Her own shield had blocked Artoria's Noble Phantasm release?
"Nice work, little girl. You bought me quite a bit of time!"
At that moment, Cú Chulainn suddenly stepped forward, the corners of his lips lifting slightly as the staff in his hand pointed straight at Artoria.
"Burn to ashes, giant of wood—Cage of Flames That Burns to Ashes (Wicker Man)!"
Love and Hate Between Sisters
Koizumi's mind was not on Mash at all. He had been worrying about the battle between the young mistress and her little sister.
For some reason, when Koizumi looked at that so-called Flandre, he felt something strange.
It was as though she differed somewhat from the one he knew. What was going on?
Wait! That wasn't right. I clearly don't know that Flandre, so why did I say she was different from the one I knew?
Setting Koizumi's side aside for now, the scene shifted to the battle between Remilia and Flandre.
Remilia's younger sister, Flandre, wore a twisted, broken smile, and the magical energy around her was abnormally immense.
"No... The Flandre I know isn't this crazy. Her rampage wouldn't be this extreme either."
The Eyes of Destruction on that girl's body had basically spread across her entire body. Flandre could at least suppress hers; even touching Flandre would not result in instant death. Hong Meiling, the gatekeeper of their mansion, played so happily with Flandre all the time and had never gotten hurt, okay?
But the Flandre before her had nothing but an overwhelming desire for destruction in her eyes. The destructive fluctuations covering her body were practically visible to the naked eye. If Remilia touched her body, she would probably explode all over instantly.
As Remilia thought that, then... who exactly was this Flandre before her?
Was this the possibility the Gap Youkai had mentioned? Remilia could not help gritting her teeth, intense killing intent flickering in her eyes.
No matter what, the person before her was her younger sister, Flandre Scarlet. Even if she differed from the one Remilia knew, she still bore that name. There was no doubt that they were related by blood.
"So this is it... Is this how so-called fate toys with us?"
After another sharp cry, an abnormally powerful aura erupted from Remilia. Pink magical energy coiled around her body, while a pair of enormous wings formed from magic grew from her back. At this moment, she was exactly as her opening line had claimed—the Queen of the Night!
"Fate, submit to me obediently! I am the devil who controls fate!"
Remilia brandished Gungnir and charged violently toward Flandre, showing no mercy in her attacks.
As Flandre's older sister, she knew Flandre's strength very well. If she did not go all out, she would be the one to fall.
Moreover, the Flandre before her was clearly even stronger than the Flandre in her memories. She could not afford to hold back.
"Hahahaha... Big sister... Play with Flandre... Then—"
"—become one with Flandre!"
Flandre's final words made Remilia freeze slightly. But in the next moment, immense magical energy burst from Flandre's body, and an exceedingly familiar aura of magic entered Remilia's senses.
The powerful shockwave sent Remilia flying, but her reactions were swift, and she immediately steadied herself.
"Flandre... What did you just... say?" Remilia stared at Flandre Scarlet before her in a daze.
Flandre Scarlet tilted her head slightly, a trace of confusion flashing through eyes filled with destructive desire.
"Huh? Big sister doesn't want to become one with Flandre? But you used to be so willing to become one with Flandre. And big sister's blood splashed all over Flandre. It was delicious!"
Flandre's words instantly sent a chill through Remilia's body. She could practically see the scene Flandre described.
Impossible... That was impossible... How could Flandre have done something like that?
Even if she was different from the Flandre I know, at the very least, Flandre would never do that...
But... I see. Was I deceiving myself? That was indeed the case.
Flandre was right. If her destructive urges had truly reached this extent, then I might really...
Remilia exhaled softly, focusing her gaze on Flandre before her as the arrogance returned to her face.
"Flandre, naughty children must be punished. So stay right there and let me punish you properly!"
With that, Remilia seemed to transform into a pink spear as she shot toward Flandre Scarlet before her. She showed no mercy, and she could not show mercy.
Flandre Scarlet puffed out her cheeks, her face filled with obvious displeasure. Though she looked adorably cute, considering Flandre's current destructive power, probably no one would dare approach the little girl before them.
"Big sister should obediently become one with Flandre. Since big sister doesn't want to, that means big sister doesn't love Flandre anymore, so—destroy everything!" The desire for destruction instantly took over Flandre's mind. The flaming sword in her hand slashed toward Remilia, and Flandre Scarlet's flaming sword seemed capable of burning even space itself, making Remilia feel an incredibly powerful threat.
