Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

In that instant, the vajra suddenly moved, exerting force and spreading outwards. Countless chaotic forces spread and shook Ilya's entire body with the pulsation of the air, affecting her muscles, nerves, blood vessels, and lymph nodes without exception. Silently, all the spreading forces burst forth, and she felt as if flames were rising from her abdomen, bringing a burning pain.

As expected, Ilya was shot down, her whole body wracked with pain, and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.

"Is this considered equal strength?"

Ruby couldn't help but shout. In her eyes, the new form that she and her sister Sapphire had created by merging into one was now being possessed by the strongest magical girl, Illya. How could such a situation occur when they were of equal power? After all, the two sisters were the old man's creations!

If Ruby hadn't truly sensed that Ivia's power had been significantly weakened compared to before, she would have wondered if she'd been tricked.

"Sister, it's just that the accuracy is too high now, and Lady Ilya is not used to it for a while. Although even if she gets used to it, it will probably be about the same."

Sapphire, on the other hand, remained as calm as ever.

Chloe, who was in charge of the covert operation, suddenly appeared behind Ivy the moment Ilya was defeated head-on. She extended a small knife towards Ivy's neck. Even though she was so close, the closer she got to the knife, the more she felt a painful sense of helplessness, as if the vast starry sky was pressing down on her.

At the same time, Ivia did not turn around, but simply pushed the vajra that was stretched forward backward, with a calm yet terrifying power that could destroy everything.

In that instant, Chloe's vision went black, her twin swords slipped from her hands, and she felt a chill run down her spine.

Only the gradually increasing gravity from afar told the pink-haired girl that she, like Ilya, was falling.

finished?

Ivia stretched out her other hand, clenched her fingers, and grabbed the cane that was hurtling towards her.

Between his five fingers, the cane was still buzzing, just a hair's breadth from his chest. It had been thrown from Luce to restrain Ivia's forces, but to Ivia, Luce's actions were childish and ridiculous; a cane shouldn't be used like that.

So he threw the cane out of his hand and stomped on it, which propelled him to a higher position, from which he swung it upwards.

There was no overwhelming momentum, no sense of distance, no feeling of violent tremors, and no sense of anything unusual.

However, it was enough to make the target involuntarily have a premonition that he was about to die.

Upon seeing this, Luce, who had come from the surface, grabbed Ilya and Chloe, who were both in a daze, and rushed to the ground.

As the seawater soaked their shoes, Luce, who had been kneeling in a gesture of worship, carefully grasped their hands and sighed.

"Just accept it, don't worry about it too much, it's not like we won't grow up anyway."

Luce then took a deep breath, placed their hands in each other's palms, and made a prayer-like gesture. In the fleeting light that followed, figures appeared. From a magical perspective, this was simply a transfer of magical energy.

However, this time it seemed to be different. It was as if they had crossed an unknown distance and received assistance from the void. They suddenly gained an unknown amount of magic power, which formed a wave that forcefully entangled the rushing light shot out by the Heavenly Wheel Cannon. At the same time, it forcefully transformed into two identical cards and merged into the bodies of the two people.

A series of vibrant lights emerged from Luce and the staff that had fallen beside him, merging into Chloe's back like a sun corona. Meanwhile, Illya's dim, wing-like magic shone like stars in the darkness, and pure light, as if transformed into the moon, gently fell behind Miyu, who was confronting Ryuka.

At the same time, the sea appeared before Ilya and Chloe, who had fallen into a deep sleep.

The waves come and go, go and come again.

Their eyes vaguely reflected this seemingly eternal repetition, and neither of them spoke, only the sounds of the wind and waves passing by.

"Hmm... The cane was given to the girl over there, but even so, you two did a good job, you've done a great job."

A sound arose from the seaside, a gentle sound, a sound that evoked longing.

Before they knew it, two figures appeared beside them.

"It's strange that someone as earnest, honest, and gentle as the so-called model child would do this, hinting at it in everyday conversations instead of saying it directly. However, it's more accurate to say that the gesture was unintentional rather than deliberate."

The first image of the Taoist priest was talking to himself in an extremely familiar manner.

Ilya subconsciously looked at the figure, because the reason she told Chloe about the brother and sister she met in the Animal Theater that day, dressed as the Lion-kun, was entirely what the girl thought was a 'hint,' that is, the words Ilya said to give her a way out on the day she mistakenly thought the letter sent by Rin Tohsaka was a love letter.

After being told things like, "Listen carefully to what I say," and "I don't think we're from two different worlds," Ivia finally managed to tell the two of them, "You have to win," thus limiting their power to an equal level. However, even so, the two of them were no match for her.

