How come the Ace of Cups isn't considered the Holy Grail?

If we're considering that, then the Rank 8 Xyz Monster [True Blood Vampire] might be a good choice. It can be summoned by bringing over two of the opponent's monsters, making it a fairly versatile card.

However, in that case, the vampire power contained in this crystal alone should not be enough, right?

We need to find more vampire-related materials, such as blood, teeth, or maybe just throw a whole vampire into the pot and try it.

Hmm...it seems a bit disgusting, and I feel like it might contaminate my pot, so I'll pass...

"Mr. Yuwatari, are we going to find the Red Team's Master now?"

The repetitive nature of the journey made Leticia somewhat weary, so she shifted her gaze away from the surrounding decorations and turned her attention to their next destination.

"Yes, that guy violated the rules of the Holy Grail War, which is why I was summoned."

"Oh……"

Leticia nodded without saying anything more, and a sudden silence fell between them, broken only by the faint, muffled sound of her shoes on the carpet.

Yudu: "?"

Gone?

He just said "oh" and that was it?

Seeing that Leticia was waiting for him to continue questioning her, Yuuto couldn't help but speak up: "...Aren't you curious about what kind of rules he broke?"

"Huh?" Leticia was taken aback. "Mr. Yudo, do you know what rules he broke?"

She thought this was something they would investigate next...

Just like in some folk tales, first you notice someone has broken the rules, then you find out exactly which rule they broke, what the consequences were, and then you confront the mastermind behind it all...

Shouldn't this be the standard procedure?

Why does Yu Du's statement sound like he already knew what rules the other party had broken... Is this also a privilege of being a referee?

"Ahem, I do know." Although not entirely accurate, at least someone was there to play along, Yuuto paused and said, "Actually, the Red Team's Master, Kotomine Shirou, isn't human..."

"Not human?" Leticia's thoughts wandered, recalling the other Servants' reactions when facing the vampire earlier: "Could he also be a vampire?"

"...If that were the case, as a priest of the Holy Church, he would have been dealt with by the Holy Church long ago. Why would they have allowed him to participate in the Holy Grail War?"

Shaking his head in rejection of her conjecture, You Du muttered a quiet complaint.

"I said he wasn't human because he was actually a Servant who unexpectedly gained a physical body during the previous Holy Grail War, and also the 'first' Servant in this Holy Grail War—"

"Ruler, Amakusa Shiro Tokisada."

Ruler...this is not—

and many more!

"What does it mean to have gained a physical body?" The sheer volume of information made Leticia momentarily lose track of the key points, but she still managed to ask the question that concerned her the most.

Aren't most Servants people who have already died?

If we regain a physical body, wouldn't that be equivalent to being resurrected?

Is the Holy Grail really capable of doing something like this?

"And I remember you said that a normal Holy Grail War only has the regular 7 classes, right? Why would he be Ruler?"

Leticia continued to press for answers, so Yuuto explained to her the Einzbern family's cheating during the Third Holy Grail War, and also mentioned that Amakusa Shiro Tokisada had come into contact with the Greater Grail and obtained a physical body.

Just by touching it, it can do something akin to being resurrected from the dead... Is the Greater Grail really that powerful?

Having participated in the Holy Grail War for several days, Leticia finally understood the true value of the title "omnipotent wish-granting machine".

The other Servant, Amakusa Shiro Tokisada, is a Ruler...

Could this be the reason why Yuwatari, despite being the referee of the Holy Grail War, was not summoned as a Ruler?

Leticia's mouth gaped open in surprise, and for a moment she forgot to close it.

In her astonishment, she sorted through the information she knew, and walked with Youdu to a large door that was at least two people tall before she came back to her senses due to the tension of facing the mastermind behind the scenes.

"Alright, time to get ready to unleash the boss, but before that..." Yuuto took out a card, but instead of placing it on the Duel Disk, he directly injected magic power into it.

He remembered that in the original series, when Semiramis and Mordred were fighting, they put a lot of poison in the house.

I don't need to worry about myself, but as an ordinary person, Leticia could kill him on the spot if she touched even a little bit of her, so I have to prepare some defensive measures in advance.

Under Leticia's gaze, the card flashed a white light and transformed into a long, golden spear, which Yuuto held in his hand.

"Here you go. This is the forbidden Holy Lance. With it, you will no longer be affected by other factors related to magic."

Yudou solemnly handed the Holy Lance in his hand to Leticia, and then said seriously:

"Hurry up and say 'Thank you, Taro'."

"Huh?" After receiving the Holy Lance, Leticia, who had originally intended to hold it with both hands but instead hugged it due to its excessive weight, repeated the question, confused:

"Thank you, Taro."

"Pfft—" Although Yuuto knew that Leticia didn't know this joke, he still couldn't help but laugh when he saw this scene.

"Alright, let's go inside!"

Then, as if it had been planned in advance, the door in front of them slowly opened with a click of a mechanism.

The hall behind the door was revealed, with a red carpet spread on the floor, and—

A cold throne made of steel.

Chapter 163 Hydra: Should I take this from my head?

"You've come, Ruler!"

Although she already knew that Youdu was powerful and understood that she was at a disadvantage in this regard, no matter how cautious and wary Semiramis was of Youdu, she would never lose her composure as the empress of Assyria at this moment.

She sat high on her throne, beneath which was an intricately interwoven, openwork base made of steel. Huge blades stood upright, arching around her throne like spikes, flashing with a terrifying cold light.

"Red Assassin, Semiramis, where is your Master?" Yuwatari stepped in and scanned the hall, but did not see Amakusa Shirou Tokisada.

Is he waiting for him at the Greater Grail?

"Master is naturally where he belongs..." Faced with You Du's question, Semiramis chose to avoid the topic, then confidently nodded slightly to the two below:

"Besides, I am his Servant. How could I let him, as his Master, stand in front of me?"

"If you want to see my Master, then try to get through me first!"

With that, Semiramis waved her right hand, and the door behind Yudu slammed shut, the sound startling Leticia who was following behind.

Immediately, a large amount of pale purple smoke billowed out from the edge of the hall and spread throughout the entire hall at an extremely fast speed.

Even Leticia noticed something amiss at this unusual scene, and immediately gripped the Holy Lance tightly, just as Yuuto had instructed, not daring to relax her grip even slightly.

Each time she inhaled the poisonous mist, the holy spear in her hand would flash with a light, turning the poisonous mist into harmless air.

"is it?"

Suddenly, a violent hurricane swept through the enclosed hall, forcing Semiramis to raise her hand to shield herself from the fierce wind. In an instant, the poisonous fog that had filled the entire hall was swept away.

Yudou remained firmly standing beneath the throne, the card in his hand being the recently used [Great Storm], its magical radiance slowly fading.

"So, as a Servant, do you have any defense to offer regarding your Master Amakusa Shirou Tokisada's violation of the Holy Grail War rules?"

His tone was indifferent, as if he were just going through the motions.

But Semiramis naturally had no intention of answering him. Seeing that the poisonous fog had no effect on him, she activated her Noble Phantasm, "Sikera Usum," which transformed all the air and magic in the entire hall into Hydra poison, which was said to kill any human who touched it.

Furthermore, within this aerial garden, she can use this treasure to summon all fantastical creatures associated with poison, including divine beasts and magical beasts.

However, knowing that ordinary magical beasts were no match for Yudo, who could summon dragons, she chose to summon one of the eleven magical creatures created by Tiamat in Babylonian mythology, the great serpent Bashium, a divine beast.

However, Bashium is, after all, a divine beast at the pinnacle of the fantasy species, and even with her Noble Phantasm, Semiramis could not summon it completely in an instant.

Therefore, before Yudu arrived at this hall, she had already begun preparations and summoned the nine-headed Hydra to buy time.

Once Leticia's holy lance lit up, it never went out.

The nine-headed sea serpent appeared before Youdu, riding on the waves that filled the hall. The once clear blue water beneath it was now stained with its venom, turning into an ominous blackish-green and emitting a foul stench.

This renowned monster, one of the twelve trials of Hercules in Greek mythology, faces an opponent who is—

"【Blue-Eyes White Dragon】Three-Body Fusion!"

"Appear! [True Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon]!"

The card held high in Yudu's hand summoned a two-colored vortex, within which three dragon shadows flashed by.

The massive, silver-white body of the True Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon flew out, its three pairs of azure eyes staring back at the vertical pupils unique to the eighteen serpentine creatures opposite it. The intimidating aura unique to dragons immediately overwhelmed the Hydra.

"hiss--"

"Roar--"

The toxins in the air, which were almost condensed into liquid, had no effect on it whatsoever. Faced with the threatening hiss of Hydra, the True Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon roared and pushed it back.

Immediately, a dazzling white light gathered in the mouth of the True Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. The destructive aura contained within it made Hydra realize, just by looking at it, that this was an attack that she could not withstand.

While its other eight heads were confronting the True Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, one of Hydra's heads secretly turned to look at Semiramis, its pupils, which should have only been filled with ferocity, now filled with doubt.

Hydra: No, sis, are you sure I can beat this thing?

It seems to be immune to poison?

"on!"

Without saying much, Semiramis merely glanced at it coldly, and then, taking advantage of the summoning ritual in progress, constructed more than a dozen small magic circles, using beams of light and magic bullets to try to interrupt the True Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's charge-up.

However, this had no effect whatsoever; the beams of light and magic bullets failed to leave even the slightest scratch on the scales of the True Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon.

Hydra tried to spew some poison gas and venom at the True Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, but after discovering that its prized poison had only polished the True Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's scales, it had no choice but to pounce on it and prepare to tear it apart with its venomous fangs.

"Ultimate Destruction - Ejecting White Light!"

The light, concentrated to its extreme, transformed into a surging torrent, carrying intense heat as it shot towards the Hydra that was lunging at the True Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon.

In that instant, seeing the True Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon unleash a breath of light as wide as three or four of its heads, and that there were three such breaths, Hydra knew it was doomed.

It's on its head, isn't it?

It's true that it can regenerate two heads after one head is cut off, but how can it regenerate if you burn the wound on my head with high temperature?

Oh no, this guy is totally my nemesis...

The Hydra, engulfed by the burst of white light, turned into ashes and vanished before Yudo in utter frustration. The True Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, still spewing white light from its mouth, slashed horizontally towards Semiramis like a lightsaber.

"whispering sound!"

Seeing that the summoning was at its final stage, Semiramis did not try to use magic to block it. The Hydra, which turned to ashes in an instant, had already shown her through its actions that this thing was not to be trifled with.

So she could only scoff in annoyance and tumble awkwardly off her throne, thus avoiding the 'beam sword' that would have severed her throne entirely.

But it doesn't matter, her summoning has ended.

"Let me show you this colossal serpent, created by the goddess Tiamat, and standing at the pinnacle of the fantasy species! Ruler!"

Youdu: ?

Who are you talking about?

Chapter 164 must be some kind of special destiny~

Looking at the large, black-green serpent that emerged from the ground, which had been completely transformed into a poisonous swamp, with a body the same size as the True Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, hands, some dragon-like features, and a ferocious face, Yuto smiled silently.

He's already defeated Tiamat, why would he be afraid of these eleven monsters?

Before he could even say anything more, the True Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon had already launched an attack on Bashom, its mouth once again gathering a dazzling white light.

It was preparing to replicate the beam saber attack from before, and take care of Semiramis, who had just escaped.

Unaware of the True Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's poison resistance, Bashom fiercely opened his jaws, preparing to use the invincible poison gas that made it known as the Great Serpent to finish off its opponent.

As for the white light accumulated in the mouth of the True Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon?

Hmph, you seem to be underestimating its tough body as a divine beast!

Don't assume it's a magician just because it's known for its poison.

It was just a breath carrying the aura of destruction; watch as it withstands it with its bare body!

"idiot!"

Seeing that this familiar scene was about to repeat itself, Semiramis couldn't hold back any longer and cursed under her breath before summoning a large number of chains, which she then wrapped around the neck of the True Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon and began to pull it.

This barely managed to deflect the white beam of the True Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's jet, causing it to glide past Bashom.