Barghest instinctively wiped the corner of her mouth, not surprised by Jiang You's four-card combo, but rather by the way these Magical Beasts stirred her appetite. It wasn't that she had suddenly developed a fondness for them; Fairies generally preferred humanoid forms, and anything less than roughly human was considered unappealing. Yet, as a creature with the power to devour others, she was stimulated by the sheer power emanating from these beasts.
"First, Tiamat attacks!"
"She's actually attacking directly with a servant with 0 Attack Power!"
Barghest was taken aback. Without even asking about the effect, she immediately activated her Set Card.
"I activate the Trap Card 'Folwethyr'! During the turn this card is activated, all face-up servants on my field cannot be destroyed by battle, and any battle damage I would take is reduced to 0!"
This was the Fairy power from Cornwall's legend of a cathedral built overnight—a potent Fairy domain safeguarding her forces. This ability wasn't inherent to Barghest herself, but rather belonged to the Great Fairy of the Earth Clan she had devoured. She had stolen it through her Devouring ability, and it was now manifested in her Card.
"Sharp intuition," Jiang You remarked. "Tiamat (Self-Sealed) inflicts double battle damage to the opponent when she attacks. If you hadn't activated your backrow effect, you would have taken a total of 8600 direct damage."
Like Gawain, Barghest had no particular strengths beyond her exceptionally high Attack Power. In this situation, that had become a drawback.
"But Tiamat has another effect," Jiang You continued. "Any Servant that battles her is sent to the Graveyard during the Damage Step! Your defense is still useless!"
Barghest vanished from the field.
"Next, Basmu the Venom Dragon attacks!" Jiang You pressed his advantage.
"It's useless," Barghest reminded him, thinking he was wasting his time. "With Folwethyr active, all battle damage is negated!"
"I know," Jiang You retorted, pointing at the last card in Barghest's hand. "But Basmu the Venom Dragon's effect forces you to discard one random card from your hand each time it declares an attack! Since you only have one left, discard it."
Barghest's expression was reluctant; she seemed to have a special attachment to that card.
Trap Card: The Recurring Night. If this card is Set, it can substitute for the destruction of a Servant Card on the field once. Barghest hadn't Set it, clearly influenced by the event depicted on the card. The art showed Barghest sitting by a bed in this very room, where a sickly boy lay, his face blurred.
"Are you telling me it's time to let go?" she murmured.
But the card had another effect: if sent to the Graveyard by an opponent's effect, Special Summon one "Calamity of the Beast" from the Deck.
"But the more you suppress emotions, the more violently they erupt," Barghest's voice hardened. "Sorry, but seeing this has made me a little angry. If you intend to seal my wounds, do it quickly! Before I lose control completely!"
Barghest transformed into a colossal, black, dog-like beast, wreathed in burning black flames.
The black hound let out a ferocious roar that sounded strangely like a sob.
Far away, on her throne, Morgan's eyes snapped open.
"Barghest's seal has been broken? ...No, something's different. The seal of her bestowed name is still intact. This must be her Noble Phantasm. But my methods shouldn't have triggered a Duel... How troublesome."
Barghest, Calamity of the Beast Saber / 10-Star / ATK 3500
"She said to seal her wounds, but she still chose to fight..."
Jiang You glanced at Barghest's card effects. As a 10-Star Fairy Gawain Finisher, this monster was formidable. Once per turn, when targeted by an effect, she could negate it and increase her ATK by 500. Furthermore, when she declared an attack, the equipped Servant became unaffected by other card effects until the end of the Damage Step. Most importantly, after destroying an opponent's Servant in battle, she could recover Life Points equal to the destroyed Servant's ATK and gain its effects.
Among Servants, this card was undeniably powerful. Unfortunately, she was up against Tiamat.
"Such an ominous aura... though not quite as bad as Mommy's was back then."
Tiamat remarked, gazing at the black hound radiating terrifying power.
"This child doesn't seem to like this form, but she has no choice... How pitiful. Jiang You, you should help her."
Jiang You nodded. He would have done so even if Tiamat hadn't asked.
"This form doesn't suit you, and you don't like it either, right? So, I'll seal your wounds now!"
Barghest still had one face-down card in her backrow, but it no longer mattered. "I activate the Spell Card Crimson Star Eye! My opponent cannot chain effects in response to this card's activation! Banish all face-up cards on the field! For each card banished, inflict 500 LP damage to your opponent! With a total of eight cards, you'll take 4000 damage!"
Crimson Star Eye was a card that could clear the field and finish the opponent, while also synergizing with Tiamat's own effects to repeatedly enter and leave the field. Almost no Heroic Spirit's legend could counter such an ability.
Tiamat's Authority pierced through the body of the Calamity of the Beast. Even such a terrifying Beast of Calamity could not withstand the attack of the Mother of All Things. In just a single turn, Barghest was decisively defeated.
Barghest LP: 3000 → 0!
Fairy Gawain reverted to her original form as the Duel Space dissipated, landing squarely on Jiang You's bed.
"It seems Mommy isn't very welcome here."
As the Duel Space closed, Tiamat felt a strong sense of rejection. This Lostbelt repelled all servants from Pan-Human History, and even Tiamat was no exception. "But it's not a major problem. Just call me whenever you need me. I can still operate here if I weaken my Spirit Origin a bit."
As long as Tiamat was on his side, she was an incredibly reliable servant (though her thought processes still differed from a normal person's). Jiang You naturally wouldn't refuse her kindness. After receiving his reply, she waved her wide sleeves at him and returned to the timeline of the Fifth Holy Grail War.
"You are strong. I have lost."
Barghest admitted her defeat quite readily.
"So, the victor wins everything. I won't hold your previous deception against you anymore... Whatever you want from me, you can take it."
"I've already got you... (your cards, that is)," Jiang You said distractedly, already browsing through Barghest's deck.