How come the Ace of Cups isn't considered the Holy Grail?

The first thing that caught his eye was the purple edge of the card, followed by the attack and defense values ​​of 0... It seemed that because he couldn't see the card, he was holding it upside down.

However, besides [Yubel - Guardian of Eternal Love], there are other purple-bordered fusion monsters with 0 attack and 0 defense—

Uh...it seems there really are quite a few?

Chapter 215 Let's build a temple!

"Uh...Kurushi..."

The morning sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the curtains.

Inside the room, Misaya Reirōkan, who had been woken up by the alarm clock she had set the night before, was curled up in bed, her arched body creating a large bulge on the bed.

Even though I was fully conscious, I didn't want to open my eyes at all. My limbs felt weak, my head was foggy, and I felt like my body had been hollowed out...

Could she have a fever?

Having never experienced excessive magic consumption before, Misaya Reirōkan chose to apply her existing experiences as the answer to this unknown situation.

Turning over to lie flat on her back, Reiryukan Misaya raised her hand and touched her forehead.

It feels warm to the touch, so it doesn't seem like a fever...

"I guess I've been too tired these past few days."

Since she didn't have a fever, Misaya Reiryukan didn't pay too much attention to it and reluctantly got out of bed.

As members of the Linglong Pavilion family, we must not be so lazy!

"Master, are you awake?" Just as she was struggling to get out of bed with her unwavering faith, there was a knock on the door.

You Du's voice rang out from outside the door.

“Caster? I’ll get up right away…” Misaya Reirōkan’s voice betrayed her exhaustion.

Upon hearing this, You Du, who had anticipated it, pushed open the door and walked in.

"Don't rush to get up, Master."

After entering the room, he went straight to Reiko Misaya's bedside with a clear purpose, and pressed her down back down after she had finally sat up and was about to get up.

"You've used up a lot of magic right now, so it's better for you to rest in bed for a while. I'll bring you breakfast later."

Misaya Reirōkan's last breath was immediately dispelled by Yūdō's slap, and she collapsed back down, her tired face showing undisguised surprise as she watched Yūdō's departing figure.

"Too much magic power consumption?" She remembered that she went upstairs to bed right after dinner last night. She hadn't done anything, so why would she have consumed too much magic power?

Did she sleepwalk and practice magic last night?

She seems to be working really hard; she even practices magic tricks while she's asleep!

So, when Yuuto returned with breakfast, he saw Reirōkan Misaya lying in bed, looking smug and lost in thought.

Yu Du: "..."

This is... a case of physical weakness causing a fever that then damaged the brain?

Okay, just kidding. He could probably guess what Misaya Reirōkan was thinking. She probably thought he was sleepwalking and using magic or something, which was why he was consuming so much magic power.

After having a quick breakfast brought by Yuto, Misaya Reirōkan felt a little better. During the meal, she also listened to Yuto explain to her why she had consumed too much magic power.

Upon learning that it was Yuuto's creation of the card that caused her to consume too much magic power, the image of herself in her mind, who was still diligent even in her dreams, collapsed.

"...So, Caster, did you finally succeed in your alchemy?"

"Of course it was a success!" Yuto took out the two cards he had crafted the night before from the card box at his waist and showed them to Reiryukan Misaya.

Both cards, 【Yubel - Guardian of Eternal Love】 and 【Eternal Beloved】, were successfully obtained. This not only depleted most of the materials Yuwatari had, but also nearly exhausted the supplies prepared by the head of the Linglong Pavilion family.

However, during the process of creating [Yubel - Guardian of Eternal Love], Yuwatari also obtained some cards that were suitable to be used as support cards for Yubel.

For example, the basic "Killer Tomato" self-destruct deck's "Yuber" and the 1-star "Hell Graveyard Creeper" can also revive "Yuber" in the graveyard by banishing itself from the graveyard.

"What do you need to do today, Caster?"

Because her body has not yet recovered, Reirōkan Misaya's daily magic practice, which she never missed, had to be interrupted today.

