"Are you sure you're alright? Your legs are trembling, Goddess."
Jiang You felt a surge of satisfaction. Finally, someone recognized him as a force to be reckoned with.
"Th-they're not!"
Ishtar's gaze flickered downward, attempting to steady her legs, only to realize Jiang You had tricked her. Her legs weren't trembling at all, but her guilt was etched plainly across her face. "I am still a Goddess, after all. The price of Tiamat's awakening is one humanity cannot afford. Please withdraw this terrifying plan."
"Indeed..."
Jiang You knew his actions might seem like those of a neurotic villain, but the reward made it all worthwhile. He struck a pose of righteous indignation. "Even so, I must proceed! Humanity needs Tiamat as an ally!"
"They absolutely don't! And how could the Beast possibly help humans? You're dreaming if you think that'll happen!" Ishtar corrected Jiang You's peculiar notion.
"I disagree! Beasts also possess a 'human-loving' aspect!" Jiang You slammed his fist on the nonexistent table, pointing his index finger forward. "With the right motivation, they're no different from any other Heroic Spirit!"
"Completely different!" Ishtar shook her head vehemently. "Otherwise, why would the Grand class exist specifically to counter Beasts? In any case, I refuse! Stop disturbing me on my territory! Don't even think about summoning Tiamat!"
"Feisty. I like it." Jiang You spread his hands in a gesture of surrender. "But how do you plan to stop me? With force?"
Jiang You wasn't afraid of brute force; if things got tough, he could just summon a crowd to gang up on his opponent. With the sheer number and quality of servants he could now summon, most servants would meet their demise on the spot.
"This body is telling me that normal attacks won't work on you," Ishtar said. Though she had only been summoned by Eresh once, she was certain of Jiang You's Noble Phantasm's effects.
"So, we'll have to settle this your way then," she continued.
"You're the most honest opponent I've ever faced," Jiang You replied.
In truth, Jiang You had been rather hoping Ishtar would stubbornly defy his methods, only to be countered and humiliated.
"But since you witnessed my Duel with Eresh, you must know that my Deck contains Grand Servants. Even knowing that, you still want to settle this with a Duel?"
"That's true," Ishtar admitted, realizing she'd spoken rashly in the heat of the moment. If her opponent was a Grand Servant, she was guaranteed to lose without a shred of a chance.
"But do I have a choice? If humanity dies out, what offerings will they give me? Summoning Tiamat is absolutely non-negotiable."
"Actually, very few people worship you in later eras anyway. What difference does it make?"
Jiang You saw no harm in it. Since Ishtar had challenged him to a Duel, why would he refuse? He wanted her Card anyway. "Since you're all set, let's begin. The loser must obey the victor's command!"
"Wait! Wait!"
Ishtar interrupted repeatedly, unwilling to suffer such a crushing defeat.
"Since this Duel is already unfair, the weaker side should get to make a request, right? You're forbidden from using any Grand Servant Cards! If you still win, I'll do anything you want!"
Though the phrase "anything you want" was tempting, this was ultimately a card game with limited real-world consequences. However, seeing the additional Card reward for completing the task, Jiang You agreed to her condition. Such reward-based challenges with restrictions were exceedingly rare.
"Alright, I accept your condition."
"You agreed so easily...?"
Ishtar hadn't expected Jiang You to agree so readily. With a confident toss of her hair, she straightened her chest. In her legends, she was never one to care about such trivial matters. Even with Rin Tohsaka's influence tempering her somewhat, she remained fundamentally a Goddess. "It seems this Goddess's charm still holds sway!"
"Now that the terms are agreed upon, let the Duel begin!"
Jiang You activated the Duel Space.
Jiang You LP: 4000
Ishtar LP: 4000
"This is what it feels like to control your Noble Phantasms... truly fascinating!"
Ishtar excitedly flipped through her Deck. "As expected, that shadowy woman is in my Deck too! This time, I'll be the one to command her!"
"As a reward for limiting your Deck, I'll let you go first. Remember to be grateful!"
Ishtar had her own plans. If she attacked first, she could inflict a massive 2000 points of direct Effect Damage on Jiang You at the start of her next turn. Going second would allow her to activate this effect even sooner.
Jiang You knew exactly what Ishtar was thinking. Although the effect was delayed, it was still terrifying in a 4000 Life Points duel. That's why he had chosen the Round Table Knight Card Deck this time. Camelot's ability to negate Effect Damage was just too useful!
"Then I'll take the first turn!"
Jiang You wasted no time starting his turn.
"First, Unblessed Birth! I Special Summon a Tristan from my Deck to the field. I choose to summon Fairy Knight Tristan!"
Since they could be considered the same card, Fairy Tristan offered slightly more utility than the original.
Fairy Tristan: Attack Power 2000
"I knew you'd go off dueling again," Fairy Tristan grumbled, her face drawn with fatigue as she glared at Jiang You. "But it's a relief to get away from that insufferable golden guy for a while!"
"You couldn't even last a few hours?" Jiang You wondered. He hadn't been gone that long. Even if Goldie was difficult to deal with, surely he wasn't worse than Tokiomi Tohsaka, who had absolutely no chemistry with Goldie?
"Just try having someone constantly pointing and commenting every time you read a single word!" Fairy Tristan growled, her back teeth grinding audibly. "Even when I'm silent, that guy still manages to make 'hahahahaha' noises! If I ever get the chance, I'm going to torture him severely!"
"No problem, but you'll have to do it yourself."
Let Fairy Tristan learn the hard way. She's no match for Goldie, and while he may be foul-mouthed, he genuinely teaches you if he promises to.
"You said it!" Fairy Tristan had long wanted to test the mettle of humanity's supreme King of Heroes.
"Once I've learned everything he has to offer, he'll lose all his usefulness!"
"Progress!" Jiang You gave her a thumbs-up. At least Fairy Tristan now understood the importance of learning first before acting.
"If the opponent is Gilgamesh, I can help you too."
Ishtar felt that no matter who it was, if someone wanted to fight Gilgamesh, she absolutely had to join the fray.