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

Chapter 172 The Hassans Almost Triumphed

"Are you alright, senior? I'm sorry, there was a bit of a situation just now." Matthew assumed a defensive stance again, looking at the suddenly appearing King Ha with extreme vigilance.

This Servant, clad in skeleton armor and carrying a greatsword, exuded the aura of death. He looked like the sinister Saber, or perhaps a violent Berserker who could stand alone against thousands on the battlefield. Mash could sense that this Servant had launched the previous attack, so she was extremely cautious.

The emotions that had just been brewing in Fujimaru Ritsuka could no longer be contained in an instant. She hugged Matthew tightly, fearing that she would disappear in front of her again.

"Senior, the battle is still ongoing, please don't do this." Matthew blushed and pulled Fujimaru Ritsuka into her defensive range. Seeing that everyone was maintaining the status quo for the time being, she briefly explained the situation, "Also, I found a special ally. He gave me a special relic for summoning, and our assistance will increase again later."

Then Matthew felt that the atmosphere at the scene was a little wrong. After he appeared, the tense atmosphere quickly dissipated. Several people seemed a little embarrassed, and even Wang Ha, who was in the opposite position, fell silent.

Finally, it was Wang Ha who broke the silence: "Now that the lost person has returned, continue your trial!"

Just then, there was a knock on the door of the mausoleum.

"Excuse me—is anyone here?" A clear male voice rang out from outside, breaking the serious atmosphere once again.

"Are there any companions among you who haven't arrived yet? Since this is a trial, you should give it your all. I allow you to increase your combat strength." King Ha looked at the gate with a serious expression. With his strength, he hadn't even noticed that other Servants had arrived. The Spirit Origin reaction outside the gate seemed to have appeared suddenly, indicating that the newcomers were definitely not ordinary people.

It was that spiritual base that made Wang Ha feel somewhat familiar, and he had a bad feeling.

"Companions?" Slightly relieved, Fujimaru Ritsuka, Bedivere, and Xuanzang exchanged glances, noticing the puzzled expressions on their faces. All their companions had arrived, so there couldn't be any other companions. But voices had indeed come from outside the door, so it couldn't be any monsters lurking nearby.

"Is no one inside? That shouldn't be the case. Didn't Matthew say we'd arrived? Never mind, this door can't possibly say 'cannot be opened from this side,' can it?" The person outside seemed a little impatient. He pushed the door, found it wouldn't budge, and then quite brazenly kicked the door open.

"How dare you be disrespectful!" This is the temple of the Hassans' faith, and such behavior is tantamount to provocation. Curse Wrist and Tranquility immediately rushed towards the newcomer, and throwing knives rained down on him.

"Isn't this Cursed Arm and Tranquility? Especially Tranquility, she's been..." Jiang You had just raised his hand to greet them when he saw a sky full of flying knives. Due to the situation in the singularity, it was impossible to accurately determine the scope of the Holy Grail War. Jiang You needed to actively capture the target, so in another second, Jiang You would be riddled with holes.

At the same time, Wang Ha took a step forward and blocked Jiang You's way at a speed beyond everyone's reaction, using his body to block all the flying knives.

The flying knife clattered against Wang Ha's body, but failed to break through his sturdy armor. Even if this nameless armor was merely ordinary, it had been with Wang Ha for so long in the valley, and it had long been tainted by death. Its defensive power even exceeded the effects of some Noble Phantasms.

"The First Lord!?" Although they couldn't understand why King Ha would protect such an impudent person, the Hassans instinctively knelt down again. King Ha must have had a deeper meaning in doing so.

"My apologies." Wang Ha breathed a sigh of relief unnoticed by everyone. His tone remained calm and unhurried, yet carried an undeniable air of authority. "Since this is a trial, victory or defeat is part of the ritual. Attacking before the ritual begins is intolerable."

"You startled me. It seems you don't have any related memories." Since FGO Servants all have memories of parallel worlds, Jiang You thought he would have the same treatment, but it seems he was overthinking it. "Thank you, Lord Mountain Elder. And Matthew, I'll help you."

"A new Spirit Origin reaction... This Servant is a Caster! This level is roughly equivalent to a third-rate Servant." Roman still harbored a certain obsession with the Caster class, even making a rather tactless assessment of his new ally. Jiang You's stats were indeed only third-rate; in terms of combat, he wouldn't even qualify as fourth-rate. However, if it were any other Servant, Roman's assessment would likely have been met with outrageous curses.

