Why bother with the Holy Grail War? Let's play cards!

In fact, if Jiang You had to choose one, he felt that he preferred the innocent magical girl Illya. Of course, he couldn't say that out loud.

Seeing Jiang You nod repeatedly, Ilya finally let him go: "Alright, stop lying on the ground. You still need to handle the aftermath of this. Quickly announce to the whole of Fuyuki that I am the victor!"

Apart from Jiang You's affairs, Illya's wish is to see her mother again. She plans to let Jiang You take Minamoto no Raikou out for a walk after finishing all the things here. After all, Jiang You is more familiar with modern society than herself, and then she can spend some time with her mother.

“No… there’s no need to announce it anymore. Actually, the whole of Fuyuki knows.” Rin Tohsaka stepped aside, revealing Hyakuma, who was carrying a camera behind her. “This duel has already been broadcast live. Of course, when Hassan, who looked like Berserker, appeared, Hyakuma also knelt down. I wonder how much he filmed.”

"Huh? This is...when did it start?" Ilya suddenly became reserved.

"It started when you grabbed Jiang You, didn't it?" Rin Tohsaka revealed a malicious smile. She hadn't had any good things since Jiang You appeared, and seeing Illya looking troubled was a rare opportunity for her. "Now the whole of Fuyuki knows your attitude towards Jiang You—I want you to be my servant for life!"

"No! I wanted to use him..." Ilya knew that her previous words weren't very convincing, and that was indeed her initial thought. But now, upon reflection, she had unconsciously developed a different idea. Her face turned as red as Prisma Illya's earlier. "Besides, what's so good about this liar!"

"He can't lie to you now, can he? Why don't you try asking him what he really thinks?" Rin Tohsaka looked like she was enjoying the show. She knew she would be incredibly busy in the coming days, so she was looking for some fun.

Ilya looked at Jiang You, genuinely tempted, but she hadn't forgotten they were still live-streaming, and she didn't want to say those things in front of everyone. So she stubbornly said, "His thoughts aren't important; let's deal with the dueling tournament first."

At this time, the host Baimao stood in the center with the microphone. She looked at Illya back and forth, and then as if she had made up her mind, she nodded to Jiang You.

Before Jiang You could understand what she meant, Bai Mao announced, "Let us congratulate the Inzbern contestant, Ilya, on her ultimate victory! After overcoming numerous obstacles, she defeated all the other contestants and earned the title of 'Duel King'!"

"By the way, while she won the ultimate prize, the invaluable Soul Crystal, she also won away our sponsor! Spectators, don't rush to call the police. Not only is Illya an adult, but she also took the initiative..."

"Stop right there!" Ilya's face flushed even redder, like a boiled crab, redder than when she ate Mapo Tofu. She didn't know if it was from embarrassment or anger. She immediately commanded Minamoto no Yorimitsu to attack, "Minamoto no Yorimitsu, kill her!"

Minamoto no Raikou looked at Illya. How could she, who called herself a mother, not understand what Illya really meant? She sighed heavily, pretended to attack, and rushed towards the Hundred Faces without even using the Purple Lightning.

Soon, the next Baimao took over the host's job, "Dear audience, I'm Baimao. The previous me is being hunted by Minamoto no Raikou, but it doesn't matter, we still have enough manpower..."

While the scene was in chaos, Jiang You also found Medea.

Just like Illya said, now that the Fuyuki Duel has become urbanized, we do have to deal with some follow-up matters, such as how to obtain cards. Although it is not possible to directly make cards like in the orthodox Yu-Gi-Oh story, we can increase the number of cards we own by increasing our own experience.

Perhaps learning magic and making friends could also be ways to increase the power of your cards. The appearance of the Host's Hundred Faces card is a prime example. Jiang You intends to have Medea permanently reside in this scenario while running a model shop and exploring the rules of this card-printing game. When ordinary people pulled out the rather humorous cards from the Fourth Holy Grail War, Jiang You felt that the cards here didn't seem specially designed, but rather randomly generated, which was very interesting.

Incidentally, he had also seen a Cicada card in the mail a while ago, along with its accompanying Spell Card, Nymph Three Years. It was quite humorous, requiring a special summon of the Cicada card from the deck three turns after activation, a card with ridiculously low stats. Even more humorous than the Insect Queen's appearance requirements.

