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

[Attack power: 3000→3600]

[Defense: 2500]

"The effect of [Elemental HERO Nebula Neos] is activated!"

If this card is Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, I will draw cards based on the number of cards you control, and then select 1 face-up card on the field; negate that effect until the end of this turn!

"What I want to negate is your [Dimensional Rift] on the field!"

As Yuuto made his choice, Nebula Neos Knight on the field condensed a purplish-black, unstable sphere composed entirely of energy in his hand, and then threw this unstable sphere into the dimensional rift on Matou Sakura's field.

The dimensional rift, which had been greedily absorbing life from its surroundings like a black hole, suddenly disappeared. Although the opening of the rift itself was still there, it seemed to have stabilized temporarily and was no longer trying to absorb life from its surroundings.

Yuuto also drew 4 cards from his deck to replenish his hand.

He didn't activate [Beloved Contact] when Matou Sakura summoned [Entered Demon. Hokkaido], and then used Nebula Neos's effect to negate the effect of [Entered Demon. Hokkaido].

This is because the effect of [Enter the Demon. North River II] is a typeless effect, does not enter a chain, and will not be negated by the effects of cards such as Effect Concealment and Heavenly Punishment, and Nebula Neos is naturally included in it.

Seeing that his turn was finally over, Matou Sakura continued with her own turn.

At this point, she had gathered three 4-star monsters on her field. Matou Sakura scanned the monsters on Yuto's field and ultimately abandoned her original plan, choosing only two of them for Xyz Summoning.

"I'll stack the [Demon-Entered Bloodstone] and [Demon-Entered Northern River] on the field!"

The monster on the field transformed into two purplish-black orbs of light, intertwining and plunging into the black hole-like particle vortex that appeared on the ground.

"Summon XYZ Summon, forming a superimposed network of two monsters!"

"O holy spear tainted by darkness! Now is the time to reclaim your sky! Rank 4! Appear! [Ophion, the Demon Lord]!"

Blue? White? Red?

No, all colors will be stained by 'black'. The ice-clear dragon's body will be gradually stained black. The ice dragon will lose its original appearance and appear in this world in a new form!

【Ophion, the Demon Lord】

【Level 4】

[Dragon/Xyz/Dark]

[Attack power: 2550]

[Defense: 1650]

"Activate the monster effect of [Ophion, the Demon Lord]: Once per turn, you can detach 1 Xyz Material to activate this effect; add 1 'Aggressive' Spell/Trap Card from your Deck to your hand."

"I add [Invading Devouring Collapse] to my hand! Then I set two cards face down and activate the Spell Card [Share the Pain] from my hand. Both players must Tribute one monster they control. I Tribute [Entangled Whaleman]!"

Yudu glanced at the two tall figures on his field and silently sent the android to the graveyard.

【Elemental Heroes: Sunrise Warrior】

[Attack power: 3100→2900]

Elemental Heroes: Nebula Neos

[Attack power: 3600→3400]

Matou Sakura glanced at the two remaining monsters on the field and ended her turn.

"My turn, draw a card!"

While [Ophelia the Demon Lord] is on the field, neither player can Special Summon monsters of Level 5 or higher...

Yuuto briefly recalled the effect of Ophion, put the drawn card into his hand, and then picked out one of the four cards he had drawn earlier using the Nebula Neos effect.

"I Special Summon Elemental HERO Skywalker from my hand. Activate his effect: Destroy Spell/Trap Cards on the field based on the number of HERO monsters on the field!"

"Then, with the effect of Chain Sky Knight, open the face-down card and activate the Trap Card [Invading Devouring Collapse]!"

Matou Sakura opened the card she had set down at the end of her turn, and the [Ophion, the Demon Lord] in front of her immediately turned into countless black particles of light and disappeared from the field after a mournful cry. Matou Sakura continued to speak expressionlessly.

"I banish [Ophion the Demon Lord] from my field and return [Elemental HERO Sunrise] and [Elemental HERO Nebula Neos] from your field to your hand."

Of course, Fusion Monsters will not return to your hand; they will only return to the Extra Deck.

As soon as Matou Sakura gave the order, the black light particles that had disappeared after [Ophion the Demon Lord] disappeared rushed up and wrapped around Sunrise Knight, ignoring Nebula Neos Knight who was standing to the side.

