Illya's Experiences / Sleeping with Illya

"What should Afeng and Tian-Zhu call Shi-Tone-nee-nee? Grandma? That doesn't seem right? Eh? Eh?" Afeng's mind couldn't process what she was going to say, and she was in a state of confusion. Her eyes were swollen like mosquito coils, and she was swaying as if she was about to drag Tian-Zhu, who was in swaddling clothes on her back, to the ground.

Shirou quickly reached out and caught Afeng, saying to her, "Alright, alright. Let's each call each other that."

"Yes! Let's do it that way!" Goddess Illya agreed with a smile.

"I understand, sister! Grandpa!" Afeng nodded emphatically in agreement.

"Oh my!" Tasso laughed, seemingly agreeing that this was even better.

Cluck cluck...

Just then, the pink-haired girl's stomach started growling, much to her dismay.

Musashi slightly and touched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Seriously, forget it, let's eat first," Shirou said helplessly.

"Grandpa, the rice is all rinsed, let's start cooking," Afeng said.

"Okay, Afeng, go and get the smoked meat and dried fish, and cook a mushroom soup. That will be dinner," Shirou instructed.

"I know, Grandpa," Afeng replied obediently.

"Huh? Afeng is so young, and he can already cook! That's amazing!" Musashi exclaimed with a smile.

"Well, I'll still have to control the heat. Gudako, why don't you come and learn from me?" Shirou chimed in, then glanced at the lazy girl beside him.

"Eek, I'm still more looking forward to the food at the Chaldea cafeteria." Gudako said with a grin, scratching the back of her head. With Tamamo- Miko and Boudica in the kitchen, and Mash helping her fold blankets and tidy her room, and in the past, there was also Emiya- mama. Even if she didn't want to be a useless person, it would be quite difficult for her.

"Of course, it would be even better if Emiya- senpai could come back," Gudako said, looking at Shirou.

Shirou smiled helplessly. After all, Gudako already had enough to deal with, so he didn't really want her to do housework. As for the Emiya, Shirou pondered for a moment and said, "In the future, perhaps it's not impossible."

Shirou got up and went to the kitchen to teach Afeng how to cook. Before long, fragrant dishes were served.

Exhausted, Gudako and Musashi ate heartily and with great relish.

Illya ate with her usual aristocratic elegance, taking her time and enjoying her meal.

After dinner, Shirou made tea for everyone. Since the subsequent conversation was inappropriate for children, he had Afeng take Tsuke upstairs to rest.

"The adults are so cunning! Afeng clearly wanted to hear the stories from outside too," Afeng said sullenly, but still carried Tian-zhu upstairs.

"Gudako, have you lost contact with Chaldea?" Shirou asked.

"Yes, I couldn't contact anyone. I clearly remember being in Chaldea, and then I don't know how I fell asleep, and then I ended up here, surrounded by terrifying monsters. Luckily, I met Musashi." Gudako recalled what had happened and sighed.

Even thinking back on it now, it's terrifying. Gudako looked gratefully at the pink-haired girl beside her, opened her arms, and rushed over, saying, "Thank you, Musashi!"

"Don't mention it, I love cute kids the most." Musashi smiled, hugged the girl, and patted her back reassuringly.

"So, does that mean Gudako has fallen into some kind of trap? Could it be the work of the white god?" Shirou wondered.

"Huh? A white god? Who is that?" Gudako turned around in confusion upon hearing Shirou's words, her eyes widening as she asked.

"You don't know? No... it's nothing, I guess I was wrong." Shirou thought for a moment, then quickly corrected himself.

It seems the white deity didn't harm the people of Chaldea, but did something else. Now, for some reason, Gudako seems to have completely lost her memories of that time.

However, this was originally a clash of ideologies between Shirou and the White God, and it was a good thing for him to avoid involving the rest of Chaldea.

"But I'm here because of Singularity or some other problem in this world, right?" Gudako said with certainty, drawing on her past experiences of being tormented. Valentine's Day, Halloween, Christmas, and in the summer, swimsuit parties—she's never free.

Musashi then asked seriously, "Besides those dark monsters, what else exists here?"

"It's a basilisk, even the monsters here who are considered gods are afraid of something. I set up Magecraft barrier nearby, otherwise this village would be in great danger," Shirou said.

"No, it wasn't the basilisk that slaughtered the village, but the Heroic Spirit Swordmaster!" Illya corrected.

Illya continued, "I've encountered this before. A monk with a gun was slaughtering a village, not even sparing the children. He didn't look like a monk at all. Even evil monasteries haven't been this sinister. There are seven such terrifying Heroic Spirit Swordmaster in total. They seem to be attacking from the 'Shimousa' as their center, spreading to small countries in all directions. Some small countries have had their entire cities burned to ashes."

