Jiang You's eyelid twitched. Hasn't the brainwashing effect of Nero's Noble Phantasm worn off yet? He glanced over and detected faint magical power signatures from the group. They were Magus, no doubt about it.
Jiang You relaxed. They must have sensed the changes in their bodies and decided to abandon their humanity.
"Umu, see? Even without My Noble Phantasm, many still flock to My side."
Prisma Illya was utterly stunned. She looked at the Magi, only to find them glaring back at her with faces full of resentment. The sight shattered her confidence. She couldn't understand.
Seeing Prisma Illya's wavering gaze, Nero pressed her advantage. "Hmph, such is My charisma. Why not simply concede? Losing to Me is only natural. There's no need to be disheartened!"
"No!"
Prisma Illya quickly recovered. She couldn't save everyone, so she would save those who wanted to be saved.
"What you're doing is wrong! They have the right to choose, and I won't let you force them! Give them back their normal lives!"
"I am merely showcasing My art. How dare you accuse Me of forcing them?"
Nero was furious now. Even if Prisma Illya was Jiang You's miko, she absolutely could not tolerate having her art disparaged again and again. Prisma Illya had to apologize!
"I will defeat you! Bring it on!"
Prisma Illya LP: 4000
Nero LP: 4000
"I have to stop you, so I'm taking the first turn!"
Prisma Illya decisively seized the initiative.
"I'll allow it. In the end, I will be the one to win!"
Nero was supremely confident. Even with Prisma Illya now serving as Jiang You's miko, the gap between them was immense. She was a Servant who held the titles of both Roman Emperor and God of Music—far beyond the league of a mere elementary schooler. After winning, Nero decided she would thoroughly educate Prisma Illya on the finer points of art. As a miko, it was only natural for her to serve her god properly.
"My turn! First, I Normal Summon myself!"
Since becoming Jiang You's miko, Prisma Illya had acquired a new Deck. While she still had her old Magical Girl cards, the Miko Deck was better suited for going first.
Prisma Illya appeared in the Battle Zone. Her casual clothes transformed into a dress resembling the Dress of Heaven, its main color scheme now gold and black—in short, exactly the kind of style Jiang You liked.
Prisma Illya glanced at her new outfit. She felt she was almost getting used to wearing these embarrassing clothes. It was just that there were far too many people watching this time. She tugged at the hem of her dress, trying to cover more of herself, then shot a fierce glare at Jiang You. She had never seen this outfit before; it had to be his doing.
Next came the card's effect.
[Twin Miko Illya]Level 2 Foreigner / ATK 1000
1: If you control no other Servants and this card is Summoned or Special Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 "Chloe" Servant from your hand or Deck.
2: As long as this card is in the Monster Zone, your opponent cannot Summon monsters unless they pay 1000 Life Points.
3: A Foreigner Xyz Monster that has this card as an Xyz Material gains Effect 2.
"Twin Miko?"
Illya didn't understand why she had this prefix. She didn't have any sisters, did she? "Whatever! In that case, I Special Summon 'Chloe' from my Deck!"
Another dark-skinned "Illya" appeared on the field, wearing a standard red-and-white Dress of Heaven. She stretched out her arm, bewildered, and curiously surveyed her surroundings.
[Twin Miko Chloe]Level 2 Foreigner / ATK 1000
1: If you control no other Servants and this card is Summoned or Special Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 "Illya" Servant from your hand or Deck.
2: As long as this card is in the Monster Zone, each time your opponent successfully Summons a monster, you gain 1000 Life Points.
3: A Foreigner Xyz Monster that has this card as an Xyz Material gains Effect 2.
"What is this, an Xyz version of Live☆Twins?"
Jiang You glanced at the effects. Without Effect 3, they were basically identical to the Live☆Twins, except the focus was on countering Summons instead of attacks. Illya's effect, forcing the opponent to pay 1000 Life Points for each Summon, was a massive upgrade. It was extremely unfriendly to combo-heavy decks.
However, it wasn't as effective in the Type-Moon World, where Summons didn't require stepping stones. Still, it was quite good.
"Chloe?"
Prisma Illya stared at the girl who looked exactly like her, save for her darker skin and different clothing colors. It felt as if she had suddenly gained a sister. She had a general idea of how Jiang You's Noble Phantasm worked, so she assumed this must be her sister from a parallel world.
"Are you my older sister or my younger sister?"
"Chloe?"
Chloe echoed the question. "Who's Chloe? I'm Illya!"
"How can that be?" Prisma Illya thought Chloe was joking. "You're clearly different from me. What kind of Illya has dark skin?"
"Dark skin?"
Chloe—also known as Kuro—glanced at her own hands. At this moment, she hadn't yet figured out her identity. Like in the original story, she should possess most of Illya's memories. Seeing her skin color, she let out a shocked cry. "Eeeeh?!"
"See? I'm the real Illya."
Prisma Illya didn't understand why Chloe was so shocked by her own skin color. Although she also found the skin tone a bit strange, Chloe's appearance clearly indicated they were related. Her facial features were characteristic of the Einzbern family, and so was her name.
Jiang You's Noble Phantasm could summon her, so it definitely wouldn't create someone out of thin air. But where in the Einzbern lineage did dark skin come from? Could she be... Mommy's... illegitimate child?!
"Stop right there!"
Jiang You once again received Prisma Illya's thoughts—the mental images were already starting to form. This kid was asking for a beating; she'd probably end up facing a combined assault from Kiritsugu and Irisviel.
"I'll explain Kuro's situation in detail later. If you keep thinking about this stuff, I'm telling your mom."
Prisma Illya finally reined in her wild imagination, glaring at Jiang You with a mix of shame and anger.
"Turn off your mind-reading!"
"Then stop thinking about me!"
This was precisely why invoking a god's name directly was always considered taboo. Besides, gods didn't want to listen to all their followers' endless rambling, did they?
"You're the real Illya? Then who am I?"
Kuro glanced at Jiang You. He had called her "Kuro," a nickname only someone who knew her would use. Her gaze fixed on him, desperate for an answer.
"You're Chloe. Chloe von Einzbern. It's written right on your card."
Prisma Illya pointed at Chloe's card.