The 3000 Attack Power struck Jalter, draining another 500 Life Points.
Jalter's LP: 3500 → 3000
"Then, I activate the effect of 'Liberty Leading the People'! While this card is in the Graveyard, if my Servant would be destroyed by battle, I can banish it from the Graveyard instead!"
Of course, Jalter wouldn't let herself be removed from the field so easily. She attempted to use a substitute destruction effect to save herself.
"Not so fast! I activate 'Information Counter' again! By banishing one Spell Card from my Graveyard, I negate that card's effect!"
Deimlet activated his once-per-turn Continuous Trap Card once more, successfully sending Jalter to the Graveyard again.
"You have some skill, but that's all there is to it!"
In truth, a second-rate duelist like Deimlet was nothing more than a novice to Jalter. Her struggles stemmed from her unfamiliarity with her own Deck and her mistaken assumption that she possessed the Dragon attribute. Praising her opponent was merely a way to save face.
"Your attack is over. Next turn, you're finished!"
"Who said it's over?"
Deimlet scoffed, "I'll finish you right here, right now!"
He slammed the card he had just drawn onto the field. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card, Joint Relay! I target a card that hasn't attacked this turn. That card cannot declare an attack for the rest of this turn, but I can target another card on my field and allow it to make an additional attack! I don't need to tell you what I'm targeting, do I? Eat another 3000 Attack Power!"
Jalter's remaining Life Points were exactly 3000. If this attack landed, it was over!
"Victory is mine!"
Despite being on the verge of winning, Deimlet couldn't afford to relax. Other enemies were already closing in. On top of that, that Atalante was still nuzzling the black-haired servant's hand like a genuine cat. Even if she wasn't his own servant, it was a bizarre sight. And that Caules kid was actually shielding his Berserker behind him. Does that brat even understand the situation?
"Don't celebrate too soon! I activate my Set Card, Ephemeral Dream!"
Jalter flipped over another of her Set Cards. "I pay 1000 Life Points! For the rest of this turn, I take no battle damage, and I add one Spell Card related to 'Jeanne d'Arc' to my hand!"
Jalter LP 3000 → LP 2000.
Deimlet's attack struck Jalter, but it only created a ripple effect. Jalter was a Heroic Spirit who shouldn't exist in the first place; this Skill simply exploited that concept.
"Hmph, I told you it was useless. The card I'm adding is Roar, O' My Fury!"
Jalter added her Noble Phantasm to her hand. "Just you wait! I'll crush you on my next turn!"
"A Noble Phantasm card?"
Deimlet glanced at his Graveyard. He still had two Spell Cards that could serve as ammunition for Information Counter. Nothing to worry about!
As the two continued to trade threats, Jiang You felt an urge to tell them to stop acting like primitive cavemen. Is there really any point in watching this drag on? He shifted his gaze to Caules. As Fran's Master, the young man had a shockingly low presence, though that was partly because Fran had been eliminated so quickly. Jiang You's stare made Caules's skin crawl. Seeing how Atalante was behaving, he worried that this man might twist his own servant's personality as well.
"Why are you so nervous? For Waver's sake, I'll make sure you survive," Jiang You said, trying to reassure him.
He really had no intention of killing anyone here—except for a certain priest. Wouldn't it be better if we all just got along and resolved this peacefully?
"I will never surrender to you. No matter what, I am still human," Caules said, shaking his head. He didn't know who Waver was and thought Jiang You was trying to recruit him. As a Beast, an Enemy of Humanity, surrendering to him would surely lead to a terrible end.
"Also... who is Waver?"
"Who are you calling 'not human'?! ...Oh, wait, I guess I'm actually not." Jiang You suddenly remembered he was a servant, and in a sense, servants weren't truly human.
"As for Waver, he's an overworked salaryman who died from overwork. It's normal that you don't know him in this timeline. In the original timeline, you would have become his student after the Holy Grail War. A classic case of worldline convergence."
Caules recalled that when he was summoned, there had been a haggard-looking man smoking nearby. He looked no older than thirty, but his aura felt like that of a man in his sixties.
"The original timeline... You mean... the Second Magic?"
"Why do you people get so excited whenever you hear the words 'parallel world'? And why are you so sure I'm not lying, as if you've encountered this before?"
Jiang You had underestimated the Old Man of the Jewels' influence in the Magecraft World. As a Magician who was still active (rarely, but he was), his status among mages was immense.
"So, this is your Noble Phantasm?" Caules stared at Jiang You, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He felt as if he had stumbled upon a terrifying truth.
"Yes."
Jiang You looked at Caules and understood why he was so agitated. He must have experienced the effects of this Noble Phantasm firsthand. When Waver dueled Lemon Head, Caules was likely chain-summoned—just like how Berserker Lancelot summoned Mash, or how Illya pulled out Prisma Illya.
At that moment, Jalter began her turn. She immediately played her Noble Phantasm card: Roar, O' My Fury.
"When this card is activated, destroy all Servants on the field. Until the end of this turn, your opponent's Servant effects are negated! Furthermore, for each Servant destroyed, inflict 500 damage to your opponent!"
"Have you completely lost your memory?" Deimlet taunted, knowing Jalter likely had no other choice. "Fool! I'm using Information Counter again! I banish one Spell Card from my Graveyard to negate this card's activation!"
Jalter's Noble Phantasm was blocked once more. Yet, even with Deimlet holding a clear advantage, she burst into laughter. "You're the brainless one! You're out of interruption effects, aren't you? Now, it's my turn! I activate the Continuous Spell Card, Banner of Revenge! This card's name is treated as Holy Banner! While this card is face-up on the field, all my Servants gain 500 Attack Power! Also, once per turn, I can add one Servant Card from my Graveyard to my hand. I choose Jeanne d'Arc!"
"Jeanne d'Arc's effect! If a card with 'Holy Banner' in its name is on the field, she can be Special Summoned from my hand!"
Jalter laughed heartily. "Come, Saintess! Grasp this defiled banner, consumed by vengeance! I entrust this revenge to you!"
Jeanne d'Arc's Attack Power: 2500 → 3000.
"3000 Attack Power?"
Deimlet's expression darkened. He felt that this level of Attack Power was becoming a bit too common. In other words, it seemed they really were just second-rate Magi.
"Are you planning to take me down with you?"
"No, no, no." Jalter wagged her finger, her gaze fixed maliciously on Jeanne. "My goal is... self-destruct, Jeanne!"