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

Gudako waited for the two to finish their exchange before continuing her actions: "I activate the effect of [Nero]. When I successfully Normal Summon or Special Summon, I add one Continuous Spell Card [Golden Theater] from my Deck to my hand!"

Then, the Golden Theater rose from under everyone's feet. In the golden light, rose petals filled the sky and slowly fell in the fragrant breeze.

"Activate [Golden Theater]! This card requires [Nero] to be on the field to activate. While this card is on the field, Roman servants cannot be destroyed by battle. [Nero]'s attack and defense increase by 1000!"

[Nero] Attack Power 1800 → 2800

"Mmm, that's the feeling. Let me show my skills! Ritsuka, remember to give me a round of applause."

"Your Majesty, would you be interested in donning that pure white wedding dress once more? To show us Your Majesty's most beautiful side." Gudako wasn't worried that Nero would misunderstand her meaning, because Nero was a capricious Servant; whether or not she would wear a wedding dress was simply a matter of whether she wanted to or not.

“Hmm, is there even a need to ask?” Nero naturally wouldn’t refuse.

Only then did Jiang You realize that Gudako was still adjusting her servant.

Chapter 175 Doubles players, remember to leave space for your teammate in the backcourt.

"The condition is [Nero Claudius] + a 1-star Synchro Servant! 4+1=5! I will Synchro Summon [Nero] and [Fujimaru Ritsuka] here! Spring sunshine, flowers dancing wildly! The May breeze caresses my cheeks, blessings travel to the distant planets—open, Golden Wedding Chapel! Synchro Summon [Nero Claudius [Bride]]"

The petals floating in the Golden Theater turned into white roses, and the primordial fire in Nero's hand also followed this atmosphere, changing the blade from red to silver.

The Servant dressed in a pure white wedding dress descended amidst the ringing of happy bells.

【Nero (Bride)】 5-star Saber, Attack Power 2000 → 3000

"Oh...this is the pinnacle of Rome, the most beautiful battle bride dress on earth! Yu and Ru are truly magnificent!" Nero admired her wedding dress, humming a satisfied tune. She wasn't wearing the gown to get married, but rather to showcase her "beauty." "Mmm, the more blessing bells the better."

"No matter what, the words 'wedding dress' and 'battle' just don't go together," Xuanzang complained, finding the whole thing absurd. "And isn't ringing the bells of happiness in front of the Angel of Death a form of provocation?"

"Please don't mention her." Jiang You looked at the follower named Xuanzang. Having grown up watching Journey to the West, his impression of Tang Sanzang was still that classic image from 86. It wasn't that Jiang You disliked the fact that this voluptuous demon monk was called Xuanzang, but it was hard for him to accept. "Your existence is already outrageous enough. Can I call you Magician 113?"

"Why is it 113?" Xuanzang was very curious as to why this follower from the same country as him would use this number to refer to him. Could it have some special meaning?

"Because you are the 113th Servant in the gacha pool order." Jiang You once again said something extraordinary with a blank expression, but Xuanzang could not possibly understand it.

"【Nero (Bride)】has three effects: 'Give the Sky Stars,' which can negate one activation of an opponent's Spell/Trap Card once per turn; 'Give the Earth Flowers,' which can prevent this card from being destroyed by card effects once per turn; and 'Give Love,' which prevents the leader from taking effect damage while this card is on the field!"

"Then comes the Spell Card [Cakhdice Castle]! Special Summon one [Elizabeth Bathory] from your Deck in Defense Position!"

Jiang You felt that there should be a reason for this card. Dragon Girl alone has a lot of forms, second only to Artoria, and once upon a time, she had more forms than Artoria.

The eerie castle temporarily replaced the Golden Theater. A young girl with dragon-like features slowly descended the towering stone steps. It was more like a stage than a staircase.

"Come on, shine the spotlight over here!" The stained-glass windows of the castle reflected a crimson light, if that thing could be called a spotlight.

"What idol group?" Jiang You took over the role of the troll after seeing the card Gudako used. He was now very worried that Gudako would print a card that would ruin the whole thing: "[Dual Group Debut]". Anyway, the effect of magic cards with names like these was secondary; he didn't want to hear any ear-piercing noise.

I don’t know if Wang Ha can withstand it if this happens.

"Yo-ho—" This little dragon girl leans more towards the idol aspect; even in this day and age, she still exudes the style of a Japanese idol. "Little puppy, I'm here to help you."

[Elizabeth Bathory] Lancer 4-star, Defense 1000

"Miss Elizabeth, we need to rely on you." Gudako praised everyone she met, "[Elizabeth Bathory]'s effect: When this card is on the field, all allies' ATK is increased by 300. It also has a defense penetration effect."

The dragon lady further increased Gudako's field attack, though it was useless. Gudako summoned her mainly to block the frequency of her attacks. Jiang You looked at the dragon lady who was happily wagging her tail and decided not to say anything more.

[Da Vinci] Attack power 2200 → 2500

[Nero (Bride)] Attack Power 3000 → 3300

"Finally, I set four cards face down on the field to end my turn..." Gudako suddenly realized something and looked at Jiang You sheepishly. "Mr. Jiang You, how many backrow cards does your deck need again..."