Unable to practice magic, she could only try, as a Master, to discuss their strategy for the Holy Grail War with Yuwatari.

Well, even though she was completely carried by the power of her own Servant, she can't just lie there like that!

She might not be that diligent in her imagination, but in reality, she is definitely very diligent!

She needs not only numerical data and mechanics, but also techniques!

“Hmm, today…” Yuuto stroked his chin and suggested, “Master, your body isn’t really suited for moving around right now, so why don’t we let our ‘allies’ go for a run?”

It's about time we told La Er about the current situation, otherwise he probably wouldn't know that their groups have almost made it to the finals.

However, it's understandable that he was late in getting the news. After all, who would have thought that his newly formed ally would defeat three enemy Servants in just a few days?

Keep in mind that their alliance was formed only two days ago...

"Should we write a letter to Rider? If so, shouldn't we also inform Archer and Elsa?"

Misaya Reiko nodded, without giving it much thought. She felt it was normal to share information with Rider, their ally, and she didn't forget to include Arash as well.

You Du naturally wouldn't object.

Since Berserker was dealt with yesterday, telling Arash will save him from wasting time searching for Berserker's whereabouts in Tokyo today.

Having made up her mind, Reiko Misaya couldn't wait to get out of bed, sit at the table, take out paper and pen, and start writing. She wrote down the names of Assassin, Lancer, and Berserker who had fallen to Yuuto's hands during this period.

Write one copy and then another. Since the main purpose is to exchange information, you only need to change the salutations and other similar parts.

After writing the two letters and stamping them with ink, the rest was handed over to the dark magic girl, who would then summon two familiars to deliver to the Rider group deep in the Okutama Mountains and the Archer group in an inn in Akihabara.

The specific address was mentioned in a letter sent to them by the Rider group's Master, so there's no need to worry about not being able to contact them.

……

after a while.

Deep within Mount Okutama, a burst of joyful laughter echoed from the main camp of the Ise-san clan.

"Hahahaha—!"

At this moment, Osmandis ignored Ise Sangenri, who was his master, and was busy opening and reading the letter that Yuwa had sent from his familiar.

"Excellent! One Servant defeated in a single day! This is the kind of power a Pharaoh should possess! Since the future Pharaoh is so diligent, I, as the King of Kings, cannot lag behind!"

As he spoke, he tossed the letter aside, stood up, and opened his arms as if he were talking to Ise Sangenri, or perhaps simply making a declaration to the world.

"Come! Let's build a temple!"

Chapter 116 He's practically a killing machine

Akihabara, inside the base where Archer's group is located.

"Ah... I didn't expect that besides Lancer, even Assassin and Berserker have already left the scene?"

After reading the letter from Yudo that he had received from Elsa, Arash murmured thoughtfully.

"It seems that the guy from last night was indeed Saber..."

Although he had discovered last night that Arthur's weapon was a sword, it was still not very reliable to determine the opponent's class based solely on the type of weapon without knowing the opponent's real name.

After all, these days, every class has people who wield swords. One Caster even earned the title of Sword Saint. So, weapons can only serve as evidence, not as conclusive evidence.

However, now that it's confirmed that three Servant classes will be leaving the game, and Archer is himself, Caster is someone he's met, and the possibilities for Rider and Saber are evenly split...

Thinking about what Arthur said last night that he might be Caster, Arash felt that the other person was more likely to be Saber.

Such sharp swordplay and agile movements... most importantly, if he is Rider, then the Noble Phantasm that best reflects his true name should be his mount, not the sword in his hand!

The only ones who would hide their swords, fearing that their true names would be revealed because of them, are Saber-class Servants!

“But Caster is really strong~” Elsa, who had read the letter before him, rested her face on her elbow on the table, sighed and slowly counted on her fingers.

"Assassin, Lancer, and Berserker... Counting the night it started, the Holy Grail War has only been going on for five days, right? And three Servants have already fallen to him..."

"If he hadn't spared us back then in order to find Berserker, he would have had to add Archer to this letter as well. That would mean he was taking down one Servant a day on average..."

This efficiency... he's practically a Servant killing machine!