Jiang You is still very curious about what will become of Fuyuki in the future.

Epilogue to the Fifth Holy Grail War, Part 1

When Shirou Emiya woke up, he was greeted by an unfamiliar ceiling.

It wasn't entirely unfamiliar; he seemed to have encountered a similar situation ten years ago.

"You're awake?" Suddenly a head popped up. It was an unfamiliar male, who looked no older than Shirou Emiya, around twenty years old.

Just as Shirou Emiya was about to ask a question, the man spoke first: "Congratulations, the surgery was a success, and you are now a girl."

"!!!" Emiya Shirou quickly checked his lower body with his hand and breathed a sigh of relief when he found that his penis was still there.

"Of course, this kind of thing is impossible. It's not like we're in Thailand." No matter what, the partner of justice is a normal male high school student, and the idea of ​​him becoming a girl is something he can't accept.

"It's hard to say." Jiang You took out an apple from the gifts Rin Tohsaka had given him and started peeling it. "Maybe on some timeline, our Shirou will become Shirou-ko after the Holy Grail War ends."

"Alright, I'm too lazy to deal with your local custom of cutting apples into the shape of rabbits, just make do with it."

"Oh, okay, thank you... Wait, who are you?!" Shirou Emiya felt that the person next to him should be Sakura or Taiga, or even Rin Tohsaka, or at the very least, his annoying future self. Having a stranger taking care of him made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"So you don't even know who I am, yet you're risking your life on my Noble Phantasm? Young man, I don't know whether to call you decisive or naive." However, Jiang You had never actually met Emiya Shirou face-to-face. The only opportunity for Emiya Shirou to get to know Jiang You was during the final battle of the duel tournament, but because of the old bug's interference, the final battle was interrupted, and Emiya Shirou immediately joined the ranks of those rescuing the spectators.

"Your Noble Phantasm? So you're that Caster! I remember her name was... what was it again?"

"Jiang You." Jiang You thought to himself, "You can't even remember the name of a female servant, huh?"

“Oh, right! Mr. Jiang You.” Shirou Emiya suddenly became nervous. “Now that you’re here, the Holy Grail War is over, right? So, what about the Holy Grail…”

"You really do have this on your mind. I have good news and bad news, which do you want to hear?"

"Let's start with the bad news." Emiya Shirou thought that at least there would be good news to give him some breathing room, so he wouldn't be completely caught off guard.

"Why don't you play by the rules, kid?" Jiang You said both pieces of information at once. "I've already made your wish and Red A's wish for you. Your ideal has come true, but only by about one in a hundred thousand. After all, the range of my Noble Phantasm only covers the entire Fuyuki City and a few surrounding towns."

"Thank you for your generosity." Because Jiang You was willing to give up his own wish to help him realize his ideal, Shirou Emiya's favorability towards him suddenly skyrocketed. He even acquired quite a few of Archer's cards as a result.

"Even if it's just helping the people of Fuyuki City, I'm satisfied." Shirou Emiya wasn't much disappointed, even though he had risked his life and failed to achieve his desired goal. On the contrary, he seemed very happy. "I'm so grateful that something like that fire won't happen again, Mr. Jiang You."

"By the way, now that the Holy Grail War is over, what should be done with those Servants?" With one thing on his mind, Shirou Miyagi relaxed and started asking about other things.

"Currently, apart from Cú Chulainn who is truly beyond saving, the other Servants have all integrated into modern life." Jiang You looked out the window, where he could hear someone shouting "My turn, draw a card!" in the distance. "Your body is very strong, you should be fine. I'll push you out to see what Fuyuki is like now. It won't be long before it becomes the most prosperous city."

Matou family

Sakura Matou stared at the densely packed account books on the table, rubbing her forehead helplessly. She was adept at handling housework, but after inheriting the position of head of the Matou family, housework had become social obligations and managing the sacred lands—things she was completely unfamiliar with. How could the old man possibly teach her such things? Rin Tohsaka did have some experience, but she herself was already incredibly busy; how could she possibly have the spare energy to help her?

“Sakura, I think those other places were obviously taking advantage of your young age. Those conditions were very disadvantageous for you. How about I go to…” Medusa gestured back and forth across her neck with her hands.