Without responding to Jiang You's words, Wang Ha's eyes, hidden beneath his mask, glowed red as he looked at the two prostrate Hassans: "Cursed Arms, Tranquility, your transgressions warrant the surrender of your heads. Since that's the case, let your heads serve as the test subjects! Come, Masters of Man, fight as the dead, seize the right to live, regardless of the process, only the result matters. Once one side's head is placed on the scales, the ritual will end. Now, let me see who the Bell will favor."

"Ah, no! Ahhhhhh—" Upon learning that she was to be sacrificed, Jingmi let out a terrified scream, but she still dared not raise her head.

“I understand, Your Excellency. I will follow your choice—” and Cursed Arm accepted King Hassan’s request.

The two Hassans reacted differently, but the results were the same. A black mist appeared on their bodies and their existence began to become hazy, similar to Shadow Servants but completely different.

"Everyone be careful! The two Hassans' Spirit Origins are increasing exponentially. If we treat them the same way we did before, we'll suffer a great loss. Fight with all our might!" Roman immediately reported the current situation to everyone, then he noticed something amiss. "But if we ignore the process and only look at the result, the Hassans' attack on the new Servant should have been part of a coordinated attack... Wait, what happened? The video cut out!"

King Ha merely tapped the ground with his sword, severing the connection between Chaldea and this side: "While the ceremony is underway, all those not involved must remain silent!"

"To take the heads off Miss Tranquility and Mr. Cursed Arm? That's impossible." Fujimaru Ritsuka was never one to stop at nothing to achieve her goals. She wanted to refuse King Ha's proposal, but the die was cast. "Matthew, and everyone else, be careful not to hurt them."

“In the ritual, it’s a matter of life and death. If you’re not prepared to kill the other person, you’ll only hurt yourself.” Wang Ha understood Fujimaru Ritsuka’s greed, but the path to saving the world was exceptionally arduous and destined to be full of sacrifices.

"I do have an idea," Jiang You said, "and here's the solution."

Chapter 173 [Gudako] I Want One Too

"Mr. Jiang You, are you planning to use your Noble Phantasm?" Matthew had two personal experiences with it, so she had some understanding of Jiang You's Noble Phantasm. "Using the Dark Game to override the rules, but is it really possible?"

"As expected of Little Eggplant, you're really smart." Jiang You praised Matthew. "Don't underestimate the Dark Game; it's a set of rules that even the gods can't defy."

“But even among gods, there are different ranks.” Although he couldn’t see the scene, Roman felt it best not to be too boastful in the face of Jiang You’s self-praise (subjective). These Casters get arrogant and lose their bearings as soon as they have a little ability. “After all, even within the same pantheon, the strength of the chief god and his subordinates is vastly different. If he can only influence weak gods, perhaps even slightly powerful Servants…”

Wang Ha's giant sword tapped the ground again, and this time not only the image but also the voice communication of Chaldea was cut off.

Jiang You touched his chin, considering whether to just expose Roman's vest.

"Is it really possible?" Fujimaru Ritsuka quickly steered the conversation back on track. She wouldn't abandon any of her comrades; if she found a solution, she would try it no matter what. "What are the activation conditions for Mr. Jiang You's Noble Phantasm, and how do we need to cooperate with you?"

"If you agree, the Noble Phantasm has already been activated." Jiang You pushed Fujimaru Ritsuka, placing her in front of the Cursed Arm. The Cursed Arm, already under the influence of the ritual, attacked Fujimaru Ritsuka without hesitation.

"Fujimaru Ritsuka!" Bedivere tried to step forward to block the attack from the cursed arm, but Jiang You stopped him.

Bedivere slid sideways, easily avoiding Jiang You's block. He had already judged Jiang You's behavior as a hostile Servant, and swung the long sword in his hand towards Jiang You's neck. He didn't intend to achieve any results with this attack, but just wanted to force Jiang You to retreat.

But Jiang You had no intention of avoiding it. He had already covered the entire venue with his treasure, and even Wang Hassan was not spared.

Without the protection of the rules, this blow would have been enough to slice his palm off. But now, within the one-minute window for the duel, Jiang You easily grasped Bedivere's sword and pointed in Fujimaru Ritsuka's direction. "Don't worry, look."

The demon's hand of the cursed arm grabbed Fujimaru Ritsuka, but just like Bedivere's attack, it was unable to cause any damage to the target.

"Cursed Arm Hassan challenged me to a duel... What does that mean?" Fujimaru Ritsuka asked, looking at herself unharmed.

"The literal meaning," Jiang You explained simply about his Noble Phantasm. "Knowledge has been imprinted in your minds. It means using your past history, present experiences, and future possibilities as your fighting power. The loser will fall into a long period of weakness. If a Dark Game is to be played in addition, both sides need to pay the same price to balance the scales. The winner will receive a reward, while the loser will be deprived of the price they paid. The price can be anything the other side can do."