"It's because these guys are causing such chaos that even the Great God's seal has loosened. Now, wherever there's intense resentment, monstrous serpent clones that are impossible to kill will spring up. As the incarnation of the goddess, I now have no choice but to clean up these monsters everywhere. Otherwise, if these resentful monsters are allowed to grow unchecked, I can't even imagine what terrible consequences they will cause," Goddess Illya said, holding her head.

"I've encountered basilisks before. Compared to those Heroic Spirit Swordmaster, which is stronger?" Shirou asked.

The goddess Illya explained, "They are very similar in nature; both are monsters that can be resurrected after their physical bodies are destroyed. However, the basilisk monsters lack intelligence, while those Heroic Spirit Swordmaster are all Servant, possessing aptitude and wisdom beyond that of ordinary people."

"Heroic Spirit Swordmaster, huh? A monster that can regenerate even after its head is severed. What a terrifying opponent." Musashi said with his arms crossed and a serious expression.

"Yes, you can't fight those monsters without some special weapons." Illya opened her palm and summoned several of her Noble Phantasm, all of which were weapons from mythology, originating from the three goddesses who were fused and possessed within her.

The bow is a legendary treasure bow from the Ainu pantheon, used by Shitonai to slay dragons. He also carries a sharp samurai sword at his waist, and a blunt sword with a circular tip.

As he spoke, Shirou handed his sword to the woman, saying, "If you need it, I 'Myojin-giri. Although it can't cut through past karma or save the world, it can still come in handy if you're fighting monsters similar to the serpent I encountered."

"Really? Then I won't be polite." Musashi only needed one glance to know that this was a rare gem, a true treasure capable of cutting through iron like mud. She gripped it and swung it up and down, exclaiming in surprise, "So light! It's clearly very hard and sharp, but it feels so smooth to use!"

The savior faces a crueler reality than imagined. Shirou realizes that the world may be facing destruction, so villages are slaughtered and burned, but there is nothing that can be done.

The fact that Alaya brought him here indicates that the situation has deteriorated to this extent. This will be an extremely difficult trial for both Musashi and Gudako.

Chapter 370 Illya's Experience

When Illya encountered the Heroic Spirit Swordmaster.

It was a pitch-black night when a monk wielding a spear with three spikes, uttered eerie howls in the bamboo grove. There were marks on the bamboo where it had been cut by a sharp weapon, and the tender green bamboo stalks lay irregularly on the ground, suggesting that some kind of battle had taken place.

But the next moment, the monk had become an ally of the Black Shadow who were fighting him.

Because his gaze, like everyone else's, was blood red, the whites of his eyes appearing ferocious and terrifying, unlike that of a human, but rather like a demon from hell.

The monk's body became empty, his heart and mind became empty, and his connection with the distant Hall of Heroes grew increasingly weak. He felt as if he had become a puppet, hollow inside, possessing only past memories but having forgotten how he felt back then.

I was laughing then, but now I can't feel why at all. Was it laughter? A bitter laugh? Or something else? I can't remember any of it.

Then, waves of deep hatred and violent resentment surged into it, filling it completely. The empty body became sticky and bloated. After that, this body would do nothing but kill.

At that time, Illya was sitting on the back of Great White Bear. As a fusion of goddesses, she possessed the power to borrow the power of her animal spirit companions. With the help of an eagle soaring into the sky, she searched everywhere for clues to the place where the Great Serpent was sealed.

The Yamata no Orochi was a demon that once wreaked havoc on this land, demanding a young woman as a sacrifice every day or else it would cause chaos. In legends, it is more often depicted as a monster killed by Susanoo.

However, some legends also believe that the Great Serpent is actually a serpent god related to dragons, and some people do indeed worship it. Some call it the Mount Ibuki Great Spirit of Mount Ibuki, and believe that the Great Serpent is the ancestor of demons.

The Ibuki clan, represented by Ibuki Suika, are descendants of the great serpent.

However, once such a being manages to hide, it's not easy to find.

"How boring, Shirou." The little girl lay on the back of the Great White Bear and slowly walked forward. Since she was aimless, it didn't really matter whether she walked fast or slow.

Suddenly, the eagle in the sky cried out.

Hearing the noise, the girl sat up and said, "What did you find? Hey? A fire? Shirou! Run, let's get there!"

When she arrived there, she saw a gunman slaughtering defenseless villagers. Not a single man, woman, or child survived; they all lay dead in pools of blood.

Upon hearing the sound, the spearman turned around and, seeing Illya, immediately raised his spear and charged forward!

"Shirou! It's the enemy! Stop him!" Illya shouted urgently.

