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

"Where did these bloodthirsty spectators come from..." Jiang You said, "This isn't the Sea Tiger World."

“It really is you, Grandpa.” Matou Sakura answered Jiang You’s question before turning to Matou Zouken. “I’ll have to trouble you for help again, Caster.”

"What are you saying? Given our relationship, isn't this just how it should be?" As Jiang You was speaking, Ilya punched his head with her fist. Not long ago, she had promised him that she could only be his servant, and now she was saying such things to Matou Sakura.

"Again?" Zouken Matou couldn't understand what Sakura Matou meant. "But Sakura, it's a shame you can only help me now. [Sakura Matou]'s effect is to transfer control of one of my Servants to the opponent. Shinji, since you hate me so much, I'll give you a chance to attack me!"

[Kuangxinzi] Attack power 3000 → 2500

"You have a Servant with over 2500 ATK in your deck now?" Zouken Matou clearly wanted to use banishment to deal with the Kyoko on the field, but Jiang You remembered that Zouken Matou's highest ATK Servant was himself.

"No, but it's not impossible to break through. I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card [Normal Summon]! This card can only be activated when there is an Assassin on the opponent's field. Special Summon a [Cursed Arm Hassan] from the Deck, destroy that Assassin, and give [Cursed Arm] half its original ATK!"

A red demon arm broke through Fanatic's chest, and the cursed arm crawled out of her body.

[Cursed Arm] Attack power 1500 → 2000

"【Kerotic】Effect! Can be activated when destroyed by battle or effect, removing one Xyz Material as a replacement and negating the destruction!" Of course, Ilya couldn't let Kerotic leave the field like that.

Forced to open his chest, the fanatic turned into a ball of black mist, then condensed again and appeared intact.

[Kuangxinzi] Attack power 2500 → 2000

Chapter 152 A card someone else plays casually can become an insurmountable barrier for your entire deck.

"Lord Cursed Arm?" Kyoko hadn't expected that the other side could also summon a Servant who was also Hassan.

"That ability you just used was the ability to sever body temperature, right?" Cursed Arm recognized it as a skill from a certain Hassan. His eyes, hidden behind his mask, scrutinized Kyoshiro. "You're the one who failed to obtain a title but mastered all the known techniques of the previous Hassans, right? Truly a formidable young man!"

Kuang Xinzi blushed, she was very pleased with the praise from the previous leader.

“But now we are each serving our own masters, and I will not hold back! You should also show your strength!” Even if he is only summoned in this way, Cursed Arm will perfectly execute the orders of his master, regardless of good or evil; this is his life motto.

"Yes!" Kyoko gave a firm response.

"It's like you can hold back..." Jiang You muttered under his breath. Under the rules of a duel, there's no such thing as a maneuver.

"【Regular Summon】Effect: If I fail to destroy my opponent's card, I can play one card." Zouken Matou added a card to his hand.

"It can actually replace destruction. [Kyouko] still has 3 materials, which means it can replace destruction three more times..." Zouken Matou looked at Kyouko and realized how troublesome this thing was. Moreover, considering that Cursed Arm said that Kyouko had learned the special techniques of the previous Hassans, the effect must not be just one replacement destruction.

"[Cursed Arm]'s self-modification effect: Destroy one Servant card on your field and gain half of its ATK! I'm going to destroy [Matou Zouken]!" Of course, Zouken Matou's target couldn't be himself. "[Matou Zouken]'s effect! When this card is destroyed, you can Tribute one Servant card on your field as a replacement. Anyway, it will be destroyed at the end of Sakura's turn, so it'll be perfect as my sacrifice!"

[Cursed Arm] Attack power 2000 → 2900!

"I'll place my last card face down in the back row and enter the Battle Phase!" Zouken Matou focused his attention on Little Morning Glory. Since [Kyoriole] couldn't handle it, he'd start with this Servant with 0 attack! "[Cursed Arm] attacks [Little Morning Glory]!"

"Don't even think about it, I'm going to activate my backcourt card..." Ilya naturally couldn't possibly take that 2900 points of damage directly.

"It's useless. When [Cursed Arm] attacks, it is not affected by trap card effects. Due to the effect of [Regular Summon], it will not be targeted by effects until the next turn!" This is why Zouken Matou is so confident in his attack.

"Who said I was going to activate [Cursed Arm]?" Ilya successfully opened her face-down card. "[Battle Retreat], I return [Morning Glory] to my hand and draw a card!"

Leave [Morning Glory] on the field to deceive the effect, and then recycle it when needed. Illya has seen Jiang You use this method several times, and she has already learned it.

"In that case, [Cursed Arm] will attack [Shinji Matou]!" Zouken Matou had no choice but to select [Shinji Matou] as his target.

Matou Zouken understood that [Matou Shinji] had no other effects no matter what. Instead of gambling on the effect of Kyou Nobuko, it would be better to just deal the 2700 points of damage honestly.

