"Found it!" She felt a delicate crystal vial in her pocket.
The vial was only half the size of her palm and contained medicine refined from rubies. She had kept it in her pocket for so long that she had nearly forgotten about it.
Ruby would secretly refine medicine every night, then take it out for Illya to use.
But Illya was very resistant to it and did not like drinking those medicines at all.
Because the effects of the medicine Ruby refined were different every time, and they always had some strange side effects.
Unless it was absolutely necessary, Illya would never use it.
But Illya could not worry about that now. She hurriedly opened the beautiful stopper on the crystal vial and fed the medicine inside to Irisviel.
There was very little medicine, only enough for one mouthful. Irisviel obediently drank it.
Not long after drinking Illya's medicine, her complexion immediately improved greatly. Her spirit was no longer as listless as before, and her feeling of weakness had eased considerably.
"Good thing it worked." Illya let out a relieved breath. She had made that choice in a panic just now, and she had been extremely uneasy.
Ruby: Of course the medicine I make works.
Illya said irritably, "The flowers and herbs you use to make medicine are really suspicious. How could I possibly feel at ease?"
Ruby: ...
"Thank you, Illya." Irisviel felt much more relaxed.
She did not know what medicine Illya had given her, but her heart felt incredibly warm.
Illya scratched her head, somewhat embarrassed, and chuckled foolishly. "It's nothing. I didn't even know whether it would work. I got anxious and just took it out. Hehehe..."
"I'm already fine. You should go back. There might be a battle here, and it's dangerous for you to stay." Irisviel continued trying to persuade her, hoping she would leave the Great Chasm.
"It's fine. Rest easy." Illya patted her chest and promised, "I'll protect you here. I definitely won't let anyone hurt you. I'm a Magical Girl!"
She held the Ruby Wand in front of Irisviel and introduced it to her:
"This is Ruby. It always does weird things, but it's very reliable in a fight. Ruby, hurry up and say hello."
Ruby: Hello.
"Hello..." Irisviel curiously looked at Ruby before her. It was her first time seeing a talking Jewel Staff.
"Don't worry. Illya is very strong, and the Master, Big Sister Mash, and my brother are all guarding outside. They won't let those bad people in."
Illya added that with complete confidence in Yuxian and the others.
Hearing that, Irisviel stopped insisting. Alone in this dark underground cavern, she also dearly wished for someone to keep her company.
"Thank you, Illya..."
"You're too polite." Illya blinked. "How about I tell you about how I became a Magical Girl?"
"That night, I was just about to take a bath..."
P.S.: Went to watch the HF movie.
The Quality of Fuyuki Bridge Was Excellent
Irisviel listened with a smile as Illya vividly told the story of how she had become a Magical Girl.
Especially when she mentioned Kuro, Illya's tone became furious, as though Kuro—Chloe von Einzbern—were standing right in front of her. She kept listing all of her faults.
Yet her eyes also revealed longing. Having been apart from Kuro for so long, and without those sudden pranks, Illya felt very unaccustomed to it, as if something were missing.
Irisviel listened patiently, chiming in from time to time. At that moment, she forgot about her own circumstances and felt more relaxed than ever before.
Night slowly fell over Fuyuki City. Tonight would be the most important night of this Holy Grail War.
After Golden Flash changed Masters to Kirei Kotomine, he completely let loose. He took the initiative to seek out the King of Conquerors for a battle.
The King of Conquerors' performance at the banquet in Einzbern Castle had earned his approval. Golden Flash could not wait to kill him and savor the pleasure it would bring.
The two chose Fuyuki Bridge as the site of their final battle. They took their stances, faced one another, and battle was on the verge of breaking out.
This was an epic battle.
Waver Velvet used all three of his Command Spells. He had been won over by the King of Conquerors' charisma and called himself the King of Conquerors' retainer, hoping that the King of Conquerors would win this battle.
The King of Conquerors pulled him onto his horse, and the two fought side by side.
The King of Conquerors deployed his Bounded Field and, together with his army, launched an all-out attack against Golden Flash.
Army of the King
Facing the King of Conquerors' imposing momentum, Golden Flash drew his strongest Noble Phantasm, Enuma Elish, as a sign of respect.
This sword that split the world had neither blade nor point. Its cylindrical red body slowly rotated, covered in black patterns.
The Star That Splits Heaven and Earth
Enuma Elish unleashed crimson wind pressure, forming fractures in space. Just as it had split apart the world in legend, it pulverized everything in its path.
Mountains collapsed and the earth split within the King of Conquerors' Bounded Field. His army was mercilessly swallowed up, and the Bounded Field was shattered.
He had lost.
He had not become the victor of this Holy Grail War and could not fulfill his long-awaited wish of returning to the earth and conquering the world.
But he had gained an outstanding retainer: Waver Velvet.
Waver watched the King of Conquerors perish with tears streaming down his face. Burdened with the mission of spreading the King's deeds, he dared not close his eyes, nor could he leave.
