"By the Command Spell... Damn it!"
Atrum gritted his teeth and attempted to use his Command Spell once more. However, how could he possibly break the rules of a Duel that even Beasts and Grand Servants must abide by?
"This Duel is a Shadow Game!—Though you don't have to be too nervous. I don't have the 'Independent Action' skill, so I won't kill you outright."
Jiang You "reassured" Atrum with a genuine smile this time.
"I'm just planning to do something similar to what you did—using people as batteries. Oh, by the way, do you have a suitcase?"
"...A suitcase?"
Atrum couldn't understand why Jiang You suddenly brought that up—it had nothing to do with the current situation.
"Speaking of portable batteries, suitcases are a must. Oh, and a tailcoat too."
Jiang You spoke to himself as he stared at Atrum with eyes devoid of emotion, as if looking at a mere object.
"Are you really not going to choose one? After all, that will be your home forever."
"The price of a Shadow Game! If you lose, you'll be turned into a mobile battery and locked inside a suitcase."
Although Shadow Games allow for any price to be set, directly destroying the soul is the most efficient method. However, Jiang You still wanted to have some fun here, so he wouldn't let Atrum exit the stage so easily.
"Go ahead, you can also name an equivalent price. Duels are fair. Are you scared? You've used so many living sacrifices, but now that it's your turn, you're trembling and crying?"
"I—I would never be afraid of a mere Familiar!"
Atrum forced himself to stand despite his trembling legs. He had never realized that even the act of summoning a Servant in the Holy Grail War was such a dangerous ritual.
"If I win, you will hand over all your knowledge of magecraft and commit suicide right here!"
"My magecraft knowledge?"
Jiang You pondered for a moment—did he even have something like that?
After hesitating briefly, he nodded in agreement. As for suicide, that was just too mundane for a Servant.
"Fine, I accept. But you're doomed to lose."
Jiang You took out his Deck.
Jiang You LP: 4000Atrum LP: 4000
Atrum carefully read through the knowledge provided by Jiang You's Noble Phantasm, and his expression gradually improved.
"Familiar! What are you so arrogant about? Your Noble Phantasm forces you and your Master to use the same Deck—our chances of winning are the same!"
"Friendly reminder: My key card is a single copy, and you can't even use it."
Jiang You's card, which ignored summoning restrictions, was so rare that he could hardly find it in his own deck. Right now, his only hope was drawing it at the right moment, or perhaps decking out completely.
"You... don't have your own history?"
Atrum's mind momentarily stalled. How could someone without a history become a Heroic Spirit? "But isn't that still the same?"
"It's different. Oh, speaking of which, I still have my Command Spells..."
Jiang You was about to take out Assassin of the Hundred Faces' deck when he suddenly realized that the Command Spells he had obtained from the Fourth Holy Grail War hadn't disappeared—they had even been replenished to three full marks.
Following Jiang You's gaze, Atrum saw the Command Spell on his hand—it was unmistakable.
Jiang You was a Master!
Before Atrum could even voice his shock, Jiang You had already activated his Command Spell.
"By my Command Spell, Assassin, come to my side!"
The Command Spell transcended time and space, linking to the maskless version of Hundred Faces, whom Jiang You had designated as his true self. Magical energy pierced through the walls of the world and time, pulling her directly to Jiang You's side.
"Assassin!? How is this possible!?"
Atrum poured all his magical energy into trying to detect if he had been affected by some kind of suggestion spell. Jiang You had been in his sight ever since he was summoned—how could he have had any opportunity to bypass the rules of the Holy Grail War and summon another Servant illegally?
"Master, there are twenty-eight hostile magical signatures outside the door—most likely enemy magi. Do you need me to eliminate them?"
Hundred Faces immediately assumed her role as a Servant, activating her Noble Phantasm, Delusional Illusion, to split herself into an equal number of clones corresponding to the enemy magi outside.
"Make sure to leave a few alive. My dear Master here mentioned that these kids have a supply source, and I'm quite interested in that too."
Jiang You deliberately emphasized the honorific while looking at Atrum with a playful smirk. Atrum's expression grew increasingly horrified—he realized that even if he defeated Jiang You, he would still have to face an Assassin's close-range attack in this cramped space.
"I want to add another condition!"
Atrum wasn't about to let himself be beheaded before even obtaining the knowledge of the Third Magic. "If you lose, you must transfer Assassin's Command Spells to me as well!"
"Fine, but you're really weak."
"Stop looking down on me! I must bring honor to my family—I won't fall here! I take the first turn!"
Frustrated by Jiang You's repeated disdain, Atrum angrily claimed the first move.
"Even the most primitive sorcery once had its glory! I activate Magic Acquisition—by discarding one card, I special summon Baghdad Battery from my Deck!"
Baghdad Battery★2 / DEF 2000 (Magic Counters: 1)
"Next, I activate the effect of Innocent Sacrifice in my Graveyard! When this card is sent to the Graveyard, I can choose one card on my field that can hold Magic Counters and add one counter!"
The mystical power within the clay jar-shaped battery grew even stronger.
"Now I activate Atrum's Magic Device! By sending the top three cards of my Deck to the Graveyard, I add three Magic Counters to my Battery! One of those cards was another Innocent Sacrifice, so that's a total of five counters!"
"This... feels like it should have been my true history! I activate Baghdad Battery's effect! By consuming Magic Counters, I can Special Summon a Servant from my Deck whose level matches the number of counters spent! I use four counters—Special Summon!
Caster – Medea!
Come forth, Witch of the Age of Gods! As my Familiar, obey my command and crush my enemy!"
Medea★4 / ATK 1800
Draped in a violet cloak that concealed her face, Medea slowly emerged from the summoning circle.
"Holy Grail War...? No, something feels off. What kind of Noble Phantasm is this!?"
Medea, startled, examined her existence. She could freely intercept historical fragments and summon Heroic Spirits—what kind of Noble Phantasm could achieve this?
She then turned her gaze to Jiang You. Though his refined appearance annoyed her, she saw in him a faint glimmer of her own wish being fulfilled.
"Nameless Servant, I ask you this. If I could form my own Deck, would that bastard Jason be included among the cards? How much of my life would be represented within it?"
Her true name was already exposed, and she didn't bother hiding it. She spoke of her wish bluntly.
"Uh...?"
Jiang You blinked, momentarily stunned.
It seemed like this Card Spirit wanted to stir up some trouble.