Rin would never make a mistake. The girl lying on the ground was indeed Kotone, her closest friend.
"Kotone!"
Rin called out anxiously, but Kotone remained motionless, showing no signs of response.
Kotone's wide-open eyes lacked focus and the usual radiance. Her face was expressionless, resembling a delicate doll.
If Rin couldn't feel the warmth of a human body and the beating of a heart through her touch, she would have thought that her best friend was already dead.
"Kotone!? What have they done to you? What should I do? Is there anyone—"
Rin looked around, trying to find something that could be of help.
She couldn't find anything to assist her, and something even more horrifying appeared—the man who made Rin feel danger, the man who was accompanied by two boys.
In an instant, Rin felt as if she was being stalked by some savage beast.
Her whole body seemed frozen, unable to move. She couldn't even scream. The terror held the young girl captive.
The man with rotating eyes caught sight of Rin. He first appeared startled but then approached her with a more radiant smile and a gentle voice.
"What's wrong? Are you lost?"
"No, it's just that..." Rin's body and mind were controlled by fear. She couldn't articulate her words properly, didn't know what to say, and could only stutter and tremble.
"You came at the right time."
The man seemed oblivious to Rin's expression, and he walked towards her with a smile.
The moment he released his grip, the two boys he was holding seemed to lose their strength and collapsed, just like Kotone in Rin's arms.
"We were about to hold a party, but we're a bit short on people. Will you help us, too?"
It was only at this moment that Rin noticed there were not only Kotone and the two boys lying on the ground but also several other children.
The man squatted among the children, in front of Rin, and extended his hand towards her.
"A party is more lively with more people, right?"
In her fear, Rin instinctively held the man's hand, but she felt a severe, needle-like pain that pierced through her hand.
"What happened just now?"
Rin looked at her hand. Although it had only been a moment, she knew that the pain she felt earlier was not an illusion. It was a reaction to magical energy invading her body.
The Tohsaka family's secret gem magecraft involved using magical energy to change the shape of gems. This training enhanced the coordination between the magi's mental strength and magical energy. If there was a problem with either aspect, the shaping process would fail.
When Rin first started practicing, she often failed because she injected too much magical energy, causing the gems to shatter. The excess magical energy would rebound back to her own body, causing the same pain she felt now in her hands.
Rin's gaze involuntarily focused on her left wrist, where a purple bracelet emitted fluctuations of magical energy.
"Is that what the pointer is pointing to? Is it because of that that Kotone has become like this? And all these children too?"
On the other hand, the man whose hand Rin had let go of grew impatient. The sunshine and gentleness disappeared from his face, replaced by the expression of a fierce beast stalking its prey.
He reached out his hand again, trying to grab Rin.
Rin shrunk her body and evaded, swiftly moving to the corner of the bar using both her hands and feet.
The man licked his lips, carefully avoiding stepping on the children on the ground, and steadily approached, his narrowed eyes revealing a hint of ferocity.
But this time, Rin wasn't frightened. Instead, she bravely stood against the man.
Taking advantage of her petite physique, she climbed onto the bar counter and forcefully threw objects at the man.
The man protected his head and face with his hands but continued to advance.
How strong could a child's strength be? He thought he could take a few hits and return them in a matter of minutes. But he overlooked what was on the bar counter. Besides various drink packets, there was a grid of four-by-four cup holders, neatly holding sixteen glass cups.
Rin exerted force and pushed the cup holder, sending it flying off the counter and crashing heavily onto the man's face.
"Ouch!" The man was suddenly struck hard, yelling out as he wildly waved his hands.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Rin grabbed the man's left wrist. Her goal was not to evade the man's capture but to destroy this ominous magical tool.
The magical energy on the bracelet once again invaded Rin's body, and the stabbing pain made her face turn pale.
But soon, Rin no longer felt the pain. The courage and consciousness she had mustered were slowly fading away as if someone were singing a lullaby in her ear.
This was the effect of the bracelet. By directly contacting it, magical energy would be injected into the target's body, taking away their consciousness.
Gradually, Rin's vision became blurry, and the man's face became indistinct. She could only vaguely hear his triumphant voice.
