"Weren't you here to destroy the Human Order?"
Gilgamesh had once thought so too, given that Jiang You and his servant had declared their intent to oppose Tiamat. But then he pointed to the guards slaughtered by Hundred Faces, their unblinking eyes still staring at the sky.
"Go tell those soldiers below yourself, Mongrel."
"Hold your horses," Jiang You replied. "I'll have a chat with them soon enough."
He scrolled through his crowded email rewards, finally locating the crucial item: Anti-Genesis.
[ Anti-Genesis ] - Continuous Spell Card
This card cannot be destroyed by card effects. While face-up on the field, it negates the effects of all servants except those with the [ Beast ] or [ Master ] Class.
Increases Tiamat's Attack Power and Defense Power by 2000.
This card doesn't specify servants face-up on the field, meaning even servants in the hand or graveyard cannot activate their effects. It's an incredibly powerful card, but its restrictions are equally severe, making it largely impractical for Jiang You's strategies.
Just imagining Tiamat drawing this card filled Jiang You with dread. As a Beast, her Attack Power would undoubtedly start at 4000. He had initially planned to rely on King Hassan's final strike from the storyline, but this card would even nullify Hassan's effects. How would he overcome such an obstacle? Still, dwelling on it now was pointless. He'd just have to take things one step at a time.
"Then kill yourself now, you mongrel!" Gilgamesh retorted, his face twisted with exasperation. Even after winning, Jiang You was still posturing, lacking any true kingly grace.
"I'd like to see you tell her that."
Just then, Jiang You received the rewards for defeating Ushiwakamaru's group. All the Uruk quests had been completed in one go.
"Of course—help me, Quetzalcoatl!" Jiang You shouted to the sky.
"Big Sister's here!" Quetzalcoatl swooped down from the heavens. "Jiang You, do you remember the wrestling techniques I taught you? Sister's here to check your progress!"
"Can I say I haven't learned a thing?" Jiang You asked, completely uninterested in wrestling. He watched expressionlessly as Quetzalcoatl plummeted from the sky in freefall.
"How could this happen—"
With a sonic boom, Quetzalcoatl crashed heavily into the ground, creating a massive crater from the impact.
"... I'm afraid Big Sister is done for." Quetzalcoatl said as she lay motionless in the crater.
Jiang You knew she was just putting on an act. Her Noble Phantasm was the very meteor impact that had destroyed the Jurassic period; she had even used it against Tiamat. How could she possibly be unable to get up from such a small fall?
"My dear sister, once we're done here, I'll take you to see a professional wrestling match. Stop hamming it up right now." Jiang You directly tickled Quetzalcoatl's sensitive spots. She couldn't resist.
"You can even do this?"
It was then that Quetzalcoatl realized Jiang You could take others to different Worldlines to "play." She sprang to her feet in a swift, carp-like leap and landed squarely in front of him.
"Then get me an identity and let me participate in the competition too!"
"Well..."
With your stats, you'd just be stomping noobs whether you entered the men's or women's division, Jiang You thought. Though, with your strength, you'd probably stomp most Heroic Spirits in wrestling too.
"It's settled then!"
Quetzalcoatl commanded the Flying Dragon to bring over the Sunstone Calendar and began activating her Authority. As the Authority spread over Uruk, all the slain soldiers were successfully revived.
"..."
Seeing this scene, Gilgamesh's mind struggled to process it.
"So, why did you attack This King's Uruk in the first place? You win, then resurrect everyone? What was the point? And you too, Quetzalcoatl! How could you stoop to such a pointless exercise?"
Jiang You glanced at the Anti-Genesis in his hand, finding a better explanation.
"This isn't boring at all. You can think of it as a ritual."
Jiang You tossed the Anti-Genesis card into Gilgamesh's hand. As long as he didn't explicitly give it away, the card would always return to him.
"You know about the Authority of Beasts, right? This is how I seized Tiamat's Authority."
"Your Noble Phantasm can do this?" Gilgamesh examined the card repeatedly, marveling at its sheer wonder. How could my King's Treasury lack the prototype for something like this? If it had been there, he'd be playing cards with Enkidu every day to see whose Bond was deeper.
"But the results are far from ideal," Jiang You continued, lying through his teeth to justify his actions. "You know my Noble Phantasm Cards all come in sets of three, right? This one only exists as a single copy. So, it's only partially successful, not fully realized."
Jiang You brazenly rationalized his actions with this fabricated explanation.
"Very well, This King shall bestow a modicum of praise upon you. However, your crimes remain unforgiven. This King hereby grants you permission to come seek judgment after everything has concluded."
Gilgamesh had to admit that Jiang You had surpassed him in strength.
"Since this farce is over, you will assist This King in dealing with the Magical Beasts in the north. Uruk is critically short on manpower."
"Wait a minute, what Uruk? Didn't it fall already?"
Jiang You pointed out that since he had won, why were people still treating him like the King of Uruk? "This place is now the Faerie Realm (Pseudo)."
"...?"
Gilgamesh couldn't understand why he kept emphasizing the "Pseudo" part. "Aren't you here to deal with Tiamat and save the Human Order?"
"I am indeed here to save the Human Order, and I'll save both servants and humans. But did I ever say I'd save Uruk?" Jiang You shrugged and clapped Gilgamesh on the shoulder. "Have you forgotten the conditions of the Shadow Game? You've already acknowledged Uruk's destruction, Last King Gilgamesh. You're now a prisoner of the Faerie Realm. It's only through Her Majesty the Queen's mercy that you're allowed to move freely outside."
"Bullshit!"
Fairy Tristan rolled her eyes as she approached. Although the Flame-Head servant couldn't seriously harm her, his defensive capabilities had greatly increased, making him a tough opponent. By the time she finally defeated him, Jiang You had already achieved checkmate. "Do I even exist in your eyes as 'Queen' anymore? If I ordered you to drag this guy to the Slaughter Theater, would you even agree?"
"Watch him slaughter others?"
Jiang You couldn't imagine such a scene. "You broken-brained fairy, go play somewhere else. Even when he was young, this man ruled better than you ever could. From now on, he'll be the Finance Minister of the Faerie Realm (Pseudo). With him in charge, we won't have to worry about financial matters at all."
Gilgamesh's face turned red with rage. "How could This King possibly bow down to another!"
"True, I can't even imagine you calling yourself anything other than 'This King'," Jiang You nodded. "But the organization has already made its decision. You, the last king of a fallen kingdom, will accept this outcome quietly. You, the world's oldest Heroic King, wouldn't want Siduri and your people's corpses to rot in the wilderness because of your kingdom's destruction, would you?"
"You mongrel!!!"
Gilgamesh had no choice. This was how the Shadow Game worked, and he was forced to accept his fate.
"Her Majesty the Queen..."
Siduri didn't understand the current situation either, but since no one had been injured or killed, there was no conflict between the parties. The most urgent matter was preparing for the impending Magical Beast tide from the north, so she chose to temporarily assist Fairy Tristan with intelligence gathering. "Your subordinates are barely holding back the Magical Beast assault! We need reinforcements immediately!"
Fairy Tristan pointed to Jiang You beside her. "I'm just a puppet with no real power. He's the Regent."
Siduri: "Ah, I see."