What Lin Luo saw were Misaka Meirei and Misaka Misuzu, so close he didn't have to search to see the Host. One his clone, the other his mother—Lin Luo saw both. Of course, Misaka couldn't fail to sense them either, staring wide-eyed.

The four stood facing each other, their gaze fixed only on those opposite them. Passersby, the World Seed, even (Mugino) and (Shokuhou)—in that instant, nothing else existed between the four of them... They formed their own world, one that could accommodate no others!

A long, silent gaze, emotions held tight, all of it coalesced into a single word: Mother. And in the next second, Misaka lunged into Misuzu's embrace, sobbing uncontrollably like a wronged little girl.

Cradled in her mother’s arms, Misaka felt a sense of security she had never known before, a feeling unattainable from anyone else, even Lin Luo. This security allowed her to cry, to smile, to let go of every concern.

Misaka was a powerhouse at the Quasi-Heavenly rank. With a mere wave of her hand, she could reduce billions to ash; with a thought, she could shatter a planet instantly. If she unleashed her full power, even the universe would feel the crushing pressure and the difficulty of salvation.

Yet, such an overwhelmingly powerful being wept heart-wrenchingly in the arms of her defenseless mother, as if all her divine abilities had vanished, all her strength reduced to nothingness.

This was only natural, for the one before her was her mother.

No matter how great her power, she was, ultimately, still a daughter. No matter how formidable she appeared normally, before her mother, she was forever soft, forever in need of protection.

The God War was terrifying. She never knew when an enemy might appear, never knew when she might die. The birth of a new Second Host meant the death of a First Host. Perhaps she would be next. Terrifying, truly terrifying!

But she never showed fear at any time, because she had to be strong, had to be brave—to protect herself, to protect those she loved, to protect her companions. No matter how scared or how fearful she was, she had to be the pillar, blocking every enemy.

But now, that necessity was gone. She didn't need to be brave or strong anymore. She displayed the softest part of herself, no longer needing to be the pillar, but the protected daughter.

Her mother's embrace was her warmest harbor, where she found the greatest security. Just like when she was a child, facing problems she could never solve—when they reached her mother’s hands, they were solved effortlessly. Nothing was impossible for her mother.

All the sorrow, all the fear, all the deep emotion, transformed into tears.

So, she simply had to cry her heart out.

“Don’t be afraid, it’s alright now; everything is over.” Misaka Misuzu held her close, letting the tears soak her clothes. She simply held her, smiling, gently patting her daughter’s shoulder to comfort her.

What had happened? She didn't ask. Why the tears? She didn't ask. Where had she been all this time, and why no contact? She didn't ask any of it.

Because she was a mother. When her child was crying and seeking protection, the duty was not to question, but to open her arms and shelter her from the storm—that was a true mother.

“Misaka, be good, Mama is right here. You don’t need to be scared anymore…” Misaka Misuzu closed her eyes, comforting her daughter and weeping alongside her.

On the other side, Misaka Meirei had approached Lin Luo. She simply gazed at him, filled with disbelief, as if unable to trust her own eyes. She couldn't help but reach out a hand to touch… the familiar face, the familiar scent, even the feeling was exactly as it was in her memory. The reunions she had dreamt of a thousand times were finally happening.

Misaka Meirei confirmed it: this was not a dream, nor an illusion. She had truly waited long enough.

“Once, I thought you were dead. I felt a wave of sorrow coming from distant time and space, the sorrow of so many people. I thought I would never see you again, but… that was just a nightmare after all,” Misaka Meirei suddenly lunged into Lin Luo’s arms, crying and laughing at the same time.

“Yes, it was just a dream. It passes when you wake up,” Lin Luo murmured softly.

The moment their four gazes met, Lin Luo’s Isolation Barrier instinctively activated. Thus, at this moment, neither Misaka’s weeping nor his embrace could be seen or touched by the others, nor could they sense them.

Lin Luo and Misaka Meirei spoke no words, simply holding each other, quietly savoring the joy of reunion. Misaka finally stopped crying after weeping enough, pulling away from her mother’s embrace to wipe the tears from her eyes.

Misaka Misuzu said nothing, but when her gaze fell upon Lin Luo and Misaka Meirei embracing nearby, she couldn't help but pause for a moment… Misaka Meirei was exceptionally talented. In Academy City, she enjoyed immense popularity, enhanced by her noble, high-society demeanor. Since the original two idols, Misaka Mikoto and Shokuhou Misaki, disappeared, Meirei had become the undisputed number one idol in the city.

