"King Arthur with her scabbard? Well... she really prepared something incredible for me."
[Illya] sighed.
If King Arthur with only the Holy Sword could be called a top-tier Servant at best due to her six-sided stats, then Artoria with her once-lost scabbard, Avalon, would rank among the top even among the most broken Servants.
...
...
After all, Avalon could place its wielder in King Arthur's final resting place, the paradise of Arthurian legend.
With this Noble Phantasm, King Arthur would no longer be harmed by the outside world; even curses and the like could not affect her.
This Noble Phantasm's defensive capability reached the sixth dimension, and there were very few in the Nasuverse who could break through it head-on.
Not only that... although like Iskandar's Ionioi Hetairoi, the Knights of the Round Table manifested here were blank-slate Servants without Noble Phantasms or class bonuses, just as the name of this Reality Marble suggested—The Vow Forged at the Round Table.
This Reality Marble itself had a buff for the Knights of the Round Table. Its effect was like that of the Round Table held by Galahad; the knights would gain a defensive bonus equivalent to their faith in King Arthur.
And while the lack of Noble Phantasms was a major weakness, it was not irreparable.
After all, a large portion of the weapons and armor owned by the Knights of the Round Table originally came from the Lady of the Lake.
For Morgan, the Lady of the Lake herself, although preparing so many holy swords and armaments would be troublesome, creating temporary, single-use versions of those Noble Phantasms was as easy as flipping a hand.
"Without a Noble Phantasm like Ea, which is specifically designed to counter Reality Marbles, it would be almost impossible to leave this place," [Illya] concluded sharply after understanding the components of this Reality Marble.
Miss Illya was a little panicked and said nervously, "Eh? What do we do then?!"
"The only thing you can do is stay here obediently."
"I apologize. While I may have disagreements with certain people in certain places, at this moment, since we have answered our king's call, this is where the loyalty of us Knights of the Round Table ends."
A blonde man in armor and a large cape, his eyes resolute, leaned on his sword and declared loudly:
"No matter what, we will not let you leave this place."
"Well..."
"I understand your determination."
"But—"
"A Reality Marble like this is indeed a bit cheap, but for me, it's not something I can't handle."
Like Ea, effects similar to the Sword of Rupture were not difficult for [Illya] to replicate. In fact, the power of Truth could perfectly recreate a version of it.
It's just that...
"Although I could use a simpler method to solve this, doing so would be a bit disrespectful to your efforts."
"In that case—"
"Mhm, leave it to me~" Elysia, with great chemistry, instantly understood the girl's meaning. Humming, she stepped forward.
"The heroes of a certain era in this world... Well, heroes are indeed something to aspire to."
"Therefore... please allow me to invite my companions who could not become heroes to dance with you on this stage!"
Magical energy surged, and Elysia's attire reverted to her Flame-Chaser uniform.
The next moment—
Half of the Reality Marble shattered, replaced by a new landscape.
From the surrounding environment, it was clear that this was a garden.
"This is...?!"
Saber's eyes widened as she looked at the figures appearing one by one behind Elysia.
A white-haired young man in a trench coat with a cold expression, a cat-eared girl dressed like a catgirl, a young man with his eyes closed, making one wonder if he was asleep...
Illya blinked, her mouth slightly agape.
"Suddenly, so many handsome and beautiful big brothers and sisters appeared!"
"Where... where did they come from?"
"It's obviously Elysia's Reality Marble," [Illya] said calmly.
The essence of a Reality Marble is to erode the world with one's inner world, thereby creating a small world of one's own.
Since he could use Illya's body to cast Illya's exclusive Castle of Snow...
And Morgan could use Artoria's bonds to cast the Vow Forged at the Round Table...
Of course, Elysia could do it too.
After all, the bond between her and her companions was never weaker than anyone else's.
Of course.
Due to the different worlds, the Thirteen Flame-Chasers appearing here were not Heroic Spirits like the Knights of the Round Table, but memory bodies similar to those in the Elysian Realm.
They were the companions who existed in Elysia's heart.
That being said...
"You're really persistent, aren't you."
[Illya]'s gaze fell on Mobius, who was wearing a pink dress and had absolutely no dignity... ahem, although with that body size, there was no dignity to speak of, it was clear that Elysia's actions were adding insult to injury to her already pitiful dignity.
