Chapter 651: Use That

A short distance away on the floor above, about two or three private rooms over, a large hole had appeared in the wall.

The broken wooden planks fell from the opening onto the floor, making a clatter, and dust surged from that direction, further blurring the already dim hallway.

A shadow leapt out from that pile of dust.

Gudazi landed on the ground, its eyes shining in the dim light like two tiny bulbs.

Its head turned from left to right, then right to left, and that round face wore an inescapable smile.

It stood on the pile of broken bricks, hands in its pockets, body swaying slightly.

Then it lifted a hand and casually threw a punch to the side.

The punch struck nothing, just a swing, but the burst of air from its fist exploded outward like an invisible great hammer, smashing the wall beside it.

Boom—

The wall was pierced with a large hole, shards of brick and dust spewed out, splattering everywhere.

Gudazi didn't even glance at the wall, as if someone brushed aside a branch in their path without even lifting an eyelid.

Ilya's back pressed against the wall again.

She curled into a ball, knees against her chest, arms hugging her legs, her back slick with sweat.

The thin layer of sweat stuck to her dress, clinging the fabric to her skin, cool and uncomfortable.

At some point she had retrieved the ruby, clutching it in her palm until her knuckles whitened; the faint glow on the Magic Staff's shaft was blocked by her fingers, leaking only a sliver of pink light through the gaps.

Her heart was not beating this wildly for the first time.

Since she entered this cursed place, it had been racing, making her chest feel suffocated.

She thought she had gotten used to it, that a few more jumps would numb her, but she found it didn't—each time was louder, faster, and made her feel she was about to run out of breath.

Regret.

When the word surfaced in her mind, she found it somewhat amusing herself.

Regret joining the Holy Grail War?

When did she ever volunteer to join?

She was simply swept in, inexplicably, like a piece of wood tossed into a whirlpool, spinning and spinning until now she didn't even know where she was.

She just wanted a normal Holy Grail War.

The kind shown on TV, two people standing face‑to‑face, you fire a Light Cannon I fire a Light Cannon, then after the battle exchange a few fancy words.

Why does she keep running into a man‑eating giant fox, an unkillable paper‑like being, and now an orange little monster that chases people shouting "loli"?

What kind of Holy Grail War is this, anyway?

It's clearly a nightmare.

Robin retreated from the doorway crack and crouched beside Ilya.

The face that was usually gentle and composed now wore a very serious expression.

Her lips moved a few times as if hesitating, then she took a deep breath and suppressed the hesitation.

"Ilya."

Her voice was very soft, quiet enough for only two people to hear.

Ilya lifted her head to look at her, those crimson eyes filled with the question "What's wrong?"

"I have a plan."

Robin's voice was low, but each word was enunciated clearly.

Ilya was momentarily stunned.

"What plan?"

Robin did not answer directly.

She lowered her head, watching her outstretched palm, watching the blue‑white light seeping from her fingertips.

The light was faint, so weak it was almost invisible in the dim room, but Ilya saw it because it fell onto Robin's palm lines, like tiny streams flowing from fingertips to wrist, then to arm, disappearing into the sleeve.

"Use that."

Robin's voice was very soft.

Ilya's eyes widened.

She opened her mouth to say something, but the first word got stuck in her throat.

"Do we really have to use it?" Her voice was tiny, like a mosquito's whine.

Robin nodded.

Those lake‑green eyes looked at Ilya, showing no hesitation, only a calm certainty.

"The magic of those two Command Spells is still within me,"

"Abundant enough for a single use."

The ruby flashed briefly in Ilya's palm.

The faint glow on the Magic Staff flickered several times, then its voice emerged from the shaft, stammering.

"It's not… Miss Robin… your Noble Phantasm… that… against the realm… might be a bit… a cannon hitting a mosquito…"

The ruby's staff shaft twisted slightly, as if expressing a complex emotion.

Its voice carried an indefinable tone of both pity and waste, like someone watching another smash a mouse with a gold brick, feeling it's both worthwhile and pointless, unable to decide.

Robin shook her head.

Those lake‑green eyes shifted from the ruby, glanced at the tightly shut door, at the crack in the door panel, and at the dim light beyond the fissure.

"Given the current situation,"

She spoke in a hushed tone, so low Ilya had to lean in to hear, "It's not suitable to take it slow."

She paused briefly, then those lake‑green eyes turned back to Ilya.

Moreover, the situation here is unclear; this building is too large, they can't find us, but we can't get out either. The longer it drags on, the worse their condition becomes, and that aura is denser than before.

Their brows furrowed briefly, "We need to figure out the situation first. Use that, the fastest."

Ilya fell silent.

Ilya thought of Gudazi standing there, the aura emanating from him denser than when he was on the open ground, more like a container filled with something, ready to overflow at any moment.

The aura made Ilya shiver from the core, as if telling Ilya one thing: run, the farther from it the better.

Ilya lowered her head, looking at the ruby in her hand that was still emitting a faint glow.

Her fingers rubbed the staff's shaft repeatedly, as if petting a sleeping cat.

She then lifted her head, looked at Robin, and gave a firm nod.

"Alright."

Robin looked at Ilya, the corner of their mouth lifting slightly.

The ruby in Ilya's palm glowed again, brighter than before.

The voice came from the staff, still halting.

"Fine… anyway… anyway, you decide…"

Outside, another deafening crash came, closer than the previous one.

The wallpaper on the wall peeled off a few more pieces, and a fragment fell from the half‑shattered mirror, hitting the floor and breaking into smaller shards.

The hair‑raising sound drifted in from outside, bouncing back and forth in the cavernous opera house, like a marble that never stops rolling.

"Loli—don't hide— I see you—"