Returning from Einzbern Castle, it was already midnight. Lily had expended a significant amount of magical energy due to her battle with the King of Conquerors, so she retired immediately upon reaching the inn. Nero, sensing the looming confrontation with the King of Heroes, likely didn't want to waste any strength needlessly and had transformed into her spiritual form to conserve her power.

Lin Luo had only woken up in the evening and had no sleepiness at all. Since everyone else was asleep, he had nothing pressing to do. He turned off the lights, sat alone in the living room, activated his Perception Domain, and quietly began to meditate on his insights.

When he had first emerged from the Millennium City, Lin Luo had only grasped a single thread. Now, however, he had seized hold of many more. These weren't just the results of the last couple of days; they were built upon foundations laid long ago, particularly during the month he had spent dormant within the Millennium City.

That month, though perhaps perceived as wasted time, had proven unexpectedly beneficial. If Kurohime had merely flipped the switch for his Rule Power, then during his time in the Millennium City, Hakuhime had been busy weaving threads throughout the system behind that switch—threads he simply couldn't perceive at the time.

The battle against the King of Heroes, the contact with the Root of All Evil (All the World's Evils), entering the Reality Marble, and the ultimate duel between the King of Conquerors and Lily... following these various intense events, those threads had become increasingly distinct.

While Lin Luo couldn't guarantee he could restore his Rule Power to the one hundred percent level he possessed in the Toaru Majutsu no Index world, he felt certain that with just a little more contact with certain elements, he could unleash at least half of his true strength.

After all, the Moonlit World was profound and mysterious. Many aspects of it remained unknown even to the established magi of this era. For an outsider like him, to fully comprehend it in less than a year was an absolute impossibility. Concepts like the Root or the Counter Force were utterly beyond his reach right now; touching them carelessly could invite irreversible consequences.

However, the All the World's Evils...

That thing was proving exceptionally troublesome.

Lin Luo was certain that it existed only beneath the Root and the Counter Force. To deal with this entity, he would minimally need to interface with both the Root and the Counter Force—a path currently blocked. Even prolonging the Holy Grail War seemed almost impossible given the circumstances.

Saber was already defeated. Cer probably wouldn't last much longer either, as the others were currently engaged with him. Of course, Lin Luo wouldn't intervene to help Cer. In fact, if he could manage it, he would prefer to eliminate Cer sooner rather than later, because as long as he remained human, he could not stand by while those two homicidal maniacs ran rampant.

With only two Servants currently active, the All the World's Evils should not awaken. So, the next step...

"Hmm?" As Lin Luo pondered, the light in the room suddenly flickered on. He looked up to see a small figure emerging from the room to his right. "Mikoto, you're still awake?"

Everyone else was supposed to be asleep at this hour, yet Mikoto was fully dressed, looking as if she hadn't slept at all, which struck Lin Luo as odd.

"Yeah... Lin Luo. I'm just feeling a little unwell," Mikoto replied listlessly, pouring herself a glass of hot water before sitting on the sofa to drink and contemplate.

Lin Luo felt baffled. What was wrong? Why the sudden melancholy? He instinctively asked, "Are you sick?"

"You're sick!" Mikoto shot him a sharp glare.

"Uh." Lin Luo was momentarily speechless. If she wasn't sick, what was the situation? Was she feeling neglected lately and getting jealous?

Though he entertained the thought, anyone with decent intelligence and emotional quotient knew better than to voice such a possibility casually. Moreover, if he brought it up now, wouldn't that imply it was his fault?

"Say... do you ever get that strange feeling?" Just as Lin Luo hesitated on how to proceed, Mikoto suddenly looked up, staring at him with sharp intensity.

"Huh?" Lin Luo was utterly confused. "That... what feeling? A flutter? A racing heart? Or maybe an itch inside?"

"An itch in your head, you idiot! I'm talking about something serious," Mikoto’s forehead visibly twitched.

"Right, right. Serious business." Lin Luo felt profoundly exasperated. Even if she insisted it was serious, he genuinely didn't understand. "So, what is this strange feeling you’re referring to?"

"Hmm... how should I put it?" Upon this topic, Mikoto lapsed back into thought. After a long pause, she finally spoke, "Well... how do I describe it? It’s like a hazy situation, as if there's something I absolutely must do, something like a mission or a calling..."

Mikoto gestured as she spoke, but by the end, she seemed as confused as ever, pausing mid-sentence with a furrowed brow.

If even she couldn't articulate it, Lin Luo certainly couldn't. Even if he possessed mind-reading abilities right now, they might prove useless. Seeing her genuine distress, however, he refrained from joking further and tried to ponder with her.

"Are you saying: you feel a mandatory task or mission that only you can complete... like in a game, where a certain quest can only be finished by you, and no one else can step in. Is that what you mean?"

