"Why are you resorting to outside-the-Duel tactics?" Illya's expression flickered, her little scheme completely exposed. She had equipped Watanabe no Tsuna with the Dōjigiri Yasutsuna sword to lure Shinji into attacking him. During combat, Watanabe no Tsuna would destroy any cards with lower Attack Power than his own before damage calculation, perfectly nullifying the Engraving Worm's effect.
"Call it strategy," Shinji replied, confident he had guessed correctly. Watanabe no Tsuna could handle the Engraving Worm, but he was helpless against the False Attendant's Writings.
"Even in a real battle, intelligence is crucial," Shinji continued. "Look at Sasaki Kojiro—he never anticipated his opponent would abandon all honor and got whacked to death with a boat oar by Musashi. If even the Sword Saint could fall for that, what chance do I have?"
Watanabe no Tsuna: Attack Power 2900 → 1200
"I am deeply sorry, Boss Raikou! If the rules didn't forbid it, I would commit seppuku right now!"
Watanabe no Tsuna had just vowed to protect Illya with his life, only to be slapped in the face by reality.
"There's no need to go that far..." Illya murmured. She couldn't shake the feeling that every servant from Heian-kyō was a little unhinged.
"This isn't your fault," she added.
"That's not the point," Minamoto no Raikou replied sternly. "A warrior must never betray their lord, even when their hands are tied. If Watanabe no Tsuna were to appear before me in normal circumstances, I would personally sever his head."
"Let's not jump to conclusions," Illya pleaded, glancing at her backline. To secure victory, she would likely have to send Raikou there as well. This situation was becoming increasingly complicated. "And I need to tell you something, Raikou. Please don't misunderstand, but I don't think I can keep you here with me anymore. I can't stop the Engraving Worms' attack."
"!!!"
Raikou's face twisted in shock, her chest heaving with disbelief. She covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face. "To think even this mother would betray her own child... Forgive me, forgive me!"
"After this is over, I'll kill that worm and then take my own life!"
"Huh?" Shinji Matou instinctively pointed at himself. "Hey, what did I do? Is just playing cards a death sentence?"
"There's really no need for that!" Illya insisted. By now, she was certain that every servant from Heian-kyō was completely unhinged. Who would commit suicide over something like this?
"..."
"Illya is so kind to forgive Mom like that!"
Minamoto no Raikou burst into tears, her rationality completely evaporating at the mere mention of children, making her act utterly unlike a Heroic Spirit. "Mom will be your servant forever!"
"Anyway..."
Shinji Matou cautiously glanced at Raikou, worried she might lash out at any moment. Her behavior suggested she was the type to ignore warnings entirely.
"First, I need to deal with this debuff myself. This Attack Power reduction is too severe, and I can't afford to directly confront Raikou's attacks—I'd be killed. I'll summon Sakura Matou!"
Sakura Matou: Attack Power 1200
"Sakura, it's a huge help that you were summoned directly this time."
This was only the second time Shinji had directly drawn Sakura, the first being during his duel with Cu Chulainn. Otherwise, she remained elusive. "Without you, I don't know what I'd do. Sakura Matou's effect: Send myself to the opponent's field!"
"Entering the Battle Phase! First, the Engraving Worm attacks Minamoto no Raikou!"
Minamoto no Raikou stepped onto Shinji Matou's field, her eyes burning with murderous intent as she glared at him.
"Calm down, calm down," Shinji said awkwardly. "I'll let you have the first strike. Just promise you won't come after me again after this! Minamoto no Raikou attack me!"
If the attack connected, it would inflict a devastating 2800 Life Points of damage. Shinji had intended to let Raikou vent her anger with the initial strike, but when she realized her attack would harm Illya, the murderous intent in her eyes intensified.
"Sorry, Raikou, this might sting a bit. I activate the Trap Card 'Support Fire' to destroy Minamoto no Raikou!"
A bullet pierced Raikou's forehead, yet a contented smile spread across her face.
"You could have used that effect to destroy the Engraving Worm!" Shinji exclaimed, realizing something was amiss. Illya's earlier claim of being unable to counter was a lie.
"You... you lied to me?"
"Call it strategy," Illya replied with a serene smile. "You taught me this yourself. Just as you use my reactions to deduce card effects, I can use false information to cloud your judgment."
Next, Illya activated a card from her back row: "I activate the Trap Card 'Endless Martial Prowess'! I Special Summon a 'Minamoto no Raikou'-related Servant from my hand or Graveyard to my field, and a 'Mount Ōe'-related Servant from your Deck or Graveyard to your field. Servants Special Summoned by this card's effect are unaffected by any card effects other than those of 'Endless Martial Prowess' itself and other Servants summoned by 'Endless Martial Prowess' until the end of the next turn!"
Minamoto no Raikou's Attack Power decreased from 3000 to 2500.
A golden-haired, horned young girl appeared on Shinji Matou's field, accompanied by a pair of massive oni hands.
Ibaraki-Doji - Berserker - 6 Stars - Attack Power 2400
"Isn't that Tsuna? He's actually on my side this time? And Raikou's my opponent?" Ibaraki-Doji surveyed the chaotic scene and burst into laughter. "What's this? How delightfully absurd! This is invigorating!"
"But your aura is so weak. Where's the ferocity you showed when you severed my arm?" Ibaraki-Doji sensed something amiss with Watanabe no Tsuna's Attack Power.
"So you're slacking off just because we're on the same side?"
"If I could, I'd love to battle you again."
Despite their legendary rivalry, the two seemed far from being sworn enemies.
"You haven't changed a bit, still as stiff as ever."
Ibaraki-Doji shook her head, turning her attention to Shinji Matou. "Hey, seaweed-haired brat! You're the one calling the shots in this fight, right? Let me wreak some havoc! If you can't handle it, I'll twist your head off!"
"With that pathetic Attack Power, what kind of chaos do you expect to cause?" Shinji Matou shot back, resigned to another death threat. He glanced helplessly at the Servant who had leaped out of Minamoto no Raikou's Deck. "If your Attack Power were just 100 points higher, you could have taken Raikou down directly! You had such a perfect opportunity!"
"What nonsense... Wait, I'm the Oni here! Why am I talking like a human?" Ibaraki-Doji brushed aside his complaints. As an Oni, she was utterly willful. "Why don't you whine about how useless you are? If you could just lower her Attack Power by another 100 points, we'd be done already!"