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

The Lion King Altria sat on the throne, elegant and majestic.

Behind the throne is a blue-purple sky, gorgeous and dreamy, not like the human world.

It is indeed not the human world, but the view at the end of the world, a place closer to the eternal paradise of Avalon.

"It's so beautiful," Jiang You exclaimed. A place that can be called a paradise must be breathtakingly beautiful. If the world were to be transformed, what a sight it would be.

"As a tombstone for humanity, it is indeed very beautiful; it's the best way I could think of." The Lion King stood up, and the silver, spiraling holy spear, Rungodeminiad, slowly unfurled its interlocking outer shell, revealing its golden interior and releasing overwhelming magical power. "Even so, do you still wish to be my enemy?"

“I really want to see what the end of the world looks like.” Jiang You shook his head. “But it’s not something for this playthrough. Let me just play a Happy End this time.”

Chapter 205 Let's fight! Let's fight this final battle!

"So, are you going to go through the motions of firing a shot at me and then have a duel, or are you going to accept my duel invitation directly?" Seeing that the Lion King had fallen silent, Jiang You extended a duel invitation to her.

“I can see what’s going on outside. Attacking you is ineffective.” Since Jiang You has only been in this singularity for a few days, the Lion King doesn’t know much about the rules of Jiang You’s Noble Phantasm, so she doesn’t know that if she doesn’t attack, Jiang You can’t do anything to her. “Let’s just have a duel. Skip any unnecessary steps.”

"Then, let the duel begin!" Since the Lion King was being so honest, Jiang You naturally wouldn't say anything more.

The duel space unfolds, and the rules cover the entire area.

Jiangyou LP4000

Artoria LP4000

"This way of overriding the laws of the world is truly terrifying." This was the first time the Lion King had entered the duel as the main fighter. In this state, she could feel the effects of Jiang You's Noble Phantasm more clearly. This was something that even she, who had almost become a god, could not understand. "If it were you, perhaps you could really change the ending of the destruction of humanity."

"Are you saying this to mean you're planning to surrender?" Most Servants' Noble Phantasms are light-based attacks, just varying in size, so Jiang You's Noble Phantasm is indeed a rare find.

"You jest," the Lion King said seriously, a resolute emotion flashing in her cool eyes. "Compared to your Noble Phantasm, your very existence is far too weak. Besides, I have no reason to necessarily lose. If even I cannot overcome this obstacle, then let human history end here! My turn!"

"First up is the Spell Card, [Gathering of the Knights of the Round Table]! This card can only be activated when you have no Servants on your field, or only [Knights of the Round Table] cards. Special Summon three [Knights of the Round Table] cards with different names from your Deck! Of course, because of this effect, the Servants summoned are negated and cannot attack!" As the Lion King, Artoria naturally possesses some cards with even more powerful effects. "I Special Summon [Lancelot], [Gorky], and [Tristan]!"

The round table representing the Knights of the Round Table appeared in front of the Lion King. Three Knights of the Round Table stood up on the thirteen chairs.

Lancelot: Attack Power 2400

[Gawain] Attack power 2500

[Tristan] Attack Power 2000

A very classic tricolor knight.

"Your Majesty!" the three Knights of the Round Table bowed in unison.

"Lancelot, how dare you appear before the King!" Gawain declared, recognizing the knight beside him. "Your Majesty, this man has betrayed his oath. Withdraw his blessing; he has chosen betrayal once more!"

"Your Majesty!" Lancelot stared directly at the Lion King, his expression righteous and awe-inspiring. "You have made a mistake. This is a calamity far worse than the fall of the gods! You did not choose to give up back then, so why do you run away now? How could King Arthur possibly do something like storing humans as specimens! Therefore, I must speak out against you, I must correct you!"

Gawain rolled his eyes so hard they almost popped out. Lancelot could rebel anytime, but not now. This guy must have encountered someone while pursuing Chaldea. Gawain, having worked with Lancelot for a long time, knew his character all too well. He trusted Lancelot's abilities, but not his principles. "If that's really what you think, you should have joined Gareth and the others in a loyal rebellion, not now!"

Tristan plucked the strings subconsciously. He had already been defeated and the blessing had disappeared. He no longer had anything to do with what happened next.

"Is that so?" The Lion King looked at Lancelot, his eyes calm, without anger or blame. This, on the contrary, made Lancelot feel ashamed. "It's alright. I said from the beginning that I would respect your choice. This is not some righteous war. You could oppose me then, and you can do so now."