The Great White Bear roared and charged straight at it.

As the Great White Bear charged forward to restrain it, Illya, relying on the powerful strength of the fused goddess, unleashed her magic, raised her precious bow, and aimed it at the spearman. The arrow emitted an astonishing chill, intending to completely encase the target in ice once it was released.

However, the spearman on the other side seemed to be very good at dealing with such unexpected events. He gripped his three-pronged spear and used a very peculiar spear technique to thrust it straight at the flying icy arrow, deflecting it away.

He dodged Illya's fatal blow from the Frozen Wilderness and then disappeared into the night.

"He completely parried my killing move, but judging from the way he turned and ran, it seems he might not be able to do it again this time. In any case, this is the Heroic Spirit Swordmaster I've encountered."

"This kind of spear technique... I feel like I've heard of it somewhere before!" Musashi said. After thinking for a moment, she exclaimed, "I know! It's the spear technique of Hozoin! The second Hozoin, Injun! Legend has it that he mastered a spear technique that reached the realm of the gods, possessing the unique skill of being able to deflect any attack, no matter how rare the opponent, on the first encounter."

"Hozoin Inshun? No! He's definitely not the kind of monk who would kill indiscriminately." Shirou blurted out. The Hozoin Inshun he knew was a warrior monk from the Warring States period, a time of war and chaos. Because there was fighting everywhere, no one was there to maintain order.

Therefore, even temples that chant sutras and recite Buddhist scriptures have to find ways to protect themselves. Hozoin is a prime example of this, because the first abbot of Hozoin improved the spear by adding spikes to both sides of the spearhead. In addition to the spikes, it can also sweep horizontally and slash with the Jumonji spear. He also created the fifteenth style of spear technique for this purpose, thus becoming famous throughout the world.

Hozoin Inshun was not the successor of the temple, but rather the inheritor of martial arts, serving as the instructor of the temple's warrior monks. He was a spear prodigy who surpassed his master. Under his master's spear technique, he created the Ura-i-Shiki spear technique, and was considered a master of spear techniques in the Martial Arts World.

According to unofficial historical accounts, the Miyamoto Musashi, in his youth, traveled far and wide seeking out Martial Arts World masters to challenge. When he arrived at Hozoin, he deliberately provoked Injun, forcing him to fight. The details of the incident are unknown, but it ended in a draw, with Musashi fleeing Hozoin.

Hozoin is a martial artist and a compassionate monk. He would agree to go to the village at the villagers' request to fight against the vicious bandits. How could he possibly be a villain who kills and burns, not even sparing children?

Indeed, Hozoin must have killed people during his lifetime, but that was because he lived in an environment where if he didn't kill, he would be killed.

Even if judged under modern law, the most that would be ruled is excessive self-defense, or even justifiable self-defense.

Illya looked at Shirou and asked softly, "Oh? Shirou, do you know that person? But unfortunately, this is what they call Heroic Spirit Swordmaster. It's a transformation made by that disgusting sorcerer. This is a drawback of the Heroic Spirit Summoning System; the summoned Servant is ultimately a familiar controlled by the summoner."

"When your Spirit Origin is altered, whether you were a villain or a saint in life, you have nothing left. You are just a puppet following orders, your heart numbed. At most, all you can do is shed tears of regret and pray for a quick death in battle," Illya said dejectedly.

"Master Hozoin, how could this happen..." Shirou sighed deeply. His comrades -Hozoin, who once protected the village and fought side by side, had fallen into the world and become demons...?

"What kind of beings are the Heroic Spirit Swordmaster? I always feel sorry for them because they are powerless to control their own destiny," Gudako said softly.

"If you encounter them, run! If you can't escape, then kill them, sever their limbs, and cut off their heads. Ordinary attacks won't kill Heroic Spirit Swordmaster; you have to attack their vital points."

"You absolutely cannot hesitate, or you'll be the one who dies. This is my advice, sister!" Illya looked at everyone and said very seriously.

"Gulp..." The serious atmosphere made Gudako swallow hard.

"I understand. If we meet, the only option is to fight to the death." Shirou punched his palm, making up his mind as he spoke.

"That's good. Shirou is very gentle, so I was worried. But you surprisingly figured it out quickly," Illya said with a smile.

"No, it's just putting myself in someone else's shoes. If I became like that, a villain, I'd also want to be killed before I could hurt anyone," Shirou said in a deep voice.

Illya shrugged and said, "Well, these people are none of my concern."

"Eh?! Illya, aren't you on our side?!" Gudako exclaimed in surprise.

