzbern family. Unlike the Einzbern family, who wanted to recreate the Third Law, he merely wanted to gain the ability to remain young/immortal. Given a few years, he could fulfill his own long-cherished wish.

"The Soul Crystal is mine!" Zouken Matou noticed that the organizers didn't seem to care much about this item, as they hadn't set up any defensive magic after entering the dueling arena, which gave it an opportunity to attack.

It was planning to use magic to escape with the soul crystal, but the soul crystal disappeared the next second.

With no place to stand, it fell to the ground.

"How is this possible?" Zouken Matou found no trace of magic; it was as if the soul crystal had vanished into thin air.

"Nothing is impossible. My things will always be mine as long as they're not given away." Suddenly struck by a heavy blow, Jiang You kicked Zouken Matou against the wall. Players need to be able to store items in their inventory at any time. The array protecting the Soul Crystal was only to ensure it wouldn't be stolen when Jiang You wasn't around, and was merely proof that the organizers had genuine items.

"You... what are you doing here?" In this timeline, Zouken Matou didn't recognize Jiang You, but he knew that a Servant capable of using Soul Crystals for amusement was no ordinary person. "Weren't you still dueling?"

"Because I guessed what was going on here—I knew some of you wouldn't play cards honestly!" Even in the Yu-Gi-Oh! series, there are always people who try to cause trouble by bypassing the cards; the Type-Moon universe is even more prone to this. "Take a look at who the duelists on the field are."

Because the emergency had indeed occurred, Jingmi no longer needed to disguise herself. Across from her, Illya also tore off his disguise, revealing his black armor. He was none other than Lancelot. All the Heroic Spirits, under the guidance of the Hundred Faces, began to help evacuate the crowd.

"Am I right, Ilya?" Jiang You stretched out his hand to the side, and Ilya also walked out from the direction Jiang You reached out his hand. She looked at Jiang You, hesitated slightly, but still took Jiang You's hand.

Jiang You took advantage of the situation and directly picked her up, holding her thigh with one hand and letting her lean on his arms.

This was the same method as Hercules, and with Jiang You's current strength, it was easy to do. However, he didn't have the same physique as Hercules, so Illya could only hug his neck to maintain balance.

"Hehehe, you actually rigged the game with the champion. Looks like you'd already decided on the outcome, huh? You're a hypocrite as the organizer." Zouken Matou laughed. "Since you've found out, just kill me. In my current state, I can't use your Noble Phantasm. A light kick from you will suffice..."

Jiang You naturally knew that the old bug had other means of escape, so he started his own dark game, "Bugs are difficult to kill, so - let's play a dark game!"

Chapter 148 Actually, I Can Call You Mom Too

The moment Jiang You pushed open the door, a samurai sword was held to his neck.

"No, you should know that attacks are ineffective against me, right?" But Jiang You still attacked, indicating that he was harmless. "I'm here to see Ilya."

“You’ve been here so long, and you’re only coming to find me now. I thought you’d forgotten about me.” Ilya gestured for Minamoto no Yorimitsu to keep moving and not stop.

Jiang You actually arranged for Bai Mao to find Illya, but was rejected by Illya on the spot.

"I won't come to see you now. Since you didn't keep your promise, we're enemies! I'll defeat you in your match!" That's what Ilya said. She was conveying her message that she would defeat Jiang You with a dark game and that Jiang You must keep his promise to her and never lie to her again.

"I didn't come here because I asked you to," Jiang You said, indicating that he had carried out Ilya's request very seriously and hadn't come any closer before the final!

"You!" Ilya suddenly lost her temper and kicked Jiang You in the shin.

Although it didn't hurt much, Jiang You was quite knowledgeable in this area. He immediately bit his lip and made an expression that showed he was in extreme pain but was trying hard to hold it in. This was the way he used to comfort his relatives and children.

Minamoto no Raikou looked at Jiang You speechlessly. She knew that Illya's kick couldn't possibly cause the Servant to feel much pain. Jiang You was obviously pretending. He knew how to coax girls, but not completely.

