Chapter 827
Illya continued to fire her magic cannons haphazardly, but they were all shot down; neither "cannon fire" nor "scattershot" was effective.
This was partly due to the huge difference in strength, and partly because Illya's attacks were completely unpredictable.
"Ughhhhhhh!"
"... Illya."
Illya fired her magic cannons haphazardly, completely absorbed in the moment.
Her lovely face was slightly distorted by her emotional outburst, making it almost unbearable to look at.
"That Irisviel actually gave birth to such a lively daughter..."
"No wonder they're mother and daughter; even their underlying personalities are so similar."
The Lion King adopted an expression as if she were playing with a child, and her tone certainly reflected this.
Perhaps that's why everyone stood there motionless... because the goddess had no intention of harming Illya.
"Shut up! I don't care what your relationship with Mom is, anyone who tries to disrupt my daily life... I will never forgive them!"
Illya's excited behavior was completely out of character.
Shirou thought that perhaps Illya had also vaguely sensed... that Miyu was drifting away from him and Kuro.
The Lion King effortlessly deflected all of Illya's attacks, then spoke.
"Miyu Sakatsuki... she's a princess from Parallel World."
"Parallel... worlds..."
"... Princess?"
The crowd was momentarily unable to grasp the meaning of those words.
"Shirou, may I continue?"
The Lion King asked this question, though her tone didn't sound like she was seeking advice.
"Huh... Brother?"
Chloe looked surprised, then she immediately remembered the night they had all strolled through the festival together.
Miyu ran away from home after talking to Shirou about something...
"..."
Shirou remained silent, showing no emotion.
"So what! Miyu is my friend!"
Illya continued her attack while shouting, "What reason do you have to take her away from us!"
"... A reason?"
The Lion King's solemn and beautiful features showed no fluctuation of emotion.
"No matter the era, you humans always like to ask this question."
"My reason for taking that child away is both for my own selfish desires and to atone for the crimes she committed in the past."
"Ah?"
The goddess said calmly, "Because of a certain girl's momentary infatuation, the era you live in has been distorted."
I imagine some of you have already heard about this from Shirou.
The world you live in now, and all the knowledge you currently possess, is not real.
"..."
Rin Tohsaka and Luvia bit their lips.
Is that so...? Is it Miyu...?
The dark secret that Shirou spoke of, the one that changed the world... it really was that child!
But... what's with the princess from Parallel World?
Wait, could it be that...?
They and Ruby simultaneously considered a certain possibility.
"Is Miyu- san also involved in the Holy Grail War? Like Illya- san, born for the Holy Grail War...?"
"Could she be the victor of the Fourth Holy Grail War in Parallel World?"
Ruby and Rin Tohsaka each offered two different conjectures, only to be coldly rejected by the Lion King.
A girl created for the Holy Grail War? The victor of the Holy Grail War?
That's not the case... it's quite the opposite.
"Huh...?"
Then the Lion King revealed the truth that shocked everyone except Shirou.
"The Holy Grail War was created for her."
"!?!?!?!?"
"She was born to be the perfect Holy Grail," said the Lion King.
"The miracles of a planet's birth over hundreds of thousands of years occasionally include things like werewolves with golden fur."
Miyu's situation is even more unique... She is a human possessing the properties of the Holy Grail, or rather, the Holy Grail possessing the will of a human.
"Enough!"
The Lion King's tone when mentioning Miyu was as if he were referring to an object, which annoyed Shirou.
Upon hearing the boy's voice, the goddess turned her face and responded calmly.
"Shirou, I don't understand why you are angry only about my actions."
Shirou: "You still ask why... Don't you understand how outrageous your plan is?!"
The Lion King: "Hmm... Of course I understand, and I'm prepared to accept all your anger."
But if you're going to be angry, it shouldn't just be about me... there are other people you'd be more angry about, right?
It was because of her actions that I finally made up my mind.
"..."
Shirou was speechless.
It's wrong to be angry only at the Lion King, because before she could even put her plan into action, someone else had already done what she wanted to do...
"I have my own purposes, and I don't deny that."
