Fate: Hero of Justice Takeover-Chapter 240: [] The Lady Crane vs. The Devilish Muscle Rin

"Ahahahahaha—!"

A woman's uproarious laughter, fueled by lungs of seemingly infinite capacity, announced her grand entrance.

"What now?!" Illya flinched, her nerves frayed like a startled bird.

"That obnoxious laugh... Ugh." Sakatsuki sighed, rubbing his temples.

As expected, Luviagelita Edelfelt—dressed in an elegant blue dress, her voluminous blonde curls bouncing with each step—strutted forward with the air of a conqueror, stopping beside Miyu.

"How utterly pathetic! The difference between victory and defeat lies in delivering the decisive blow at the critical moment. Yet you cowered in fear, scrambling around like a headless chicken! Truly laughable, Rin Tohsaka!"

"...You hear that? The dumb blonde actually made a decent point. Take notes."

"Rin-nee, she was clearly talking about you."

"I don't have a magic wand or power like yours!"

"So that's your excuse for sending an elementary schooler to the battlefield?!"

Seeing that "Rin" and Illya were whispering among themselves instead of responding, Luvia blinked in confusion before swiftly regaining her triumphant smirk. She plucked the card from Miyu's hand.

"I'll be taking this card for myself. Ahahahahaha—!"

Another signature "noble lady's two-stage laugh" echoed through the air. But this time, Sakatsuki wasn't having it.

Step. Pivot. Kick.

BAM!

A sound akin to Medusa's earlier strike rang out as Luvia's skull was rocked by the impact. She faceplanted onto the ground, motionless.

Illya gaped in shock. Miyu calmly glanced down, as if checking whether her adoptive sister was still alive.

"Enough with the gloating. If you were here the whole time, why didn't you help sooner?!"

"Y-You dare kick the back of my head...?!" Luvia jerked upright, blood trickling from her nose. "This is exactly why I despise brutish lowlifes like you!"

"Who gave you the right to act smug? If you're gonna ambush someone, at least have the decency to shut up afterward." Sakatsuki cracked his knuckles menacingly, embodying the "Devilish Muscle Rin" persona perfectly. "Come at me if you want revenge, Lady Crane!"

"Y-You dare call me by that ridiculous nickname?! You're dead, Rin Tohsaka!"

And thus, the battle between "Fake Devilish Muscle Rin" and the "Lady Crane" erupted once more, their clash so intense it seemed capable of grinding the very fabric of the universe to dust.

The world itself trembled under their fury.

"Oh, what now?" Illya watched the shaking landscape with the resigned exhaustion of someone who had long since given up.

"Seems like retrieving the card destabilized the Mirror World. We should escape before it collapses."

Despite her words, Ruby's focus remained entirely on the one-sided beatdown Rin was delivering to Luvia. Her unease grew.

'Everything else can wait until we're out of here...'

SCREECH—!

Luvia's heels dug trenches into the ground as she skidded backward, wiping blood from her split lip. "I never expected you to improve so much in just one day."

"Hmph. If not for this body... No." Sakatsuki caught himself and stuck to the script. "Don't assume your linear attacks will always work. Once I predict your moves, countering them is child's play."

As he spoke, an Imaginary Number Domain silently expanded around Miyu, enveloping everyone present.

"Sapphire."

"Understood. Excluding variables from the imaginary axis. Fixing central coordinates. Establishing a 6-meter reflective path. Returning to the normal world."

A blinding flash later, the group finally escaped the collapsing Mirror World.

"My, Miyu, you're as reliable as ever."

The words didn't come from Luvia—but from "Rin", who should have been meeting Miyu for the first time.

"Wait, you—?!" Luvia's eyes widened in realization. But before she could speak, a BOOM echoed from the school building.

The locked iron doors were ripped off their hinges.

And there, standing amidst the wreckage with gravity-defying twintails flaring like a Super Saiyan's aura, was the real Rin Tohsaka, her expression colder than absolute zero.

"Hey! Who the hell knocked me out and stuffed me under the stairs?! Do you have any idea how filthy it was down there?!"

"Rin Tohsaka?!"

"Rin-nee?!"

Amid the gasps, Rin's glare locked onto the smirking "Rin" standing among the group.

"You're the one who attacked me, aren't you? Who are you?!"

"Illya, retreat now!" Ruby shouted. "My suspicions were right—this isn't the middle-aged hag I know!"

"Who the hell are you calling middle-aged?!" Rin seized Ruby in a death grip, her murderous gaze never leaving Sakatsuki. "Talk. Why are you impersonating me?!"

"Ah!" Luvia suddenly gasped. "The Class Card is gone! Did you—? Damn it...!"

As if to confirm Luvia's words, Sakatsuki raised the Rider Class Card with a mocking smile.

"Well then, I'll be taking this. Do keep working hard to collect more cards for me, won't you~?"

A spatial distortion yawned open. Before anyone could react, Sakatsuki vanished into the light.

"You coward! Get back here!"

"He's gone..."

"Miyu?! Miyu! What's wrong?!"

Luvia's panicked cry drew the others' attention. Illya and Rin turned to see the usually expressionless Miyu staring at the spot where Sakatsuki had disappeared, her amber eyes wide with shock and dread.

"Displacement magecraft... No, it can't be..."

***

Meanwhile, at the Church...

A figure materialized in the quiet sanctuary.

"Ah... Did I use the wrong magecraft just now?" Back in his youthful form, Sakatsuki smacked his forehead. "This might give Miyu the wrong idea."

The Rider Class Card was already tossed into his Imaginary Number Pocket. Frowning briefly, he soon shrugged.

"Well, what's done is done. Hopefully, Illya and the others will notice Miyu's issues sooner rather than later. That kid shouldn't have to suffer alone."

Entering his room, he found his ninja attendant waiting patiently.

"Master, Lady Caren has fallen asleep. Her injuries should heal within fifteen days."

"Good. Continue taking care of her. While I'm away, Caren is your second master. Understood?"

"Yes."

With that matter settled, Sakatsuki closed his eyes and summoned the Fate Compendium.

"Little Ming, take me back to the Second Singularity."

[Acknowledged. Initiating transfer.]

Weightlessness gripped him as his soul was catapulted into the infinite cosmos, hurtling toward a single point among countless worlds.

[Second Singularity entry confirmed. Permitted return duration: Three days!]

***

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