"But first, we need to deal with this nuisance."
Illya glared at Shinji Matou. The 500 Attack Power reduction was indeed a significant blow to the Hassan Deck.
"I activate the Continuous Spell Card, [ Tomes of the Hundred ]. Once per turn, by tributing a [ Hassan Sabbah ] monster on my field, I can either destroy one card on the field or draw one card. I'll tribute [ Fanatic ] to destroy [ Shinji Matou ]!"
"Since [ Fanatic ] was destroyed before [ Shinji Matou ], she'll be banished!" Zouken Matou helpfully pointed out.
"No need to remind me. Thank you for your service, Miss Fanatic," I replied.
As the terminal of the Hundred Faces, [ Fanatic ] had borne the brunt of the pressure. Now, her shift was finally over. She transformed into a mass of shadows and slammed into Shinji Matou, poor Shinji-kun losing consciousness once again and returning to the core of the Holy Grail.
"Next, [ Archivist of Hidden Knowledge ] selects three cards from the Graveyard, adds one to my hand, and returns the other two to the Deck. I choose two basic [ Hundred Faces ] cards and one [ Hundred-Faced (Host) ] card. I'll add the basic version to my hand."
With the addition of another form, the tactical options between the [ Hundred Faces ] cards had expanded slightly.
"I Normal Summon [ Hundred Faces ] and activate her effect to Special Summon the two cards I just returned to the Deck from my Deck!"
The [ Hundred Faces ] strategy revolves around repeatedly cycling identical cards.
"[ Hundred-Faced (Host) ]."
"I activate its effect and declare a card type: Spell Card!"
[ Hundred Faces ] Attack Power: 800 x 2
[ Hundred-Faced (Host) ] Attack Power: 800
The card revealed was [ Hassan of Serenity ], but it still failed to join Illya's hand.
"Looks like your luck's running dry," Zouken Matou sneered, his gaze fixed on Illya's last card. The total attack power of the Hassans on the field now stood at 2400, and Illya's back row didn't appear to contain any traps that could only be activated in response to attacks, as none had been triggered when Cursed Arm attacked earlier.
"It's not just bad luck," Illya retorted. "I activate my final card: the Quick-Play Spell Card [ Pale Dance of Death ]! Once per turn, I can Special Summon a [ Hassan Sabbah ] from my Graveyard or hand and destroy a Servant Card on the field! My target is [ Hassan of Serenity ]! Destroy your [ Engraving Worm ]!"
The slender Hassan of Serenity materialized from the shadows behind the Engraving Worm, bisecting it with a single stroke. Carried by the momentum of her charge, she landed gracefully before Illya.
Serenity: Attack Power 1500
If Serenity hadn't been sent to the Graveyard, Illya could have instead Special Summoned the last original Hundred Faces from her Graveyard, boosting her field's total attack power to 3200.
Zouken Matou never imagined that a single copy of the False Attendant's Writings would lead to his complete downfall. Desperate, he attempted to escape using magic, but the rules of the Duel Space were absolute. Until the duel's conclusion, any attempt to leave the space was futile.
"Wait! The Matou Family still possesses a vast library of rare tomes. If you spare my life..."
Having witnessed countless battles in this timeline, Zouken understood that Jiang You's threat to stake souls was no idle jest, especially given Jiang You's ability to produce Soul Crystals at will. He promptly begged for mercy.
"Foolish... No, I've already said that. If you die, Sakura will inherit everything, right?"
It was indeed the same man, his plea for mercy identical to before. Jiang You, utterly ignorant of magecraft—not even Medea's personal tutoring had helped—had no interest in the Matou library. He'd rather use it to improve Sakura's life and deepen their bond. As for money, Mr. Atram's generous contributions were more than sufficient.
"So, for Sakura's sake, there's even less reason to let you live!"
Now that Illya had become Jiang You's Master, Atrum had lost his function as Jiang You's "battery." He was now desperately helping Medea maintain the barrier, still serving as her power source.
"Illya, attack!" Jiang You reminded her that she was in control of the battle.
"So, you're telling your own Master that you'd rather be fighting for someone else?" Illya rolled her eyes, thinking she needed to add more demands to the Shadow Game rules.
With the Old Man Worm still to deal with, Illya refrained from questioning Jiang You further. "A total of 3900 damage. Zouken Matou, can you withstand that?"
Unfortunately for the Matou Family, their Insect Deck had no graveyard effects to block attacks, and with no cards in hand, they had no hand traps either. Under Zouken Matou's resentful gaze, the Hassans surged forward.
Zouken Matou's LP: 2500 → 0!
A black hand emerged from the darkness, seized Zouken Matou, ignored his pleas for mercy, and dragged him into the abyss.
Battle Reward: [Cursed Arm Hassan] x1, [Proper Summoning] x1 has been sent to your inbox. Please check.
As expected, Zouken Matou provided the Cursed Arm card, further expanding Jiang You's Hassan Deck. The only disappointment was that Jiang You had already reached the limit for obtaining Soul Crystals, and he still coveted Zouken's medium-grade Soul Crystal.
"Next, we need to deal with the Holy Grail problem," Illya said, her gaze fixed on Shinji Matou. The sight of him filled her with disgust, and she considered having Minamoto no Raikou unleash her Noble Phantasm to obliterate the wretched creature immediately.
"Speaking of which, I should thank Shinji. If it weren't for him, I might have ended up as that vessel myself."
"Part of the reason I came here was to help you avoid that fate," Jiang You replied truthfully. Players in their first playthroughs typically aimed for a happy ending, even in ero games.
"I think you're just enjoying yourself here," Illya countered. You knew to ask Acht to modify Mother's body to serve as a vessel. Why did you conveniently forget about me when it came to my turn?
Suddenly, Jiang You received a notification indicating a decrease in Affection, and he panicked.
Illya found Jiang You's reaction satisfactory and temporarily let him off the hook.
"What do you plan to do with that thing? It doesn't exactly look like it can be turned into a card, does it?"
"If I directly touch the Black Mud, there are three possible outcomes for my Noble Phantasm. First, it could directly lock onto Zouken Matou, the mastermind behind this entire mess."
Jiang You had studied the effects of his Noble Phantasm, but he couldn't be certain how it would react to the Black Grail's offensive judgment.
"Second, it could trigger a Malice/Corruption debuff, directly summoning Angra Mainyu, the Master of the Black Mud."
"You're not sure either?" Illya frowned.
"Not entirely, but there might be a way to confirm it," Jiang You replied, recalling a method Archer had mentioned.
"What is it?"
"So, if I want to act as a vessel, what should I do?"
Shirou Emiya glared at the Black Mud spreading across the ground, his face twisted with fury. He would never forget the burning flames and acrid stench—the source of the Fuyuki Fire ten years ago.
"Let me think..."
"Even Archer's knowledge has its limits," Jiang You said uncertainly. "He tentatively suggested... drinking it?"