"Medusa, have you forgotten Jiang You's Noble Phantasm?" Matou Sakura wasn't offended by Medusa's actions. She smiled, a gentle expression seemingly concealing something. "But it is indeed one way. Let them have a dark duel with me. The winner can naturally propose even more outrageous conditions."

"Speaking of which, Medusa, it's been a while since you've seen your sisters. It's a good opportunity to bring them out for a reunion." A big reason why everyone enjoys duels is that they can find people they want to see in their decks, and even their past selves.

"I should be enough to deal with those magicians. If possible, please don't summon my sisters. No, it's not that I don't want to see them... it's just that they're a little bothersome."

The Tosaka Family

"Why is it always messages asking me to contact Caster? If you have an idea, just go to him! He's not my Servant!" Rin Tohsaka looked at the pile of letters on the table with a headache and pushed them all aside. She slumped into a chair. Although she had taken over the Tohsaka family's responsibilities from Kirei Kotomine a few years ago, this was the first time she had ever had so much work to do.

Even some less well-informed magicians came to question her about why she hadn't managed the mystical principles of her own territory properly, and why this was affecting them. Rin Tohsaka defeated them all with duels.

"Archer is still under contract, but he doesn't help his Master with any of the work! Where did he go?!" Rin Tohsaka envied Sakura's Servant, who was like a caring older sister and helped Sakura with her work. Compared to that, Archer was really too much.

The Einzbern family

“I’m already this old, and a magician at that, so I don’t need to go to school anymore.” Illya looked at Minamoto no Yorimitsu blocking the doorway and tried to run away. But Yorimitsu’s size completely blocked Illya’s way, and she easily pulled Illya into her arms.

"No, Ilya is still of school age. Going to school is essential for her to grow up healthily. Besides, Mom has already taken care of your enrollment procedures, so let's go to register together."

"No! No!" Illya struggled, but Minamoto no Yorimitsu's strength was above average even among Servants, and Illya couldn't break free. "Besides, even if we're going to school, why is it only elementary school! We should be going to high school!"

“But Illya has never even been to kindergarten, so she definitely has to start from elementary school,” Minamoto no Yorimitsu said. “Besides, the little Illya in that parallel world is also an elementary school student, so it doesn’t matter.”

"Where's Jiang You? Where did he run off to at this hour! And Sera, Sera, save me—"

Chapter 171 Since the script hasn't been started, I'll force my way in.

Jiang You opened the game as usual. The script of the Fifth Holy Grail War had come to an end yesterday, but he still had not received any notification that the collaboration had ended. After asking the customer service, he was told that he had not yet fully experienced it.

Jiang You found a corner of the world of the fifth battle and began to look through his inventory idly. He wanted to find the card "Old Man of the Mountain" because he had summoned it in battle, but he couldn't find it in his inventory.

"So how exactly did this 'Sounding the Death Knell' card bring out King Hare..." Jiang You picked up the card, examining it from all angles. The game system was somewhat obscure, and the tutorial was rather poor. "And how do I get King Hare's card?"

Having used all the powerful cards but not being able to hold them in his own hands, the itch was like a cat scratching at his heart. Jiang You racked his brains for a summoning method: "Speaking of which, King Hassan's appearance time was exactly the sixth chapter of the first part of FGO, the same time as the Little Eggplant summoned before. Speaking of Little Eggplant, Lancelot seems to have a card too?"

Matthew is different from most summoned Heroic Spirits, as he was pulled from a separate timeline. Therefore, there is room for manipulation.

Regardless of whether Dog K had made any related connections, Jiang You felt it was necessary to try. He stood up and ran towards where Lancelot was.

"Ahrrrrrr?" Lancelot, who was clumsily and carefully painting the Matthew model in Medea's model shop, was pulled out by Jiang You.

Lancelot had spent a lot of time helping Medea get this model, and he treasured it in every way. It was hard for Lancelot to express his feelings clearly to Medea in his frenzied state.

"Stop talking nonsense, let's duel!"

“Ahrrrrrr??”

"I'll see if I can help your child. No, not Galahad, but Matthew."

“Ahrrrrrr!!!”

"This is the Temple of Azrael... There's nothing unusual about it..." Dr. Roman sent a message as Gudako stepped into the temple.