It might take multiple Servants to unite to defeat Caster, but he has already killed three of the other six Servants, and two of the remaining three have become his allies. Saber, the only one left, has no chance of finding anyone else to cooperate with...

There's absolutely no hope of winning the Holy Grail War...

Neither she nor Arash were the type to give up easily, but... how should I put it?

Even if the opponent is very strong, they will rise to the challenge. Even if the opponent is so strong that it's like they're cheating, they will still try every means possible. Even if they cooperate with others, they will fight to the last drop of blood.

But now the opponent is not only incredibly strong, like they're cheating, but they've even eliminated those who could have been their teammates and pulled them to their side, perfectly making up for their numerical disadvantage...?

Wait a minute, Caster doesn't seem to have any numerical disadvantage from the beginning, does he?

Who knows how many familiars he can summon...

"Ah—!" Elsa, who was getting angrier the more she thought about it, yelled, startling Arash, who was still thinking about how to reply to Yuuto.

"Forget it! Archer, let's go! Let's go drink!"

"Huh? Drinking in broad daylight, Master?" Arash paused, looking at Elsa who was about to leave, and asked, holding up the letter in his hand:

"What about the reply to Caster? Shouldn't we tell them about the Servant I encountered yesterday who resembled Saber?"

"Oh right, I also need to reply to the letter. I almost forgot about that..." Elsa calmed down after being reminded by Arash and remembered that she needed to reply to the letter.

The self-mandatory pledge she signed included a clause requiring her to report the whereabouts of other Servants to Yuuto and the others. If she didn't comply, she wouldn't be able to withstand the backlash of the curse...

"Hmm... I think it should be enough to just briefly mention what happened last night in the reply, right?"

Too lazy to deal with those etiquette-related letter formats, Elsa simply recounted Arash's encounter with the Servant who resembled Saber the previous night, and how the two ended up having a brief but meaningful fight.

The letter was addressed to the Reirōkan family in Suginami Ward. Elsa summoned her familiar and gave it to deliver the letter.

Elsa: "Great! Problem solved! Let's go for a drink!"

Arash: "Haha, I can't drink too much since it's daytime... But do izakayas really stay open during the day?"

There should be, right?

……

Meanwhile, in an underground space somewhere in Tokyo.

Sajou Aika was standing at the edge of a huge pit, her lifeless eyes staring at the still black mud inside.

"1, 2, 3..."

"Hmm... Including the soul I prepared for Saber, do we still need 3 more Servant souls?"

A troubled expression appeared on her face.

Caster's presence has disrupted her plans. Now, if she wants to gather enough Servant souls to bring down the Holy Grail while ensuring Saber is not forced out of the game, and to allow the Beast's egg to hatch, she will probably need to replenish the amount of at least one Servant's soul.

To allow it to hatch ahead of schedule, the souls of three Servants must be replenished!

Even she herself would need some time to gather the souls of so many girls.

As she was fretting about this, the black mud in the pit stirred; the clumps of mud it had formed, resembling writhing flesh, began to pulsate.

Its head was not yet fully formed, but it had already acquired four skull fragments, although one of them was made up of the souls of some of the living sacrifices of the seventh Heroic Spirit, but it was all the same to it.

Soon, once it absorbs the remaining three skull fragments, or bites and devours an equal amount of the souls of the substitute living sacrifices, it will be able to grow seven heads with ten large horns each.

It regarded the all-powerful and radiant girl as its mother, and although it did not have the organ to speak, it still trembled, as if it was relying on this method to convey its emotions to its mother.

'Welcome back,' 'Hope to receive praise'...

"Good boy~"

Sajou Aika waved with a smile.

Several teenage girls, their faces filled with fear, entered the muddy pit, where the fleshy mass was already partially visible, step by step, despite their self-awareness and inability to control their bodies.

Sajō Aika stood on the edge of the cliff above, silently watching their bodies being torn apart in the black mud, their souls being chewed up...

Hmm, it'll take a while longer.

Chapter 217 My Masters All Possess Unique Skills