With greater power and a broader world revealed, after understanding his own frailty and the limits of his strength, everything was digitized: defeat weak enemies, flee from strong ones, and only wait until he grew strong enough to vanquish those who were once superior... Ever since arriving on the Moon, this had been Lin Luo's operating philosophy.

How foolish, how incapable, how weak... To place all hope in an uncertain future. One must remember that tomorrow follows today, and if one cannot even overcome the present, how can one look forward to tomorrow?

Possessing such invincible power, yet why such impotence? This phrase, once directed at Accelerator, could now be applied to himself.

He wanted to weep and laugh simultaneously.

Once he grasped all this, Lin Luo felt both regret and relief. Regret for his own ignorance, forgetting something so crucial, and wasting over six months on the Moon harboring such a cowardly mindset; relief that he realized it before it was too late, meeting the excellent girl, Lei, at the perfect moment to startle him awake and restore his former courage and conviction.

Protecting comrades, shouldering everything—that was noble, but... if the courage to fight and the resolve to risk his life were gone, how could he protect? How could he bear the burden?

Because of his own failings, Xiao Qi was trapped in such danger, and not only did he hesitate about helping her, but he even contemplated fleeing. What difference was there between that thought and being a scumbag? If he couldn't even protect one little girl, what hope was there for others?

Since it was his fault, he must actively embrace this mistake, staking his life to protect her. Hadn't he always done this? This conviction must never waver again.

“I’m sorry, Xiao Qi.” Lin Luo sincerely bowed his head in apology as he stood before her once more.

“Huh?” Xiao Qi looked utterly bewildered, clearly unable to comprehend, staring at Lin Luo for three full seconds. “I thought you had run away, I didn’t expect…”

Lin Luo offered a wry smile, a flicker of shame crossing his mind. “I did have that thought just now, but don’t worry, I’ve made my decision. No matter what happens, I won't abandon you until you can leave here safely.”

As he spoke, his face settled into an expression of unbreakable determination, an expression strikingly similar to when he challenged Accelerator in the A Certain Magical Index world.

“You... seem a bit different,” Xiao Qi observed after scrutinizing him up and down.

“Well, I suppose you could say I’ve returned to being my old self,” Lin Luo replied with a faint smile. A different mindset brought a different world into view. Even while in peril, he could now laugh heartily. “But I owe all of this to Lei. If it weren't for her, I probably would still be trapped in my own confusion.”

“Lei...” Hearing this, Xiao Qi instinctively glanced toward the girl behind him, appearing quite curious. However, she didn't dwell on it for long, quickly asking, “So, do you have any good ideas now? How do we deal with Zu?”

“About that...” Lin Luo frowned at the mention of it, sinking into thought for a moment. “I did think of a few plans before, but their feasibility was low. Without any reinforcements here, taking on an Ancestor is truly difficult.”

While Anhalt, the Vengeance Rider, ranked low among the Twenty-Seven Ancestors and wasn't among the strongest, his power as an Ancestor was undeniable. However, lacking any specialized abilities, his defense felt somewhat lacking. Lin Luo had considered using his strongest technique, the Ring of the East Wind, for a surprise attack while Anhalt was off guard, but he ultimately discarded the idea.

After all, he was an Ancestor-level Dead Apostle; a sneak attack wouldn't be easy. If things went wrong, he might be the one ambushed. Furthermore, whether the Ring of the East Wind could even harm him was a serious question.

Even if he were to risk his life, blind combat was unacceptable. He didn't need a hundred percent certainty, but he needed some assurance. If he could first gain an accurate understanding of the opponent, perhaps a countermeasure could be devised.

“Then it’s the same as before; we just have to wait for fate,” Xiao Qi sighed, clearly somewhat disappointed, feeling she couldn't rely on Lin Luo.

“No,” Lin Luo shook his head, offering a mysterious smile. “While we truly can’t confront Anhalt directly, we… can call for reinforcements.”

“Reinforcements?”

