The Wonderful Uses of Memory Battlefield (2)

"If the next three challenges are all card games like this, your results will be void," Himeko warned.

After defeating the card-addicted Chairman Kai, the dimensional rift welcomed a new opponent, and the arena changed. The original dueling stage was replaced by a cityscape, and the surroundings grew dim, as if night had fallen.

"This building, is it Cairo?" Himeko asked, recognizing it from a past visit.

Xing observed his surroundings and suddenly saw Theresa emerge from the street ahead. Upon seeing Xing, she immediately shouted, "Run, Xing! Kallen's substitute, Pseudo-Judas: Embrace of Blood, has the ability to stop time..." Before she could finish, the area was engulfed in black and white. When normal vision returned, Theresa's chest was pierced by a crimson blade, and she collapsed.

"Auntie—" Kiana shouted from outside.

"Xing, run, you need to keep your distance... stay far away from her, or you won't stand a chance..." Theresa seemed to want to say more, but her body had reached its limit. She could only close her eyes with worry.

Kallen, clad in the Hunter Armor, stood by Theresa's corpse with a Dio-like pose and arrogantly declared, "Bronya is already dealt with. Mei must be hiding somewhere. Well, whatever—"

She pointed at Xing and said, "You're next, Xing!"

"You... you bastard, Kallen!" Xing's DNA reacted. He clenched his fists and walked towards Kallen.

"Oh? Coming at me head-on? You're not running, but actively approaching me? It's rare that your mother, Theresa Apocalypse, like a captain who still believes in good things after being brutally backstabbed by the script, desperately told you the truth about my Pseudo-Judas: Embrace of Blood!" Kallen spread her hands, saying with brazen arrogance.

"If I don't get closer, I can't beat you properly." Xing's eyes turned blue again, burning with fierce flames.

"Ho ho, then why don't you come a little closer?" Kallen sneered and also stepped forward.

At the same time, Judas in Theresa's room seemed to receive an order, smashing through the ceiling and flying towards the memory battlefield.

When the two were almost face-to-face, a blood-red cross suddenly drilled out of Kallen's body and lunged straight at Xing.

"Muda!" A scarlet axe blade swung towards his neck.

"Ora!" Oath of Judas arrived just in time, knocking Pseudo-Judas away. The two crosses began to fight wildly.

"Too weak, too weak. Pseudo-Judas: Embrace of Blood is the strongest stand. Both its precision and power are far superior to your Oath of Judas..." Before Kallen could finish speaking, Pseudo-Judas, almost torn to shreds, was thrown aside like trash by Judas near her.

Kallen: "..." Director, this plot is wrong!

"Hmph, as expected, to deal with you, I must use the true power of Pseudo-Judas: Embrace of Blood..."

"THE WORLD! Stop time for me!" Xing activated Time Fracture in advance. The world turned dark, and time for everything slowed down infinitely, stopping all activity.

Judas's chains wrapped around his clenched fists, resonating with the Stigmata on his right hand. Golden energy flowed throughout his body.

He looked at Kallen, who was terrified within the Time Fracture, and said coldly, "Take this, Kallen, Judas-style Yamabuki-colored Ripple Overdrive!" Xing's fists fiercely struck her body.

"Ora ora ora ora ora... (omitted three pages of Ora)"

After throwing the last punch, Xing turned around refreshed and calmly said, "Time resumes its flow." (Is it really okay to beat up your original form like this?)

Golden waves spread across Kallen's entire body. She cried out in despair, "No, impossible! How could I, Kallen, lose to you, kid! Kono Kallen da!"

As Judas's energy purified her, Kallen turned to ash.

The crowd outside the memory battlefield: "..." What the hell did I just watch?!

Himeko covered her forehead. "He can summon Judas at will. He really is Theresa's illegitimate child, right?"

Kiana was a little distraught. "Then what should I call him?"

Mei comforted her. "Don't be like that, Kiana. Even if Xing is the principal's child, your generation is the same."

Bronya: "Shouting 'Ora Ora' sounds cool. Maybe Heavy Cannon Rabbit can learn it next time."

Yae Sakura: "Well fought. The real Kallen wasn't this crazy."

After dealing with the enemy, Judas automatically flew back. Xing looked curious. "Can the memory battlefield even simulate Judas?"

This child still hasn't realized that he can summon Judas anytime he wants.

After a short break, Xing was met with a new opponent from the dimensional rift. The arena changed again. On a vast, boundless plain, a man in red stood quietly, his eyes filled with indifference.