"Mhm~ Dr. Mobius is cutest in a pink dress~"
"...Elysia!"
"See, even when she's angry, she's so cute~"
Facing the happy Elysia, Mobius gritted her teeth.
This woman was definitely getting back at her for personal reasons!
After losing to her main body, she came to torment this memory body!
"Then, I'll leave this to you."
"I'll be going on ahead with Illya and the others."
"Mhm~ Leave it to us~"
Based on the principle of using a Reality Marble to counter a Reality Marble, when two Reality Marbles were deployed simultaneously, it directly evolved into a battle of the two inner worlds eroding each other. In this situation, Illya and the others, who originally couldn't leave until King Arthur was defeated, could now easily leave this gladiatorial arena of Reality Marbles with Elysia's permission.
"!!!"
Saber was clearly bewildered by this situation. Weren't they supposed to be trapped in her Reality Marble until she was defeated?
They were just strolling out!
The tsundere king, unable to hold it in, immediately raised her sword to stop them, but was blocked by a white-haired man carrying a large sword burning with flames.
The other Knights of the Round Table were also blocked by other Flame-Chasers.
Kevin stood in front of King Arthur, raised the Might of An-Utu, raised an eyebrow, and muttered to himself:
"Is this all there is?"
"Can't be helped. After all, this world can't support unlimited inner world erosion, and I'm just learning how to use this, so I can only replicate about sixty percent of it."
Kevin nodded, then said no more, slowly raising the Might of An-Utu and pointing it at Saber.
Like a signal, the battle between the Knights of the Round Table and the Flame-Chasers began.
And [Illya] and the others were already back in reality in this world.
Kiritsugu, who was waiting on the spot, was a little stunned by this scene.
"You guys..."
"Unfortunately, that Reality Marble couldn't hold us."
"And Saber can't protect you now, Kiritsugu. Are you prepared?"
Kiritsugu didn't speak, just put down his cigarette and pulled out his gun.
Seeing this, the girl couldn't help but complain:
"Ah... you're really incorrigible."
"In that case—"
"Then..."
[Illya] slowly raised a hand.
"Although I really want to teach you a good lesson, from this child's perspective, she's also very angry right now, but I'm really not suited for this kind of thing."
"Correspondingly—"
"I think he's the one who knows best how to deal with you, right?"
Magical energy slowly dissipated, and the next moment, a ripple appeared in the air beside them, evolving into another scene.
In it was a black-haired man smoking a cigarette.
He slowly walked out, a little confused, but after seeing Miss Illya, he couldn't help but say:
"...Illya?!"
Surprised and shocked, Kiritsugu knew that his precious daughter should be at home in Fuyuki, studying... wait, there was another Illya?
And Irisviel... and...
Kiritsugu's gaze fell on the face of the other Kiritsugu Emiya, who was holding a gun with lifeless eyes. After glancing at the surrounding scenery and Irisviel's sad expression, he instantly understood something, and his eyes sharpened.
"Well, it seems... I don't need to explain too much," [Illya] smiled.
"...I have a lot of things I want to know."
"But now..."
"Irisviel, could you please take the children and leave? I need to have a good talk with this person," Kiritsugu said to the missus.
She opened her mouth, then nodded.
After leaving that place, Miss Illya couldn't help but ask:
"Why is Daddy Kiritsugu here?!"
"You saw it, didn't you? He came from that world," the girl shrugged.
"Honestly, it's not very appropriate for me to teach that man a lesson."
Whether in this Illya's body or his own, it seemed to be the case.
After all, Jiang Qiao knew very well that he wasn't the type who was good at teaching others a lesson.
But... if he wasn't good at it, then why not leave it to the most suitable person?
And obviously.
In this world, there was no one better at dealing with Kiritsugu Emiya than Kiritsugu Emiya himself.
He complained:
"Honestly, if Mommy Irisviel could have tried a little harder, it wouldn't have been so troublesome."
"...Indeed."
Recalling her terrifying mommy, Miss Illya couldn't help but nod in agreement. "Mommy goes all soft when she's with Daddy Kiritsugu. She can't be as tough with him as she is with me and big brother."
"I heard that~"
The missus's ghostly voice sounded in their ears. "Gomenasai, I'm a useless mommy~ But, talking about adults behind their backs... such children are quite naughty~"
Thwack~
A bump appeared on both Miss Illya's and [Illya]'s heads.