"So, the effect of [Morning Glory] can only be activated when this card is sent from the hand to the Graveyard when the opponent's Servant declares an attack. That monster is changed to Defense Position!" The [Morning Glory] immediately came into play after returning to her hand. Although the presence of Matou Shinji would weaken the board and had a strong side effect, Illya didn't want to lose so much health directly.

"How is this possible? [Cursed Arm] shouldn't be selected as an effect target!" Zouken Matou realized that every move he made was being interrupted by his opponent, which made him somewhat anxious.

"Because this effect doesn't require a target, [Cursed Arm] must be in Defense Position!"

[Cursed Arm] Attack 2900 → Defense 1500

"I... end my turn!" Zouken Matou had no cards left in his hand. If his last face-down card could take effect, it would block a lot of attacks. Only Cursed Arm couldn't be targeted by the effect, so it would definitely block one attack. He glanced at the two cards in Illya's hand again. Next turn, they would become three. It was impossible not to be nervous.

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

"First, the effect of [Kyoushinko] is to remove a material and destroy a Servant on the field. The target I chose is naturally [Matou Zouken]! Delusional Heart Sound!"

【Kyōshiko】2000→1500

The twisted arm grabbed Zouken Matou's heart and squeezed it tightly, about to send him to the grave.

"I should have guessed!" Zouken Matou gritted his teeth. His Cursed Arm had the same effect, and after hesitating for a long time, he finally activated his own. "[Zouken Matou] Effect: Release [Cursed Arm] as a substitute! Nullify this disruption!"

"Don't rush, it'll be your turn soon. There are still two materials left!" Illya continued to activate Kyoushiko's effect. This effect isn't activated only once per turn; as long as you have enough materials, you can activate it repeatedly. "Target [Matou Zouken] again! Delusional Heartbeat!"

【Kyōshiko】1500→1000

"What?" Zouken Matou realized the difference in card decks. It was just one card, yet he had to use every trick in the book. He should have summoned his Servant himself this time; otherwise, he wouldn't be in such a sorry state. "I'm not so easily defeated! Do you know why I sacrificed [Cursed Arm] to save myself? I'm activating the Quick-Play Spell Card [Insect Magic Regeneration]!"

"I'll release myself! Special Summon two 'Crest Bugs' from my Deck in Defense Position!" Zouken Matou used his release to avoid the destructive effect.

Matou Zouken disintegrated, transforming into two engraved insects that fell to the ground. His true form reappeared in the main combatant's position as an insect.

[Marked Insect] Defense Path 500*2

"Third time! Delusional Heart Sound!" Kyoshiko removed the last material and destroyed one of the Crest Worms.

【Kyōshiko】1000→500

Because Shinji Matou is still on Illya's field, the two servants on the field are unable to directly break through the Marking Worms.

Zouken Matou breathed a sigh of relief. No matter what Illya summoned next, its attack power would be reduced by 500 points due to the effect of Shinji Matou, and the basic attack power of Hassan's deck was not high. Even if he could break through the Marking Worm, he could use the effect of the Marking Worm to survive another round.

In short, survive first.

"Grandpa, I'm sorry, you won't survive this round. Ilya, full health, victory!" Ilya declared, announcing her victory.

Chapter 153 The Method of Becoming a Container

“But before that, we need to deal with this thing.” Ilya looked at Shinji Matou; the 500 attack reduction was indeed quite a blow to Hassan. “I activate the Continuous Spell Card [Hundred-Man Library]. Once per turn, this card can destroy one card on the field or draw one card by Tributing one [Hassan-Sabach] on the field. I’m going to Tribute [Kyouko]! Destroy [Shinji Matou]!”

"Because [Kyoushiko] destroyed it before [Matou Shinji], she has to enter the exclusion zone!" Matou Zouken kindly reminded her.

"No need for you to remind me, thank you for your hard work, Ms. Kyoshinoko." As the terminal of the Hundred Faces, Kyoshinoko bore all the pressure, and now she could finally go home. She transformed into a shadow and crashed into Matou Shinji, who, poor Shinji, once again lost consciousness and returned to the core of the Holy Grail.

"Next up is [The Librarian of Knowledge], who selects three cards from the graveyard, adds one to the hand, and returns the other two to the deck! I chose two basic [Hundred Forms] and one Host version. The one added to the hand is the basic version." Because of the added form, there are slightly more synergy options among the Hundred Forms cards.

"I Normal Summon [Hundred Faces] and activate her effect to Special Summon the two cards that just returned from the Deck!" Hundred Faces' main strategy is to repeatedly switch between cards with the same name. "[Hundred Faces (Host)] effect: Declare a card type; I declare [Spell Card]!"

[Hundred Appearances] Attack Power 800*2

[Bai Mao (Host)] Attack Power 800

The card turned over this time was [Quiet Hassan], and it still failed to be added to the hand.