"So, if I win, I can complete the ritual without taking the lives of Mr. Cursed Arm and Ms. Tranquility?" Fujimaru Ritsuka's eyes lit up. "I want a duel!"

Fujimaru Ritsuka LP4000

Cursed Wrist Hassan LP4000

"Speaking of which, considering Gudako's background, isn't her deck incredibly overpowered? Even ignoring her experience after being reduced to a blank slate in Part 2, just considering the Extreme Heaven style from Part 1..." Just as Jiang You was engrossed in giving away some incredible spoilers, a silent dagger was thrust towards him. "Alright, as a pledge of loyalty, I have to show my skills too. Let's duel!"

Jiang You also joined the battle, but this time the duel was a little different.

Jiang Yu & Fujimaru Ritsuka LP8000

Serenity Hassan & Cursed Arm Hassan LP8000

"There's even a doubles mode?" This was the first time Jiang You had encountered a doubles mode. He had forgotten that the official version had a similar duel mode; he thought the collaboration only had 1v1 situations. However, the LP was still only half of what it was in the anime, but the action rules were the same as the game version, with a shared health bar, not one per person.

Everyone took out five cards. Serenity and Cursed Arms did not regain consciousness like Lancelot of the Berserker class. After all, they were still essentially controlled by Wang Ha.

“Then I’ll start!” Fujimaru Ritsuka looked at the five cards in her hand with a curious expression. “They really are all Servants I’ve encountered before, what amazing Noble Phantasms!”

"Speaking of which, Mr. Jiang You, how did you meet Matthew? Matthew has never mentioned you before." During this break, Gudako voiced her question to Jiang You. The help Matthew mentioned earlier was clearly Jiang You, but after arriving at the Singularity, Matthew had been with her the whole time, so he shouldn't have had the chance to meet Jiang You.

“I was summoned by Mr. Jiang You’s Noble Phantasm before. The wielder was Lancelot, and he was with Mr. Jiang You at the time,” Matthew explained immediately, not wanting Fujimaru-senpai to misunderstand her.

“Lancelot?” Xuanzang was alert, knowing that the Knights of the Round Table were their enemies here. “You’re also from the Lion King’s side? No, that’s not right. Your name should come from the same place as mine. Your Noble Phantasm is so amazing, it should be very famous, but I’ve never heard of you before.”

“It’s not that Lancelot. Mr. Jiang You is in a very modern city. You might not understand what I mean, but you surely know what I’m talking about,” Matthew explained to Jiang You, to avoid them mistaking him for an enemy. “But Mr. Jiang You, we haven’t prepared the summoning ritual yet. Why did you come here directly?”

"I thought the summoning ritual was already prepared... It seems my manifestation method is similar, a Servant summoned by the Holy Grail itself through the modification of the world." Actually, Jiang You had entered the game after clicking on an additional Fate/Grand Order scenario option; he said this to make it easier for others to understand. "It doesn't matter, the result is the same. I'm here to help you! I'll trouble Ms. Fujimaru to be my Master then."

"Just call me Ritsuka." Gudako was quite familiar with everyone. "Well then, it's time to start the battle. I'll start with my Normal Summon!"

【Fujimaru Ritsuka】 1-Star Master, Attack Power 500

"[Fujimaru Ritsuka]'s effect allows you to Special Summon any Servant from your Deck!"

"!" Jiang You could only exclaim, "Good heavens, isn't this guy's effect a bit too much? There aren't even any restrictions on the special summoning; he's not even putting on an act anymore. Truly worthy of being humanity's strongest Master, able to perfectly integrate with any Servant." He felt a desire for Gudako—I mean, a collecting desire.

"I want to Special Summon——[Da Vinci]!"

"?" Jiang You thought, "Why did you summon such a strange thing? Show me something bigger!"

Chapter 174 Gudako Doesn't Have a Hand-Stuck Issue

"I want to Special Summon——[Da Vinci]!"

It was a world-famous painting - "Mona Lisa's Smile". The character in the painting came to life, stretched out his hands from the frame, squeezed himself out of the painting, and fell into the scene.

[Leonardo da Vinci] Caster, 6-star, Attack Power 2200

Upon seeing her fallen comrade again, Gudako's eyes welled with tears: "Da Vinci, dear one! It's so good to see you again! This Noble Phantasm can even bring you back from the brink of death. Rest in peace, may your last wishes come true..."

