In the next instant, the white blouse Larva wore emitted a bright blue light, then shifted into a deep bluish-black.
The outfit remained short and tight, clinging to her petite frame, but was now accompanied by long draping fabrics on both sides—resembling wings.
A thick dark scarf wrapped around her neck, adorned with a star-shaped blue flower ornament that shimmered like starlight at night.
The long drapes reached the ground, each strand moving gently like ripples on water.
Her legs—slender and refined—were covered in snow-white stockings that seemed woven from moonlight itself, decorated with tiny blue diamond patterns along the calves.
Larva began to step forward lightly, yet each movement left behind subtle ripples on the ground, as though she were walking across a calm lake.
From behind her small body extended a long, flexible tail, pale blue in color, swaying gracefully with every motion she made.
Seeing Larva's transformation, Illya's eyes widened from afar before narrowing sharply.
A sudden surge of dread struck Illya, and without hesitation she activated her Command Spell.
In an instant, the intricate crimson patterns characteristic of a Command Spell spread across her cheeks, arms, forehead, and the rest of her body—glowing faintly yet radiating overwhelming magical authority.
"Berserker!" Illya shouted sharply, her voice filled with pressure. "I command you—defeat her!"
"ROAAARGHHH…!!!"
A thunderous roar erupted from the giant's mouth, far more devastating than before.
In a single motion, Berserker leapt toward Larva, using the pull of gravity to launch a horizontal strike aimed to cleave her small body in half.
But before the blade could reach its mark, Larva spun gracefully—almost like dancing—and lightly hopped away, completely evading the attack.
The impact of Berserker's axe once again shattered the street, leaving behind a massive crater and fissures bursting outward from the point of collision.
Berserker snapped his head around swiftly.
By that time, Tiamat was already floating elegantly in the air, her lips parting slowly.
"LaAa~♬!!"
A soft voice—almost like a song—flowed from her tiny lips.
At the same time, pure bright-blue energy gathered, then burst forth in a violent stream like a hydrogen bomb detonation. A torrent of pure Mana Burst erupted from her mouth.
The wave of light exploded and spiraled through the air, forming a gleaming vortex that resembled the song of stars.
Forced to react, Berserker raised his massive axe-sword, directly bracing against the surge of energy threatening to swallow him whole.
"Grrr…"
Berserker growled deeply. Larva's attack was overwhelmingly heavy, yet his body showed not a single scratch—thanks to one of his personal skills, Battle Continuation, ranked extremely high.
This skill allowed Berserker to keep fighting even after sustaining fatal wounds, suppressing the likelihood of death from grievous injuries.
Combined with his already absurd physical resilience, this ability rendered his endurance truly unmatched.
Every muscle on Berserker's massive frame tensed as his primal combat instincts refused to back down.
Larva suddenly paused for a moment—as if granting her opponent a breath—before unleashing another blast of pure Mana energy, this time far stronger than before.
BOOM!
A violent explosion ripped through the air. Berserker was hurled fifty meters away, crashing through several public structures with tremendous force.
His weapon flew from his grasp, and both of his arms were severed from the impact.
Yet the giant refused to fall. His wounds began closing rapidly, and the arms he had lost slowly regenerated.
This was the first Noble Phantasm of Heracles—God Hand, the symbol of his immortality, earned after completing the Twelve Labors of legend.
With God Hand, Heracles' body was wrapped in an invisible armor that negated nearly all forms of damage, regardless of type or power.
This effect also granted him automatic resurrection upon death.
Because that ability grants him eleven chances at restoration, Heracles can only truly be destroyed if he is killed twelve times.
Moreover, with Illya as his Master, Berserker can even regenerate the number of lost lives over time.
This makes Berserker virtually impossible to defeat through conventional means.
Thanks to this Noble Phantasm, Heracles can fight without ever concerning himself with defense—ignoring countless attacks that cannot harm him, even when they target vital points such as his temple.
However, that ability is not a secret to Larva. Through the Eye of Blue Star, Larva can pinpoint the weakness in Berserker's regeneration.
In a fraction of a second, before Heracles' body could fully recover, Larva unleashed another shot of energy—sharp and merciless.
This time, the shot did not come from his mouth, but from the swing of his arm.
From Larva's hand, several mana burst points ignited and fired like lasers.
