Chapter 356

Because there was a person standing by the window, and judging from their appearance, it was undoubtedly 'her', that is, Ilya.

The girl blinked at this incredible unknown without question, and then that 'she' reached out and took Ilya's hand.

"That's all--"

Then.

"Ilya, what are you daydreaming about!"

Awakened by Ruby's cry, Ilya finally realized that there was nothing in front of her.

In other words, was the version of yourself you just saw a hallucination?

Ilya couldn't help but think this.

"Ah, no, I'm sorry... By the way, Ruby, in order to collect Cards smoothly tonight, please continue teaching me my transformed abilities."

"Oh dear, since this cute girl has made such a request, I can't possibly keep my secret skills to myself! After all, Ilya and I are a perfect, flawless, and incredibly cute Magical Girl duo!"

Chapter 392 Kuro: I'm about to be filled with Od.

A dazzling light was reflected in the pitch-black Mirror World.

The so-called reality of the Present World is far removed from the 'fantasy' that Ilya behind me is talking about.

Even if she is a 'Magical Girl', she should not be detached from all material foundations of reality to do 'unreasonable' things. Despite being called a 'Magical Girl', she can only do so by relying on mysterious powers.

However, for Miyu at this moment, from the moment she retrieved Caster's Class Card, she felt that compared to herself, this Ilya had a kind of vitality. This was not in a derogatory sense, but rather that she had the liveliness and imagination that were appropriate for her age, and that she was living vividly at all times.

Previously, in order to defeat Medea, the Magical Girl from the Age of Gods, one had to be able to fly. However, unlike Ilya, who could fly easily, Miyu couldn't do it no matter what she tried; she could only fix her Od in the air as a foothold.

Then, unlike Ilya, she wouldn't come up with a way to use Od bullets as footholds to increase her speed.

Although the final blow that defeated Medea was Miyu's Gáe Bolg, she would have had no chance of succeeding without Ilya's assistance.

Miyu glanced briefly at Ilya, who was with Luvia Rin Tohsaka, and immediately the image of a small, swaying, and thriving blade of grass flashed through her mind. She thought that even in the future, Illya would still be able to maintain this mindset.

Unlike myself.

I know that fairytale-like concepts really exist, but they are simply unimaginable. Even the ocean and sky on the wall are unimaginable, and it's impossible to imitate them exactly.

"Miyu- sama, considering the comprehensive use of Od, this is a very efficient method of flight, comparable to that of Ilya- sama."

The sound rang out.

Of course, there's only one person who would say something like that at this time.

That was the Sapphire that Miyu had noticed was not in good condition and that she was holding in her hand.

"Previously, Miyu- sama, you told Ilya- sama, 'I will collect all the Cards,' and I didn't understand what you meant at the time. But this battle was won by the two of you working together. The Kaleidoscope Magical Girl is two in one, and in my opinion, Ilya- sama is someone you can trust."

"... Yes, I know."

Miyu nodded because Sapphire was right, but she felt something stuck in her chest that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Miyu gazed at Ilya flying towards her, shimmering like a dream, just as Sapphire had said, 'A trustworthy person...?'

It's impossible, unimaginable.

Ah, so the reason she was being taken care of was because she seemed more like a real 'person' than I did?

The sound of the Bamboo Grove swaying echoed in my mind again and again, as if mocking me.

Sometimes near, sometimes far; sometimes near, sometimes far.

Then--

"Also, the name that was crossed out on the back of the Jade that Miyu was holding that night—"

"Let's not discuss this anymore, it's in the past, Sapphire."

The Black-Haired Girl dismissed the idea indifferently.

Then, following my train of thought, I looked up.

The Galaxy, shimmering brilliantly in the veil-like night sky, seemed to shine not on this side.

"... yes."

On the night that Miyu arrived from another world, Sapphire found the girl drinking water at Fountain in a Small Park.

Wearing ill-fitting clothes she'd picked up from who-knows-where, and ignoring her dirty body and disheveled hair, she didn't lower her head. Instead, she stared straight at the Sapphire, then signed a contract with Sapphire, using it to make a deal with Luvia she was meeting for the first time:

She was responsible for collecting all the Cards, but in exchange, she was given a place to live, food to eat, clothes to wear, a household registration, and shelter.

But was it really just me, Luvia, and Miyu- sama in that Small Park at the time?

Sapphire always felt a subtle sense of disharmony in the environment at the time, but she couldn't put it into words and could only keep it to herself.

In the silent, Mirror World night, the neon lights under the bridge are shrouded in shadow, barely visible from a hundred paces away. Only a faint black mist can be seen drifting leisurely beneath the bridge, like a giant python emerging from its nest.

