"All the contestants sure have strong confidence in themselves!"
Hundred-Faces pulled open the massive projection screen behind her, revealing the names of each Master and their respective Servants. "Now it's time for the lottery draw. We'll arrange the duel order based on the numbers drawn. Numbers 1 and 2 will form the first pair, 3 and 4 the second. The winners of each pair will then face off in the final!"
"The draw is completely random—absolutely fair and impartial!"
She said this with a straight face, even though she didn't believe it herself. But with her complexion, no one could tell even if she had blushed.
"During this time, everyone can vote for their favorite contestant by texting their number to Fuyuki TV. If you correctly guess the champion, you might win a pair of champion figurines provided by Miss Medea's model shop!"
"This is just increasing my workload, isn't it?"
Medea's expression shifted slightly. Though she could mass-produce with magic, the idea of churning out flawed merchandise insulted her craftsmanship. And now, with half of Fuyuki City paying attention to this event, she'd need to cast at least 100,000 spells to meet the demand.
"So I really am just your workhorse, huh?"
Seeing Medea's frustration, Jason couldn't help but laugh sneakily—only to be immediately electrocuted once again. As punishment, he was ordered to handcraft the figurines himself.
"—Of course, quantities are limited. Only 5,000 sets!"
Thankfully, Jiang You wasn't completely cruel—he capped the lottery entries at 5,000. After first forcing her to blast through the roof, then the windows, he at least slightly raised Medea's affection score with this concession.
"You dare give away an Illyasviel figurine?!"
Minamoto no Raikou bit her lip. Her possessiveness couldn't accept others owning an Illyasviel figurine—she saw it as her duty as a mother. But she had also promised Illya she'd win, so she was conflicted.
"How about… I just kill everyone who voted for me?"
The audience members who had voted for Raikou had no idea their lives might now be in danger.
The voting results were soon announced.
1st Place: Illyasviel.This came with a strong boost from local legend status. Many had grown up hearing tales of her, and liked her even more after seeing her in person. Of course, most viewers insisted it had nothing to do with her, uh, huge appeal—it was purely patriotic support for a local Heroic Spirit.
2nd Place: Matou Shinji.Despite his strong performance and having even beaten the legendary Cú Chulainn, his fans ultimately couldn't resist their desires and he fell to second place by a narrow margin.
3rd Place: Rin Tohsaka.A late entry who hadn't built much of a fanbase. Her current Servant was a largely unknown modern Heroic Spirit. Most of her votes came from leftover Jason fans. She only placed third because Medea got so few votes.
4th Place: Medea.Her legend worked against her. Jason had built up his own fanbase, especially after his flashy battle with Gilgamesh, and seeing Medea treating Jason like a slave lowered her favorability. Without Raikou's presence, her "wife-like" persona might have attracted more fans.
"All right, now that the results are out, it's time to announce the matchups. Whether you're satisfied or not, the draw is final. Maybe the decks counter each other, maybe not—but luck is part of skill too. Let's reveal the pairings!"
"Draw #1: Rin Tohsaka. Draw #2: Illyasviel. Draw #3: Medea. Draw #4: Matou Shinji!"
Hundred-Faces revealed each contestant's draw. Jiang You had, of course, quietly rigged it. Medea had just pulled another round of overtime—any more, and she might literally return to the Throne of Heroes from exhaustion.
"Then, for the first match, it's Rin Tohsaka versus Illyasviel!"
As she spoke, the space began to warp. The sections containing Rin and Illya merged into one. Floating platforms connected to form a battle arena for Heroic Spirits, with a Soul Crystal glowing like the sun at its center, radiating warm, bright light.
Then, a giant screen clearly displayed the two combatants and their Servants in a stylized promotional image (created by Hundred-Faces), along with current life points.
The dazzling visual spectacle drew gasps from the audience. People exclaimed that even if they died now, they'd gotten their money's worth.
In short—it had been a hell of a day for Medea.
[LP 4000 – Rin Tohsaka VS Illyasviel – LP 4000]
"Honestly, I wanted to duel Medea in the first round," Rin said, looking at Illya. "If she loses to that harmless little Shinji, I won't get my revenge!"
The three founding families had feuded for over 200 years. Rin had never once thought her family inferior to the other two, so her words left no doubt she fully intended to win.
"You call that guy harmless?"
Illya gave a side-eye to Shinji, who was sitting alone on his floating platform. For some reason, she felt a weird kinship with him—and it gave her goosebumps.
She'd seen Shinji once before while looking for Sakura. His smug face when winning and cowardly groveling when losing was definitely not "harmless." Give him the chance, and who knows what garbage he'd pull next.
"Besides, I don't think your Tohsaka family is any match for the Einzbern. I've fought more duels alongside Caster than your whole family line put together."
Illya issued the duel challenge herself. The arena responded instantly.
"So you met him ten years ago too, huh…"
Rin spoke with a hint of wonder. For some reason, she hadn't had that miraculous encounter herself. In that other timeline, her father had survived, and Sakura had escaped the Matou family early on. She imagined her alternate self must have been much happier.
"Sakura was right—we really do owe him."
Her expression softened.
But upon hearing that, Illya's hostility only deepened.
"Now I have one more reason I can't afford to lose."
Minamoto no Raikou, sensing Illya's mood, drew her katana, releasing violet lightning to cheer her on.
"Leave it to Mommy—Mommy will cut down any obstacle in your way!"
The tension was palpable. Archer couldn't help but chuckle. He had a pretty good idea what Illya had misunderstood.
"Rin, I think she's gotten the wrong idea."
"Enough talk! Let's duel!"
Illya shouted. "It's time to flip the coin!"
This duel dropped the previous rule of "whoever speaks first goes first," and replaced it with a more fair method. A coin bearing the faces of the two main combatants would determine the turn order.
Hundred-Faces flipped the coin high into the air. It landed with a crisp metallic clink, bouncing a few times before settling.
Everyone leaned in to see—on the face was a girl with twin ponytails.
"The first turn goes to—Rin Tohsaka!"