Faced with Xiao Qi’s full-faced confusion, Lin Luo offered no explanation. Instead, he found a rock and began drawing a magic circle on the ground. Mindful of his limited magical power, he strove to make the array as intricate as possible. After nearly twenty minutes, a detailed and elaborate Spirit Summoning Magic Circle materialized before the three of them.

“What is this…” Xiao Qi still couldn't quite grasp it. Though she knew it related to magecraft, she couldn't comprehend Lin Luo's exact goal.

“Are you summoning Little Caster?” Lei, however, was visibly excited, gazing at Lin Luo with high anticipation.

Lin Luo felt a wave of exasperation; it seemed Lei was incredibly fond of Little Caster. But this time, she would be disappointed. “No, Little Caster is already our companion, so there’s no need to summon her again. I am summoning a new Servant this time.”

“Oh...” Lei let out a sigh of genuine disappointment.

Since Little Caster became Lin Luo’s Special Contracted, the summoning restrictions were lifted. He wasn't sure if she resided in the Throne of Heroes or within the Grimoire of Contracts now, but if Lin Luo wished for her appearance, he only needed to invoke the power of his Command Spells; formal summoning was unnecessary.

“Summoning a Servant? You can actually summon a Servant?” Upon hearing Lin Luo’s words, Xiao Qi gasped in utter disbelief.

“Well, it’s a kind of special ability I possess,” Lin Luo replied. Given the tight schedule, he didn't elaborate. He pulled out all his gemstones from his pocket… A single **-grade magic gemstone only summoned Little Caster, which was insufficient combat power. This time, he would use every single gem to boost his mana. He couldn't hope for a mighty Servant, but summoning a mid-tier one, combined with the strength of Lei and himself, might create a fighting chance against Anhalt.

“You use these stones to summon a Servant?” Just as Lin Luo prepared to chant the incantation, Xiao Qi noticed the magic gemstones in his hand and asked.

Lin Luo was speechless. These magic gemstones represented his current strongest assets, yet she called them mere stones. With a sigh, he explained, “Because my mana is insufficient, if I want to summon a powerful Servant, I have no choice but to use these gems to augment my mana.”

“I see. That’s quite similar to someone I remember—though I rather disliked that person...” Xiao Qi murmured wistfully, then suddenly seemed to recall something. “Oh, right, I have a pile of stones here similar to the ones you have. Do you think they’ll work?”

As she spoke, she flipped her hand, and somehow, a pile of over a dozen gemstones appeared on her slender, ivory-white hand. When Lin Luo saw them, his composure shattered instantly; he almost popped his eyeballs out.

“**-grade gems?”

The color was vivid, the mana potent. Yes, every single one of the dozen-plus gems in Xiao Qi’s hand was a **-grade gemstone.

Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Luo lunged forward with lightning speed, snatching them up in a movement too quick for the eye to follow... Xiao Qi stared blankly at her empty palm.

“This, this is…”

As Lin Luo held the gems, his shock deepened. He hadn't sensed it clearly just by looking, but now he distinctly realized these gems were far more than just **-grade. Both the quality of the stone and the concentration of mana surpassed his own few **-grade gems by more than a significant margin… A+ grade gems. Every single one.

“Xiao Qi, you are magnificent!” At that moment, Lin Luo felt as if he’d been struck by a giant falling pie—absolute bliss. His eyes lingered on the gemstones, and he exclaimed excitedly, “A+ grade gems!”

“Are these stones useful?” Xiao Qi asked vaguely.

“Useful, useful, incredibly useful!” Lin Luo nodded repeatedly. If these stones weren't useful, then his own were just trash. But speaking of which, “Where did you get these gems?”

“Oh, an old, shabby man dropped them when I was little. I happened to pick them up because I thought they looked pretty. I would have forgotten if you hadn’t brought it up,” Xiao Qi replied casually, as if these A+ grade gemstones were worthless trinkets to her.

Lin Luo was utterly speechless. Bumping into so many A+ grade gems by chance? What kind of outrageous luck was this?