It is hard to imagine that there are such carefully carved temples on top of such a deserted and steep mountain.

Everywhere you look, you'll see delicate reliefs. The angel sculptures standing on both sides embrace the skull with a compassionate look, which is both holy and terrifying.

"No, Doctor... This is an overwhelming pressure that you can't feel unless you're there... There's no magical reaction, no Servant reaction, and no life reaction, but... but I can't help but tremble all over..." Mash hugged her chest with her arms. She felt a little cold, but as a Demi-Servant, her body shouldn't feel this way in this environment.

Matthew didn't know that this was a chill from her soul. Her soul was resisting staying in this temple.

"Continue onward, Lady Fujimaru Ritsuka. Ahead lies the domain of the First Hokage, unknown even to us. What will happen is unpredictable, so please maintain maximum vigilance—" Hassan of the Cursed Arm warned the group, but it was too late. An invisible attack was already descending upon Fujimaru Ritsuka. Unable to be observed, the fear of death sent chills down the spines of all the Servants present. Matthew instinctively raised his shield to block in front of Fujimaru Ritsuka.

Just as the attack was about to land, Matthew disappeared.

"Matthew?" Fujimaru Ritsuka stared in disbelief at the spot where Matthew had disappeared. No matter how she used her Command Spells to sense his presence, she couldn't detect him. "Matthew!"

"First Lord, why are you doing this...?" Cursed Wrist knew that the only Hassan in this shrine could be the First Lord, and Matthew's disappearance must have been the work of the First Lord.

"?" The old man of the mountain, who had concealed his form, had not expected this situation. He had only wanted to give the last human master a trial in order to provide a reason for his own eventual assistance.

"Master! The communication is still working, what happened! I can't get a response from Fujimaru Ritsuka and Matthew. Could something have happened to them?! It was only for a second!" The anxious voice of the Roman doctor rang out in the communication. As the last Master of humanity, Fujimaru Ritsuka was the last spark of hope. If she disappeared, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Doctor, I'm fine, but Matthew, Matthew, she..." Matthew had accompanied Fujimaru Ritsuka all the way, conquering five major singularities and several minor singularities. They had overcome all kinds of difficulties and dangers and had long become the most important part of Fujimaru Ritsuka's life, but for this reason, he was completely destroyed.

Fujimaru Ritsuka stubbornly held back her tears, but anger and murderous intent simmered within her.

Wang Ha knew he couldn't remain silent any longer, or the misunderstanding would only deepen. So, he removed his cloaking effect, and the two-meter-tall Servant in heavy armor appeared before everyone without any disguise. He had been standing there before, yet no Servant had noticed him, as if he had also killed the word "existence."

"First Hassan, even if you are..." Master Xuanzang, whose heart was full of compassion, mustered up the courage to ask for an explanation for Fujimaru Ritsuka, but was covered by Tawara Tota, who was his nominal disciple.

"Please say less." Tawara Tota could clearly sense the scale of King Haringi's power, a gap that made it difficult for him to breathe, like an insurmountable chasm. "If we were attacked by this lord, we wouldn't be able to withstand it... His martial arts are so exquisite that even if I trained for thirty or forty years, or even a hundred years, it would be an unknown whether I could hit him with an arrow."

"This was not my doing. The Servant with the shield is not dead, but was moved elsewhere in some unknown way." King Hassan didn't actually know why Matthew disappeared, but as a Servant representing death, he was certain that Matthew was not dead.

Wang Ha's response relieved the Curse Arm. Upon seeing Wang Ha, he and Jingmi knelt down immediately. However, as his ally, Fujimaru Ritsuka was a man he could not stand by and watch his ally die before him. He had just made up his mind. Even if the First-Daimyo forbade him, he would risk his life to get Fujimaru Ritsuka out, and then return to take the blame.

Ritsuka Fujimaru stared at Wang Ha. She didn't know what Wang Ha's existence meant and was trying to figure out whether what Wang Ha said was true.

"Ritsuka, don't worry about whether the First Elder of the Mountain is lying. Given his situation, there's no reason for him to lie to us. Matthew will definitely be fine. Maybe she'll show up soon?" Roman's words about Matthew were somewhat comforting.

Then the next second, Matthew appeared at the same place again without any warning.