At the same time, Luvia, who was standing on the ground, suddenly sighed.

"I didn't expect to face such a tough battle in the second match; the road ahead is truly difficult."

"So, you did take the Cards back..."

Rin Tohsaka looked up at the night sky, "Isn't the collapse of space a little slow?"

"Indeed, generally speaking, the space should immediately crash once the Class Card is reclaimed--"

Boom!

In that instant, a sudden roar drew the attention of the two Magical Girl. Then, they saw terrifying flames soar into the sky, and terrifying air pressure surged and spread violently in the silent night. The scorching flames danced with the rain of fire falling from the sky, scattering the firelight of Purgatory.

"Looks like there's a second enemy!"

Ruby and Sapphire explained subconsciously.

In the midst of this sudden explosion, all the Od contained within was transformed into burning heat, which spread outwards and instantly engulfed Rin Tohsaka and Luvia. The viscous, flowing flames continued to spread rapidly, as if they were about to devour everything.

And so, from Ilya Miyu's perspective, Rin Tohsaka and Luvia fell in the raging fire, and behind them, a figure slowly emerged.

Emerging from the darkness, passing through raging flames and terrifying heat, emerging from the inferno of Purgatory, revealing himself clad in armor and sporting his signature golden hair—

Saber Class Card, Artoria.

The King of Knights, devoid of willpower, reached out and drew his Holy Sword, charging towards Ilya Miyu in the next second.

The Holy Sword could shatter the mirror space like a mirror with just a sweep, and the buildings on both sides collapsed continuously amidst the roar. The powerful impact forced the two to flee.

Rationally speaking, the priority now is to retreat immediately, but since Rin Tohsaka and Luvia have both fallen into a coma, Ilya Miyu cannot abandon them. Therefore, they decide that even if they retreat, they must take the two unconscious people with them. Thus, the two quickly make a plan.

Miyu went to distract the King of Knights, while Ilya went to take the two unconscious men away.

Therefore, after escaping, Miyu, now in the air, brandished the Sapphire and launched an attack on the King of Knights on the ground. However, for the King of Knights, who possessed defensive Magecraft, this was as insignificant as a breeze hitting his face.

She merely shook the Holy Sword against the ground, and the dust that instantly swept across the world obscured Miyu and Ilya's vision.

Miyu instinctively waved the dust away, only to see the King of Knights's Holy Sword fall towards her the next second. Even with the help of the Sapphire to defend herself, she was suppressed by the powerful force.

The clash between the two was accompanied by a violent roar, like the sound of a bell the size of a truck being struck. Or perhaps it was not a physical sound, but a spiritual phenomenon. Soon, Miyu was slammed to the ground, and the area around her exploded like a crater.

Then, the King of Knights shifted his gaze in that direction.

She had already anticipated what they were thinking, so she casually swung her Holy Sword in that direction, and the blade of light slashed a wound on Ilya's arm before she could dodge.

"My arm... is bleeding..."

The moment Ilya saw the blood flowing from her body, she felt terrified, and her whole body trembled uncontrollably.

I'm afraid I'll just die like this.

"It's just a minor injury; you'll recover quickly."

Ruby, who understood her fear, offered words of comfort, but from her demeanor, she also knew that Ilya, having lost her will to fight, was now incapable of even fleeing, let alone fighting.

"But, but--"

"Alright, alright, as long as we get through this, I'll play Ivia's confession for Ilya every night. I've already recorded it. And you're supposed to deliver the milk, right? I've already put it on my person. Anyway, I have to deliver it! Be confident! I haven't even seen you two dating yet! I can't just die like this!"

Despite Ruby's gloomy and absurd remarks, Ilya still managed to force a smile.

However, before Ilya could even get up, encouraged, the Od reaction on the King of Knights intensified dramatically. The Od particles were no longer light, but became darkness that devoured light— the Noble Phantasm Excalibur.

"Ah..."

Under this extraordinary pressure, Ilya racked her brains, gritting her teeth.

Ugh, ugh, ugh! This is like a rollercoaster ride through lava! How could it turn out like this? I just mustered up the courage to do things I hadn't even done yet, and now it's all over again... It's so painful, Mom...

The oppressive feeling of the Noble Phantasm even gave Ilya the sensation that she was about to be completely crushed.

The wound that had just been plugged with the Ruby began to bleed uncontrollably, staining the Magical Girl's clothes, even her hands, thighs, and the other Plastic True Magic Wand hanging at her waist.