But who was this shabby old man she mentioned? Could it be the Jewel Incarnation? That seemed plausible. Besides that eccentric old man, Lin Luo couldn't imagine anyone else capable of crafting such high-grade gems, and Xiao Qi seemed to have some understanding of the Second Magic. The two likely shared some hidden connection… An illegitimate daughter?

Sigh... Never mind. It was best not to pry into other people’s privacy, and that line of speculation was too disturbing.

Firmly dismissing those dreadful thoughts, Lin Luo carefully sensed the flow of mana within the gems. The next moment, the gems activated, and immense mana surged into his body. Then the second, the third, the fourth...

Lin Luo didn't calculate how many A+ grade gems to use. Since any Servant summoned via a Command Spell would become his Special Contracted, the stronger, the better, obviously.

So, he only stopped when he shattered the ninth gem, his body unable to absorb any more mana. At that point, he felt his body was about to burst, unbearably uncomfortable, the colossal mana threatening to rampage within him… This was the consequence of overeating.

“Declare... Thy body... shall be... my sword... Call forth... Guardian... Decided.”

Lin Luo finished chanting the summoning incantation in broken gasps, his face flushed from red to purple. Then, the moment the chant ended, all the mana within him erupted violently… In that instant, it was as if the heavens were torn and the earth overturned. Lightning and hurricanes began to swirl at the center of the magic circle, and earth-shattering power was transmitted from the other side of the array.

“A powerful Servant, definitely a powerful Servant!”

Because the massive mana expenditure nearly exceeded his capacity, the moment the summoning ritual ignited, Lin Luo collapsed onto the ground, completely drained of strength. But seeing the scene in the magic circle—like a great demon king about to descend—his excitement was irrepressible.

“They really can summon a Servant? I’ve heard tales before, but seeing it firsthand is different...” Xiao Qi was forced back a few steps by the lightning and hurricanes within the circle, shielding her head and murmuring in amazement.

On the other side, Lei also watched the magic circle with eager expectation, thinking: If only another Little Caster could show up.

The powerful field persisted, showing no signs of stopping. The massive fluctuations swept up surrounding rubble... There was no doubt this was a formidable Servant. Lin Luo hadn't even sensed such an aura from White Caster. This was the strongest presence he had encountered yet.

The question remained: Which Servant had he summoned?

The peerless King of Conquerors? The ferocious Berserker? Or the invincible Gilgamesh?

In Lin Luo's memory, only these three Servants possessed such imposing might... Although Caster with her Utopia was truly unrivaled, without her Scabbard, her combat strength couldn't compare to the three above, nor could her imposing aura.

However, if it turned out to be one of those three, it would be rather awkward, as all three were intensely passionate guys. If one became his Special Contracted... Wait, would his Palace of Crystal Grimoire gender-bend them?

This utterly bizarre thought suddenly surfaced, and when he realized it, Lin Luo felt he was sinking deeper into depravity. Then, before he could reflect further, a voice suddenly cut through the crackling magic circle.

“You are my accompanist?”

Accompanist? What did that mean? Why wasn't it Caster?

Hearing this voice, Lin Luo stiffened. It felt different from the Servants in his memory. Accompanist? Are you an artist? Still, he was relieved to find that the summoned Servant was also female; at least he wouldn't be bathed in the light of bromance. Lucky him... Wait a minute, accompanist? Artist?

Suddenly, Lin Luo remembered someone. Among all the Servants he knew, there was indeed one who claimed to be an artist and would interpret Caster as accompanist.

Moreover, as a Servant, her strength could only be described as overwhelmingly powerful, virtually matching any other Servant.

Finally, the raging aura of the magic circle subsided. As the hurricane dissipated and the lightning vanished, a familiar yet unfamiliar figure clad in red stood leaning on her sword.

It is indeed her.

Lin Luo thought, looking at her appearance.

P: Who it is, I don’t need to say, right? By the way, the monthly votes are lacking, summon those monthly votes, A!