What Holy Grail War? Let's Play Cards!

Jiang You looked at Matou Zouken's field—total damage of 4000 points, with a single highest hit of only 1800. Other than the unknown back row, there were no interruption effects.

Considering that the current game was still in the early stages of DM-style brute-force dueling, the stall capability of [Matou Zouken] was actually quite decent.

Unfortunately, he didn't draw [Origin Bullet], otherwise, breaking through would've been easy.

"The air here is far too foul—let's breathe in some fresh air. I activate the Field Spell Card [Castle of Snow]!"

A castle in the midst of a snowstorm materialized behind Jiang You, with vast white forests and a dim underground chamber forcibly linked to the battlefield. The piercing blizzard surged through, instantly sweeping away the filthy air inside the insect workshop.

"The Einzbern family's castle? Are you the Servant of Kiritsugu Emiya?" Matou Zouken recognized the affiliation of the Field Spell. Because of what Matou Sakura had mentioned earlier, he had already deduced that the mage killer hired by the Einzbern family—Kiritsugu Emiya—was their Master for this Holy Grail War. "It makes sense; attacking another Master's stronghold is indeed the style of a mage killer."

"Well, that's the first impression, I guess. Actually, he's strongly against just outright murdering people." Jiang You defended Kiritsugu a little—after all, the guy was an obsessed justice seeker, not an outright terrorist… though sometimes, the distinction was blurry.

"If your Master didn't command you, then why are you here?" Matou Zouken couldn't understand why a Servant was so clearly targeting him. They weren't even from the same era—there should be no conflict between them.

"It's all that damn Urobuchi's fault! That bastard just loves torturing female characters for drama! Every damn time, it's rape, worms, and suffering! What the hell is wrong with his brain? Did a purple-haired girl kill his whole family or something?!" Realizing he was losing his temper, Jiang You coughed and felt relieved that Konami hadn't implemented a profanity filter or penalty system. "Anyway, if you're in the Fourth Holy Grail War—even if it's just a game—how could I not step in to help a certain purple-haired girl?"

Matou Sakura looked at Jiang You for a moment longer. However, after eleven years of her life, she had only ever opened her heart slightly to a certain red-haired upperclassman. She remained indifferent to others. More importantly, Matou Zouken was right next to her. Her childhood experiences, as well as the fate of Matou Kariya, had long since taught her that resistance was futile. So, she said nothing and made no reaction.

"'Foresight' versus 'Retrospect,' huh?" Matou Zouken mused. He knew that Servants gained knowledge of the modern era upon being summoned, but not to such a detailed extent—certainly not enough to know about a specific person's suffering. Even Sakura's biological father, Tohsaka Tokiomi, was unaware of the details of her magic adaptation process. For a Servant to know this much, there could only be one explanation.

A Servant with a strong sense of universal justice, then? Matou Zouken analyzed Jiang You's behavior.

"The Matou family's magical modifications are indeed unconventional, but the pursuit of magecraft often demands suffering beyond ordinary human comprehension. That's just how the path of magecraft works." After justifying himself, Matou Zouken tried to defuse Jiang You's hostility. "If you only wish to take Sakura away, I can give her to you without resistance."

Matou Zouken—usually domineering and unquestionable—was actually lowering himself before a mere Servant. Sakura found it hard to believe and finally began examining Jiang You carefully.

Jiang You, knowing exactly what kind of person Matou Zouken was, ignored him. "Once per turn, this card allows me to search my deck for an 'Einzbern' card. I'll be adding this—[Irisviel von Einzbern]."

"Next, I Normal Summon [Kiritsugu Emiya]! Come, Master, time to get to work!"

[Kiritsugu Emiya] ATK: 1600

Kiritsugu appeared on the battlefield. With two experiences under his belt, he calmly put out his cigarette.

"What's the situation?"

"It's only the second turn, still setting up the board. Not that your busted deck has much of a board to set up anyway," Jiang You commented. The duel had a certain Duelist Kingdom charm to it.

Hearing Jiang You and Kiritsugu's conversation, Matou Zouken confirmed that Kiritsugu was indeed Jiang You's Master in this timeline.

"Kiritsugu Emiya, in this Holy Grail War, the Matou family's Master, Kariya, has poor magical aptitude and is destined to fail. So, we wish to withdraw. We are willing to transfer our control over Berserker to you. Let's discuss how to proceed." Since Jiang You had no interest in cooperation, Matou Zouken switched tactics, attempting to persuade his Master instead. In his understanding, Kiritsugu should still be bound by Command Seals to control Jiang You.

"Caster?" Kiritsugu asked Jiang You, seemingly tempted. Even if Jiang You had completely rewritten the Holy Grail War's rules, having an extra ally was always an advantage.

"Don't rush to decide. You're dealing with a 500-year-old aristocrat who threw a six-year-old girl into a pit of 'crest worms' for magical modification. His crimes include, but are not limited to: child molestation, inciting murder, human experimentation, and identity fraud. Here's a detailed list of his actions..." Seeing Kiritsugu waver, Jiang You laid out Matou Zouken's crimes in detail. "So, tell me, do you really want to work with this guy, oh 'Champion of Justice'?"

If it were just Kiritsugu alone, he might have temporarily used Matou Zouken for his own purposes. But with Jiang You making his stance crystal clear, Kiritsugu simply nodded, drawing his weapon in response.

"It seems you still don't understand how the world of mages works," Matou Zouken sighed. Such things were utterly commonplace for magi—he couldn't understand their moral outrage. "I activate the Continuous Trap Card [False Attendant's Writings]! By paying 1500 Life Points, I equip it to [Kiritsugu Emiya]!"

A crimson-bound tome appeared before Kiritsugu. As his name was inscribed on it, he was instantly transferred to Matou Zouken's field.

"So that's the effect of [Kiritsugu Emiya]… befitting of the title 'Mage Killer.'" Matou Zouken nodded in satisfaction. Kiritsugu was indeed powerful—directly summoned to break through his defenses. No wonder Jiang You had prioritized summoning him. "Due to the effect of [False Attendant's Writings], [Kiritsugu Emiya]'s ATK is halved, and he cannot activate his effects."

[Kiritsugu Emiya] ATK: 1600 → 800

"Well damn, that's one hell of a 'Grand Arrest.' In that case, I activate the effect of [Illyasviel von Einzbern]! If there is a 'Snowy Castle' or a Level 8 or higher 'Berserker' Servant on the field, I can Special Summon her! Illya, let's go beat up your old man!"

[Illyasviel von Einzbern] ATK: 1500 → 2000

Illya stepped onto the battlefield.

"No matter how many times it happens, this always feels so strange," she remarked, now used to being summoned into dueling space. Within this space, time was frozen for everyone outside. The moment the battle ended, she would return to her original timeline. She glanced at Kiritsugu, then turned to Jiang You. "Caster, who's our opponent this time? And why is Kiritsugu on the other side?"

Jiang You pointed at the old man. "Matou Zouken. He stole your dad. He's our enemy now."

Illya stomped her foot in frustration. "I knew it! You traitor!"

Kiritsugu: "..."