Accelerator was long dead; there was no way he could have set a trap for her in advance, and her body had already been fully restored. How could a Level 4 esper simply vanish? Furthermore, The Last Work wasn't the only one in the research facility; there were the regular Sisters clones, and the Level 5 esper, Misaka Mi-Zero... This was utterly impossible!

"I don't know the specifics either, but the research facility is in chaos right now. It looks like a fierce battle took place. All the regular Sisters clones are unconscious. As for Zero... she wasn't at the facility today."

The Sisters unconscious... The Last Work missing... Mi-Zero not at the facility...

Lin Luo swiftly logged into the Misaka Network, calling out for Zero and The Last Work, receiving no response. Even the regular Sisters clones within Academy City showed no signal; only those outside the city remained unharmed.

"...I see, so that’s what it is? Aleister, it was your doing after all!"

Lin Luo gritted his teeth, unable to entertain any other possibility. Within Academy City, the only person capable of orchestrating such a thing instantly was the Hanged Man.

It was likely he was also responsible for Kamijou Touma’s injury and hospitalization. Lin Luo didn't know the exact method, but dealing with an immature Imagine Breaker would be as easy as squeezing clay for the Hanged Man!

Stopping the Absolute Level 6 Experiment before was understandable, as they stood on the same side of the fence. But now, it was obvious they were directly opposed... That bastard had already made his move!

Aleister taking The Last Work meant only one thing: the Artificial Angel! But the problem was that the Magic Side hadn't invaded; there was no need to summon an angel this soon!

Was he trying to take over The Last Work prematurely because of Lin Luo’s interference, or was it purely a scheme to lure Lin Luo out using her? None of these mattered to Lin Luo right now. The crucial thing was that under no circumstances could he allow the Sisters to become tools for Academy City again!

Peering through the window in the door, Lin Luo glanced at the still-unconscious Kamijou Touma inside, and Index sitting by the bedside, her face etched with worry... Regardless of the situation, he couldn't drag them into this any further. Since Aleister had made up his mind, he wouldn't stop easily just because of these two.

Leaving the hospital, night had fallen outside. It had been roughly two hours since Kamijou Touma was injured, but according to Yoshikawa, the attack on the facility and The Last Work's disappearance had only happened about ten minutes ago.

There was still time! They couldn't have taken The Last Work far in such a short period. If he could retrieve her, everything could still be salvaged!

"You seem quite anxious." Tohsaka Rin emerged from an alley beside the hospital. "Did something happen?"

"Rin, things have become complicated," Lin Luo stepped forward and said gravely.

"That person is injured, and now Academy City can attack us without restraint?" Rin frowned, a hint of guilt clouding her expression.

"That was inevitable, but besides that, there's something even more serious!"

"Something more serious?"

"Let's talk as we walk; time is tight."

...Based on the information provided by Yoshikawa, the traces of battle within the research facility were not the result of a clash between espers on both sides, but rather evidence that the damage was inflicted unilaterally by the Sisters' electrical output. This led to an easy conclusion: the person fighting the Sisters was a normal human.

For an ordinary person to suppress a Level 4 and several Level 3s with mere physical strength, Lin Luo could think of no one other than the Hound Dog Unit.

Lin Luo knew the locations of the Hound Dog Unit's various bases intimately, thanks to an earlier investigation by Haruue. Therefore, he could find The Last Work by attacking their bases one by one... Of course, there were several troublesome issues, such as the intervention of the Dark Side. Both ITEM and CLAMP were considerable threats to Lin Luo in his current state.

More critically, if The Last Work had already been taken to that windowless, doorless building, everything would be irreversible!

"Twenty thousand clones? There's such a thing?!"

Lin Luo gave a brief explanation about the existence of the Sisters, and Rin's face filled with shock upon hearing it.

"Although Academy City appears prosperous and peaceful, where there is light, there is darkness. The brighter the surface radiance, the heavier the darkness hidden beneath it must be... This time, our enemy is the darkest entity within Academy City. Rin, are you prepared?"

"Are you looking down on me?" Rin took a deep breath and stated firmly, "I am the current head of the Tohsaka family!"

Lin Luo smiled but said nothing.

Originally, the matter of the Sisters had nothing to do with Rin, and there was no need to involve her. But given the current situation, the problem the Sisters encountered was somewhat connected to her. Moreover, Aleister was serious this time. If a few Dark Side operatives attacked with full force, Rin’s strength wouldn't be enough to resist them. It was safer for her to be with him than alone.

