Fate: Hero of Justice Takeover-Chapter 234: [] Thank You, Ruby

Half an hour earlier, the moment Sakatsuki had just stepped out.

Though it was late at night, any sleepless child glancing out the window would have seen red and blue lights clashing fiercely in the sky, accompanied by sounds more like mortar fire than thunder, reverberating through the clouds.

Beams of dense magical energy shot forth, only to be blocked by magical barriers, which then retaliated with their own divided volleys of sevenfold magical blasts.

Figures darted through the hail of magical projectiles, diving toward their enemies, who in turn flared their magical energy like jet engines and charged forward.

Finally, the red and blue orbs collided violently atop the Fuyuki Bridge, the resulting shockwave churning the waters of the Miyama River below.

As the storm subsided, two unharmed figures floated above the bridge, tension thick between them as if another all-out brawl was imminent.

"Don't you think it's about time you two stopped?" A voice tinged with exasperation and amusement came from the ruby-red wand with three wings and a central pentagram, held by the red-clad Rin Tohsaka.

"You talk too much, Ruby!" Rin, sporting suspiciously moe-enhancing cat ears and a swaying tail, pointed angrily ahead. "She started it! She's the one in the wrong!"

"If the children who idolize magical girls heard you, they'd cry..." Before Ruby could finish, Luvia—dressed similarly but with dog ears and tail, her attire blue—let out a battle cry and unleashed a fully charged magical blast.

A closer look would reveal that Luvia also wielded a wand, though hers was blue, adorned with a sapphire bow.

The magical blast roared forward with enough force to shatter its target.

"Ah! Ruby, barrier! Barrier!" Rin, too busy bickering with Ruby, shrieked as she realized she couldn't dodge in time.

BOOM!

After the deafening explosion, the dissipating smoke revealed both Ruby and Rin covered in soot, utterly disheveled.

"The barrier was already up, but a blast that strong isn't so easy to block~"

Despite the situation, Ruby's nonchalant tone only stoked Rin's fury, especially when Luvia added insult to injury with a mocking remark. Enraged, Rin pulled out her trump card—a Class Card.

Not to be outdone, Luvia also drew her Class Card, ready to fight to the bitter end.

Yet, just as the battle was about to reach its climax, the two wands—excluding Rin and Luvia's—refused to cooperate further.

As two of the Church's highest-tier magical artifacts, the Kaleidosticks possessed their own emotions and wills, much like divine weapons that chose their masters.

Clearly, Rin and Luvia, who had abandoned their mission for personal combat, no longer met their standards.

"How tiresome. I no longer wish to indulge you two. The Grand Master lent you the Kaleidosticks so you could work together to complete your mission."

"Lady Luvia, your disregard for the mission is equally disappointing. I must regrettably conclude that you are no longer fit to be my master."

"Therefore, under these circumstances—"

"We acknowledge this decision may seem capricious—"

"But we've decided to take a break!" x2

With that, both wands abandoned their masters. After exchanging final threats, Rin and Luvia realized their transformations had been undone. Their screams echoed as they plummeted from the sky.

"Bon voyage~~" Ruby's voice was infuriatingly smug.

The two gemstone wands then flew off the bridge without a second thought, leaving their former masters to their fates as they embarked on their "vacation."

"So, Sapphire, where are you headed?"

"I'll rest somewhere until Lady Luvia realizes her mistakes."

"Honestly, Sapphire, you're too soft. I've already given up on that old hag. This time, I'll find a cute girl who believes in love and justice to be my master—then I'll play with her, no, serve her properly!"

"...Please exercise some restraint, Sister."

"Sure, sure. I'll be off then~"

Just as the two wands were about to part ways, a voice called out behind them.

"No, you're not going anywhere."

The gems turned instinctively, only for a net woven from imaginary-number particles to ensnare them completely.

A white-haired, golden-eyed boy stood steadily in midair using imaginary-number magecraft, gripping the net with his left hand. With a firm tug, he reeled the two gems into his grasp.

"Who are you?!" Ruby struggled fiercely. "We're treasures of the Mage's Association! Do you want their enforcers after you?"

"Sir, please release us. I'd hate for relations between you and the Wizard Marshal to sour," Sapphire reasoned, attempting diplomacy.

But Sakatsuki remained unmoved, meticulously tightening the net until the wands were completely immobilized. Only then did he speak.

"Don't try to intimidate me with the Mage's Association or the Wizard Marshal. Most of the Association's mages are scrap metal, and as for the Second Magician, I've already paid him a visit. I doubt he cares much about two disposable creations like you. Also—"

A palm infused with imaginary-number energy struck Ruby, silencing its struggles.

Sakatsuki lifted the limp wand, his gaze icy. "I'm not fond of spirits or fairies, especially the ill-natured ones. Behave, or don't blame me for what comes next."

The killing intent was real.

Realizing this, even Ruby fell silent, fearing Sakatsuki might dismantle them along their lines of death.

Yet, after capturing them, Sakatsuki didn't take them away. Instead, he studied the two supreme magical artifacts for a long moment, a projection glow flickering in his left hand before dissipating into nothing.

"Never mind." With a sigh, Sakatsuki tossed Ruby aside dismissively before teleporting with Sapphire to a nearby park.

"Wait here. Someone more suitable than Luvia will come for you."

With those words, the boy vanished, leaving Sapphire hovering in confusion.

Meanwhile, Sakatsuki returned to the vicinity of Illya's home, his body shrinking back to its smaller form as he donned his priestly robes again. His eyes glazed over as he pondered the magical knowledge he'd gleaned.

"As expected of artifacts based on the Second Magic—impossible to fully replicate, let alone project."

"Still, I can use this to craft a new magical tool."

"But the core must shift from the Second to the Third Magic..."

"And it must also bear the power of Class Cards, or it's meaningless."

Lost in thought, Sakatsuki entered the Emiya household. At Shirou's greeting, he headed to his room, changed, and accepted the towel handed to him.

"The bath's ready. Illya's already finished and gone to bed, so it's all yours. Liz and I will clean up the kitchen," Shirou said.

Distracted by his work, Sakatsuki absentmindedly acknowledged him and moved toward the bathroom on autopilot, his hand turning the doorknob.

His draconic hearing caught the faint sound of breathing inside.

A jolt of realization struck him.

He remembered—the night Ruby ran away, the scene where Illya encountered it had been in the bathroom.

And at that time, Illya had turned off the lights to get a better look at the flying wand outside...

Meaning Illya was still in the bath.

Sakatsuki finally recognized the impending disaster—but it was too late.

The bathroom door creaked open, steam swirling, yet failing to obscure the glimpse of—

"Ah!" The silver-haired girl, perched by the window and clad in nothing, turned to stare at him, her expression blank.

"Oops." Sakatsuki's lips twitched as he covered his face with his hands. "I saw nothing."

Peeking through his fingers, he saw Illya's eyes welling with tears, her face burning red before she finally shrieked.

"P-PERVERT—!!!"

At the same moment, a certain wand crashed through the window like a meteor, smacking Sakatsuki squarely on the head.

"Ah, I'm down (monotone)."

Sakatsuki collapsed theatrically, silently thanking the mischievous spirit for its timely intervention.

***

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