"You've finally arrived, Xing. No, a coward who abandoned himself," Emiya looked at him with disdain. He raised his hand and chanted, "I am the bone of my sword."

A red barrier enveloped Xing, preventing those outside the memory battlefield from seeing the situation within.

"Teacher Himeko, what's going on?" Mei asked.

"This is the first time I've encountered this situation. I don't know how to handle it either," Himeko said, troubled. How could this little guy be so troublesome? He'd managed to create a bug in the memory battlefield.

"Can't we stop the operation and get Xing out?" Kiana's idea was simple and direct.

"That won't work. His neurons are already connected to the memory battlefield. Forcibly disconnecting them could cause him great harm. We can only hope he wins."

On the endless sand dunes, countless swords were densely planted. The sky was covered by enormous gears. This was the closest thing to magic, a magecraft that materialized inner landscapes, a bounded field that eroded the world's inherent nature, its name—Unlimited Blade Works.

"What are you talking about?" Xing was very confused.

"Did I say something wrong? Abandoning your parents and sister for your own selfish reasons, coming to this world, foolishly trying to change their fate, stupid and ignorant." Emiya raised his hand, and a sword planted near Xing suddenly flew up and charged at him.

Xing dodged quickly, but the moment the sword brushed past him, Emiya detonated its magic.

Fantasy Collapse.

The young boy, unable to dodge, had his cheek cut, and blood flowed down.

"Someone who can't even stay in his own world, how can you save them?" A greatsword gradually took shape in his hand.

"Heavenly Fire Judgment?! Can't you project divine constructs?"

"Wasn't it created by humans?" Emiya nocked the newly projected Heavenly Fire Judgment like an arrow onto his bow. "Here, I have no limit on magic consumption, meaning you're dead." He released the bowstring, shooting it.

Fantasy Collapse

Flames filled his vision.

"Oh my?" Sensing something, Emiya raised his hand again. The swords previously stuck in the sand dunes all flew up and shot towards a certain direction.

"Sakura, scatter!" Yae Sakura swung her spirit blade, Cherry Blossom Blizzard, striking down the continuously flying sword edges and firmly protecting Xing behind her.

"Why go to such lengths? He's not your Kallen. There's no need for you to follow him like a loyal dog," Emiya said indifferently.

"This is my choice." The shrine maiden spoke no further.

"Oh, I see. Then how long can you hold out? While carrying a burden?"

With dense swords, even though the shrine maiden's swordsmanship was excellent, she couldn't defend against all of them. A few would slip through and cut her skin. Before long, small wounds covered her entire body. Even so, she didn't let Xing sustain any damage.

Xing watched the injured Yae Sakura, his heart feeling as if it were being cut by a knife. He wanted to help but didn't know how. Just as Emiya said, he was nothing but a burden to Yae Sakura right now.

"I can't do anything..."

A shade of purple gradually dyed the young boy's pupils.

The shrine maiden's stamina rapidly depleted, and a sword pierced her abdomen. "Ugh!" A moment's hesitation led her towards a fatal situation. Several blades pierced the shrine maiden's back, and blood spurted from her mouth.

"Sakura!"

A violent purple completely occupied his pupils. Even a magatama on his left hand faintly glowed purple. A seal within his body was broken.

Lightning erupted from his body, tearing open a gap in Unlimited Blade Works.

"What's going on? He's not armed with that girl right now, so it's impossible for him to use the Herrscher of Thunder's power!" Emiya's usually calm face showed a ripple for the first time.

Red patterns spread across his face, but now that he bore a double Stigmata, this erosion was no longer as fatal as before.

"Xing?" The shrine maiden wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and obediently let the boy pull the blades from her back. She had no physical form now; even if this body was destroyed, as long as Xing remained, she could reappear.

"Does it hurt?" Xing gently touched the wounds on her back, his heart aching.

"It hurts." The shrine maiden was very honest.

"It's okay, come back for now. The injuries you've sustained, I'll make that guy repay them a hundredfold!"

After recalling Yae Sakura into the Stigmata space, he stretched his joints, turned his head, and said with a ferocious expression, "Your attack is over. Now it's my turn, any objections?"

Emiya suddenly felt a blood-red "Danger" character flashing above his head.

Xing focused his mind into the Stigmata on his left hand, switching himself to a speed type. Pink fox ears grew from his head.

"I activate Yae Sakura's exit effect, Special Summoning a Level 4 Scarlet Sakura Token to the field and treating it as a Synchro Monster. Here I go, I'll use the Level 4 Scarlet Sakura Token to Synchro Summon myself, who is Level 4."

