The LV3 Walker cast a momentary silence over the group. While envy and resentment were inevitable, dwelling on what wasn't theirs was useless. Moreover, they should count themselves fortunate that this LV3 Walker had not appeared in this first phase of the war; otherwise, they would have had no choice but to flee.

"Let's put the Walker issue aside for now and discuss our next moves…" After a moment, Li Dingzong suddenly said in a deep voice, "Given that Host's strength, even if we all recovered to our peak states, our chances of winning against her are slim. Therefore, the only viable path now is… to obtain the World Heart and grasp the power of the Rules."

Yun Feng sighed, "But the World Heart isn't so easily acquired. And we have absolutely no intelligence on the other Hosts. Even though the system alerted us that finding the core Host is key, we still have no information whatsoever."

"In that case, our objective must change…" Liu Qu suddenly let out a cold laugh, "The owner of the Book of Contracts."

Li Dingzong nodded, "Indeed. According to the information we gathered, he has already contracted three Hosts. He is LV2, just like us. Even if his overall strength is slightly superior, none of his three contractors have reached the Spirit Rank yet…"

"I see now. If we eliminate him, we not only remove the biggest obstacle but also gain three World Hearts." Mo Xinming realized with a flash of enlightenment, then gritted his teeth, malice flashing in his eyes, "That bastard Zhai Lian hasn't arrived yet. I really need to teach that self-willed woman a lesson!"

"Speaking ill of others behind their backs is bad behavior." Just then, a cool, clear voice sounded. Everyone turned to the source to see a petite girl walking toward them, slowly turning the pages of a book.

"Zhai Lian?" Mo Xinming was first stunned, then spoke coldly, "Hmph, where have you been gallivanting these past few days? You look like you've been having quite the comfortable time."

"Not bad," the girl said faintly, her gaze sweeping over the group before she nodded. "I see. You all seem to have been beaten quite badly."

"You…" Mo Xinming immediately choked on his anger, his face instantly turning ashen with rage, "Hmph! It's all because of you! If you had joined us last time, we wouldn't have suffered such a loss."

Even with their combined strength as LV2s, adding her would still not have been enough to defeat Evangeline. Mo Xinming knew this; his outburst was merely displaced anger.

"Why does it seem like Mo Xinming is always picking fights with Zhai Lian? Are they enemies?" Kousaka Taihe, seeing the two about to bicker again, couldn't help asking the person next to him.

"It's not quite like that…" Yun Feng scratched his head and whispered, "Actually, Mo Xinming has a crush on Zhai Lian, but because Zhai Lian has never given him any encouragement, so… you understand."

"Oh, unrequited love breeding hatred. So that's it," Kousaka Taihe suddenly realized with clarity.

"Hmph, so he's a Lolicon," Liu Qu sneered.

"Bastards, what nonsense are you spewing? Don't think I didn't hear you!" Mo Xinming exploded in embarrassment and anger.

"Enough." Li Dingzong waved his hand, signaling everyone to stop, then turned to Zhai Lian and said, "We were just discussing how to deal with the owner of the Book of Contracts. Since you've arrived, we can formally negotiate the strategy. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Zhai Lian stated calmly.

Li Dingzong nodded heavily and said in a deep voice, "Very well. This time, we will surely win, because… God is on our side."

"What is this?"

Because it was an emergency, Lin Luo and the others flew through the air to advance. Even so, it took them an entire day to reach the location in the northwest where the sensation originated. Then… when the three of them saw the scene before them, they were instantly stunned speechless.

It was a valley that, judging by its location, should have been serene and tranquil. But now, that environment was completely gone.

Trees and rocks were scorched black by fire everywhere. The ground looked as if it had been bombarded by fierce lightning, the protruding earth completely deformed. In the center of the lake stood several rock peaks that shouldn't have been there at all… What made the scene even more bizarre was that despite this environment, it felt like the depths of winter, with waves of Ice Tyrant Qi covering the entire valley, chilling them to the bone.

Of course, if it were just this, it would only be a strange environment. What truly shocked Lin Luo and the others were the four creatures—or rather, four corpses—present at this location…

Dragons. Four terrifyingly massive dragon corpses.

The Red Fire Dragon was decapitated; the Gray Earth Dragon was encased in ice; the White Silver Dragon had its body pierced through; the Purple Thunder Dragon was cut in half at the waist… The four great dragons held absolutely no spark of life.

"This… what in the world happened?" Seeing the four utterly dead dragons, Tohsaka Rin’s eyes widened, and she cried out in shock.

Even Mugino looked grave, turning to Lin Luo and saying solemnly, "Are these from the group of dragons we saw last time?"

Lin Luo shook his head, "Unsure, but their power levels seem similar. Each of these four dragons is at the initial Spirit Rank, extremely powerful."

