What Holy Grail War? Let's Play Cards!

Typically, the spirits summoned by holy relics shared a strong thematic connection. Surely the sheath of Avalon could only summon the legendary Arthur Pendragon.

But... how could King Arthur possibly have an Eastern appearance?

Staring at the black-haired youth before him, Kiritsugu Emiya found himself plunged into contemplation. The young man wore an equally puzzled expression.

When did "Yu-Gi-Oh!" collab with the Type-Moon universe?

It was the first day of the new era for Yu-Gi-Oh!—the public beta phase for its fully immersive gameplay experience. Jiang You had eagerly secured time off work to be among the first to dive into the game. His goal was to grind out his own unique spirit as early as possible.

After setting the built-in alarm in the immersive device, Jiang You couldn't wait to lie down and enter.

Yet, upon opening his eyes, he found himself confronted with a classic Type-Moon scene—Kiritsugu Emiya and Irisviel von Einzbern were unmistakably present, while lying on the ground was a strikingly familiar gold and blue sheath.

But how could these two IPs be related?

"Ah, so it was hiding here. It seems like this really is a crossover event." After wandering around for a bit, Jiang You finally found a panel that looked like a Servant info screen. He glanced at his own information and realized there might be more to this than he thought.

Jiang You 's curiosity was instantly piqued. He reported his game ID.

"I am called Caster, summoned by your call. Let me ask you, are you my Master?"

(TL Note: Bro's ID is legit just "Caster")

"It is I, Kiritsugu Emiya." Kiritsugu nodded at Jiang You , feeling somewhat relieved inside. If it had been the King of Knights, Arthur, there could have been conflicts with his own abilities. On the other hand, a Caster skilled in positional warfare seemed far more suitable for his class.

However, Kiritsugu's brow furrowed quickly. This Servant's panel was truly peculiar, and he had evidently given a false name in a rather insincere manner. It was important to note that a Master could directly access their Servant's information. This behavior suggested the Servant might not be willing to cooperate.

The Holy Grail War had not yet officially begun. Ideally, he would like to resolve this issue, but if not...

Kiritsugu Emiya glanced at the three Command Spell marks on his hand. "Caster, is there a reason you're using a pseudonym?"

"Pseudonym?"

Jiang You finally noticed that the name on his panel was indeed his true one.

Class: Caster

Master: Kiritsugu Emiya

True Name: Jiang You

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Strength: E

Endurance: E

Agility: E

Mana: E

Luck: C+

Noble Phantasm: EX

Exclusive Skills

Fate's Draw: A+

Can be used once per battle. Allows the user to specify a card to be added to their hand during the draw phase. With sufficient connections, may allow for drawing something outside the deck.

Class Skills:

Fortress Construction: EX

Prop Creation: E

Extra-Dimensional Life?

Noble Phantasm

This Place Shall Become Duel City

Rank: EX

Type: Barrier Noble Phantasm

Attack Range: 1~∞

Maximum Capture: ∞ people

Can force a change in battle rules.

Within the specified rules, battles will turn into card duels, with duel rules adjusting accordingly.

The affected individuals will generate corresponding decks based on their own legends, experiences, and potential.

Come forth, duelists! Stake everything you have!

Perhaps I filled in the information incorrectly at the time.

But it doesn't matter! The character 'You' is still present in my name!

"I accidentally filled it out wrong," Jiang You replied absentmindedly, carefully examining the two NPCs before him. "Did Old K eat some weird mushrooms? When did virtual reality get this lifelike? This doesn't seem like something they'd create."

Jiang You took a step forward, even catching a whiff of Kiritsugu's faint smoke scent. He nodded in satisfaction, then turned his gaze to Illyasviel von Einzbern standing to the side. This woman who'd become a mother despite being only nine years old, this figure, seemed to glow under the pale moonlight streaming through the window. Her face, smooth as polished jade, looked almost like it wanted to be gently pinched.

Players had always been creatures of instant gratification, and without a moment's hesitation, Jiang You made to reach out.

"Caster, Illyasviel is the miniature Holy Grail of this Holy Grail War; we cannot afford any mishaps. If the Grail sustains damage, the full-scale manifestation will be compromised. Please refrain from any... impropriety," Kiritsugu interjected, unable to let Jiang You's peculiar actions go unchecked. He was aware that each servant had their own flaws and quirks, and the newcomer named "Jiang You" likely bore the label of "lecherous." This wasn't surprising, but as husband and guardian of Illyasviel, Kiritsugu Emiya felt duty-bound to protect his wife.

"This AI is a bit too absurd. Good job, Kaiba! I won't Fxxk with you today," Jiang You couldn't help but nod at the NPC's nearly perfect reaction to his antics. However, as he watched Illyasviel retreat with a mix of surprise and disgust on her face, he felt somewhat awkward.

Too realistic, and it's all too easy for people to get overly invested.

Wait, why should I even feel awkward?! Even if it's just an NPC, there's still a real criminal here! That's the one who deserves a hard punch—a guaranteed card duel I must take on!

