"Effect of Origin Bullet! Destroy Jewel Sword for me!"
"Not so fast! Jewel Sword's effect! When your opponent activates an effect, I can send a Jewel Magic Card from my hand or field to the Graveyard to negate and destroy it! And this is treated as activating a Jewel Magic Card on the field!"
As expected, when facing Matou Sakura, Rin Tohsaka still held something in reserve—Jewel Sword had hidden effects. Other than Jiang You, no one could truly know their opponent's card effects, so countering them relied mostly on luck.
Of course, if one had some danger-sensing innate skill, that might help too.
Rin Tohsaka LP: 2500 → 2750.
Illyasviel LP: 3500 → 3250.
"So that's how it works, huh? The Jewel Magic Cards act as ammo?"
Knowing the effect now, Illyasviel felt much more at ease. That meant Rin only had one more use of Jewel Sword left at best.
"In that case, I'll send my Leysritt to the Graveyard and Special Summon Dress of Heaven from my Deck in Defense Position!"
Dress of Heaven: DEF 1200
"It wasn't negated?"
Illya's Dress of Heaven form had appeared many times, and Rin Tohsaka had done her homework. She knew that even if it was destroyed, it could banish Leysritt and reappear. Mages who had fought Illya before often declared her unbeatable.
Without pausing, Illya continued her turn: "Now, I activate Mystery Killer! I send a Servant Card from my Deck to the Graveyard to add a Servant Card related to Minamoto no Raikou or Yorimitsu's Four Heavenly Kings to my hand. If the sent card is a Servant from Mount Ōe, I also add a related Equip Spell Card. I'll send Shuten-dōji to the Graveyard..."
"Now's my chance!"
Rin Tohsaka had no intention of letting this three-for-one card activation succeed. She immediately interrupted, sending another Jewel Magic card to the Graveyard.
"I activate Jewel Sword's effect! By discarding a card from my hand, I negate this activation!"
Rin Tohsaka: 2750 LP → 3000 LP
Illya: 3250 LP → 3000 LP
Rin Tohsaka's Life Points increased from 2750 to 3000.
Illya's Life Points decreased from 3250 to 3000.
"In that case, I activate the Field Spell Card, [ Castle of Snow ]!"
Having successfully depleted all of Rin's ammunition, Illya activated her own Field Spell Card. A snow-covered castle materialized, filling the entire Duel Space, and the audience felt the bite of the frigid wind firsthand.
Yet the atmosphere remained electric.
"The effect of [ Castle of Snow ]..."
"Not so fast!"
With no cards left in her hand, Rin flipped over a face-down card from her back row. "[ Origin Bullet ]! Negate the effect of [ Castle of Snow ] and destroy it!"
The special bullet tore through the castle, leaving a long, jagged trail in the air. The massive structure crumbled layer by layer, its magical power dissipating into the void.
"Since it was sent to the Graveyard, [ Castle of Snow's ] Graveyard effect activates!"
Illya had never activated [ Castle of Snow's ] Graveyard effect in this Worldline, so Rin was unaware of it.
"Special Summon an 'Einzbern' Servant from the Graveyard!"
"Since when did you have an 'Einzbern' Servant in your Graveyard?" Rin Tohsaka demanded. She clearly remembered that Illya's Graveyard only contained Kiritsugu Emiya, Leysritt, and Shuten-doji. This effect shouldn't even be possible to activate.
As Illya summoned, a cold-faced maid descended into battle in a gentle blurred form.
"She's also an important member of my family!" Illya declared. "Even though it's not explicitly stated on the card, Leysritt is treated as an 'Einzbern' Servant by the rules!"
Unfortunately, the audience had already witnessed far more extravagant summons and paid little attention to Leysritt.
"By combining the Dress of Heaven with a non-Tuner 'Einzbern' Servant, I'll tune their levels together and Special Summon 'Ilya (Dress of Heaven)'!"
