Lin Luo and Misaka Meiling, this time, with Lin Luo intending to keep it brief as it was her first time, planned for just one or two rounds to finish. However, the lady’s enthusiastic invitation was hard to decline, so he simply accepted, working straight from ten in the morning until three in the afternoon—a full five hours. Although the battle was intense and protracted, and Misaka Meiling endured agonizing pain initially, as a peak Spirit-Rank powerhouse, her constitution far surpassed that of ordinary people. After the first couple of times, the subsequent hours found her gradually entering a state of bliss. Coupled with Lin Luo’s god-like mastery of creation principles, this prolonged war left her not depleted, but invigorated. Not only had her complexion improved significantly, but her actual strength had also seen a major breakthrough.

Originally, she was merely in the middle tier of the peak Spirit-Rank, but looking at her now, Lin Luo could faintly see her approaching the Earth-Rank… Lin Luo couldn't help but sigh; this was far more effective than any dual cultivation, only it benefited Misaka Meiling alone, while he himself made no progress whatsoever.

Of course, Lin Luo never expected to become stronger through such activities. Once or twice might yield some benefit, but ten or eight times would be absolutely impossible. Otherwise, why would he bother grasping the Heaven-Rank profoundness? He could have simply pulled the girls into bed for a massive slumber party, and perhaps within a few months, he’d break through to the Heaven-Rank.

After more than five hours of activity, both were thoroughly satisfied. They took a shared bath together in the washroom before dressing and leaving the room.

Lin Luo could sense the whereabouts of Mikoto and the others. Through his perception, Mikoto and her mother were still in District Six. Misaki Shokuhou and Mugino Shizuri were in District Seven; the former had likely returned to Tokiwadai, while the latter had probably returned to her original residence.

Even though they had been gone for some time, as some of Academy City’s very few espers, Aleister would not strip them of everything they possessed just because they left.

Misaki Shokuhou and Mugino Shizuri needed a significant amount of time to fully digest the pressure imposed upon them by the dimensional passage; this was something only they could handle, and no one could assist them. Mikoto had finally reunited with her mother, making it inconvenient to disturb them. Thus, Lin Luo didn't plan on seeking them out immediately; instead, he strolled through the streets while conversing with Misaka Meiling.

What concerned Lin Luo most, naturally, was the matter of the Sisters—the issue he had specifically come to address. According to Misaka Meiling, the "Extra" clone, Misaka Bingsheng, with her help, had successfully removed all the mechanical components previously implanted within her body. Although this caused her strength to regress temporarily to Level 3, she had now returned to Level 5, not only stronger than before but also free from the torment of those parts—she had truly gained freedom.

Then there was Last Order. As the terminal for the Misaka Network, she possessed immense potential inherently and had already reached Level 5. While her strength might not be exceptional among espers, she was never meant to be a combat type, but rather a command type, and this level of power was sufficient for her role.

Finally, there were the regular Misaka Sisters.

Whether it was Misaka Bingsheng or Last Order achieving breakthroughs, Misaka Meiling played a significant role in both instances. However, regarding the ordinary Misaka Sisters, no matter how she tried to assist them, they could not reach Level 5. This completely baffled Misaka Meiling.

“Even though their mental power and computational capacity have met the standards for Level 5, and even when I channel mental power to them through the Misaka Network, they still cannot reach Level 5, only managing an instantaneous burst of Level 5 power before immediately falling back. Why is this?”

Misaka Meiling looked at Lin Luo and asked, bewildered.

“It’s simple; because they are constrained by their bodies,” Lin Luo stated, pointing to the core of the problem without a second thought. “Although becoming a Level 5 esper doesn’t require an overwhelmingly powerful body, the key is that there can be no fundamental flaw. Whether it’s Accelerator or Mikoto, they evolved from ordinary humans to espers, and they are whole. But the Misaka Sisters are different; they possess an inherent flaw from the moment they were born. Even though I utilized Creation to complete their flaws and make them whole, the essential nature of the problem was not resolved; they still carry defects, and it is this defect that prevents them from becoming Level 5.”

A long time ago, Lin Luo was an esper himself, and with his current level of understanding, he naturally knew the reason why the Misaka Sisters could not become Level 5 espers. Furthermore, this wasn't just theoretical speculation; there was a concrete example.

There was Misaka Meiling herself. Originally, Heaven-Censor Bird intended to clone Misaka Meiling into a Level 5 esper. Everything proceeded successfully: both her computational ability and mental power reached Level 5, not much inferior to the original Mikoto. However, Misaka Meiling still could not become Level 5.

This was because her body was flawed—a congenital defect that could not be mended.