The Lion King quietly addressed the crowd. "Although I have lost the mental structure I had when I was still human, I still have a desire that cannot be shaken even if I become a god."
That is to save my country and let someone better than me take my place in protecting Britain.
The wishes I couldn't fulfill in my lifetime, I must fulfill this time no matter what... I must do it at any cost.
To achieve this goal, I need Miyu Sakatsuki's power.
This is my will--
The Lion King paused for a moment, then continued.
"That's right... to be honest, I've wanted to do this for a long time."
However, the moral principles that still remain in this Spirit Origin make it impossible for me to treat children as mere tools.
Until... that child herself used her power for selfish purposes.
If Divine Child is so willful and reckless, then I've decided to use her power to do whatever I want as well.
The goddess's explanation is finished.
After a moment of silence, Bazett took the first step.
"Is the small talk over?"
Although I, as an outsider, am not clear about the situation, I understand that the key is to defeat you.
As the Sealing Designation Enforcer assumed a fighting stance, he imbued his body with Runes.
"Whether you're a deified King Arthur or something, I'll defeat you first, then go find Miyu and get some answers!"
"How impatient you are, a descendant of the Red Branch, very much in the style of Ulster warrior."
Before I can formally persuade Shirou, let's settle our score first.
As the goddess spoke, she drew a lance radiating divine light from the void.
That... could it be... the Holy Lance Rhongomyniad!?
Simply by looking directly at the Holy Lance, Rin felt her eyes burning from the overwhelming density of the enveloping magical energy.
Normally, trying to fight something like this is just plain stupid, but...
It might work!
Bazett's Noble Phantasm is the Fragarach, the Sword of Mars That Gouges and Slashes.
Whenever the opponent uses their "Ace," it will always hit first, making it the strongest counterattack Noble Phantasm that reverses cause and effect.
As long as you have this, whether it's the holy sword Excalibur or the Holy Lance Rhongomyniad...
No matter how devastating their power, the attack command was canceled the moment they were released, and the user was then pierced through the heart by the light bullets released by the Fragarach.
"... no problem."
With that in mind, Rin Tohsaka decided to remain still, creating an atmosphere that would allow the Lion King and Bazett to fight one-on-one.
Bazett had already charged forward, and at the same time, the Lion King slowly raised his Holy Lance, which was brimming with Divine Aura.
"That Which Comes Later and Cuts First: The Fragarach!"
As Bazett sprinted, a leaden sphere rose up behind him.
That sphere is the physical form of the Sword of Mars That Gouges and Slashes (Fragarach).
In the past, Illya had personally experienced its power; if she hadn't activated the Riding Noble Phantasm, she would have been instantly killed.
If the core, which is essentially the heart, is pierced, even a goddess... wouldn't die on the spot, but would be seriously injured!
"Descendant of Red Branch, it would be a great pity to kill a warrior like you. I will spare your life."
Know your limits, accept my protection— Holy Lance, pull anchor.
With the Lion King's declaration, the Rhongomyniad unleashed a torrent of pale, dazzling magic.
"How naive, goddess!!"
On the other side, Bazett channeled magic into the lead-colored sphere, preparing to unfold it.
Even if the Noble Phantasm is released a beat slower than the opponent's, it doesn't matter, because the characteristic of the Sword of Mars That Gouges and Slashes is to distort fate and rewrite the outcome.
"The passage of time" is "the passage of light," and it is precisely because it reverses time that it is named the Fragarach.
Bazett was certain that he would win the Noble Phantasm duel.
However...
"Huh?"
The Fragarach did not activate.
Even as the brilliance of the Holy Lance completely obscured their vision, there was still no sign of the Sword of Mars That Gouges and Slashes being activated.
Bazett was thus swallowed up by the Divine Aura torrent.
"------"
The surroundings fell silent.
Contrary to everyone's expectations, the Holy Lance released such a large amount of energy but did not explode.
After the light faded, Bazett's figure completely disappeared, but everything around her remained unchanged.
It's as if the Sealing Designation Enforcer never existed in the first place.
"Wait... what did you do?" Luvia's eyes widened.