Fierce sounds of combat echoed within the black and white castle, where two figures, one cloaked in black and the other in yellow, were locked in a desperate death match.

Yun Feng, manipulating four Rock Golems, aggressively encircled and assaulted the black-haired girl, keeping his distance while encased in thick stone armor to guard against her artillery fire. Even so, he dared not show the slightest carelessness.

Indeed, this Host before him was nowhere near as strong as the one named Evangeline; one could say she was leagues beneath her, perhaps only at the early Spirit Rank. She was far from the Advanced or even Intermediate stages. However... she was the core of this world. This was her domain, granting her an unparalleled home-field advantage, with the entire world's fortune converging solely upon her.

In a battle between peers of equal strength, relying on this fortune alone guaranteed her a one hundred percent chance of victory.

Yet, Yun Feng was significantly stronger than he had been seven days prior, almost stepping into the Intermediate Spirit Rank. By utilizing his Eye of Insight to "see through" Evangeline’s rules, he was steadily surpassing his own limits. While grasping the rules themselves was impossible, growing stronger through engagement with formidable opponents was entirely commonplace for a Walker possessing the Eye of Insight.

Of course, even now, nearing the Intermediate Spirit Rank, he proceeded with utmost caution against the Black Rock Shooter. For someone embodying the world's fortune, killing enemies above her own rank was far simpler than it was for them, the Walkers.

The four Rock Golems, each towering over ten meters, roared thunderously while swinging their massive fists down onto the Black Rock Shooter... a blow that would surely crush the girl into a pancake.

But given the Black Rock Shooter’s prowess, defeating her easily was out of the question. Her lithe form danced agilely amidst the Golems’ assaults, bobbing and weaving like a performer, causing every attack to completely miss its mark.

The girl seized the opportunity to swing her blade, effortlessly severing the arm of one Golem. Simultaneously, she raised the massive cannon in her left hand—firing twenty rock shells per second. Such a rate of fire was abnormal; in an instant, it pulverized another Golem into dust.

Then, she leaped high into the air, her cannon barrel instantly re-aimed at the next Golem.

As for ammunition? She herself was an arsenal. As long as the blue flame in her left eye did not extinguish, her supply was inexhaustible.

Naturally, Yun Feng’s capabilities were not so straightforward. Taking advantage of the moment the girl was airborne and unable to anchor herself, he suddenly summoned four Wind Golems... The Book of Nature allowed him to breathe life into, and command, any substance existing in the natural world, be it earth, water, fire, wind, or anything else.

These four Wind Golems were gigantic, eagle-like birds, each nearly five meters across the wingspan. As they dove, they emitted sonic booms, unleashing dozens of wind blades from their feathers, instantly enveloping the girl in hundreds of sharp torrents.

Facing such imminent danger, the girl’s face betrayed no panic; she remained calm and serious. Perhaps, to her, nothing in this world could cause her expression to shift.

She planted the massive black cannon before her as a shield, while her right hand continuously flashed her long blade, visible arcs of steel slicing toward the hundred wind blades.

One... Five... Fifteen...

The Black Rock Shooter counted inwardly as she attacked. At her current strength, she couldn't possibly deflect every single wind blade; perhaps twenty would strike her body. Still, not enough to be fatal.

Suddenly, a section of the rocky ceiling collapsed from above—a consequence of the earlier battle between the two. A thick slab, nearly three square meters, plummeted straight down onto the Black Rock Shooter.

But before it could hit the girl, it abruptly split in the middle, dividing into four pieces that crashed down beside her. Just then, the remaining twenty wind blades arrived. These four stone fragments were instantly shattered, and in the process, all the wind blades vanished.

Seizing the opportunity, the girl pushed off the broken rock with her feet, her small, light form rocketing forward. One Wind Golem was bisected in a flash. The cannon fired, and within a second, the remaining three Golems were also blown apart.

“Damn it,” Yun Feng muttered through clenched teeth from a distance, cursing under his breath. To escape and counterattack unscathed in that scenario—just how high was this creature’s fortune?

Undeniably, she was the protagonist of this world.

Unbeatable.

That was Yun Feng's thought. Even with his superior strength, against the world's fortune, he couldn't achieve much. If things continued this way, once his power was depleted, he would likely die at her hands.

“Summon Rock Beasts!”

He called forth four more Rock Golems, and the moment they engaged to block the girl’s assault, he bolted toward the castle gates.

Half a minute later, the Black Rock Shooter stood emotionlessly atop the castle spire, her black hair and cloak fluttering in the wind. Her gaze settled upon the man speeding away across the sea, riding a Water Golem.

“Now is not the time to leave.”

Uttering this quiet phrase, the girl turned and retreated back into the castle.

Lin Luo was attempting to change his method of combat. In past fights, he had largely relied on the Contracted States of his contractors. While that power was simple and easy to employ, it offered no path for advancement and could never surpass the inherent strength of the contractors themselves.

The power of Rule, of course, was his own, but it was severely constrained. Setting aside the previous two incidents, having to endure the awkward process of shifting from strong to weak every time he entered a new world was highly perilous.

Therefore, what he now sought was a truly personal strength that could bypass the limitations of the world.

In his battles against Evangeline, he was gradually finding his path. Evangeline’s Rule power was Devourment, the principle of Dark Magic; she could consume anything, strong or weak... But unlike him or Sieg, she didn't merely manifest the Rule; she integrated it into her very being. In essence, her existence was a Rule.

Of course, Evangeline likely took a considerable amount of time to reach this state. Lin Luo attempting to follow her method was unlikely to succeed; after all, he didn't have centuries to wait—he couldn’t even afford a few years.

Thus, Lin Luo conceived of a different path.

“Since Rule power is restricted by the world—meaning it conforms to the world’s power—I will go the opposite way. I will twist that power... Reverse Rule,” Lin Luo stated to Evangeline across from him.

“Reverse Rule?” Evangeline started, then frowned deeply. “That’s no joke, brat. Reverse Rule means you intend to shatter your own fundamental principles. Don’t you know how incredibly dangerous that is? Even I wouldn't dare attempt it lightly. It will kill you.”

“Of course,” Lin Luo nodded, though his face showed no hesitation. “I know exactly how dangerous Reverse Rule is, but if I don’t attempt it, I can never escape the world's limitations. After thinking about it these past few days, I’ve realized it’s the only power that can break free of those constraints.”

The concept of Reverse Rule was to shatter one’s existing patterns and make everything run backward. For instance, a fish that could normally only swim in water, if it mastered Reverse Rule, might learn to soar in the sky. A bird that could only fly might learn to tunnel through mountains.

However, to achieve this, one must first adapt to the opposite environment. A fish dies out of water, and a bird buried underground dies—it was as simple as that.

In Evangeline’s eyes, Reverse Rule was the most perilous endeavor imaginable. Even she, with her immortality, could perish if things went awry.

“By the way, why did you suddenly think of Reverse Rule?” Evangeline asked.

“Well, how should I put it? I just find being limited by the world too much of a hassle. Isn’t it profoundly inconvenient to be manipulated by it every time?” Lin Luo smiled. “My life should be my own to command. Why let you arrange it and manipulate it? Since you insist on restricting me, I shall deliberately go against you. I won't grant you your wish.”

“Uh…” Evangeline froze, staring blankly at Lin Luo for ten seconds before suddenly clutching her head, wincing in pain. “Is that why you conceived of the principle of Reverse Rule?”

“Yes, a sudden flash of inspiration, and I realized it. I wanted to try it immediately,” Lin Luo replied matter-of-factly.

“You... you absolute lunatic,” Evangeline confirmed her assessment.

“Mmm, I often go crazy,” Lin Luo took it as a compliment.

“Putting aside how powerful Reverse Rule might be, let me ask you this…” Evangeline lifted her head, locking her gaze onto Lin Luo, and asked gravely, “The success rate for Reverse Rule is minuscule. If you accidentally die, what about them?”

Evangeline gestured toward Misaka and the other three lying nearby, as well as Rei, who had just fallen asleep. “Your life is not just your own. If you die, it's unlikely they’ll survive either, right?”

“Probably,” Lin Luo nodded. “We share a bond of life and death.”

“If that’s the case, why would you still…”

“So, all I have to do is not die, right?”

“Do you have confidence?”

“No.”

“You…” Evangeline was speechless with frustration. Before she could speak, Lin Luo continued, “Because I cannot die, I will not die. Evangeline, that’s a fundamental creed for a main character protagonist.”

Evangeline suddenly felt utterly defeated, knowing the man would never back down. “Then let me ask one last time: are you absolutely sure?”

“Yes.” Lin Luo’s response was firm. “Therefore, I need your help.”

“Hmph.” Evangeline gave a cold laugh, flipped her wrist, and a black scroll materialized before her. “Don’t blame me if you die.”

Lin Luo smiled as he took the scroll. The moment he opened it, he addressed the girl, “Evangeline, I have another reason why I cannot die.”

“What?”

“I desperately want to form a contract with you. So, until you surrender yourself to me, there is no way I’m dying.” With that, the scroll opened, and all his consciousness was sucked inside.

Outside, Evangeline sat stunned for a moment. After a while, she suddenly shot up from the ground and violently stomped on the scroll.

“Stomp you, stomp you, stomp you... When you get out, I’m going to drain you dry!”

For more novels, visit storyread.net.