Consequently, despite possessing Level 5 mental power, she only had the combat strength of Level 4. Furthermore, her fragile body was burdened with excessive mental energy, creating a severe imbalance that further ravaged her physical form. The result was that she was less useful than the Misaka Sisters, which is why Heaven-Censor Bird had sealed her away as a failed product.

It wasn't until Lin Luo rescued her that her body was finally perfected, allowing her to reach Level 5. As for the Misaka Sisters, although Lin Luo had also attempted to complete them, they had too many underlying defects; he had only treated the symptoms, not the root cause. What he initially thought was a perfect solution now seemed significantly incomplete.

Therefore, under the limitations of their bodies, not only could they not reach Level 5, but…

“Moreover, the sudden surge in mental power causes their bodies to become unable to cope, leading to catastrophic self-destruction. Fortunately, the Misaka Sisters form a network system comprising nearly ten thousand individuals, so they don't need to act on their own; that excess mental power is entirely transferred across the Misaka Network, averting the crisis of explosion.”

“Ah!” Upon hearing Lin Luo’s explanation, Misaka Meiling first understood, then her expression changed, and she cried out in alarm. She hadn't realized her good intentions had nearly led to disaster. If the Misaka Sisters hadn't possessed their own network, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Lin Luo smiled reassuringly, “Don’t worry, your intentions weren’t entirely misguided. At least through the continuous cleansing of mental energy, the Misaka Sisters’ computational abilities have increased dramatically, and they now possess sufficient mental reserves. As long as I conduct one more instance of bodily perfection for them, they will be genuine Level 5s.”

“That’s a relief.” Misaka Meiling finally let out a breath. She didn’t ask Lin Luo how he planned to complete the bodies of the Misaka Sisters, nor did she ask if he could achieve it. In her heart, these things weren't issues. She believed in Lin Luo; there was nothing he couldn't do. He was omnipotent, and whatever he said, she believed it—this was a blind and baseless trust.

For the person she loved, she would believe everything, accept everything, and forgive everything.

This was her nature.

However, while Misaka Meiling relaxed, a stone settled in Lin Luo’s heart. Logically, given Meiling’s current strength and her direct experience, she should have seen through the issue with the Misaka Sisters at a glance. Why didn't she realize something so simple?

Continuously channeling mental power to the Misaka Sisters—if they were merely singular entities, they would already be dead!

Lin Luo didn't believe Meiling would intentionally harm the Sisters; that was absolutely impossible. Therefore, the answer was singular… Someone was playing tricks!

A figure of immense power had deliberately obscured part of Misaka Meiling's perception, which is why Meiling knew nothing.

Who could it be? Why do this? Lin Luo didn't know, but he wasn't eager to investigate deeply yet. Since the opponent took such pains to act, they would inevitably surface again. When that time came… that person would be finished!

Of course, Lin Luo didn't want Meiling to know about this, so he said nothing.

Next, Lin Luo inquired about several other matters, such as their "free" mercenary organization and whether any major events had occurred in this world since his last departure.

Misaka Meiling answered every question fully and without reservation.

Accelerator, Misaka Bingsheng, and Last Order had taken some members out on a mission and had been gone for half a month now, but it wasn't a cause for concern; sometimes their missions lasted longer than that.

As for Misaka Meiling, she remained in Academy City to protect Mikoto’s mother and did not go. Furthermore, 128 Misaka Sisters remained in Academy City, all currently undergoing physical adjustments in the hospital.

More than two years had passed in this world since Lin Luo last left. Many things had happened during these two years, the biggest of which was the Third World War!

It erupted a year ago, caused by conflicts between the magic side and the science side. The war lasted several months, resulting in countless casualties. Currently, both sides had tentatively signed a peace accord, and at least within Academy City, the traces of war were no longer visible.

Meanwhile, the over nine thousand wandering Misaka Sisters had joined a global rescue organization, assisting civilians displaced and bereaved by the war. This effort continued for half a year before concluding.

There were numerous details, but among everything, only two points truly concerned Lin Luo.

First, Academy City’s strongest Angel, Aihua Si, was born. It was under her powerful sweeping assault that the magic side, which had momentarily held the advantage, suffered devastating losses. No one was spared: Saints, Fiamma of the Right, Wind of the Front, Water of the Back—all were defeated!

It was under this suppression of power that the magic side agreed to sign the peace treaty. However, after the war concluded, Aihua Si suddenly vanished; no one knew where she went, and even Kazari Izumi disappeared along with her.

Second, during the fighting, a very strange type of creature appeared. They possessed human forms but lacked faces; some were completely black, others completely white; some towered over ten meters tall, while others were the size of normal people. Not only were their combat abilities immense, but they also possessed immortality.

For some unknown reason, these beings first attacked the science side and then the magic side, seemingly intent on opposing the entire world. The fact that the magic and science sides signed a peace treaty was partially related to these creatures.

After the war ended, they too disappeared without a trace.