"Sisters?"
Ana suddenly remembered that Jiang You's Noble Phantasm was a Deck formed from a servant's own deeds and relationships. He really could let her see her sisters again. Hope flashed in her eyes, but she quickly pulled her hood down to hide her face from Jiang You. She dared not accept, knowing that seeing her sisters would make her weak.
"I'm sorry, I'm not interested."
"You're protesting too much," Jiang You retorted.
She clearly wanted it, but she stubbornly refused to admit it. "Really? As Heroic Spirits, your Manifestation isn't something you can control. Do you think there's even a one-in-ten-thousand chance you'll ever see your sisters again? Are you sure you want to pass this up?"
Jiang You kept hammering this point home, making Ana hesitate. She knew this opportunity was rare and precious. She gritted her teeth. "Why are you doing this? What exactly do you want from me?"
It was clear she was giving in; Ana just wanted to know Jiang You's motives.
"I want you to become my ally."
In truth, Jiang You was still "collecting stamps"—trying to gather the complete set of Medusa-related Heroic Spirits.
"Join me," Jiang You said. "The rewards will more than satisfy you. Even after this is over, you won't return to the Throne of Heroes. You'll be free to act as you please."
"Are you joking?"
Ana gave Jiang You a skeptical look. "Aren't you trying to destroy the Human Order right now? The Throne of Heroes, which records all of human history, will cease to exist. Do you think I'm that easily fooled?"
"You're mistaken there," Jiang You countered. "While it's true I plan to summon Tiamat, the Heroic King's victory isn't the only way to eliminate the impact on the Human Order. As long as Tiamat returns to the Primordial Sea and takes the Holy Grail left by the King of Magecraft with her, this Singularity will be restored."
Jiang You tried to rationalize his mission. "The Heroic King would never allow me to do that. Rather than have him as my enemy later, I'd rather confront him now."
"So your way of confronting him is by slaughtering these civilians?"
Ana, though fundamentally an anti-hero, wasn't one for indiscriminate slaughter. Her current demeanor leaned more toward her aspect as a maiden goddess, and Jiang You's actions filled her with fury. "With such narrow-mindedness, how could you possibly win...?"
Before Ana could unleash her tirade, Jiang You hoisted her up. She considered resisting, but realizing they were in the enemy's stronghold and surrounded by Jiang You's servants, she wisely remained silent, lacking any allies to aid her.
"Look."
Jiang You carried Ana to a rest area that resembled more a morgue than a lounge. Severed limbs and broken bodies lay sprawled across sacrificial stone altars, the scene resembling some twisted ritual.
"What are you planning to summon?" Ana frowned, convinced Jiang You was mocking her, showing her she had no choice in the matter.
"..."
Even Jiang You found the overwhelming Aztec sacrificial atmosphere unnerving. Poor Quetzalcoatl, he thought, her reputation is being unfairly tarnished.
"Don't let appearances fool you," he said. "None of these people are actually dead. Quetzalcoatl's Authority grants her the power to resurrect anyone within its range. So, these battles are essentially training exercises, meant to instill courage in them. Of course, there are limits. Servants and powerful entities are unaffected. At most, it can revive ordinary humans with some magical power, like Gudako."
Whether Gudako can truly be considered an ordinary person remains debatable. However, given that Tezcatlipoca also managed to revive her, it seems there's no real issue.
Just then, the corpses lying on the stone platform began to stir back to life, one after another. Even those whose heads had been smashed open were restored to wholeness under the sun's radiant glow.
"...Are you bored?"
Ana couldn't quite understand why Jiang You was doing this. He had gone to such lengths merely to antagonize others without harming ordinary people—did that make him an ally?
"In a way, yes."
Jiang You was here to play a game—how could he not be bored?
"You're a strange one. I can help you, but I have one condition."
Ana carefully considered Jiang You's demonstrated power. With so many servants at his command, his overall strength likely surpassed even Uruk's. His chances of securing victory were extremely high. "However, I want to atone for the wrongs I've committed."
"You want to personally defeat Gorgon? No problem at all."
Jiang You agreed that this would be a major highlight. "But it has to be resolved through a Duel. It's cruel that she's been living under a veil of lies for so long. At least let the Gorgon see her sisters."
"Do you really have good intentions?" Ana asked skeptically.
Ana didn't believe seeing her sisters would bring Gorgon any good.
"Then it's settled."
Jiang You successfully obtained Ana's Card, but it wasn't the full set of three. Just as he was about to log off, Ana hesitantly grabbed his arm.
"So... about my sisters..."
Jiang You flashed a wicked grin. "Didn't you just say you had absolutely no interest?"
-
"To think there are still fools like this, choosing to defy This King even in the current circumstances. It seems they've completely thrown their lot in with the other side."
Gilgamesh showed no anger upon hearing the news from the south, confident in his own power.
"Jiang You... that's the name. Even This King can't find any records of him. It's highly likely an alias. Heh, declaring war on This King? Truly commendable courage. Consider it a mere diversion before the final battle against the Queen of the Demonic Beasts."
"King, could this be a diversionary tactic? Since our battle lines have stalled, the Magical Beasts' attacks have grown increasingly ferocious. Now, with this incident, they likely won't miss such an opportunity."
Siduri analyzed the situation. If the Magical Beasts launched an assault now, Uruk would be caught in a pincer attack, making its defense unsustainable.
"No matter. We'll crush them swiftly!"
While the Magical Beasts were endless, once a servant was defeated, they wouldn't reappear. "Issue the order! Divert part of the guard to the south and deploy the Divine Authority Seals! This King will channel my full power into them to show him the gulf between us!"
Though Gilgamesh maintained a composed facade, he was already giving his all. The Divine Authority Seals were originally weapons reserved for the final battle, yet now they had to be deployed prematurely against Jiang You, effectively sacrificing a trump card. But if they didn't act now, Uruk would fall within three days.
"Let this King see just who you truly are!"
Gilgamesh's gaze turned south, his killing intent palpable.