“My King…” Lancelot showed a rather sad expression. It would have made him feel better if the Lion King had blamed him. Tristan was startled when he saw Lancelot’s appearance, thinking that his role was about to be taken away. “If Bedivere heard you say that, he would be very happy. Although he opposed your decision, as a member of the Knights of the Round Table, he has never forgotten to look for you.”

"Bedwell...who is that?" The Lion King looked puzzled upon hearing Lancelot's name. She had no recollection of such a person.

"?!" The three Knights of the Round Table were all very surprised. This was a member of the Knights of the Round Table. How could the king forget his companion's name?

If the Lion King hadn't mentioned it, Jiang You would have almost forgotten about this setting. This Lion King wasn't really a Heroic Spirit, but rather someone who had lived since the fall of Camelot. Because Bedivere hadn't returned the Holy Sword, the Lion King hadn't been able to enter Avalon.

But explaining it was too much trouble, so Jiang You decided to finish playing the cards first. After that, he could let the Lion King do whatever he wanted. On the contrary, if he lost, there would be no point in doing anything.

"I'm telling you, let's not dwell on this for now. Whether I win or lose, whether Lancelot rebels or not, it won't affect the outcome." Jiang You looked at the dazzling purple sky and smelled a faint floral fragrance. This singularity was getting closer and closer to the end of the world. "My battle with the Lion King is the final battle. This battle will determine the fate of the world."

Lancelot also knew that what Jiang You said was true. Now they had not even walked out of the desert, let alone come to stop the Lion King.

“You’re right, this is the final battle!” The Lion King nodded. The original Artoria might have cared deeply about these things, but even she would have maintained a facade, swallowing her resentment and anger. But as the Lion King, she didn’t care about such things at all; Lancelot’s desired reprimand was destined to be impossible. “I will stack three Knights of the Round Table on top of each other and summon them here. [Knight of the Round Table King – Artoria]”

[Artoria] Attack Power 2500

"Is this the other me?" The girl with the ahoge (from the original Artoria onwards, she'll be referred to as "Ahoge") scrutinized the Lion King, her gaze involuntarily falling on the high bulge of armor on his chest—that thing was hollow…right?

"How could I be the kind of person who gives up on the future! Someone who gives up without even trying—I'll stop you!" Even though she was on Lion King's field, she completely disapproved of this version of herself. You see, even knowing that the Age of Gods was destined to perish, she had fought tooth and nail to prolong it, even at the cost of denying her own will to try again. "Jiang You, I can only ask you for this. Defeat her!"

"Don't worry, I'll win... I mean, with your support, how could I possibly lose!" Jiang You forcefully broke his own promise.

Chapter 206 Artoria, who excels at rapid attacks

“Useless attempts will only increase the pain.” The Lion King looked at another possible version of himself. Although they were the same person, their personalities and ways of doing things were completely different. “Knowing the limits of life and doing what can be done is what a king should do.”

In fact, the Lion King is the way that Dai Mao wants to exist, which is more in line with her ideal. Dai Mao really hopes that she can look at the problem in this rational way, but she can't do it. Now it is a bit unreasonable for her to continuously oppose her ideal self.

"The effect of [Artoria] will give me a..." The Lion King was about to call out the name of the weapon when a problem arose.

"【Sword of Victory】...Isn't it there?" The Lion Queen looked at her deck. Although her main weapon was the Holy Lance, she had also used the Holy Sword before, and now it seemed to be lost. But why was it lost...?

Lion King was never one to dwell on trivial matters; the existence of the [Sword of Contract Victory] made no difference. "Then let's continue! I'll Xyz Summon my Rank 6 [Artoria] from my field! Accept my blessing! This is your final destination! [Lion King Artoria]!"

[The Lion King] Attack Power 3500

"My own effect: When I successfully Special Summon a card, I equip myself with one [Sacred Lance Rungomminiad]!" Unlike Mordred's deck, this Lion King is in its complete form.

The golden holy spear, which had reached its current maximum power, burst out in the hands of the Lion King.

[The Lion King] Attack power 3500→4500

"【Sacred Lance Rungomminiad】cannot be targeted by card effects, and while this card is face-up on the field, its equipped follower cannot be destroyed by battle!" The Lion King added battle destruction resistance, and combined with its 4500 ATK, it becomes even more difficult to deal with. "Furthermore, once per turn, at the start of your next turn, send all face-up followers on the field, except the equipped follower, and this card to the Graveyard! Then add one Field Spell Card, 【Tower at the End of the World】, from your Deck to your hand."

