Illya held a black staff, different from her Magical Girl form, and wore a white robe.
"How was it? Living for decades, has it made you understand each other better?"
Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she had to admit that Meli's ability was truly useful, an illusion that confused people's minds. However, maintaining such a large illusion was really troublesome. If it weren't for Herrscher Tsukiyo and the others' help, Illya really couldn't have lasted this long.
"Just now… those were all dreams, right?"
Shiori was silent for a moment, looked at Mio Takamiya beside her, hesitated, and then asked.
"I knew you would ask that. What you saw were indeed illusions I created with my abilities. But don't underestimate this illusion; this dream might have actually happened in another world, just presented to you again in the form of a dream."
The parallel world theory. Although Shinji Takamiya's sacrifice was necessary, a world where Shiori and Mio Takamiya were together was not non-existent.
Shiori and Mio Takamiya exchanged glances. Although that dream was fake, they had indeed spent decades together in the dream, and with just a look, they understood each other's meaning.
"Really… I can't do anything about you, Mio. To have done such a thing, how did I not know you were such a naughty child."
Reaching out and poking Mio Takamiya's forehead, this intimate gesture made Mio Takamiya cover her head while smiling and leaning against Shiori.
The unexpected display of affection filled Illya's mouth, causing her to turn away, not wanting to watch the sickeningly sweet scene.
Shiori and Mio Takamiya, who could already be considered an old couple, finally separated after spending some time together.
Decades of time had made Mio Takamiya understand a lot. She finally understood why Inaba Tsukiyo had so confidently offered her a deal—it was for this reason.
"Are you ready? Although Shiori doesn't have the qualifications to become a Heroic Spirit, with you added, it's different."
She remembered there were some special existences in the Throne of Heroes, which were paired combinations. These combinations, together, could be considered Heroic Spirits.
Although Shiori did not have the power to become a Heroic Spirit, with Mio Takamiya as an attachment, Shiori had a high probability of entering the ranks of Heroic Spirits.
Even if this method didn't work, Shiori could become a Guardian under Alaya.
As long as she made a contract with Alaya, Shiori would become a Guardian after death, becoming an immortal existence just like Mio Takamiya.
"Heroic Spirit? Alaya? Hmm~ things I haven't heard of before, sounds very complicated."
"It is complicated, but these are not things you should be concerned about. As long as you agree to sign a contract with Alaya, you can become a Guardian or a Heroic Spirit, becoming an immortal existence."
"Immortality, huh… sounds like a very tempting condition. But… it would be very lonely."
Even with Mio Takamiya's companionship, seeing those she cherished die would still make her feel very lonely.
Mio Takamiya held Shiori's wrist, looking at Shiori with concern.
Seeing the two about to engage in another display of affection, Illya quickly separated them, and to make Shiori accept the identities of Heroic Spirit and Guardian, she explained.
"Heroic Spirits have their own skills and Noble Phantasms. Just like when you absorbed Tohka's spiritual power, you can summon Sandalphon at any time and use the power of the Final Sword. A Noble Phantasm is the materialization of things you once possessed, which is the so-called Inherent barrier. It's possible you could even summon the Spirits through this ability."
As long as the Spirits had been sealed, Shiori might be able to summon them through this ability. Of course, this was only if they were sealed; unsealed Spirits could not be summoned.
Simply explaining the matters of Heroic Spirits to Shiori left both Shiori and Mio Takamiya stunned. Although they didn't fully understand, it sounded very powerful.
"It seems… quite good. Don't you think so, Mio?"
"As long as I can be with Xiao Shi, whatever you do is fine."
"…"
Forget it, forget it, this was not where she should be. Really, these two were too much! Did they not know there were other people around?
Seriously, she regretted putting so much effort into making them spend decades together. The result was a mouthful of affection, and she was starting to feel a bit of indigestion.
"Wait a minute! Illya."
"What? Can't you two just walk back yourselves? It can be a date anyway, you don't need to mind me, an outsider."
"Uh… it's not like that."
Shiori scratched her head awkwardly. It seemed their actions had unintentionally hurt Inaba Tsukiyo's delicate heart.
Although she had decades of life experience, Shiori still claimed to be a sixteen-year-old beautiful girl.
"Thank you for everything you've done. If it weren't for you... I might still not be able to accept what Mio Takamiya did for me."
Shiori bowed to Illya, and Mio Takamiya, mimicking Shiori, also bowed. The fact that things could develop positively was all thanks to Illya's help.
Illya smiled, turned, waved her hand, and disappeared into the Imaginary Space, leaving the space to them.
Oh, right. The DEM company's ships should be mostly dealt with by now. I wonder how the Hyperion is doing.
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