Illya's Multiverse Odyssey

"Thank you, Illya!"

"You're welcome. We're allies now," Illya said with a gentle shake of her head. "Besides, Sakura Matou really is pitiful. After this is over, I hope she can live a peaceful life with Shirou Emiya."

Illya sighed inwardly. The truth was, she wasn't making a move now partly for her own body's sake.

Though Illya possessed far more Magic Circuits than Sakura Matou, Sakura's 'Imaginary Numbers' origin (magical attribute) held a far greater capacity for magical energy. Combined with the malice in her heart drawing All the World's Evil, as long as Sakura was present, the Greater Holy Grail would prioritize her as the Lesser Grail over Illya.

"Let's go, time to sleep~"

At the edge of the forest, Zouken Matou watched Sakura Matou, whose heart had calmed once more, and his face instantly darkened.

"Damn it... Does that homunculus from the Einzbern family even know about Sakura's identity? To think she'd use Shirou Emiya to dissolve Sakura's negative emotions..."

His eyes flickered with suspicion and uncertainty. Zouken Matou had no idea what else Illya knew or how much she knew, and his wariness of her only deepened.

Mount Enzou, Ryuudou Temple. When Illya and the others arrived the next evening, Medea was already waiting.

"Heracles, King Arthur, Mordred, and an unknown Archer... You really flatter me..." Medea looked at the lavish lineup before her, unsure how to even voice her complaints.

Ever since last night, when Illya had joined forces with Rin Tohsaka and publicly subdued Artoria, she'd known this moment would come. She'd considered fleeing, but she couldn't.

A magus without their magical fortress was weaker in combat than an Assassin. She'd spent many days building her magical fortress here at Mount Enzou, Fuyuki's primary leyline convergence point. If she relocated, not only would she fail to find a better leyline spot, but time wouldn't allow it either.

More importantly, Illya had been sending her Familiars to monitor this place from afar since last night, even watching Souichirou Kuzuki's every move during the day.

She didn't want to change Masters again.

"But that doesn't mean I have no chance of winning. As long as my Noble Phantasm can touch them..." Medea thought to herself.

A magus forced into melee combat—how utterly stifling.

"Who's first?"

Sasaki Kojiro swept his gaze around and issued his challenge.

"Sister Artoria, you go!"

Aside from Red A, everyone present was a distinguished Servant, unwilling to resort to ganging up. But Illya knew well how formidable Sasaki Kojiro was, so she didn't send Mordred. Instead, she chose Artoria, whose attributes had been greatly enhanced.

"Alright!"

Artoria summoned her Holy Sword and flashed to face Sasaki Kojiro, who abandoned his high-ground advantage and voluntarily descended the stone steps to a rest platform along the mountain path.

Illya knew why Sasaki Kojiro had done this, but she didn't warn Artoria. Because... it wasn't necessary.

All she had to do was trust Artoria and quietly enjoy this top-tier sword duel... provided she could keep up with the action.

Chapter 20: The Gatekeeper's Terrifying Swordsmanship

"Clang—"

Like a teleportation, the two blades clashed, scattering sparks.

In terms of raw strength, Artoria now completely surpassed Sasaki Kojiro, and her weapon held an overwhelming advantage. However, Sasaki Kojiro's technique for deflecting force was far superior to yesterday's Cú Chulainn. As the ceiling of swordsmanship in the Type-Moon world, a mere twist of his wrist sent his longsword trailing afterimages, easily diverting Artoria's slashing power aside.

"Crack—"

The invisible wind force instantly carved a deep gash into the ground, while Artoria and Sasaki Kojiro became a tangled blur of combat.