"Jiang You, who is our enemy this time?"
Artoria had grown somewhat accustomed to being summoned in this manner. She fixed her gaze directly on Gilgamesh. Despite this being their first encounter, she felt an immediate sense of antipathy toward him—a feeling of inherent incompatibility.
Due to Jiang You's meddling, Artoria's role in the narrative had been drastically reduced, mirroring her treatment in Fate/Grand Order. Lacking the knowledge provided by the Holy Grail, she recognized none of the Heroic Spirits present.
"She's a Creator Goddess who plans to destroy humanity. But before we can face her, we must first defeat the Hero King Gilgamesh."
Jiang You had no intention of concealing his plans. After defeating the Hero King, their next target was Gorgon. It would be a series of back-to-back battles. The only mystery was where Ishtar had gone. Logically, with Gudako's charisma, Ishtar should have been helping them.
In reality, Jiang You had given them too little time. Gudako hadn't even had a chance to travel to Ebihu Mountain. Even the ten days Gorgon had initially granted them had felt rushed.
Gilgamesh's eyelid twitched. He and Tiamat were not allies. If Jiang You considered Tiamat his true enemy, there should be no reason for him to attack Gilgamesh.
"So, we're facing an enemy of this magnitude?"
Artoria had only encountered Jiang You for the first time during the Holy Grail War, and in such a short time, things had escalated to this level.
"Then, since this is a War to Save the World, allow me to lend my strength."
"Mongrel!"
Gilgamesh couldn't contain himself any longer. He could sense that Jiang You was only telling half the story. "Did you deceive all your allies into joining you?!"
Artoria's first impression of Gilgamesh had been disastrous, so she dismissed his words as mere bluster.
"Thank you, Artoria," Jiang You said, his face calm and his voice steady. He was telling the truth, after all.
"I activate the effect of the Sword of Promised Victory! By releasing this card, I destroy all face-up servants on your field!"
As the Equip Spell Card was released, Artoria raised the Sword of Promised Victory high. Golden magical power surged skyward, visible even from the battlefield several kilometers away.
"Ex——caliber!!"
The golden beam of light engulfed Gilgamesh and Enkidu completely.
"Impressive power," Gilgamesh's voice echoed from behind the dissipating smoke. "This King is beginning to like her. Pity she still lacks the edge. I activate my effect! Once per turn, when the opponent activates an effect that would destroy cards on the field, negate it!"
A law code formed from clay tablets materialized before Gilgamesh and Enkidu, completely absorbing the beam's destructive force. As a Caster, Gilgamesh possessed defensive magic—a perfectly reasonable ability for his Class.
"It actually blocked it."
Artoria's Attack Power had already dropped back to 3000. "I'm sorry, Jiang You, I couldn't help you."
"Don't worry about it. He's the Heroic King. It's normal to lose to him."
Jiang You had never intended for that effect to activate in the first place. His next move was to stack White Lancer Artoria onto Artoria. Equip Spell Cards sent to the Graveyard upon losing their target meant the Holy Sword's effect shouldn't go to waste. "Now, it's time to pass the baton! I'll use Artoria as an Xyz Material!"
"You've actually earned the approval of that other me?"
Artoria understood Jiang You's plan. Though she was slightly displeased that her Xyz counterpart ranked higher than her, she recognized the strength of White Lancer Artoria.
"Then I'll entrust it to the other me."
"I Xyz Summon! Artoria Pendragon (Lancer)!"
Artoria Pendragon (Lancer)
Attack Power: 2500 → 3000
Since the god-like Lion King had vanished with the Singularity, what stood before them now was the ordinary White Lancer Artoria, wielding the Holy Lance. Her Attack Power had decreased by 1000, but the effect remained unchanged, a minor drawback.
"Jiang You... is it?"
White Lancer Artoria removed her lion-shaped helmet, meeting Jiang You's gaze.
"I've already left a message within my Spirit Origin. Is this the War to Save the World?"
Sure enough, regardless of which Artoria it was, they all shared a fervent devotion to the idea of saving the world.
"I swear by my name, this is a righteous battle to save the world."
This was the truth. Though Jiang You had summoned her, whether their cause was truly righteous was beyond her say. Extra Deck monsters didn't hold back based on Bonds or Affection—such was their utter lack of regard for human rights. Yet Affection remained crucial.
"Then this body shall be yours to command!"
White Lancer Artoria proclaimed, striking her armored chest to emphasize her resolve. A pity she was wearing armor.
"Then help me secure victory. I activate White Lancer Artoria's effect: upon a successful Special Summon, equip her with a Rhongomyniad from the Deck!"
Another Holy Lance leaped forth from the Deck.
White Lancer Artoria: Attack Power 3000 → 4000.
"I activate the effect of Rhongomyniad! Once per turn, at the start of my next turn after activation, send all cards on the field, except for the equipped Servant, and this card to the Graveyard! Then add one Field Spell Card, Tower at the World's End, from my Deck to my hand."
This effect is difficult to counter when the opponent is an enemy, but when it's your own card, it acts as a delayed Trap, allowing you to control the field. The effect is exceptionally useful.
"A Graveyard effect next turn, then."
Gilgamesh realized he had no way to counter this effect. Even the substitution ability of the Holy Prostitute in the Graveyard couldn't be used.
"Immediately following that, White Lancer Artoria's effect activates! By detaching two Xyz Materials, destroy all cards on the opponent's field!"
Activating Rhongomyniad was merely a precaution. If he could end the duel in one turn, Jiang You wouldn't hesitate.
"Shine, Spear of the end!"
"Not so fast! This King has not yet consented! I activate the Counter Trap Card King's Edict! This card can be activated when the opponent activates an effect, negating that effect and granting various benefits based on the negated card's type. Since it's a Servant Card, I draw one card from my Deck."
Jiang You glanced at the card's effects: invalid Servant Cards allowed him to draw a card, while invalid Trap Cards let him target and destroy one of his opponent's Backrow cards. Invalid Spell Cards, on the other hand, inflicted 1000 LP damage on the opponent. In short, he absolutely had to have this card.
"Then let's begin the battle!"
Enkidu's effects had little impact on Artoria, so Jiang You prioritized destroying Gilgamesh's Servant.
"Lartoria! Attack Gilgamesh!"
Because her name had been unusually shortened, Artoria gave Jiang You a strange look, but she didn't question his command and strictly followed his orders.
Gilgamesh LP 4000 → LP 3000.