The second effect is the rebirth of the Holy Lance into the Tower of the End, which, like in reality, takes time to complete. It's similar to the Heavenly Court's ability to send the entire field to the grave, but with a delay in activation.

"Then, I activate this effect! At the start of my next turn, all Servants on the field will be sent to the Graveyard." The Lion King activated the effect of [Sacred Lance Rungomminiad] directly, so Jiang You will need to be careful when he plays his combo.

"Then, the Field Spell Card [Camelot]!" A pristine white holy city rose, its towering gates situated behind the Lion King. "[Camelot] Effect! All [Knights of the Round Table] on the field gain 500 ATK and DEF. Once per turn, add one Knight of the Round Table from your Deck to your hand. While this card is on the field, the Knight of the Round Table can be Normal Summoned without consuming Tributes. Furthermore, all effect damage taken by the leader is reduced to 0!"

[The Lion King] Attack power 4500→5000

"Using the effect of [Camelot], I will add [Agguiwen] to my hand."

"Then I will summon [Agaguiwen] directly onto the field. Secretary, I call upon you in the name of the Lion King to come to my aid!"

[Agraven] 6-star Saber, 1800 attack power

Aguguiwen, covered in blood, fell to the ground. He was covered in wounds and even lost his left hand.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, I am truly sorry for my disgraceful state. I can no longer serve you." Aside from that one incredibly shameful individual, Agravure's strength within the Round Table was practically at the bottom. Even in legend, his death was rather gruesome, killed by a single punch from Lancelot. Even with his highest level of Berserk, Agravure was no match for Minamoto no Yorimitsu; the fact that he'd lasted this long is quite remarkable.

“That’s not it, Lord Agraven. Now you only have glory.” The Lion Queen treated all her subordinates equally. She couldn’t even forgive Lancelot’s betrayal, so how could she blame Agraven for his defeat? The Lion Queen helped Agraven remove the effects of his berserk state. “Don’t let anger consume you. Stand with me as a knight in this final moment.”

"Yes! I will obey the King's command!" A provocative smile appeared on Agravine's sinister face, but only those who knew him well knew that it was a genuine smile from him.

"[Agraven]'s effect: When this card is Normal or Special Summoned, add one [Knight of the Round Table] or [Holy Sword] to your hand." As one of the few clerical officials, Agraven, as the scribe, handles almost all the work outside of battle, so it's reasonable that he has the ability to manipulate cards. "I add [Holy Sword: Unrepentant Lake Light] to my hand."

Agguiwen took out Lancelot's holy sword from somewhere, held it above his head with both hands, and handed it to the Lion King respectfully.

Obviously, the Lion King planned to use the defense-penetrating effect of [Lake Light Without Regrets] to defeat Jiang You even if he successfully built a defense line.

"I know you possess a special Servant." As mentioned before, the Lion King can see everything within the city. "Gao Wenqing,"

"Finally, I face down two cards in the back row to end my turn." At this point, the Lion King still had two cards in his hand, and unsurprisingly, one of them was the unused [Unrepentant Lake Light].

Jiang You looked at the Lion King's board. [Longomyniad] couldn't be targeted, and he had no immediate solution. So, just when Agguiwen was able to move, he was sent to the graveyard by the Holy Lance, leaving him completely alone. Furthermore, the Lion King itself had four targets of resistance, and the Holy Lance couldn't be broken by it. It was indeed quite troublesome.

The basic attacks of several servants related to the round table are quite powerful, so if Jiang You cannot summon Wang Ha to make a direct breakthrough, he can only find a way to survive this round.

Jiang You glanced at his hand. Very good. Aside from Baimao and Tranquility, the other Hassan bonds were pretty good. So the next goal was to survive.

So Jiang You decisively summoned his workhorse. "First, I will Normal Summon [Hundred Faces]! The effect of Hundred Faces is to summon as many cards of the same name as possible while they are on the field."

[Hundred Appearances] Attack Power 800*4

[Morning Glory] Attack Power 0

With [Longomyniad]'s opening all-out bomb, the goal now becomes to deal with the Lion King's backfield as much as possible and find a way to build a defense after the bombing. Baimao can easily exchange a lot of resources.

Chapter 207 Now Artoria's face has become even more...

"The host will announce the effect of a hundred appearances, declaring the type of a card. As usual, I'll declare a magic card." Naturally, he'll choose the type with the most cards in his deck. Jiang You doesn't believe he'll fail to declare this time.

