The night did not feel like a victory.
It felt… quieter.
Illya hovered a few meters above the ground, arms slightly outstretched, trying to keep herself steady. The air moved differently up here. Lighter. Less certain.
"…I'm doing it," she murmured.
Not surprised.
Just confirming.
Below her, Miyu lifted off the ground—only slightly. A few centimeters at most. Her posture remained perfectly straight, even as her balance wavered.
She held it.
Then slowly descended.
No stumble this time.
Illya smiled faintly.
"You got better."
Miyu gave a small nod. "So did you."
That was enough.
No celebration.
No excitement.
Just acknowledgment.
Upstairs, the window remained open.
Her brother stood there for a moment, watching them.
They were higher now.
Not much.
But enough to notice.
He didn't think about it long.
Just turned away.
The next day passed without interruption.
Too quietly.
Illya found herself glancing at the sky more often than usual.
Expecting something.
Nothing came.
Until it did.
"Reaction detected!"
Ruby's voice cut through the stillness of the afternoon.
Illya froze.
Rin arrived moments later, already focused.
"Location's close," she said. "We move now."
Miyu was already there.
She didn't ask questions.
She didn't need to.
The Mirror Road opened.
Familiar now.
Less overwhelming.
Still wrong.
The city emptied as they stepped through.
And this time—
They didn't hesitate.
Caster floated above them.
Exactly where she had been before.
Untouched.
Unchanged.
Illya moved first.
She pushed upward, steady this time, rising into the air without losing control. It wasn't graceful—but it worked.
Miyu followed.
Lower.
But enough.
Caster reacted immediately.
Magic circles flared to life.
Light gathered.
Then—
Fired.
Illya twisted midair, barely avoiding the first barrage. Miyu shifted sharply to the side, her movement cleaner, more efficient.
"Now!" Rin called.
Illya fired.
This time, the beam didn't scatter.
It struck.
Caster's defenses flickered.
Miyu moved in.
Fast.
Precise.
Her attack landed immediately after Illya's.
The timing wasn't perfect.
But it was close enough.
Caster faltered.
Just for a second.
That was all they needed.
Illya pushed forward again, ignoring the strain in her arms, focusing only on holding her aim steady.
"Again!"
Miyu adjusted instantly.
Second strike.
Cleaner.
Sharper.
The defenses broke.
Caster shattered.
The card fell.
Silence returned.
Illya hovered for a moment longer before slowly descending.
Her breathing was uneven.
But steady.
"…We did it," she said quietly.
Not loudly.
Not triumphantly.
Just—
Stating it.
Miyu picked up the card.
She examined it briefly, then lowered her hand.
"…Yes," she said.
Nothing more.
For a moment, everything felt aligned.
They had failed.
They had trained.
And now—
They had won.
Then the air changed.
Illya felt it before she understood it.
A pressure.
Heavier than before.
Not chaotic.
Not overwhelming.
Just—
Present.
She looked up.
Something stood there.
It hadn't been there a second ago.
And yet—
It felt like it had always been there.
Armored.
Still.
A sword resting at its side.
Saber.
Illya's breath caught.
Not out of fear.
Not yet.
Just—
Instinct.
This was different.
Rin didn't speak immediately.
Miyu didn't move.
Even Ruby stayed silent.
Saber took one step forward.
That was enough.
Illya reacted first.
She fired.
The beam struck directly.
No hesitation.
No doubt.
It hit—
And vanished.
Not deflected.
Not blocked.
Just—
Gone.
Illya froze.
"…What?"
Miyu moved.
Faster than before.
She closed the distance instantly and struck.
Clean.
Precise.
Perfect angle—
Stopped.
The blade didn't reach.
It couldn't.
Something invisible held it back.
A layer.
A boundary.
Saber didn't move.
Not even slightly.
Then—
She did.
One step.
One motion.
One swing.
Illya barely raised her wand in time.
The impact threw her backward.
Air tore from her lungs as she hit the ground.
Miyu slid back several meters, boots scraping against the fractured pavement.
Silence followed.
Rin exhaled slowly.
"…That's not good."
Saber didn't advance immediately.
She simply stood there.
Waiting.
And for the first time—
Illya understood.
This wasn't something they could overwhelm.
Illya forced herself to breathe.
Once.
Twice.
Her arms still ached from the impact. The place where Saber's strike had connected throbbed faintly, even through the barrier of her transformation.
She pushed herself up.
"…I hit her," Illya said quietly, more to herself than anyone else. "I know I did."
Rin didn't answer immediately.
Because there was nothing to correct.
She had.
It just hadn't mattered.
Miyu stepped forward again.
Careful this time.
Measured.
She didn't rush.
Didn't commit.
She watched.
Saber stood exactly where she had been.
No shift in stance.
No adjustment.
Nothing to suggest the previous exchange had even registered.
Miyu moved.
A quick step in.
A precise strike—
Stopped.
Again.
That same invisible resistance.
Her attack slowed just before reaching its target, as if the air itself had thickened into something solid.