Jiang You rolled his eyes, but since it was Gudako's first duel, it was somewhat understandable. Luckily, he hadn't included Gilgamesh's small deck, and he hadn't seen any Pendulum Cards yet, otherwise it would have been even more outrageous: "Next time, remember to say so from the beginning."

"I'm sorry, but please forgive me, sir."

"My turn, draw a card!" The serene woman, shrouded in black aura, began her turn expressionlessly, her voice no longer as gentle as usual.

"First, I usually summon [Silent Hassan]."

[Tranquility] Attack Power 1500

"Then there's [Short Sword Throw], a card that can be used once per turn, only when you have a [Hassan-Sabbah] follower on the field. It destroys a follower of level 2 or lower, or a face-down card in the back row." Tranquility pointed to a face-down card in Gudako's back row, meaning to destroy that card.

"I want to keep this card, so Your Majesty Nero, I'm counting on you!" Gudako activated the [Nero (Bride)]'s once-per-turn blocking effect.

Jiang You was quite familiar with Tranquility's cards, and he actually wanted to warn Gudako to be careful of [Pale Dance of Death], which could cause Tranquility to repeatedly jump around. However, Gudako's mouth was faster than her brain, and she had already released the effect. But it wasn't a big problem; the kid still had four face-down cards in her back row.

"Enter battle phase!" Tranquility immediately launched an attack. "[Tranquility] attacks [Da Vinci]!"

“It’s clearly less powerful…” Matthew realized something was wrong. If the effects of Servants are based on their own abilities and legends, then the effect of Tranquility must be related to contact between them.

"The effect of [Tranquility] is that after a battle, any Servant that has fought against her will be destroyed. So, if necessary, avoid letting [Da Vinci] get hit." Jiang You didn't really care, since [Da Vinci] could be summoned as a mini-Da Vinci after being sent to the Graveyard.

But Gudako clearly had other ideas, and it's possible she wanted to hide the existence of Little Da Vinci.

"I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card [Mystic Code: Chaldea] once per turn, choosing one of three effects. I choose the third effect: Emergency Evasion, negating this attack by [Tranquility]!"

"Well done." The [Pale Dance of Death], which silently leaped from the graveyard and destroyed it, required either herself or another Hassan to enter the graveyard first. If the attack was blocked, it couldn't continue. Jiang You couldn't help but cheer. Truly worthy of being Gudako; her intuition is incredibly sharp.

Chapter 176 Nero, it's not your time yet, just bear with it a little longer.

If it was just Serenity's deck, it would be completely blocked, and Serenity could only end the battle phase and set up defense. But the Serenity here is not just Serenity, but Serenity under the influence of Wangha.

"I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card 'Name of Legacy', sending one 'Hassan-Sabbah' from the field to the Graveyard, and Special Summon one 'Hassan-Sabbah' from my Deck. And what I'm summoning is 'Shining Star Hassan'!"

A brilliant meteor fell from the sky, and a young man wearing the same skull mask as all the Hassans appeared from the shining stardust.

[Radiant Hassan] Assassin 2-star, Attack Power 1600

"Where is this...? So many 'Hassan-Sabach' gathered together is truly..." Radiant Star looked around and realized he was in Hassan's temple. He shuddered instantly and quickly spotted a tall figure. As if in a still frame, he knelt before King Hassan with incredible speed, "Ah, First Lord!"

"You must not be distracted while you are in the midst of the ceremony!" Wang Ha glanced at Yao Xing, signaling him to quickly get into battle mode.

"Yes, yes, First Generation Master!" Yaoxing glanced at his junior, who seemed unwell, and realized that his successor was likely to be sacrificed. It could only be said that the First Generation Master was truly strict with his successors.

"[Radiant Star] attacks [Nero (Bride)]! His effect allows you to choose one of your effects when declaring battle: 1. Increase attack power by 500 until the end of the turn. 2. Pay 2000 life points to increase attack power by 2000 until the end of the turn; destroy this card after battle." Radiant Star Hassan's Noble Phantasm activates all his magical circuits, significantly increasing his agility and mobility. If used beyond its limit, the rampaging magical circuits will be destroyed, and his body will crumble from the inside.

Therefore, Yaoxing can pay the price and burst out powerful combat power in a short period of time.

"By the way, [Radiant Star] can banish itself and one card on the field after dealing damage to the enemy leader. He probably wanted to use [Da Vinci]'s effect to banish it, since he wasn't aware of it," Jiang You added, explaining the full effect that Tranquility hadn't mentioned, and reminded Gudako. It just goes to show that Servants all have a bit of a sixth sense.

"I pay 2000 health points to increase its attack power by 2000! Wuxiang Drive Body!"

Serenity Hassan & Cursed Arm Hassan LP8000→LP6000

The magic circuits in Shining Star Hassan's body were fully activated, and his entire body emitted a dazzling light.

[Radiant Star] Attack Power 1600 → 3600

The meteor hit Nero directly. With Yaoxing's life burning, his attack power exceeded that of Nero with multiple BUFFs stacked on top of him.

