The passage through dimensional rifts was far from the idyllic journey one might imagine, for between dimensions lay the surplus energy seeping from countless realms—a power capable of manifesting endless variations and lethal threats. Spatial turbulence, temporal storms, overlapping black holes of immense density... If you could conceive of a peril, it existed within.

Those who attained the Heaven Tier could simply leap beyond the world, shrugging off any threat. Quasi-Heaven Tier powerhouses could utilize their Heaven Tier Intent to deflect such forces. But anyone who hadn't even brushed against the Heaven Tier, who hadn't grasped its Intent—even if their raw power could shatter stars with a mere wave of the hand—could be ground into dust by the dimensional conduit if they faltered for even a moment.

Stepping out of the rift, Lin Luo and Mikoto appeared entirely composed, displaying no strain, as if they’d merely taken a stroll in their own rooms. But only the Mid-Earth Tier Shokuhou and Mugino immediately collapsed to their knees, prostrating themselves in the void, their faces cycling through shades of grey and green as they retched dryly, unable to bring anything up—a picture of profound agony.

Lin Luo glanced at them but offered no comfort, nor did he deploy any healing arts to alleviate their suffering. As the saying went, one must endure the harshest suffering to rise above others. The pressure exerted by the dimensional passage, though agonizingly close to death itself, offered an immense boon. If they could fully integrate that suffering, they would take a significant stride toward the Heaven Tier.

Lin Luo closed his eyes, carefully sensing this new world.

He had promised Misaka Mei Ling a World Heart.

Though Lin Luo had agreed readily back then, his true desire was that she not obtain the World Heart, because her possession of one implied the death of another host. Thus, he had secretly hoped that all the hosts could survive, negating the need to search for a second host, though he recognized this was clearly unrealistic. A significant portion of his current Contractors were, after all, second hosts.

He had not brought a World Heart back with him this time, but that didn't mean Misaka Mei Ling was without hope of becoming a second host.

After his demise during the Fourth Divine War, the Space Heart and Life Heart he possessed, the seven World Hearts exploded by the Evil King, and the five World Hearts snatched from the Proxy Gods by Yao Yao—fourteen in total—had all initiated an autonomous search for a new master after the Life Heart was used to resurrect Tachibana Kanade.

According to Yao Yao, the search protocol for the World Hearts followed two primary principles. The first, naturally, was affinity; the higher the affinity, the sooner the selection. Following that was the bond with him. If two individuals shared the exact same affinity for a specific World Heart, it would unequivocally prioritize the one sharing a bond with Lin Luo.

Lin Luo had saved Misaka Mei Ling’s life; her very being carried his spiritual imprint; her entire heart was tethered to him. In terms of bonding, she would not fall short compared to others. Consider Artoria: under this Nine Heavens world, how many millions possessed fearless courage? Yet, why was it Artoria he chose? Because of their bond. Likewise for Yakumo Yukari, Fujibayashi Kyou, and Katsura Hinagiku—all were, without exception, second hosts, and the World Hearts they carried were among those thirteen that entered the autonomous search state.

Therefore, among the remaining nine World Hearts, if even one possessed a high affinity with Misaka Mei Ling, her probability of becoming a second host would be extremely high. In terms of pure bonding, Lin Luo couldn't easily compare Yakumo Yukari and Artoria; he sensed something similar in them—reverse causality. However, his interactions with Fujibayashi Kyou and Katsura Hinagiku had been far fewer; their bonds simply couldn't surpass Misaka Mei Ling’s.

With his current Quasi-Heaven Tier strength, searching an entire Earth for a host was child’s play. His perception spanned the entire planet, and within mere minutes, he received the answer.

There was indeed a host here!

Of course, they weren't currently in Academy City, but over a vast expanse of ocean. Lin Luo couldn't be certain if that host was Misaka Mei Ling, or perhaps Shirai Kuroko, given she was a spatial ability user, likely possessing considerable affinity with the Space Heart.

It was also possible the host was one of the few remaining first hosts who hadn't yet faced persecution, like Hatsune or Kasuga’s type, though Lin Luo deemed this possibility unlikely. Such bug-like entities were rare and hard to come by more than once or twice.

When he opened his eyes, Shokuhou and Mugino had already risen, their dry heaving ceased, though their complexions remained terrible—as if they had been thoroughly used by hundreds of people, their expressions utterly ruined.

Lin Luo sighed inwardly; this was something he couldn't assist with. To gain the greatest benefit, they needed to fully assimilate every bit of pain the dimensional passage inflicted. Though agonizing, they simply had to endure it.