"Looks like your luck isn't so good." Zouken Matou stared at Illya's last card in her hand. Hassan on the field now had a total attack power of 2400, and Illya's back row didn't seem to be a trap card that could only deal with attacks, because it wasn't triggered when Cursed Arm attacked earlier.

"It's not exactly bad luck, I guess. I'll activate my last card, the Quick-Play Spell Card 'Pale Dance of Death,' which can be used once per turn to Special Summon one 'Hassan-Sabbah' from my Graveyard or hand, and then destroy one Servant card on the field! My target is 'Quiet Hassan'! Destroy your 'Crest Worm'!"

The slender Hassan emerged from the shadows behind the Marked Bug, cut it in half with a single blow, and landed in front of Illya using the momentum of the charge.

[Tranquility] Attack Power 1500

If Serenity is not sent to the graveyard, Illya can also directly summon the last original Hundred Faces in the graveyard to increase the field attack to 3200.

Zouken Matou never expected that a [Book of Treason] would lead to his complete collapse. He unwillingly wanted to use magic to escape, but the rules of the duel were absolute. Before the end, he would not be able to escape from the duel space at all.

"Wait a minute! My Matou family still has quite a few books. If you are willing to spare my life..." In this timeline, Matou Zouken had observed many battles, and given that Jiang You could directly take out a soul crystal, he knew that Jiang You's offer of his soul as a wager was no joke, so he decisively begged for mercy.

"Foolish... no, I already said that, and if you die, Sakura's heir will be there, right?" It was the same person after all, begging for mercy in exactly the same way. Jiang You knew nothing about magic; even Medea's personal instruction was useless. He certainly wasn't interested in those books; he'd rather use them to improve Sakura's life and increase her favorability. As for money, Mr. Atram's friendly offer was more than enough. "So for Sakura's sake, there's even less reason to keep you alive!"

Speaking of Atram, since Jiang You's Master has been changed to Illya, he has lost his role as Jiang You's battery. Now he is working hard to help Medea maintain the current barrier. Of course, as a battery.

"Ilya, let's begin!" Jiang You hadn't forgotten that Ilya was now in charge of the battle.

"So you're saying it's for the sake of other Masters in front of your own Master?" Illya rolled her eyes, feeling it necessary to make more demands in the Dark Game.

There are other things to do besides dealing with the old bug, so Ilya won't question Jiang You at this time: "A total of 3900 points of damage, Grandpa Matou Zouken, can you handle it?"

Unfortunately, the Matou family's Bug deck lacked any Graveyard effects to block attacks, and without hand cards, there were no hand traps. Under Matou Zouken's resentful gaze, the Hassans surged forward.

Matou Zouken LP2500→LP0!

A black hand stretched out from the darkness, grabbed Zouken Matou, ignored his pleas for mercy, and dragged him into the darkness.

[Battle rewards: 【Cursed Arm Hassan】*1 【Regular Summon】*1 have been sent to your mailbox. Please check your inbox.]

As expected, Matou Zouken provided the Cursed Arm card, allowing Jiang You Hassan's deck to expand again. The only pity was that the Soul Crystals he could obtain had already reached their upper limit, and he was quite envious of Matou Zouken's Soul Crystal (Medium).

"Next, we'll deal with that Holy Grail problem." Illya glanced in Matou Shinji's direction; his appearance disgusted her. She was considering having Minamoto no Yorimitsu unleash his Noble Phantasm to destroy the thing. "Speaking of which, I should thank Shinji-kun. If it weren't for him, I would probably be the vessel."

"One of the reasons I came here is to help you avoid this ending." Jiang You was telling the truth. Players generally want a happy ending on their first playthrough, even in eroge (adult games).

"On the contrary, I think you're having a lot of fun here." Ilya thought to herself, you know to ask Ahad to modify your mother's body as a vessel, how come you forgot about your own?

Jiang You panicked when he suddenly received a notification that his favorability had decreased.

Jiang You's reaction pleased Ilya, and she let him off the hook for the time being. "What do you plan to do with this thing? It doesn't look like it's meant for playing cards at all."

“If I directly contact the black mud, there are three possibilities for the Noble Phantasm’s effect: 1. It will directly target the culprit that caused this result, Zouken Matou.” Jiang You had studied the effects of his Noble Phantasm, but he couldn’t be sure about the attack judgment of the Black Grail. “2. It will be an Evil/Corruption debuff judgment, directly pulling out the owner of the black mud—Angola Mainyu.”

"You're not sure either?" Ilya frowned.

"It's not like there's no way to be certain," Jiang You thought of a method that Archer had mentioned.

"What is it?"

"So, if I want to use it as a container, how do I do that?" Shirou Emiya stared angrily at the black mud spreading on the ground. He would never forget the burning flames and the smell; it was the source of the Fuyuki fire ten years ago.

"Let me think..." Red A's knowledge was also limited, and he gave an uncertain answer, "Drink it?"