What Holy Grail War? Let's Play Cards! (Fate/Yugioh)

Tristan charged toward Minamoto no Raikou, his ethereal arrows weaving a deadly tapestry, intent on tearing her apart.

In a normal battle, Tristan might have posed a slight challenge to Minamoto no Raikou. But in a Duel, even a single point of Attack Power could grant an absolute advantage. Raikou's thunder tore through the vacuum threads woven from Tristan's harp music, surging toward him.

Tristan LP 1200 → LP 0!

Tristan reduced his Life Points to zero just before the Lion King's Noble Phantasm could strike, forcing Jiang You to withdraw from the Duel along with him.

"Without an enemy, you'll no longer be protected by the Noble Phantasm! I won't let you hinder My King! Vanish in My King's mercy!" Tristan laughed triumphantly, knowing this was his final act. The Shadow Game bypassed the Lion King's Divine Protection and shattered his Spirit Origin.

"To fall so dishonorably... well, it suits my current state. At least... at least I fought for the King until the very end."

Tristan's body began to fade, his shattered Spirit Origin no longer able to sustain his physical manifestation. With his last breath, he glanced at Jiang You. "I apologize for my earlier words. Even if you rely solely on your Noble Phantasm, you have earned the right to challenge the King. Therefore, I implore you... withdraw from this place now."

Tristan ultimately returned to the Throne of Heroes. Along with the Tristan Servant Card, Jiang You also received the Lion King's Divine Protection, the "Inverted Blessing."

Regrettably, it was marked as "story-limited," meaning its effectiveness would fluctuate based on the Lion King's Spirit Origin, potentially becoming stronger or weaker.

This was understandable. Jiang You had cards relatively well-suited for breaking through this challenge. If it were another Servant, they'd be utterly helpless against it.

"An extremely powerful magical reaction in the sky!" Romani, who had been constantly monitoring their surroundings, warned. The Lion King's Noble Phantasm had already set off piercing alarms on his instruments, its power now reaching the Divine Realm. "The next strike is estimated to land in less than two minutes! Ritsuka, Mash, run! This is beyond our capabilities!"

"But... what about everyone here?" Mash glanced worriedly at the Mountain Folk village. The villagers had warmly welcomed them, and she couldn't forgive herself if she abandoned them now.

"My Noble Phantasm..."

"Mash! Even though your Spirit Origin has been confirmed as Galahad's, your Noble Phantasm still hasn't fully awakened!"

Romani dared not gamble on Mash breaking through in the heat of battle. He was responsible for everyone's safety.

"We can't afford to risk it. We should still have time to escape with Ritsuka at Heroic Spirit speed!"

Jiang You watched the scene unfold with narrowed eyes. It was a classic crisis moment: the protagonist wanting to stay and fight while others urged retreat. While Mash could undoubtedly succeed if she chose to stay and block the attack with her Noble Phantasm, there was another solution.

"Leave it to me."

The young man, drenched in blood, staggered toward the group, forcing a painful smile. "Ah, how embarrassing. I promised to protect everyone, but I couldn't keep my word."

This was Arash, the great hero who served as the origin of the Archer Class. Before Jiang You's group arrived to reinforce them, Lancelot had closed in and struck him with a full-power Noble Phantasm at point-blank range, sending him tumbling into the ravine. Only his extraordinary resilience had allowed him to barely survive.

"As compensation, let me handle this attack. My Noble Phantasm should be able to block it."

Arash possessed an immensely powerful Noble Phantasm, but the cost was equally devastating: unleashing it would tear his body apart, killing him instantly.

"Just to be safe, you should all retreat to safety first."

Now that Jiang You had arrived, he couldn't let Arash simply self-destruct. He didn't need to grind Arash's Bond level anyway. After all, his own Arash had long been relegated to the storage box—there was no room for him on his team!

"Lancelot!"

At Jiang You's call, the black-armored knight charged toward Arash.

"!?"

Arash didn't recognize Jiang You. He had assumed that any Servant standing with Ritsuka Fujimaru would be an ally. To his shock, it turned out to be one of the Knights of the Round Table. Hearing that familiar name, Arash tensed, realizing the enemy hadn't left.

Unfortunately, Arash was already wounded. Lancelot effortlessly knocked him unconscious with the hilt of his sword.

"...?"

Tawara Tōta had been preparing to witness Arash unleash the most brilliant arrow of his life, fueled by the sacrifice of his life force. He had even poured wine for a farewell toast, only to be met with this unexpected scene.

"Jiang You!"

Xuanzang hadn't anticipated Jiang You's move. She had already assumed a combat stance, but her posture inexplicably resembled that of a monkey.

"Explaining would take too long," Jiang You said. "There's no time."

Jiang You clarified that the "liberation" he had spoken of wasn't Arash's, but his own.

"I've already used my Noble Phantasm to encompass everyone—including the villagers—within its range. As Tristan said, a Duel grants immunity to all attacks. Of course, I have no idea what would happen if someone blew up the Earth."

This was precisely what Tristan had feared, which is why he had ordered all remaining Enforcement Knights to commit suicide.

"But... there are no enemies left here," someone pointed out.

"Who said a Duel can only be fought against an enemy?" Jiang You countered. "That's just narrow-minded thinking—shallow, naive, Too young, Too simple! A Duel is for forging connections, not for slaughtering opponents."

"Don't let your companions self-destruct needlessly. Wouldn't it be better to have more allies? So, quickly pair up the villagers for duels with their nearest neighbors, and you should hurry too. Oh, and don't challenge any of my summoned servants—they're exempt from the duel rules."

"You should have said that sooner!" Romani complained, the instrument panel's meters already hitting their peak.

"Brace for impact! Countdown: 10, 9, 8, 7..."

"Mr. Jiang You, what about you?" Mash asked. After Gudako accepted the duel challenge and everyone else had paired up, she noticed that Jiang You hadn't found an opponent. Arash, still unconscious, couldn't accept a duel either.

"You—"

A golden torrent of magical power descended, engulfing everyone.

When the magical power dissipated, the ground had been scoured several meters deep. Beneath the shattered ruins, all those who had been dueling emerged unscathed. Only Jiang You, Arash, and the servants he had summoned had vanished into the light.

"This is... a bit much, isn't it?" Tawara Tōta scratched his head, finding the outcome almost comical. He wasn't sure whether to mourn his vanished comrades or not.

"Now both Lord Arash and Lord Jiang You are gone."

"Whoa, I almost forgot about that."

Jiang You, still carrying Arash, suddenly reappeared at their previous location. He clutched his chest, looking relieved and slightly shaken. "So it really works—transferring objects to another timeline through contact. But the magical power consumption is insane..."