This Flandre had become this powerful... It looked like Remilia would have to ask the Gap Youkai exactly what was going on the next time they met!
Remilia snorted coldly and hurled Gungnir toward Flandre.
"Shoot to Kill - God Spear!"
The shockwave stirred up by the collision between Gungnir and the flaming sword distorted the surrounding space, but it did not affect the battle between Artoria, Mash, and Cú Chulainn. After all, those two big shots could fly, so their fighting did not affect the ground.
Of the two colliding energies, the latter seemed stronger. With a twisted smile, Flandre Scarlet scattered the Gungnir formed from magical energy and continued charging toward Remilia without hesitation.
Endless destructive desire dominated everything about her. Right now, all she wanted was to destroy the thing before her.
Although Remilia's expression changed, she quickly recovered. At the same time, she spread her arms, immense magical energy overflowing from within her body.
"Vast Killing Array - Scarlet Nevernight!"
A fierce force instantly erupted around Remilia. Yet the smile on Flandre's face did not change, and the flaming sword seemed completely unobstructed. Then, a crimson light as vivid as blood bloomed from Remilia's body.
The next moment, a massive bloody cross rose from the ground. Red beams formed entirely from spiritual energy released a terrifying pressure, completely enveloping Flandre Scarlet.
Almost at the same time, a giant made purely of wood threw Artoria into its center. A tremendous explosion rang out as Artoria stared in shock.
Gradually, the smoke dispersed, and Artoria, whose body was slowly turning into particles of light, appeared before everyone.
"Hmph. It seems that I unconsciously held back. I failed to strike at the final moment. Though I wished to protect the Holy Grail, I ultimately failed because of my excessive obsession." As though mocking herself, Artoria revealed a bitter smile. "In the end, no matter how fate changes, as long as I stand alone, will I always meet the same end?"
"Huh? What the hell do you mean by that? What exactly do you know?" Cú Chulainn frowned slightly.
"One day, you will understand as well, Child of Light of Ireland." Artoria spoke calmly, then uttered a phrase that left Olga Marie utterly stunned. "Grand Order... The war surrounding the Holy Grail has only just begun."
"Hey, wait, what exactly is—" Before Cú Chulainn could finish, his body began to dissipate as well, slowly turning into particles of light. "Damn it, am I being forcibly sent back at a time like this!?"
"Tch, it's hard to accept, but there's nothing I can do! Kid, little girl, I'm leaving the rest to you! If there's a next time, summon me as a Lancer!" Cú Chulainn said with a faint smile.
As soon as he finished speaking, Cú Chulainn vanished before everyone's eyes.
Mash had just been about to say something when Koizumi's shout rang out.
"Young Mistress!"
Mash and the others quickly turned their gazes toward the other battlefield.
Remilia's chest had been pierced by Flandre Scarlet's flaming sword, while Flandre Scarlet herself stared at her own body in surprise. A gap had forcibly separated her upper and lower body, blood splattering across Remilia. Yet Flandre Scarlet seemed not to feel any pain at all, wearing only an astonished expression.
Seeing this, even Remilia, who had been pierced by Flandre Scarlet, could not help feeling a surge of anger.
"You really dared to do it... Gap Youkai..."
The End and the Beginning
"You really dared to do it... Gap Youkai..."
Intense anger appeared on Remilia's face, and the killing intent in her eyes was unmistakable.
To Remilia, her younger sister had always come first in her heart. Yet someone had actually dared to hurt her sister!
Even though she knew the other party had likely done it merely to drive Flandre back, after all, if Remilia had been defeated by Flandre, the only one remaining would have been that girl named Mash. She was no match for Flandre at all.
Even if that shield capable of blocking the holy sword could hold for a while, it would still be useless.
But... that still could not justify hurting Flandre like this!
However, no matter how furious she was, Remilia had already begun to dissipate. Flandre's strike had shattered her Spirit Core.
"So I can only... leave the stage here..."
No matter how unwilling she was, Remilia could only stop here.
After all, no one had anticipated encountering Flandre.
Gradually, Remilia's body turned into particles of light and vanished. Flandre did the same.