"Don't even think about it! I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card [Emperor's Privilege]!" This is a card that comes with Nero's Roman deck, and the Divine Ancestor also used it back then. "The effect I choose is: Target [Nero (Bride)]! Increase Attack and Defense by 1000 this turn!"

[Nero (Bride)] Attack Power 3300 → 4300

Nero's attack power soared to 4300, which exceeded the basic attack power of the crown. The pure white flames of the Primordial Fire in Nero's hand surged, almost penetrating the dome of the Golden Theater.

Even Yaoxing today cannot block this attack.

"In that case, I'll activate the Quick-Play Spell Card 'Pale Dance of Death' once per turn. I'll Special Summon one 'Hassan-Sabah' from my Graveyard or hand, and destroy one Servant Card on the field! I Special Summon 'Tranquility'! Destroy 'Elizabeth Bathory' on your field!"

The dragon girl didn't even have a chance to show herself before her throat was slit by the shadow of Silence, and the attack power of Gudako's servants all dropped by 300. Then, Silence jumped into the battlefield.

[Nero (Bride)] Attack Power 4300 → 4000

[Da Vinci] Attack power 2500 → 2200

[Tranquility] Attack Power 1500

"Because the number of Servants on your field has changed! Attack rewind, [Radiant Star] attacks [Da Vinci]!" The plan has changed, so let's forcibly change the target and use the effect banishing [Nero (Bride)].

But Gudako's four face-down cards in the back row are no pushovers. How could such a large back row be so easily breached? "In that case, I activate the Trap Card [Spirit Transfer], select one Servant on my field, and banish them until the end of this turn. My target is [Da Vinci]!"

The Spirit Transfer capsule enveloped Da Vinci, and Yaoxing lost his target once again. The only remaining card on the field was Nero, who had a higher attack power than him.

"You think this is the end?" Tranquility slammed a card onto the field. It was a card belonging to Shining Star. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card [Battle Acceleration (Shadow)]. This card can be used to target [Hassan Sabah], reducing its attack power to half of its original value so that it can attack the leader directly. If the target is [Shining Star], you can draw a card after dealing damage."

[Radiant Star] Attack Power 3600 → 800

"【Shining Star】directly attack Gudako!"

In fact, Yaoxing was already numb by now. In his memory, his Noble Phantasm had never lasted so long. Although he would not die immediately due to the influence of the duel rules, the pain was real. He just wanted to quickly deliver this attack and then get off work.

Little did he know that someone had already set his sights on him. This was a rare exclusion effect, so how could Jiang You let it go?

Jiang You glanced at Gudako's last face-down card, a Chaldea spell card called "Heroic Spirit Summoning System." Gudako had simply set it down to avoid the negative effects of "Da Vinci." Its effect was: it could only be used when there was a Servant on the opponent's field. The card flipped over the top card of the deck; if it wasn't a Servant, it was banished. The process continued until a Servant was flipped, at which point the flipping stopped, and the Servant was added to the hand or Special Summoned.

Judging from the effect, it is obviously a frequent visitor to pranks. Unfortunately, it is impossible to avoid servants in battles in the linkage, so it cannot be said to be very useful in the current environment.

This time, Gudako was unable to block the attack, and the shining star transformed into a meteor and crashed into her.

Jiang Yu & Fujimaru Ritsuka LP8000 → LP7200

"The effect of [Radiant Star] is to banish yourself and one card on the field after dealing damage to the leader. I would choose [Nero (Bride)]."

"Huh?" Nero was sent into the exclusion zone before he could even swing his sword again.

Chapter 177 Hassan's Civil War Belongs to...

"The effect of [Battle Acceleration (Shadow)] is to draw a card after dealing damage." Tranquility replenished her hand with two cards.

"Next, [Tranquility]'s direct attack!" Now that Gudako has no Servants on the field, she can deal direct damage. Tranquility threw several throwing knives, which hit Gudako's body.

Jiang Yu & Fujimaru Ritsuka LP7200 → LP5700

"Ugh..." Although she shared the same health bar with Jiang You, the four-digit damage still caused Gudako a sharp pain. The pain from the Dark Games was much greater than that of a normal battle.

"Senior, are you alright?" Matthew asked with concern. Gudako was the backbone of everyone, so it was impossible for her not to worry.

"If you can't hold on, let the Heroic Spirits come. Gudako... Fujimaru Ritsuka, as the last Master, you can't afford any mistakes." Jiang You's original intention was to gain some goodwill, but he couldn't figure out Gudako's personality. Gudako's interests and hobbies weren't as detailed as the Heroic Spirits' descriptions, so he could only follow his own nature.

"Thank you for your concern, but this way I can also help Matthew and the others." Gudako waved her hand to indicate that she was fine. She was working hard to learn martial arts from the Heroic Spirits in the Singularity so that she could use them one day. She didn't want to always hide behind the Heroic Spirits; there would always be difficulties that she had to overcome on her own. "I'm too weak, I have no power. Giving up just because of some pain isn't me!"