In the violent roar of the explosion, with absolutely no suspense, LV3 Wanderer Sieg was completely reduced to ash amidst a low growl of unwillingness, taking the final step on his path of divine combat.

His unwillingness was entirely understandable.

In truth, Sieg’s defeat this time was extraordinarily unjust. He possessed strength that surpassed the peak of humanity, a physical body so formidable that even an electromagnetic railgun couldn't penetrate it, and a mount, the Nine Nether Bone Dragon, whose defense rivaled that of a Heroic Spirit. Furthermore, he had grasped a higher-level rule of Evil—the Blazing Inferno Domain. His prowess could hardly be described as anything less than the strongest among all current Wanderers.

Yet, it was precisely this immense strength that bred overconfidence. Facing an LV1 Wanderer, he never deployed his full might, believing that the strength he casually used was sufficient to defeat Lin Luo.

However, the opposing team produced powerful reinforcements one after another, and they continuously grew stronger during the battle. Variables kept emerging on the battlefield, until finally, they possessed power that completely surpassed his own… Such a turn of events should never have occurred.

If, from the very beginning, the moment Sieg arrived in this plane, he had immediately summoned the Nine Nether Bone Dragon and forcefully used the Dian to break the world's rules while unleashing his own rule of Evil, then Lin Luo’s side would have stood absolutely no chance of turning the tide, and the victory would have been exceedingly easy.

But, simply because of his reluctance, his lack of resolve to fight desperately… even though he eventually brought his full power to bear, it was too late. Mending the pen after the sheep was lost proved futile, ultimately leading to his demise.

When the roar in the sky subsided and the dust settled, an inky black book, like spilled ink, fell from the heavens, accompanied by a dark-green, inverted triangular object.

Smack.

Catching it, Lin Luo frowned. He had previously heard Liu Ziwen mention that while his own Book of Contracts only required bonding with the host of the World Heart to upgrade, other Wanderers had to hunt down the host of a World Heart, seize the World Heart for themselves, and absorb it using their Dian before they could advance.

This, it seemed, was true.

Before ascending to LV3, Sieg had hunted down one World Heart host and absorbed it to reach LV3. The Fallen Angel who delivered the Fallen Heart to him was the second.

However, upon Sieg’s death, the Evil Spirit Book lost its master, and the World Heart consequently separated from the Dian.

The Spirit Heart—that was the name of the World Heart in Lin Luo's hand. Because it had already been absorbed by the Evil Spirit Book, all imprints upon the Spirit Heart had been erased, and the identity of the original host would forever remain unknown.

“No matter what, this counts as avenging you,” Lin Luo murmured, tucking the Spirit Heart away before examining the Evil Spirit Book… This Dian was quite different from the Book of Contracts and the Beast Taming Book. Although it could summon undead creatures like the Nine Nether Bone Dragon, overall, it was not a summoning or contract-based Dian; rather, it was akin to a Grimoire, focusing primarily on self-cultivation.

Of course, since Lin Luo was not the master of the Evil Spirit Book, he could not discern what the cultivation system of the Evil Spirit Book entailed, but…

“Absorb.” The Book of Contracts materialized, and the stream-like glow emanating from it instantly enveloped the Evil Spirit Book, causing the latter to begin dissolving bit by bit.

Dians could not only absorb World Hearts but also absorb Dians that had lost their masters.

Soon, the Evil Spirit Book was completely absorbed by the Book of Contracts. After dematerializing the Book of Contracts and sending it back to his neural domain, Lin Luo heard its notification chime: “Evil Spirit Book absorbed. Current host gains skill—Mist Incarnation. Upgrade requirements lowered.”

And Lin Luo’s current status:

Contractor: Lin Luo Race: Human Class: Wanderer (LV2) Status: Normal Strength: 100 Constitution: 100 Intelligence: 170 Spiritual Power: 1800 Vitality: 1200 Current Contracted Servants: Misaka Mikoto, Tohsaka Rin, Mugino Shizuri Current Talents: Neural Domain Development, Command Seal Summoning, Material Analysis Current Usable Contractor Skills: Divine Healing Art: LV2, consumes a portion of Vitality to repair and modify the body. This healing art can be used on anyone. Mind Link: Allows telepathic communication with all current contracted servants, maximum range one hundred meters, non-upgradeable. Contract Status: Attuned Mode, Harmonized Mode. Mist Incarnation: Uses mist to create an external avatar, controllable by the host’s consciousness, no attack power. Domain Creation: Rule of Life, the power of secondary evolution of points and lines.

The Book of Contracts was currently LV2. It could upgrade to LV3 after signing four contracted servants (absorbing the Evil Spirit Book lowered the requirement to three).

After a brief glance, Lin Luo paid no further attention. He had already mastered these abilities anyway; he could experiment with the few new ones later.

