"..."
"..."
"..."
How exactly was one supposed to describe the exaggerated situation unfolding before their eyes?
Looking at Miyu, who was calmly holding the recovered Class Card, Rin Tohsaka, Luvia Edelfelt, and Illyasviel were all at a complete loss for words.
To call Miyu a magician...
But the way she fought didn't resemble anything related to traditional magecraft. In fact, her methods were entirely outside the realm of anything they had ever witnessed.
Ignoring the stunned expressions of the three women and the two magical wands, Miyu simply walked toward them, her movements steady and silent.
"Recovery of the Caster card is complete."
Her composed, effortless demeanor was almost irritatingly impressive.
"Cough... well done! Miyu, I'd expect nothing less from you."
"There really is a massive divide between you and certain... provincial magicians, isn't there?"
Luvia was the first to regain her composure. She placed a hand on her hip and let out a stiff cough, her eyes darting toward Rin as she spoke.
"Hey!!"
"You're talking big, but it's not like you were the one who taught her, was it?"
"You just happened to be lucky enough to cross paths with her."
Rin knew exactly who the other woman was talking about, even without a direct mention of her name.
Her temper flared, and the two women locked hands, their posture resembling a pair of sumo wrestlers preparing for a match.
"They're at it again..."
"Indeed..."
Magical Ruby and Magical Sapphire hovered in the air, letting out a synchronized sigh at the immaturity of their respective owners.
"Miyu... are you a magician?"
Only Illya remained staring at Miyu with a look of wide-eyed curiosity.
She had heard bits and pieces from Rin and Ruby.
She knew that the world was populated by individuals known as "Magicians."
Based on Miyu's performance, she had assumed that the girl's abilities were some form of legendary "Magecraft."
"I don't really understand how you did it, but Miyu, you're incredible!"
Illya's eyes were sparkling, as if she were looking at a fascinating new toy.
Excellent grades, top-tier physical abilities, and even such a staggering level of combat proficiency...
In Illya's eyes, aside from her cold and seemingly unapproachable personality, Miyu was the very definition of "Perfect."
Under Illya's intense gaze, Miyu could feel nothing but a sense of genuine, heartfelt admiration.
It wasn't a superficial compliment; it was a sincere expression of wonder.
Miyu remained silent for a long moment.
She wasn't a "Magician."
She understood that better than anyone else.
Stand.
The power she had acquired during that war.
Sakatsuki.
The name she had given her representative, an existence that continued to grow alongside her.
A power capable of recording the "Things" it encountered and utilizing their strength.
It meant that the more Miyu experienced, the stronger [Sakatsuki] would become.
It was essentially a miniature "Throne of Heroes" manifesting within her own soul.
'Is your choice the same as his?'
'Yes. My brother's wish is what I will achieve first.'
'When I truly need Mister Jotaro's help, I will call for him.'
'Yare yare daze...'
Having entrusted her ultimate wish to that invincible man, Miyu was now focused on fulfilling the desire of "Shirou Emiya."
The wish to create a world where Miyu would never have to suffer again.
A world where she could meet kind and gentle friends, and where they could all laugh together.
A world where she could enjoy a small, warm, and ordinary sense of happiness.
The reason she was here, in this reality, was because of "Shirou Emiya's" wish.
And once that wish was fully realized, she would call upon "Jotaro Kujo" to bring her brother to her side.
"By the way... why hasn't the space collapsed yet?"
"Now that you mention it... that's right. Even though the enemy has been defeated, the reversal is exceptionally slow this time."
Ruby and Sapphire finally noticed the abnormality in their surroundings.
CLACK!
An ominous presence began to approach. Miyu was the first to react, her instincts immediately flaring.
The war she had survived had made her incredibly sensitive to her environment.
There was a second... enemy!
Realizing this, she dropped into a defensive stance.
SWISH!
The sound of air being torn apart echoed through the space as a massive bolt of black light came screaming toward them.
[Sakatsuki]!
[Recorder]!
[Archer (Homura Akemi)]!
Without a moment's hesitation, she activated her Stand's power. The entire space, including the approaching black light, was suddenly frozen in time.
Illya, Rin, and Luvia were all caught in the temporal suspension.
"There's one more..."
Miyu walked forward, her eyes landing on the figure clad in pitch-black armor. The enemy's face was obscured, and they held an ominous demonic sword in their hand.
'Before I handle the enemy, I should ensure their safety.'
Miyu ignored the enemy for a moment and looked toward the three frozen figures.
Archer's ability possessed a very convenient secondary effect.
By coming into physical contact with others, she could grant them the ability to move within the stopped time.
It was a perfect tool for collaborative actions.
She manifested three bands of light from [Sakatsuki] and wrapped them around the wrists of Illya, Rin, and Luvia. Through this connection, she extended the temporal immunity to the three of them.
"!"
"Wait... what?"
"Huh?"
It was obvious that neither the three women nor the two wands understood what had just happened. They were still struggling to process the shift in their perception.
"I'll explain later. For now, can you move out of the line of fire?"
Miyu's voice snapped them out of their confusion.
They immediately scrambled toward her, their hearts pounding in their chests.
"There was a second enemy?!"
"Nobody said anything about that!"
If it hadn't been for Miyu's intervention, they likely would have been in a world of trouble.
"But... what exactly is going on here?"
"Everything in the space seems to be... stopped."
"It's just a temporal suspension."
Ruby was tilting its head, looking around with a look of pure confusion, when Miyu offered her straightforward explanation.
"TIME STOP?!!"
"JUST?!"
The response sent Rin and Luvia into a state of mental shock.
Were they really hearing this correctly?
They hadn't had time to ask questions during the heat of battle, but hearing Miyu state it so nonchalantly was almost as terrifying as the enemy itself.
"Could we perhaps not focus on the semantics right now?"
"While I can maintain this state almost indefinitely thanks to my mana reserves, it would be much more productive to defeat the enemy first."
Miyu spoke with her characteristic logic. She wasn't interested in providing complicated explanations in the middle of a conflict.
Those conversations could wait until the battle was over.
"The opponent possesses a dense magical barrier. Standard attacks aren't going to penetrate it."
"A single, decisive strike is our safest option."
Miyu continued, her eyes fixed on the black-clad knight.
"Then..."
Illya was about to volunteer for the task, but Miyu stepped in to stop her.
"As a magical girl, you are still too weak."
"Since I need to maintain the temporal suspension, you should use this."
Recognizing Illya's current limitations, Miyu decided to lend her a specific power to ensure the mission's success.
[Recorder]! [Stand User]!
[Okuyasu Nijimura]!
Illya didn't understand what Miyu had done, but Rin and Luvia watched as something impossible happened.
Illya approached the enemy and delivered a single, simple swing of her magical wand.
In that instant, the seemingly invincible Servant was literally scraped out of existence, sliced clean in half by an invisible force.
Their jaws dropped. They didn't even know where to begin asking questions.
"Miyu... who exactly are you?"
After calmly recovering the "Saber" card, Miyu found herself at the center of everyone's attention.
She offered her explanation in the same detached, calm tone she always used.
"I'm not a magician."
"I'm just an ordinary..."
"Stand User."
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]