Chapter 231

"Miyu—!" ×2

"Miyu-chan~~!"

The scorched, lifeless battlefield, roughly 200 meters in radius, was illuminated by the starlight emanating from the golden glow of the defeated flash.

Before Miyu could say anything, she was interrupted by the calls of her friends. Shirou smiled slightly and stepped aside, revealing the sight of Illya, Saber, and Ruby quickly approaching.

The fastest among them was Ruby, who immediately flew to Miyu and started scolding her with flapping wings, "Honestly, Miyu-chan, you were so heartless to throw me away like that. Ruby-chan was heartbroken and couldn't breathe~"

"Sorry, Ruby..." Miyu apologized softly, lowering her head and averting her eyes.

"Miyu—! Are you alright?" Illya pushed Ruby aside, causing her to spin in the air several times before landing dizzily.

"I'm fine, Illya," Miyu reassured, shaking her head. Her eyes reflected a mix of emotion and fulfillment, knowing she had made a warm, close friend just as her brother had wished.

Although her circle of friends was small, with only Illya and some unique individuals like Heroic Spirits, she felt content.

"Roar..."

Berserker, who had run over with Illya, let out a concerned growl, showing his worry for Miyu.

"Berserker..."

Touched by Berserker's concern, Miyu felt a wave of gratitude for one of the best Heroic Spirits, despite his lack of sanity.

"Roar..."

With his eyes returning to their normal golden color, Berserker knelt down on one knee before the small figures of Illya and Miyu, maintaining his love for children even in his berserk state.

Consequently, the young Gilgamesh, who had been lying in the black mud pit in contemplation, was carefully dug out by Berserker and placed gently on the side.

"Berserker! Why did you dig him out? He was bullying Miyu and Shirou!" Illya complained, hands on hips, pointing at Berserker with an angry pout.

"You can't say that," Gil, now without clothes, shrugged his shoulders. "I was merely following the will of the black me. I hold no ill will towards you, Illya."

"Who would believe that? And why aren't you wearing clothes? Have you no shame?" Illya retorted.

"Is that what you're concerned about?" Gil laughed and spread his arms wide, emitting a golden light. "Rest assured, my body has nothing to be ashamed of!"

Hearing this, Illya's face darkened.

Moments later, Gil was bound tightly with silver threads, lying flat on the ground. "Normally, such behavior would be punishable by death," he commented with a laugh.

"You mentioned the black version of yourself, that..."

"Who knows..." Gil replied, looking toward a direction where a Class Card lay. "I never expected my EA to lose, or the black me to be defeated and turned into a card. But..."

With a helpless smile, Gil continued, "Even with just half of myself, I've gained a body. That alone is satisfying. Ahh, I'm tired."

"Miyu..."

Saber, who had arrived with Illya, hesitated. After all, Miyu might be the true Holy Grail she was searching for.

"Saber..." Unaware of Saber's quest, Miyu looked at her with gratitude, whispering softly.

Caught off guard by Miyu's grateful gaze, Saber turned her face slightly, feeling a bit awkward.

Sensing the atmosphere, Shirou stretched and said, "Ah, I'm so tired. Miyu, could you help with dinner when we get back? Doing it alone feels tough."

"Yes! Please let me help!" Miyu responded eagerly, while Saber raised her ahoge, listing her requirements for dinner—delicious, lots of meat, large portions, and unlimited rice.

"But no spicy food!" Illya added, raising her hand.

"Alright, alright..." Shirou sighed, feeling overwhelmed by the demands but agreeing nonetheless, wondering if food was the ultimate tool for resolving conflicts.

"My request is the same as Illya's~"

"Okay, okay..." Shirou nodded, then realized the voice came from Gil.

"Not you!" Illya snapped, and Saber nodded in agreement, worried that more people would mean less food for her.

"How stingy~" Gil remarked, having freed himself from the silver threads and found some clothes. He looked towards the ongoing battle between Gilgamesh and Shinji.

"But seriously, that arrow was incredible. I thought I was going to die. Who is that guy?"

"Someone as annoying as you," Illya answered with a huff.

"My friend," Shirou said, looking at Shinji struggling against Gilgamesh.

"An arrow that breaks through space and reality, surpassing the concept of mass... truly impressive."

"Yes, Shinji is really amazing."

"No, I wasn't talking about him. Although he's impressive, that arrow wasn't something he could shoot."

"Huh?" Shirou was puzzled.

Notably, the only ones who noticed the Empress were Gilgamesh, the young Gil, and Kirei on the hillside.

…

While Illya and the others were focused on Miyu, the battle between Shinji and Gilgamesh continued, observed by several onlookers.

Watching the duel, Luvia pondered, "Do you think those two... aren't related? Their techniques are too similar."

"I think so too," Rin agreed, looking at Archer. "Archer, is Shinji using something like projection magic?"

Archer, who had been studying Shinji's techniques, shook his head. "No, those swords are just pure mana constructs formed from a pure third element. It's incredible, but true. He possesses a massive amount of this third element and uses it as weapons. The only real Noble Phantasm is the one in his hand, which feels like it's around A-rank."

"He really is a monster..." Rin muttered, unable to imagine how Shinji managed to pull it off.

"Go, kid!" Lancer cheered, though it earned him a golden Noble Phantasm from Gilgamesh.

Clang!

"Easy to anger," Lancer remarked, blocking the weapon, then reassured Bazett, who was watching with concern. "Don't worry, that kid will be fine. They're not using their full strength, just playing around."

Pointing at the flattened mountain, Luvia questioned, "That's playing around?"

"Of course. That arrow earlier was his real power. Now, they're just having fun. Don't underestimate my descendant!"

"Wait! Matou is your descendant?!" Rin was shocked.

"Of course. Look at the hair."

"True, they're both blue," Luvia nodded.

Rin retorted, "That's not convincing!"

Suddenly, more sword shadows flew towards them!

Lancer swiftly blocked them, marveling at his "spirited" descendant.

"No, that was a genuine attempt to kill you," Rin remarked, exasperated.

"You wouldn't understand, not being a man. It's about fighting, not talking," Lancer said, his expression nostalgic.

Rin/Luvia: …

…

"You've gotten stronger, Shinji!" Gilgamesh remarked, arms crossed as he looked down from the treetop, surrounded by golden Noble Phantasms.

"Can we stop now?" Shinji sighed, surrounded by blue-white sword shadows. Gilgamesh was harder to deal with than women!

"Shinji, the King is merciful and grants you a chance for redemption."

Shinji: …No, thanks!

"Tell me... who was that woman earlier?!"

"How would I know?!"

Shinji shouted, veins bulging in frustration. All this fighting for one question? Was he kidding?

Gilgamesh's shout reached Rin and the others, making them collectively expressionless.

"So... what is their relationship?" Luvia asked again, confused by the outburst.

"I... don't know," Rin sighed, exhausted by the day's events and Gilgamesh's enigmatic rage.

Just then, a new threat emerged...

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Countless lightning bolts descended upon the area where the previous battle had occurred, engulfing the region in electricity.

In the sky above, two figures appeared, one tall and one short...