"I'll finish you off this turn."
Jiang You glanced at Ishtar's Graveyard. The Emerald Gem Magecraft of Cost's Graveyard Effect was useless here. Once he dealt with the unknown face-down card in Ishtar's Backrow, she would have no chance of recovery.
"How could this be?"
Ishtar surveyed Jiang You's field, seeing only a solitary White Lancer Artoria with 2500 Attack Power. Jiang You had only one card in his Hand, while she possessed 4000 Attack Power, the Substitute Destruction ability of Heavenly Boat Maanna, a face-down card, and full HP. By all accounts, she had no reason to lose.
"Stop being stubborn and just admit defeat. Wouldn't it be better to let Tiamat slumber peacefully?" Jiang You pressed.
"Her slumber won't change the future! I still need her... humanity still needs her power!"
Jiang You, of course, wanted the Card itself. Helping humanity overcome Tiamat's trial was merely a convenient side effect.
"I activate White Lancer Artoria's effect: by detaching two Xyz Materials, destroy all Servant Cards on your field!"
White Lancer Artoria spurred her beloved steed skyward. The golden spire pierced through the clouds, descending upon Ishtar like a divine judgment.
"Is this your trump card?"
The Holy Lance's release was indeed breathtaking, but Ishtar wasn't without countermeasures. "I can't withstand that attack directly, but I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card Shining Great Crown! This card negates one opponent's effect activation."
As Ishtar revealed her Divine Authority Crown, all magical power subsided. White Lancer Artoria's Noble Phantasm was interrupted, and the spear slowly descended back to the ground.
"Furthermore, after successfully negating an effect, I can retrieve one Spell Card from my Graveyard. I'll retrieve An Gal Tā Kigal Shē."
Ishtar reclaimed her field-destroying Noble Phantasm, her confidence returning to her face. "I'll unleash it again next turn. Can you withstand it then?"
"Indeed, I cannot."
Jiang You was now certain of his victory. "But there's no need to withstand it—I'll simply eliminate you directly! Are you ready, Ishtar? Prepare for a barrage of Noble Phantasms! After all, the full-field destruction effect doesn't specify once per turn!"
White Lancer Artoria's NP gain rate was exceptionally high. If she had a Noble Phantasm upgrade quest, her powerful beam would be quite impressive—though unfortunately, that wasn't possible.
"It's not once per turn?!"
Ishtar gasped. She glanced at White Lancer Artoria's remaining Xyz Materials—four cards. This meant she could activate her Noble Phantasm two more times. Combined with the Substitute Destruction from her own weapon, she would be completely eliminated.
"I detach two more Xyz Materials! Activate the second Lance of Termination!"
Jiang You mercilessly unleashed a second wave of destruction across Ishtar's frontrow.
White Lancer Artoria leaped into the air once more, her golden lance descending from the heavens.
"I won't concede! Heavenly Boat Maanna's effect will substitute for my destruction!"
The massive, bow-shaped airship crumbled into dust under the Holy Lance's assault, but Ishtar managed to survive.
"Well done. Now, for the third strike!"
With the last Xyz Material detached, White Lancer Artoria unleashed her Noble Phantasm for the third time.
This time, the attack finally engulfed Ishtar, sending her to the Graveyard. By now, Ishtar's entire field—both front and back rows—had been completely depleted. Of the ten available slots on both sides of the field, only White Lancer Artoria remained. Ishtar retreated to the Main Zone, desperately hoping Jiang You's remaining hand card wasn't a servant he could summon directly.
"Next, I activate Arondight's effect from the Graveyard, targeting White Lancer Artoria to equip it to her!"
Arondight's ability to revive itself from the Graveyard proved invaluable.
White Lancer Artoria's Attack Power: 2500 → 3100
"Enter the Battle Phase! Attack!" Jiang You immediately commanded White Lancer Artoria to strike.
"Looks like I still have a chance!" Ishtar breathed a sigh of relief, thankful she was at full health. White Lancer Artoria's attack hadn't managed to take her down.
"If I can survive this turn, you'll be the one in danger!"
"That would be true, but there won't be another turn!" Jiang You slammed his final card onto the field. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card, Flow of Light! This card can only target Xyz Monsters. I detach two servants from my Deck as Xyz Materials and place them beneath her. If the targeted card is Artoria, I can equip her with a Holy Lance or Holy Sword from the Graveyard! Therefore, her Attack Power increases further!"
The Holy Lance in White Lancer Artoria's hand transformed again, golden magical power surging around her as her aura intensified dramatically.
White Lancer Artoria: Attack Power 3100 → 4100
"This is the final strike, Artoria! Win this for me!"
Ishtar had no way to block the attack. She could only watch helplessly as White Lancer Artoria's lance pierced through her. Her defeat was swift and decisive.
Ishtar: Life Points 4000 → 0!
"Uwaaaaaaaah—"
Ishtar was struck directly by the attack, the immense force knocking her to the ground and smashing through the Temple wall before finally stopping.
Jiang You hurried after her and found Ishtar lying on her back, staring blankly at the sky. When she saw him kneel beside her, a single tear streaked down the corner of her eye.
"Huh?"
Jiang You felt like her expression made it seem like he had bullied her.
"Hey, losing is just losing, why are you crying?"
"I'm a useless Goddess!"
Ishtar wailed, her spirit utterly broken. The tears welled up from sheer heartbreak, not from any intention to weep.
"It was such a crushing defeat."
"Lots of Goddesses have lost to me. You're not special. It's nothing to be ashamed of, okay?"
Though Ishtar's performance against Jiang You was comparable to that of some oil tycoon, her interaction level was far higher. She had at least managed to deplete more than half of his health.
"But I'm the only one who was defeated in a single turn! I'm even worse than that shady woman! I'm utterly useless!"
Though it was technically the third turn, Jiang You couldn't move during the first. Since the collaboration didn't have an OTK method, for Ishtar, it really was as if she hadn't survived a single turn.
"I'm a useless Goddess!"
Jiang You scratched his head. With Ishtar suddenly in an emotional slump, everything he did felt like mockery, given his role as the culprit. So he decided to apply the right medicine to this greedy goddess. After all, the treasures Gilgamesh had provided held no real value for him; he might as well use them to "borrow flowers to offer to the Buddha." "I almost forgot," he said, "I came here to forge an alliance."
With that, Jiang You dumped the entire contents of his Inventory onto Ishtar. The weight was nothing for a goddess.
"So... so much?"
Even her weakened state couldn't stop Ishtar from leaping into the golden heap. Her eyes sparkled with greed, showing no trace of her earlier melancholy.
"You're so materialistic," Jiang You remarked, unsure whether her avarice stemmed more from Rin Tohsaka or Ishtar herself.