"What did you say?" Lily's tone was calm and indifferent, yet it struck Nero's ears with an unbearable harshness. She whipped around to glare at Lily, unleashing the majesty of an Emperor, her eyes blazing with fighting spirit.

Yet, Lily completely ignored the Empress's aura, showing no sign of yielding. She stated firmly, "Is that not so? A 98% compatibility rate does indeed see you surpass the original host, but it still falls short of perfection. What Heaven has recognized indicates you still lack two things required of a true King."

"You..." A flicker of rage crossed Nero's eyes. Though she wanted to retort, she found herself speechless, because what the other said was true—98 signified imperfection. The World Heart existed on a plane far above the Throne of Heroes, a fact evident from their very separation from it. If even the World Heart deemed her ascension incomplete as Queen, what use was her denial?

Ignoring the World Heart's judgment was even less feasible, for doing so would negate the very claim that she had surpassed the original host.

Thinking this, Nero was momentarily silenced, then sneered, "Very well, then let me see just how high your compatibility can go. Even if you are the perfect King born from pure fantasy, you cannot truly attain perfection."

"I will let you see," Lily replied softly. Then, she turned to face Rin. "Rin, I am truly happy to be your Servant. Since becoming a Heroic Spirit, this is the first time I have fought with such joy. The days spent fighting side-by-side with you constantly bring back memories of when I was human, commanding armies on the battlefield—it feels as if I’ve returned to those cherished times..."

Rin froze, slightly puzzled by Lily’s sudden declaration.

"I will not be able to fight alongside you as your Servant henceforth, but please believe me, no matter the time or place, regardless of how our statuses may change, we remain partners and comrades fighting together, never parting, in the name of this Sword in the Stone," Lily stated solemnly, raising the treasured sword in her hand.

"King of Knights"—before Rin could fully process Lily's words, Nero burst out in a roar. To her, it sounded as if Lily had already guaranteed her own superiority, a notion intolerable to her proud spirit. "Do not decide the outcome before the results are in. My Imperial Circle will not lose to your fantasy!"

"No, the result is already set; you simply haven't realized it yet." In contrast to Nero’s explosive anger, Lily remained calm as still water. This stemmed from her confidence in her own path of kingship, and it was dictated by her heart.

The tension between the two was palpable, suggesting an imminent clash, yet Lin Luo paid them no mind. In his view, this test had evolved into a contest between Lily's and Nero's respective paths to kingship. For them, these were profoundly significant tenets, and neither would willingly concede defeat. Even if a fight broke out, it would not stem from genuine malice.

Of course, while asserting the righteousness of their ideals, they could still distinguish between priorities and a true brawl did not ensue. After speaking, Lily cast a brief glance at Nero before walking toward Lin Luo.

As the King of Knights approached the World Heart, the most anxious person present was not Lin Luo, nor Rin, nor even Lily herself—it was Nero. Her gaze never left the World Heart. She was confident she wouldn't lose to anyone, but this opponent was hailed as 'perfect'...

"Current subject's compatibility with the King of Hearts reaches 100%..."

When this first half of the announcement sounded, not only was Nero stunned into silence, but Lin Luo also felt immense shock. The highest compatibility among current hosts was not Nero, but the original host of the Corrupted Heart, who reached 99% and even managed to temporarily unseal the World Heart. But Lily had just definitively surpassed everyone... One hundred percent, unprecedented.

However, the shocking events had only just begun.

"Compatibility reaches perfection. The current subject will now directly fuse with the King of Hearts..."

Then, the King of Hearts moved against Lin Luo's control, flying toward Lily's body. In an instant, the supreme golden light completely poured into her being... Fusion successful.

Furthermore, because the Contract Book’s link to the King of Hearts remained active, the Heart Contract spontaneously initiated the moment the fusion was complete.

"Contract Book Master Lin Luo, King of Hearts Host Artoria, Affection Level reaches 90. Formal Heart Contract established. Under this contract, Contract Status cannot be utilized. Access to the Contractor's innate abilities is granted. All statuses will be restored upon reaching 100 Affection."

Perhaps this fusion was too unique, or perhaps the connection between the Contract Book and the King of Hearts was simply absolute. Without even physical contact, the moment that mechanical, electronic voice faded, Lin Luo found himself standing on a battlefield.

