Alecto called Arcueid a foolish little sister, and while her words were undoubtedly provocative, they were, in truth, entirely accurate.

Back then, following the fall of Tsukihime, the True Ancestors allied with all available forces, including the Mages, to launch a punitive campaign against him. Although they succeeded in eliminating Tsukihime, the victory came at a staggering cost, leaving only about thirty percent of the surviving True Ancestors severely weakened.

In their depleted state, the True Ancestors lacked the energy to manage restless Dead Apostles or fallen True Ancestors. Therefore, they urgently required a hunting machine to serve as their "Judges." The two princesses, possessing the greatest inherent abilities, were the perfect candidates; being the daughters of the so-called "sinner" Tsukihime, the Ancestors felt no moral reservations about utilizing them.

However, no one willingly accepts being a mere tool. The now perceptive Alecto, realizing the True Ancestors' intentions, immediately departed with her loyal Royal Guard, the Royal Army sworn to serve the lineage, and her pet, the White Beast.

Alecto’s departure forced the True Ancestors to turn their focus onto Arcueid, who had only recently been born and understood nothing. Of course, strictly by bloodline, Arcueid, as a pure-blooded True Ancestor, was arguably the more suitable choice.

Naturally, what the True Ancestors truly needed was not a Grand Ancestor to lead them, but simply a killing machine. Thus, they placed Arcueid into a long slumber, intended to last until her power reached its absolute peak… During this period, the True Ancestors transmitted to Arcueid only the world’s most basic common knowledge and Tsukihime’s fighting style.

The result of this manipulation was that Arcueid knew how to do things, but had absolutely no concept of why—much like a human instinctively knows to eat and drink, but doesn't comprehend the underlying necessity.

She was a perfectly ignorant copy of Tsukihime, capable only of following orders.

Consequently, the first order Arcueid received upon waking was to eliminate Alecto, who had betrayed the True Ancestors. The unknowing Arcueid naturally offered no resistance.

At that time, the power of the True Ancestors remained supreme in the world. Even with formidable Dead Apostles like the Human Order Killer, the Black and White Knights, and the Black Princess herself—who was infinitely close to nature—they were still significantly inferior in strength to the True Ancestors.

It was during that battle that Arcueid and Alecto, sisters born of the same origin yet destined for vastly different paths, clashed for the first time. Although their raw strength was nearly equal, making a definitive victor difficult to ascertain, the True Ancestors, having planned everything in advance, certainly had contingencies in place.

Against the kingly match-up, a hidden serpent lay in wait.

Alecto, having inherited Tsukihime’s infinite vitality but lacking his infinite stamina, knew a prolonged fight was disadvantageous. She had to stake everything on a single, all-out strike. While she succeeded in wounding Arcueid, Alecto herself was critically injured—nearly to the point of death—by the Ambish of Akasha, which had been lurking in the shadows.

She only narrowly survived thanks to the timely intervention of the Black and White Knights and the White Beast. However, the consequences of that battle plagued her for nearly a millennium, leaving her constantly tormented by her injuries.

It wasn't until she encountered Lin Luo ten years ago that she finally found complete relief from those lingering wounds.

Meanwhile, the ignorant Arcueid, having defeated Alecto, was tricked by the Ambish of Akasha into forming a Blood Pact, transferring a portion of her power to the serpent. Realizing she had been deceived, Arcueid suffered a severe mental imbalance, which finally led to her being overwhelmed by the impulse to drink blood, resulting in the massacre of all the True Ancestors celebrating their victory within the Millennium Castle.

From that moment on, aside from Arcueid, there were no other True Ancestors in the world. The preceding era of True Ancestor dominance fractured into a tripartite balance between the Church, the Mages, and the Dead Apostles.

Of course, these subsequent events held little relevance for Alecto; severely wounded, she lacked the strength to concern herself with anything beyond recovery. Rest and recuperation became her paramount concern, a rest that lasted nearly a thousand years.

Throughout those nearly thousand years, Alecto, periodically wracked by pain, naturally nurtured an escalating hatred for Arcueid. Yet, she never found an opportunity for revenge because the Millennium Castle, materialized by Arcueid’s imagination, was something she could sense but never enter.

Thus, she was utterly powerless against Arcueid, who slept within the castle.

But what Alecto never imagined was meeting her sister, absent for a millennium, again at this particular time and place. For Alecto, this was the greatest possible pleasure.

Of course, this pleasure stemmed not from a family reunion, but from the chance for vengeance!

Simultaneously, Arcueid’s feelings were the polar opposite.

In this world, Alecto was the person Arcueid most wished to avoid. Though Arcueid harbored no hatred for her sister and currently had no direct conflict with her, the opposition was driven by pure instinct. Arcueid instinctively positioned herself on the side opposing Alecto.

"I'm sorry, I truly don't wish to see you," Arcueid stated her true feelings without concealment in response to Alecto’s provocative and mocking words.