Level 4 + Level 4 = Level 8

"The lightning that defies fate plays out here, delivering judgment to the truly foolish! Synchro Summon! Chase them, Yae Sakura - Night Shadow Heavy Mist!"

The fox-eared ninja appeared from the lightning, holding two crimson blades.

"Roar, Thunder Prison Maru!"

Currents formed a giant fox phantom, engulfing everything within the sword domain, including Emiya's astonished face.

"Clang!" The two Cherry Blossom Blizzards clashed with Gan Jiang Mo Ye. The latter's black and white dual blades disintegrated like toys, forcing it to continuously project new weapons.

"You just said I abandoned everything to come to this world?" Xing skillfully used dual blades, forcing Emiya to retreat steadily. "In that world, I was just an ordinary student. It's more interesting to adventure here than to drift aimlessly. Besides, I believe my sister can take care of Mom and Dad for me."

--- Temporary Break ---

"Achoo!" In a certain world, a little girl with white hair and red eyes suddenly sneezed. She rubbed her nose and mumbled, "Did I catch a cold?"

"Yun, there's a Rock Shield Slime ahead! Come help!"

"Oh, coming, coming." Yun skillfully placed Mona's drive book into the Stigmata Holy Sword Driver at his waist and drew Myriad Sword Rhyme to transform.

"Rhyme Draw! Sky Reflection Chronicle!"

--- Returning ---

"Also, you got one thing wrong. I did change something."

I changed the fate of Changkong City and prevented the third Honkai from descending. I will turn this world into the one I desire, together with them! As a participant, I will fulfill my own happiness.

Lightning completely engulfed Emiya's body.

"In that case, don't regret it." he whispered before disappearing.

"Of course not."

A Cherry Blossom Blizzard in his hand transformed into the shrine maiden.

"You can even transform me?" She looked curiously at Xing, who still maintained the Night Shadow Heavy Mist form.

"Uh, I tried to set the power to maximum, and this is what happened." Looking at the magatama that had completely turned purple, Xing felt a bit of a headache. Essentially, it was a transformation similar to God's Blessing Anthem, but Yae Sakura had basically handed over all her power to him. Although neither of them knew how to use it, Xing's control over this Stigmata was far superior to the original Kallen's Song. After being stimulated by that Herrscher energy, this subspecies evolved form of Yae Sakura was born.

Speaking of which, why did he have Mei's power inside him?

This question was simple. It was because back in Changkong City, the Honkai Energy from Herrscher Mei was not eliminated but suppressed. After the Stigmata barely held it down, Judas sealed all this energy within the Stigmata.

Originally, the seal should have lasted for a long time, but Herrscher Mei, who was also sealed within the Stigmata, escaped twice and tore quite a bit of the seal along the way. Later, when Yae Sakura attached herself to him, the impact from the Herrscher Core further weakened the seal.

Just now, when Xing desperately craved power, someone helped him tear open the seal, and the energy flowed out.

"How do I change back?" Night Shadow Heavy Mist's transformation was barely undone with Yae Sakura's help, but he found he couldn't switch back to his power form.

"Right, what that person just said, it was actually—" He was about to explain when the shrine maiden placed a finger gently on his lips.

Outside the battlefield, Himeko looked at the screen in surprise. "This kid's pretty good, actually clearing the S-rank and A-rank missions in one go."

"Does that mean we can leave school?" Kiana asked expectantly.

"Mm, take this," Himeko said, pulling an ID card from her chest and handing it to Kiana. "Show this to them, and they'll let you board the transport ship."

"Oh yeah! Thanks, Teacher Himeko!"

The barrier of the memory battlefield slowly dissolved, revealing a pink fox.

"Xing? Why did you turn into that?" Kiana and the others had seen this form before, so they weren't too surprised.

Himeko looked at the scorched memory battlefield and her face immediately darkened. "Tell me, how did you mess this place up like this?"

"Bronya, quickly take Xing and go. I'm going to use the Kaslana family's ancestral secret technique."

"Secret technique? What is it?"

"Strategic retreat!"

"Nobody's going anywhere!" Himeko's roar echoed.

Author's Notes—

Mmm, I gave them a little bit of a hard time. After all, things can't always go smoothly. Besides, didn't they just fight their way back immediately? You guys aren't going to send me hate mail, are you?

I'm sorry, Little Eight! I'll go get Cherry Blossom Blizzard from the exchange shop when I get back! (That's the only Sakura's sword I'm missing.)