“Let’s go. We’ll return to Academy City; we might find a host there,” Lin Luo said after they had rested briefly and recovered enough to move.

Mikoto nodded. Shokuhou and Mugino remained silent. Then, the four of them flew toward Academy City. To accommodate the two "seriously injured," Lin Luo kept their flight speed deliberately low, simultaneously attaching some of his spiritual power near them to prevent them from suddenly plummeting from the sky.

Because slow speed invited detection, and Lin Luo wished to avoid attracting undue attention, everyone entered a state of invisibility. Not a soul would see them, not even the Will of the planet—if one existed.

After ten minutes, the quartet finally entered Academy City.

“It’s here!” Lin Luo hovered in mid-air, a look of joy on his face. His previous search covered the entire planet; though he could sense the host's presence, he didn't know their precise location. Now, however, he clearly felt the host was within Academy City.

“I feel it too. The host is in Academy City, and it seems they are very close to me,” Mikoto murmured, nodding.

Affinity, a bond with him, and a close relationship with Mikoto... Lin Luo pondered. Clearly, Misaka Mei Ling and Shirai Kuroko were the most probable candidates!

“Let’s descend and take a look, following the host’s aura,” Lin Luo suggested. The four of them landed on a street in Academy City’s Sixth District.

The Sixth District was the most concentrated area for entertainment facilities in Academy City—essentially a playground. Since it was daytime, the streets teemed with crowds: handsome men and beautiful women, students of every age, parents, and children, some walking in pairs or groups, others alone, all exuding an air of youthful joy.

Yet, despite the sheer number of people, not a single soul noticed the four figures descending from the sky. This was to be expected. Before landing, Lin Luo had deliberately altered the surrounding atmosphere; no matter how suddenly he appeared, even if he landed directly on someone's head, the observer would not perceive a sudden arrival but rather that he had been beside them all along.

“Let’s search around a bit using that aura. I think they should be very close... Huh!” As Lin Luo turned to survey the area while speaking to the group, he suddenly cut himself short.

Not far opposite them was a small shop selling trinkets. Two women stood outside the shop, laughing and chatting while examining some jewelry. One was slightly taller, with shoulder-length, tea-colored hair, wearing a white blouse and black trousers that accentuated her sensual figure and impressive bust. She looked only in her twenties, yet radiated a maturity far beyond her years.

The other was slightly shorter, possessing beautiful, tea-colored hair that reached her waist, clad in a white dress. A faint smile on her face hinted at the noble bearing of a young lady of status. While she lacked the figure of the older woman beside her in every aspect, she was young, with immeasurable potential.

What was even more astonishing was that the two women looked nearly identical; unless one observed closely, anyone would mistake them for twin sisters.

“Mei Ling, Mei Ling, Mom thinks this would suit you perfectly! Look, look,” the older woman said, pulling a necklace from the shop and holding it up near the other girl’s neck, excitement evident on her face.

“Mom, this one isn't quite right; I don't really like it,” the girl demurred.

It was hard to fathom that these two were mother and daughter!

“Nonsense, Mom loves it! If Mei Ling wears this, she’s sure to capture every man’s attention... Sigh, Mei Ling is already so grown up, and so accomplished, yet she doesn't even have a boyfriend. Mom is worried,” the older woman insisted, refusing to listen and trying forcefully to place the necklace around the girl’s neck.

The girl gave a wry smile, apparently resigned to her mother’s insistence, but the expression in her eyes conveyed a genuine, deep-seated happiness.

The girl allowed her mother to fasten the necklace around her neck, her gaze instinctively sweeping around. Then, when her line of sight settled on a specific direction, her delicate body gave a violent tremor. The smile froze on her face, and the look of helpless resignation widened into enormous eyes filled with shock, confusion, and disbelief.

“Mei Ling?” Her mother noticed the sudden change and asked, her tone laced with concern. But the girl seemed not to hear. The mother followed her daughter’s gaze, and then her own vision froze.

There were many people across the way, but their focus was fixed on only two figures. Against those two silhouettes, even a massive crowd seemed dull and insignificant.

In that instant, only four pairs of eyes existed in the world: the daughter's gaze, the mother's gaze, and the gazes of Lin Luo and Mikoto, fixed upon by the two women.

At that moment, only the four of them existed; everything else seemed to vanish.

After staring intently for a long moment, suddenly—

“Mom!”

Mikoto moved first, letting out a cry, and immediately launched herself across the way toward the mother.