Chapter 149: Raikou's Fury

"I didn't realize you were such a shameless pervert."

Illya couldn't bear to look at Jiang You. Confident in his "strategy," Jiang You declined the duel, only to be promptly flattened by Minamoto no Raikou.

"Wasn't this supposed to make you my Servant?" Jiang You grumbled.

He had to thank Illya for stopping Raikou; otherwise, she would have continued her relentless pursuit, mere moments away from unleashing her Noble Phantasm.

"I thought Raikou would be happy if I did that," Jiang You muttered.

In truth, Jiang You felt little pain. Raikou's assault felt less terrifying than losing 2,000 Life Points in a duel. After all, this was still just a card-based crossover game—it was unlikely to eliminate players in such a brutal manner.

"Where do you get all this ridiculous knowledge?" Illya asked, tending to his wounds. Having learned from their previous experience, she had diligently studied healing spells, now about thirty percent more proficient than during the Fourth Holy Grail War.

"Just because Raikou keeps insisting I call her 'Mom' doesn't mean she's some pushover, you know?" Illya retorted.

"I was wrong! From now on, I'll only call Tiamat 'Mommy'!"

Jiang You reasoned that if he had to choose a mother, he'd pick the biggest one.

"You think you get to choose?" Illya retorted, landing another blow. "Who said you get to have so many mothers?"

"So, does my Master accept my allegiance?" Jiang You seized Illya's hand, gazing at her with sincere eyes. "Even without a Command Spell, you can order me anytime. If you wish, I'll gladly end my life right here."

Come to think of it, Jiang You had never actually died in this game. He didn't know if death would send him back to a second playthrough or simply respawn him at a checkpoint. But the game's realism made him reluctant to test the consequences.

"Then die right here! I've already prepared your wakizashi," Minamoto no Raikou declared resolutely, stepping forward as his executioner.

"You've always been my servant," Illya muttered, averting her gaze. Her initial view of Jiang You as a mere tool to reach her mother had gradually transformed. Now, he was an indispensable companion. Apart from the time spent with her parents, her happiest memories over the past decade were those with Jiang You, even if he was often eccentric.

"But that's not what I want," Illya said, pulling her hand away. "What's even going on in your head? You'll probably forget everything you just said later."

As the person who arguably knew Jiang You best, Illya declared, "So, let's play a Shadow Game. If you lose, you have to stay by my side forever, becoming my servant and forbidden from ever lying to me again!"

"Even if it wasn't a Shadow Game, I'd still agree," Jiang You replied, glancing at the message notification on his screen and swiftly accepting. Illya's high affinity reward was still attainable, but he figured he'd probably reach the highest reward soon.

Dream Fusion: A card that allows Illya to fuse with a servant of the corresponding class on the field—even an opponent's. But the biggest problem right now was...

Jiang You didn't have any matching extra deck cards.

He couldn't help but sigh at how tedious it was to grind affinity rewards in this game. Maybe I should ask Medea for some Love Elixirs after all?

Minamoto no Raikou let out a deep sigh. Jiang You had arrived here first, and Illya naturally favored him. She couldn't shake the feeling that if he could, Jiang You would probably say the same thing to everyone.

It might not even matter if they were male or female.

But no matter what, Minamoto no Raikou vowed to protect Illya at all costs. Gripping her sword, Dōjigiri Yasutsuna, she swore to strike Jiang You down without hesitation if he ever betrayed Illya.

Jiang You stole a glance at Raikou, realizing it would be impossible to improve his relationship with her anytime soon. Besides, Illya's ultimate goal had always been to have Jiang You summon her biological mother.

When Irisviel finally appeared, Raikou's position would be precarious. Jiang You was fundamentally her rival, making it nearly impossible for her to warm up to him.

With no need for further courtesy, Jiang You shot Raikou a look that said, "Once Illya's real mother shows up, how will you still call yourself 'Mom'?"

Raikou ground her teeth so hard she thought they might shatter, knowing she could never truly compete with Illya's biological mother.

Recalling this, Raikou stared at Jiang You cradling Illya before her. Defeated, tears welled in her eyes. She could accept losing to Illya's biological mother, but why did this oath-breaker have to steal her child? A profound sense of despair washed over her—the feeling of watching her prized cabbage being ravaged by a pig.

-

"A Shadow Game?" Zouken Matou had witnessed the gruesome fates of wealthy nobles who had fallen prey to these games. Those who lost their duels seemed to have their very souls erased from existence. Though he didn't fully grasp the underlying mechanics, he knew he absolutely couldn't agree to this duel. "This old man isn't foolish enough to fall for that. Just attack me directly!"

"Too bad. You don't get to decide the rules!" Jiang You retrieved an object from his inventory and dangled it before Zouken Matou. "Remember this little trinket?"

"An earring...?" Zouken Matou quickly recognized the familiar magical aura emanating from the jewelry. "This is the Mystic Code I made for Sakura!"

"You call this a Mystic Code?" Jiang You sneered, his face twisting in distaste. The earring contained a potion designed to heighten sensory perception. "Regardless, even without direct physical damage, negative effects count as attacks in my book. You made this, didn't you?"

Jiang You crushed the earring in his palm, the peculiar-smelling liquid spreading across his hand.

"Alright, Illya, as the Master, you'll command this Duel!"

Having entrusted his life to Illya, Jiang You turned to Zouken Matou. "Let's wager our souls in a Shadow Game!"

The Duel Space materialized instantly.

Jiang You: 4000 LP.

Zouken Matou: 4000 LP.

"So... you've entrusted your soul to that little Einzbern girl, and even a Soul Crystal... It seems your bond runs deeper than I imagined." Zouken Matou realized he should have seen this coming. Jiang You might very well be a former practitioner of the Third Magic.

"But... I could have done that too," Minamoto no Raikou muttered weakly from the side, sounding like a defeated underling.

"Not quite. Illya and I forged our bond a decade ago." As Jiang You spoke, he glanced sideways at Raikou, drawing a resentful glare in return.

"It wasn't quite that long... but ten years isn't far off."

Illya nodded.

"A servant who appeared ten years ago?" Zouken Matou carefully recalled his experiences from the Holy Grail War a decade prior, but no such memory surfaced. If he had known Jiang You had participated in the Fourth Holy Grail War, he would have done everything in his power to seize control of him. But for now, he had to survive this Shadow Game first.

"Don't underestimate this old man, boy!" Zouken declared. "If Shinji Matou could defeat a servant, why couldn't I?"