Facing Medea's questions, Jiang You had a feeling his deck was about to expand. He answered each of her inquiries accordingly.
"If you summon normally, you can indeed generate your own deck. Since Jason was such an important part of your life, he naturally cannot be absent. What you truly want is to catch a glimpse of your former homeland, isn't it? You should ask yourself—are there any memories branded upon your heart?"
In the FSN timeline of the Type-Moon World, Medea was portrayed as a victim of the love curse cast by Aphrodite. In addition, FGO's Okeanos chapter depicted Jason as a vain and cowardly man, pinning most of the blame on him and cementing his reputation as an absolute scoundrel.
However, as a franchise known for its ensemble cast, FGO's Lostbelt Atlantis chapter later showcased Jason's charm and character, shifting some of the blame away from him and creating slight contradictions in the lore. As such, Jiang You wasn't entirely sure about the exact nature of their relationship within the Type-Moon World.
He decided to let them resolve it on their own. Meanwhile, seeing the system notification granting him an extra three copies of [Medea], Jiang You reaffirmed his role as a merciless card collector—he would scam the cards into his deck first and ask questions later.
"Oh?"
A faint smile curved Medea's lips beneath her hood. "This is indeed interesting. I believe we can work together."
"Hmph, as expected of the treacherous witch! The moment she appears, she's already plotting betrayal. Why is it that all I summon are these kinds of things?"
Atrum, realizing that even his own cards were considering betraying him, voiced his extreme dissatisfaction.
"You dare call me a witch!?"
Medea had initially intended to maintain the composure of an ancient magus, but Atrum's words agitated her. Now, free from the constraints of a Command Spell, she had no reason to hold back. Moreover, according to the duel rules, Atrum couldn't issue any additional commands to her.
"Servant of the opposing field, my Noble Phantasm, [Rule Breaker], acts as a Trap Card that can seize control of a Servant. Don't let your guard down!"
By revealing her deck's mechanics, Medea caused Atrum's expression to darken considerably. He hurriedly interrupted before she could continue her moves.
"A magus must establish their own territory! [Medea]'s effect, once per turn, I can remove one Mana Counter from my field to search my deck for a Trap Card and add it to my hand!"
"Finally, I set two cards face-down and end my turn!"
Atrum completed his setup.
Jiang You assessed his opponent's board. There was no real resistance, but [Medea] still had her effect that accumulated Mana Counters whenever either player activated a Spell or Trap. Additionally, she could remove two Mana Counters to destroy a card during the opponent's turn.
"My turn—draw!"
"First, I activate the Spell Card [Name of Hassan]! Its effect allows me to search my deck for a 'Hassan-i-Sabbah' card. I'll be adding [Hundred Faces]!"
"[Hundred Faces], you'll be my key to victory in this Holy Grail War. Lend me your strength!"
Jiang You called out to the remaining true body of [Hundred Faces].
"It is my honor, Master."
"Good! I'll Normal Summon [Hundred Faces]! Its effect allows me to Special Summon as many copies of itself from my deck as possible!"
From within the shadows, multiple figures emerged silently. Three [Hundred Faces] appeared, along with a unique variant, [Little Morning Glory].
"Now, I overlay my three [Hundred Faces]—Xyz Summon! [Fanatic]!"
A young girl clad in cultist robes manifested on Jiang You's field. This time, the disdain in her gaze toward him was even stronger than before—after all, what kind of Servant constantly participated in Holy Grail Wars?
[Fanatic] ATK 1000 → 2500.
"Hahaha! The witch already warned you, yet you still summon your ace so recklessly? Come to me! I activate the Trap Card [Rule Breaker]! By discarding a card, I seize control of one of your monsters!"
As Medea's spectral form lunged forward with a dagger aimed at [Fanatic], Atrum believed victory was within his grasp.
"Not so fast! I chain [Information Gathering]—negating and destroying your Trap! Any other tricks?"
Lightning crackled, sealing the phantom's movement. Medea's spectral form dissolved into nothingness, unable to continue.
"Dammit!"
Atrum clenched his teeth so hard that his molars ground together audibly. "Then I activate the Graveyard effect of [Gold Acquisition]—if it's sent to the Graveyard by an effect, I draw one card!"
"Then I continue—[Fanatic]'s effect! I detach one material to destroy [Medea]!"
Since [Medea] could rapidly accumulate Mana Counters, who knew what powerful effect she might unleash if left unchecked?
A grotesque, twisted hand emerged from [Fanatic]'s shadow. In an instant, it shot toward [Medea], crushing her heart with overwhelming force and sending her to the Graveyard.
"But I'm not done! [Fanatic] will now use Madness Whisper on [Baghdad Battery]!"
Once again, Jiang You utilized the same tactic, wiping out the last card in Atrum's front row.
[Fanatic] ATK 2500 → 1500.
"Next, I activate the Spell [Mad Delusion]! I Special Summon up to three copies of [Hundred Faces] from my hand, deck, or Graveyard! However, their effects are negated!"
The [Hundred Faces] that had been detached as Xyz Materials now returned to the battlefield.
[Hundred Faces] ATK 800 × 2.
"I activate the Quick-Play Spell [Mastery of Encyclopedias]! Its effects depend on the number of 'Hassan-i-Sabbah' monsters on the field or in the Graveyard. Since there are four, I activate all effects!"
1+ Hassan: All Assassin monsters gain 500 ATK until the end of the turn!2+ Hassan: Destroy one Spell or Trap on the opponent's field!3+ Hassan: Draw one card!
[Hundred Faces] ATK 800 → 1300 × 2.[Little Morning Glory] ATK 0 → 500.
"It's useless! I activate my Trap—[Dragon Tooth Soldiers]! By banishing one Servant from my Graveyard, I Special Summon two [Dragon Tooth Soldier Tokens]!"
From beneath the earth, skeletal hands emerged, dragging themselves upward as two ominous warriors appeared.
[Dragon Tooth Soldier Tokens]Level 2 / DEF 1000.
"Then let's do it again—[Fanatic], unleash Madness Whisper!"
One of the [Dragon Tooth Soldiers] was obliterated, leaving only one token standing.
"Finally, I activate the Continuous Spell [Hundred Books Collection]! Once per turn, I can Tribute a [Hassan-i-Sabbah] monster to either destroy a card on the field or draw a card! I tribute [Fanatic] to destroy the last [Dragon Tooth Soldier Token]!"
The battlefield was now completely devoid of defenses.
"All barriers have been annihilated—total attack power: 3100. Direct attack!"
The [Hundred Faces] assassins swiftly darted toward Atrum, their blades striking from all angles. Finally, [Little Morning Glory] delivered the finishing blow—by stepping on his toes.
The agony of the Shadow Game sent Atrum into a frenzy. As a Middle Eastern tycoon, he had never experienced true life-and-death combat. The excruciating pain made him scream, tears and snot flowing uncontrollably.
Atrum LP 4000 → LP 900.
"I set two cards and end my turn."
Fear of death gnawed at Atrum's heart. Under immense pressure, he recalled why he had joined the Holy Grail War in the first place.
"I still can't fall here! I must claim my glory! I will stand on equal ground with those so-called noble magi! I refuse to fall for such a ridiculous reason—"
"My turn—DRAW!!!"