With an anti-hero like Shuten-dōji, normal conversation doesn't work. Jiang You's somewhat deranged approach, however, seemed to have significantly increased her Affection.
"Ha, that's good sake—just not enough of it."
Shuten-dōji drained the cup Jiang You tossed her in one gulp. She tapped her lips with a finger, her hazy eyes brimming with amusement. "So it really is just sake? You're going to such lengths to please this humble servant? What is it you want from me? Let me guess—is it this body of mine?"
"I do want you," Jiang You replied, knowing his words carried a double meaning. He figured Shuten-dōji would appreciate the ambiguity.
Meanwhile, Fairy Tristan seemed to have made up her mind. Her glare at Jiang You intensified with contempt, and she resolved to report this to Morgan immediately.
Noticing Fairy Tristan's glare, Jiang You flipped her the middle finger in return. After their brief staredown, he turned back to Shuten-dōji. "If you join me, you'll have all the sake you could ever want. My conditions are simple: you can't harm humans, but otherwise, I won't restrict you in any way. All I ask is that you hand over your Card. How does that sound?"
"Does this mean that if I agree, I'll gain a chance at Manifestation like Ibaraki did? Ah, how utterly, utterly tempting."
Shuten Dōji did indeed harbor such desires. Only by possessing consciousness could one experience greater pleasures.
"Shuten-dōji, don't listen to him! If I defeat him, everything he has will be ours!"
Ibaraki, intimately familiar with Shuten-dōji, recognized that her earlier demeanor indicated a budding interest in Jiang You—a development that boded ill for her.
"That sounds generous, but if I encounter a particularly delectable prey, I simply can't restrain myself. Take, for instance—"
Shuten Dōji's gaze locked onto Fairy Tristan, her nakedly predatory eyes making Fairy Tristan involuntarily shrink back. "—this maiden. Though she reeks of festering malice, her very bones exude a fruity fragrance. I yearn, I yearn to pluck them out and savor their flavor. I'm afraid I can't possibly abide by your conditions."
"If it's Fairy Tristan, then there's no problem."
Even if Shuten-dōji truly wanted to attack Fairy Tristan, it wouldn't be easy. After all, Fairy Tristan possessed power on par with a first-rate Heroic Spirit.
"Jiang You, you?!"
Fairy Tristan never expected such cold words from Jiang You. He promised to protect humans, but he sees me as less than an ordinary person? Furious, she glared at Jiang You. "Just wait until you get back! I'll break both your legs!"
"Aren't you just showing confidence in me?"
Jiang You figured he could sacrifice a little of Fairy Tristan's Affection for Shuten-dōji's sake. After all, there would be plenty of time to rebuild it later.
"Don't think you've already won, you bastard!"
Seeing everyone ignoring her, Ibaraki-Doji finally snapped. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card, Night Parade of One Hundred Demons! This card can only be activated by targeting an Oni King of Mount Ōe! Banish the top ten cards of your Deck. For each Servant Card banished, the targeted servant gains 300 Attack Power until the end of the turn! The targeted servant is also unaffected by Spell and Trap Card effects! This card's activation and effects cannot be negated!"
"Not if I can help it!"
Jiang You flipped over his second Set Card. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card Origin Bullet! If it hasn't taken effect yet, destroy it immediately! I negate Shuten Dōji's effect and destroy her!"
"Not so fast!" Ibaraki-Doji countered. "I activate Shuten Dōji's effect! Once per turn, when targeted by an effect, I can send the top card of my Deck to the Graveyard. If it's a Servant, negate this effect!"
Ibaraki-Doji launched a desperate counterattack. Had she not been a Servant, her defeat would have been certain.
The card flipped over—it was Ibaraki-Doji!
"Witness this! This is the bond between Shuten and me!!!"
Ibaraki-Doji successfully negated the effect of Origin Bullet.
"Well done! Perhaps you truly stand a chance of winning after all. This one will eagerly await the outcome."
"Of course! With you by my side, this is Mount Ōe! Five servants have been banished, granting Shuten Dōji a total Attack Power boost of 1500!"
The combined power of the other Oni surged into Shuten Dōji's body, transforming into malevolent energy. The great yokai's overwhelming presence momentarily eclipsed even that of the Great Cernunnos.
"Excellent! This aura... even Yamata no Orochi might pale in comparison!"
Shuten Dōji: Attack Power 2800 → 4300.
