The beam of light shattered the floor-to-ceiling window, even piercing a massive hole through the Mirror World.
The young swordswoman who had caused all this gasped for breath, as if struggling to suppress something. But in the end, she couldnât hold backâthe Saber-class card burst from her chest, and her staff, no longer in the form of the holy sword, flew out with it, skidding to the edge of the gaping hole.
Even with the aid of an unknown power, Miyu still collapsed to her knees. It felt as though a fire was burning inside her body, intensifying with every breath until it consumed her from the inside out.
This was the sign of mana depletionâher body unconsciously drawing on her life force to sustain its magical functions.
"Come back... Sapphire," Miyu forced out the words, "Replenish my mana... now."
"Understoodâ"
BOOM!
As if rising from the depths of hell, a hand dripping with molten lava burst from the ground, seizing the unprepared Sapphire staff in an iron grip.
A charred, monstrous figure struggled to its feet, crimson patterns pulsing with each breath, making the Berserker appear like a demonic god, exuding an oppressive aura of despair.
"How... could thisâ?"
"Lady Miyu!"
Sapphire writhed desperately in the giantâs grasp, but it was futile. Meanwhile, Miyu, collapsed on the ground, was now within armâs reach of the towering Heracles!
To think... to think it would end like this...
As the Berserker raised his fist high, Miyu could only stare up in bitter resignation.
A gust of violent wind swept over herâHeracles brought his fist down without mercy. If it landed, Miyu would undoubtedly be reduced to "Miyu-chan" (a pulp).
But thenâ
From the top of the blasted hole, a pink figure leaped down. At the tip of her staff, a blade of condensed mana formed. With a single, clean slash, she split the giant clean in two!
Landing in front of the blood-spewing Heracles, the girl slid forward several meters, stopping right in front of Miyu.
A magical girl, pink as a blooming flower bud.
To Miyu, she was the last person she wanted to see here.
"Illya?"
"Sorry Iâm late, Miyu." The girl standing protectively before her bit her lip, struggling to hold back her emotions.
"Why are youâ?"
You shouldnât be here.
I was supposed to handle this alone.
My friends shouldnât have to suffer like this.
This time, Illya understood the unspoken words in Miyuâs voice. Realizing the depth of their bond, the tension in her heart finally released.
"To me, Miyu isâ"
Whirling around, under the shimmering illusionary light, Illya fixed her ruby-red eyes squarely on the flustered girl.
"My most important... my dearest friend!"
Before Miyu could process those words, Illya turned away and shouted, "Rin! Luvia!"
"Zeichen!"
"Anfang!"
With those cries, six gemstones streaked toward the Berserker like meteors. Having just revived from God Hand, Heracles dodged backwardsâbut this time, the meticulously crafted gems werenât meant for attack.
"Gleipnir!"
With the final incantation, the six gems fused together, unleashing magical restraints inscribed with runes. Chains of lightning intertwined with a gravity field, pinning the roaring beast firmly in place.
"It worked!" Rin and Luviagelita, who had arrived with Illya, pumped their fists in triumph.
"As expected, a Ten Count magecraft can affect him!"
Ten Countâa magecraft that compresses hours-long contracts into ten or more verses of incantation.
(For reference, Kiritsugu Emiyaâs Time Alter is also this type of magecraft.)
While Gleipnir held the beast, the two magical girls continued their conversation.
"Why did you come here...?"
"Iâm sorry... Iâve been such an idiot."
Miyu blinked in surpriseâIllyaâs blunt admission wasnât what she expected. But Illya pressed on.
"I fought without any resolve, just because someone asked me to. I treated it all like it wasnât real... But once I realized this was reality, that it was dangerous... I got scared."
She laid her heart bare before her friend, tears of regret spilling from her eyes.
"The dumbest thing I did was running away from reality... never once thinking about how my friend felt."
"Miyu was always working hard, carrying my share of the burden too."
Then, Illya bowed deeply to Miyu.
"So... Iâm sorry. This apology might be late, but... I want to fight alongside you again! I donât want to see my friend facing danger alone anymore!"
Miyu blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Thrice.
How could she describe what she felt in that moment?
It was like a field of green grass suddenly bursting into bloomâan endless sea of flowers.
"Thank you... Huh?!"
With a yelp, someone shoved her from behind, sending her tumbling straight into Illyaâs arms.
Instinctively, Illya caught her best friend. She should have been surprised, but beyond that, an overwhelming joy and warmth surged in her chest. She hugged Miyu tightly, feeling the same strength in Miyuâs arms as they embraced.
"Thank you, Miyu."
"No... thank you, Illya."
"Mmm, thatâs more like it! A simple âthank youâ isnât enoughâgirls need to stick close to strengthen their bonds, right?"
A teasing voice cut in. The reunited pair jolted and turned, only to freeze in shock.
"B-Big... Brother?"
"Illyaâs brother?" Miyu whirled aroundâand her eyes widened in equal disbelief.
"Brother...?"
"Wait, where did this guy come fromâah!"
"Tch, another intruderâhuh?!"
All four of themâIllya, Miyu, Rin, and Luviaâstared in varying degrees of shock.
Because standing before them was a red-haired man clad in crimson attire, his eyes veiled by a shroud of holy clothâSakatsuki!
"Seems like the âRed Archerâ effect made me look like Shirou again~"
Completely unaware that his "Rosy-cheeked Youth" trait had once again triggered a critical success, Sakatsuki scratched his head, chalking it up to Emiya Shirouâs lingering karma.
"But never mind that, everyoneâHeracles is about to break free, you know?"
"Ah!" The girls snapped back to reality just as Heracles roared, shattering the high-tier magecraft binding him!
The air pressure exploded, sending shockwaves through the confined space. Cracks split the ground as Rin and Luvia hastily dodged, while Illya and Miyu were effortlessly scooped up by Sakatsuki and moved to safety.
The moment they landed, Miyu reached out toward Sakatsuki.
"Is it really you... Brother?"
Miyu could never forgetâwhen her brother had fought Angelica to cover her escape, this was the form he had taken.
The crimson robes, the fluttering shroud, the fiery red hair burning like flames.
The light had seared her eyes that day.
Wings spread. In the youthâs hand, the golden Grand Archerâs bow materialized. Staring down the roaring Berserker, he chuckled coldly â and slowly drew back the great bow.
"Thanks to the Class Cardâs weakening, youâre down to your last life, huh?"
A torrent of light, rivaling a Noble Phantasmâs release, condensed into a single, razor-sharp arrow.
With the draw of the bow, a hurricane swirled behind him. Amid the gale that threatened to blind them all, Sakatsuki released the string without hesitation.
TWANG!
Like the roar of an anti-materiel rifle, the arrow pierced Heraclesâ spiritual core in an instantâending his final trial and death!
[Berserkerâs death confirmed.]
[Skill Extraction activated.]
[Extracting... Extraction complete!]
[Converted to Skill Entry: God Hand!]
Skill Entry: God Hand
Rank: EX
When equipped, this Skill nullifies all attacks Rank B or below, whether physical or magical.
When equipped, the wielder gains instant regeneration from fatal damage, with 11 stored charges. One charge is restored every 24 hours.
When equipped, any attack that lands once will be rendered ineffective if used again within 24 hours. All resistances reset after 24 hours.
***
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