Golden Flash did not mock Waver, a rare occurrence. He acknowledged the King of Conquerors' retainer and turned to leave.
In a dark corner of Fuyuki City.
Kariya Matou slumped on the ground, his back against the wall behind him.
All kinds of trash surrounded him, and his body gave off the same decayed stench as the garbage.
When the heart died, the person died too.
The moment he saw Tokiomi Tohsaka die, the moment he saw Makiri Sakura's despairing face, he had already died.
Lancelot stood before him in silence. This once-perfect knight was waiting for his Master's command.
Kariya Matou raised his head to look at Lancelot. There was no emotion on his face, no focus in his eyes.
"Go do what you want to do." Kariya quietly uttered those words and used all the Command Spells on his hand. He no longer needed those things.
With what little reason he had left, Lancelot gave Kariya a knight's salute.
Then a beastlike growl escaped his throat. His figure vanished in an instant as he went to seek his king for a final reckoning.
Artoria found it difficult to withstand Lancelot's frenzied attacks.
The unknown Heroic Spirit before her possessed extraordinary skill, forcing her to devote her full concentration to dealing with him.
Their battle was exceptionally fierce.
When Lancelot drew his sword, Arondight, Artoria finally realized the identity of the person before her.
"Lancelot..."
Lancelot, Knight of the Lake, had once been the strongest knight of the Knights of the Round Table and had been praised by her as the "ideal knight."
After realizing this, she broke down.
She could not understand what had turned this once upright and noble knight so utterly mad.
"Ar--thur--!!"
Lancelot attacked Artoria like a rabid dog.
Artoria was filled with unbearable sorrow and had no will to fight. She steadily retreated.
She remembered what Yuxian had said at the banquet: "You did not punish Lancelot for his mistakes, leaving him trapped in endless regret and guilt."
Is that it, Lancelot...? Was I the one who forced you into this state? Is that why you hate me so much? Was I also the one who drove you this mad...?
Artoria's heart ached with grief and self-reproach.
"Even so, I must obtain the Holy Grail. If I don't, I won't be able to make up for anything."
Artoria raised the golden sword in her hand high. Golden radiance gathered upon the blade, shining in all directions.
It was connected to the past, present, and future; connected to the lives of soldiers who had withered away on every battlefield; connected to the tragic yet lofty ideals they held in their hearts at the moment of death.
Excalibur!
Golden radiance swept over Lancelot, and a relieved smile appeared on his face.
"What a troublesome king..."
His body slowly faded into the wind along with his voice.
"Lancelot..." Artoria's expression turned resolute. She turned away without hesitation. She would claim the final victory. She would obtain the Holy Grail.
In an underground parking garage somewhere in Fuyuki City.
Kirei Kotomine and Kiritsugu Emiya met there. The two fought to the death, evenly matched.
In close combat, Kirei Kotomine was clearly more skilled. He excelled at Baji Quan and wielded Black Keys, inflicting quite a few injuries on Kiritsugu.
Kirei Kotomine was not in much better condition himself.
As the Magus Killer, Kiritsugu possessed magecraft like Time Control, which manipulated time. Combined with the hand-to-hand combat experience he had accumulated through countless battles, he was not at any disadvantage in the fight.
They fought with their lives on the line. Neither cared about their own injuries, doing everything possible to wound the other—trading injury for injury, life for life.
Similar styles.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out, and Kirei Kotomine collapsed limply.
Maiya Hisau put away her gun in the distance and slowly walked over. She had been waiting nearby for an opportunity.
This battle had never been a fair one-on-one fight from the start. Kiritsugu did not need fairness. All he wanted was victory.
Kiritsugu took a cigarette from his pocket, lit it with a click, took a deep drag, then forcefully exhaled the smoke.
"Let's go, Maiya."
Without treating the wounds still seeping blood across his body, Kiritsugu headed toward Ryuudou Temple.
The ideal for which he had abandoned everything was now only one final step away.
The Ryuudou Temple Floor Tile Inspection Report
Golden Flash appeared on the steps before Ryuudou Temple.
"Vermin, you dare look down upon me?"
Without another word, Golden Flash fired several Noble Phantasms from the Gate of Babylon behind him toward Yuxian and the others.
"Senior, watch out."
Mash swiftly shielded Yuxian with her body, using her shield to block the Noble Phantasms Golden Flash had fired.
Yuxian stood up, dusted off his pants, pointed at Emiya beside him, and said to Golden Flash, "He's your opponent."
With that, Mash and he turned and retreated into Ryuudou Temple, leaving the field to Golden Flash and Emiya.
Yuxian used one of his Command Spells to strengthen Emiya and said as he walked, "Emiya, take him down!"
"Yes, Master."
Emiya answered seriously. He immediately drew the twin swords Gan Jiang Mo Ye: the black-bladed sword was the male sword Gan Jiang, while the white-bladed one was the female sword Mo Ye.
Incantation: Crane wings do not fall short, heart and skill reach Mount Tai, heart and skill cross the Yellow River, only the name differs from heaven, the two heroes part in death.
Before you continue