The blast pierced through Berserker's chest, striking his heart directly. The surge of energy twisted for an instant before brutally tearing through the giant's body.
Yet in the very next second, Berserker's eyes flared with light. The damage to his chest and heart regenerated at a staggering pace.
Berserker—who should have died from his heart being obliterated—rose once more from death, displaying that overwhelming regeneration that bordered on unstoppable.
But Larva gave him no chance. A barrage of Mana Bursts rained down again, ripping his body apart repeatedly and even pulverizing the street along the trajectory of the attack.
"Berserker!" Illya's voice resounded, filled with emotion. "I command you—rise!!"
From afar, Illya's small body bent forward as she shouted. As if answering that call, Heracles struggled to get back up.
Unfortunately, it was almost futile: his limbs were torn apart beyond repair by Larva's assault.
Even though only a single life had been consumed for his resurrection, the overwhelming pressure from Larva's Mana Burst made survival nearly impossible.
Every time the giant's hands or feet attempted to regenerate, Larva's attacks immediately destroyed them again, giving no room for recovery.
The effectiveness of Larva's assault stemmed from her Class Skill: Authority of the Beast.
This skill made every one of her attacks lethally effective against all beings born from the womb of Tiamat—be they Heroic Spirits, Divine Spirits, or any other living creature.
It was only natural, for Tiamat was the primordial mother-goddess of Babylon. In a sense, the DNA of humanity in the Fate/Type-Moon world was programmed to submit to her authority.
However, in this larval form, its effectiveness was slightly lower compared to her fully-developed true form.
Even so, the power she wielded was more than enough to confront Servants participating in the Holy Grail War.
Meanwhile, ten steps away from Illya, Rian had been watching the entire time with deep focus.
Rian's right hand rested on his chin, while his left hand was placed over his chest.
'Hmm… all of Larva's attack patterns are too simple…' Rian muttered, his brows furrowing. 'No… this is because Mother isn't serious. It's more like… punishing a naughty child.'
'Besides… Larva hasn't even used her Noble Phantasm yet. Now I'm curious… just what kind of Noble Phantasm does she possess?'
Rian then glanced briefly toward Illya, who stood not far away, her expression filled with worry for her Servant. A faint smile curled on Rian's handsome, charismatic face.
His eyes returned to Larva before he finally spoke, his tone relaxed yet teasing.
"Hey… Illyasviel. If you want, I can let Berserker live. All you have to do is admit defeat and order him to stop."
Illya turned toward him, glaring with a mixture of irritation and confusion.
"What are you even saying?" she snapped, then paused for a moment as her eyes flicked toward Berserker. "You… you're not lying?"
Rian let out a soft sigh before replying calmly, "A charismatic man could lie, you know? But… I always keep my promises. And that's the promise I'm offering you. Well? What will it be?"
Illya fell silent, uncertainty clouding her expression. Meanwhile, Berserker's growls continued to reverberate through the area, his presence alone enough to heighten the tension building within her.
Not long after, Illya bit her lower lip, glanced at Rian for a moment, then turned her eyes toward Berserker.
"Fine," she said, the irritation in her voice impossible to hide. "I admit defeat. You have to keep your promise, strange Master. But you dismiss your Servant first."
Rian shot Illya a sideways look, a faint smile curling on his lips as he casually lifted his shoulders.
"I go first, huh? A smart choice, Ojou-chan. Turns out you're not just cute—you're clever too."
Illya immediately frowned. Her small cheeks flushed red, but her lips quickly fired back a sharp retort:
"D-don't call me Ojou-chan so casually, you weird Master! Hmph… If you lie even once, I'll never forgive you!"
Despite her sharp words, her voice trembled ever so slightly—a delicate mix of irritation, embarrassment, and uncertainty.
Illya's gaze stabbed back toward Rian, sharp and accusing, yet the small fingers clenched at the side of her dress betrayed the anxiety she couldn't hide.
"Hahaha…" Rian suddenly let out a soft, amused laugh. "Alright then. Mom, you can stop now."
His request instantly made Larva cease her mana burst. Slowly, she turned her head, looking toward Rian from afar with eyes filled with quiet stillness.
In front of Larva, Berserker's roar abruptly came to a halt the moment Illya raised her hand. With nothing but a look, she seemed to command the giant to restrain himself.