The card that emerged this time was [Sound the Death Knell], and Jiang You successfully added it to his hand. It seemed the old man was making a move. Next turn, all he needed to do was use Destined to pull out a Hassan, and he'd have six for the Ritual Summon.

"Then comes [Battle Retreat], which returns [Morning Glory] to your hand and draws a card." Morning Glory is a noble hand trap that doesn't target other cards. Since it will be destroyed at the start of the next turn, there's no need to bait out its effect; just take it back to your hand.

"Next up is [Hundred-Man Library]. Once per turn, this card can destroy one card on the field or draw a card by Tributing one [Hassan Sabah] on the field. I'll Tribute [Hundred Faces] and destroy your face-down cards in the back row!" Although the effect of [Camelot] constantly replenishing resources was also troublesome, Jiang You still wanted to deal with the things in the back row first to avoid any strange effects.

The shadow transformed by Baimao crashed into the covered card in the backfield and was sent to the graveyard together.

Jiang You took a look. It was a continuous trap card called "Sword of the Chosen King." While it was a bit funny to classify it as a trap card, it didn't seem to be a problem at all. This card can be activated when a Servant declares an attack. Equipping this card to that Servant negates its effects and reduces its original attack power to 2500. Furthermore, as long as this card remains face-up on the field, the chosen Servant cannot be destroyed by battle. It was a truly strange effect; it felt like something was being manipulated.

"Then, I'll activate the Spell Card [Short Sword Throw] again. It can be used once per turn, and only if you have a [Hassan-Sabbah] follower on the field. Destroy a follower of level 2 or lower, or one face-down card in your back row!" Now the Lion King's field is full of face-up cards; he can act now. "I'll destroy the face-down card to your left!"

"The Spell Card Continuous Spell Card [Knight's Name], its original effect is that after activation, both players' followers can only be in Attack Position, and face-down cards cannot be activated during the Battle Phase. However, this card has another effect: if this face-down card leaves the field due to an opponent's card effect, is sent to the Graveyard, or is banished, it can be activated. Special Summon 1 [Knights of the Round Table] follower from your Deck or Extra Deck! Those who break the knightly covenant shall be punished!" Because of Jiang You's interference, this card's second effect was activated.

"What a mess!" But this thing is actually not so bad as it's a Knight of the Round Table exclusive... not bad at all.

The Lion King's extra nature doesn't have any strange cards, the only nature she has is herself.

"I Special Summon [Lancer Alter] (hereinafter referred to as Black Lancer Alter or Southern Hemisphere) from the Extra Deck!" The Lion King did not summon the same version of himself again, which means that he basically only has one copy of the special form card. Of course, it is also possible that the Xyz Card is too weak because it lacks materials.

[Black Lancer Artoria] 8-star Lancer, Attack Power 2500

The attack power is 1000 lower than that of the Lion King, but considering that the Lion King is not a complete idiot but a goddess, it is understandable.

Amidst the fierce black storm, a jet-black horse, as dark as a nightmare, galloped in, its rider wielding a long lance that gleamed with golden-red light as it charged into the battlefield!

[Black Lancer Artoria] Attack power 2500→3500

"To be summoned in this form... what crisis has befallen my homeland?" This is the spirit of the Knight King from an "if" timeline, unable to return to Avalon and lingering in his homeland, continuing to fight to protect his country. "...This is me, but something is different... I was summoned by myself, what a strange experience. Oh? Is it the effect of a Noble Phantasm?"

Hei Qiang stared at Jiang You for a few blank moments, but as a heroic spirit, she would always encounter some magical experiences, so she cared more about this part of herself.

"Eigo... no, it should be Camelot now. Did something happen that made him our enemy?"

"Rather than enemies, it's more like a difference of opinion," Jiang You took over the conversation. The Lion King didn't seem like the type to go into detail, so Jiang You, with the intention of gaining favor, carefully explained the situation to Black Gun.

"Not even a fight back?" Black Gun Saber looked at Lion King with disdain. As an Alter, she was more willful and more emotional. Therefore, she became more like a human being. "If I were you, I would never make this decision. I would only crush anyone who stood in my way!"

"You must win against those Servants over there!" Black Spear Alter shouted at Jiang You in an unyielding tone.

Jiang You took a look at the task list. Very good, the source of the Black Gun Dai was also found, but there was a problem with the fusion material.