The second one didn't speak, but quietly observed everything that was happening on this side.

"Alright, I should pick it up now. It would be terrible if it rusted. Although it's nowhere near as good as a walking stick, this is all I can do for now."

As soon as she finished speaking, a gauntlet appeared in the hands of both Ilya and Chloe.

It glitters under the washing of the waves, it glitters under the sun; it is not brilliant, but it glitters.

Just as the eternal sea reflects the sun, the gold and silver products shine even more brightly.

"But even if it's unintentional, you shouldn't lie so openly, right?"

The first figure asserted forcefully, then turned and disappeared from their sight.

Then, the second figure spoke.

"The continuous human will is a blessing in one sense and a curse in another. However, in the present case, the blessing of being too perfect has become a curse. Therefore, the desires of the past have been reversed into a blessing, like cancer."

In that instant, Ilya realized that this was not the first time the owner of the voice had spoken to her. It was the same voice that had spoken to her when she first met and fought with Kuro, speaking some strange Buddhist words.

"All beings are inherently pure, without birth or death—brave maidens, go and find out who said these words."

In that instant, the two who felt the pressure from the outside world also woke up at the same time. Facing the vajra that seemed to be about to sever the world, the two of them simultaneously swung their gloves at it. Then, a storm of light and impact rose high on the high ground to fight against the vajra.

After everything calmed down, Ilya and Chloe, panting heavily, finally managed to get up again. Under Luce's expectant gaze, they shot into the sky at an unpredictable speed, rising like a raging tornado. In the blink of an eye, they climbed to a high altitude and finally arrived in front of Ivia, who was waiting.

He even leisurely held the vajra, and then, when Ilya came swinging her gauntlets, he struck again with the vajra. As their weapons clashed perfectly, the magic contained within them burst out and turned into a strong wind that swept around them.

"Actually, I've been wondering about this ever since... what did that person mean by lying?"

"Even if you say that, Ilya, it's something you figured out yourself. Besides, I didn't lie. There's no need to use the same old tricks."

As he spoke, a strong aura emanated from behind Ivia, so he turned slightly to the side and grabbed Chloe's wrist with his free hand.

"Chloe, your movements are too flawed."

As Ivia calmly announced this, she prepared to grab Chloe's wrist and throw her away gracefully, using the Vajra to send Ilya flying. The two were about to be sent flying again, but now it would be more accurate to say they were flung away.

Ultimately, even though the two had received incredible enhancements, Ivia could still defeat them effortlessly. Space, terrain, airflow, and even air density were all within the control of the Heavenly Wheel's fine threads, subject to its mere whim.

"Even if you say that, what kind of brother would hit his own sister?"

However, Chloe chose to throw off her boxing gloves and bend down with unexpected speed, aiming straight for Ivia's chest. Her elbow was also raised at high speed as if to pierce Ivia's chest cavity. Theoretically, if she continued, the girl's elbow strike could put Ivia into a brief daze.

But for Chloe, the extremely gentle and urgent desire to be accepted and live an ordinary, everyday life—wasn't that the very thing she got from Ivia? Even if she really had to do it because of that phrase, "You have to win," could she really bring herself to do it when the time was right?

Wanting to defeat someone or something.

Who you want to be with, etc.

Therefore, Chloe abandoned the most likely strike, the elbow, and instead grabbed the skin, her fingers digging in tightly.

"Even my only family treats me like this, so why did I give up on Einzbern? And this is the result. I regret it now..."

For the first time in a long time, Chloe's tone was full of sarcasm.

Ivia interrupted her, "You know I won't let a wish fail."

"Of course I knew, although I didn't at the time."

Chloe nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"But even so, I still told you, because although you've always acted like someone who isn't human, you have a strange sense of responsibility. You won't ignore things; you'll definitely take care of them again and again. I thought to myself at the time that you're really strange as a magician, but it was precisely because of this nature of yours that I had expectations for you, which is why I made you my older brother!"

Perhaps it was in front of that theater, where Ivy cast a spell on Ilya with her magic wand—this memory is also an incredibly precious past for Chloe.

"Just you wait, I've already regretted it! You're no longer my brother! Ilya! Now you're my sister!"

In an instant, through sensory interaction, Chloe, who was originally in front of Ivia, disappeared, as if she had miraculously merged with Ilya, who was stunned by the sight. As a result, Ilya's appearance changed slightly, her hair color was a mixture of silver and pink, and her skin color turned wheat-colored in some areas. Behind her, a sun appeared among the stars of the universe.

"...Hey? Where are you, Xiao Hei?!"

Ilya spoke in confusion, and then the next moment Chloe's voice came out.