"Something like that," Mikoto confirmed. "It’s like when fighting a monster—the monster that Ultraman can't beat can only be defeated by the Superman." She used a remarkably harmonious analogy.

Hey, don't diss Ultraman. At least they could trade a few blows with the city's guardian god.

The comparison left Lin Luo quite speechless, but he thought he grasped the gist. He spread his hands. "That’s easy enough to understand. If that’s the case, then Superman... well, Superman and monsters are essentially natural predators of each other, aren't they?"

"Natural predators? Yes! That's it—like a natural predator!" Mikoto’s eyes suddenly lit up, and she jumped off the sofa. "I finally figured it out! Haha! It's that kind of predator feeling!"

Lin Luo hadn't expected such excitement. After waiting for her to calm down somewhat, he sighed and said, "Alright then, Her Majesty, the Ace Electric Princess of Tokiwadai, might I ask whose natural predator you are?"

"Huh?" Mikoto was momentarily stumped, a slight embarrassment coloring her expression. "Well... I didn't say I was anyone's natural predator. It's just... that kind of feeling."

"I see. Because Mikoto-sama is an emissary of justice, naturally, she is the natural predator of all evil forces," Lin Luo nodded, offering a statement that sounded meaningful but was deliberately ambiguous.

Mikoto immediately frowned, her gaze piercing. "Are you mocking me?"

"No, I speak with sincere praise, Mikoto-sama," Lin Luo quickly shook his head and replied earnestly.

"What's with the 'Mikoto-sama'?" Mikoto gritted her teeth, glanced at her currently shrunken body, and adopted an expression bordering on 'fiercely terrifying.' "You're definitely mocking me, aren't you?"

"I told you, I’m sincerely praising you... Well, alright, it’s very late now. You should go back to sleep." Lin Luo tried to change the subject.

"What's wrong? I came out because I can't sleep," Mikoto pouted, returning to her seat.

Seeing that she genuinely didn't appear tired, Lin Luo stopped persuading her. "Very well. Since I have nothing else to do, we might as well chat."

"Who... who wants to chat with you," Mikoto murmured, her cheeks flushing slightly—a classic tsundere moment. After hesitating for a few seconds, she asked, "Um, have you been fighting continuously lately?"

Lin Luo nodded. "I suppose so. Some things just need to be done."

"Then why didn't you let me join? Do you remember what you said when we were in the hospital?" Mikoto suddenly inquired.

"Of course, I remember." Lin Luo answered seriously. He knew she was referring to the time in the Toaru Majutsu no Index world, after he had defeated Accelerator and was hospitalized. At that time, Mikoto had been furious that he chose to fight alone instead of fighting alongside her. But...

Lin Luo stated gravely, "But... Mikoto, you are not a warrior."

"What do you mean?"

Lin Luo looked serious. "I only need to ask you one thing, Mikoto: Do you dare to kill?"

"Uh, well, I..." Upon hearing this, Mikoto immediately hesitated, mumbling incoherently.

"See? You don't dare to kill. No—that's not right. It's not that you don't dare; it's that you can't, because you are too kind."

"But what about Rin and the others, and Lily and her group..."

"You are different from them. While they are kind, they are also warriors. If an enemy stands before them, they will strike without hesitation because the worlds you live in are different." As he said this, Lin Luo recalled something. "I heard that during the confrontation with that murderer last night, you struck first, but you failed to kill him, correct?"

"That's because I..."

"Because the situation was special, so your aim slipped. Is that what you want to say? But that’s incorrect. Mikoto, I know your abilities too, so I am perfectly aware that your Railgun does not lose its precision due to such things. If you had truly intended to kill him, he would have died in an instant. The reason you missed is because you never intended to take a life."

"But..."

Mikoto seemed to want to explain, but Lin Luo didn't give her the chance.

"You see, you can't even bring yourself to kill a villain as heinous as him. Can you kill others? The enemies we have encountered this time are not all bad people; several are even Heroes. Yet, we must kill them. Even if they are Servants and death is meaningless, they still bleed, and they still feel pain. Facing people like that, could you truly bring yourself to strike?"

"I..."

"Enough." Lin Luo smiled, stopping her. "I am not blaming you by saying all this. Truthfully, I never wanted you to become that kind of person from the beginning. A Misaka Mikoto who kills for her own sake is not the Misaka Mikoto I know. That is why I didn't want to drag you into this war. Misaka Mikoto only needs to be Misaka Mikoto."

"Misaka Mikoto only needs to be Misaka Mikoto..." Mikoto lowered her head, murmuring, lost in thought.

"Perhaps your everyday life in your reality is gone, but I hope the normalcy in your heart never vanishes."

P: A warm chapter; the next will be more intense action. A