"I enter the Battle Phase! Shuten Dōji attacks Fairy Tristan (Swimsuit)! Everything you possess will be plundered by the Oni of Mount Ōe! With this strike, I'll sever your head!"
Ibaraki declared her victory, already acting as if she had won.
"But even with 4300 Attack Power, you can't defeat me in a single blow, can you?" Jiang You observed the two cards Ibaraki held. "Or do you have a card that can secure victory with a single attack?"
"You guessed right! This is Shuten-dōji's Noble Phantasm! I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card [ Multitude of Colors - Providential Oni Poison ]! Upon activation, this card forces all opposing servants into Defense Position and reduces their Attack and Defense Power to 0 until the end of this turn!"
Ibaraki slammed the card onto the field.
"Shuten, it's all up to you now!"
"Ara, since you treated me so well earlier, it's my turn to return the favor. Though this sake originally belonged to Minamoto no Raikou, it is now mine alone. So, succumb, decay, and drown in this drunken dream—[ Multitude of Colors - Providential Oni Poison ]!"
Shuten Dōji poured her sake onto the ground. The spilled sake spread out, transforming the entire area into a pool of sake. A bone-deep intoxicating aroma rose from the pool, lulling Fairy Tristan and Great Cernunnos into a drunken stupor.
Fairy Tristan (Swimsuit)
Attack Power: 3000 → Defense Power: 0
"Shuten Dōji's attack pierces through defense, so this strike is equivalent to her directly attacking you while you're completely defenseless."
Ibaraki-Doji burst into laughter. Due to the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, Jiang You's back row could not affect Shuten Dōji. In her eyes, there was no way for Jiang You to block this attack.
"You've lost! Victory belongs to us, Mount Ōe!"
"What a pathetic force. Is Mount Ōe just you?"
"Enough chatter! As long as you're here, Shuten will always be by my side. As a reward for providing the Noble Phantasm, I'll spare you for now."
Ibaraki-Doji was already envisioning a glorious future. Though her mind rarely strayed beyond plunder and feasting, most oni were simple creatures.
"But you haven't won yet, Ibaraki. Ever heard of hand traps?"
Jiang You revealed the card in his hand. "Just because she's immune to Spell and Trap Card effects doesn't mean she's immune to Servant effects, right? I activate Morning Glory's effect to switch Shuten Dōji to Defense Position!"
Jiang You's Deck contained two hand traps capable of blocking attacks. Even without synergy with the rest of his Deck, their effectiveness was undeniable, so he had naturally included both.
As the petite, tear-streaked brown-haired girl (?) with pearly eyes appeared on the field, Shuten Dōji abruptly halted her attack.
Shuten Dōji: Attack Power 4300 → Defense Power 2000
"Y-you! How despicable!" Ibaraki-Doji sputtered, utterly blindsided by the fact that the card Jiang You hadn't played earlier would be the final straw that crushed her.
"And I was actually starting to get my hopes up," Shuten Dōji sighed. "As expected, Ibaraki could never win."
"Now, if I want to come out for a breath of fresh air, do I have no choice but to sell myself to you?"
"I'm sorry, Shuten-dōji." Ibaraki-Doji's head hung low, her fiery golden hair drooping in dejection, completely dispirited.
"It's alright, Ibaraki. I don't blame you at all. His Deck contains Major God-class servants, after all. Even with unwavering confidence, defeat was inevitable."
Shuten-dōji ruffled Ibaraki's hair. She seemed more like Ibaraki's elder than a mere companion.
"Since I have this chance to walk the world, I don't want to miss it."
"Then, Master, please guide me from now on."
Shuten-dōji accepted Jiang You's proposal, and three of her Servant Cards arrived in Jiang You's mailbox. This added another summonable servant to Jiang You's roster. He didn't particularly need cards from Mount Ōe; he was mainly collecting them.
"Alright, you lost the bet fair and square. Ibaraki-Doji, it's time to end your turn!" Jiang You urged Ibaraki to conclude the Duel. He was eager to return to Camelot and rush to the Chaldea film set. With Merlin around, those troublemakers might run off.
"I don't need your reminders! I'll keep my promise!" Ibaraki pouted. Despite summoning Shuten-dōji herself, the oni had reached an understanding with her enemy. "Just you wait! I'll challenge you again!"
"You're welcome to try anytime."
With Shuten-dōji's summoning rights secured, Ibaraki was definitely staying put. He could easily grant her this small request.
