"As expected of Illya!"
Minamoto no Raikou didn't dwell on Illya having destroyed her once; she was simply overjoyed to have Illya back in the Duel.
"This Trap Card always brings out all these pests together! Why can't it just summon Minamoto Clan servants? Mother's going to have a serious talk with that Caster later."
"Anyway, let me take myself out first. Time to maximize the damage."
With the addition of Ibaraki-Doji, Shinji Matou's damage output had increased significantly.
"Ibaraki-Doji, attack me!"
"I've been itching to flatten you! Grit your teeth!"
Ibaraki-Doji's punch carried a personal grudge. The great yokai's fist struck Shinji Matou squarely in the face.
Illya's Life Points: 4000 → 1800.
The loss of over half her Life Points forced a pained cry from Illya. Having previously relied on Jiang You as the primary attacker and never having endured such a devastating blow in a Duel before, she was unprepared for the impact. The sound wrung Raikou's heart with anguish, her murderous intent barely contained.
"So Jiang You has been enduring this kind of pain all along?"
Actually, she was mistaken. Jiang You's pain was significantly less severe than hers, well within the tolerance threshold of most normal people.
Jiang You received another favorability reward from Illya, leaving him utterly bewildered.
"That really hurt! Just you wait!"
Unlike Minamoto no Raikou, Ibaraki-Doji wasn't a formally summoned servant, so Shinji Matou had no fear of her retaliation. The punch had nearly brought him to tears. "Don't let me catch you slipping again!"
"Ibaraki-Doji's effect activates once per turn: when a servant is destroyed on the field, all Mount Ōe servants gain 300 Attack Power. Since she's the only Mount Ōe servant present, only she benefits. What a useless effect!"
Ibaraki-Doji's Attack Power: 2400 → 2700.
"What nonsense are you spouting? I can draw a corresponding Spell Card when I'm summoned!" Ibaraki-Doji retorted, unwilling to let Shinji Matou belittle her. She explicitly stated her ability.
"If I'm useless anyway, what's the difference between having it and not?" Shinji Matou scoffed, dismissing it as a hidden effect.
Ibaraki-Doji flipped Shinji Matou the middle finger, whether it was Jiang You's Noble Phantasm or some strange knowledge instilled by the Holy Grail that had taught her this gesture. "You're not worthy!"
"I set two cards in my back row and end my turn!" Shinji declared, emptying his hand.
"My turn! Draw!" Illya began her turn.
"Dōjigiri Yasutsuna's effect: Send one 'Tsuchigumo' from my deck to the Graveyard and draw a card!"
Even though the equipped monster was no longer on the field, the Equip Spell Card remained on Illya's side, allowing her to retain control over its effects. She successfully replenished her hand to three cards.
"Next, Castle of Snow's effect: Add one 'Leysritt' to my hand."
Illya executed the standard Einzbern opening play. "Leysritt's effect: Send herself to the Graveyard to Special Summon 'Dress of Heaven' from my deck in Defense Position!"
Dress of Heaven: DEF 1200.
"Then, I'll Normal Summon myself!"
Illya: ATK 1500.
"Finally, I'll tribute these two cards to Special Summon 'Ilya (Dress of Heaven)'!"
Ilya (Dress of Heaven)
ATK 2500 → 3000.
"Not this card again," Shinji Matou grumbled. "Honestly, I'm getting tired of seeing it."
Illya summoned the same card in nearly every battle, and while its effect was undeniably potent, Shinji was growing weary of the predictability.
"What right do you have to complain?" Illya retorted. "Isn't your opening move always to summon Engraving Worms?"
"Then, I activate Ilya (Dress of Heaven)'s effect! Targeting the Engraving Worm in your Graveyard, I Special Summon it to my field!"
If this summon succeeded, Illya could seize control of Ibaraki-Doji and eliminate all of Shinji's remaining life points with a single direct attack.
"Why doesn't anyone complain when you summon my cards from the Graveyard?! That's not fair!" Shinji protested. "Summoning a monster from the field is considered normal, but summoning one from the Graveyard goes unnoticed? This should be consistent!"
"Did you really think I'd leave myself unprepared?" Shinji sneered. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card Insect Magecraft Reconstruction! From my Deck and Graveyard, I Special Summon Engraving Worms and Wing Blade Insects whose combined star levels equal the star level of a Tributed Servant."
"And I'm summoning one Engraving Worm from my Graveyard and one Wing Blade Insect from my Deck!"
Engraving Worm: Attack Power 500.
Wing Blade Insect: Defense Power 1000.
Illya's effect activated, but the Engraving Worm had already left the Graveyard, rendering the effect targetless and causing it to fail.
"Enter the Battle Phase!"
Unable to summon any more servants for the time being, Illya was forced to enter the Battle Phase.
"First, Ilya (Dress of Heaven) attacks Ibaraki-Doji!"
Ibaraki-Doji had to be dealt with immediately. If she continued to grow stronger, even Minamoto no Raikou wouldn't be able to withstand her attacks, and Illya's remaining Life Points couldn't endure further depletion.
Shinji Matou's LP: 2500 → 2300.
"Next, Minamoto no Raikou attacks the Engraving Worm!"
Although attacking Sakura Matou directly would inflict a massive 1800 LP damage, failing to eliminate the Engraving Worm while Minamoto no Raikou was still immune to other card effects would leave them vulnerable next turn.
Purple lightning charred the Engraving Worm to a crisp, proving the extermination effect was highly effective.
"Minamoto no Raikou's effect! After destroying an opponent's servant in battle, I add one Equip Spell Card from my Deck to my hand. I choose Kumokiri!"
Minamoto no Raikou's Attack Power: 3000 → 3500.
"Kumokiri? The legendary katana that slew the Tsuchigumo who plotted to ambush Raikou during her illness?"
Shinji Matou pondered, "The defensive effect is already built into the Minamoto no Raikou card itself. So, this weapon must embody her legendary ability to turn the tide of battle?"
"Exactly!"
Now that Shinji had guessed correctly, Illya saw no reason to hide it.
"This card's effect allows me, once per turn, when the enemy declares an attack, to pay 500 Life Points and banish a Servant Card from my Graveyard to destroy the attacking Servant."
"Finally, I'll set one card face-down in my back row and end my turn."
Illya now had two cards remaining in her back row.
"I see... Trying to evade the Engraving Worm's effect with targeted destruction?" Shinji stroked his chin, already devising his path to victory.
"Clever, but not thorough enough. You seem to forget that the Matou family's Insect Magic extends far beyond just the Engraving Worm!"