Admittedly, facing Aleister, Lin Luo had no chance of victory; the difference in combat power was too vast. He didn't need to make a move himself; just a few Dark Side members posed an immense threat!

Should he notify Mikoto?

Lin Luo hesitated internally. His own side was too weak. If Mikoto could join the fight, their combat strength would undoubtedly increase significantly... But he quickly dismissed the idea. It wasn't about fearing a clash between Rin and Mikoto, nor was it about avoiding involving Mikoto. In the current scenario, those concerns were secondary.

It was just that, since arriving in this world, Lin Luo had vaguely sensed the critical role the World Heart played... When Mikoto entered other dimensions, the time in this world would stop, or at least slow down. Either way, the timelines of the two worlds were no longer synchronized.

Therefore, if a truly desperate moment arose, Mikoto could serve as the final trump card. He could take her and Rin to another world, and only return when they were strong enough to confront Aleister!

"Remaining stay time in the current plane: 14 days, 5 hours, 30 minutes. If the Contractor fails to establish a Heart Pact with the current Charm Heart Host, Tohsaka Rin, the Starlight Avenue can be opened at any time within these 14 days, 5 hours, and 30 minutes, randomly entering any world hosting a World Heart. Due to the low level of the current Tome of Contracts, the Starlight Avenue in this plane can only be opened once."

Looking at the countdown on the Tome of Contracts, Lin Luo felt a pang in his chest... This notification had only appeared yesterday, appearing whenever he visited another plane after his stay time was halfway consumed. This meant his prior guess was correct: the stay time in this world was exactly one month!

But honestly, Lin Luo was reluctant to use the random teleportation gate. He couldn't guarantee that all his assumptions would be correct. What if time in this world didn't stop again? The Sisters would be doomed! And who could guarantee that the next randomly entered world wouldn't be even more dangerous than this one?

So, unless absolutely necessary, unless total despair struck, Lin Luo would absolutely not use this random teleportation gate!

"Hm?" Suddenly, Lin Luo stopped, surveying the surroundings, a wave of unease washing over him.

"You feel it too?" Tohsaka Rin stated gravely. Her left hand clutched a blue gemstone, while her right hand was shaped like a gun; she was ready for combat!

"Indeed... It's very strange."

It was about nine o'clock in the evening. They were on a wide street. At this hour, even if pedestrian traffic was light, there should have been a few people around. But now, not only were there no pedestrians, but even the shops lining the street were tightly shut. The entire avenue was silent.

"This feels like some kind of barrier..." Rin observed carefully for a moment, frowning.

"A barrier?" Lin Luo was slightly startled. This was Academy City; how could there be a barrier?

Whoosh!

Before he could fully process it, a beam of white light shot towards them from a short distance ahead, fast as lightning!

"Watch out!" Lin Luo's pupils contracted instinctively. He instantly entered the Fusion State, and arcs of blue-and-white electricity shot from his hands, colliding head-on with the incoming white beam. With a crackle, the white beam was forcibly distorted before shattering a nearby lamppost!

"That ability is?!" Lin Luo’s expression changed drastically.

"It certainly is exciting..." The voice carried a trace of arrogance as a figure slowly emerged from the darkness. "I was so thrilled I could barely sleep when I received this mission. It seems you haven't disappointed me after all, Big Brother—is that what I should call you?"

Before them stood a tall, brown-haired girl, over 1.7 meters in height, dressed in a pale pink dress, exuding the air of a young lady.

The girl looked at Lin Luo, a smile playing on her lips—a smile utterly devoid of friendliness.

Lin Luo felt a massive headache coming on. The worst possible thing had happened at the worst possible time.

The girl before him was none other than the fourth Level 5 esper of Academy City, Accelerator Detonation—Mugino Shizuri—whom Lin Luo had previously verbally annihilated!

"I'm happy that you can call me that, but perhaps you should go back wherever you came from?" Lin Luo attempted to reason.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Without any superfluous words, Mugino Shizuri raised her hand, unleashing a barrage of electron streams, truly living up to her reputation as the Meltdowner!

"As expected, it's impossible."

Lin Luo forced a bitter smile. While he wanted to avoid conflict with the Dark Side, it was clearly unavoidable under these circumstances... It made sense; Mugino Shizuri had nearly been angered to death by him, and now that she had such a perfect opportunity, there was no way she’d let him go.

Blue-and-white electricity surged around his body before blasting outward, instantly twisting away all the incoming electron streams.

Boom! Boom! Boom!...

Amidst violent explosions, countless surrounding structures were pulverized.

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