For the first time, a look of doubt appeared in Matou Sakura's lifeless eyes.

"Unfortunately, neither side can return the monster Special Summoned by the effect of [Love Contact] to the Extra Deck!"

Seeing that the others also looked puzzled like Matou Sakura, Yuuto smiled and explained.

"...In that case, return [Elemental HERO Skywalker] to your hand."

After her doubts were answered, Matou Sakura did not show a look of sudden realization like Tohsaka Rin. Instead, she remained silent for a while before calmly changing her target. The [Dimensional Rift] and another face-down card in front of her were destroyed simultaneously by the two whirlwinds left behind.

Elemental Heroes: Nebula Neos

[Attack power: 3400→3000]

However, since he had already achieved his goal, Yuuto didn't care at all and recalled the Sky Knight that had just appeared, and instead picked out another card.

"Then I activate the effect of [Cross Guardian] from my hand to send him to the Graveyard, and Special Summon [Elemental HERO Skyman] from my hand!"

【Elemental Heroes: Sky Knight】

[Attack power: 1800]

Once again, Sky Knight was summoned, and his effect was used to retrieve a True Neos Knight as insurance. Without further delay, Yudo directly chose to enter the battle phase.

"Battle has begun! First up is a direct attack from [Elemental Hero Sky Knight]!"

Yuwatari waved his hand, and the twin turbines on the mechanical wings behind Sky Warrior accelerated their rotation, whipping up two gusts of wind that blew towards Matou Sakura, who was standing alone on the empty field with no monsters to stop her.

A gust of wind lashed at Matou Sakura, instantly blowing her away.

【Matou Sakura LP: 4000→2200】

"cherry!"

Rin Tohsaka and Shirou Emiya both reached out to check on Sakura Matou, but because the duel was not yet over, they were unable to get close to the two combatants.

"Don't worry, she's fine. Neither of the duelists will suffer any damage until the duel ends."

Yuuto offered some words of comfort to Rin Tohsaka, who was somewhat flustered by concern, and then met the lifeless eyes of Sakura Matou, who was still lying on the ground.

"Alright, this is the final blow, Matou Sakura... Nebula Neos's direct attack on you."

Sakura Matou lay on the ground watching Nebula Neos walk up to her, condensing a small ball of nebula in his hand and throwing it at her.

After just a moment of intense pressure, Matou Sakura lost consciousness.

【Matou Sakura LP: 2250→0】

[Yudou: Win!]

Chapter Thirty-Five: An Unexpected Gain

Rin Tohsaka: "Sakura!"

Upon feeling himself holding an irregularly shaped polygonal fragment in his hand, You Du knew that he had achieved his purpose in coming here.

There was nothing there except some rubble and debris where Medusa left off.

Considering the previous attempt by the shadowy figure to snatch the Caster-rank silver chess piece from him, Yuuto reasonably suspects that Medusa's loot was probably swallowed up by the shadowy figure this time.

Yuuto stepped aside to let Rin Tohsaka, who was concerned about her younger sister's safety, pass by. He then summoned Sky Knight and stepped forward to block Shirou Emiya, who also wanted to check on Sakura Matou's safety.

"Wait a minute, you two. It's still during the Holy Grail War. As enemies, wouldn't it be better if you didn't get too close to my Master?"

He put away the Holy Grail fragment stained with black patterns in his hand and looked at Artoria, who was holding a sword and standing in front of Shirou Emiya, wary of him and the Sky Knight.

"I don't think anyone here wants to fight again, right?"

Rin Tohsaka seemed eager to get Sakura Matou to the hospital for a check-up as soon as possible, so Yuuto didn't plan to stay any longer.

Although Shirou Emiya was anxious, he knew that now was not the time to fight, so he just stood there and silently watched Rin Tohsaka take Sakura Matou away.

After having Sky Knight take Rin Tohsaka and the unconscious Sakura Matou away from there, Yuwatari also left the Matou residence after becoming a spirit.

The Saber duo were left standing in the messy corridor.

Artoria stood silently in place, her mind replaying the battle that hadn't quite felt like a fight, and began to consider whether she could defeat Yuuto in a duel.

The answer is naturally unknown.

How can she calculate her win rate in a duel if she doesn't even know what deck she might use?

So... is it really necessary to avoid directly confronting that Noble Phantasm?

