The battle at the church ended the moment Bazett's Fragarach pierced Kotomine Kirei's heart.
Silence followed.
Kirei collapsed, blood pooling beneath him.
He would not rise again.
Tohsaka Rin stood over the corpse, fists clenched, chest heaving.
Her revenge—ten years in the making—was complete.
Only then did she exhale, shoulders trembling.
Bazett checked the body, confirmed the kill, and stepped back.
"…Let's go."
No one objected.
They turned away from the church, leaving behind the chilling stench of death.
Bazett, however, did not follow.
This world's Bazett was an agent sent by the Church.
She had duties, reports, consequences.
She would handle the aftermath.
Her Command Seals—stolen by Kirei—had already been returned to her, courtesy of Scáthach.
With that, Bazett could officially assume control of the situation in Fuyuki.
How she would clean up this mess…
That was her problem now.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Fuyuki Suburbs — Einzbern Castle
Illya's group, led by Irisviel, approached the towering white fortress that dominated the forest.
The moment they crossed the boundary,
the Illya of this world, residing inside the castle, noticed the intrusion.
Through a monitoring spell, she caught sight of the unfamiliar figures—
and froze.
"…Mama?"
Her voice cracked.
"That's… impossible."
"How can that be Mama!?"
But even as she doubted—
she recognized the magic Irisviel used.
The intricate Einzbern magecraft, the ease with which she manipulated the barrier—
It could only belong to her mother.
And then she noticed another Illya.
A smaller one.
Cutest beyond all reason.
Clinging to Irisviel's sleeve.
The older Illya's mind collapsed.
"There's… another me!?"
She shot to her feet immediately.
"Berserker, we're going!"
The giant shadow silently followed her out of the castle.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Outside, the group had reached the front gate.
The younger Illya stared at the massive castle, mouth agape, hands trembling.
She tugged at Irisviel's sleeve, eyes sparkling.
"Mama… in our world, did we have something like this too?"
"Am I actually… a princess or something?"
Life was a lie.
She was a rich girl all along!?
Irisviel chuckled softly.
"Yes. You are."
"But the castle was too big, so I didn't like it."
"Our home was perfectly fine as it was."
She motioned forward, smiling.
"And now—ten years later—you have arrived."
At that moment, the older Illya burst from the castle with Berserker at her side.
Her eyes widened at the sight of the small, bright-eyed version of herself.
"No way…"
"Ten years later and I STILL look like this!?"
She dropped to her knees dramatically.
"I don't grow!? At all!?"
She pointed at her future self with horror.
"My skin got darker!"
"It's not even bouncy anymore!"
"It's not soft and white like this!"
"This is a disaster! Tragedy! The worst timeline!"
She burst into tears.
Over skin elasticity.
Everyone stared at her in stunned silence.
The older Illya, mortified, halted halfway.
"…Ten years later?"
"They're from ten years ago?"
She turned to Irisviel, hesitation in her eyes.
"…Mama?"
Irisviel shook her head gently.
"No. I am not your mother."
"Well, I am your mother."
"But I am not your mother."
"So calling me Mama is incorrect."
A beat of stunned silence.
The older Illya's brain failed to parse the logic.
What kind of quantum metaphysics nonsense was that!?
Kuro snickered, stepping forward.
"Yo, future Illya. Nice to meet you."
"We're from an alternate world."
"So our Mama isn't your Mama."
"But you're not wrong to call her Mama, either."
The older Illya froze.
Her vision blurred.
Even if she came from another world—
even if they were strangers—
This was still her mother.
Her real mother.
She dashed forward, tears spilling.
"Mama… Mama… Mama…!"
She crashed into Irisviel's arms, sobbing like a child who had found something she'd lost long ago.
Miyu and Kuro exchanged glances, at a loss for words.
Irisviel silently embraced the trembling girl, stroking her back with maternal tenderness.
"I'm home, Illya."
"It's all right now."
Irisviel's voice was warm.
Gentle.
Overflowing with love.
The memories of countless versions of Irisviel—
from countless worlds—
flowed through her soul.
She could feel every fate, every tragedy.
And she understood.
This child had suffered enough.
The older Illya's body began to fade—
particles of light drifting away.
At the same time, new Command Seals materialized on the younger Illya's hand.
Both girls realized what was happening.
The older Illya's eyes widened.
The worlds were merging.
The timeline was converging.
From now on—
there would be only one Illya in this world.
But Berserker didn't understand.
His eyes burned red as he stared at Irisviel, muscles tensing, fury rising.
A threat.
One wrong move—
and he would attack.
Until a familiar voice cried out.
"Berserker!!"
The giant flinched.
His head snapped toward the younger Illya.
Her Command Seals glowed faintly.
A bond.
A contract.
Recognized instantly.
Berserker stood there, dumbfounded.
Huge body.
Tiny brain.
Infinite confusion.
"Grr…?"
His expression—
utterly lost.