"Is this... the fighting style of Fujimaru-sama, the one they call the Messiah?"
Prisma Illya stared, speechless, as Gudako wielded Ruby like a war hammer. This was nothing like the Messiah she had imagined—the savior of the world should surely fight with more... magic, right?
"..."
Jiang You had forgotten that Gudako, who still lacked a Spirit Origin Shadow at this point, had fought Goetia in a rather ugly one-on-one brawl during the Final Singularity. Asking her to fight with magic was simply impossible. As a Summoner, she had no combat Skills to speak of.
It could only be said that the defensive capabilities and physical enhancements granted by her Magical Girl attire were too formidable. Otherwise, Gudako's chaotic, uncoordinated hammer swings would have long since been pierced into a sieve by Medusa's chain sword.
Finally, Dark Medusa seized an opening and kicked Gudako flying with a sweeping leg strike.
Next to be targeted was Hakuno. Though it was also her first battle, Hakuno demonstrated far greater finesse in controlling her magical power. Gudako's ability to withstand the Blackened Medusa for so long was largely due to Hakuno's support. The Blackened Medusa's combat instincts told her that Hakuno was the more formidable opponent and needed to be dealt with first.
"Haven't you learned any fighting techniques from the Heroic Spirits all this time?" Jiang You asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes. According to the game, Gudako should have mastered at least a dozen combat styles by now.
"What nonsense are you spouting?!" Gudako retorted, her tone exasperated as she glared at Jiang You's provocatively smug expression. "We're always pressed for time in these Singularities. When would those Heroic Spirits have time to teach me?"
"I'll assist you!"
With that, Gudako threw herself back into the fray. Perhaps due to her past experiences, she clearly possessed greater resilience than Hakuno.
"She... doesn't seem to feel pain at all?" Prisma Illya murmured, watching Gudako relentlessly absorb the Blackened Medusa's attacks. Each blow landed with brutal force, and Prisma Illya couldn't help but worry if Gudako could endure much longer.
"She's quite the King of Durability," Jiang You replied, his tone casual.
Calling Gudako the King of Durability is no exaggeration. If she were any weaker, she wouldn't have survived so many perilous Singularities. If you threw a modern college student into this situation, the prologue would be their end.
"Hey Jiang You," Prisma Illya blurted out, her childlike honesty impossible to suppress. "You could just solve everything yourself, right?"
"Why are you making us fight? Do you have some weird fetish or something?"
"Now that you mention it, you're right," Jiang You chuckled, watching the two protagonists scramble frantically as they were pursued. He was in high spirits. Theoretically, if he went all-out, he could clear the Prisma Illya script in two days. Blackened Servants posed no threat to him whatsoever, and Darius, hyped as being on par with Tiamat, turned out to be a complete joke. Jiang You felt absolutely no pressure.
Precisely because of this, Jiang You decided to use the mission as an opportunity to play around with character development. It was time to start farming Prisma Illya's affection points.
"But you should know," Jiang You continued, "logically, I shouldn't even be here. You're destined to be the protagonist of this story, the one who faces all this alone. You've barely had any training, and you're being thrown into real combat right away."
Though she couldn't fully grasp Jiang You's meaning, Prisma Illya gleaned from Illya's conversation that the futures Jiang You saw were the "proper" developments—those that would have occurred without his intervention. She nodded, though only half understanding.
"I can't always be by your side. As Magical Girls who have dismantled the Magic World, you'll inevitably face dangers alone," Jiang You said, looking earnestly at Prisma Illya. "You should know... I care deeply for Illya."
Seeing Jiang You's gaze, Prisma Illya felt a pang of guilt.
"Tell that to the other me..." she muttered.
This was precisely the reaction Jiang You had hoped for. Prisma Illya was the epitome of high attack, low defense—if someone retreated, he'd aggressively advance; but if someone became too assertive, he'd instinctively withdraw, favoring guerrilla tactics. Of course, the game's mechanics also played a role, preventing certain developments from progressing further.
"That's why I don't want you getting hurt. Having sufficient combat capabilities will allow you to protect yourselves. Now that we have this opportunity, I must ensure you possess adequate self-defense capabilities. Promise me—don't let yourselves get hurt, okay?"
Prisma Illya's face flushed under Jiang You's sincere gaze, and she could only turn to her other self for help. But Illya merely stared back, her thoughts unreadable.
"What a kind Servant," Hakuno remarked, her voice carrying across the battlefield. As a long-range support, she had the spare capacity to overhear their conversation; Sapphire's amplification extended to her hearing as well.
"But could you spare some of that kindness for us? While you're here flirting with elementary schoolers, we're getting our asses kicked."
Just like Miyu before them, Hakuno and Gudako had been recklessly expending their stamina and magical power in every strike, wasting considerable reserves. Gudako, with her extensive experience in evasion and escape, fared somewhat better, but Hakuno, whose magical power was already limited, found herself stretched to the breaking point. As Hakuno's support frequency waned, the pressure on Gudako intensified, forcing her to fight a desperate battle for survival.
"Looks like you two are no match for an elementary schooler either," Jiang You scoffed, standing with his hands in his pockets. "Useless adults."
"Are you going to try stealing the spotlight again next time?"
"I really don't want to hear that from you," Hakuno retorted. "And you should say that last part to Ritsuka, not me."
Hakuno was naturally sociable; even though they had only met half a day ago, she was already calling Gudako by her first name. In Japan, this level of familiarity was reserved for close friends.
"I'm just an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire."
"King of the Moon, you're far too modest," Jiang You said, casually dropping spoilers about Hakuno's future.
"Alright, it's about time for Prisma Illya and Miyu to switch places. Medusa, go restrain that version of yourself—don't let her actually kill Gudako."
"Honestly, I don't think that's necessary. Even if that mindless Beast is a part of me, I could handle it in short order."
Medusa finally had a chance to voice her opinion, and she couldn't stand by any longer.
"As I said before, being powerless is incredibly dangerous."
Medusa had clearly missed Jiang You's earlier conversation with Prisma Illya.
"Medusa, you wouldn't want these two girls to suffer the same fate as your Sisters, would you?"
"If possible, please avoid using that analogy next time."
Medusa wanted to roll her eyes, but her blindfold hid her expression. Jiang You really had a knack for bringing up sensitive topics at the worst possible moments.
"Finally, it's my turn!"
Miyu finally got the combat opportunity she had been longing for.