What Holy Grail War? Let's Play Cards!

"I activate Makiri Zolgen's effect! When this card is Special Summoned, I can select one of my opponent's non-Master Servant cards with 2 stars or lower and gain control of it."

As the original researcher of Command Seals, Makiri Zolgen had an astonishing level of control over familiars. The Crest Worm was transferred to Jiang You's field.

"Sakura, I'm sorry, but I need you to endure this for a bit." Fearing that Matou Sakura would recall painful memories, Jiang You reassured her in advance.

Seeing that Sakura nodded slightly—perhaps without even realizing it—Jiang You knew that his affinity with her had improved.

"Entering the Battle Phase! Crest Worm attacks Matou Sakura! Sakura, I need you to come to my side."

As the Crest Worm was destroyed, crimson markings erupted across Matou Sakura's body, and she was drawn to Jiang You's battlefield.

"This Matou Zouken isn't the one from your timeline, so let loose your hatred here. Matou Sakura, direct attack on Matou Zouken!"

Following the decision made for her, Matou Sakura acted on her true feelings. The sound of a bowstring echoed repeatedly as arrows embedded themselves in Matou Zouken's skull.

Matou Zouken LP 1500 → LP 300

"And now, Makiri Zolgen, finish this! Deliver the final blow to Matou Zouken!"

"No matter how much you deny it, I am your future. You will become me in the end." Matou Zouken sneered, watching his younger self reject him so completely. "I used to be so naïve..."

"Matou Zouken, if I am to become you, then I'd rather let my life end here." Firefly-like familiars gathered in the air, forming into a swarm of Gandr bullets. Staring down his own corrupted future, Makiri Zolgen declared, "Farewell, my future self. A shell that has lost its ideals has no reason to exist!"

A storm of Gandr rained down upon Matou Zouken, and in the burst of magical energy, he thought he glimpsed a white figure.

Who was it? It felt so familiar, yet he couldn't remember.

Matou Zouken LP 300 → LP 0!

The battle was over. Matou Zouken could no longer maintain his form—his body, composed of magical energy, began to disintegrate. "This pain... this rotting agony... how unbearable."

He thought he would have to expend more magical resources to revive himself again. However, to his horror, he found his consciousness locked within his crumbling body.

"This... this can't be happening." Almost all of Matou Zouken's efforts had gone into prolonging his existence. He prided himself on his survival skills—he was convinced that in this era, no one could rival him in preserving their life. Yet now, all his methods were failing. He could vaguely sense it—his soul had been anchored to this place.

"No, no! Caster, I can serve you! The Matou family's centuries of accumulated knowledge can all be yours. You want Sakura, don't you? You can take her right now. Please, stop your Noble Phantasm!"

"Fool! Even if I kill you, she's still mine!" Jiang You didn't hesitate—his response came instinctively, as if embedded in his very DNA.

"I beg you... I don't want to..." A massive black hand emerged from the void, pulling Matou Zouken's soul into a dark abyss.

Moments later, the same hand reappeared, offering Jiang You a Soul Crystal.

Tossing the crystal up and catching it, Jiang You confirmed it was real. It felt heavier than the previous one, noticeably larger.

"So it really does drop loot... and the size must be proportional to the target's magical energy."

The system indicated that the Large Soul Crystal could be broken down into three regular Soul Crystals, with a note stating that the total value would remain unchanged. Jiang You wasted no time in dismantling it into three parts.

"This... this is a materialized soul?" Makiri Zolgen, whose existence was fading, immediately recognized it. He turned to Illyasviel, smiling bitterly. "No wonder the Einzbern family summoned this Servant. Heir of the Winter Saint, congratulations—you are one step closer to fulfilling your family's long-cherished wish."

As Makiri Zolgen disappeared, Illyasviel finally snapped out of her daze. "Ca... Caster, what is that in your hand?!"

"You sound just like your mom." Jiang You tucked the crystals away. "I'm not in a hurry to raise your affinity right now. The Einzbern cards are all too similar, so they're likely to repeat. I'd rather gift this to someone else. Who knows, you might not even drop me a Hercules card."

"You're... giving it away?! Do you even understand its value?!"

"You sound just like your old man. Now I'm sure you weren't swapped at birth."

Meanwhile, Matou Sakura was puzzled as to why she hadn't disappeared along with Makiri Zolgen. Before she could process it, Jiang You approached her.

"Here, take this. Let's see what you'll drop."

Seeing Jiang You holding out a Soul Crystal, Matou Sakura tilted her head in confusion. While she lacked deep magical knowledge, she could feel the suffocatingly vast magic power contained within the crystal. It was undoubtedly something of great importance to any magus.

"For me?" For the first time, Matou Sakura was at a loss for words. Her voice was calm, emotionless. But after seeing Matou Zouken's pathetic final moments, it was as if a small crack had formed in the darkness that clouded her heart—a sliver of light breaking through.

It felt surreal.

After Jiang You nodded, Matou Sakura didn't hesitate and accepted the crystal.

A few seconds of silence followed.

Matou Sakura: "?"

"...Looks like only current storyline characters can trigger card drops through affinity items." Disappointed, Jiang You dismissed Matou Sakura from the field. She would disappear after the Duel Space dissolved anyway. Just seeing her eat up one of his rewards was enough to raise his blood pressure.

"Does Konami even know how to design games? If there's no reward, just make the item non-tradable!"

"What the hell are you doing?!"

Having watched Jiang You carelessly give away Soul Crystals while continuously ignoring her, an infuriated Illyasviel launched herself at him in rage.

Jiang You casually dismissed her from the field as well.

Later, he would write a complaint letter to Konami, demanding they refund his wasted item. Poorly designed mechanics deserved to be challenged!

But as quickly as Jiang You's frustration had come, it disappeared just as fast.

Now, it was time to rescue this timeline's Matou Sakura.

Meanwhile, in 2014, inside the Emiya Residence—

Matou Sakura stared at the Soul Crystal in her hand. In her once-lifeless eyes, a faint spark began to glow.