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IBHJ Chapter 387
🕑 Added 2023-07-27 03:12:56 +0000 UTC"Heh, hoo hoo—" Rin and Luvia were panting like crazy, sprawled out on the ground. They looked like a total mess, but at least they were alive.
"Seriously, what the heck was that?" Rin wiped the cold sweat off her face, trying to catch her breath.
Luvia managed to reply between heavy breaths, "It was... a Heroic Spirit."
"No way! A Heroic Spirit looking like that?"
"Who knows! Why are you asking me anyway?"
Astraea chimed in, looking a bit weak. "That was just a fake created by Pandora."
"Lady Astraea, you don't look so good. Are you okay?" Luvia asked, sounding genuinely concerned.
"It's alright, just a side effect of my Noble Phantasm," she explained, taking a moment before apologizing, "I'm sorry, Luvia. That Heroic Spirit had the power of Divine Restraint, and I won't be of much help."
Luvia quickly waved her hand, trying to reassure the goddess, "Don't worry about it, Lady Astraea."
She reminded herself that she wasn't dealing with an ordinary noble or human but a true god. However, Astraea felt surprisingly benevolent, and talking with her was like a breath of fresh air.
Astraea added, "For the next few hours, I won't be able to fuse with you, Luvia. You and Rin should run."
"Run?" Luvia frowned, "But Lady Astraea, we've already escaped from that world."
"It's not over yet. That Heroic Spirit has an artifact that opens pathways, and that space won't be able to hold him for long. We need to get moving!"
However, just as she spoke—
"Crack, crack, crack—!"
In the midst of an eerie silence, a sound like glass shattering echoed through the air.
Rin's face turned pale, and she exchanged a worried look with Luvia.
Without a word, Luvia understood what they needed to do. She swiftly pressed a jewel on the wall.
"Crack, crack, crack—"
With the jewel at the center, a destructive spell manifested, causing the entire facility to tremble and collapse, crumbling before their eyes.
At that critical moment, Rin crushed an emerald jewel, infusing her legs with strength, and tightly grabbed Luvia's hand, propelling them both upwards with a leap.
On her part, Luvia swiftly cast several spells to lighten their bodies, allowing them to run with remarkable speed upwards.
"Even though they bicker endlessly, their teamwork is simply unmatched." Astraea smiled faintly, watching the impressive display of cooperation. She then glanced down at the crumbling underground facility and let out a sigh, "This city is on the brink of disaster, but alas, my divine body cannot descend to help them."
"Boom, rumble, rumble—"
As the underground continued to crumble, a golden boat suddenly emerged, relentlessly pursuing them.
"Seriously, can this day get any worse?" Rin cried out in annoyance, frustration evident in her voice. "Encountering a Heroic Spirit was bad enough, and now this?"
"Quit complaining and just run!"
"Oh, like I didn't know that already!"
Holding on tightly to each other's hands, Rin and Luvia dashed upwards with all their might. Meanwhile, Luvia reached into her pocket and pulled out a series of jewels, swiftly hurling them downward in an attempt to slow down the golden boat.
But instead of slowing down the boat, her actions had the opposite effect, triggering the boat's defensive reaction. This caused it to shoot out several Noble Phantasms, which attacked them.
The onslaught narrowly missed them, but the strikes hit the walls, resulting in a massive explosion.
"Boom!" The explosion tore through the surroundings, creating a pathway through which Rin and Luvia were violently thrown out, falling heavily to the ground.
"Ugh, this is hardly a graceful landing for a lady," Luvia grimaced, touching her waist in pain.
Rin brushed her hand across her face, "Being a lady is the least of my concerns right now! That thing is coming right at us!"
"Boom!" The golden boat forcefully emerged from the passage and soared into the sky.
Auguste, the butler of the Edelfelt family, hurried over to his mistress side, showing genuine concern. "Miss Luvia, are you alright?"
She glanced at him and asked, "Auguste, didn't I tell you to leave?"
"I am leaving, but I saw you being blown out midway."
"Then hurry and get out of here. What comes next is the business of magi."
"Yes—!" Auguste nodded, understanding the urgency, and quickly turned to make his exit.
Luvia lifted her head, her gaze fixed on the golden boat still hovering in the sky, her brow furrowing in thought.
She couldn't help but recall a similar-style golden boat she had encountered in the Adra Castle. Could it be that they were dealing with the same Heroic Spirit?
Furthermore, after emerging from the underground, why did this entity stop in the sky? What was it trying to do?
She walked over to Rin's side and asked, "Tohsaka, any ideas on what it's trying to do?"
"It seems like it's searching for something." Rin replied with a frown.
"Searching? But what?"
Astraea chimed in, "It's probably searching for the Holy Grail."
"The Holy Grail?" Both of them were taken aback.
Rin asked again, "You mean the Holy Grail War?"
Astraea nodded, "It's somewhat different from the Holy Grail War in this world. But undoubtedly, that Heroic Spirit is a Servant responding to the Holy Grail War."
"In this world?" Rin picked up on the crucial detail.
"Ah... yes. I apologize if my explanation is a bit clumsy. To fully elaborate, I'd have to delve into all the causes and consequences, and it's not the best time for that now. If the King of Men were here, he'd likely understand my words quickly. Sadly, he's not here."
"So what should we do now, Lady Astraea?" Luvia asked.
"First, let's focus on running. Dealing with that Heroic Spirit is beyond the abilities of magi alone. He seems to be in a daze, so we should find a safe hiding spot. When I can possess a body, we'll address the situation properly."
"But wait, just a moment ago, weren't you escaping as well?"
Astraea smiled gently, showing no signs of anger, and explained, "The reason I was escaping earlier was simply due to a lack of information. But now, the situation has changed, and we have the advantage, as that Heroic Spirit is still in a daze."
Despite the Heroic Spirit's formidable abilities, including the power to summon countless Noble Phantasms and god-binding chains, Astraea remained undaunted. She knew her true strength lay in her second Noble Phantasm, which could reset everything to its original state.
This power surpasses causality; it's a divine authority that stands above the flow of cause and effect!
With this Noble Phantasm, even if facing defeat, she can reset everything and start anew. However, using this Noble Phantasm comes at a cost, weakening her in the process.
Much like Avalon, it serves as a means of preserving one life. Yet, unlike Avalon, which rejects any form of interference, "Iam Redit et Virgo" resembles Izanagi's jutsu from "Naruto," granting Astraea the ability to reverse the course of events.
"He's moving!" Rin shouted.
Luvia and Astraea glanced in the direction Rin was pointing and saw the golden boat slowly rotating before soaring off towards Mount Enzou.
Without wasting any time, Luvia and Rin exchanged determined glances and swiftly followed after the golden boat.
Comments
JeanMartin Freites
The girls are not white out of the woods just yet but I have to say that at the very least things are not looking hopeless.