"Well, it seems you're willing to cooperate after all."
That voice snapped Rin back to reality, reminding her of what she should do.
She clenched her teeth and activated the switch of the magic circuit within her body. Forty main circuits and thirty auxiliary circuits were simultaneously activated, and the stored magical energy in her body poured out like a floodgate being opened.
There are no tricks, no magic tricks to be used. It's just a pure release of magical power, fighting against the magic emitted by the bracelet.
Although Rin is young, she possesses qualifications far surpassing those of ordinary magi. If the body of an ordinary magi is like a pond, Rin's body is like a reservoir. Even if this reservoir has not been fully utilized, the stored magical power within it should not be underestimated.
Aqua-colored magic radiated from Rin's eyes, hands, and entire body, illuminating the dim bar and intertwining with the harmonious purple magic light emitted by the bracelet.
The magic pointer hanging around Rin's neck, always pointing towards the bracelet, began to sway, sometimes pointing at Rin and sometimes pointing at the bracelet, indicating the intense struggle between the two types of magic.
"Weird, what's happening?"
The man whose left hand was grabbed by Rin was bewildered by the scene before him. He had no idea what was happening and just stared blankly.
As time passed, the amount of magical power output by Rin grew stronger and stronger. The magical power from the bracelet was expelled from her body, and the swaying pointer started to shift in her direction.
When Rin completely freed herself from the influence of the bracelet, all the magical power within her surged forcefully into the bracelet through her hands. This scene resembled the pouring rain during the stormy season, with seawater surging back into the distant river.
She recalled her father's teachings when she failed her first attempt at shaping gems. Magecraft is a rigorous and precise craft, and using more magical power is not necessarily better. Excessive magical power can instead disrupt the magecraft itself.
Now, Rin wanted to destroy the bracelet using the same method.
"This thing!" In Rin's furious roar, the output of magical power reached its peak. The roaring magical power caused the magic pointer to finally settle on Rin, surpassing the limits of what the bracelet could bear.
With a loud "bang," the bracelet, like a gem that Rin failed to shape, shattered into pieces in a burst of light.
Rin would never make a mistake. The girl lying on the ground was indeed Kotone, her closest friend.
"Kotone!"
Rin called out anxiously, but Kotone remained motionless, showing no signs of response.
Kotone's wide-open eyes lacked focus and the usual radiance. Her face was expressionless, resembling a delicate doll.
If Rin couldn't feel the warmth of a human body and the beating of a heart through her touch, she would have thought that her best friend was already dead.
"Kotone!? What have they done to you? What should I do? Is there anyone—"
Rin looked around, trying to find something that could be of help.
She couldn't find anything to assist her, and something even more horrifying appeared—the man who made Rin feel danger, the man who was accompanied by two boys.
In an instant, Rin felt as if she was being stalked by some savage beast.
Her whole body seemed frozen, unable to move. She couldn't even scream. The terror held the young girl captive.
The man with rotating eyes caught sight of Rin. He first appeared startled but then approached her with a more radiant smile and a gentle voice.
"What's wrong? Are you lost?"
"No, it's just that..." Rin's body and mind were controlled by fear. She couldn't articulate her words properly, didn't know what to say, and could only stutter and tremble.
"You came at the right time."
The man seemed oblivious to Rin's expression, and he walked towards her with a smile.
The moment he released his grip, the two boys he was holding seemed to lose their strength and collapsed, just like Kotone in Rin's arms.
"We were about to hold a party, but we're a bit short on people. Will you help us, too?"
It was only at this moment that Rin noticed there were not only Kotone and the two boys lying on the ground but also several other children.
The man squatted among the children, in front of Rin, and extended his hand towards her.
"A party is more lively with more people, right?"
In her fear, Rin instinctively held the man's hand, but she felt a severe, needle-like pain that pierced through her hand.
"What happened just now?"
Rin looked at her hand. Although it had only been a moment, she knew that the pain she felt earlier was not an illusion. It was a reaction to magical energy invading her body.
The Tohsaka family's secret gem magecraft involved using magical energy to change the shape of gems. This training enhanced the coordination between the magi's mental strength and magical energy. If there was a problem with either aspect, the shaping process would fail.
