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

The only consolation was that Matou Shinji, already a guaranteed finalist, had for some reason chosen to avoid the competition, citing health reasons. Medea wasn't sure what she was doing with Jason. However, the remaining two players were also consolidating their points. Tōsaka Rin had seen Illya's battles and knew not only that Minamoto no Raikou was formidable, but also that the Einzbern deck was formidable, making it easier for them to deal with those mages than she was. The nameless magician had surpassed Illya during this period, moving into third place.

"Well, judging by the current situation, we need to plunder at least half of the magicians below the top four to catch up with Illya's score."

Red A calculated Toosaka Rin's points, and the situation was not optimistic.

"It's already too late, judging by the facts and the time, not to mention the magi are still fighting each other. Rin, there's only one way."

"I've thought of this a long time ago. Now we have just the right number of stars to make one last stand."

Toosaka Rin knew what Red A meant. "Use a large number of stars to directly challenge the top four players and make the final decision!"

"Have you decided on your opponent?"

Shinji Matou avoids fighting, and there are only three targets he can choose from.

"If possible, it's naturally Jason. I'm familiar with his deck. Without my Gem Magic support, he'll have fewer ways to recruit crew members. And if we can prevent Hercules from appearing, the threat of his deck will be reduced by half."

Toosaka Rin even considered launching a Dark Game to retake control, but she abandoned the idea after considering the stakes being somewhat disrespectful to Red Ace, who she had just started collaborating with. Furthermore, Medea was nowhere to be found. Even though the score had already risen once.

"If it's Illya... this must be a very important matter for the Einzbern family. Fighting her would be quite dangerous, not to mention she helped me before, so let's save the duel for the finals at least."

"In that case, your opponent is that nameless magician, right?"

Red A's expression became even more subtle. He thought to himself, "Rin, have you not noticed that someone in your team has been absent for a long time? And she is obviously third, but Baimao didn't give her too many shots, which is somewhat problematic."

"Her information hasn't been exposed much before. Choosing her as a challenge target might lead to other accidents. Rin, would you consider this again?"

"That's precisely because I've considered this. A magician's frontline without a Heroic Spirit won't be very strong. Red A, your low panel disadvantage is actually an insurmountable stat for them."

Red A's Noble Phantasm can also cause 500 points of damage when released. Combined with Toosaka Rin's direct damage and recovery, the blood gap can be widened. The combination of their decks is much more suitable than with Jason.

"No, Jason is obviously lower than me."

Red A protested, saying that he still had his own aspirations.

"Don't worry about that. That unknown magician is near the Civic Hall. Let's go there quickly!"

Toosaka Rin pulled Red A and ran. If it was too late and the nameless magician left, she would have to duel with Illya.

"You, you actually possess a Heroic Spirit too! I've clearly gathered intelligence!"

The opponent who was fighting against the purple-hooded female magician wailed. If it weren't for the sudden appearance of the Servant, he would have won. The purple-hooded girl's own card effects were not very strong, and it seemed that she had not yet fully opened up her own magic.

"Why have you never appeared in Baimao's live broadcast? With your strength, how could you have hidden yourself until now?!"

The nameless magus in the purple hood did not reply, but instead directed his Servant to deliver the final blow.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaa——”

The opponent screamed and fell into coma due to excessive damage.

Just as the nameless magician was about to leave, Toosaka Rin arrived.

"Don't try to escape!"

Toosaka Rin blocked the unknown magician's path and issued a duel invitation: "Bet all the stars and duel with me!"

123

Chapter 123: Sister, let’s duel.

Toosaka Rin always felt that this nameless magician with a purple hood looked very familiar, especially his figure. She always felt that she had seen him somewhere.

"Tousaka Rin, the manager of Fuyuki's spiritual veins and heir to the jewel magecraft, invites you to a duel."

Toosaka Rin gave her own name. She was also very curious about the identity of this unknown magician. As a courtesy, the other party should also give his name.

The nameless magician remained silent for a long time and did not respond.

"You're not going to tell me? Archer, aim at her!"

Toosaka Rin ordered Red A to prepare for the attack, and if the opponent wanted to escape, she would directly use combat to force the opponent into a duel.

Finally, the nameless magician took off her hood. Her long purple hair spilled out from under the hood, and there was no way Tōsaka Rin would mistake her face.

"How...how could it be, Sakura, it's actually you!"

Toosaka Rin's memories flashed back like an electric shock. From the beginning, Sakura had often not acted with the others. When Gilgamesh took off on the Vimana, Rider was almost the first to appear with Caster. In addition, Sakura was familiar with Illya from the beginning.

"Sakura, you've been on Caster's side from the beginning...right?"