The former was teary-eyed, while the latter had a wooden expression.
This woman really was a complete bully to the weak and fearful of the strong! A complete child!
Although a little helpless, in the process, they could hear the sound of gunshots behind them...
"...Master... that sound..."
"Don't worry, I guess they're just excited because it's their first time having this experience. They must have a lot to talk about, so it's inevitable that they're fighting so passionately."
"...That's not a normal way to communicate at all."
Miss Illya couldn't help but complain.
"That's how men communicate."
"Anyway, believe in Kiritsugu!" The silver-haired girl gave a thumbs-up and said excitedly: "If you're worried, then cheer for Kiritsugu!"
—Without a doubt.
After eliminating the miscellaneous people, Mr. Kiritsugu Emiya and Illya's Daddy Kiritsugu from another world staged the classic Emiya family drama that must be experienced: I kill myself.
Although the former also tried to turn the latter to his side.
But facing everything Kiritsugu Emiya revealed, Daddy Kiritsugu just asked one question:
"Are you going to give up the Holy Grail War?"
Then, the two of them, with great chemistry, started a passionate gunfight PK.
Obviously, both the scummy Mr. Kiritsugu and Daddy Kiritsugu were well aware of their own nature.
Expecting to persuade a man named Kiritsugu Emiya was more effective with bullets than with words.
And the former had no psychological burden about it.
After all, as long as he could achieve his wish, he could even sacrifice his own family and loved ones. Why would he care about another version of himself?
...On the contrary, for Kiritsugu Emiya, the most insignificant thing was himself.
Saber was held back, and Kiritsugu Emiya was playing out his own self-destruction drama. These situations obviously did not escape Manaka Sajyou's eyes.
At this moment, she was in the Great Cavern of Mount Enzo.
"Ah... my prince is approaching."
Feeling Illya's approach, the blonde girl's cheeks were flushed, obviously filled with joy and anticipation.
Of course.
If that little home-wrecking cat could just disappear obediently, she would be even happier.
However, such a good thing was obviously not going to happen out of thin air, so in the end, she still had to rely on herself.
She looked at the huge cavern below, filled with black mud, and a slight curve appeared on her lips.
All the World's Evils.
Manaka Sajyou was not ignorant of the situation with the Fuyuki Holy Grail. On the contrary, she was quite clear about the situation here.
However, for Miss Manaka's purpose, this was actually a good thing.
As long as she threw enough "sacrifices" into it, she could use this medium to accomplish what she wanted to do.
Originally, it was planned to be the human desires harvested by the Fall of the Holy City and the souls of the entire city after its destruction, but unfortunately, due to that annoying woman, this process was proceeding very slowly.
But it didn't matter. As long as she threw in the noble soul of a god, it would be a sufficient substitute.
As Manaka was fantasizing with anticipation...
"This is the end! Manaka Sajyou!"
Jeanne's stern voice sounded, announcing the arrival of Illya's small team.
"Ah, my prince has arrived... How wonderful. You've come to witness this moment too."
"I welcome you with all my heart... but, the meddling Ruler and the little home-wrecking cat should not spoil my reunion with my prince."
As she spoke, strange demonic beasts emerged from the black mud, their bodies radiating immense power... almost every one of them was a Phantasmal Species comparable to a wyvern.
This was another trump card held by Manaka Sajyou.
She could use a barrier to materialize the Beast Authority, Nega-Genesis, owned by the Sumerian mother goddess Tiamat.
This was Manaka's exclusive Monster Princess.
And the power of Nega-Genesis was unquestionable. The authority to freely create life and demonic beasts, with the blessing of All the World's Evils, which was of the same origin and nature as the Chaotic Black Tide, was almost no different from Tiamat's personal arrival.
"If you want to stop me, then deal with these monsters first."
"But before that, my wish will be granted first."
Saying this with great complacency, the blonde girl opened her arms and said loudly: "Now... François Prelati, offer up your soul."
When the soul of a god falls into this mud, everything will be overturned!
Fill, Holy Grail!
She was incredibly excited, however...
An unknown amount of time passed, and Manaka Sajyou just stood there with her arms open until they were sore and weak, but the sky gave no response.
Instead, a crow flew by very inappropriately, cawing hoarsely.
Manaka Sajyou: "..."