"Who could have done this?" Rin couldn't help asking. "Could it be…"

Lin Luo nodded, "I doubt anyone else could, other than that Host. Since she could instantly kill an initial Spirit Rank Walker, killing these four initial Spirit Rank dragons wouldn't be a big deal for her."

"It seems that Host's power is far beyond our imagination. What rank do you estimate her to be?" Rin asked.

"Mid Spirit Rank, no, closer to High Spirit Rank," Lin Luo speculated. With his current strength, in a one-on-one fight, barring any accidents, he could probably kill one initial Spirit Rank dragon. But facing four simultaneously was absolutely impossible.

After all, besides their formidable combat power, dragons possess inherently robust physiques and strong resistance to damage. Lin Luo knew that if two initial Spirit Rank dragons attacked him at once, he would have no choice but to flee. Against four, he would definitely be the one dead.

Even with his 50% Rules Power obtained from the Moon World, eliminating four initial Spirit Rank dragons was no simple task. Based on the evidence at the scene, that Host didn't struggle much. For him to achieve this, he would need the power he possessed in the A Certain Magical Index plane—which meant this Host must possess 100% Rules Power, placing her at least at High Spirit Rank.

"Isn't that great? The stronger she is, the more advantageous it is for us," Rin sounded quite excited upon hearing Lin Luo’s assessment.

"But it's a pity we were too slow again," Lin Luo sighed. It was impossible not to feel regret, as he had already contracted five contractors. If he could sign just one more, he could advance to LV3, significantly increasing their chances of winning this war.

Of course, what he looked forward to most was that signature mark—the little loli between eleven and twelve years old. Who could it be? He was very curious.

"Yes, I really thought we might find her this time," Rin and Mugino shared the disappointment.

"Forget it; we can't force things like this. Perhaps it's simply not the destined time to meet. By the way, the seven days are up; Mikoto and the others should be ready to emerge now."

Then, the three left the valley and arrived beside a nearby lake. Seven-colored light flashed continuously, and Misaka Mikoto, Rei, and Shikoku emerged from the Fourth Space, leading to an immediate flurry of discussion.

Since Mikoto had been asleep since exiting the Moon World, she required another full explanation of their current predicament.

"I see. Quite a lot has happened," Mikoto commented with feeling after listening. Lin Luo had not told her about the anomaly that occurred to her in the Moon World, nor did he permit anyone else to speak of it. Otherwise, if Mikoto knew she had harmed herself and caused so much trouble for everyone, her personality would surely lead to immense guilt.

Furthermore, Lin Luo was pleasantly surprised that Mikoto seemed to have matured significantly after the previous anomaly… at least externally. Her tsundere nature was likely eternal, but the tsundere cannon remained the best when it was tsundere.

She appeared slightly taller, her figure a bit better developed, and her chest… seemed slightly larger, too?

Well, nearly a year had passed. The Railgun, who stood between loli and girl, had finally become a true young woman… though she still had a considerable distance to go compared to Mei Ling.

Secondly, her strength… Initial Spirit Rank.

This was quite a significant surprise, likely due to the previous anomaly. After all, her power had briefly rivaled Gaia during that incident. Even though it dropped back down after being pulled back, some residual effect would remain, making the increase in strength logical.

"Alright, we'll discuss the minor details later; for now, we should…" Lin Luo stopped mid-sentence because, at that very moment, a cold prompt suddenly echoed from the Book of Contracts:

"System detects the Book of the Warrior. Master Li Dingzong, LV2 Walker. Core Capacity: Berserk. Strength evaluation: Initial Spirit Rank, rapidly approaching Mid."

"System detects the Book of the Assassin. Master Liu Qu, LV2 Walker. Core Capacity: Assassination. Strength evaluation: Initial Spirit Rank, rapidly approaching Mid."

"System detects the Book of the Demonic Path. Master Kousaka Taihe, LV2 Walker. Core Capacity: Elemental Mastery. Strength evaluation: Initial Spirit Rank, rapidly approaching Mid."

"System detects the Book of Nature. Master Yun Feng, LV2 Walker. Core Capacity: Nature Manipulation. Strength evaluation: Initial Spirit Rank, rapidly approaching Mid."

"System detects the Book of Telekinesis. Master Mo Xinming, LV2 Walker. Core Capacity: Psychic Energy. Strength evaluation: Initial Spirit Rank, rapidly approaching Mid."

"System detects the Book of Martial Arts. Master Zhai Lian, LV2 Walker. Core Capacity: Limit of Martial Arts. Strength evaluation: Initial Spirit Rank, rapidly approaching Mid."

"What is this…" Lin Luo's expression abruptly changed.