From the corner of the cube, black mud gushed out, engulfing the blonde girl. As the black mud spread, it continuously produced black spirits, leaving Shirou utterly baffled.
"Advance the myth by a chapter, feel free to run away, Miyu. However, the darkness of the Einzberns will cover even the depths of hell!"
Julian, the character with a cool demeanor, uttered these words, hands in his pockets, purely for the sake of being cool.
At least, that's how Shinji perceived it.
Julian's true wish was simply to see the clay doll Emilia (Erika), who had been wronged by the gods, smile. In this sense, he wasn't much different from the heroic giant.
As for Darius, his true wish remained unknown. Millennia of continuous mental consciousness swaps had already begun to break him down.
Memory loss, personality collapse.
From Shinji's perspective, he was also a pitiable existence, much like a fusion of Einzbern and the old worm from another world.
A thousand-year-old wish combined with the loss of something with each resurrection and swap resulted in an unkempt man who spewed grandiose but meaningless statements.
In the original manga, phrases like "The prologue has begun," "The world inside out," and "Mythology" sounded impressive but lacked any real substance—they were just empty words.
Overall, from the perspective of the plot of Magical Girl Illya, the character of Darius was fundamentally incomplete, especially from a teleological standpoint.
The idea of carrying the seed of human history from this world through a hole to the other side to reshape a new world and a new human history based on this world's human history was full of flaws and made no sense.
Not to mention Illya's reverse timeline method, which was even more bug-ridden. And Emilia's description of wanting friends because she had none made Shinji exclaim that the author might as well give up.
"Didn't that guy just say it doesn't matter if we run away? Then let's make sure he never finds us again."
Shinji raised the corners of his mouth slightly, ready to seriously respond to Julian's statement, otherwise, it would be an affront to his cool demeanor.
Shinji had his own way of dealing with those who talk tough.
"I'll be right back."
Shinji stood up, hands in his pockets, his relaxed expression under the shadow of his hair seemed to indicate something.
"Clang—!"
"Without the king's permission, you are not allowed to act on your own!"
Looking at Gilgamesh, who sat with his legs crossed, hands in pockets, staring at the screen without glancing at him, and the unbreakable Enkidu binding him, Shinji showed no sign of distress.
"Well, it's still early. Let him keep talking tough for a while."
Saying this, Shinji sat down again, and Gilgamesh retracted the Enkidu.
"Gilgamesh, even now, I'm still an atheist in terms of spirit. So, for me, if that so-called god tries to impose something like duty on me, I will return it unchanged!"
Gilgamesh glanced at Shinji, his eyes flashing red, saying nothing.
...
"Hopefully, at least you won't become an enemy..."
The heroic giant's almost sentimental remark brought Shirou back to his senses. When he regained his composure, he found that the group was united, focusing intently on fighting the approaching black spirits.
Shirou wasn't foolish. After all this time and hearing so much about the world from the other side, he knew their goal wasn't just to use Miyu—they must have another reason.
"Projection, start!"
Summoning Kanshou and Bakuya, Shirou took a step forward, his eyes resolutely fixed on the advancing black spirits.
"I have many things I want to know, so tell me everything afterward!"
"Be careful, Shirou!"
Struggling against several black spirits, Saber warned, "These aren't mere soldiers! They are all true heroic spirits!"
Facing a black spirit, Shirou replied without turning his head.
"I know! Saber, be careful yourself. I can sense that black mud is dangerous for you! Don't let it touch you! And Illya too!"
"I understand!"
Under the protection of Uncle B, Illya responded. She also noticed that the black mud felt somewhat similar to the illusions created by Angra Mainyu.
"What exactly are these..."
After using her wand to slash away several black spirits, Miyu's expression became serious.
The next moment, she heard all the black spirits start to chant the words "Holy Grail." Finally understanding, her pupils trembled in disbelief!
Julian, appearing beside Miyu through displacement magic, said, hands in his pockets, "These black spirits are those who failed to obtain the Holy Grail. They are beasts driven by the will to pursue the Grail, endlessly increasing until they find it, covering this planet in despair. Do you understand? If you want to stop this disaster, take my hand, with your own will."
Seeing Julian's outstretched hand, Miyu hesitated, especially since her brother and friends from another world were struggling against the black spirits.
