"Hurry up and talk! I'm tired of playing these 'friendship games' with you!" Jiang You said with a malicious grin.
"I'd never tell you that!"
There was no way Mash would grant Jiang You's wish; they were enemies now.
"Heroic King, hurry and destroy me! Senpai... Master is still struggling in battle! I have to go back and help her!"
Jiang You saw Gilgamesh's hesitation and, ever the mischievous provocateur, continued to sow confusion from the sidelines: "Think carefully, now. This might be a Trap to trick you into activating a destruction effect. You only have one card left in your hand."
"Heroic King, don't listen to his lies!" Mash pleaded desperately. Her presence in Jiang You's Deck was already impossible to explain, and his words only made it clearer that he had no intention of letting her return. Gudako was still under attack by Shuten-dōji; if Mash didn't return immediately, Gudako would be in grave danger!
"Consider your options carefully."
As Mash paced frantically, Jiang You remained unperturbed. If Gilgamesh destroyed her, Jiang You could deploy his strategy without worry. If he didn't, it meant Gilgamesh was flustered, making it a win-win situation. Stirring up trouble from the sidelines was proving remarkably addictive. Enkidu, watching the spectacle, nodded with keen interest.
"If you trust the wrong person, you'll lose, won't you, Little Mashu?"
"Hahahaha! You think such a trivial matter could trouble this King?"
Gilgamesh had never been one for indecision. No one could sway him from what he wanted to do. He saw through Jiang You's attempt to sow discord between him and Chaldea, finding the novelistic tactic laughable. "How absurd! Who does this mongrel think he is to meddle in this King's affairs? I activate the Divine Authority Seal's effect! Discard one Hand card to destroy Mash!"
"Excellent work, Little Mashu!"
Even at this critical moment, Jiang You refused to let Mash rest. "Excellent acting! You've fooled Goldie! Now I can finally unleash my full strategy!"
"You bastard!" Mash roared at Jiang You, on the verge of tears. Then, a beam of divine energy from the Divine Authority Seal annihilated Mash.
"Goldie?" Enkidu found the nickname remarkably fitting for his dearest friend. "Gil, from now on, I'll call you that. How does that sound?"
Under normal circumstances, Gilgamesh would have welcomed a proper discussion or even a contest with Enkidu. But this was clearly not the time, so he refrained from giving a direct answer.
"My dearest friend, the very survival of Uruk is at stake. While This King is confident in slaying this villain, he possesses considerable power. Now is not the time for such discussions."
Enkidu actually knew Jiang You, having faced him once as an enemy and once as an ally. Based on these experiences, Enkidu believed Jiang You was unlikely to commit such an act. However, finding the unfolding situation intriguing, he decided to keep his knowledge to himself, curious to see how things would play out.
"Then let us end this idle chatter here. Without a Hand, you can no longer stop the arrival of my trump card! I activate the Spell Card 'Round Table Knights' Gathering'! This card can only be activated when our field is empty of servants or contains only 'Knights of the Round Table'. It allows me to Special Summon three 'Knights of the Round Table' with different names from my Deck!"
Jiang You unleashed his ultimate field-flooding card, a friendship support from the late Lion King.
"Three Knights at once?" Gilgamesh scoffed. He knew the Knights of the Round Table were all top-tier Heroic Spirits, and even outside Duel rules, dealing with three simultaneously would be troublesome.
"But no matter! With my dearest friend Enkidu here, all their effects will be nullified!"
"You're celebrating too soon," Jiang You countered. "It makes no difference. The servants summoned by this effect have their effects nullified and can't attack! I don't need their abilities anyway!"
Jiang You successfully Special Summoned three servants from his Deck:
[ Knight of the Round Table Lancelot Saber ]: Attack Power 2400 → 2900.
[ Round Table Knight Gawain ]: Attack Power 2500 → 3000.
[ Fairy Knight Tristan ]: Attack Power 2000 → 2500.
"This summoning method again..."
Lancelot turned to look behind him, expecting Mash to be his Summoner, only to find Jiang You, the Duelist who had previously fought Mash, instead. He immediately tensed up.
"Why you?! How did my Servant Card end up in your hands? What have you done to Mash?!"
"Nothing. Mash and I were comrades. She was on the field just now."
Jiang You pointed decisively at Gilgamesh.
"But now Mash has been killed by the servant facing you."
"Mongrel!"
Gilgamesh nearly laughed out of anger at Jiang You's blatant distortion of the truth, but he couldn't deny it.
"Surely the Heroic King, whose name echoes throughout the world, wouldn't renege on his debts, would he?"
Jiang You insisted he was speaking nothing but the truth. "Will you deny that you used the Divine Authority Seal to kill Mash?"
"Hmph!"
Gilgamesh didn't bother explaining. The hostility of a mere Knight of the Round Table was nothing to him; he wouldn't fear them even if they all attacked at once.
This hardened Lancelot's resolve. "Lord Jiang You, if you can avenge Mash, I will obey your commands!"
Faced with this sudden new mission to defeat Gilgamesh, Jiang You awkwardly averted his gaze. How did my antics trick them into giving me a reward? If they find out my true Affection level, they'll probably take everything back and demand repayment!
Enkidu, always intensely curious, was particularly fascinated by Fairy Tristan. Knowing Tristan should be male, he wondered aloud, "Why is this Fairy Knight traveling with the Knights of the Round Table? And why does she share Tristan's name?"
Lancelot had also noticed his companion's transformation into a beautiful young woman. Though he remained silent, his eyes burned with curiosity. Gawain, however, remained composed, having witnessed this before.
Finding explanation too tedious, Jiang You decided to keep up the charade. "This is Tristan, King Arthur's creation as punishment for a grave sin. Gawain and Lancelot underwent similar transformations. Though they now have female bodies, their hearts remain those of men. They're currently working as idols to earn redemption..."
(Spy- Haha I get that reference.)
"Can you at least make your stories sound believable?" Fairy Tristan interrupted, glaring at Jiang You's fabricated tale. "And don't think you'll get away with abandoning me! Just wait till I get my hands on you!"
"Let's talk about that later," Jiang You replied dismissively.
Fairy Tristan was currently in a foul mood, so it was best to avoid her wrath. "There are three Six-Star Round Table Knights on the field! I'll overlay the Three Servants and Xyz Summon—King of the Knights of the Round Table, Artoria!"
Artoria's Attack Power: 2500 → 3000.
"Since Artoria is an Xyz Monster, she has no Level. Therefore, Enkidu's effect suppression is ineffective against her! I activate Artoria's effect to equip her with a Sword of Promised Victory from my Deck!"
The golden Holy Sword gleamed brilliantly in the golden-haired maiden's grasp!
Artoria's Attack Power: 3000 → 4000!