The second update is delivered, with four more to go. ...

Just how long is the night? Judging by the seasonal characteristics right now, if night falls at seven and dawn breaks at six, that makes for eleven hours total—enough time for a writer with clumsy fingers to churn out nearly ten thousand words, or for a young couple in good shape to manage about thirteen rounds of piston action, factoring in the time for intimacy and rest...

Though thirteen consecutive rounds might strain biology a bit, mathematically speaking, it’s quite sound. Of course, the issue now isn't piston action, but the seemingly infinite length of this night.

By biological clock, it should long be dawn by now, yet looking up, the moon and stars still hang high in the sky; it is the dead of midnight. Those who have observed this have likely already understood: if this battle cannot be concluded, perhaps dawn will never arrive.

Fighting at night is not ideal for humans, as the darkness causes them to miss crucial details. Except for those skilled in operating within the shadows, like assassins, most people find their combat prowess diminished by the night.

However, this only applies to ordinary humans. Conversely...

for Arcueid and Altrouge, the two Princesses of the Moon, the darkness not only greatly enhances their fighting capabilities but also grants them an endless supply of vitality. Although their duplicates inherited their formidable combat power, they failed to inherit the traits bestowed by their bloodline, particularly...

the potential stemming from the Heart of the World residing within them. The Abyss Demon Race's cloning this time was remarkably perfect; they not only fully acquired the abilities and fighting styles of the originals but even saw their respective weaknesses reinforced, instantly creating an army of terrifying combatants.

Yet, such replication always harbors a flaw: the inability to copy uniqueness. For instance, the bloodline of the Black and White Princesses, or the nature of UO.

This ineffable quality of existence—the inability to be copied—allowed a segment of people to quickly grasp the weaknesses of the duplicates, enabling them to achieve superior results through targeted strikes exploiting these flaws. In this regard, three individuals have proven most effective, at least temporarily.

The first is Remilia, who has since vanished from the Nasuverse; her destiny, too, is unreplicable. It was precisely this destiny that allowed her to glimpse fragments of the future, enabling her almost thousand-kill feat in the previous engagement.

Then there are Arcueid and Altrouge. In terms of how the Heart of the World manifests, given the prerequisite attribute attachment, it prioritizes the individual with the deepest bond to Lin Luo as its host.

Similarly, a girl who becomes the host for this reason, upon further interaction—or deepening intimacy and bonds—with Lin Luo, becomes increasingly likely to trigger the latent power of the Heart of the World. Of the four hosts in the Nasuverse—Aoko Aozaki, Shiki Ryougi, and the Black and White Princesses—the first two, while acquainted with Lin Luo, are not intimately connected.

Even if Lin Luo and Shiki could be considered "friends through life and death," the bond between them remains slight. The Black and White Princesses, however, are different.

Both of them have imbibed Lin Luo’s blood, triggering blood contracts. If Lin Luo were merely a normal human, his blood, after being consumed by them, would quickly transform into something exclusively theirs.

But Lin Luo, being a Walker, possesses blood that cannot be simply assimilated. Instead, it undergoes a mutual fusion and mutation...

If the individual cannot withstand this change, the mildest outcome is assimilation; the severe outcome is demise due to conflicting blood. However, if they endure it, their capabilities across the board are significantly enhanced.

It is a widely known principle across all worldviews that mixed bloodlines are stronger than pure ones—take, for example, a certain Saiyan, another certain Saiyan, or yet another certain Saiyan. Remilia’s astonishingly swift progress is, to some extent, related to this principle.

Furthermore, beyond strength, because Lin Luo’s blood flows within them, their reliance on him is unconsciously amplified, instinctively generating a sense of intimacy... From this alone, it can be inferred that for Remilia, Flandre, and the Black and White Princesses—these four—Lin Luo doesn't need to make any moves.

Given enough time, as the blood integration deepens, they will inevitably throw themselves into his arms. This sensation of 'I am in you, and you are in me' is wonderfully exquisite, is it not?

The topic has strayed slightly, but suffice it to say, this battle—which has caused headaches and even claimed sacrifices from countless others—still poses little pressure on the Black and White Princesses... On the contrary, facing enemies as formidable as themselves only further catalyzed their potential, causing them to grow perpetually, akin to the protagonists of epic tales.

If others find the fighting increasingly arduous, they find it increasingly exhilarating. As their respective battle lines stretched ever further, these two Princesses finally met beneath a full moon, standing atop the 'Peak of Forbidden Splendor,' their crimson eyes locked in mutual gaze.

