"Such a troublesome Noble Phantasm! One King in this world is more than enough!" Caster Gil glared at his Archer self, a strange sense of displeasure creeping over him.
"You're the imposter here, you faker!" Archer Gil retorted, never one to spare his own feelings. He'd even berated his Fifth Holy Grail War self, let alone this one.
Caster Gil suddenly realized this version of himself knew Jiang You. Their mutual animosity was palpable, and Jiang You had even vowed to defeat him a third time. This meant Jiang You had encountered this version of himself before, explaining Jiang You's animosity. In other words, because Archer Gil had provoked Jiang You, Jiang You, with his vengeful nature, was seizing this moment to settle the score.
"You truly deserve to die!"
Caster Gil understood his younger self's nature all too well; this situation was hardly surprising. Though Jiang You might not grasp the urgency of the moment, he couldn't ignore the trouble he had stirred up.
"?"
Archer Gil was baffled by the sudden surge of murderous intent from his other self.
"Even so, I will never surrender victory to you!"
Caster Gil believed Jiang You needed to prioritize his actions. "I activate the effect of Gilgamesh (Archer), placing King's Treasury from my Deck onto the field..."
"Before that, I activate my final Set Card, Chains of Heaven! You should be well aware of its effect! Nullify the effect of your Gilgamesh (Archer)!"
Chains binding divine power tightly restrained Archer Gil, preventing the Gate of Babylon from activating.
"As expected, those you've defeated and their corresponding Cards appear in your Deck."
Gilgamesh was finally beginning to understand some of the rules governing how Jiang You obtained Cards. Now completely immobilized, he could only rely on Substitute Destruction to withstand the impending field wipe and block the next attack.
"I'll switch Enkidu to Defense Position and end my turn."
"Then it's my turn! Draw!"
Jiang You could see Gilgamesh's Graveyard and knew he had Substitute Destruction available. "It's over! I activate White Lancer Artoria's effect! By detaching two Xyz Materials, I destroy all face-up servants on your field!"
Relentless field destruction puts immense pressure on opponents who lack anti-destruction effects. After all, why else would Lightning Strike be a beginner's best friend?
"Best Friend, I'm counting on you!"
Since Archer Gil's effect had been sealed, he was essentially a 3000 ATK vanilla monster. Caster Gil decided that keeping Enkidu, who could continue sealing effects, was the superior choice.
"Enkidu's only Best Friend is me!"
Archer Gil, for some inexplicable reason, was jealous of himself.
"You old geezer, hurry up and crawl into your grave."
Caster Gil didn't want to waste his breath on this version of himself. After all, this guy was already dead, yet Caster Gil still had to clean up his messes.
The colossal spear of light descended from the heavens, plunging into the ground with earth-shattering force.
"I activate the effect of Holy Prostitute from the Graveyard! Banish it to replace Enkidu upon destruction!"
Gilgamesh successfully saved Enkidu.
"If we can just survive this turn..."
With Enkidu's 3000 Defense Power and his ability to seal Servant effects, Jiang You couldn't simply summon a 3000 Attack Power Servant to defeat them outright. If they could just hold out, there was still a chance to turn the tide. Now that Jiang You no longer had Camelot, they could win the Duel with direct damage.
"I told you, it's over! There won't be another turn!"
Jiang You chose the quickest way to end everything. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card, Origin Bullet! Target one Servant on the field, negate its effects, and destroy it!"
The bullet pierced Enkidu's chest, leaving a gaping hole. This kind of damage should have had no effect on Enkidu's clay body, yet the clay began to crumble from the edges of the hole, dissolving back into earth.
"How dare you!"
Caster Gil reacted just like the other Gilgamesh.
"Enter the Battle Phase!"
Gilgamesh was furious, but that wasn't Jiang You's concern. His mission was about to be completed. "White Lancer Artoria, launch a direct attack on Gilgamesh!"
The 3500 Attack Power damage instantly drained Goldie's Life Points.
Gilgamesh LP 3000 → LP 0!
"Ugh... AAAAHHHH—!"
Gilgamesh was sent flying backward. Since this was the highest point of the Divine Tower, he tumbled down the steps, each impact of flesh against stone echoing relentlessly.
"King! Your Majesty!"
Siduri rushed down to catch him and help him up. In truth, this level of damage posed no real threat to Gilgamesh. However, in his weakened state, he couldn't muster his usual strength, making him appear utterly disheveled.
"Well done, White Lancer Artoria."
Jiang You thanked the fading White Lancer Artoria, acknowledging the effectiveness of her single-card ability. He planned to use her more often in the future while casually working to boost her Affection.
"If you wouldn't mind, please call me Artoria," White Lancer Artoria requested. She felt being addressed so casually in such a serious context was inappropriate. She was also curious about why he used this nickname.
"If it's possible, please use my real name during battle. And... where did this nickname originate?"
"Because of this," Jiang You replied, tapping his forehead to draw her attention to her ahoge.
"Besides, there are just too many Artorias. We need to differentiate them somehow, especially since you also have a black variant."
"Is that so?" White Lancer Artoria nodded, only half understanding. She couldn't grasp the true extent of "too many" Artorias Jiang You implied.
"Then it's time to say goodbye. Summon me again when you need me. As long as your cause is righteous, I will answer your call without hesitation."
Jiang You averted his gaze. What he was doing now was far from righteous; it was merely for the sake of a card—a completely unnecessary battle.
After White Lancer Artoria vanished, Jiang You glanced at his mission progress. The battle with the Heroic Spirits had already concluded; Minamoto no Raikou had easily subdued Ushiwakamaru. After all, how could one possibly outwit their ancestor? As for the fight against Shuten-dōji, Merlin had been holding back, leaving Benkei's strength utterly insufficient to match Ibaraki. Currently, Mash was desperately holding the line, while Minamoto no Raikou had no intention of assisting Shuten-dōji, meaning this battle would likely drag on for some time.
With Hundred Faces revealing her true form, the soldiers defending the southern flank were swiftly annihilated. Jiang You's human extermination mission was nearing its end.
"It's about time this ended," Jiang You suddenly remarked to Goldie, who stood before him.
"!"
Goldie startled, forcing himself to his feet despite the Shadow Game's draining effects. "You may be stronger now, but the Human Order will never fall by This King's hand! This sinner—I have no desire to be remembered as such! Let us both descend into destruction together—"
"Hold it right there."
Having already completed his Uruk-related missions, Jiang You abruptly cut off Goldie's deathbed declaration, in which he planned to take Jiang You with him. "Who said anything about destroying the Human Order?"