"Now, I enter the Battle Phase!"
Since her next turn had been skipped, it was pointless for Nero to activate [Outer God's Privilege] from her Graveyard. She gave up resisting. Prisma Illya easily attacked Nero directly. Through a series of burn effects, Nero's Life Points dropped to zero, and she lost the Duel.
Nero LP 6300 → LP 2800 → LP 1300 → LP 0!
"Hmph, hmph! I won!"
The Little Dragon Girl swayed her chubby tail, striking the pose of a judge.
"What's this got to do with you?"
Seeing her smug, triumphant look, Jiang You couldn't resist lecturing her. After a Duel ends, summoned beings, if they wish, have the right to stay and say a few words. "It's not your turn on stage yet. Get lost."
"My Lord, you're being too biased!" the Dragon Girl complained, tapping her foot on the ground. "Nero gets to move freely, but I haven't had a single chance to appear!"
"I didn't summon Nero intentionally, either."
Nero was still technically Gudako's Servant, but due to their fused Spirit Origins, she was now closer to Jiang You (in a subordinate relationship), just like the Dragon Girl. Still, gaining more allies wasn't a bad thing. Jiang You decided to treat it like a Servant collection game.
"I'll summon you next time I get the chance, alright?"
"You said it! A person of your status wouldn't go back on their word, right?"
The Dragon Girl rubbed her hands together excitedly. She had long wanted to challenge Nero to a musical showdown. They rarely had the chance to manifest in the mortal realm together—how could she let this opportunity slip by?
The Dragon Girl's intentions were written all over her face. Jiang You could only hope they would spare the poor souls here. "When you two Duel, find an empty place..."
"No! This can't be happening!"
After Nero lost the Duel, the first to erupt were certain Magi in the audience. As mentioned before, as long as they could get closer to the Root or gain greater power, Magi didn't care whether they could retain their human identity. They saw it as a shortcut to ascend to a higher level. Now that Prisma Illya had won, it meant they had lost this opportunity. Their reaction was even more extreme than Nero's.
"Did I do something wrong?"
Watching the frantic Magi in the audience, Prisma Illya was bewildered. Shouldn't preserving one's humanity be a good thing? Although she had previously said people should have the right to choose, she never imagined anyone would actually want this.
"They'll quiet down once they meet a real Outer God."
Jiang You actually knew an Outer God in its true form. Nero needed her Noble Phantasm (or her singing) to inflict Mental Pollution, and even then, she only wanted to create a stage for her performance. The effects of other Outer Gods were far more severe.
"I can't quite figure out what's going on anymore."
Medea rubbed her head, surveying the scene. Nero's Spirit Origin was definitely compromised, and so was Jiang You's. Yet, Jiang You's personality seemed unaffected; Prisma Illya's Deck showed he was still acting based on his original principles and mindset. Nero, on the other hand, was acting strangely deferential toward Jiang You. Medea could only be certain that something had happened.
"In any case... it's a good thing this mess is resolved."
Medusa also felt a throbbing headache. The aftereffects of Nero's singing still hadn't subsided. If she had known this would happen, she wouldn't have stayed behind to cover the rear and suffer through this ordeal.
"Miss Nero, you should now honor your promise, deactivate your Noble Phantasm, and undo the effects you've caused, right?"
Prisma Illya stared at the collapsed Nero, reminding her. The misty long dress that had once covered the entire stage had now shrunk to only cover her calves, looking as listless as she did.
"I, of course, keep my word..."
Nero struggled to her feet. She wasn't the type to go back on her word—though under the influence of the Shadow Game, she couldn't have cheated even if she wanted to.
"But... I don't seem to be able to undo the effects that have already occurred. This Spirit Origin tells me it can't..."
"Don't worry. Jiang You already asked someone about this."
Prisma Illya produced the [Seal of Azathoth] card. With a flicker in her hand, it transformed into an ancient stone seal. "Stone" wasn't entirely accurate, though; if you looked away and then back, you'd find it had turned to wood. Or perhaps bone. Or even a seal-shaped lump of flesh. Its defining feature was its sheer instability.
"This will hurt a little. Please bear with it."
With that, Prisma Illya smashed the huge seal against Nero's forehead.
As Nero's eyes rolled back and she collapsed to the ground, the "Golden Theater" crumbled around them. The farce had finally come to an end.
"Speaking of which, at this point, Prisma Illya's identity is as good as exposed, isn't it? Are you trying to turn this Fuyuki into a mess like the other one?"
After the Noble Phantasm's space collapsed, the group returned to their starting point: the hotel. The people who had been "captured" (physically) by Nero's song were ejected as well. Medea gazed down at the teeming crowd below. It seemed the entire city of Fuyuki now knew Prisma Illya's identity. She would likely have to say goodbye to her normal life.
"Oh, that? To eliminate the Mental Pollution from the Outer God, we had to completely remove the related memories—specifically, everything connected to Nero's song. So, after today, they'll lose all memory of this incident. It won't cause Prisma Illya too much trouble."
Jiang You had already discussed this with Prisma Illya; this outcome was exactly what they'd planned for. "Besides, she's not ready to become the city's star. The thought of everyone watching her every day strikes her as incredibly troublesome."
"Just because you can read my mind doesn't mean you should speak for me, okay?"
Prisma Illya kicked Jiang You's shin. He had just voiced her exact thoughts.
"Well, this is for the best," she said. "I can keep being an elementary school student. Becoming a big shot or something... that's still way too much for me."
"However, the Magi will likely retain some of their memories. As members of the Einzbern family, Sella and the others probably won't be affected either."
Jiang You threw cold water on her hopes. "So that ordinary life you crave is still slipping away from you~"
"This is all your fault! You jerk!"
Prisma Illya lunged at Jiang You, unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks without restraint. Knowing her attacks couldn't actually hurt him, she didn't hold back at all.
"Get your subordinates in line!"
"Where... am I?"
Illya awoke to find herself in a library. A white-haired girl sat at a nearby desk, writing something.
"I've been waiting for you."
The white-haired girl smiled at Illya.
"Miss Illya."