"Until the very last moment, the outcome isn't decided!"
Rin Tohsaka placed her hand atop her deck and took a deep breath.
"My turn—draw!"
"Hahahahaha! This is the inevitability of a duel!"
Rin burst into laughter upon seeing the card she drew. The sensation of spatial distortion once again rippled from the card.
"As expected, Lady Luck is on my side! Shirou Emiya, it's time for us to go all out!"
"If you don't mind, I'd prefer to be called Archer."
Too bad objections were invalid.
"First, I activate the effect of [Jeweled Sword]! I search my deck for [Gem Magic Bullet] and add it to my hand. Then, I activate [Gem Magic Bullet] to inflict 500 LP damage to Illya!"
Illya LP: 1750 → 1250
"Ready, Illya?"
Rin raised the card high.
"This is my winning move! I activate the Field Spell Card: [Unlimited Blade Works]! I equip four Equip Spell Cards from my deck to [Emiya]!"
[Emiya] ATK: 2500 → 4500
This was equal to Raikou's power—an overwhelming strike that could decide the match in one blow.
"Three Caladbolg II blades in total. This is the first!"
Rin uttered words reminiscent of Gilgamesh, and even the effect was eerily similar.
The Spiral Sword shot toward Minamoto no Raikou, and an Oni from the Graveyard was banished to negate the attack.
Illya's Life Points: 1250 → 750.
"Second one!"
Same outcome—Illya's LP was shaved down again.
[Emiya] ATK: 4500 → 3000
Illya LP: 750 → 250
"Third one!"
The protection was fully used up. Raikou was sent to the Graveyard.
"It's over, contestant from the Einzbern family! This victory goes to the Tohsaka family!"
Rin puffed out her modest chest. First the Einzberns, then the Matous—she would prove the supremacy of the Tohsaka family's jewel magecraft among the Three Founding Families.
"I activate the effect of [Origin Bullet] in my Graveyard! It negates effect damage this turn… Rin, you have this card too, right? Did you forget what it does?"
As Rin was busy popping the champagne too early, Illya kindly reminded her.
"…Of course I didn't forget!"
Rin blushed and quickly recomposed herself. She glanced at the field—Archer's direct attack wouldn't clinch the win. She had to release all Equip Cards to break through.
"The result will be the same—I release the remaining Equip Cards to destroy all your cards on the field!"
[Emiya] ATK: 3000 → 2000
All obstacles were cleared.
"Final blow! [Emiya] attacks Illya directly! Crane Wing Triple Strike!"
"At the same time, I activate the Trap Card: [Covering Fire]! It destroys [Emiya]!"
Illya had long since seen Rin's Graveyard in her "Dress of Heaven" mode—there was no Shirou Emiya card in it.
"…"
Archer's head was pierced by a sniper shot from who-knows-where. Rin lost her chance to act and was forced to end her turn by the rules. Now the field was completely cleared on both sides—but the next turn was Illya's.
"It's fine, I still have 2350 LP. One card won't end it."
Rin tried to console herself, though her voice lacked conviction.
"My turn, draw!"
Illya's draw was unremarkable—nothing as bombastic as [Unlimited Blade Works] or [Land of Shadows]. Just an ordinary draw.
But a lack of flair didn't mean it couldn't seal the deal. Illya slammed the card down.
"I Normal Summon [Illyasviel]!"
"!"
Rin already knew her fate. It didn't take overwhelming power—Illya drawing herself was inevitable.
"I tribute myself to Special Summon [Minamoto-no-Raikou] from the deck!"
The blank-text Raikou descended once again amidst thunder. But whether she had effects or not no longer mattered.
[Minamoto-no-Raikou] ATK: 3000
"I knew you were the best, Illya!"
Raikou jumped for joy like a mother seeing her child ace an exam—literally. Hundred-Faces' camera zoomed in on Raikou's chest, only to get kicked out of the way by another version of herself.
Jiang You twitched at the corner of his eye. He had no idea what logic governed this program anymore—Hundred-Faces was getting more abstract by the day. He just hoped King Hassan wouldn't storm down from the Throne of Heroes to cut her up over it.
"Minamoto no Raikou is launching a direct attack on Rin Tohsaka! Victory belongs to the Einzbern!"
"I won't let anyone stand in Illya's way!"
Minamoto no Raikou strode toward Rin Tohsaka, the lightning crackling along her Dōjigiri blade intensifying. She swung the blade at Rin's neck with the same ferocity she had shown against Shuten Dōji.
Rin Tohsaka: LP 2350 → LP 0!
"The victor is Illya and Minamoto no Raikou! This is a victory for the age of legends! Let us congratulate them!"
Illya's avatar filled the screen, proclaiming her triumph.
The audience erupted in thunderous applause. This duel was the most intense they had ever witnessed, a fierce exchange of resources and a clash of bonds (draw one, attack one). In the end, Illya had seized victory by the narrowest of margins, staging a final reversal.
It was far more thrilling than the one-sided matches in the preliminaries.
Before leaving the arena, Illya waved her tiny fist at the Hundred Faces camera.
"Caster, you're next! I'm coming to punch you!"
"The battle between legend and modernity has concluded! Next, we present the clash everyone's been eagerly anticipating: mortals versus mythology! Can Shinji Matou, without a Servant Card, defeat a team of Heroic Spirits from ancient Greek legends using the Matou family's Insect Magic? Let's welcome both competitors to the arena!"
The floating platforms of Shinji Matou and Medea merged seamlessly. Without a moment's pause, their second duel was about to begin.
"In your condition... are you sure you can continue fighting?"
As a Mage from the Age of Gods, Medea possessed an extraordinary sensitivity to disturbances in magical power. She immediately sensed something was wrong with Shinji, though she couldn't pinpoint the exact issue without a closer examination. To her, Shinji looked as if he was about to explode from within, but she had little sympathy to spare. If he died, she wouldn't care.
"Of course I'm dueling!"
Shinji's eyes were firm. This was his chance to prove himself. No matter what happened to his body, it didn't matter so long as he could grasp magic. To him, dueling was just another form of spirit-summoning magecraft—one that didn't require magical circuits.
"You're just some relic! If you're scared of me, just admit defeat."
"Relic? Did you just say I'm scared of you?"
No matter the era, mocking a woman's age was asking for trouble.
"You brat who couldn't even become a real magus—today I'm going to make you cry! Let me show you the difference between the Age of Gods and the modern era!"