Toosaka Rin roughly guessed that Matou Sakura stayed with her to spy on the alliance's intelligence, but now, there was no need for that.

"Compared to this, why does my sister have to be an enemy of Caster?" Matou Sakura asked Toosaka Rin with a smile on her face.

"Sister, you've been kept in the dark about Tōsaka Tokiomi's situation by Kotomine Kirei. It was Caster who helped you, right? You should express your gratitude to him for this."

Sakura Matou doesn't know yet that the purpose of the Clock Tower has changed from dealing with Jiang You's organization to assisting Jiang You in successfully completing the duel competition.

In fact, Toosaka Rin's attitude towards Jiang You is also very confused: "In the beginning, it was because he violated the principle of [mystery should be hidden]. This level of exposure is unacceptable to all magicians. As the manager of Fuyuki, I must stop this situation, but now the Clock Tower has stated that it will not pursue this matter, and will help him instead... Ah——! What is going on?! Have they given up magic?!"

Toosaka Rin clutched her head. She felt like she no longer understood this world. The Clock Tower, always so harsh and unsympathetic, would actually make such a choice. It made her wonder if she had traveled to some ordinary world. Since she couldn't understand it, she gave up thinking about it.

"Anyway, my goal now is to take my Saber Jason away from Medea, summoned by Caster. It's only right and proper that I take him back from Caster—using his rules, in a duel!"

"But you, Sakura, why are you trying so hard to help Caster? You shouldn't have the chance to come into contact with a Servant, right?"

Before the Holy Grail War, or rather, from the very beginning, Toosaka Rin had been paying attention to her blood-related sister, and her life trajectory was very clear.

"Sis, since you have Tōsaka Tokiomi in your deck and know the true nature of the Matou family's magic, then he must have told you about me, right?"

Matou Sakura bared her fair arm, the successfully repaired magic circuit on it emitting a soft glow. "Have you ever considered that since the father in your deck is a person from another timeline ten years ago, is it possible that we can also be summoned as cards to other timelines?"

Sakura displayed her magic circuits without reservation, radiating her pure magical power towards Tōsaka Rin, demonstrating the nature of her magic.

It's a very strange attribute, but what is certain is that it is not the water attribute that can adapt to the magic of the Matou family. Toosaka Rin knows that according to Toosaka Tokiomi, Sakura's magic circuit should have been transformed into water attribute by Matou Zouken using the cresting worm.

"Your magic circuit... has been repaired?"

Rin Tōsaka was a bit surprised. You have to know that the magic circuit modification of the Crest Worm is destructive. Repairing it is as difficult as refining the human body, and it requires years of nurturing. Before the Holy Grail War, Sakura Matou had no chance to repair it because Zouken Matou would never agree. So the answer is obvious. Sakura was summoned to another timeline at some point. "Did Caster help you?"

Matou Sakura nodded. "Sister, I'm very happy that you can come and help me. But Caster helped me even earlier. Even though I didn't say anything, he saw my fear and offered me a helping hand."

"But, Matou Zouken is still..."

Toosaka Rin realized the blind spot in her thinking. Considering that Caster's Noble Phantasm can work on magicians, Sakura must be a magician related to the Toosaka family or the Matou family, most likely during the Holy Grail War ten years ago.

"Ten years ago?"

"Sister is very smart, that's true."

Sakura Matou smiled. It was a brightening, even brilliant, addition to her gloomy life after she met Shirou Emiya.

"Ten years ago, I was redeemed, and now, I have overcome my fear of Zouken Matou and gained the strength to seek revenge myself. I am deeply grateful to him."

"Who could have guessed such a heaven-defying treasure?"

Toosaka Rin really didn't expect that the fate of Matou Sakura and Caster would be this way.

"So, Illya's situation is similar. Just like Father said, he's a guy with an overflowing sense of sympathy. But have you ever considered that, normally, if he were to do this, he'd be digging up the roots of all magi. The Clock Tower will definitely investigate this, and it won't just be us, but ordinary people who come into contact with the 'mystery' will suffer as well."

"I believe him. In that timeline ten years ago, Caster saved the entire city of Fuyuki. After obtaining the Holy Grail, he asked his Master, Emiya Kiritsugu, to make a wish to resurrect all those who died in the disaster caused by the beasts. He must have his reasons for doing this."

Sakura Matou would never have thought that Jiang You just thought it was fun to do this.

"Okay, I'm really impressed by him."

Toosaka Rin raised her hand to show her surrender on this topic, because the attitude of the Clock Tower proved that Sakura's idea was correct.

