Chapter 756

A Shadow was running through the forest. Illya spotted it first and raised her wand to aim.

"Damn it! Sneaking around like that... Ugh?"

To Illya's surprise, she was unable to channel magic into her wand.

Not only that, but it felt as if not only my hands, but also my feet didn't belong to me anymore.

The girl swayed unsteadily as if she were drunk, her vision blurring.

The throwing knife came again.

Hey! What are you spacing out for?!

Rin Tohsaka grabbed Illya and pulled her away from the path of the dagger.

"Cheer up! Nobody can guarantee it won't happen again!"

"... Ugh."

Illya nodded with difficulty, unable to concentrate on her thoughts.

In a daze, she inexplicably thought of Saber, whom she had fought the previous night—

Even though Shirou had defeated the Black Knight, that terrifying and desperate figure still left a deep psychological scar on her.

Rin kept a watchful eye on the enemy while reminding everyone.

"I couldn't sense anything before I was attacked! And it was aimed perfectly at my vital points."

Don't be careless! One careless move could result in instant death!

Judging from this attack method, the enemy's class must be an assassin... I didn't expect them to utilize the terrain; they're truly cunning."

"!!"

Upon hearing this, Illya's eyes widened.

More than Rin's warning, she was concerned about something else—

Oh... death? Really? People can die after all?

Unlike Magical Girl anime.

It's different from children playing house.

This is the true battlefield; I will fight against heroic Heroic Spirit who transcend human intelligence.

After being freed from her brother's protection, Illya finally understood her position and situation for the first time.

And so—the girl's trembling could no longer be stopped.

Just then, a hidden presence emerged from the forest.

However, there wasn't only one.

Enemies, enemies, enemies—they all appeared around the girls.

From under the shade of trees, from the branches of branches, from the grass.

Everyone was dressed in the same black clothing and wore pale skull masks.

"This quantity..."

"Enemy confirmed, total number 50 or more."

"No way, we're completely surrounded."

Luvia gripped the gem tightly in her hand.

"That's too unfair! I never heard that the enemy was a large army! Our proud strategy of overwhelming the enemy with numbers is useless now!"

Rin Tohsaka exclaimed in surprise.

That's understandable.

So far, all our enemies have been single targets.

No matter how exceptional Saber is, she is still a single-person Heroic Spirit, and can still escape if she seizes an opportunity.

These guys are different.

They skillfully surrounded the group, intending not to give the girls a chance to escape the Mirror World.

"Haa... haa... haa..."

Even breathing was extremely painful for Illya.

However, the mental stress is far greater than the physical pain.

This number... there's no way to avoid it... if this continues, I...

"Rin Tohsaka, something's wrong!"

"I know!"

Rin Tohsaka threw out several gems in one go.

With her incantation, gems worth hundreds of thousands of dollars transformed into a magnificent burst of flames.

"Now's the time! Get out of here in one go! If you stop, you'll become a target!"

"Retreat for now! Concentrate your firepower on one point and break through the encirclement in one fell swoop!"

Rin Tohsaka and Luvia quickly made a decision and took action.

Clutching the gems tightly, they ran ahead, with Miyu and Illya following behind.

However, just as she was about to break through the encirclement, Illya suddenly felt a weakness and stopped in her tracks.

Despite trying his best to take a step, he couldn't even stand up and collapsed to his knees.

"Illya!"

"My body... I can't move..."

"A magic cycle anomaly has occurred, making it impossible to maintain physical protection. This is..."

Rin Tohsaka looked at Illya lying on the ground, her face pale, and then noticed the purple spots on her neck.

It was one of the earliest short swords, probably coated with a deadly poison that could paralyze nerves and Magic Circuits.

"Illya!!"

When Miyu drove her magic towards them, it was already too late.

Dozens of short knives flew towards Illya, the target, at the same time, about to pierce her body.

"------"

Illya suddenly felt that time was flowing more slowly.

Ugh... I'm just not cut out for it...

She's just playing the role of Magical Girl and is smug about it...

Ms. Rin and Ms. Luvia's judgment was calm and appropriate; this enemy wasn't much stronger than before...

It's simply because I lost the first step... that's all.

Is that all? Am I really going to die?

Not only herself, but Miyu, Rin, Luvia will also die...

It's not just them...

"If this distortion is left unchecked, the entire Fuyuki City will be in danger."

The girl recalled the conversation she had had a few minutes earlier.

Fuyuki City is in danger... will my brother... will my brother die too?

My brother will die... No!!

Suddenly, all the fear and despair in the girl's heart vanished.

Then, she heard the sound of chains breaking inside her chest.

Illya had no idea what had happened.

She only wanted to protect her brother.

The thought that she didn't want to lose her brother dominated her mind.

They must be defeated! They must be defeated! They must be defeated! They must be defeated! They must be defeated!

He must be killed--

How to do it?

--means?

--method?

--strength?

--Ah, speaking of which--

--As for power, it's right here--

Illya, expressionless, reached for the card that had fallen to the ground.

Then, they forced the door open.

"----" Phantasm Summon (Install)"."

As the girl whispered, a scorching and dazzling light illuminated the entire space.

"Huh? You're lying... Why...?"

Miyu stared in astonishment at the scene before her.

Just moments before, Illya had been so weak that she could not move, but suddenly she unleashed an unprecedented and astonishing magical power.

She picked up the Class Card that had fallen to the ground, and then, amidst the blinding light of Magic Circle, completed a transformation, completely altering her appearance.

Dressed in a white knight's gown, Illya's figure was as lovely as a lily, and she held Golden Holy Sword that exuded a powerful presence.

"That's... Excalibur!? Why!?"

Rin and Luvia exclaimed in surprise.

Illya silently wielded the holy sword.

With just a casual wave of his arm, the powerful wind pressure blew away dozens of short swords that were approaching him.

"Illya-- "

Just as Miyu was about to call her, Illya vanished from the spot.

She arrived in front of one of the Assassins at a speed surpassing that of Magical Girl.

That's incredibly fast.

If we only consider movement speed, Assassin is undoubtedly the fastest of the Seven Riders, but he can't even do the most basic reaction.

Illya, dressed as a knight princess, raised her Golden Holy Sword high and swung it down without hesitation.

"... Ughhh!!"

The assassin screamed as he was hacked to the ground.

After eliminating one enemy, Illya didn't pause for a moment and moved on to the next one.

Assassin, finally realizing what was happening, tried to retaliate, but was easily defeated by Illya.

A graceful sword arc flashed through the air, cleaving the assassin in two from head to toe.

After taking down the second one, Illya spun around and killed the third assassin who was trying to sneak up on her from behind.

That flawless figure left everyone present speechless.

"Really...? Illya herself has become Heroic Spirit...?"

Miyu secretly thought, "She looks exactly like her brother."

Illya, an ordinary elementary school student who had never even touched a sword before, was now mowing down the assassins like grass.

The assassins fell one after another.