The pure white saint descended within the light of the heavens.
[Jeanne] ATK 2500.
"Jeanne d'Arc has answered the summons, Lord Caster."
Jeanne turned and bowed to Jiang You, then pointed her sacred flag toward the Beast.
"Enemy of humanity! As the messenger of God, I shall fulfill my duty and eradicate you!"
Beast's expression darkened. Although she had not encountered Jeanne's abilities in the memories she had devoured, she could read Jiang You's expression well enough.
"Jeanne, let us save the world together! I activate La Pucelle! I release [Jeanne]—"
Jiang You issued the command in sync with Jeanne's declaration.
"As you command, my lord."
Jeanne unsheathed her blade, which had never before left its scabbard. Flames surged from its surface, quickly engulfing her completely, a blazing crimson lotus—brilliant and tragic.
"O Lord, take this body as Your vessel—"
"Oh my, how heartless, my dear," Beast teased, her voice laced with amusement. "You let another woman wipe out my entire field? I'm truly heartbroken. In that case, why don't we go to the underworld together?"
With unwavering resolve, Beast flipped over her set card.
"Tunguska Explosion! Its effect destroys all cards on the field! There are eleven cards in total—5500 damage!"
"A destruction loop!?"
Jiang You was momentarily stunned by Beast's sudden self-destruction, but he didn't dare to bet on whether she had a damage-nullifying card.
"I chain Intelligence Gathering! It negates and destroys Tunguska Explosion!"
The colossal meteor vanished into nothingness.
Then, Jeanne's effect activated. A gigantic crimson lotus bloomed where she stood, and sacred flames burned everything to ash.
"Due to the effect of Beast IV's Tail, the second unit returns to the field after being destroyed by Jeanne. It copies Jeanne's stats."
After retrieving one Beast IV's Tail, another leapt out from Beast's graveyard, now taking on Jeanne's appearance. However, with a twisted sense of humor, Beast had dyed its armor black—though the signature rustic braided hairstyle remained unchanged.
[Beast IV's Tail] DEF 3000.
"Now, I Normal Summon Hundred Faces!"
[Hundred Faces] ★2 Assassin ATK 800.
For the first time, Hundred Faces appeared on the field. This was the same woman from whom Jiang You had snatched the mask. After he designated her as the main persona, her form stabilized. Jiang You gave her a nod.
"When summoned, Hundred Faces can Special Summon any number of copies of itself from the deck!"
Two more Hundred Faces appeared in the battle zone, along with a small, tanned-skinned girl.
[Morning Glory] ★1 Assassin ATK 0.
This was one of the personalities within Hundred Faces Hassan—a pitiful, luckless girl who lightened the mood of grim stories. A voiceless, memoryless child, she was the persona that emerged when Hundred Faces was captured and tortured, ensuring that secrets remained safe. She nervously surveyed her surroundings, on the verge of tears.
"Now, I fulfill the summoning conditions—any two or more Level 2 Assassins! I overlay my three Hundred Faces! A blade that refines the techniques of others, yet forever fails to find its true self—I Xyz Summon Zealot!"
A figure resembling a friendly girl from next door emerged within the radiance. Upon landing, she quickly donned her veil, her gaze now bewildered as she scanned her surroundings.
From the spectator's stand, Hundred Faces quickly caught Zealot's attention.
"Hundred Faces-senpai?! This is… the Holy Grail War. Senpai, you too have fallen for the Grail's temptation… No, wait, something's different."
Since Assassins in the Holy Grail War were almost always variants of Old Man of the Mountain, Zealot had long believed that they were lured by the Grail's temptation. As such, she detested the Holy Grail War with a burning passion.
"Zealot, I no longer need to seek the Grail."
Hundred Faces shook her head, placing her hand over her chest before speaking with heartfelt conviction.
"I have met a Master worth devoting everything to. He used a Command Spell to stabilize my mind. My wish has already been fulfilled. Now, I fight alongside him to vanquish the enemy of humanity. Please, lend us your strength!"
Zealot cast Jiang You a gaze filled with gratitude, though her expression quickly turned cold again. She had recognized Jiang You's true nature as a Servant and suspected that helping Hundred Faces might serve some hidden agenda.
But the opponent before her unsettled her even more.
"I understand. The enemy of humanity, is it? I will crush it! Master, give me your orders!"
"Zealot's effect activates! For each Xyz material, she gains 500 ATK!"
[Zealot] ATK 1000 → 2500.
"I detach one Xyz material! Zealot cannot attack this turn, but I select one Servant on the field and destroy it! Delusion Heartbeat!"
With a twisted understanding of Cursed Arm Hassan's Noble Phantasm, Zealot activated her skill. A contorted hand emerged from the shadow of her cloak, lunging toward "Jeanne."
"Jeanne's" heart was ripped out and crushed into a mist of blood.
[Zealot] ATK 2500 → 2000.
"Next, I activate the Field Spell Castle of Snow! I add Illyasviel to my hand from the deck. Then, I activate Illyasviel's effect—Special Summon her!"
[Illyasviel] ATK 1500 → 2000.
"I only have one card left in my hand, so let's move to the Battle Phase! Illyasviel, attack Koyanskaya!"
"Do you know this one, Caster?"
Illyasviel obeyed Jiang You's command. Her silver threads wove into birds that danced around Beast, dealing considerable damage.
□□ LP 4000 → LP 2000.
"A name is just a designation," Beast purred. "You may call me anything you wish, my dear. I will accept it all~"
Beast's voice remained playful, but Jiang You paid her no heed. He had seen too many boss characters like her in games before. If they weren't playable, they weren't worth his attention. More importantly, he was already considering how to squeeze more cards out of other NPCs.
"How cold. Are you giving me the silent treatment?"
Beast placed her hand on her deck.
"My turn—draw!"
"I activate Golden Rule of the King! I send qualifying cards from my hand to the Graveyard and draw two cards!"
Beast's smile widened with delight as she examined her new cards.
"My dear, your deck contains a very special power, doesn't it? Then let me be just a little bit selfish. This is one of the rules of the Non-Primate Biosphere—Heroic Spirit Rejection!'"