"I set three cards in my backrow and end my turn!"
Jiang You glanced at the face-down cards Illya had just set: Confused Master, Support Fire, and Origin Bullet—all capable of neutralizing attacks from servants lacking resistance to magic traps.
Perfect. Zouken Matou had no way to deal with backrow cards. Even summoning three Engraving Worms simultaneously wouldn't help him break through.
"An Xyz Summon... a type I've never seen before. And 3000 Attack Power," Zouken Matou muttered, cautiously observing Fanatic. Summoning four servants at once must have made her absurdly powerful.
"Rest assured, Fanatic doesn't have any effects that activate during your turn, so your Engraving Worm should work on her. Oh wait, now it's all up to luck."
Thanks to Hundred Faces, disguised as the Host, being used as Xyz Material, Fanatic now has an additional effect: she can flip a coin to negate attacks.
"Do you think I'm as naive as Shinji?" Zouken Matou wouldn't easily believe Jiang You's words. Illya had already used that trick once before.
"My turn. Draw!"
"First, Makiri Zolgen's effect. I send this card from my hand to the Graveyard to search my Deck for a Five Hundred Years of Vows."
"Still trying to summon yourself? That card's effect is truly terrible, you know."
Jiang You had seen Zouken Matou play this strategy countless times. He had no offensive capabilities whatsoever, offering no challenge at all.
"Survival is paramount! As a Servant, you wouldn't understand the preciousness of life!"
"Do you really have the right to say that?"
Jiang You never expected to hear such words from Zouken Matou. "Leaving aside the question of whether innocent people have died at your hands, you use your own descendants as vessels to prolong your life. Doesn't that make their lives worthless?"
"I can barely manage my own affairs, let alone worry about others!" Zouken retorted. "I activate 'Five Hundred Years of Obsession'! By sacrificing 'Wing Blade Insect' and 'Engraving Worm' from my Deck and sending them to the Graveyard, I Ritual Summon 'Zouken Matou' from my hand in Attack Position!"
A humanoid figure composed entirely of swarming insects materialized, taking the form of Zouken Matou.
Zouken Matou: Attack Power 1800
"Next, I Normal Summon Shinji Matou! I'm genuinely curious to see how this version of Shinji will manifest!"
Though the Flesh Holy Grail had temporarily lost its core, its connection to Shinji Matou remained unbroken. The foul black orifice continued to spew forth viscous Black Mud.
Shinji Matou materialized on the battlefield in his normal human form.
Shinji Matou: Attack Power 200
"You old bastard! How dare you deceive me?!"
The moment Shinji Matou landed, he began berating Zouken Matou, furious that he had been chosen as a sacrifice to form the Holy Grail.
"How dare you speak to your elders like that? I distinctly remember teaching you proper manners!" Zouken pressed down on Shinji with the oppressive authority he had cultivated over decades.
But it no longer worked. Convinced he was doomed, Shinji threw caution to the wind, hurling vile insults at the loathsome old man who had terrorized him since childhood.
"*%&$ you!"
"Enough of this caterwauling! Thanks to the effect of [ Shinji Matou ], I can activate a set Trap Card this turn. I activate [ False Attendant's Writings ]! By paying 1500 Life Points, I seize control of [ Fanatic ]!"
Zouken Matou's Life Points: 4000 → 2500
The pain of his soul being drained filled Zouken with dread. If he could have avoided activating a card that reduced his own Life Points, he would have. But Shinji, with his consistently high win rate, had always used this card decisively. Now, Zouken was trying to win the Duel by adopting Shinji's tactics.
"You know I just got my hands on an Origin Bullet, right?"
Illya decisively flipped over her Set Card. The Fanatic had no way to counter its effect.
"Don't even think about it! Origin Bullet's effect: Negate and destroy False Attendant's Writings!"
"Damn it!"
Zouken Matou had wasted his Life Points for nothing. Convinced that Shinji's tactics were useless, he turned his fury on the boy. "You worthless piece of trash!"
Shinji Matou: "?"
Though Shinji didn't understand what Zouken meant, it didn't stop him from cursing even more venomously.
"At least I managed to bait out one of his Traps."
Zouken continued his turn. "Next, the Spell Card Awakened Will! Special Summon a Master Servant from my Deck! The Servant summoned by this card will be automatically destroyed at the end of the turn! I summon Sakura Matou!"
Sakura Matou's Attack Power: 1200 → 700.
Though their bond wasn't strong enough for a proper summoning, Zouken had ways to force it through.
"Sakura, how's the evacuation going?"
Jiang You had already made his preparations, having quite a few servants at his disposal.
"The evacuation is mostly complete, but a small group is stubbornly refusing to leave, insisting on watching the battle," Sakura Matou said, pointing to the sparse crowd in the stands. They were recklessly putting themselves in danger just to see the spectacle.
"Once everyone willing to cooperate has left, Rider and the others will forcibly remove those who remain."
"Where do these bloodthirsty spectators come from...?" Jiang You muttered, reminding himself that this wasn't Sea World.
"It really is you, Grandpa," Sakura said, turning to Zouken Matou after answering Jiang You's question. "I'm afraid I'll have to trouble Caster to help me again."
"Nonsense," Jiang You replied. "Considering our relationship, isn't that only natural?"
As he spoke, Illya punched him in the head, clearly upset. Just moments ago, she had sworn he would only be her servant, and now he was saying such things to Sakura.
"Again?" Zouken couldn't understand Sakura's words. "But Sakura, you can only help me now. What a pity! The Sakura Matou effect transfers control of one of my servants to the opponent. Shinji, since you hate me so much, I'll give you a chance to strike me down!"
Fanatic's Attack Power: 3000 → 2500
"Do you have any servants in your deck with 2500 or more Attack Power?" Zouken Matou asked, clearly intending to banish Fanatic from the field. Jiang You knew that Zouken's deck's highest attack power came from Zouken himself.
"No, but that doesn't mean I can't overcome this," Jiang You replied. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card, 'Proper Summon'! This card can only be activated if your opponent controls an Assassin. I Special Summon 'Cursed Arm Hassan' from my deck, destroy that Assassin, and grant Cursed Arm half of its original Attack Power!"
A crimson demonic arm tore through Fanatic's chest as Cursed Arm Hassan emerged from her body.
Cursed Arm Hassan's Attack Power: 1500 → 2000.
"Fanatic's effect!" Illya countered. "When destroyed by a battle effect, I can detach one Xyz Material instead to negate the destruction!"
Illya wasn't about to let Fanatic be defeated so easily.
Forced to open her chest, Fanatic dissolved into a cloud of black mist, then coalesced again, reappearing unharmed.
Fanatic's Attack Power: 2500 → 2000.