If it's a normal battle...

Artoria recalled the night she first met Yuuto, when the New Universe Knight was standing next to him.

She still vividly remembered the blow that killed the Berserker, and she felt that she would have had a hard time blocking it.

Duels won't work, and neither will actual combat...

At this moment, Artoria felt the same way she did when she first met that golden guy during the last Holy Grail War.

Coincidentally, on a telephone pole not far from the Matou residence, Gilgamesh, dressed in modern black clothing, had just finished reading about the ordeal of Yutari and his companions.

"Oh? You actually solved the problem of the broken cup pieces?"

A hint of a smile appeared in his scarlet eyes, like someone going to the theater to see a play they usually watch, only to find that the content of the play has been changed.

He was prepared to personally eliminate that guy if he dared to cause trouble in his courtyard again, but unexpectedly, someone else took care of him first.

He was a little surprised that someone other than him could solve that thing so easily.

Furthermore, the method Yudo used to retrieve the Holy Grail fragments also greatly intrigued him.

"So, card duels have replaced the rules of battle? Not bad, it's somewhat interesting as a pastime, but that's all it is."

Gilgamesh took one last look at Artoria, who was still there, and left in high spirits after watching a good show.

……

It's late at night.

After taking Matou Sakura to the hospital and undergoing a series of examinations, confirming that her coma was caused by mental distress, Tohsaka Rin and Yuuto left the hospital and returned home.

The Holy Grail War is not over yet, and if they encounter enemies in the hospital, it could easily endanger ordinary people.

With Matou Sakura's threat completely eliminated, Rin Tohsaka, who was not physically tired but mentally exhausted, collapsed onto the bed and fell fast asleep without even saying hello.

Yu Du didn't care. He sat in the living room, brewed himself a pot of black tea with a tea bag, and then took out the black-patterned Holy Grail fragment.

[The Corrupted Grail Fragment: A+]

[A fragment left behind when the Wishing Cup, which appears in Fuyuki City every 60 years and can grant any wish, shattered. Because it is contaminated, it distorts the wishes made by the user.]

"How do I use this thing properly..."

Although it's just a fragment, with its A+ grade quality, it should be able to be crafted into a decent card.

Similarly, because it's just a small fragment, even if its quality is high, its potential for refinement is already much lower than that of ordinary A+ quality materials. However, if more effort is put into the auxiliary materials, it might be possible to break through this limit.

"Too bad, Rin's out of money."

Thinking about how Rin Tohsaka had given him most of her savings, and how he had spent a lot of money buying gems before participating in the Holy Grail War, he realized that Rin was now penniless, if not completely broke.

If we want another sum of money to come in, we'll have to wait until next month, by which time the Holy Grail War will have long been over.

If it weren't for the financial constraints, he would have originally planned to have Rin Tohsaka purchase a batch of various magical materials. After all, it wouldn't take more than a few days to send them by courier, and receiving them before the Holy Grail War ended wouldn't be a problem.

It's such a pity...

Therefore, he only has one choice left: to use this A+ grade Holy Grail fragment to refine it with the seven A grade gems that the Gemstone Elder had given him.

"As for the result of the forging... it will probably be the [Ultimate Gem Divine Rainbow Dark Dragon]?"

He can Special Summon monsters by excluding the seven DARK monsters in his Graveyard. His current HERO deck has enough types of DARK monsters, so it's usable. However, since his Extra Deck doesn't include Rainbow Neos, even if he did, it would only be Special Summoned as a high-attack attacker.

Of course, other cards might appear as well. As for whether they will be DARK attribute monsters, that depends on how much corruption is present in this Holy Grail fragment...

If there aren't enough of them, and they're overwhelmed by the other elements within those seven gems, then the Rainbow Dark Dragon will most likely not be able to emerge.

This process is actually more like the public recruitment in Arknights. The materials he uses for alchemy are the selected terms. Only by selecting the correct terms can the relevant cards be created.

Otherwise, it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack, constantly creating cards with no clear meaning.

However, if the selected materials do not contain enough concepts that are relevant, they will be wasted, just like those crossed-out entries.

"【Sinful Rainbow Dragon】is also a possibility... Anyway, judging from the dark appearance of this fragment, it's definitely not meant to be associated with the Light Attribute Rainbow Neocosm Warrior, right?"