What Holy Grail War? Let's Play Cards!

"Now this is what it means to be a true demon! I activate the effect of [Gilles de Rais (Caster)]—destroy all face-up Servants on the field with 1500 or less ATK!"

A mass of tentacles and filth erupted from the book held by Gilles de Rais (Caster), engulfing three soldiers and another Gilles de Rais in its overwhelming corruption.

"Cooooool! So awesome!" Ryūnosuke Uryū clenched his fists in excitement. "Since three units were destroyed, you take 900 damage!"

Gilles de Rais LP 4000 → 3100

The impact of the damage caused Gilles de Rais to stagger back a step. Now, not a single card remained on his field.

"Oh? Is that supposed to be me from before?" The Caster-class Gilles de Rais fixated his bulging eyes on his armored counterpart across the field. "How pitiful. Even after being betrayed by God and your country, you're still clinging to your faith?"

"I never thought I'd fall this far." The Saber-class Gilles de Rais shot back, refusing to be outdone.

"Fall? You call this falling?" Caster-class Gilles de Rais's voice rose in fury. "God remained silent when the Holy Maiden was sacrificed! Their indifference to her suffering was the real blasphemy!"

Seeing that his counterpart remained silent, Caster-class Gilles de Rais lost interest. What intrigued him now was the reason for his own manifestation—if he had appeared, did that mean the Holy Maiden could appear in the same way?

"That was incredible! The sheer malice, beyond what any human could ever achieve—it was perfect, a true work of art!" Ryūnosuke showered his Gilles de Rais with praise, mesmerized by the spectacle of the card's effect.

"Oh? It seems you have a keen understanding, boy." Caster-class Gilles de Rais turned his gaze toward Ryūnosuke. The boy's presence bore a striking resemblance to his own nature. "I think we would get along quite well. If given the chance, I'd love to have a proper conversation with you."

"Does this mean I have earned your approval, Lord Demon? I'm thrilled!" Ryūnosuke grinned. "Now, I activate the Spell Card [Abyssal Gaze]! Until my next Standby Phase, my opponent cannot Normal Summon! The defenses are in place—it's time to attack! I switch [Sea Demon Token] to Attack Position! Now, Lord Demon, along with the [Sea Demon Token], attack Gilles de Rais directly!"

[Sea Demon Token] ATK: 1000

A colossal tentacle burst from the ground, slamming the Saber-class Gilles de Rais into the dirt with the force of a falling meteor. The earth cracked beneath him from the sheer impact.

Gilles de Rais LP 3100 → 1100

Following up, the Sea Demon Token spewed a stream of corrosive venom.

Gilles de Rais LP 1100 → 100

"Gahhhhhh!" Bloodied and battered, Saber-class Gilles de Rais struggled to push himself up. The excruciating pain forced him to let out an agonized roar, yet he gritted his teeth and reached for his deck.

"My turn! Draw!"

The card in his hand glowed with a golden radiance, illuminating his battle-worn face.

"Hahahaha!" He erupted into laughter, turning to face his twisted counterpart. "Seems to me that God has not forsaken me after all! At least now, He is here, granting me a chance to fulfill my lifelong wish!"

"I activate the Continuous Spell Card—[Rally and Roar Beneath the Holy Banner]! When this card is activated, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Saber, Lancer, or Archer Servant from my Deck or Graveyard! I Special Summon myself—I return to the battlefield!"*

[Gilles de Rais (Saber)] ATK: 1500 → 1900

Re-emerging onto the battlefield, Saber-class Gilles de Rais stood with unwavering determination. His presence exuded the same unshakable resolve that once guided him alongside the Holy Maiden.

"With your power alone, you can't even scratch me! And with your flickering life force, what can you possibly hope to achieve? You speak of God—where was He when the Holy Maiden suffered? What did He do?" Caster-class Gilles de Rais snarled in frustration.

His Saber-class counterpart, however, remained calm, raising the card in his hand.

"I have awaited this moment! From my hand, I activate [Jeanne d'Arc]'s effect! When a Holy Maiden, Holy Banner, or Holy Relic exists on the field, I can Special Summon this card! Come forth, Holy Maiden! Let me once more stand beneath your flag!"

In an instant, the battlefield transformed into a vast blue sky. Golden wings unfolded, and from within the divine radiance, a pure white-haired girl appeared.

[Jeanne d'Arc] ATK: 2500 → 2900

"Ahhh! The Holy Maiden!" Caster-class Gilles de Rais wailed as blood tears streamed down his face. "But this is wrong! You should be on my side! You should appear in wrath! You should burn those false believers!"

"Huh? Jeanne d'Arc? You mean that legendary saint? But how is she in a demon's game?" Ryūnosuke, unable to grasp the situation, blinked in confusion. Of course, no one in this moment cared about his thoughts.

"Gilles? And… there are two of you? And this appearance of yours..." Jeanne raised her flag warily, struggling to process the scene.

Before his corrupted counterpart could speak, Saber-class Gilles de Rais knelt in reverence before her. "Holy Maiden, I sincerely repent for the sins I committed in the days to come. I know I cannot undo them, but please, guide me in atoning for even the smallest part of them. The other me and this Master have taken countless innocent lives. I cannot allow this evil to persist—I need your strength!"

"I understand." Jeanne knew the full extent of Gilles de Rais's past. There was no way she could ignore this.

"This is deceit! The Holy Maiden—how could she—"

Before he could finish, Saber-class Gilles de Rais pressed on, "Holy Maiden, lead us to victory once more! Battle phase—[Jeanne d'Arc] attacks [Gilles de Rais (Caster)]!"

"At least let me say one thing! Just one thing to the Holy Maiden!" Caster-class Gilles de Rais desperately reached out, but Jeanne's flag cut through his dark magic, dissolving it completely. With a final anguished scream, he was sent to the Graveyard.

Ryūnosuke Uryū LP 300 → 0

The duel, waged with souls as its wager, came to its conclusion. Shadows crept forth, swallowing Ryūnosuke, his soul being torn from his body piece by piece.

"S-so this is death? It's cold. So... dull. No, this isn't right! Lord Demon, help me!"

But his pleas went unheard as he and the duel space vanished into oblivion.

As the battle drew to an end, Jeanne turned back toward Gilles de Rais with a gentle smile.

"You suffered greatly after that day. But do not grieve for me—I chose this path. Even if I had to do it again, a hundred times, a thousand times, my decision would never change. You lost yourself afterward, but right now, you are once again the companion I fought alongside. You did well, Gilles! I am glad we could meet again! I have a feeling... we will meet once more."

Gilles de Rais reached out, desperate to stop her departure, only to grasp at fading light.

"Such a fleeting reunion… but I am truly grateful." His Spirit Origin was already beginning to fade—he was never a powerful Heroic Spirit to begin with, and with his Master gone, he had little time left.

"How unfortunate—I never got to properly thank that other Servant. A Holy Grail War, huh...? If he were participating, I would have liked to fight once more."

Thus, the story of the Saber faction came to an abrupt close.

Meanwhile, at that very moment, someone playing with Illya received an email notification.

"Battle rewards? But I wasn't even dueling... Soul Crystals? What are these?" Jiang You, whose mind was wired for Yu-Gi-Oh, struggled to recall the significance of the item. His attention, however, was quickly drawn elsewhere.

"Whoa, Jeanne d'Arc? Looks like a high-rarity card!"