His awkwardness swiftly transformed into fighting spirit, and Jiang You turned his gaze towards the thug in the black suit.

Considering the current crossover event, as an important NPC, Kiritsugu Emiya must be able to play cards, right?!

The sidelong glance from Jiang You sent a chill straight down Kiritsugu's spine—it was a gaze he had seen before.

It was the look mages gave to ordinary humans: a superior gaze that treated people as mere "objects."

And yet, this Servant's stare was even more chilling than any mage he had ever encountered!

So utterly cold.

So utterly... devoid of humanity.

This was clearly a prelude to an attack, but after all, Jiang You was still a Servant, possessing sufficient countermeasures. Moreover, he hadn't yet acquired any anti-magic skills.

Kiritsugu Emiya raised the Command Spell on his hand, the cross-shaped seal emitting a blinding red light. "By the name of the Command Spell! Caster..."

At that moment, Jiang You also received a notification from the System.

Kiritsugu Emiya has challenged you to a duel.

Do you accept?

[Duel/Combat]

"Oh, you've finally arrived! I've been waiting for this!" Jiang You selected the [Duel] button without hesitation. "I'm surprised they don't offer a 'Cancel' option. You really know your stuff, Ol' K? A Duelist would never refuse a duel invitation! Though they could drop the word 'Combat'—it's far too bland!"

Excitedly, Jiang You caught the deck of cards materializing out of thin air and let out a loud shout.

"DUEL!"

In an instant, space began to warp violently. The narrow gap between the benches, barely enough for walking, was brutally stretched open to several dozen feet wide. Everything around made way for Jiang You and Kiritsugu, clearing an ample space. Under the influence of the altering space, Alice also retreated to the periphery.

[Jiang You – LP: 4000]

[Kiritsugu Emiya – LP: 4000]

"The Command Spell... ineffective?" Kiritsugu Emiya gazed at the intact Command Spell in his hand, beads of cold sweat forming on his brow. If the spell couldn't take effect, he had no means to control Jiang You.

Noting the anomalies around them, Kiritsugu felt a growing sense of unease. He wanted to retreat outside the building, but mysterious rules held him back.

His Time Alter ability failed to activate, and he found a deck of cards in his hand at some point. "A Noble Phantasm, it seems this was set up long ago... The rules are directly engraved in my mind."

The deck is shared between Master and Servant, drawn from their legends, experiences, and possibilities. It appears fair, but this is ultimately Jiang You's tool.

Ideally, I should avoid this duel if possible. After all, a Servant depends on a Master for mana. Perhaps there's still room for negotiation. Kiritsugu decided to appeal to Shizu's interests first. "Caster, please remain calm. If you require them, the House of Einzbern has numerous artificial humans at your disposal. We can also provide other necessities as needed."

"Why not shout 'Duel'? I'll leave a negative review later if you don't."

"From what I'm hearing, the duel rewards are customizable, but you're not giving any options," Jiang You said, scratching his chin in mild annoyance. "And these terms must be from the script's props, right? Something Kiritsugu should come up with. So how does he plan to fill them?"

A holy grail? That seemed clearly like a completion reward; mentioning it would likely fail 99% of the time. Besides, it wasn't something Kiritsugu had.

Avalon? That was right beneath their feet; he could reach down and pick it up at any moment.

Illyasviel? That choice wasn't bad, but having considered it, he naturally had to opt for something more classic.

So, Jiang You decisively stated that item's name: "Illya."

"Let's make Illya the reward."

Kiritsugu was silent for a long time. Finally, he straightened out his crumpled collar and slowly asked in a calm tone, "Just as expected of a Caster. You've perfectly grasped your Master's information in less than a minute. Then you must know Illya's age, right?"

"Eight years old?" Jiang You responded almost instinctively, his experience as a seasoned otaku kicking in.

"Since we've already ascertained the situation, there's nothing else to say." During this exchange, Kiritsugu Emiya had methodically read through the duel rules and Jiang You's servant panel. With no viable retreat, he decided to give it a go. A black, ominous aura began to envelop the entire space.

"I shall initiate a Shadow duel. The price? My very soul!" Kiritsugu Emiya spoke with icy calm, yet his boiling anger was palpable to the naked eye.

"An NPC actually losing composure? And it's logically consistent too—this AI is truly something else," Jiang You mused, observing Kiritsugu's brimming war eagerness. He marveled, feeling as though this game could almost be played as a life simulation. Then, he spotted a blind spot: "Just so you know, when you called me a 'lolicon,' did you ever think about your wife?"

The dark aura faltered. Due to the user's hesitation, the Shadow duel failed to initiate.

"She's only nine!" Kiritsugu blurted out, his voice unhesitating.

Time seemed to freeze as Irisviel, who had been watching Kiritsugu Emiya's face, struggled to reconcile the image of her usually composed and stern husband with the indescribable expression now etched upon his features.

Seeing the plot pause, Jiang You switched to "gather intelligence" mode.

"Alright, I'll go first, draw!" he cried.