She had male and female fans of all ages, and countless suitors. The love letters from boys and chocolates from girls she received daily could earn her a fortune, yet Misaka Meirei remained unmoved, rejecting every proposal.

Although Misaka Misuzu didn’t know the details, having spent some time in Academy City and interacting with Meirei, she had some understanding. She had initially thought that her goddaughter, who looked exactly like her biological daughter, was uninterested in romance, lacking that girlish infatuation.

She had worried about it slightly before, but now, she understood everything.

Misaka Meirei wasn't disinterested in love; it was simply that she had long since found someone she loved—not a fleeting crush, but a profound, soul-deep love. As a mother, as a woman, Misaka Misuzu understood this well.

But…

She glanced at Misaka beside her. She could see many things in her daughter’s eyes, including emotion. Without a doubt, Misaka held a deep, ingrained love for that young man as well.

Her biological daughter and her goddaughter both loved the same young man. This was troublesome.

Misaka certainly noticed too. Her brow furrowed first, jealousy instantly spiking, but she soon sensed a certain aura around Misaka Meirei, letting out a quiet sigh. She took her mother’s hand and smiled, “Mother, let’s go look over there.”

“Eh? Is that okay?” Misaka Misuzu looked momentarily bewildered.

“Yes, this is fine,” Misaka smiled. She understood now. Misaka Meirei was the Second Host; she had obtained one of the nine World Seeds. Thus, she must have sensed Lin Luo’s death to some degree. To feel the death of the one you love—what kind of grief was that? She understood.

Because she had experienced that very pain herself, a pain that was hard to forget even now.

So, in that moment, she let go.

In truth, she had let go long ago.

Back when she was very weak, cultivating alone in the Bright World, what trials she endured to completely grasp that possibility, to fully master the Unicorn, to achieve Heart Fusion—no one knew, because she never spoke of it. But she herself remembered it always.

The opposite of possibility is impossibility.

To achieve the possibility of success, she had to first experience failure. To attain joy, she had to first endure sorrow. To protect everything, she had to first experience losing everything…

In that trial, she lost everything. Parents, relatives, friends, comrades, lover—in the end, even herself. What kind of agony was that? She didn't want to remember it, didn't want to relive it, and certainly didn't want to experience it once more in reality.

So, she let go.

Perhaps in doing so, she lost some things, but it didn't matter, because what she gained was far greater. Compared to that small sliver of self-respect, she cherished what was before her far more. She… did not want to lose everything again!

“Alright, then we’ll go take a look over there.” Misaka Misuzu’s gaze remained fixed on Misaka’s face. What she saw was not resignation, nor sadness, nor anger, but a kind of hard-won happiness.

So, she understood as well.

She didn't need to interfere with her daughters’ emotional matters; she only needed to watch over them. As long as they could find happiness, everything else was secondary.

A moment later, the two left the Isolation Barrier.

Now, within this fabricated "world," only Lin Luo and Misaka Meirei remained.

The tears of joy and sorrow had been shed. Misaka Meirei lifted her head, gazing at Lin Luo’s face, and smiled, “Have I obtained it now?”

Lin Luo looped an arm around her waist, his other hand caressing her cheek. “Yes, you have obtained it.”

“I want to give it to you—everything—will you accept?”

“Of course.”

As the words fell, Lin Luo captured her lips with his, savoring her deep affection with tongue and mouth.

“Heart Contract Activated. Initiating Covenant Mode.”

Instantly, waves of water-hued light flowed around the two. It was not light, for it lacked the intensity of fire; nor was it water, for it lacked the generative quality of liquid. It was Misaka Meirei’s emotion, an emotion encompassing everything.

“Covenant complete. Current Contract Holder and Covenant Partner have achieved Partnership. Current Contract Holder obtains the Proof of Constraint—The Intent of Forgiveness. Current Covenant Partner obtains the Proof of Constraint—The Grace of Acceptance.”

Contract Holder Lin Luo: Wanderer (lv4) Physical Strength: SS Spiritual Strength: SS Comprehensive Power: Quasi-Heavenly Rank Level Up: Requires fourteen more Covenants to complete. …… Covenant Partner: Misaka Meirei Physical Strength: A Spiritual Strength: S Comprehensive Power: Peak Spirit Rank Proof of Constraint: The Grace of Acceptance World Seed: Heart of Tolerance (Number Six, Form: Capacity for All, Original Intention) RO

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