Ibaraki ended her turn. As Jiang You's turn began, the whirling gears swept away the last of her Life Points.
Ibaraki LP: 250 → 0!
As required by the Shadow Game, Ibaraki was now completely under Jiang You's command. The [ Faerie Realm (Pseudo) ] was thriving. While its development methods differed vastly from normal governance—resembling more a Pokémon collection—the nation's strength was undeniably growing.
"But to summon Shuten-dōji, it has to be in a Duel, right?"
Weak and sprawled on the ground, Ibaraki's mind was still consumed by thoughts of Shuten-dōji. "How will you fulfill your promise to Shuten-dōji? Or are you just like those damned samurai, trying to deceive us?"
"That's a fair question."
Noticing Ibaraki's lingering resentment over Shuten-dōji's deception and poisoning, Jiang You gave her a shot of reassurance.
"The moment Shuten-dōji agreed to my terms, I gained the ability to summon her."
With a snap of Jiang You's fingers, a languid lolita (?) materialized before them.
"I thought summoning me would be more troublesome," Shuten-dōji remarked, her expression genuinely surprised as she leaned closer to Jiang You. "Or perhaps our compatibility is exceptionally high? But with this summoning method, haven't I completely lost my freedom, Master? Heh... If you're going to do it this way, why not just put a collar on me, Master?"
"I wouldn't go that far," Jiang You replied. "If you're unhappy, tell me directly, and I'll dissolve the summoning myself."
Jiang You saw little genuine amusement in Shuten-dōji's smiling face. He had always been attentive to his servants' emotions (Affection). "Words mean nothing," he continued. "See for yourself."
Shuten-dōji chuckled. "Heh, when dealing with Oni, a lack of dominance can easily lead to being devoured, Master."
Jiang You couldn't quite discern whether Shuten-dōji was pleased or displeased by her words, but he wasn't worried. Everything he had said to her was sincere, and he intended to fulfill every promise.
When Fairy Tristan returned to the arena, Quetzalcoatl was single-handedly beating down Chaldea's servants. Mash and Ana were instantly caught off guard the moment they approached Quetzalcoatl, their vulnerabilities exploited with overwhelming force, sending them flying. If Quetzalcoatl hadn't been toying with them, they would have been flat on the ground within moments.
As for Merlin, he had no intention of fighting. The moment Quetzalcoatl approached within five meters, he would immediately use magic to teleport himself away. In his words, "With my frail body, one fall would be the end of me."
"Alright, our queen has arrived. I'll leave the rest to her. My welcoming duties end here."
Quetzalcoatl smoothly handed the situation over to Fairy Tristan, effortlessly flipped back to her observation seat. To her, this brief skirmish had merely been a warm-up.
"You've already had your fun. What's left for me to fight?"
Fairy Tristan glanced at Mash and Ana, who were barely able to stand, and lost interest. Due to Jiang You's instructions, she couldn't deliver a fatal blow.
"Have that leopard lock them in the tower. Jiang You didn't explain things clearly. Let him explain it himself."
"Are you Fairy Knight Tristan?"
Gudako scrutinized the renowned Servant. Aside from her hair, which was vaguely reddish, she bore no resemblance whatsoever to the Tristan they knew. There was simply no way to connect them. However, this wasn't her main concern. What truly mattered was something else. "You're also protecting humanity in this era, right? Our interests and goals align—we should be allies. There's no reason for us to fight, is there?"
"I told you before, you came looking for Jiang You, thinking he'd be your ally. Hahaha, how adorably naive!"
Fairy Tristan laughed, waving a finger dismissively. "Too bad, he's not the person you imagined. One of his goals in establishing our nation here is to conquer Uruk, slaughter everyone, and defeat Gilgamesh!"
"I don't believe you!" Mash insisted. She couldn't accept that Jiang You would be such a Heroic Spirit. If he truly intended such a thing, he could have done it in the previous Singularity.
"Besides, Miss Tristan, aren't you protecting them too?"
"It seems I need to clarify my true motives."
Fairy Tristan beckoned to a warrior standing in the staging area.
As the warrior hesitated, Fairy Tristan coldly uttered two words: "Double reward."
The warrior immediately scrambled forward, only to have his head brutally crushed by Fairy Tristan, splattering blood across the faces of the Chaldea group.
Wiping the blood from her cheek with casual indifference, Fairy Tristan laughed maniacally. "Now, do you believe us?!"