Chapter 135: Let Me See if You're Developing Normally
Wishing upon the Holy Grail—
Hoping that this world could become one where Sakatsuki Miyu would no longer suffer. Hoping she could meet kind people. Hoping she could make friends to laugh with, and finally grasp a happiness that belongs to her...
This was the wish made by the Emiya Shirou of the Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya world—more specifically, the parallel world where Sakatsuki Miyu originated—after he tore through the Holy Grail War in a single night and made his request to Miyu, the Child of God (the Grail).
To put it simply: the wish was to allow Sakatsuki Miyu to travel to a beautiful world where she no longer had to shoulder the pain of saving her own dying world, allowing her to start life anew.
This was a match. Even accounting for the world where Illya lives in Prisma Illya, the world inhabited by the current Emiya Shirou—who had also just torn through a Holy Grail War in a single night—was perfectly suited for Miyu's arrival.
Furthermore, in the original Prisma Illya story, Miyu had to encounter Luvia and work as a Magical Girl just to solve the problem of getting her next meal in a new world. But this Emiya Shirou, possessing memories of a past life, truly recognized Sakatsuki Miyu.
There was no way he would leave her to fend for herself.
Combined with the "Heroic Spirit Relics" on his person and a "tiny" bit of cheating by the Counter Force, Miyu's crossing into this specific world was hardly a low-probability event.
In other words...
—'As I thought, the reason [Hermit Purple] couldn't find the Grail wasn't just interference from the massive mana here; it was because the Grail no longer exists in this world.
[Hermit Purple] naturally cannot produce an image of something that isn't there.'
While comforting Miyu, Shirou recalled the plot from his past-life memories where the entire leyline environment of Fuyuki City changed as a result.
'But the connection remains...
Even if the Greater Grail was displaced to another parallel world, one of [Atum]'s hands is still gripping the mana inside it.'
Thinking this, Shirou secretly glanced at the missing arm of [Pseudo-Atum]—visible only to him as a Stand User—and felt the Greater Grail's magical energy being continuously drained through that invisible limb and the Stand's ability.
'This isn't just because once [Atum]'s ability successfully triggers, the target cannot escape its grasp regardless of distance unless I personally release it.
It's also because this 'displacement' itself likely has flaws and defects.
It's like forcing an incompatible part onto a machine. It looks fine normally, but the moment it encounters a slightly larger external force, that part is prone to flying off.
That's why in the memories I have, Gilgamesh's [Enuma Elish] was able to pierce through the distance between two worlds.
Allowing Angelica and the others from the parallel world to reach Illya's world...'
Of course, it was also possible that in the Prisma Illya world, at the final moment of Emiya Shirou's wish being realized, Angelica released [Enuma Elish] to shatter his Reality Marble. As an Anti-World beam, after destroying [Unlimited Blade Works], its momentum continued forward and interfered with Miyu's crossing. This resulted in the Gilgamesh Class Card also crossing over into Illya's world, and once [Enuma Elish] was unleashed there, it violently bridged the two worlds.
Regardless of which possibility was true, the displacement caused by Miyu's crossing had made these two worlds highly unstable. The fact that they could connect was beyond doubt.
This was likely the Counter Force's true objective. Much like in Fate/Apocrypha, where the Counter Force used Jeanne d'Arc to "abduct" Sieg to the Reverse Side of the World after he transformed into a Phantasmal Dragon, it had now thrown out Sakatsuki Miyu as bait.
It presented Emiya Shirou with a difficult problem: these two worlds were likely to bridge again. And the only few ways to save the world involved sacrificing Miyu, or potentially dragging their world's Illya into the mess.
If Shirou wanted to save everyone without sacrificing anyone, he would likely have to "stand alone against the ages" just like the Illya from the Prisma Illya series. Naturally, the plan to simply wish upon the Greater Grail was being derailed by this series of events.
As Shirou began to ponder how to handle this, Tohsaka Rin—who had also heard Shirou's "brotherly recognition"—reacted differently than Miyu, who was feeling disappointed that the Shirou before her wasn't the one she knew.
Rin's eyes were practically glowing as she stared at Miyu. It wasn't that she had sensed Miyu's nature as a Child of God, but rather that the Tohsaka family, aside from their wish for the Root, wanted nothing more than to complete the "homework" left to them by the Second Magician, Zelretch: the Jeweled Sword capable of drawing infinite mana from parallel worlds.
Having now laid eyes on a traveler from a parallel world, how could Rin not be excited? If Miyu—who hadn't yet adapted to this new world—hadn't instinctively hidden behind Shirou, Rin might have already tried to "inspect" Miyu's body to see if she was "developing normally."
However, compared to Shirou and Rin, who had their own focuses, Saber was still anxious. She cared little for these diversions and tried to pull the topic back.
"Shirou, the Grail!
Now that we've gathered the conditions to summon the Grail, shouldn't we prioritize making the wish?"
Since Miyu wasn't an enemy, everything else could wait. Saber was desperate to go back in time and save Britain.
Hearing this, Miyu shrank even further behind Shirou's back. Sensing her movement, Shirou spoke with a hint of helplessness:
"...Regrettably, Saber. Do you remember what I said earlier to Archer?"
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