Lia glanced at Jean, then turned around and faced the spot where Illya had just been swallowed.
Without any other movement, she just walked straight toward the center of the black mud.
The instant before her lifted foot landed, the black mud on the ground automatically recoiled as if in fear.
At the same time, all the black mud directly in front of her parted to both sides automatically, as if scrambling to flee the area.
Jean, holding White Wind, watched her seemingly defenseless back and abandoned the intention of stabbing her from behind.
Jean did not believe the other party was truly as defenseless as she appeared; the Lia before her was too abnormal, and the feeling of having died thousands of times from rushing in told Jean that she could not be reckless now.
After walking a few steps and finding that Jean truly made no move, Lia revealed a smile. She then waved her hand forward, and the black mud in the center was blown away directly, revealing the two Illyas in the middle.
The scattered black mud splashed around like water, engulfing Rin and Sakura. However, at the same time, the pendant Jean had created began to glow, gushing forth white Stardust from its center, which transformed into a barrier to protect the two.
Not only them, but the little Illya in the center of the black mud was also being protected by this barrier. However, because the black mud had entered her body along the link of the command spells, even though the surrounding black mud had been shielded away, her body was still covered in it.
The surrounding black mud was no longer there, and the once tottering barrier finally extinguished completely, as if it had fulfilled its mission.
It was originally based on the 'Unyielding' from the Gale Sword Technique, which is Yasuo's passive shield, used for blocking damage. It had been difficult for the barrier to forcibly resist the erosion for so long.
Lia stepped forward, gently stroked the head of the little Illya who was still conscious, and reached her hand into mid-air. Light condensed in her palm, and before long, a knight's lance appeared in her hand.
This lance was none other than the Holy Lance of this world line: Rhongomyniad.
As the Anchor of the Planet, the Holy Lance's power was originally strictly bound by thirteen seals. However, with the infusion of Lia's power, the divinity within the entire lance was even expelled and assimilated. Without a single word, the Holy Lance was forcibly activated.
Then, Lia thrust the activated Holy Lance directly into the ground. The golden light made the entire mountain slowly glow, forming a sharp contrast with the filth of the black mud.
After confirming the activation of the Holy Lance's basic functions, Lia then drew her Holy Sword. The seals inside the Holy Sword were also broken through directly without any obstruction, and the power originally supported by the planet to counter outsiders was replaced by Lia's own power.
She then swung her sword down. It was as if the connection between the greater grail and the lesser grail had been severed in the void; a large number of black phantoms flew out from Illya's body, heading toward the interior of the mountain, the location of the greater grail.
At the same time, that beam of golden light shooting toward the sky erupted, as if trying to drill a hole. By the time the golden light gradually weakened and vanished, the hole had been formed.
Now, the black mud was no longer gushing from within Illya's body, but flowing downward from the hole in the sky. The volume was clearly much larger; the entire mountain was soon covered, buildings were destroyed, trees were burning—a scene of doomsday.
"You actually managed to drill a hole to the Root, huh? However, the endless magical energy coming from the Root is being polluted by the black mud at the exit, turning into endless black mud."
Lia watched the hole in the sky with great interest, while picking up the still-sleeping Illya. She gestured at her heart with her hand, and soon, a phantom image of a golden cup was extracted.
The golden cup, woven from various spell formations, was grasped in Lia's hand; it looked like this was likely the spell formula for the lesser grail.
"That should be it, right, Illyasviel von Einzbern?" Lia asked, turning back to Illyasviel von Einzbern.
"Yes, there's no problem now. The Einzbern Family's homunculi have the Third Magic as their lowest-level command, and now that the path to the Root has been formed, it can be said that the Third Magic has been completed."
Lia then looked at the little Illya who wanted to fly into the sky: "Do you want to pass through the hole?"
"Yes, there is a voice in my heart telling me that if I pass through there, I can return to the previous world."
Lia looked at the hole in the sky, thought for a moment, and nodded: "Hmm, if you enter the Root, the item of the Second Magic will be able to protect you. When you are ejected, it should be the world line you were in before you came here."
Illyasviel von Einzbern, however, looked worried: "Illya-chan, you don't have to take any more risks. You can choose to stay here. You and she are both my daughters."
"I'm sorry, Mama Illyasviel von Einzbern here, but Miyu and Kuro are still waiting for me. I must go."
"Then go!" Lia said to the little Illya with the air of an old father: "When you possess the conviction to sacrifice yourself for something, then you shouldn't hesitate; go for it decisively."
The little Illya nodded at Lia, seeming to understand yet not quite, then turned to Jean and shouted: "Big Sister Jean, I'm leaving. Thank you for taking care of me during this time."
At this moment, Jean didn't know what to say to the little Illya. Perhaps the Lia and Illyasviel von Einzbern before her didn't know, but Jean was very clear that the path ahead for the little Illya was a single-plank bridge truly filled with despair. However, putting herself in those shoes, Jean knew she would also throw herself into it without hesitation. After weighing things back and forth, she finally said to the little Illya:
"Hmm, do your best. And remember, when you face despair that you cannot overcome, just pray in your heart. When your will is strong enough to pierce through the world, I will come to save you."
Illya nodded again, seeming to understand yet not quite, then transformed into a Magical Girl and flew up toward the hole in the sky. Just as she prepared herself and was about to touch the black mud, two voices sounded at the same time.
"Blessing of the End!" "Stardust Wind!"
Golden light and White Wind simultaneously protected her body, pushing aside the black mud and allowing her to enter it smoothly.
Glancing at Jean once more, Lia turned her attention back to the Holy Sword and the Holy Grail in her hand: "The Holy Grail is in hand, and the Holy Sword and Holy Lance of this world line have also been dyed with my colors. Although it took ten years from setup to harvest, it was still considered smooth."
"Ara, will it really go that smoothly?"
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice, only to see Sakura, barefoot, hopping around in the black mud as if wading through water.
Rin, standing to the side, looked shocked and worried; she reached out a hand, wanting to pull Sakura back, but Sakura ignored her completely.
At this moment, Sakura seemed completely unaffected, even bending down to scoop up some black mud with her hands and splash it away, just as if she were playing at the beach.
"It really does fit the swimsuit setting." Jean muttered quietly. After all, the girl currently playing in the water (black mud) had a smirking, punchable face that was exactly the same as that trash AI.
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