Ilya (Dress of Heaven)
Attack Power: 2500
A pure white young girl in a magnificent gown slowly descended from the sky, radiating nobility and sanctity.
"No, no, no, there's nothing holy about that!" Rin exclaimed instinctively. "It looks downright provocative!"
"What's so 'provocative' about it?! And who do you think you're talking to?! Say another word and I'll kill you!"
This was the Einzbern family's pride, a Mystic Code identical to the one worn by Justeaze. Illya couldn't tolerate Rin Tohsaka's crude remarks about it.
"Anyway, my effect allows me to Special Summon a Four-Star or lower Servant from the Graveyard upon a successful Summon. I'm summoning that despicable man, obsessed with being a 'Hero of Justice'—Kiritsugu Emiya!"
The Mage Killer appeared amidst a cloud of smoke.
Kiritsugu Emiya: Attack Power 1600
"Why is this a tournament arena...?"
Kiritsugu stared at the sea of spectators. For a moment, he forgot he was still trapped within Jiang You's Noble Phantasm. Just as he tried to slip into the shadows, he realized he had been summoned as a Servant Card.
"What's Caster up to now? Is he trying to declare war on the entire Magecraft World?"
Kiritsugu instantly identified the culprit. No other Servant would act so recklessly. Even as the Mage Killer, he had originally intended to uphold the secrecy of magecraft.
Why "originally"? Because after Jiang You's summoning, nothing followed the established logic anymore.
"Just how many decks am I in...?" Kiritsugu Emiya muttered, watching the Duel unfold. Noticing that all the participants were familiar faces, he unconsciously lit a cigarette.
Illya showed no sign of acknowledging Kiritsugu, continuing her turn. "Don't forget, I still have one Normal Summon left! I Normal Summon myself!"
Illya: Attack Power 1500
"This is the first time I've used this effect. I suppose my connection with Berserker was destined from the start."
Illya was using her card's effect to summon herself from the Deck for the first time. She had attempted to use it during her previous battle with Gilgamesh, but Gilgamesh had interrupted her.
Minamoto no Raikou clearly relished the phrase "destined connection," her face glowing with satisfaction.
"I release myself! I Special Summon a Servant Card with eight stars or less from my Deck! I summon the Heian Period's most formidable Mystery Killer—Minamoto no Raikou!"
Purple lightning surged across the Duel Space. Then, a long katana sliced through the storm, clearing a path for a majestic female warrior to descend amidst the thunder.
Minamoto no Raikou
Berserker, 8 stars, Attack Power 3000.
"Since this effect nullifies the abilities of summoned Servants, Minamoto no Raikou is currently powerless. I'm sorry, Raikou, I can't let you exert your full strength."
But this state didn't last long. Raikou's regal bearing was quickly replaced by motherly nature as she turned gently to Illya.
"It's alright. The fact that Illya managed to summon me so easily is already remarkable. No other Berserker is better suited for this effect. And remember to call me 'Mommy,' okay?"
"Huh?" Kiritsugu was stunned by the sudden declaration.
He certainly didn't imagine any connection between himself and Minamoto no Raikou. But the dangerous glint in her eyes as she looked at Illya prompted him to offer admonishment.
"You and Illya come from completely different eras..."
"Even if you're Little Ilya's biological father, I won't easily forgive you for saying such things." Raikou stroked her katana's scabbard, a faint smile curving her lips, but her eyes remained utterly devoid of amusement. "Do you know what Illya loves to eat? Do you know what time she goes to bed? How many times did she toss and turn last night? How much has her weight changed today? How many folds are there in her Command Spells? Do you know—"
"And I know everything."
Kiritsugu Emiya's hand trembled slightly as he held his cigarette. This madwoman truly lived up to her Berserker title. Unable to intervene directly in this timeline, he feared that saying more would only provoke her further. His only hope was that the Illya of this timeline could withstand her.