"Don't scream! I'm right here! Inside your body! Shoot me!"

In fact, neither of them disappeared, their personalities remained unchanged, and nothing changed. They simply merged their powers, as if they had become each other's shadows.

After a brief moment of surprise, Ilya lowered her waist, leaped backward, and retrieved her two gauntlets.

Ivia looked calmly at the two of them as one, holding a vajra made of leaves in her hand, assuming a pose.

"Even when faced with someone like this, there will still be people who stand up and fight back, so that they can live in today full of smiles, so that they can live in tomorrow that they once gave up, and so that the day after tomorrow and the future will be the same. I believe this."

Ivia spoke quietly.

It was almost like an answer, a response from Ilya and Chloe, burdened with intense emotions, as if they were making the most natural and immediate response to everything Ivia said.

"I don't really understand! But, Xiao Hei and I will—"

"I don't understand! Anyway, you bastard Ivia, just you wait, Ilya and I are going to use our fists—"

Something shone from Ilya's body—a fierce golden radiance filled with a violent roar.

Then, the gauntlet and the vajra collided and stopped moving, both motionless at a single point. In an instant, a silent, scorching world suddenly unfolded between them, flowers bloomed around Ivia, and a rainbow of seven colors spread out from her feet.

Ivia sensed a connection between the girl before her and the surging emotions within her, and those same surging emotions also existed throughout her body; conceptually, there was little difference.

Then, the vajra held by Ivia gradually decomposed into leaves—

liberated.

The darkness was rumbling, and the light that filled Ilya's vision surged into the darkness.

Born from the newborn darkness is nothingness in the literal sense, infinite nothingness.

Then came the explosion.

Thus, in infinite depth and breadth, a magnificent and intense radiance unfolded, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Stars were born in the radiance, spinning and expanding infinitely to form vortexes of nebulae, depicting the shape of the universe.

This is an overly dreamlike scene, a grand mental image that transcends events and objects, disintegrating and generating like a burning flame.

In the midst of it all, Ilya's figure was terrifyingly small, nothing more than an insignificant speck of dust.

As shown, even though Ilya and Chloe exhausted all they could get—

They still couldn't defeat Ivia.

So Ilya cried out in despair:

"Well, anyway, at least tell us as much as you can, okay? What lie did you tell us?"

A brief silence followed again. Ivia froze, then sighed and shook her head at Ilya.

"As Maitreya, I would never lie to you under any circumstances."

At this moment, Ilya's expression became increasingly strange, and she frowned.

"That's right, I understand now, it must be a lie in that sentence."

"……Yeah?"

Ivia looked at Ilya's determined expression. "What do you mean?"

"I, Ilya, wish to make a wish upon Ivia—"

At that moment, Ilya remembered the voice she had heard while she was unconscious, so she spoke without hesitation.

"Tell me, is it you, Ivia, who said that all sentient beings are inherently pure, without birth or death?"

"This is a verse from the *Five Lamps' Orthodox Lineage*: 'The nature of all sentient beings is pure, originally without birth or death; this very body and mind are illusory creations, within which there is neither sin nor merit, this is Kasyapa—'"

The moment the words left her mouth, Ivia was stunned for the first time.

However, when Ilya learned that it wasn't actually Ivia who said those words, she was already filled with regret.

She thought that line was some kind of trump card to turn the tide against Ivia, but it wasn't at all. What to do now? Should she immediately make a second wish—that is, to make Ivia lose? What to do now? And Ivia is truly unexpectedly powerful; how could there be a villain with such a huge power imbalance…?

However, the next second.

Ilya heard a sound, like the heartbeat of the entire universe. When she looked up, she found that Ivia, who was holding the vajra, was also having a heartbeat that was almost breaking.

The sound violently shook the universe, the "thump, thump" rhythm growing faster and faster, as if something was about to appear there—

The grand vision was thus shattered.

The real world reappeared before Ilya's eyes, and the hazy Dragon Flower Tree was replaced by leaves continuously emerging from the Vajra in Ilya's hand.

"What's going on now..."

Listening to Ilya's silver-haired murmurs, Ivia scratched her face and spoke.

"That is a Nigrodha tree."

"Ah! I know, but... do we still have to fight..."

Ilya thought she might have triggered some kind of second phase of Ivia's powers. However, Ivia wanted to laugh at Ilya's overreaction, but thinking about what had happened earlier, she only coughed once or twice.

"Of course not, or rather, I've already given up. Consider this my admission of defeat."

Perhaps Ivia's attitude changed too quickly, leaving Ilya unsure how to respond. After a moment, she slowly, as if pondering her words, said: