Angelica held her rapier close to her chest and moved according to her heartbeat. Her feet swiped across the floor in an elegant arch. Blue lights surrounded her and flowed with her motion, glowing in resonant with the electricity it gave off.

Her movement precise, her strike swift, Angelica cut open the tranquillity and sliced in half the hesitation.

"You're a lot better than before," Princess said.

Angelica sheathed the rapier and performed a curtsey. With a bright smile on her face, she looked at Princess. "Mistress, it's because of your teaching."

"Impressive indeed," a distortive voice echoed.

From one corner of the room, Paleknight stepped into the centre of attention. Its unseen gaze lingered on Angelica before shifting to Princess.

"Your highness, the preparation is completed."

"Do I have permission?"

"Her majesty has granted you permission to order me."

"I can't control you with my authority?"

"If you desire something, I shall present it to you."

Princess stared as Paleknight knelt in front of her. Though it was so close to her that she could easily clutch its neck, she had no strength to do anything meaningful against it.

"Do we have to leave this place?" she said.

"If your highness wishes so, you can stay here."

"I won't—"

"Don't worry about me, mistress," Angelica said. Her dimmed, teary eyes stared at Princess, telling her everything was all right.

"Your highness?" Paleknight said.

"Is there any benefit in venturing to the battlefield?"

"Aside from emotional satisfaction, none."

"I'll stay here. How can I control the Arachna?"

Though Princess took pride in her supreme mind, she couldn't command an army of millions yet. Mentally dominating a group of mercenaries was enough to exhaust her, let alone engaging in a hundred-front battle.

"To command them individually is inefficient," Paleknight said. "Her majesty has instructed me to present you this."

It raised its hand and revealed an objected concealed within.

"Why this shape?" Princess said.

"There is no need to risk damaging the quality by changing the appearance."

As the object touched her hand, the heavy fragrance engulfed Princess. The crimson heart contracted and expanded as if it was pumping invisible blood.

"What can it do?" Princess said, her fingers stroking it.

"Her majesty wishes to help you grow stronger. Please accept her gift."

To love was to exchange hearts. "Very poetic."

Princess listened to the pulsation. Her breathing matched with the heartbeat. Her vision blurred. She found herself standing before an enormous heart. In her hand held the other one, but its surface was pitch-black.

Invisible tendrils emerged from the hearts. They fused into one and exchanged Fons. The overwhelming current of Fons forced her back. Like when she assimilated the memory of her victims, a flood of information and experience gushed into her.

"Why don't you come to see your mother?" her mother said.

"But I want to play more." The Second Princess shook her head while lying in the garden.

"Then I'll eat all the cake."

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The Second Princess sprung up, rushed to the tea table, and climbed the seat. The cake was still there. Her mother sliced the cake with her dessert fork and held it in front of her. Because of her etiquette, she didn't beg.

"Question time," her mother said. "What will you do if you can't find me?"

"Mom, will you leave?"

"Let's suppose it's a vacation."

"I'll wait. You'll come back anyway."

"Will you try to find me?"

"No reason to, though I'll prepare some flowers for you."

"Here's your reward." The slice went into the Second Princess's mouth and dissolved into a burst of sweetness.

"Delicious."

"Last question—" A series of footsteps interrupted the fun. An old butler walked into the garden, smiled at the Second Princess, and bowed to her mother.

"Your majesty, it's getting late. Your medicine is due," the butler said.

"The sun is getting low. Everything must come to an end." She looked at the sky. The orange dusk painted the world with its gentle stroke. "Remember, life is short, and you'll never know how short it truly is until you wake up one day and realise you're old."

"Mom, will I suddenly go old one day?"

"It isn't like that. You never grow old until your dream leaves you, so don't let it go."

"My dream is to be with you, mom."

"Come with me then." Her mother nodded at the butler and allowed him to push her wheelchair. "As long as you chase your dream, all is fine."

The Second Princess stood up from her seat. "I'll go after this cake, mom!"

"Mistress?" Angelica said, her expression perplexing.

"Sorry," Princess said. "My thought wandered a little."

She sighed and eyed Paleknight, though her mind was pondering the event she experienced.

"What did it do?" she said.

"Your highness, you've absorbed the heart of a powerful Arbiter. Her knowledge, experience, and power flowed into you." It bowed. "Congratulations, you've reached the peak of the Arbiter."

"This Arbiter, did you kill her?"

"No, she willingly gave up."

"Can you kill her?"

"In a white room scenario, yes."

"What about an Authority?"

"No."

"If the condition is sufficed, what about an ambush?"

"Your highness, you don't know how awe-inspiring their terror is. I'm an assassin-type Arachna. Though we counter an Arbiter, an Authority has already transcended the limit. Only the myth-class Arachna and above can survive the encounter."

"Nevermind. I've gained a bit of power. How do I command the army?"

"With the cube, you can command the battle from afar. Please feel free to use them to your satisfaction."

"Even if I send them all to die?"

"If it means your highness will gain a better understanding of your power, their deaths are worth it."

"I don't see how I can manipulate the entire swarm."

Commanding spiderlings numbered in hundreds had taken a toll on her, let alone commanding millions.

"In a group of two hundred thousand Arachna, you can command an Overseer and passed the order to it," Paleknight said.

Information flashed past Princess. She sent her will into the cubes. The threads of Fons inside it guided her. She passed through the firm surface as if it was a thin membrane and entered the vast darkness.

Countless specks of light populated the emptiness. They revealed a different part of the same whole. Instead of a lonely universe, it was more like a mirror realm.

Princess scanned the screens with her awareness and merged them into a comprehensive view. She recreated the model of City D-34. With the gem supplying infinite Fons and the experience guiding her, she calculated the condition with her mind alone, a feat she couldn't do before the empowering.

"The war between the Arachna and the Great Races is like this," Paleknight said.

"Tell me the military resource of the city."

"At least ten thousand officials and around two hundred thousand automatons, including androids, drones, and mechs. Please keep in mind that this number doesn't include the Arbiters, the secret weapons, and all other anomalies."

"We're in the open while they're in the dark."

"We outnumber them."

"Unless the difference is many orders of magnitude, quantity doesn't mean quality."

"We can swarm them and force mutually assured destruction, but your highness is far more brilliant than that."

Oh, the irony. She who hid in the dark would become the star of the stage, and they who revealed themselves hid inside the wall.

"Is it possible for anyone to track my existence?" Princess said.

"Under the Northern Treaty's term, you're safe." Paleknight knocked its spear against the floor. "Even if the same Spirit shows up, I'll be able to handle it."

"Northern Treaty?" Princess froze. A bolt of electricity burst inside her mind.

The gem shone and supplied her with Fons. A splitting headache assaulted her mind, but she kept pressing for the memory and calculation.

"Mistress?" Angelica said. She walked to Princess and cleaned her sweats with a handkerchief.

"Don't worry. It's much better now." Princess waited for her to finish. Though she didn't command her, it had become her routine.

"Your highness and your android have a particular relationship," Paleknight said while studying Angelica.

"Her name is Angelica."

"My apology, Miss Angelica."

"Treat her with respect. She's my assistant."

"Is that your answer, your highness?"

"I rarely regret."

"If your highness decides so, this one shall support you."

"You didn't try to persuade me."

"There is no one who can change your mind. Even Gods can't make you yield."

"Is that what she said?"

"Her majesty has been paying close attention to you."

"Then she should know how unreasonable and childish I am."

Princess stood up and walked to Paleknight. She placed her hand on its smooth, pale-white chest and sent Fons into it. Her power invaded its body, only to find that everything within it was empty, devoid of organs, matters, or machinery.

Like a firefly, her flickering will encountered a sea of flame. It dwarfed her existence and destroyed her by merely existing. She jolted in pain as her invasive Fons got pushed out. Though only a tiny part of her mind got crushed, exhaustion engulfed her.

"Your highness, the will inside me is too strong for the current you," it said, not taunting or scolding. "Though your power is growing, the exponential growth will occur later."

"As expected of the Arachna Queen."

But this was enough. Princess sighed before shifting her attention to the on-going battle.