Everyone stared at the screen.
Even the players still immersed in Audition Online stopped what they were doing.
A soft white light appeared.
A shadow rose slowly from Barbara's body.
It looked at her with unmistakable affection, then dissipated into the air.
In the livestream:
Lisa: "That's… Jean?!"
Sucrose: "Why was Acting Grand Master Jean inside Barbara?"
Herta: "Isn't it obvious? Jean was always inside Barbara. She just died in Barbara's place."
Ruan Mei: "That seems to be the case."
Valerius: "Exactly. That's one of Barbara's Noble Phantasm effects."
Valerius found it rather strange.
During the simulation, the two sisters had spent most of their time undermining each other, and Jean had even been executed by an invading kingdom.
Yet somehow, in the end, they were together again.
"So what exactly happened?"
Earlier, Valerius had been too busy handing out simulators to watch their full stories.
Now even he was curious about what had happened between the two sisters.
Xueyi: "Dying in place of one's younger sister… yes, that has merit."
Hanya: "No, it does not."
Hanya looked as though she might cry.
Was her sister seriously considering sacrificing herself like that too?
But somehow, the thought filled her heart with warmth.
Xiangling: "Hu Tao, look…"
Hu Tao: "Hey! Cut it out. I'm not even older than you!"
Serval: "Well, Lynx, you'd better work hard from now on. Don't let your big sister down."
Lynx: "Sis… I don't have an ability like that."
Belle: "What a shame. Every younger sibling should get this ability."
Wise: "Belle, please be normal for once. You're scaring me."
Sunday: "Hmph. What use is such an ability?"
Seele: "That's surprising!"
Herta: "Wait, your doting big brother persona just collapsed. You wouldn't sacrifice yourself?"
Sunday: "A true elder brother ensures his sister never faces danger in the first place."
Kamisato Ayato: "Well said."
Lyney: "Absolutely."
Gepard: "I support that."
Every older brother in the chat agreed wholeheartedly.
What was the point of dying in place of your sister?
A real older sibling eliminated the danger before it ever reached her.
Wasn't that better?
On the plain, Barbara slowly opened her eyes.
"Whew… that was close. I almost died."
She touched her throat with lingering fear.
The pain was still there.
Who would have thought that the Jean from her simulation—who had spent most of her life scheming against her—would ultimately sacrifice herself to save her?
Barbara raised her head and glared at Miyabi.
This time, she was genuinely angry.
The Jean who vanished wasn't the real Jean.
But she was still her sister.
Barbara waved her hand.
A magnificent white warhorse materialized beneath her.
"Get her!"
All one hundred knights summoned their own steeds, mounted up, and charged.
Though there were only a hundred of them, their momentum was like that of an entire army.
"Damn it."
Miyabi clicked her tongue.
Not only had her Noble Phantasm failed to eliminate Barbara, but she herself was injured.
Without hesitation, she turned and fled.
She had always had the option to retreat.
The only reason she'd stayed was to uncover Barbara's mysterious ability.
Now that she knew Barbara wasn't as straightforward as she looked, there was no reason to continue.
Her speed far exceeded that of the charging cavalry.
With a few leaps, she disappeared into the horizon.
Barbara huffed.
"Hmph. Lucky for you that you're fast."
She knew she couldn't catch Miyabi, so she reluctantly dismissed her Noble Phantasm.
Then she began thinking.
What exactly was Miyabi's Noble Phantasm?
Barbara had already fallen victim to it once.
If she couldn't understand how it worked, she would almost certainly be caught by it again.
"Wait… what was her Noble Phantasm again?"
Barbara froze.
To her horror, she realized she couldn't remember.
She knew she had been struck by some kind of hidden trick.
She knew Jean had sacrificed herself to save her.
But the exact mechanism of Miyabi's Noble Phantasm had completely vanished from her mind.
"Not good. I need to leave."
Her heart pounded.
Something that had happened only moments ago had already become a blank spot in her memory.
Barbara shivered and hurried away.
As both combatants departed, silence returned to the plain.
An eyeball-shaped familiar hidden nearby shattered soundlessly and sank into the earth.
Inside a residential house:
"Well?"
Ningguang slowly exhaled after receiving the familiar's report.
"Assassin has retreated. Rider's Noble Phantasm can summon soldiers, though that may not be its strongest effect."
Her expression turned grave.
Rider was troublesome enough.
She could apparently survive even after being killed.
Beidou leaned against the window.
"And Assassin? What's her Noble Phantasm?"
Ningguang frowned.
"Assassin's Noble Phantasm is… is…"
She stopped.
A heavy look entered her eyes.
She had personally observed the battle through magecraft.
Her familiar had witnessed Miyabi activate the Noble Phantasm directly in front of them.
And yet she couldn't remember the effect at all.
Beidou straightened.
"Wait. You mean she used it, but you can't recall what it does?"
"Exactly."
Ningguang looked at Beidou seriously.
"I remember seeing it activate. But the effect is completely gone from my memory."
Beidou whistled softly.
"So it can do that?"
Ningguang nodded.
"Assassin likely possesses a Noble Phantasm that interferes with cognition."
"Like the Masters' cognitive interference?"
"Something similar."
"That's a nasty ability."
Beidou immediately saw the problem.
If they forgot the details of her Noble Phantasm every time they saw it, they would never be able to develop a strategy against her.
Their opponents could learn everything about them, while they remained completely in the dark.
"Don't panic," Ningguang said calmly.
"For now, we stay hidden."
"Let someone else deal with that Assassin."
Just then, another report arrived.
Ningguang closed her eyes and connected to her second familiar.
In front of the church, Jean and Yanagi Tsukishiro stood before the doors.
"Are you sure this is the place?"
"I think so. It's the only church in the eastern district."
To be honest, Jean was beginning to doubt herself.
In her mind, a church should be solemn and sacred.
But the building before them sounded more like a bustling marketplace.
The constant clack-clack-clack noises from inside suggested someone was hammering on something.
"Since we're already here, we may as well go in."
"Agreed."
The two women exchanged a glance and pushed open the doors.
"Computer #3! One cup of instant noodles! Seriously, Diluc, you stole my equipment again!"
"Computer #4! Two colas and one cup of noodles! Give me that gear, and the next one is yours."
"Big Brother Valerius! Klee wants cola too! Five bottles! Qiqi, Diona, Hook, and Yaoyao want some as well!"
"Bronya! Let's settle this once and for all! I bought new outfits!"
"Bring it on! Concrete included!"
Jean rubbed her eyes.
Then she stepped back outside and looked up at the sign.
"No mistake. This is definitely a church."
She looked back inside at the chaotic scene.
The place was packed.
Everywhere she looked were familiar faces.
Faces of people she knew weren't even participating in the Holy Grail War.
What on earth were they all doing here?
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