Boom!
The almost-dissipated dark clouds gathered again, condensing into a small mass from which a violet bolt of lightning fell, striking down onto a colossal hammer.
"Mjölnir!"
With an excited cry, Beatrice, holding Mjölnir, charged at Shirou Emiya with her massive divine arm raised high, not caring at all about Angelica lying nearby.
Seeing the incoming hammer, Shirou Emiya grabbed Miyu beside him and delivered a powerful kick to push Angelica out of Mjölnir's attack range, then leaped away to avoid the blow.
Crack!
Mjölnir struck the Sword of Severance, shattering its blade. Massive fragments crashed to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.
"Huh!" Beatrice snorted, looking disdainfully at the broken Sword of Severance as she hefted Mjölnir. "What? Was it just made of plastic?"
Angelica's body hit the ground before the impact sent her rolling, bouncing along the earth, leaving behind a trail of blood.
In her blood-stained vision, Angelica saw Beatrice up high, wielding Mjölnir and readying another strike. She muttered weakly before passing out, the last thing she saw being Julian, who had never looked at her once.
Noticing someone staring at her, Beatrice followed her instincts and found Angelica, who was barely clinging to life. Without a shred of care, Beatrice ignored her, a delighted smile spreading on her face as Mjölnir once again sparkled with lightning. With flushed excitement, she aimed at Klee and Illya, surrounded below by a new wave of black mud beings. She loved making friends with cute things after all!
"Mjölnir!"
Though, all her "friends" usually ended up with twisted heads.
Below, Illya and Klee fought back-to-back, fending off the endless wave of black spirits. Illya held the Holy Sword with both hands, while Klee wielded the Wolf's Gravestone.
Though the earlier lightning storm had cleared the area of black spirits, as long as the black mud source remained above, those spirits would continuously crawl out of despair, determined to drag the world into the abyss.
"Klee," Illya began, her Holy Sword radiating a sacred light — the glow that knights pursued. She lifted her sword high, shouting to Klee, "I'll clear a path! Take this chance to break through! I'll catch up later!"
Without waiting for Klee's response, the Holy Sword in Illya's hands burst into radiant brilliance.
"Ex…calibur!"
A beam of light surged skyward, transforming into an unstoppable blast, cleaving through the advancing spirits.
Panting heavily, Illya leaned on her sword, urging Klee, "Hurry, Klee! Go ahead! I'll follow soon."
Klee looked up at the exhausted Illya, then casually tossed the Wolf's Gravestone, impaling a black spirit attempting to approach.
"Hey, up we go!"
Klee lifted the exhausted Illya, who could barely move from mana exhaustion, over her head like she was lifting a big fish. With the path disappearing rapidly behind them, Klee, blessed by the wind, vanished in an instant. The wind was always Klee's partner.
"Aaaaahhhhhh!"
As Illya wailed in dismay, Klee returned to the group, holding her over her head. Presenting Illya to Aqua, Klee asked, "Aqua, big sister, can you heal Illya, please?"
Aqua, who had been munching on sunflower seeds, set them aside and clapped her hands. "Humph! Since you pleaded with the great water goddess Aqua, I shall grant your wish!"
A pale, clean hand with bits of sunflower shells still clinging to it rested on Illya's head. Aqua announced grandly, "Heal!"
A flash of white light later, and Illya was still limp in Klee's grasp.
"Huh?"
Aqua looked at Illya, who was trying her hardest to hold down her skirt with what little strength she had left, tears welling up in her eyes. Aqua turned her disbelieving gaze to her hand.
"Hey! Aqua! Take this seriously!" Kazuma yelled at Aqua upon seeing the situation.
"I got it! I got it!" Aqua yelled back. Under the watchful eyes of everyone around her, Aqua rolled up her sleeves, revealing her slender, pale arms, and pressed her hands firmly on Illya's body.
"Heal!"
Another burst of intense white light, and Illya remained as limp as before.
Finally, realizing what was going on, Illya's voice, full of tears, rang out, "Put me down already! I'll recover on my own! I'm dying of embarrassment!"
"No!" both Aqua and Ruby shouted.
The goddess and staff exchanged glances, and Ruby flew over from Illya's side, patting Aqua on the shoulder. "My Illya is counting on you, Goddess!"
"Goddess!" Aqua turned triumphantly to Kazuma. "Did you hear that, Kazuma?! She called me Goddess! That's how you ask a goddess for help!"