The field was filled with armies, thick smoke billowed, and a single rider stood at the forefront. Sword pointed toward the heavens, a sharp cry escaped her lips. Instantly, a thunderous roar echoed through heaven and earth as a golden blade of light sliced across the sky. The King upon the horse surged across the battlefield... an invincible posture, leading an invincible army.

"Heart Contract finalized. Current Master acquires Contractor Talent: Invincible Under Heaven. Current Contractor Status altered: Heart Seal unlocked, Status: Primal State. Relationship changed to Sharing Life and Death; Spirit Power and Life Chain can be shared..."

The moment the contract was completed, Lin Luo saw Lily standing before him. But her transformation was not yet over. Lily suddenly opened her eyes, a sharp light emanating from them, and then she raised the Sword in the Stone high above her head.

Rumble, rumble, rumble...

The Sword in the Stone shimmered with supreme golden light. After nine resounding crashes, as if breaking free of some restriction, a perfectly straight pillar of golden light shot up into the heavens, piercing the clouds and illuminating the sky. The dazzling radiance symbolized the majesty of the supreme King.

Finally, the light column descended, pouring entirely back into Lily’s body. As if cleansed by holy light, the pure white armor became even more brilliant, spotlessly clean, mirroring the golden holy sword in her hand.

Correspondingly, Lily’s power surged layer by layer, her momentum several times greater than the advancements achieved by Huang Quan and Kagura.

Spiritual Rank Mid-Tier... Breakthrough! Spiritual Rank High-Tier... Breakthrough! Spiritual Rank Peak... Spiritual Rank Peak... Spiritual Rank Peak...

The power continued to grow, but for some unknown reason, it could not break through to Earth Rank. In terms of raw power alone, Lily had already reached Earth Rank; what she lacked now was the specific realm requirement.

Meanwhile, Lin Luo, having bound Lily, also advanced to LV4. Although his aura was less spectacular than Lily’s, the internal changes were by no means inferior.

At this moment, the Contract Book displayed the following status:

Contractor: Artoria (Heroic Spirit) Status: Normal Physical Strength: [Unspecified] Spiritual Strength: [Unspecified] World Heart: King of Hearts (No. Eight, Form: Peerless Under Heaven) World Heart Level: Primal State Heart Battle Technique: Invincible Under Heaven Overall Strength Level: Spiritual Rank Peak

And Lin Luo’s status read:

Master: Lin Luo (King of the World) Status: Normal Physical Strength: [Unspecified] Spiritual Strength: [Unspecified] Vitality: 10000 Talents: Brain Domain Development, Command Spell Summoning, Material Analysis, Calm Mind, Invincible Under Heaven Overall Strength: Spiritual Rank Peak Current Contract Book LV4. Upon contracting ten more subjects, LV5 can be attained.

Lily’s strength was undeniably immense. Not only did she skip two ranks, but the seal on the Sword in the Stone was also broken, and the Source within her body was fully activated. All that remained was learning how to utilize the Source, or rather, how to apply it correctly, and then her ascent to Earth Rank would be imminent... With such power, she was certainly ready for Gensokyo.

What Lin Luo couldn't comprehend was why he hadn't broken through to Earth Rank. He had reached LV4, his body and spirit reaching their limits, even his acquired skills had leveled up. He had clearly touched the threshold of Earth Rank, so why couldn't he cross it?

Setting aside the dramatic changes in Lin Luo and Lily, the surrounding group was completely shell-shocked by the sudden turn of events. Nero stood woodenly, truly struck this time. Heaven’s chosen had declared her path of kingship inferior to Lily’s, and now the gulf in strength was so vast that she could only look up in awe. This disparity was harder for her to accept than defeat by the King of Heroes.

"I am the absolute Emperor!" Nero suddenly threw her head back and roared, then spun around and fled at high speed, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

The others failed to notice Nero’s departure amidst Lily’s transformation. Rin felt a mixture of excitement and poignant loss. Lily becoming this powerful was excellent news, but the thought that she would no longer be her Servant brought a pang of sadness.

