Chapter 401: Mercy and Loyalty

[Now that there are outsiders around, Tohsaka Rin can only hold back her anger, put on a gentle older sister attitude, and say with a smile: "I completely understand, this is all Ruby's fault, so, can you return the cane to me first?"]

[Video paused.]

[Question: Facing the request from her former owner, Tohsaka Rin, what will Ruby do next?]

[A: Give in, give up the cute and soft little girl, and return to the hands of the grumpy old lady.]

[B: I would rather die than surrender, and I will fight with Tohsaka Rin with my punches and my cannons.]

[C: The best plan is to run away, take Illya and run, and get rid of Tohsaka Rin by flying.]

[D: Transform into a scum stick and abandon Illya and run away.]

[Quick answer begins!]

Zabiko: "But A can obviously be ruled out. That old Siji's wand clearly refuses to return to Rin's hands."

Waver: "As for B...I don't think so."

Waver: "Although they've broken up, Ruby shouldn't abandon its previous master."

Chihiro: "No, I think you overestimate the integrity of this thing."

Chihiro: "I choose B."

[Ding! Congratulations to group member Chihiro for answering correctly, and he will be rewarded with 3 Saint Crystals.]

Waver: "!!!"

Zabiko: "How much do you not want to return to Rin's hands?"

[Video continues.]

[Tohsaka Rin: "It's not a big deal, but I really need it right now."]

["Please."]

[Illya handed over the ruby ​​without any hesitation.]

["Huh?"]

[Tohsaka Rin was relieved to see that the other party was so sensible, but after pulling for a long time, she found that the other party's right hand had no intention of letting go, and looked at the other party's confused face suspiciously.]

[Illya: "Well, I wanted to let go, but..."]

[Illya found that her right hand was out of control.]

["Hehehe——"]

[The evil-minded Ruby-chan mocked directly: "The information about Master has been fully overridden. No matter what you owner thinks, it's impossible to change Masters without my permission..."]

["Wrrryy!"]

["Boom——"]

[Before Ruby could finish speaking, she was grabbed by a delicate hand and slammed hard into the wall. Her scream and the resulting explosion echoed through the street.]

[Tohsaka Rin, who had been holding back for a long time, finally snapped.]

Sisigou: "Girl, you're so strong!"

Mordred: "It's nothing special."

Zabiko: "...Now I understand why it doesn't want to go back to Rin."

[Tohsaka Rin's move left Illya, standing nearby, utterly dumbfounded.]

["Hehe, perfect, Ruby. Now I can show you some love properly until you decide to switch Masters."]

[Tohsaka Rin gritted her teeth and smiled like a crazed tax-dodger.]

["You're still as passionate as ever."]

[The Ruby embedded in the wall returned to its normal state and said faintly: "Rin-chan, do you really want to become a magical girl?"]

["...Oh, I know."]

[After a brief silence, Ruby said to Illya: "Then Illya-chan, please swing me toward Rin while thinking of 'yourself'."]

["Huh?"]

[Illya froze for a second but followed the instructions anyway.]

["You bastard!"]

["Ahhh——"]

[A laser beam like red lightning shot out from the magic wand and struck Tohsaka Rin directly, making her scream.]

["Ahhh! Something came out!"]

[Illya was also startled and began frantically searching for a switch.]

["How do I turn this off?"]

Tohsaka Rin: "!!!"

Waver: "...It really is 'you punch me, and I fire my cannon at you.'"

Fujimura Taiga: "This Illya doesn't seem very bright."

[Ruby put on a serious act and said: "I won't give the wand to anyone. Go home, you expired twintails."]

["I didn't say that!"]

[Illya shouted, completely fed up.]

[This magic wand that keeps stirring up trouble is nothing like the magical girl tool she once admired.]

["What are you doing!"]

[Tohsaka Rin, still smoking from the electric shock, was furious. She fired black magecraft bullets from her fingertips, machine-gunning them toward Ruby, even affecting Illya.]

[But when the smoke cleared, Illya was kneeling on the ground, unharmed, protected by a golden light.]

["Ahem, help... ah, wait, I'm fine?"]

[Illya blinked in confusion. Was this the legendary trope of 'lots of smoke, no actual damage'?]

["Hehehe..."]

[Ruby said smugly: "Have you forgotten, Rin? Ruby Star has A-rank magecraft shields, physical protection, and more. This magical girl is on the level of a Heroic Spirit. How could an expired twintail win? That's what Illya-sama said."]

[Illya: "Eh? Wait, don't put nonsense in my mouth!"]

[Ruby: "'Oh, you're not cut out to be a magical girl. You should just go back with your ponytail between your legs.' That's what Illya-sama said."]

[Illya: "I said I didn't say that! I really didn't say that!"]

Zabiko: "How shameless! How can it lie with such confidence?"

Aozaki Touko: "It makes me want to smack it just looking at it."

Tohno Akiha: "This Master and wand are exactly the same."

Tohno Shiki: "..."

He was wrong, this thing is even worse than Akiha's maids.

["..."]

[Tohsaka Rin couldn't be bothered arguing with Ruby anymore. She pulled out an indigo gem and threw it.]

[In the next moment, the gem exploded like a flashbang, blinding Illya.]

[Ruby quickly shouted: "They used a flash bomb! Run, Illya!"]

[Illya: "Even if you say that, I can't see anything..."]

[Rin took the chance to silently move behind Illya, raised a hand, and placed a finger to the girl's temple.]

["Sorry, but you'll need to sleep for a bit."]

[In the next instant, a wave of magical energy surged from her fingertip. The poor white-haired girl collapsed to the ground.]

[She was extremely unlucky tonight.]

[Though Rin hadn't killed her, that blow was enough to knock her out cold.]

[And because the user had lost consciousness, the magical girl transformation automatically canceled.]

Merlin: "How strange... what is this holy light? Even I can't see through it."

Everyone nearby stared at Merlin as if he were a total pervert.

Kay, who was sitting next to him, even scooted his chair farther away.

Merlin: "Hey, hey, it's just academic curiosity!"

[Looking at the Illya lying unconscious on the ground, Tohsaka Rin was stunned. She quickly helped her lean against the wall and covered her with a bath towel.]

[Then, she turned her gaze toward Ruby-chan, who had been causing all the trouble and was now trying to sneak away in a corner.]

["Ah, they're attacking from within the shield. This clearly shows the difference in combat experience between Illya and Rin-sama. Looks like they'll need intensive training from now on."]

[As she spoke, Ruby slowly backed away toward the corner, voice growing softer.]

[It seems even the fearless Ruby-chan has begun to fear losing her Master.]

(To be continued.)

Junkdog's Note: Sigh guys, I think I'll be taking a break from this book, I might and might not pick it up back. Just working on it stresses me out nowadays so putting it on hiatus for now.

How many people are even still following this lol?