Although Illya's previous words meant to refuse her from going to meet Jiang You, she did not stop Jiang You from coming in person. If Jiang You could understand, Illya would not have this attitude now.

Of course, as a Servant with extremely high exclusivity, Minamoto no Raikou would not help Jiang You explain. The more Illya rejected Jiang You, the happier she was. You have to know that during the time she was with Illya, she could always hear Illya talking about Jiang You, even though she was the Servant officially summoned by Illya.

"Speak, what is it?" After venting her anger, Ilya decided to hear Jiang You's reasons. She was actually quite looking forward to hearing what Jiang You would say after rushing to see her like this. Minamoto no Yorimitsu reluctantly put away his weapon.

“Shinji Matou is a bit problematic.” Jiang You explained his purpose. He had been watching Shinji Matou’s behavior after his defeat. “He seems to have been waiting for our duel to begin after his defeat. That’s not like him. If it were Shinji, he would have already slunk home and cried. You know, once the duel starts, there’s no easy way to get away. I want you to act in a play with me.”

"You came all this way just for this?" Although Jiang You's request made Ilya happy, this reason didn't satisfy her. She felt that Jiang You had come to her because of another man: "Then why didn't you just kill him? A mere Matou Shinji, that old bug Zouken Matou has already..."

As she spoke, she quickly realized that Zouken Matou was probably not someone who would die so easily: "Then it's basically certain that Zouken Matou did it, most likely for the Soul Crystal. It's easy for you to deal with, right?"

“But he’s already come this far, I need to figure out what he’s up to. If I suppress it now, I’m worried he might do something desperate.” The reason is that the plot has already been triggered, so it’s impossible not to take a look. Jiang You continued with his twisted logic, “I’m a little worried that it will be the same situation as the Fourth Holy Grail War. If we let him detonate the lightning now, we’ll be in a very passive position afterwards.”

Illya was clearly persuaded. Even if she didn't care about the lives of ordinary people, she didn't want to see Beast in that state. But she wasn't willing to lose face so easily.

So Jiang You struck while the iron was hot, taking out a piece of meat imprinted with a Command Seal, the result of his weight loss on Atram: "This is the Command Seal that commands me. Although it's a bit late, I've still come to fulfill my promise, my Master."

"No! I am Illya's Servant!" Minamoto no Yorimitsu shouted before Illya could even respond.

Her possessiveness was burning, Jiang You actually wanted to take Illya away from her.

Illya's hand was halfway extended, and she was a little hesitant considering Minamoto no Raikou's feelings and her previous words.

Jiang You wasn't entirely without a plan for this situation. Minamoto no Yorimitsu was, in a sense, quite easy to handle: "If you'd like, I can call you 'Mother' just like Ilya does."

"Call me Mom?" Minamoto no Yorimitsu's expression froze for a moment, and what happened next was beyond Jiang You's expectations.

Minamoto no Raikou did not show any joy, but instead burst into bizarre anger, and Doujikiri Yasunaga struck Jiang You on the head with thunder.

Jiang You subconsciously made a move to fight with his bare hands, but unfortunately his fighting skills were almost non-existent. The samurai sword passed through the gap between his hands and hit him directly on the head.

Because of the influence of the treasure, Jiang You was not split in half.

"Minamoto no Yorimitsu...why?" Taking advantage of the one-minute window during the duel application period, Jiang You asked Minamoto no Yorimitsu. Minamoto no Yorimitsu was supposed to be a very easy person to deal with; just calling her "mother" could solve many problems.

"How dare you! How dare you attack Ilya! She's still so young!" Minamoto no Yorimitsu increased his strength, unleashing his full magical power. The raging lightning completely enveloped Jiang You, but unfortunately, it had no effect on Jiang You's Noble Phantasm. All attacks were ineffective for that minute.