When Rin first started practicing, she often failed because she injected too much magical energy, causing the gems to shatter. The excess magical energy would rebound back to her own body, causing the same pain she felt now in her hands.
Rin's gaze involuntarily focused on her left wrist, where a purple bracelet emitted fluctuations of magical energy.
"Is that what the pointer is pointing to? Is it because of that that Kotone has become like this? And all these children too?"
On the other hand, the man whose hand Rin had let go of grew impatient. The sunshine and gentleness disappeared from his face, replaced by the expression of a fierce beast stalking its prey.
He reached out his hand again, trying to grab Rin.
Rin shrunk her body and evaded, swiftly moving to the corner of the bar using both her hands and feet.
The man licked his lips, carefully avoiding stepping on the children on the ground, and steadily approached, his narrowed eyes revealing a hint of ferocity.
But this time, Rin wasn't frightened. Instead, she bravely stood against the man.
Taking advantage of her petite physique, she climbed onto the bar counter and forcefully threw objects at the man.
The man protected his head and face with his hands but continued to advance.
How strong could a child's strength be? He thought he could take a few hits and return them in a matter of minutes. But he overlooked what was on the bar counter. Besides various drink packets, there was a grid of four-by-four cup holders, neatly holding sixteen glass cups.
Rin exerted force and pushed the cup holder, sending it flying off the counter and crashing heavily onto the man's face.
"Ouch!" The man was suddenly struck hard, yelling out as he wildly waved his hands.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Rin grabbed the man's left wrist. Her goal was not to evade the man's capture but to destroy this ominous magical tool.
The magical energy on the bracelet once again invaded Rin's body, and the stabbing pain made her face turn pale.
But soon, Rin no longer felt the pain. The courage and consciousness she had mustered were slowly fading away as if someone were singing a lullaby in her ear.
This was the effect of the bracelet. By directly contacting it, magical energy would be injected into the target's body, taking away their consciousness.
Gradually, Rin's vision became blurry, and the man's face became indistinct. She could only vaguely hear his triumphant voice.
"Well, it seems you're willing to cooperate after all."
That voice snapped Rin back to reality, reminding her of what she should do.
She clenched her teeth and activated the switch of the magic circuit within her body. Forty main circuits and thirty auxiliary circuits were simultaneously activated, and the stored magical energy in her body poured out like a floodgate being opened.
There are no tricks, no magic tricks to be used. It's just a pure release of magical power, fighting against the magic emitted by the bracelet.
Although Rin is young, she possesses qualifications far surpassing those of ordinary magi. If the body of an ordinary magi is like a pond, Rin's body is like a reservoir. Even if this reservoir has not been fully utilized, the stored magical power within it should not be underestimated.
Aqua-colored magic radiated from Rin's eyes, hands, and entire body, illuminating the dim bar and intertwining with the harmonious purple magic light emitted by the bracelet.
The magic pointer hanging around Rin's neck, always pointing towards the bracelet, began to sway, sometimes pointing at Rin and sometimes pointing at the bracelet, indicating the intense struggle between the two types of magic.
"Weird, what's happening?"
The man whose left hand was grabbed by Rin was bewildered by the scene before him. He had no idea what was happening and just stared blankly.
As time passed, the amount of magical power output by Rin grew stronger and stronger. The magical power from the bracelet was expelled from her body, and the swaying pointer started to shift in her direction.
When Rin completely freed herself from the influence of the bracelet, all the magical power within her surged forcefully into the bracelet through her hands. This scene resembled the pouring rain during the stormy season, with seawater surging back into the distant river.
She recalled her father's teachings when she failed her first attempt at shaping gems. Magecraft is a rigorous and precise craft, and using more magical power is not necessarily better. Excessive magical power can instead disrupt the magecraft itself.
Now, Rin wanted to destroy the bracelet using the same method.
"This thing!" In Rin's furious roar, the output of magical power reached its peak. The roaring magical power caused the magic pointer to finally settle on Rin, surpassing the limits of what the bracelet could bear.
With a loud "bang," the bracelet, like a gem that Rin failed to shape, shattered into pieces in a burst of light.