"Even the Command Spells are gone," the bond between Master and Servant had been forcibly severed, and the Command Spells on her hand naturally vanished. After all, Lily was no longer just a Heroic Spirit; she was the host of the World Heart and could no longer be bound by Command Spells.

Rin managed a faint, wry smile. However, being an optimist, her wryness soon turned into acceptance. Just as Lily said, even without the Master-Servant relationship, they remained comrades and allies.

"Is this what I am now?" Lily opened her eyes after completing her metamorphosis and murmured, a hint of bewilderment in her gaze. She could sense that her power had almost fully returned to its peak, and her memory now held additional knowledge...

"Right, where is Nero?" Lin Luo had intended to speak with her after the Heart Contract was signed but realized Nero was nowhere to be seen. He inquired, frowning slightly.

Everyone shook their heads. Lin Luo knitted his brow, then quickly recalled certain things.

"I’ll go look for her. We can discuss other matters later." Lin Luo cast an apologetic glance at the group before swiftly chasing after a specific direction. While he could summon Nero using a Command Spell, he felt it was better to go himself at a time like this.

Rin, Lily, and the others had no objections; they too needed time to process what had occurred.

Since Nero was a Heroic Spirit summoned by Lin Luo, the two shared a deep connection, making it easy for him to locate her. Moments later, he found the crimson figure in a dense patch of woods.

"Damn it, she won't acknowledge me! I am the absolute Emperor!" Nero shouted fiercely while hacking at everything around her in frustration with the deep red sword in her hand. Trees and rocks alike turned to dust under her blows.

"What are you doing?" Lin Luo stopped a few meters behind her and said helplessly.

Nero turned back, gave him a cool glance, then turned away, treating him as if he didn't exist, and resumed venting her frustrations on the surrounding ecosystem with her sword.

Crack, crash, boom!

"Arrogant, conceited, vile! That white-clad fool, I’ll show her soon enough!" Nero cursed as she chopped. "In terms of authority, territory, looks, and figure, in what way am I inferior to her? And she dares say my path of kingship is less than hers... Damn it, absolutely damnable!"

Lin Luo was utterly dumbfounded. It seemed the blow Nero received was indeed severe. Her authority and territory were clearly greater, but her looks were identical! As for her figure... well, in that regard, she truly lagged behind, but these things had nothing to do with the path of kingship!

Lin Luo didn't know how to respond. Seeing Nero in this state, he figured persuasion would be difficult, so he sat down nearby to watch her vent. He figured she would stop when she got tired or hungry.

"Why aren't you talking?" After hacking for about half an hour, until there was nothing left to strike near her, Nero suddenly turned back to face Lin Luo, a hint of anger in her eyes.

Lin Luo felt immense pressure. He knew he was being made a scapegoat, which gave him a slightly ominous feeling, considering Nero was famously a tyrant—who knew what might happen if she truly lost her temper.

"...I just came to call you home for dinner," Lin Luo finally managed to sputter out after a long pause.

"Not in the mood," Nero snorted dismissively, then suddenly lunged in front of Lin Luo, nearly gripping his neck as she roared, "Tell me, why am I inferior to her? In what way am I worse? Here, here... I must be better than her in every way!"

Lin Luo felt both amused and helpless. It was clear Nero was unraveling, as the points she furiously indicated were her longer eyelashes and a significantly larger bust compared to Lily's.

Lin Luo desperately wanted to argue that this had nothing to do with the path of kingship, but the scene of utter devastation around them served as a stern warning: Nero was furious, and the consequences would be severe.

"This... The path of kingship doesn't define everything. You are only slightly inferior to her, yes, just a tiny bit. So, you shouldn't worry about it at all; just compensate in other areas."

"Compensate my foot! She unsealed the Sword in the Stone! How can I possibly still fight her?" Nero pressed her face close, roaring loudly.

It was natural for the Sword in the Stone to possess a seal. Gaia couldn't allow Heroic Spirits to fight at full capacity; besides combat strength, there surely had to be limitations placed on their Noble Phantasms. But after the intervention of the World Heart, all restrictions had been lifted.

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

"Simple. I want one too."

"Want what?"

"The World Heart."

Lin Luo was speechless. Great, was he about to incur another debt? A