"Heh, so many years have passed, and you are still so foolish," Alecto smiled slightly, though whether the smile was genuine or feigned, only she knew.

Arcueid immediately frowned, opened her mouth, but failed to utter a word.

This was only natural. Since the massacre at the Millennium Castle, Arcueid had been sealed in self-imposed slumber, completely isolated from the world. Even her recent emergence had been brief… She was as ignorant now as she had been a thousand years ago.

Therefore, despite Alecto’s scorn and ridicule, Arcueid lacked the capacity to retort. In a war of words, Alecto could crush her by eight hundred streets, and then some.

However, the ignorant possess one unmatched ability: the power to speak the plain truth.

"Hmph, you traitor and defeated opponent, how dare you show your face to me," Arcueid retorted, raising an eyebrow. Unable to win the verbal spar, she immediately brought up her opponent’s dark history.

The smile on Alecto’s face instantly froze; grinding her teeth in fury, her rage meter soared infinitely.

"Calling you foolish was no exaggeration," Alecto stated coldly.

Regardless of who was right or wrong in the past events, if viewed from a human perspective, the fallen Tsukihime was certainly evil. But neither True Ancestors nor Dead Apostles needed to consider the human viewpoint. If blame for betrayal was to be assigned, it was the True Ancestors who had allied with humans to attack the Emperor Tsukihime that were the traitors.

And as for the campaign against Alecto herself, there was absolutely no concept of justice or morality involved; it was merely the True Ancestors’ apprehension—a desire to cut the weeds and dig up the roots.

Of course, concepts like justice or morality held no meaning for Alecto. Might makes right; that was her sole creed. Had she been in the True Ancestors' position back then, she would have done the same. Hence, while she despised the True Ancestors, she understood their actions.

As for her ignorant sister, she had no intention of offering explanations; that wasn't her style.

But!

Being called a 'defeated opponent' with such contemptuous disdain was something she could not tolerate.

In that legendary battle, she had only lost due to inferior factional power compared to the True Ancestors and the ambush by the Ambish of Akasha. But against Arcueid herself, had she ever truly been defeated?

"Even if I am foolish, it has nothing to do with you," Arcueid stated indifferently.

Alecto laughed amidst her rage. "Heh, you speak the truth. Though you are my sister, I have no obligation to repair your foolish mind. However, since you claim I am your defeated opponent, I assume you’ve prepared yourself accordingly?"

As she spoke, Alecto took a step forward. With a resounding boom, the ground within dozens of meters around her cracked open, and an invisible pressure swept towards Arcueid ahead of her.

The turbulent air formed a gale, whipping Alecto’s skirts and hair, but Arcueid herself remained motionless, standing firm and glaring fixedly at her sister.

"Princess," the Black Knight recognized this moment as the inevitable commencement of battle and spoke up instantly.

But before he could finish, Alecto waved her hand, speaking without turning back, "You two stay on the sidelines and watch. This fight requires no interference from you. I intend to properly teach my ignorant little sister what manners are!"

"..." Hearing this, the Black Knight was struck dumb.

Beside him, the White Knight merely shrugged helplessly.

As Royal Knights who had served Alecto since her birth, none understood the Princess's temperament better. Once she made a decision, no amount of persuasion from anyone would change her mind.

If they dared to interfere in the fight now, Alecto herself would likely deal with them first.

Sighing internally, the Black Knight had no choice but to retreat. This did not mean they lacked confidence in their Princess; quite the opposite. Although Alecto had always been branded a 'failure,' this label only applied in comparison to Tsukihime—a failure concerning the pure bloodline of the True Ancestors.

But as a being, she was a success. As a half-breed of True Ancestor and Dead Apostle, Alecto’s strength was undeniable. Even facing Arcueid, Tsukihime’s perfect replication, she would suffer no disadvantage. Moreover, they knew clearly that Alecto’s strength had been improving over the last ten years, particularly in the last year, showing explosive growth. Against the True Ancestors, or even beings like ORT, she might not lose.

It was fortunate that, due to certain circumstances, Alecto hadn't been causing trouble recently; otherwise, if the Church still intended to crusade against her, it would be nothing short of a laughable farce.

However, the Black Knight could not agree with Alecto’s pride. Such arrogance often led to trouble when facing truly powerful enemies.

"Heh, isn't this excellent? If our Mistress lacked anything impressive to make people look up to her, that would be truly bothersome," at that moment, the White Beast, which Alecto had been riding during their journey and was now idle, suddenly spoke.

As the words left its mouth, the White Beast abruptly stood upright, its body warping in an instant. When it fully stood, it had transformed into a tall, sensuously curvaceous woman, wrapped in a fluffy white robe with white hair cascading to her waist. Only the fluffy ears and tail hinted that she was not an ordinary human.

The "White Beast," hands on its hips, stood calmly, one eye slightly closed, observing the scene ahead.

Neither the Black Knight nor the White Knight showed any surprise at this transformation.

