A building forged of gray cement and tile reflected a leaden prism in its windows.
The colossal figure dispersed into dust, its form fading like an illusion.
In this dim world, only the longbow tightly held by the youth unfurled its wings, proudly flaunting its brilliance.
Though it was but a fragment, the golden bow and cerulean bowstring remained dazzlingly conspicuous.
[Skill Entry Acquired: God Hand!]
Sakatsuki lowered his bow, glancing at the prompt provided by the Fate Compendium. Raising his palm, he paused mid-motion, realizing something.
Now wasnât the time to reveal the Sword in the Stone.
Casting a glance at the wide-eyed Illya and the others, Sakatsuki unhesitatingly strode towards the Berserker Class Card floating in midair.
"Fire!"
A volley of mana bullets shot forth. The youthâs steps shifted, easily dodging the attack, but this forced him to halt his advance. A pink figure darted out, snatching the Class Card and returning to their side.
Looking towards the source of the attack, Sakatsukiâs brows lifted in mild surprise as Miyu entered his gaze.
"So quick to react?"
Miyu gripped her sapphire staff tightly, her eyes fixed on the youth so alike yet so different from Illya.
"Illya... is that your brother?"
"Eh? Of course not! How could my brother possibly be here?!" Illya, retrieving the Class Card at Miyuâs signal, blinked curiously.
"But Miyu, why did you attack him so suddenly? Who even is this person? Why is he helping us?"
Because he isnât mine either...
Miyuâs gaze darkened for a moment, then she swiftly assumed a combat stance.
"Illyaâhe didnât slay Berserker for our sake."
Beneath the reserved formalwear, the youthâs smiling face radiated a suffocating, oppressive presence, even though his eyes were veiled by sacred cloth.
"Heâs after the Berserker Class Card. Thatâs why he ignored us... and came here!"
An interloper seeking Class Cards.
In that instant, Rin, Luvia, and Illya all recalled the unwelcome guest who had thwarted them during their battles for the Rider, Caster, and Saber cards.
"That guy who disguised himself as me?!"
"And that damned swordsman who stole our kills!"
With considerable resentment, the Magical Girl Squad rallied instantly. Jewels were readied, staffs gripped tightâall eyes on the youth before them, treating him now as a foe no less dangerous than Berserker.
"Donât look at me like youâve all been wronged... come on, give me a smile?" The youth remained nonchalant, waving his bow casually, but his words were utterly infuriating.
"After allâsomeone once said, life is like getting r***d. If you canât resist, you might as well enjoy it."
[T/N: These Chinese authors are crazy... If you donât like the line and want it to be removed comment and I will remove it.]
Like a spark dropped on a barrel of gunpowder, a tic mark instantly burst on Rinâs forehead.
"ATTACK!!"
At the command, two magical girls charged ahead. Illya fired a pink mana shot, spun, and hurled a golden projectile. The two spiraled together, merging into a destructive force several times stronger than before, crashing into the Grand Bow and knocking it aside.
An opening appearedâyet Sakatsuki remained unfazed, merely raising his left hand to brush the bowstring.
A mournful, quivering hum filled the air. No arrow was loosed, but the very air congealed into paper-thin blades, invisible and silent, streaking towards Illya. By the time she noticed, it was too late.
"Ahâ!"
With a cry, the pink-clad magical girl was sent flying, crashing hard to the ground. Her sleeve torn, pale skin grazed red.
Even with an A-rank defensive barrier, a casual shot from the Grand Bow was more than enough to breach it.
"Watch out for his attacks, Illya, Miyu!" Luvia called out, unaware that she was already in mortal danger.
At some unknown point, the youth had appeared like a wraith behind her, bowstring like a blade, slashing toward her neck!
"Zeichen!"
It wasnât a lethal blow, but a blinding flash like a flashbang. Sakatsukiâs assault falteredâthough his eyes beneath the shroud remained unharmed, he temporarily lost his target.
A sapphire-colored magical girl seized the chance, crouching low like a swordswoman unsheathing her blade, staff radiating intense magical light.
"Maximum output, full power releaseâ!"
The buildup alone scattered the dust and debris around her. The azure glow drew a boundary between herself and Sakatsuki, poised for launch.
"Fire!"
Blinding light erupted. Yet Sakatsuki didnât dodge or counterâhe simply summoned a beautiful, petal-like shield, enduring the seemingly endless barrage. His back smashed through ceiling after ceiling until he burst through the rooftop, airborne, gravity soon reclaiming him.
Illya was already waiting below.
"Can you do it, Illya?"
"Mhm, Iâll try my best!"
The Lancer Class Card fused with her Ruby wand, transforming into the legendary GĂĄe Bolg. Thirty barbed spikes glimmered under the moonlit mana glow, exuding a crimson sheen.