Walking forward, Lin Luo checked the people sprawled on the ground. Mikoto and Mugino, along with Accelerator, were merely collapsed from exhaustion and not seriously harmed; they would recover after a short while. Only Fūzan’s silhouette was gradually fading, then disappearing from the ground—she was an aggregation of AI and had merely returned to Academy City.

Rin’s condition was similar to Mikoto and the others, merely passed out from magical energy depletion.

Picking up the fractured Sword in the Stone from the ground, Lin Luo glanced in one specific direction, then took a step, instantly vanishing from his original spot… He wasn't worried about Mikoto and the others’ condition; the light curtain he created would protect them from any danger, allowing them to sleep a while longer.

A few seconds later, Lin Luo stood suspended in the void, looking at the few people before him with a hint of a smile, “It seems you’ve been watching the show for quite some time.”

Laura, the Water of the Back, Vasilisa, Kialisa, and the Knight Commander—these five figures from the magic side were stunned the moment they saw Lin Luo. Even with their power, they couldn't discern how Lin Luo had appeared before them in an instant.

Wariness shone on all their faces. Having observed the battle for so long, they had clearly seen everything unfolding over there. When Sieg deployed the hundred-meter-tall Flame Giant, they assumed the Science Faction was annihilated. Who knew that ABER’s earth-shattering sword strike and Lin Luo’s timely arrival had completely reversed the situation. The level of power displayed chilled even them to the bone.

Lin Luo, ABER, Fūzan, and Sieg—they wouldn't dare challenge those four. Even Mikoto, Mugino, and Accelerator, in the midst of the battle, had displayed power far exceeding the Saint level.

The might of the Science Faction was overwhelming to such an extent that seeing it firsthand was absolutely terrifying.

Watching the complex expressions on their faces, Lin Luo inwardly laughed. Not long ago, he’d heard they were terrified of Academy City, but now, it was they who were afraid. Truly, 'three days away from a person, look at them with new eyes'… Wait, perhaps he reversed that saying?

His expression turning serious, Lin Luo tossed the two pieces of the broken Sword in the Stone into the hands of a red-clad woman opposite him. “The Second Princess of Britain, Kialisa?”

“Yes, yes.” The Second Princess, famed for her military prowess, was usually spirited, but now she appeared extremely nervous, clutching the broken sword Lin Luo threw, unsure what the man intended.

Of course, she wasn't the only one with that thought; the other four shared it.

“Well, there’s no need for you to be so tense. Although you were just spectating the free show…” This comment made the five magic-side figures blush slightly. Lin Luo ignored their expressions and continued, “But I don’t particularly care. I came to see you this time simply to tell you one thing.”

“Oh? What is it you wish to say?” A young woman with light golden hair, possessing an approachable demeanor, spoke—Laura Stuart, smiling sweetly as she inquired.

Lin Luo shifted his gaze to her. Honestly, Lin Luo always found this Archbishop of the Anglican Church quite mysterious—a rare blend of cunning and natural innocence. And her hair, it was actually 2.5 times her height; he truly wondered how she managed to wash it… Ah, he was getting sidetracked.

“It’s nothing major. I just want to tell you that while you belong to the Magic Side, and I’m stretching it to be half Science Side, I have no intention of interfering with the conflicts between your respective factions. So, if your two sides start plotting and scheming, I won't bother. However, when it comes to the people beside me, you’d best not drag them into your conflicts.”

Laura paused, then her smile didn't fade. “Are you threatening us?”

“You can interpret it that way if you wish.”

“Then, who are the people you are referring to?”

“You can easily find out by investigating, can’t you? You even have spies in Academy City; I’m not that much of a mystery.”

If he wasn't mysterious, then no one in this world was mysterious.

The group couldn't help but complain inwardly, but they couldn't afford to disregard Lin Luo's words. His strength was simply… unfathomably deep. The consequences of provoking such an enemy were hard to imagine.

“I have a question for you,” Kialisa suddenly spoke, holding the broken Sword in the Stone. “Who was that blonde girl?”

“The divine manifestation of King Arthur,” Lin Luo lied smoothly. Since they already held that assumption, he might as well align with their understanding to save trouble.

“It really was him?” The Second Princess was shocked, then asked, confused, “But why is she female?”

Lin Luo smiled. “Well, that’s quite easy to understand. After divine manifestation, there’s all sorts of feminization going on.”

The Second Princess was speechless.

“Right, I also have a question for you,” Lin Luo ignored her and turned to Laura.

“Oh? What do you want to ask?” Laura replied with an innocent smile, speaking cordially.

“Hmm, I’ve always wanted to know, how old are you exactly? I heard A Certain Magical Index is your daughter—is that true?”

The smile froze instantly on her face.

Seeing the signs of Laura verging on a dark transformation, Lin Luo knew this question was likely a dead end. He immediately waved his hand towards the group. “Alright, I’ve said what I needed to say. I shall take my leave now.”

With that, he vanished from his spot, while Laura ground her teeth in fury…