"After all, the purpose of the Counter Force in bringing me to this world is actually to deal with the Great Serpent God here. As for the Heroic Spirit Swordmaster and other monsters, although they are no longer considered human, they still belong to the human world. In the end, it's just that some humans want to destroy the space where humans live, so we can only rely on ourselves." Illya turned around and stroked the Great White Bear's head, making Shirou close his eyes comfortably.

Illya continued softly, "Yes, this is a human matter, it has nothing to do with us. At least that's true for these children. Even if the human world is destroyed, causing drastic environmental changes, disasters, pollution, and cataclysmic events, there will still be creatures that survive. Even without humans, there will still be creatures that die because of natural disasters."

Although the girl's words were cold and indifferent, they were the most realistic answer.

As a homunculus, Illya often seems out of touch with human norms. The Einzbern Family created her to realize the Third Magic, and her fate was sealed from the beginning.

She participates in the Holy Grail War as the Lesser Grail. Regardless of victory or defeat, her fate is either defeat and having her heart ripped out, or, like her mother, becoming a vessel for the Grail, waiting to be completely swallowed by the surging magical power and merged into the Grail's Black Mud...

Even if you win, you can't escape death.

She will change into a white, gold-embroidered Celestial Gown, a Mage's Formal Wear untouchable by humans. Then she will order Berserker to commit suicide, and at the cost of her own physical disappearance, allow her soul to reach the depths of the Heavenly Chalice for a brief few seconds, thus conducting an experiment for the Third Magic.

Everything was predetermined; this was the fate of the girl named Illya. For her, the lives and deaths of humanity in this world were truly irrelevant, because her world, abandoned by her parents, had already met its end and ceased to function.

The world of the Heroic Spirit Swordmaster has ceased to function, leaving only empty shells that know nothing but slaughter.

"This is Human Order, and only Human Order; humans cannot represent all living beings," Shirou said after a moment of contemplation.

At that moment, Gudako stood up, full of fighting spirit, and said loudly, "I know! I'll take care of the humans! So, I'll leave the gods to you!"

Illya looked at Gudako with surprise, clearly not expecting such a response. The girl sighed and said, "You really are... a good girl. I've fallen for you."

Upon hearing Gudako in delight, and she exclaimed, "Yay! My affection level has gone up! After things are settled in this world, Illya, please come to Chaldea with me! We can play triplets!"

"I'm sorry, Gudako, Musashi- chan. I really want to help you, but I'm too busy to handle things myself right now. Asking me to fight against the Yamata no Orochi, the top Beast God of a nation, there should be a limit to how much reckless Illya can go!" Illya complained in a low voice.

"I'll help you. This isn't the first time I've dealt with this snake," Shirou said to Illya. He had seen the giant snake before when he was helping the villagers protect their village, and he had killed quite a few since coming to this world.

The clones alone are troublesome enough. In fact, which of these monsters, at the level of a nation's supreme deity, is easy to deal with?

Shirou understood the seriousness of the situation and turned to Gudako and Musashi, saying, "It seems we have to split up."

"I know! Even though they are Servant, they are still swordsmen! That's perfect! I can go and meet them!" Musashi picked up the Myojin-giri, slung it over his shoulder, and said in a deep voice.

She felt intense anger at the heinous and cruel acts committed by these Heroic Spirit Swordmaster. Yet, her swordsman's heart also began to leap with excitement at these unprecedentedly terrifying adversaries.

"But where can we find these Heroic Spirit Swordmaster?" Gudako asked, tilting her head.

"They wander around, but the only thing that's certain is that wherever they go, they're always Shimousa," Illya said.

"In other words, Shimousa is actually the central area of Heroic Spirit Swordmaster's operations!" Shirou said.

"Yeah, so maybe we can even find the enemy's headquarters there," Musashi chimed in.

"I see! Then let's go first," Gudako said decisively, standing up.

"Wait, if we go out now, it'll be completely dark in no time. If you want to go to the city, wait until tomorrow." Shirou reached out and grabbed Gudako, pulling her back as he spoke.

"Anyway, just stay here tonight. There are empty blankets and beds in the two rooms upstairs. You and Musashi can stay here for the night. Especially you, Gudako, as your Master, you need to provide magic power, so sleep is very important! I'll go boil some water now, you can take a hot bath, and then get some sleep." Shirou began to lecture Gudako.

"I know, I know! No need to say anything more." Gudako covered her ears and shouted, then ran upstairs.

"Haha, thank you so much, Shirou. To be honest, I'm tired too, but with good food and a soft bed, it's just bliss! I don't want to leave! Well then, I'm going upstairs now. I'll leave the hot water to you. You can come up and peek while I'm taking a bath, okay?" Musashi said half-jokingly, then went upstairs with Gudako.

"I would never do such a thing!" Shirou retorted.

Chapter 371 Sleeping with Illya