"We're ready. The duel site is set at Mt. Enzō. It's spacious, elevated, and has a good ceremonial vibe."
Truth be told, Jiang You had wanted to set up an aerial coliseum above the city. Unfortunately, he didn't have Kaiba's financial power or sci-fi-level tech. He originally planned to resolve it with universal magecraft, but when he proposed it to Medea, she shut it down immediately.
"For that kind of airborne construction, go find the Empress of the Assyrian Empire. That's out of my field."
That was Medea's blunt reply.
This current request, however, was still within reason. Medea nodded. "This is fine. I've already layered heavy defensive magecraft around the soul crystal; modifying it for this event won't be difficult."
The two quickly arrived at Ryuudou Temple. Under Jiang You's direction, Medea began preparing the site. To ensure spectators could see clearly, they even used interdimensional tech—the same kind that was used to trap Artoria in the main timeline.
"You really went all in with this stuff, huh?" Medea said, impressed by Jiang You's enthusiasm.
"Games are meant to be fun, after all."
Jiang You mimicked Medea's gestures as he tried to draw a magic circle—unsurprisingly, he failed.
"If I can't play as the actual Servants in crossovers, I'll just host my own Duel City. Simulation games are still games."
Medea didn't understand what he meant by "actual Servants" or "crossovers," but she was used to Jiang You's bizarre terminology and had long since learned to ignore it.
"Can you stop being a hindrance? Also, have you thought about what comes after the duel?"
"What comes after?"
Jiang You genuinely didn't catch her meaning.
"The world of magecraft, obviously."
Medea had studied modern magecraft thoroughly. Jiang You had basically flipped their table and smashed their bowls.
"Most of the Servants now know the truth about the Grail. But under current magus law, you're likely to be hunted down by everyone."
"No worries there. Some people already contacted me—like Bazett, Lancer's Master. The Clock Tower says they'll support my actions and even ensure my survival throughout this Grail War."
After Bazett left the Emiya residence, she immediately sought out Jiang You and declared her intentions.
(As a side note: Cú Chulainn finally had a satisfying duel with Lancelot. Even though neither of them released their Noble Phantasms, the battle was intense enough to fulfill them. Cú Chulainn said he could retire happily now.)
"I remember you killed quite a few members of the Association, right? Over the soul crystals."
Because of the crystals, every magus within a hundred-mile radius had mobilized. Some, inevitably, came with bad intentions. By now, Mt. Enzō was littered with dead mages—corpses that Medea had conveniently converted into magical power.
"And they're just letting you off the hook…? Are you sure you don't have some kind of mind-control Noble Phantasm?"
"Yup. I've got a Noble Phantasm called World Modulation System. Not just you—Silent, Hundred-Faces, and Lancelot have all already been brainwashed by me without even knowing."
Jiang You followed her logic and played along sarcastically.
"Next up: world domination!"
"Wow—terrifying. You talking nonsense again? Even a Main God isn't as OP as you."
Medea didn't believe such a Noble Phantasm existed. She knew he was joking.
"I think they want something from you. You can mass-produce soul crystals, right? They probably want to capture you and turn you into a walking soul crystal factory."
"That sounds suspiciously like a seedbed scenario. Why is everything you say a dirty joke?"
"I'm being serious."
Medea's tone turned grim. As Jiang You's summoned Servant, if something happened to him, she wouldn't be spared either.
"I just got my own card deck—I'm not planning on retiring this early."
"Relax, no one's catching me."
Jiang You figured he'd already inconvenienced Medea enough and decided to boost her confidence—and maybe raise her favorability rating.
"I was originally planning to take Illya out for a bit of fun as an apology, but I'll give you a preview instead."
Jiang You opened his game system and brought up the script-switching interface. He swiped the timeline to the right:
FSN → FZ.
Jiang You appeared in Fuyuki City in 1994 and used his Noble Phantasm to summon Medea again.
"We're not done back there! You—"
Medea didn't even finish complaining before realizing something was wrong. This wasn't the Fuyuki she knew. Jiang You's version was flooded with magical traces, but this place was spotless—as if it had just been wiped clean.
"Welcome to Fuyuki, ten years ago."
"Ten years... ago?"
Medea had heard of Jiang You's exploits from Hundred-Faces, but she hadn't expected him to traverse timelines without relying on the usual summoning mechanics.
"Can you leap across timelines... or?"
"You can think of it this way: once I've been summoned, I can mark that timeline. I can travel between any timelines I've marked."
Jiang You explained.
"So, if I want to, I can permanently escape a world line. No one will ever catch me."
"That's not all you're trying to say, is it?"
Medea had caught the deeper meaning.
"You met Lancelot on this world line. And his card is still with you. So you're saying..."
"Yes. You want to return to your homeland, don't you?"
Jiang You had looked into Medea's wish to improve their relationship. Catering to her was almost too easy.
"If I get summoned to a timeline of your choosing, I can bring you there as well."
Whether or not it would actually work—Jiang You figured he'd just leave that up to Konami.
A string of system notifications popped up. A few new Servants from the Argo were acquired—most notably Medea Lily, a strong defensive hand-trap in the current meta.
Medea gave Jiang You a deep, heartfelt bow. As a Heroic Spirit, she had all the time in the world to wait.
"Jiang You, I, Medea, hereby swear my loyalty to you—my Master!"