"Wait, I'm not dead yet! As an omnipotent being, even if Da Vinci really died, she would still have a backup plan~☆" Da Vinci scratched her head awkwardly. She had indeed prepared herself to sacrifice herself, but even though she had built up her emotions, she didn't actually die. However, she couldn't reunite with Gudako right now, so she comforted herself, "I think we'll be able to meet again soon."

“So…you pulled Da Bi…” Jiang You subconsciously called out the shrewd businessman’s nickname, but realizing that this was related to his favorability rating, he immediately changed his words, “Did Da Vinci come out so that he could see her?”

"Not entirely." Gudako's expression lightened considerably after learning that Da Vinci was alright. "Da Vinci is also the strongest Servant in my deck."

"The strongest?" Jiang You tilted his head. Given Gudako's situation, it wouldn't be surprising if she pulled out some monsters from her deck with her effects; she might even bring a small Beast shock to the deck right now. Moreover, even in the first five chapters, she encountered quite a few powerful Servants; Da Vinci probably wouldn't even rank. For her to use the word "strongest" was a bit suspicious. "Who's in your deck?"

Gudako didn't play any tricks and answered directly, "There are quite a few: Matthew, Jeanne d'Arc, Kiyohime, Elizabeth Bathory..."

Gudako called out a series of servant names like the names of dishes. Jiang You found that they were all servants that had established bonds with him in the previous main storyline, and there was not a single future servant. It seemed that Gudako here seemed to have been nerfed. However, even if there were no future servants, the number of servants now was very terrifying. Would it really not be a problem if they were in the same deck?

"What about the Cave King?" Jiang You thought of a certain troll. This guy had been active in both the main and side quests. He had even taken up residence in Gudako's heart. How could he not come?

"Oh, Mr. Jiang You, you know about the Count too?" At this point, the Count hadn't officially appeared before anyone else, and Gudako assumed she was the only one who knew of his existence. "While the Count is indeed stronger in terms of attack power, Leonardo da Vinci wouldn't lose!"

He is definitely an expert at keeping things balanced.

"【Da Vinci】's effect is that she is good at making various costumes and items, so when she is successfully Tribute Summoned or Special Summoned, she can flip two cards from the top of the deck, add the flipped Spell Card or Trap Card to her hand, and send the Servant Card to the Graveyard."

"Of course, it's not without its side effects. At the end of the turn, you need to add an equal number of cards from your hand, banished from your hand," Da Vinci added. "After all, the crafting materials are very expensive."

Besides the effect Gudako mentioned, Jiang You also saw another effect of [Da Vinci]: if it is destroyed by battle or effect and sent to the graveyard, add one [Leonardo da Vinci (Rider)] from the deck to the hand or Special Summon it to the field, which is the little Da Vinci.

The young Leonardo da Vinci has always been preserved in Chaldea, so it's not a future event and it's reasonable for him to appear here.

So Jiang You watched helplessly as Gudako flipped out two magic and trap cards, replenishing her hand to 6. This bond was truly amazing, and Jiang You felt that even without him, Gudako would still be able to kill her way through the scene.

"Next, I activate the Spell Card [Roman Succession] to Special Summon one Level 4 or lower Roman King Servant from my Deck. Let the flower of Rome bloom here! Special Summon [Nero Claudius]"

[Nero] Attack Power 1800

Amidst the roses, the red swordsman entered the stage, dancing and singing like an opera singer.

Her beautiful face was incompatible with her singing voice, which was enough to cause mental pollution. Jiang You suspected that if he hadn't been in the middle of a duel, he might have received an invitation to a duel.

"Now I think I know what it feels like when Wukong is being subjected to the Tightening-Headband Mantra," Xuanzang complained softly.

"Hmm, I've seen this Noble Phantasm before." Nero cautiously glanced back, relaxing only after realizing it wasn't the God Ancestor Romulus. She dared not speak carelessly in front of the God Ancestor. "It's Ritsuka, huh? Looks like you've encountered that Servant too. Good, then I can lend you a hand. Are these two guys emitting black aura the opponents? Leave them to me!"

"I'm relieved to have Your Majesty here. And the servant you mentioned is right beside me." Gudako revealed her true nature as a social butterfly.

"It's you, really." Nero sized up Jiang You, finding him quite agreeable because of their previous encounter. "For allowing me to meet the Divine Ancestor and our ancestors is commendable! If we ever meet again in another form, you are welcome to ask me for a reward; the Emperor of Rome will never go back on his word!"

"I won't hold back then." For Jiang You, Nero's words were enough. As long as he found the corresponding scenario, the Rome deck would be secured.

Seeing that Jiang You had no intention of refusing, Nero nodded with satisfaction. She hated arguing with others the most, and this straightforward personality was exactly what she wanted.