A second opinion: Pt 2:
CHOOM-CHOOM-CHOOM-CHOOM.
Saber parries my heavy bolter fire with ease, shattering the constructs as if she was hitting a
batting average. At least it's distracting her, Ring see if we can't get Rin and Luvia in their feet.
"I'm not putting a dent in her!
"
"Command confirmed."
I dematerialize my unfortunately ineffective heavy bolters as Illya attempts to launch another purple scythe at Saber, who parries it easily.
"I-I can't hit her!"
Miyu's out and frankly not looking good, Ring checks her condition. The fool took an indirect hit, looks like she lost an arm and now Illya's starting to panic. Medea is doing her level best to provide me with fire support without using all of her mana reserves.
"Subject 'Miyu' is currently alive, however, if subject 'Miyu' does not receive assistance it will expire."
"We need to fall back!
"
Ring what kind of charge do I have?
"40% charge remaining."
Goddamn those void shields are a gas guzzler, although I probably should have recharged when we previously retreated.
"I'm serious here I can't keep this up forever!
"
Illya's not listening. Goddammit. I take one of the metal rods out of subspace and hold it with both hands then charge Saber, this is a terrible idea isn't it?
"Huwa-huwa-huwa."
Illya is now on her knees next to Miyu appearing to breakdown, dammit why can't you be cold and effective with a happy exterior like you're supposed to be? I deflect Sabers strike with what is basically a
glorified pipe, striking her in the face with the base of it. I use the ring to send Miyu and Illyas forms to Medea and the other unconscious bodies.
"Urke.
"
I look down, oh god dammit not again. I watch as Saber pulls her blade out of my gut again, ring cut the pain.
I collapse to my knees and also get me out of here.
"Command confirmed."
The scenery flickers and I see Saber bring her sword down on where I just was, I collapse onto the ground and as my vision starts to blacken I see Medea trying to wake up a frozen Illya.
I-
it comes, lesser yet more familiar... To you. N̴͘͞-n̴͟ò̢͜t̨͟ q̢u҉̶i̧t̵e͢ ̧̀͜t͡h̡͜͝ò̸u̧͏g̢h̴̡. Y͜͡͠ơ͞u͟͞͝ ̨̢͏͢F̛a̧͘i͟l͏̸u̵͘̕͢҉ŗ̵́͡e͏̡.
"Alert potential magical build-up detected." I see a double helix of light.
"I must defeat her." (invisitext)I̸̶͘͞
-I̸̶͘͞ ̴̶̵c͏̶a̢͟n̷̵ ̡̀͢͠s̵̕̕͞e̡e͟͞ ̀͏̷́y̴̴͡ǫ͟͟ú̴̀͘.̸͏̵͢
S-
S̢̕ú͜c̛h̛ ̶͞͝a͡ ͟͢s̷͡ham̀͢e ̶̀y̷̡ou͏̡̡ ̴̵̧ha̵̕͝v͢en͝'̶̧t̕͟ ̵̢͢n̸͏ǫ̷̕t̷͞i̡͜ce̶̡d̴͠ ͏͞
Illya places something in front of her.
"I must defeat her."
Ą̵҉ ̸̛́͡-
Ą̢̧͟͏ ̧̨̢́͘Ģ͜͞͡͞ŕ̵͡a҉͜i̷͟͟l͢͏̨.͏̛́̀͡
That's a lot of wind, why is wind always used to represent mana build up or some shit?
"I must defeat her."Ŕ̵̡͟
-̷̀̕ŗ̴e̷͡͠t͞u̴̶̡̨r̵̷̕n̶̸̕s
w-
wrong it's all wrong.
Oh, right. Ring be a dear and stitch me back together will you? Body and mind.
T-
the world is wrong.
Illya's standing up now.
L҉̨-
L҉̨ȩą̛̀͠c̨͘͠͝h̷̶̀͜͝.
"Command confirmed."
