"Afraid?" Angra Mainyu chuckled. "I discarded such unnecessary emotions long ago. I'll set two cards in my back row and end my turn."
"Then it's my turn! Draw!" Jiang You grasped his six cards.
"Now! I activate the Continuous Trap Card, 'Pseudo-Universal Duplication'! This card cannot be targeted by card effects, nor can it be destroyed by them. While this card is on the field, any Life Points the controller loses or has reduced during the turn will inflict the same amount of damage to the opponent at the end of the turn!"
Angra Mainyu had activated his Noble Phantasm. This meant that if Jiang You couldn't defeat him in one swift move, all damage dealt would be reflected back onto Jiang You.
The Noble Phantasm was certainly troublesome, but Jiang You could manage it in a 4,000 Life Point environment.
"What a terrifying effect," Illya remarked, immediately recognizing the danger. It reminded her of Shinji Matou's False Attendant's Writings. Combined with this card, it could control an opponent's Servant while dealing 1,500 points of direct damage—a truly frightening combination.
"If I can deal with it in one turn, it's as good as gone," Jiang You said. "I usually summon Hundred Faces anyway."
In truth, Black Archer's initial summon lock posed no real threat to Hundred Faces. A single card could be easily destroyed. However, it was best to neutralize it quickly, as its once-per-turn effect could become annoying.
"Emiya (Alter)'s effect destroys your Hundred Faces!"
Angra Mainyu would have preferred not to waste this forced activation, but the mandatory effect was beyond his control.
The moment Hundred Faces materialized, Black Archer shot him in the head, obliterating him.
"But it doesn't matter," Jiang You said. "Hundred Faces' effect still activates! I summon all remaining copies from my deck!"
Hundred Faces: Attack Power 800 x 2
Hundred-Faced (Host): Attack Power 800
Morning Glory: Attack Power 0
"Now then, Hundred-Faced (Host)..."
"For its effect, I'll declare a card type. I declare Spell Card!"
Jiang You couldn't believe his luck. Including Illya's previous declarations, they had now failed to declare the correct card type three times in a row.
As it turned out, it really wasn't working. This time, the card sent to the Graveyard was False Attendant's Writings, even worse than Illya's previous results. It had absolutely no effect when sent to the Graveyard.
"Illya, let's leave the next declaration to you." Jiang You figured that, given their bond, Illya had a decent chance of sending Kiritsugu Emiya to the Graveyard.
"Next, I'll overlay three Hundred Faces to Xyz Summon Fanatic!"
The Hundred Faces had mainly served this purpose, so there were no surprises.
Fanatic descended from the shadows once again.
[ Fanatic ] Attack Power: 1000 → 2500.
"Alright, let's start the usual Delusional Heartbeat sequence. First up: Emiya (Alter)!"
Under Jiang You's command, Fanatic extended a twisted hand toward Black Archer.
"Are you activating its effect?" Jiang You glanced at the last card in Angra Mainyu's hand. For some reason, it felt dangerous. He wished Angra Mainyu would just use it voluntarily.
"Of course not." Angra Mainyu looked at his hand, a cryptic smile playing on his lips. "His worth doesn't justify wasting my resources."
"Then destroy them all!"
Black Archer, his heart crushed, retreated from the field and reverted to his mindless Servant state on the sidelines.
"Next up: Artoria (Alter)! Fanatic's Delusional Heartbeat - Double Strike!"
Because Artoria could negate one effect targeting herself, Fanatic's ability activated twice in succession to destroy her. With a single card, Angra Mainyu's entire front row of Servants was wiped clean.
"Now, I activate the Continuous Spell Card 'Tomes of the Hundred.' Once per turn, by tributing a 'Hassan Sabbah' from my field, I can destroy one card on the field or draw one card. I tribute Fanatic to destroy the Set Card on your left!"
With the front row cleared, it was time to deal with the back row. If he chose correctly, he might be able to finish Angra Mainyu in a single turn.
"Too bad! I activate my Set Trap Card 'Spirit Origin Inversion'! This card can only be activated when I have no Servants on my field. By halving my Life Points, I destroy all Attack Position Servants on your field. Then, I Special Summon 'Alter' Servants from my Graveyard, up to the number of Servants destroyed. The Servants summoned by this effect cannot attack, their effects are negated, and they are destroyed at the end of the turn. Since you had two Servants, I can summon two!"
Angra Mainyu: LP 4000 → LP 2000.
The surging black mud engulfed the Fanatic and Morning Glory. Since the Fanatic had already left the field before its effect could activate, Jiang You's destruction effect failed to trigger.
Angra Mainyu: Defense 500.
Artoria (Alter): Attack 2500.
The two Servants who had just left the field returned immediately. The rapid succession of summons caused Black Saber to grimace in frustration.
"What kind of divine power is this? It's like a beefed-up version that doesn't even require an attack declaration!"
Jiang You glanced at his hand, currently lacking any direct means to break through the defense.
"In any case, I activate Delusional Illusion! I special summon up to three Hundred Faces from my Deck, hand, or Graveyard, but the effects of these summoned Hundred Faces are negated! I special summon three Hundred Faces in defense position!"
Hundred Faces: Defense 500 x 3.
"Before that, hand over that set card in your back row! I activate the effect of Encyclopedia of Knowledge! Since there are three Hundred Faces on the field, all its effects trigger! The Hundred Faces gain 500 defense until the end of the turn! I destroy your back row and then draw a card!"
Angra Mainyu's face-down cards had finally been destroyed. At the start of his next turn, his field would be completely clear.
"Finally, I set two more cards face-down in my back row and end my turn."
If not for that Spirit Origin Inversion card, Jiang You could have defeated Angra Mainyu without triggering Pseudo-Universal Duplication. By combining Morning Glory with three Hundred Faces cards, he could have boosted his Attack Power by 500 points, dealing a total of 4,400 damage.
"Now, at the end of your turn, the effect of Pseudo-Universal Duplication activates! You take 2,000 damage!"
Angra Mainyu's reflected damage effect kicked in.
"Of course, my two servants on the field are also destroyed."
The two Alter servants dissolved back into Black Mud.
Jiang You's Life Points dropped from 4,000 to 2,000.
In this Shadow Game, losing half his Life Points caused Jiang You a slight stinging sensation. Fortunately, his adjusted pain settings seemed to be working; he had lowered the pain feedback to the minimum. After all, he was here to play a game, not to become a masochist.
"Alright, my turn! Draw!"
Angra Mainyu raised the card he'd been holding since the start of the turn, his smile widening. "You've been so curious about this card, haven't you? Let me show you. I'll sacrifice your three Assassins to Special Summon—"
" Kiara Sessyoin !"