Timing the youthâs descent, Illya grit her teeth, recalling Miyuâs technique for slaying Rider. She spun into a crimson arc and hurled the spear.
"GĂĄe BolgâBarbed Spear that Pierces with Death!"
A crimson streak tore through the youthâs body, foreign mana clashing within his vessel before detonating!
Fire and smoke devoured the world. Upon the burning rooftop, Miyu, Rin, and Luvia arrived one after another.
"Did it work, Illya?"
"Mhm... I hit him." Illya hid her trembling right arm behind her, forcing a smile.
"I see." Rin finally let out a breath, while Miyu simply stared at Illya, as though nothing else mattered.
Yet as the girls began to relax, a familiar voice rang out from above.
"ComeâSul-sagana, The Horizon of Dawn that Purifies the Seas!"
"What?!" Illya and Miyu snapped their heads up, just in time to see an unharmed figure pointing skyward. As they followed his gaze, their eyes turned crimson from the reflected inferno.
The Mirror World trembledâthe heavens splitting open to reveal a burning shadow descending, a demonic greatsword, its slow, inevitable fall bringing annihilation.
It was the dawn of equality, a furnace to dissolve all creation. Merciless beneath its guise of radiance.
For neither this building, nor this Mirror World, nor those within would survive its descent.
"The Mirror Worldâs collapsing!"
"Thatâs what youâre worried about? Rubyâcan you deploy a Reflective Field?!"
"No good, Rin! That sword severed the connection between worlds!"
"So we have to destroy that thing to escape?!" Luvia screamed in despair, "But how do we even break a sword that huge?!"
Miyu fell silent. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Illya reach for the card case, only to jerk her hand away as if burned.
Without a word, Miyu stood, taking a step forward to face the heavens.
"Iâll handle it."
It sounded like she was rejecting Illyaâs helpâbut all of Miyuâs tenderness and care were contained in that simple sentence.
And how could Illya not understand now?
In a daze, she saw Miyu glance back, a gentle smile upon her lips.
An illusion, of course.
But just hearing those words filled her heart with courage.
"No... Iâm fine now." Illya rose. "Thanks to you, Miyu, I realizedâsomeone who abandons their friends canât move forward."
As she voiced her resolve, her Ruby staff shone.
"I think I finally get it too."
Miyuâs Sapphire wand shimmered in response.
No more words were needed. An unspoken, profound bond united them. The two magical girls raised their staffs, hearts connected.
As though beneath a star-filled sky, the collapsing Mirror World gave way to the glow of two pure souls shining like twin suns.
"I swear, Iâll never leave a friend behind again."
"Mhm. I believe in you. Illyaâs my most precious friend."
The Saber Class Card silently leapt forth, merging with their shared radiance.
And believing heartsâthat is magic.
"Parallel Include!"
Morning light burst forth, its brilliance rivaling divine armaments. The miracle of Kaleidoscope manifested, refracting countless prismatic beams across infinite parallel worlds, washing the leaden skies clean.
The Imaginary Number Space spread, breaking the Kaleidoscopeâs lock. The youth, returned to his true form, gazed skyward. A blank Archer Class Card danced like a butterfly in his hand.
"As expected of the Jewel Wizard... even your formalwear inherits the Second Magicâs miracle."
A hymn-like chant sounded. Stained glass windows replaced the dark sky. A radiant golden holy sword emerged from the mirror world, reflecting endlessly in the Kaleidoscope, spawning countless identical Excaliburs.
"This is..."
"What... is this?!"
A sight to make any magus faintâcountless Noble Phantasmsâ presence filling the Mirror World. Even without the descending scythe, the Mirror World teetered on the brink of collapse.
"Togetherâwe can do this!"
"Mhm, together!"
Each raised their shining sword. A miracle nearly indistinguishable from the real thing unfolded.
"Move forward!"
No need to release True Namesâgolden pillars of light shot upward, overwhelming even divine armaments. The beams shattered barriers, scoured the four corners of the Mirror World, annihilating all in their path.
When the radiance faded, the Horizon of Dawn that Purifies the Seas was no more. Dazzling gold replaced every other color in the world. The broken mirror shards drifted down like snow, breathtakingly beautiful.
Beneath the glittering light rain, the two magical girls exchanged a smileâeternal.
"Childrenâthe game isnât over yet, you know?"
A sinister voice sounded before anyone could react. The masked youth appeared with a grin, pressing a blank Class Card into Illyaâs chest.
"A parting giftâfor the curtain call."
Before his words finished, he vanished into the Imaginary Number Space. Illya suddenly clutched her chest, falling to one knee.
"Illya!" Miyu rushed forward, only to see the silver-haired girl raise her face. Amid a scream she couldnât suppress, her scarlet eyes turned brilliant gold.
"Ahhhhhhhhâ!!"
An unprecedented magical storm surged within the Mirror World, long before finally falling still.
***
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