The only conflict between her and Jiang You now is over the ownership of Jason between her and Medea. Medea's attitude makes her very unhappy. Even if Medea has sufficient reasons to snatch Jason away, she still has to fight openly! "I want to take back my own Servant, and then compete with Caster head-on for the Holy Grail. So, Sakura, what do you think?"

"My thoughts?"

Matou Sakura tilted her head. She didn't really have many thoughts. She just felt that since Illya was already trying hard to compete, she had to do something too. At least she couldn't lose to her. "Probably... about the same as Illya. Well, sister, I won't give this spot to you easily. Let's duel."

124

Chapter 124: The battle you escaped will always be made up for.

Following Matou Sakura's invitation, the duel space slowly unfolded. Since Matou Sakura no longer needed to hide her identity, Baimao's live broadcast also began from now on.

Toosaka Rin LP 4000.

Matou Sakura LP 4000.

"Since I'm the younger sister, I naturally have to give way to my elder sister. You go first, Rin."

Of course, Sakura Matou also has her own little thoughts. Many servants in her deck can only activate their effects when the opponent has servants, so the advantage of playing second hand is greater than that of playing first hand.

"Ying, you don't know my deck yet, right?"

Toosaka Rin's own card was only exposed during the duel with Hassan the Hundred Faces on the second day of the Holy Grail War. Since Jiang You started the duel competition, it has not been exposed to other players much.

"My own deck can create a health gap without even entering a combat round, and you'll be at a significant disadvantage if you're second. Sakura, have you really thought this through?"

Matou Sakura nodded affirmatively, and Tōsaka Rin didn't say anything more and began her own story.

"First, I activate [Uphold Grace], banishing the top 10 cards in my deck face-down, then draw two cards!"

"Father, you've come just in time! Then, I'll Normal Summon [Tōsaka Tokiomi]!"

【Tousaka Tokiomi】Attack power 1200.

"The effect adds a [Gem]-related magic card to your hand. I want to add this [Cursed Black Gem Magic]!"

An elegant and tired middle-aged man appeared in the battle area.

"Rin, your opponent this time...is Sakura?"

Tōsaka Tokitoki looked at the little girl he had sent away, his eyes filled with a mixture of guilt and relief. He could see that Sakura seemed to have emerged from the shadows and was now somewhat energetic.

"You've grown so big."

Matou Sakura smiled at her father. She understood his choice, but it was hard to say she didn't feel resentment. She simply called out "father" softly and said nothing more.

Toosaka Rin took the initiative to break the awkward atmosphere: "Next, I will activate my own effect in my hand card, send a [Gem] magic card to the graveyard, and special summon it from my hand!"

【Tousaka Rin】Attack power 1200.

"It's about to begin, Sakura. If it hurts too much, tell me."

Toosaka Rin reminded Matou Sakura that the duel would result in actual damage, and Toosaka Rin's set of cards would continuously cause low direct damage.

"Sister will move slower."

I've actually gotten used to the pain a long time ago. Matou Sakura nodded, signaling Tousaka Rin to continue.

"[Cursed Black Gem Magic] Pay 2000 Life Points, select 3 [Gem] Magics from your Deck except [Black Gem Magic], add one of them to your hand, and send the other two to the Graveyard!"

Toosaka Rin LP 4000 → LP 2000 → LP 2500.

Matou Sakura LP 4000 → LP 3500.

"I'm going to add this card, [Inherited Gem Necklace]. This card's effect allows you to special recruit an Archer of 5 stars or less from your deck. Come, my ally of justice, [Emiya]!"

【Emiya】Attack power 2000.

Toosaka Rin LP 2500 → LP 3000.

Matou Sakura LP 3500 → LP 3000.

"Rin, I feel the need to tell you that the words 'partner of justice' have nothing to do with me. I'm just an executioner."

Red A once again stated that he was a pragmatist and that being a messenger of justice had nothing to do with him.

"But that's what your magic card says."

Toosaka Rin exposed Red A's true nature without hesitation.

"Emiya's effect: Once per turn, discard a card and equip an equipment card from your deck to yourself. I equip Durandal to Emiya."

[Emiya] Attack: 2000 → 2500

"This is the third time! [Gorgeous Sapphire Magic] returns three [Gem] Magics from the Graveyard to the Deck, then draws a card!"

Toosaka Rin LP 3000 → LP 3500.

Matou Sakura LP 3000 → LP 2500.

"Finally, I covered a card in the backcourt to end my turn."

In the first round, Rin Tohsaka dealt 1500 HP to Sakura Matou. If the opponent had cards on the field, combined with Red A's [Pseudo-Spiral Sword], she could easily deal 2000 HP of direct damage. Under the 4000 HP rule, the suppression power is quite strong.

"Then it's my turn. Draw a card!"