Jonouchi surveyed his opponents and steeled his resolve.
Sakura Kyoko's Soul Gem ensured infinite recovery as long as it wasn't destroyed, but the process of being injured was still very real.
Until she recovered, he would face these enemies alone.
"Honestly? I don't like how any of you are acting."
"So whatever happens next, don't blame me!"
Making that declaration under the gazes of every combatant, his confidence was unwavering.
Beside him, the little monster with its tiny clock-staff swayed gently.
[Time Wizard]
A Duel Monster possessing otherworldly power. That Jonouchi had chosen to deploy it now meant he was going all-in.
"Hmm?"
Watching Jonouchi summon the diminutive familiar, Lelouch's brow furrowed with unease.
But the opportunity to eliminate Caster was right in front of him. He couldn't let it pass.
That unpredictable magecraft was far too dangerous. On this point, Lelouch and Kenshin were in complete agreement.
Three Servants against one Caster. Surely they wouldn't be reversed?
"Take this!"
At Jonouchi's shout, the little familiar began spinning the clock on its body.
Kenshin had been about to charge, but a "tremor" running through every fiber of his being stopped him cold.
His instincts screamed: something catastrophic was coming.
Whirr whirr whirr!!
The spinning clock face stopped precisely at twelve o'clock.
"Yes! First try!"
"Activate!"
One attempt. One success. Jonouchi's extraordinary luck was performing as always.
In this moment of crisis, he'd played his reversal card.
"!"
"!!"
The first to sense the threat were Kenshin and Saber, both blessed with "Instinct." Under its influence, both instinctively moved closer to each other.
"Waver! Use Command Spells!! NOW!"
Lelouch, registering the danger a beat later, spun around and screamed.
This was the first time Waver had ever seen Rider so genuinely panicked.
Staring at this version of Lelouch, Waver went blank. He'd never witnessed such fear on the Emperor's face.
"Hurry!"
"But how do I use them?!"
Shaken by the urgency, Waver scrambled to respond.
Use Command Spells? But for what order?
His mind was a complete blank. He had no idea what was happening.
"In the name of Lelouch Vi Britannia--I command you! Use the Command Spells!!"
With no time to explain, Lelouch activated Geass on his own Master.
"The wise man's one miscalculation," as the saying went. This was exactly that kind of crisis.
"By Command Spell, I order you--Rider!"
"?"
"!"
In the distance, mid-clash, both Berserker and Gilgamesh felt a wave of mortal dread wash over them. Both instinctively deployed their strongest defensive measures.
Then--
"Pfft! Cough cough!!"
"Mongrel!!"
Both coughed blood violently. Berserker, despite his heavy armor, dropped to one knee. Even with forewarning, the damage was devastating.
Gilgamesh fared no better. Only a defensive Noble Phantasm pulled from the treasury at the last possible second had kept him alive.
Even so, he was bleeding from every orifice.
"How... dare...!"
This was beyond mere loss of composure. The King of Heroes was genuinely, incandescently furious.
Having his battle interrupted was aggravating enough. But a sneak attack from behind?
If he hadn't reacted fast enough to deploy that defensive treasure, he'd be dead.
That thought alone nearly killed him with rage.
"That Caster mongrel..."
"What... happened?"
Lying on the ground, Saber's consciousness was still swimming.
Some instinct had screamed "death" at her, driving her unconsciously toward Assassin.
The warning of "Instinct."
Only now, coming back to her senses, did she register her condition.
Pain radiated through every inch of her body, as though she'd sustained massive trauma.
"Ugh..."
Even Kenshin lay sprawled on the ground, barely able to move.
'Too dangerous. That familiar possessed such power!'
A survivor's terror gripped him. He'd never experienced such an unreasonable attack.
Without the "scabbard," he would simply be dead.
"Huh?! Rider!!"
Snapping back to reality, Waver finally processed what had happened.
All three of his Command Spells were gone. Lelouch had used Geass to force him to burn them all.
"Cough cough..."
Hearing faint, labored breathing, Waver looked over.
The formerly pristine white emperor's coat was now stained crimson. Its wearer lay on the ground, gasping as though death were moments away.
"What happened?"
Unable to comprehend the situation, Waver was stupefied.
"Serves you right! That's what you get!!"
Though it seemed every target had somehow survived, Jonouchi roared his defiance.
[Time Wizard]
Unremarkable in direct combat, but possessing a devastating effect.
A single "gamble." If Jonouchi's coin toss succeeded, the familiar would unleash a "lethal" level attack on every enemy in range.
Not "instant death" as a concept, but an attack dealing damage equivalent to the target's total health pool.
Meaning: upon success, Time Wizard could kill any opponent lacking defensive countermeasures.
Even beings as powerful as Berserker and Gilgamesh would die unprotected.
Both had deployed life-saving Noble Phantasms and skills the instant they sensed something capable of killing them.
Though everyone present had survived through various desperate measures, none could fight at full capacity anymore.
Kiritsugu, watching from afar, felt cold sweat drench his body.
Caster had nearly wiped out every Servant on the field with that single familiar?
He'd assumed Berserker and Archer were the pinnacle. He was wrong.
Caster was the most dangerous of them all!
That magecraft and those familiars defied everything he knew.
Thank God he'd retreated when he did. Otherwise, he might have been caught in the blast.
Sweat traced down his cheek. It had been years since he'd felt this visceral terror.
"The plan to exterminate Lancer..."
"Appears to have ended in failure."
Making that judgment, Kiritsugu moved to recall Saber.
With injuries that severe, even the King of Knights couldn't be unscathed.
"Hmm?"
Then he noticed something.
Saber and Assassin's injuries seemed... inconsistent?
"What is this?!"
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]
PS:
[Time Wizard] -- The original effect involves a coin flip. If correct, it destroys all enemy monsters.
Adapted for this setting: a gamble that, upon success, deals "lethal" damage to all enemy Servants.
Think of it this way: if a Servant's HP is 100%, Time Wizard deals exactly 100% HP worth of damage.
This can be blocked, reduced, or tanked through means that exceed the damage threshold.
For example, Kenshin would have died outright without the scabbard "Avalon." Lelouch brute-forced survival by burning all three Command Spells through Geass.