Tossing Out Shirou
Illya quickly sensed the deep malice spreading through the air.
Artoria and the others had sensed Sakura Matou's presence, along with her power and strangeness. That was why they had Sella wake Illya in such a hurry.
Against Sakura Matou, they would likely need the power of Command Spells.
"Illya, this Black Shadow gives me a very bad feeling..." Artoria said with a frown.
After her Master had changed to Illya, both her attributes and skills had reached their highest levels since all her previous summonings.
Her strength, endurance, and agility had all reached Rank A. Her mana and luck had even reached A++, while her Rank A Instinct had been upgraded to the Rank EX Path of the Shining, giving her an almost precognitive ability in battle.
"Indeed. If I'm not mistaken, this Black Shadow should be All the World's Evil. The more righteous and kind-hearted a person is, the more easily they can be controlled by it..."
Before anyone could ask, Illya explained the origins of All the World's Evil to them as quickly as possible.
"So... this was why Kiritsugu told me to destroy the Holy Grail? If that's the case... what meaning is there in fighting over the Greater Holy Grail?"
Illya gently shook her head.
"Although the Holy Grail has been contaminated by malice, its original wish-granting mechanism has not been damaged. Besides, both Kirei Kotomine and Zouken Matou want to release All the World's Evil. If we do nothing, we can only be destroyed along with this world."
Now Artoria, Rin Tohsaka, and the others understood the meaning of this battle, and their expressions turned grave.
"If we can't let the Black Shadow touch us, how are we supposed to fight?" Mordred complained.
"Could you please use your brain? Obviously, we find her real body and blast it with a Noble Phantasm~" Illya said, rolling her eyes at her.
Mordred wanted to hit someone, but after looking at her own Master and then at Artoria... she held herself back.
"Then what are we waiting for? Her real body must be at the source of that evil aura, right?"
"Don't be so hasty. Actually, there's no need for us to fight right now~"
As she spoke, Illya turned to Sella and instructed, "Sella, go wake Shi... Shirou up and send him out of the castle. Tell him someone went to the Emiya residence and couldn't find him, so they were worried and wanted him to go back."
"Yes, Miss!"
Although she was thoroughly confused, Sella still followed Illya's instructions and woke Shirou Emiya. Ignoring his bewilderment and complaints, she gave him a brief explanation before directly tossing him out of the castle.
"Hey! Hey! Open the door!"
"At least give me a ride! The city is so far from here—"
"Come to think of it, who would be looking for me this late? Could it be Sakura? Don't tell me... Shinji bullied her again? Damn it!"
Thinking of that, Shirou Emiya no longer had the mind to complain. He glanced back at the tightly shut gates, then hurried away along the only road leading out. At the same time, the Black Shadows that had been rapidly approaching the castle seemed to sense his appearance. They suddenly stopped, then quickly retreated.
"What's going on?" Mordred asked curiously.
"It's simple. Sakura Matou likes Shirou Emiya. The reason she attacked us was probably because we took Shirou Emiya away, so we just needed to give Shirou Emiya back to her," Illya explained.
"Then we're just letting her leave?"
"Don't worry. She may be strong, but her weakness is obvious too. I already have a way to deal with her... and it won't harm her life." Illya glanced at Rin Tohsaka beside her and added that last sentence.
Rin Tohsaka, who had been clenching her fists the whole time, froze at those words. When she came back to her senses, her gaze toward Illya was already filled with gratitude.
Before you continue