The latent killing intent radiating from them deterred even the surrounding duplicates from approaching. "Just you alone?

Did your subordinates perish protecting you?" Arcueid, naturally airheaded but terrifyingly sharp when venomous, quickly mocked upon noticing that Altrouge was unaccompanied by the three retainers she had seen previously. "Hmph hmph," Altrouge immediately sneered, dismissively replying, "It seems your tongue has grown sharper in these few days.

Too bad for you, I was merely unimpressed; these weaklings with a mere five units of combat power could be effortlessly dispatched by me using only half my strength—it was like strolling through my own backyard. But you...

fighting alone must be difficult. Since you are my sister, I might benevolently protect you if you humbly call me 'Sister' and then kneel to lick my feet.

What say you?" As she spoke, Altrouge actually extended one of her black-stocking-clad feet. That seductive, alluring foot—thankfully, there were no foot enthusiasts present, or they would surely have been overcome with excitement and the urge to sink their teeth into it.

But Arcueid was no foot enthusiast, nor did she have any intention of gnawing on Altrouge's foot. She countered with a cold laugh, "I appreciate the offer, but using half your power to deal with dregs whose combat power is 0.5?

You truly are pathetic. I finished mine off using only three-tenths of my strength, as easy as a trip to an amusement park." Altrouge's eyebrow immediately twitched.

"Oh, is that so? Actually, what I said earlier was just to preserve your idiotic self-confidence.

In truth, I wiped out all the enemies using only two-tenths of my strength; it was so effortless I nearly dozed off." Arcueid’s lips twitched. "Oh, not bad.

But it pales in comparison to me; I only used one-tenth of my strength to dispatch those useless things, taking a short nap midway through, where I dreamed you were beaten to your knees, begging, and finally surviving by selling your body." Altrouge instantly clenched her fists, her eyes blazing with fury, yet she managed a smile. "I apologize for giving you such a dreadful dream, but in reality, I hadn't even exerted myself before the enemies fell.

And they were all your duplicates, mind you. Being the kind-hearted person I am, I spared their lives and merely used them as 'toilet paper'." Arcueid began to tremble with suppressed rage, though she maintained a smile.

"Actually, I did nothing at all. All your duplicates were already kneeling before me, begging to become my 'toilet paper'." "You brainless idiot!

You probably don't even know what 'toilet paper' means, yet you dare boast so wildly!" "What does it matter if I don't know? Your duplicates are trash, so you must be even more trash!" "Are you seeking death, you lunatic?!" "That's what I was about to say to you!

You slut!" "..." The two progressed from mutual sarcasm and provocation to outright vulgarity and personal attacks. The intensity of their verbal exchange was breathtaking, making it unbelievable that such dialogue could emanate from two princesses of such noble stature.

It would warrant a Nobel Prize in literature. However, no matter how fierce the verbal battle, it failed to vent the desire each held to utterly dominate and defile the other.

While they yearned to escalate the verbal conflict into a physical one immediately, engaging in internal strife at this juncture seemed dishonorable, especially given their prior gentleman's agreement... Thus, once they had exhausted all new vocabulary for insults, the two finally fell silent...

At this moment, both regretted not having paid more attention to their language studies when they were younger. Their current state of mind could be summarized in one sentence: Poor command of language, ineffective insults.

"Words are useless. Let's take this opportunity to truly compete and see who kills more!" After a brief silence, Altrouge finally exploded, pointing fiercely at her counterpart.

"That's exactly what I intended!" Arcueid certainly wouldn't back down, stamping her foot authoritatively. "But we'll add one more wager to the stakes we already discussed...

The loser must become the winner's 'toilet paper.' Do you dare accept?" A brainless idiot who doesn't even know what 'toilet paper' means... Altrouge inwardly scorned, immediately responding, "What’s there to fear!

You’re the one preparing to be my toilet paper, you brute!" "You’re the one who will be the toilet paper!" The two stood opposite one another, unyielding. And, to ensure fairness in the competition—or rather, to prevent the other from falsely reporting—they simultaneously finalized a contract amidst their shouting match.

The form and content of the contract were simple: using the power of their respective blood contracts to mutually record each other's kill counts, thereby allowing both to track the other’s tally within the defined time limit. Then, almost simultaneously, they charged toward the surrounding horde of duplicates doomed to suffer abuse...

RQ