"Ah, is Flandre going to disappear together with big sister too? Mm, Flandre didn't get to become one with big sister... But... as long as big sister is with Flandre, everything will definitely be okay!" Flandre still wore that twisted smile, but—
Flandre's words made Remilia freeze slightly before she revealed a gentle smile.
"Yes! No matter where we are, big sister will always stay with you, Flandre..."
After saying that, Remilia embraced Flandre, a gentle smile remaining on her face.
No matter what, the debt she owed her younger sister could never be repaid.
But no matter what happened, Remilia's love for her sister would never change in the slightest.
No matter how excessive Flandre's actions became, as her older sister, all Remilia could do was forgive her without limit and take responsibility for guiding her younger sister back onto the right path.
When we are summoned next time, I will pull you back from the darkness.
Murmuring that inwardly, Remilia could not help glancing at Koizumi beside her.
It was a little regrettable. Hopefully, he could leave safely and recover his memories.
However, before Remilia could say what she wanted to say, she and Flandre vanished from the place.
The moment Remilia disappeared, Koizumi's heart clenched painfully. So they were separating so soon.
What angered him even more was that, despite having stayed by her side for some time, she had not said a single word to him.
"Mr. Koizumi..." Mash looked at Koizumi with concern. She could see that Koizumi had very strong feelings for Remilia, so Remilia's disappearance worried her greatly.
"Are you all right?" Ritsuka stepped forward and asked as well.
"I'm fine..." Koizumi forced a smile, but Olga Marie seemed somewhat absent-minded.
At that moment—
Koizumi's body began to emit waves of light, as though he were a Servant about to disappear.
"Mr. Koizumi... What's happening?" Mash and the others were immediately startled, and even Olga Marie snapped out of her daze.
"Hey! Roman, what's going on with Koizumi?" Ritsuka hurriedly asked Dr. Roman, who was at Chaldea.
Dr. Roman also seemed greatly shocked, surprise appearing on his face.
"I don't quite understand either. He clearly isn't a Servant, but this state is somewhat like a forced return from a Rayshift..."
"What..." Olga Marie and the others were astonished, while Koizumi silently looked at his own hands.
Suddenly, a helpless expression appeared on Koizumi's face. His life truly was never in his own hands. He had inexplicably come to this place, inexplicably met the young mistress, and now he was inexplicably disappearing again.
My life is really full of inexplicable things everywhere.
"Sorry, I don't really understand what is going on either, but..."
I'm happy that I got to meet all of you. At least, getting to know you all felt so natural.
Before he could finish speaking, Koizumi's body turned into particles of light and disappeared before Ritsuka and the others.
This was a snow-white space. Koizumi was sleeping within it, while a figure stood beside him.
The figure had golden hair tied up, held a large parasol, and possessed a tall, slender figure. She looked about seventeen or eighteen years old and wore a pink-and-white princess dress with pleated lace. Draped over the front of that pink-and-white pleated lace dress was a Taoist robe printed with a bagua pattern. She wore a pink-and-white lace-trimmed round hat, with a red ribbon tied into a bow at its front, adding a touch of cuteness to the seemingly noble girl.
Slowly, two small spheres appeared behind her, one emitting blue light and the other silver light.
"You're still using this appearance, Gaia, Alaya..."
The girl spoke in a tone carrying a trace of helplessness.
"You really had the heart to do it. Aren't you afraid that vampire will come looking for trouble? Strictly speaking, that one wasn't her younger sister, but watching someone who looked exactly like her younger sister die was still painful for that vampire."
The blue sphere trembled as it spoke.
At the same time, the two spheres were gradually enveloped in light. Once the light faded, a blue-haired girl and a silver-haired girl appeared before the girl.
Their appearances were nearly identical, with the only difference being their hair colors.
"So what? In that situation, aside from killing her, there seemed to be no better option. It was already obvious that Remilia was no match for her." The girl spoke softly, then glanced at the sleeping Koizumi. A strange light flickered in her eyes. "Besides, I was merely preparing her mentally in advance. That Flandre Scarlet will sooner or later become our enemy. She is simply an existence not needed by our Gensokyo."
"That makes sense." The silver-haired girl—Alaya—said calmly.
"Mm-hmm~~"
At that moment, Koizumi let out a muffled groan, pain appearing on his face.
"He's waking up." Alaya looked toward Gaia beside her. "Are we leaving?"
"Let's go. Yukari is here to explain things anyway, so there's no need for us to meet him."
Before you continue