In a state of extreme terror and numbness, Ilya tasted a raging inferno that seemed to burn her bones and nerves to ashes, like a meteor that had entered the atmosphere and been compressed and burned out after losing its heat source, ravaging her blood vessels and nerves.

The silver-haired girl felt her own existence being replaced; the overly dazzling 'power' was oppressing the concept of 'I'.

So slowly, slowly, a certain constraint within the body began to loosen, more things were stripped away, or rather, the 'present self' was abandoned, and the 'past self' rose toward the surface of the body.

At that moment, the blood-stained True Magic at the girl's waist shone with a golden light amidst the vast, dark light.

In a daze, Ilya felt as if she were in the dying moments of a story, seeing the past—

Ivia descended from the sky, yet it seemed as if she had always been there.

The shadowy figures of people were all around them, and the indistinct outlines of the crowd formed long queues, endlessly waiting.

Just then, the sound of the tides from the sea could be heard from beneath the bridge.

Then, on the other side, Miyu saw that on the burning earth, the modern scene seemed to have been torn apart, revealing an endless desert, seemingly showing the desolation and loneliness that stretched to the ends of the earth, with cracks all over the sky, even revealing illusory gaps.

The brilliance of the Noble Phantasm unleashed by the King of Knights was absorbed and melted by the irrational power wielded by the indifferent 'Ilya's' hands.

Yes, in Miyu's view, there were two Ilya on the scene. One was Illya lying on the ground, pale-faced and holding Ruby, and the other was 'Ilya' standing up with an indifferent expression, waving a small knife in her hands, but with True Magic Ilya with Golden Light at her waist.

Under the cover of night, apart from slight differences in their clothing, the two looked exactly like clones.

And the name on that True Magic...

Although she could barely move her body, Miyu's entire body was stiff, probably because she was unwilling to accept that the True Magic was a 'gift'.

Then, Miyu's gaze was drawn to the light.

The intense and ferocious white light, which was unbelievable to have come from that lively and cheerful girl named 'Ilya', made the King of Knights, who seemed capable of destroying the world, appear as powerless as a child in the face of the light that tore the sky apart from the earth like lightning.

The current King of Knights was completely unable to react in a way that surpassed 'Ilya', and couldn't even figure out what kind of Magecraft she had used. By the time he realized it on instinct, his restrained left hand had easily disappeared.

Shockingly, the Holy Sword in the King of Knights's hand emitted a mournful cry, but it was not out of fear, but rather of acceptance.

With every gesture, this 'Ilya' could twist and madden the laws of nature. With the spatial rifts created by her waving hands, she easily tore the King of Knights apart and turned him into Class Card.

Immediately afterwards, Miyu saw this 'Ilya' expressionlessly brandish a small knife, walk towards Ilya lying on the ground, and then plunge it into Illya's neck—

She couldn't bestow the gift because the True Magic at her waist was floating on Ilya's body, creating an inexplicable resistance that stopped her.

Then, 'Ilya' tried to pick up the True Magic, but for some reason, she couldn't, so she could only place her hand on her abdomen, her eyes seemingly wandering into the distance.

Then, she glanced at Miyu, who was still conscious.

"Tsk."

'Ilya' disappeared into the Mirror World, and all that remains here is the ceaseless sound of the waves.

On spring nights, the stars in the night sky are sharper than usual.

"Ugh, I'm so tired..."

Dragging her heavy body, Ilya walked through the quiet Fuyuki City, looking at the dimly Asphalt Road. She was heading towards Homurahara Elementary School.

"... Where should we go now?"

Thinking about the map of Fuyuki in her mind, 'Ilya' sighed. Her heavy steps were not due to exhaustion from fighting the King of Knights, but because she had run out of Od.

'Ilya' is the personality that Chloe has materialized after years of accumulating the Od, memories, and knowledge that were sealed away by Irisviel Ilya she was Baby. However, she has not yet given herself a name and stubbornly believes that she is Ilya.

If Ilya had never come into contact with the Ruby and Sapphire, she would probably have remained asleep forever. However, after coming into contact with them and experiencing this ordeal tonight, Ilya, in a state of extreme fear, had her body taken over by the ruby... That was how it should have been.

However, due to that True Magic, she had a mysterious reaction with the Archer Class Card, which resulted in her gaining a physical body.

The reason why she could subdue the unconscious King of Knights was quite simple: she had abundant Od, and everything in the space was working in her favor, so it would be strange if she couldn't be defeated easily.

Ilya was thinking of defeating the King of Knights and then eliminating Ilya so she could return, but the True Magic stopped her. Even when she reached for it, there was no response, which made her, who was already in a bad mood, furious.