"Don't worry, I won't gang up on you. We fight one-on-one," Alecto walked towards Arcueid, moving slowly, yet with each step, space seemed to compress. The earth continued to crack, and the sky began to rumble.

The battle hadn't even begun, yet the sheer aura promised a world-shattering clash.

Across from her, Arcueid maintained an expression of utter indifference, allowing the violent currents to wash over her, standing as unmoving as a pine tree.

If the Black Princess embodied an outwardly aggressive aura, the White Princess mastered the art of internalized pressure.

Then, when the distance between them closed to less than ten meters, both figures vanished from their spots simultaneously, instantly engaging in combat… Their speed transcended the limits of the naked eye, making their forms invisible, only the continuous echoing sounds of impact betrayed the intensity of their battle.

...

The result of the battle between the two most powerful princesses of the Nasuverse was temporarily unknown to the outside world; even Lin Luo, since they were not in Fuyuki City, did not sense the event.

"So, you don't need to hide it anymore. It's just a Holy Grail War, right?" Faced with the relentless questioning gazes of Aozaki Aoko and the others, Lin Luo chose to change the subject.

The moment these words left his mouth, everyone froze.

Kiritou Hana, in particular, couldn't help but ask, "How did you know?"

Lin Luo shrugged, stating calmly, "Although you concealed it well, have you forgotten? I am a Magus who participated in this war ten years ago. Such a thing is impossible to hide from me. Furthermore, among you are a Witch, a top-tier Magus, a Mage, and even an inheritor of demonic lineage… Such a heavyweight combination would strike anyone as unusual."

"You knew all along?" Aoko Aozaki asked.

"Of course."

"Then you deliberately pretended not to know, just playing games with us?" Aoko’s expression flared in anger.

Lin Luo broke into a nervous sweat and improvised, "I saw how hard you all were working to keep it secret, and I couldn't bear to expose you. Besides, I have my reasons for coming to Fuyuki City."

"What reason?"

Lin Luo’s expression immediately turned grave, and he spoke with weighty seriousness, "I sense that this Holy Grail War is exceptionally bizarre; there is likely a massive, hidden agenda at play, which is why I wanted to investigate."

This statement resonated with everyone present, and Touko Aozaki nodded in agreement. As for how Lin Luo could sense this, based on his earlier claim, it was because he had participated in a Grail War before.

"But you don't even have any magical energy. How can you investigate?" Akiha Tohno expressed doubt.

Lin Luo pointed to the small, natural entity beside him and declared proudly, "I have a bodyguard."

"..." Everyone was left speechless. Indeed, this bodyguard was incredibly useful. Under normal circumstances, she was utterly imperceptible, leading people to believe she was merely a simple, cute creature, but when it came to unleashing the ultimate Divine Song in a crucial moment, she was capable of slaying gods and demons alike, all while being entirely unpredictable.

Once the topic turned to the Holy Grail War, everyone’s attention shifted. While the existence of the small natural entity was curious, the immediate priority for them was the war. Furthermore, everyone harbored their own secrets, and if Lin Luo didn't wish to disclose his, he likely had his reasons.

Next, the group began discussing the current Holy Grail War. When Touko Aozaki and the others grit their teeth while mentioning the Fourth Demon King, Lin Luo instantly adopted an expression of shared enmity, slamming the table and declaring fiercely, "To think the truth is like this! A great demon attempting to conquer the world—we must exert every effort to eliminate such a villain and ensure he finds no rest for eternity! However, based on what you’ve said, their intelligence is probably low. Since we cannot defeat them by force, we must outsmart them."

Everyone nodded repeatedly at these words, especially Lin Luo’s displayed attitude, which caused the goodwill of those present towards him to rise sharply.

Meanwhile, Sanae, who had been observing this farce from the monitoring room, couldn't help but remark to Reisen beside her after hearing Lin Luo’s statement, "That guy is actually enjoying insulting himself that much. Is he sick?"

"If he’s sick, he needs herbs," Reisen replied, pulling a pill from her pocket at the same time.

"What kind of medicine is that?" Sanae asked curiously.

Reisen gave a smug look and said, "This is my latest creation: a sex-change drug. By altering the hormones in the body, it can turn a man into a woman."

"You’re too godly! You can even make a drug like that!" Sanae was greatly astonished, then pointed at Lin Luo on the screen and excitedly suggested, "Then let's find an opportunity to make him swallow it, how about it?"

"That... might not have much effect on him," Reisen said disappointedly.

"I see." Upon hearing this, Sanae’s excitement immediately waned. But then, another idea struck her, and she asked, "Do you have a drug that turns women into men? Even if it’s temporary, if we turned all the women around him into men... it would disgust him to death!"

"That... I can't do either."

"Why not?"

Reisen glanced at her and sighed heavily. "You don't understand. It’s easy to cut something off with one swing, but once it's cut off, growing it back is extremely difficult." (To be continued)