Her hand slowly rose...
But at that moment...
"Huh? Your own will? I don't see it, kid. To me, this looks like coercion and moral blackmail. Did learning displacement magic confuse your basic concepts? What's the word? Oh, right, disgusting sophistry!"
Lancer's voice came from the side, pulling Miyu's thoughts back. Her hand, about to touch Julian's, stopped five centimeters above his right hand.
"Lancer-san!" Miyu looked incredulously at Lancer, who was nonchalantly scratching his ear with a spear, "Are you okay?"
"Tch!"
Julian clicked his tongue in frustration, annoyed by the sudden appearance of the heroic spirit.
"It's just a minor injury. Anyway, little girl, you're not really going to listen to this kid's illogical words, are you?"
Saying this, Lancer looked at the fuming Julian and continued, "You really are a despicable guy, using such coercion on a little girl."
"What do you know?!"
"Nothing, but I dislike and don't condone your methods. Also, I like that kid (the heroic giant), and I don't think he's done anything wrong."
"Bastard!!"
Ignoring the furious Julian, Lancer's expression turned serious, "Little girl, use my card. That thing can only be dealt with using my card. Focus all your attacks; I'm the strongest here."
"Ah... Yes!"
Miyu quickly responded, pulling out the Lancer card from the thigh pouch given to her by Illya.
"Phantasm Summon!"
"Hey! Saber and kid over there, cooperate a bit. That thing seems a bit much for just me."
Saber nodded slightly at Lancer, and both Shirous prepared themselves.
Everyone understood Lancer's plan. If the black spirits were endless, the best way was to bypass them and attack the black cube directly!
Destroy the source, and the black spirits would naturally disappear! The plan was clear: Lancer's spear to break through, followed by Excalibur to eliminate the mud!
"We'll cover you!"
Bazett, who had recovered considerably, and Luvia, who had been saved by Bazett, joined Illya and Berserker.
Bazett clenched her fists, ready for action, while Luvia pulled out a handful of gems from her pocket. At this point, there was no need to worry about wasting gems—just go all out.
"Are they idiots?"
Beatrice, pointing at the group below, voiced her confusion.
"Do they think they can break the box with just themselves?"
Angelica remained silent but secretly stayed alert, sensing an uneasy premonition.
Archer, arms crossed, watched coldly but was worried about Illya. He thought, why are there so many black spirits? Did he defect too soon? Without him, they seemed to be struggling!
"Ready—"
Ruby began the countdown, "Go!"
As Ruby's voice fell, everyone sprang into action! Bazett and Luvia replaced the two Shirous struggling with the black spirits.
Illya moved behind the two Shirous, placing her small hands on their waists, starting a harmonious version of mana replenishment through contact.
Simultaneously, Lancer and Miyu, transformed through the Lancer card, leaped high in perfect sync!
"Gáe Bolg!!" ×2
Two spears were thrown with all their might at the black cube, speeding towards it simultaneously!
At the same time, with Illya's mana replenishment, the two Shirous projected Lancer's spear, sending it to Lancer and Miyu the moment their spears left their hands!
"This is a barrage of Gáe Bolg!" ×2
"Pseudo-Excalibur!!" ×2
Boom—!!
...
"Live like summer flowers, fall in love, oh young girls~"
"Um... big brother, could you stop singing? It's a bit distracting."
Young Gilgamesh scratched his head, smiling awkwardly and reminded.
"Don't you think that scene just now was thrilling? Doesn't it need some BGM to set the mood?"
Shinji pointed to the screen, referring to the recent teamwork.
Young Gilgamesh held his forehead, lowering his head: "Could you change the song? No matter how you look at it, this song doesn't fit the mood—it's a love song for young girls."
"Of course! It's a magical girl! The battles and victories of magical girls should have such BGM!"
Young Gilgamesh: ...
Shinji looked at the screen, where the black cube was being strongly blasted by the concentrated attacks of four spears and two pseudo-Excaliburs.
After the smoke cleared, the so-called Pandora's Box emitted a "crack!" A tiny crack appeared on its surface!
"Tch!"
Shinji clicked his tongue disdainfully. Gaia was really exploiting loopholes, secretly healing the big dog and giving him an epic power-up.