Calling yourself "Mom" = Wanting to marry Ilya

This thought process successfully activated Minamoto no Raikou's EX-level frenzy.

“Actually, I’m almost an adult now,” Ilya retorted. Of course, she knew that Jiang You didn’t mean that. She understood that if you dug Jiang You’s brain out, you’d probably find his treasure cards.

To be specific, her mother, Irisviel, gave birth to her when she was about one year old. Age wasn't a problem for her, but the existence of Emiya Kiritsugu made her have no expectations of the word "husband". And how could a Master marry a Servant?

Jiang You understood Minamoto no Yorimitsu's intentions and quickly tried to salvage the situation. "I just wanted to call you 'Yorimitsu-mama'!"

Then Jiang You was knocked to the ground.

Minamoto no Raikou was furious.

This isn't Jiang You's fault for being so stale. As the protagonist of FGO, Minamoto no Raikou shares the same Master-Servant bond as Illya. Even in the 2.55 Heian-kyo, Minamoto no Raikou never lets the Master call the protagonist "Mom." Her motherly love, from beginning to end, was reserved for the children she shared a bond with.

Chapter 149 Minamoto no Yorimitsu is awesome, I mean she's been awesome.

"I hadn't realized you were such a shameless guy before." Ilya didn't even look at Jiang You. Jiang You confidently didn't choose to duel and was directly knocked to the ground by Minamoto no Yorimitsu.

"Isn't this all so I can become your Servant?" I'm so grateful Ilya stopped Minamoto no Yorimitsu, otherwise he would still be on a frantic chase, practically ready to unleash his Noble Phantasm. "I thought Minamoto no Yorimitsu would be happy about this."

Jiang You didn't actually feel much pain. Minamoto no Raikou's attack wasn't even as terrifying as the 2000 LP loss he'd suffered in the duel. After all, this was a card game, so it wasn't likely to allow players to exit the game in this manner.

"So where did you get all this random knowledge from?" Ilya was treating Jiang You's injuries. Having learned from her previous experience, she had crammed on healing magic, making her at least 30% more proficient than during the Fourth Shinobi World War. "Don't think Raikou is so casual just because she keeps telling me to call her 'Mom,' okay?"

"I was wrong, from now on I will only call Tiamat Mommy!" Jiang You said that if he had to choose a mom, he would choose the oldest one.

"You actually got chosen, huh!" This time, Ilya dealt Jiang You a heavy blow. How could he possibly have so many mothers to choose from?!

"So, has my master accepted my surrender?" Jiang You took Ilya's hand and looked at her with sincere eyes. "Actually, even without Command Seals, you can order me around at any time. If you need to, I can commit suicide here."

Speaking of which, Jiang You has never died in this game. He doesn't even know if he will die for the second time or will be directly refreshed at the resurrection point. Unfortunately, because the game experience is too real, he doesn't really want to try it at all.

"Then you shall die here! I, Minamoto no Yorimitsu, have already prepared everything for you." Minamoto no Yorimitsu readily accepted the role of second.

“You have always been my servant.” Ilya looked away. Her feelings for Jiang You had changed from initially seeing him as a tool to meet her mother to now seeing him as an important playmate. In the past ten years or so of her life, apart from the time spent with her parents, the time she had been truly happy was when she was with Jiang You. Although Jiang You was mostly eccentric and unpredictable.

“But this isn’t the way I want it. I don’t know what’s going on in your head. You’ll probably forget what you’re saying later.” Ilya pulled her hand away. She was probably the person who knew Jiang You best here. “So, let’s play a dark game. If you lose, I want you to stay with me forever and be my servant. And you’re not allowed to lie to me anymore!”

"I would have agreed even if it weren't a dark game." Jiang You looked at the email notification and decisively agreed. Sure enough, the high-sensitivity reward for Ilya was still available, but he figured he'd get the highest reward soon.

[Dream Fusion] A card that allows Illya to fuse with the corresponding servant on the field, even the opponent's, but the biggest problem now is——