Miyu pulled back immediately.
"…A barrier," she said.
Rin nodded. "Not a simple one."
Illya tightened her grip on her wand.
"Then we break it," she said.
Before anyone could respond, she moved.
Upward.
Faster than before.
Her control wasn't perfect—but it held.
She angled herself above Saber, gathering energy, focusing everything into a single point.
No hesitation.
Not this time.
She fired.
The beam crashed down from above—
Direct hit.
For a moment—
It looked like it worked.
The air rippled.
Light bent.
The barrier became visible.
Then—
It stabilized.
Unaffected.
The attack faded.
Like it had never been there.
Illya's heart dropped.
"…That's not fair."
"Magic isn't fair," Rin replied flatly.
Saber moved again.
This time, she didn't wait.
She stepped forward—
And vanished.
Illya's eyes widened.
"Where—"
Too late.
The strike came from the side.
Fast.
Clean.
Unavoidable.
Miyu intercepted.
Barely.
Steel met steel—
The force pushed her back instantly, her feet dragging across the ground as she absorbed the impact.
She held.
For a second.
Then broke away.
"Don't engage head-on," Miyu said, her voice steady but sharper now.
Illya nodded quickly.
"…Right."
They adjusted.
Illya stayed airborne.
Miyu kept her distance.
They moved in turns now—
One attacking.
One watching.
Trying to create an opening.
Trying to force a reaction.
Nothing changed.
Saber responded only when necessary.
Minimal movement.
Perfect timing.
Every attack met with exactly the amount of force required.
No wasted motion.
No openings left behind.
Illya fired again.
Closer.
Stronger.
The result didn't change.
Miyu circled.
Looking.
Analyzing.
Her eyes tracked every shift in Saber's stance.
Every small movement.
Every possible weakness—
There weren't any.
"…We can't reach her," Illya said under her breath.
Not physically.
Not meaningfully.
Rin clicked her tongue.
"You're starting to get it."
Another step.
Saber advanced again.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
Each step forced them back.
Reduced their space.
Limited their movement.
Pressure.
Not explosive.
Not overwhelming.
Constant.
Illya misstepped.
Just slightly.
Her balance shifted.
Her control slipped—
For a fraction of a second.
That was enough.
Saber moved instantly.
Faster than before.
Closing the distance in a single motion.
Blade already descending—
"Miyu—!"
Miyu reacted.
She didn't block.
She didn't counter.
She moved Illya.
Pulled her out of the path of the strike just in time—
The blade struck the ground.
The impact shattered the pavement beneath them.
Shockwave.
Dust.
Silence.
Illya's breath came out uneven.
"…That was close."
Miyu didn't respond immediately.
She was watching Saber.
Carefully.
"…We're not keeping up," she said quietly.
Rin stepped forward slightly.
Not entering the fight.
But closer than before.
"You're not supposed to," she said.
Illya looked at her.
"What does that mean?"
Rin didn't answer right away.
Because Saber had started moving again.
And this time—
She didn't stop.
Saber did not stop.
The distance they had barely maintained collapsed in an instant.
Illya rose higher on instinct, forcing herself upward, trying to stay out of reach. The air wavered around her as she struggled to keep control and awareness at the same time.
"Miyu—!"
"I see her," Miyu replied.
Calm.
But faster now.
Sharper.
Saber closed the gap again.
No wasted motion.
No hesitation.
Just inevitability.
Illya fired.
Point-blank.
The beam struck—
And vanished.
Again.
Her breath caught.
"…Why isn't it working?"
Miyu moved in immediately after.
Different angle.
Better timing.
Her strike landed—
No.
It didn't.
It stopped just short again.
That same invisible layer.
Untouched.
She pulled back.
Not frustrated.
Not panicked.
Just certain.
"…We can't break it."
Rin exhaled slowly.
"You're finally seeing the problem."
Another step.
Saber advanced.
Closer now.
Closer than before.
Too close.
Illya tried to reposition.
Her control slipped—
Just slightly.
Her foot missed empty air.
Her balance shifted—
Saber moved.
Instantly.
The blade was already descending.
Time slowed.
Illya saw it clearly.
Too close.
Too fast.
Too late—
A blast cut across the space between them.
Bright.
Violent.
A jewel detonated midair, forcing Saber's strike off-course.
The impact shifted just enough.
The blade missed.
Illya dropped hard to the ground.
Air left her lungs in a sharp gasp.
"Get up," Rin said sharply.
Illya pushed herself up, hands shaking.
"…We can't win like this," she said.
Not fear.
Not panic.
Just—
Truth.
Miyu didn't argue.
"…No."
Silence.
Short.
Heavy.
Saber stepped forward again.
Unstoppable.
Unchanging.
Rin clicked her tongue.
"There are two options."
Illya looked at her.
"Run," Rin said.
A beat.
"Or change the rules."
Illya swallowed.
Running meant—
Leaving it unfinished.
Letting something like this remain.
After everything—
After finally managing to win once—
Her grip tightened.
"…Then we change them."
Rin's gaze sharpened slightly.
