The white horse, possessing the bloodline of a Phantasmal Beast species, moved with incredible speed, closing the distance to Medusa in an instant.
Unable to exert force from horseback, Prisma Illya leaped down as soon as she approached Medusa. The momentum of her massive Holy Lance, Rhongomyniad, carried the weapon in a sweeping arc toward Medusa. Even without its full power unleashed, the Holy Lance's sheer force would be more than Medusa could withstand. Instinctively, Medusa retreated, narrowly dodging the strike.
"Miyu!"
Prisma Illya had helped Miyu out of a tight spot. After performing the Install, her power had surged dramatically, and victory was within reach as long as she unleashed her Noble Phantasm. However, unleashing a Noble Phantasm of White Lancer Artoria's scale required a period of charging, necessitating someone to provide cover. Now it was Illya's turn to assist Miyu in completing the Install.
Without hesitation, Miyu chose her brother's Card. She would likely avoid using any other Cards unless absolutely necessary.
Sapphire was somewhat troubled by this, but unable to dissuade Miyu. After all, for Miyu, Shirou Emiya had occupied nearly her entire world.
With no further interruptions, Miyu immediately completed the Install, donning the attire of Heroic Spirit Emiya.
Without a word or moment's hesitation, Miyu drew her massive black bow and unleashed a volley of Projected Noble Phantasms to cut off Medusa's retreat. Yet each strike narrowly missed, the Medusa's lithe body evading them with astonishing agility. Because Prisma Illya remained locked in close combat, the Broken Phantasm technique couldn't be activated, rendering the attack ineffective.
"Illya, switch!"
Miyu projected a pair of black and white twin swords. Since the previous attack had failed, she would now take charge of suppressing Medusa.
Through their training, the two had developed a tacit understanding. Prisma Illya immediately retreated while Miyu, wielding her twin swords, charged forward, weaving through the chaos to re-engage Medusa in close combat.
"Alright, here I go!"
Having caught her breath, Prisma Illya vaulted back onto her horse. This was her first time unleashing a Servant's Noble Phantasm. The immense magical power consumption and destructive force had made it impossible to use before, leaving her both excited and nervous.
"Holy Lance—Unleash!"
In that instant, Miyu projected several giant swords, trapping Medusa, whose attention was now fixed on Prisma Illya. By the time Medusa reacted and attacked the giant swords to break free, it was too late. Miyu then projected chains, binding both herself and Medusa firmly to the Grudge Domain.
The white horse carried Illya into the sky. Then, a gleaming golden spire, like a meteor, pierced through the clouds and descended upon Medusa. The attack covered an incredibly wide area, forcing the observing Servants to retreat to a safe distance. Nero dragged the bewildered Hakuno out of the blast radius.
"Miyu's still in there! Will she be okay?"
Gudako voiced her concern just before Mash pulled her away. "Even if a Noble Phantasm is weakened when used in this state, one as powerful as White Lancer Artoria's would still be devastating. There's no way Miyu, even in her transformed state, could withstand that." An attack from the Holy Lance possessed a special anti-defense Noble Phantasm effect (similar to Invincibility Pierce). Even Heroic Spirit Emiya's Rho Aias would almost certainly be shattered.
Jiang You felt a flicker of worry himself, but Medea's confident smile quickly reassured him. Though Medea was a wicked woman, she cared deeply for those she acknowledged. Having entrusted her Class Card to Prisma Illya, she wouldn't just stand by and let this happen. Jiang You quickly pieced together the solution.
"You gave them the Duel Invitation, didn't you?"
"How perceptive," Medea praised him. "Indeed. It would be a waste not to use such a conceptual-level defense. Even if not for dueling, it's incredibly useful for evading attacks. Both Illya and Miyu are now Duelists. Therefore, this attack will only harm the corrupted Medusa. For Miyu, it's nothing more than a Duel Invitation."
The golden giant lance engulfed everything in its path. The erupting magical power formed a massive storm, sweeping the surrounding trees into the air.
When the storm dissipated, the corrupted Medusa had vanished, leaving only a Rider Class Card in her place.
"We won!"
Prisma Illya raised her hand for a high-five, but Miyu clearly didn't understand the gesture. Undeterred, the overjoyed Illya explained its meaning. Miyu, though only half-understanding, complied, and the two slapped their palms together, signaling the end of the battle.
"Congratulations to our second-generation Magical Girl duo on their victory. To celebrate, I'll cover your desserts for the week."
"Yay!" Illya cheered, even more ecstatic.
"By the way, combat training resumes tomorrow."
"Can't we have just one day off?!" Illya protested.
-
Meanwhile, at Chaldea.
"Whoa... Nero's singing has that much destructive power? Why isn't that recorded in history?"
Romani lay pale-faced on a recliner. Now human, his body was no more durable than an ordinary person's, and he still hadn't recovered from Nero's assault.
"Who would dare record a minor flaw of the supreme ruler? Even if such a harmless quirk were documented, it would likely be dismissed as unofficial history and relegated to some dusty corner."
Da Vinci brewed a cup of coffee to clear her head. Her tone was surprisingly relaxed, though her complexion wasn't looking too good either. Even Servants couldn't withstand Nero's singing.
"That 'minor flaw' is anything but minor," Romani said with a wry smile. "How could anyone not remember that?"
Da Vinci chuckled. "Aren't you the perfect example? Who would have guessed that the great King Solomon was actually a lazy slacker who hated trouble?"
"Fair point," Romani admitted, laughing as well. "Throughout millennia, heroes have been as numerous as the stars, yet our knowledge of them comes solely from oral traditions and written records. How could we possibly grasp their true selves that way?" He paused. "Speaking of which, has something happened at the Summoning Circle? It's been awfully noisy over there."
"You've been unconscious for too long to know. Remember the second 'Servant' Ritsuka summoned?" Da Vinci pulled up the surveillance feed from the Summoning Chamber. "Since she isn't actually a Servant, she consumes almost no magical power. The energy we've been supplying has been accumulating without being used. As a result, the Summoning Circle seems to have activated on its own. We can't stop it for now, so a new Servant should be arriving soon."
"A Servant responded even without a Summoner?"
Theoretically, that should be impossible. But so many impossible things had been happening lately that Romani was starting to doubt everything.
"Jiang You's magical power... it's still lingering there."
Ever since discovering Jiang You's terrifying Divinity, Da Vinci had been paying close attention to his magical power. The guy's actual reserves were far more immense than what he let on.
"Given his nature, the Servant who responds this time will likely be of the Foreigner Class as well."