"Alright, alright!" Kazuma waved his hand dismissively, pointing toward Hiroshi, who was dueling a group of black spirits with a longsword. "Hurry up! If it weren't for waiting on you, I'd be over there having fun already! Let me, Kazuma, the Great, validate those heroes from human history!"
Meanwhile, Hiroshi retracted the swords that had been guarding Klee, glancing at Beatrice, who was glaring at him from the platform. With a flash of light in his hand, he held a new longsword, blocking the advance of another wave of black spirits, practicing close-quarters combat. Nearby, Ruri Goko, Infinity, Luo Xiaohai, and Keqing worked to clear the encroaching spirits.
Beatrice, holding Mjölnir aloft and charging it once more, found herself suddenly knocked back. She used the massive hammer as a shield, only to feel an unstoppable force strike through it.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Beatrice flew backward, letting go of Mjölnir mid-air. Her body hit the ground, creating a massive crater.
A moment later, an arm stained in blood emerged. Empowered by the strength from the card of the demigod Mani, Beatrice had narrowly survived. She began rapidly healing, fueled by her own mana. A gesture, and Mjölnir reappeared in her hand.
Seeing the deep sword mark on Mjölnir, Beatrice felt a pang of fear. Her demigod instincts had driven her to focus entirely on defense, releasing the hammer to save herself. The divine core on her forehead pulsed, and a bolt of lightning descended from above, pouring into the damaged Mjölnir, repairing it.
Ascending once more, Beatrice landed beside Julian. Her expression flushed, she clung to his side, murmuring, "I was so scared, Julian. I almost couldn't see you again."
Hiroshi noticed Beatrice reappear but wasn't particularly bothered. He continued to focus on his practice, sparring with the spirits for experience. After all, he was in a prime grinding area.
Though Hiroshi, Infinity, Vanir, and Kazuma couldn't gain experience from lower-level beings, Hiroshi appreciated the opportunity to hone his combat skills. The projection magic allowed him to pull weapons, share combat senses, and practice with various fighting styles. Infinity was primarily supporting and defending the group, while Vanir was engrossed in researching the black spirits, intrigued by their construction.
On the other side, Aqua took a deep breath, her body exuding divine energy, her cloak billowing in its aura.
Her usual playful demeanor vanished, replaced by serene eyes, pure as running water. Azure divine light shimmered around her. Gazing lovingly at Illya, Aqua gently placed her palm on Illya's forehead, whispering, "Holy Healing."
Soft blue light enveloped Illya's body. Illya looked at Aqua, who gazed back at her gently, and reached out toward her, filled with joy and gratitude.
"Ah!!"
Suddenly, the ethereal goddess vanished.
Aqua's legs gave out, and she plopped onto the ground. Seeing Illya still limp in Klee's grasp, Aqua began to pout, "I'm done! I'm done! This girl must be cursed! I'm a goddess! My divine power is almost drained, and still, there's no reaction! I'm quitting this!"
Illya's admiring gaze faltered. Looking at Aqua, who was just shy of rolling on the ground, her heart shattered.
"Illya, are you alright?" Klee gently set her down, asking with concern. "Is there still an injury I didn't sense?"
Illya, eyes brimming with tears, shook her head, "I wasn't injured... just out of mana."
"Huh?" Klee tilted her head. "But Illya, you gave me such a bad feeling back there."
"What feeling?" Illya asked, puzzled.
"Umm..." Klee crossed her arms, thinking, before brightening up. "It was a bit like Catherine! But after Aqua helped you, it went away."
"Who is Catherine?" Illya asked, still bewildered.
"Catherine is just Catherine," Klee replied cheerfully. "You seem much better now, Illya."
"Illya!" Ruby rushed over, swirling around Illya, exclaiming, "A real miracle! You've completely recovered, Illya! I couldn't be happier!"
"Illya!" Miyu, Kuro, Rin, and Luvia all hugged her.
Rin and Luvia examined Illya, confirming that the artificial traces were entirely gone. They exchanged a look of amazement before bowing to Aqua, "Thank you for saving Illya!"
"What?!" Illya and Aqua exclaimed in unison.
Illya, looking at her excited friends, couldn't help but shout, "What is going on?! Can someone explain?!"
Aqua, meanwhile, climbed to her feet, as if she hadn't just been whining. She stood proudly, hands on her hips, turning to Kazuma, "How about that, huh?!"
Oh, and by the way, Emiya Shirou, having returned and seeing Miyu's happy smile, couldn't help but smile as well.