"…You're sure?"
Illya didn't hesitate this time.
"Yes."
For the first time since the fight began—
Saber paused.
Just for a moment.
As if something had shifted.
Behind them, Luvia stepped forward, expression composed, almost pleased.
"Finally," she said softly.
Luviagelita Edelfelt adjusted her glove.
"I was beginning to think you wouldn't ask."
Rin exhaled through her nose.
"…Don't slow me down."
Their wands responded immediately.
Light gathered.
Not chaotic.
Not explosive.
Controlled.
Illya felt it.
Different from before.
Heavier.
Sharper.
She looked at Miyu.
Miyu gave a small nod.
They stepped back.
Instinctively.
Making space.
Saber shifted her stance.
The first real adjustment.
The air tightened.
Upstairs—
Far from the Mirror World—
In a quiet room untouched by any of this—
Illya's brother paused mid-step.
Something brushed against his thoughts.
Faint.
Distant.
Like a sound heard through walls.
He frowned slightly.
"…What…"
It disappeared.
Before he could grasp it.
Back in the Mirror World—
Light surged.
And for the first time—
Saber prepared.
Illya felt it before she saw it.
The pressure wasn't coming from Saber anymore.
It was behind her.
Rin stepped forward, expression sharp, irritation gone.
Focused now.
"Don't get in the way," she said.
Not to Illya.
To the battlefield itself.
Luvia moved beside her, posture elegant as ever.
"You took long enough to ask," she said lightly.
There was no real amusement in her voice.
Only readiness.
Their wands responded.
Light gathered—not wild, not unstable.
Refined.
Controlled.
Illya instinctively stepped back.
Miyu did the same.
Neither needed to be told.
Magic surged.
Not outward.
Inward.
Condensing.
Then—
It changed.
Rin's form shifted first.
Light wrapped around her, clean and precise, forming around her like armor built from intention rather than force.
Luvia followed.
Where Rin's magic was sharp, Luvia's flowed—layered, fluid, but no less controlled.
When the light faded—
They stood differently.
Not just transformed.
Aligned.
Saber moved.
For the first time since appearing—
She didn't wait.
The distance vanished instantly.
Blade already in motion.
Rin met it head-on.
A single step forward.
A jewel flared in her hand—
Impact.
The collision split the air.
Energy scattered violently outward, forcing Illya to shield her face.
Luvia moved immediately after.
Not toward Saber—
Around her.
Her strike wasn't direct.
It didn't aim for the body.
It struck the space around Saber.
The air distorted.
For a fraction of a second—
The invisible barrier revealed itself.
"Now," Luvia said.
Illya reacted without thinking.
She moved.
Upward.
Forward.
Her control held.
Her aim didn't waver.
She fired.
The beam struck the exposed layer.
For the first time—
It didn't disappear immediately.
It resisted.
Pressed.
Pushed.
Miyu followed.
Perfect timing.
Her strike landed exactly where Illya's attack had weakened the barrier.
A crack.
Small.
Barely visible.
But real.
Saber shifted.
Not retreating.
Adjusting.
Her blade moved again—
Faster than before.
Rin intercepted.
Barely.
The force pushed her back a step this time.
"Don't stop!" she snapped.
Illya held her position.
Even as her arms trembled.
Even as the pressure built.
Miyu moved again.
Cleaner.
Sharper.
More certain.
The crack widened.
For the first time—
Saber's defense wasn't absolute.
But—
It wasn't breaking fast enough.
Saber stepped forward.
Through the attack.
Through the pressure.
Ignoring it.
The blade rose again.
Closer.
Closer—
Illya felt it.
That same realization from before.
Even now—
Even like this—
They still couldn't win.
Not yet.
"Pull back!" Rin ordered.
This time, Illya didn't hesitate.
She disengaged immediately, dropping back and dragging the beam away before Saber's next strike could reach her.
Miyu followed.
Silent.
Precise.
The pressure lifted slightly.
Not gone.
But reduced.
They had created an opening.
They had landed a hit.
They had changed the flow.
But they hadn't won.
Saber stood where she had been.
Barrier intact—though no longer perfect.
Blade steady.
Unshaken.
Rin exhaled slowly.
"…Now you understand," she said.
Illya nodded.
Breathing uneven.
Arms heavy.
"…Yeah."
This wasn't like the others.
This wasn't something they could overpower.
Not yet.
Miyu looked at Saber.
Then at Illya.
"…Next time," she said quietly.
Illya met her gaze.
And nodded.
They didn't need to say more.
The Mirror World began to close.
Saber did not pursue.
She simply watched.
Waiting.
That night, the house was quiet.
Too quiet.
Illya lay awake, staring at the ceiling.
Her body ached.
Her mind didn't settle.
Across the hall, her brother stood by the window.
Looking out.
Not at anything in particular.
His hand rested lightly against the glass.
"…A sword…" he murmured.
The word felt unfamiliar.
And yet—
Not entirely.
He frowned slightly.
Then stepped away.
Outside—
The night remained still.