Oh so she knows how to use it, a red aura emanates from Illya. Two circles collapse over her, her eyes now orange rather than their usual unnatural red. That doesn't make sense, but I'm not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. My word Sabers taking her time approaching, no she's… watching this unfold.
"Install."
A҉-̛
r͘e̢͞͠t̷̨͘u͞r͞n҉͡ ̢to̡͘ ҉̸͏so͏̨ḿet̵́ḩi͏ńg̴̛ ̶old̶͜,̡̛͠ ̨̀̕s̀́͠ǫ̛m͝҉e͞t̕͝h͢͞͡i̶ng̴̨ ͞ne̷w̴.̧
เ รєє ค ฬ๏гɭ๔ ๏Ŧ รฬ๏г๔ร คภ ยภɭเ๓เՇє๔ ๒ɭค๔є-ฬ๏гк Շђє รкץ เร ๒г๏ฬภ Շђє гยรՇє๔ ς๏ﻮร ๏Ŧ Շђє ฬ๏гɭ๔, ς๏ภՇเภยєร Շ๏ รקเภ ยภค๒คՇє๔.
Then a flash from behind me as the world explodes into a blue fire, flaming pillars fold and collapse in one Illya. I turn I see EMIYA, no Illya, no Illya in EMIYA's clothes?
…
EMIYA Illya? Archer Illya?
…
I'll go with that. Archer Illya
"Impossible…"
Saber sends a slash of… Mana? Something through the air, seeming to rely on speed rather than power.
Archer Illya blocks it with a
purple flower, wait I recognise it what was it called? Dust kicks up around her obscuring my view, by the time it clears Archer Illya is slashing down at Saber with
two familiar blades one black and one white.
Huh, I guess she worked out how it worked.
Saber blocks the strike seeming to put Archer Illya off balance for a second trying to get another swing into her, Illya frankly, does an impractical flip backwards to gain distance. Then she lands and they stare each other down, It appears that Illya was actually hit by that last strike with blood dripping down her left side.
"That's not gonna last long.
" I pull the lantern out of whatever subspace the ring stores it in.
"Unbelievable." Miyu appears dumbfounded.
"I agree, however, I am not too confident about using magic that will hurt Saber at my current mana levels…" Medea trails off, we're gonna have to recharge her…
"Her appearance, her fighting prowess."
That's gonna be awkward later…
"What is that?" Medea appears to be interested in my lantern.
Illya and Saber go back and forth with Illya pretty clearly on the back foot.
"A little something that'll help out,-
"
I raise my ring pointing it at my lantern.
"-In blackest day in brightest night,
come see your fears made into light,
let those who fail to fear my might,
burn like my power, and die in my light!
"
"Charge 100%"
"Was all that really necessary?" Medea doesn't appear pleased with the Oath.
I nod.
"Unfortunately it refuses to charge if I don't go through the entire thing.
"
Medea shakes her head as Illya is kicked to the ground in front of us, I guess that my cue. Raising my fist I blast Saber in the face with a beam of fear and light, forcing her to see her failure and just straight up smacking her in the face with a construct beam. All of that barely forcing her to take a single step back. However, Saber appears to regain the initiative and swings her sword through the blast, narrowly allowing me to avoid the strike. Once the constructs fade I look down and see two short swords piercing her chest, It appears that Illya got back up.
"Why thank you.
"
The blades twist and Saber fades into a card, which I grab out of the air.
"..."
Illyas eyes remain fixed on me, something looks different. I cock my head to the side, she follows the movement. Ring let's look inside that mind.
"Command confirmed."
I'm a child I look up and she to people tha-Mother and Father I love them so much. It's Kiritsugu and Irisviel I believe, I know of things the holy grail war the servants, this knowledge has been implanted in me from birth. That's unexpected I thought that started after Kiritsugu ended the war? Oh well, no useful information there, they're talking are they going to leave? Please don't leave me. I-they're talking about sealing her away from this, that explains how Illya ended up like this I suppose. Hey at least this means she didn't get the ten years of torture, are her magic circuits still supergrailified?
A card falls out of her chest, which I catch and she passes out and lands heavily.