If you see a man pinning a girl to the ground, chances are he threw her down; even if he didn't, countless melodramatic misunderstandings will bloom from the sight. But if it's one girl pinning another girl down, the resulting scene is likely similar to the first, with the only difference being that those who see the former might grab an axe, while those who see the latter would reach for a digital camera.

Lin Luo, witnessing the scene before him, very much wished he had a digital camera to capture the moment for later appreciation.

Of course, this desire was impossible to fulfill. Not only did this world lack anything resembling a digital camera, but even if one existed, he would have missed his chance while standing there dumbfounded.

Evangeline and Mikoto quickly separated, a faint blush creeping onto both their faces. Though they hadn't engaged in any "guilty acts," being seen in that posture was simply… embarrassing for anyone except a certain black-and-white pervert.

"Ahem… speaking of which, you actually made it out alive?" Evangeline coughed loudly, forcing a cool, indifferent expression onto her face, attempting to divert Lin Luo’s gaze so the recent incident could pass without comment. As for the other female lead, Mikoto-chan, she wasn't as composed; her face was flushed, looking utterly mortified.

Lin Luo felt a slight disappointment. While yuri certainly promoted harmony within the Crystal Palace, he knew that if he didn't want to invite unnecessary trouble, ignoring what he had just witnessed was the better course.

He smiled at Lei, who ran up beside him, gently stroking the hair on her head. Looking up, he said, "Well, I'm alright. I ran into a few tough 'B's, but by some great fortune within misfortune, I made it back safe and sound… Hm? What’s wrong with your eyes?"

Lin Luo directed the last sentence toward Rin and the other two, noticing their eyes were red, as if afflicted with conjunctivitis.

This was natural; communicating solely through eye movements was a high-difficulty skill, and with their current abilities, they were far from proficient in its use.

"Sand got into them," the three replied casually by way of explanation.

"Oh, is that so…" Lin Luo didn't suspect anything and studied the three of them carefully. He sensed a significant change in their overall demeanor compared to before. How to put it? Though they were still the same people, they now appeared much more mature, even Mikoto showed this change.

Subconsciously checking the status in the Contract Book, Lin Luo was astonished to find that the strength of these four individuals far surpassed what it had been nine days prior.

Mikoto had reached Middle Spirit Rank. Rin and Mugino were also Middle Spirit Rank—two full ranks higher than when they entered the scroll world for cultivation. Even Shokuhou, though only Low Spirit Rank, had crossed two levels.

It could be said they had all undergone a qualitative transformation. If they possessed this combat power a few days ago against the Walkers, they could have utterly crushed them.

"It seems everyone worked hard," Lin Luo couldn't help but praise.

"What about you? Since you got out alive, does that mean you've grasped the Inverse Rule?" After a brief exchange among themselves, Evangeline suddenly asked.

Evangeline had previously told the others about Lin Luo’s Inverse Rule, so upon hearing her bring it up again, they all looked toward him with intense curiosity.

"Heh," Lin Luo smiled slightly, then extended his right hand. "It may not be perfect, but I have grasped the fundamental principles of the Inverse Rule."

Whoosh.

As soon as the words fell, a black flame suddenly leaped from the palm of Lin Luo’s hand. It looked like a mere black shadow, dancing lightly in the center of his palm, yet it exuded a mysterious, scorching heat.

"This is…" Evangeline's expression shifted slightly. Possessing Rule Power, she could sense that although the black flame looked unassuming, it was absolutely not something to be trifled with. Even she felt a flicker of apprehension watching the tiny flame, as if it contained an endless power of destruction.

"What is that?" The others, lacking such high cultivation, asked curiously.

"This is my Inverse Rule," Lin Luo explained with a smile. "My Positive Rule is the Rule of Life, creating a Domain—just as the words imply, it grants me the power of creation, aligning with the Way of Nature. Therefore, the Inverse Rule must naturally be… a Domain of Destruction."

"Domain of Destruction?" The others were somewhat confused. They could certainly bring about destruction, but that didn't seem sufficient to form a Rule, and destruction felt slightly inferior to creation.

Sensing their confusion, Lin Luo clarified, "Well, that’s a natural way to think about it, but the destructive power I wield is somewhat different from the ordinary sense. It doesn't just destroy form; it destroys existence."

Seeing that everyone except Evangeline was still perplexed, Lin Luo offered an example: "Do you know about the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception?"

"I've heard of it," Rin replied. "It seems to be a type of Mystic Eye. The possessor can see the Death Lines of living beings; a single touch along that line can easily kill them."

Lin Luo nodded. "Precisely. That is the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. But what you described is only the lowest tier of the Eyes. If we divide its strength into three levels: LV1 is Killing—purely erasing the life of a living thing. LV2 is Annihilation—complete extinction, irreversible, unrepairable. And the third, highest level…"

Lin Luo picked up a twig from the ground and placed it over the flame in his right hand. Instantly, the twig was burned down to ash. "Obliteration of Existence—whether in the past, present, or future, it never was. That is the LV3 Mystic Eyes of Death Perception."

The group was instantly stunned.

"You mean you can now even erase existence?" Evangeline asked gravely.

Lin Luo gave an embarrassed smile. "Haha, of course not. I haven't reached that level yet. If we use the Mystic Eyes analogy, I'm probably closer to LV2—a semi-permanent destruction."

"Your Inverse Rule isn't complete?" Everyone was taken aback.

"Naturally. My Inverse Rule is born relying on the Positive Rule. While it won't be restricted, I can currently only use ten percent of my Positive Rule, so my Inverse Rule is also only at ten percent. However, it's fortunate it's only ten percent; if it were a hundred percent, I probably wouldn't have made it out alive." As he said this, Lin Luo felt a degree of relief.

"Then, can you still use your Positive Rule?" Mikoto asked.

"Even if a fish can fly in the sky, swimming in water remains its instinct," Lin Luo explained, posing a counter-question: "In your view, what kind of thing is an Inverse Rule?"

"If the Positive Rule is in harmony with this world, then the Inverse Rule should be rejection, right?" Shokuhou attempted to answer.

Lin Luo shook his head. "Literally speaking, that is correct. But if it were merely rejection, then I wouldn't be able to use the Positive Rule while employing the Inverse Rule. So, the correct interpretation is 'breaking.'"

"Breaking?" Even Evangeline was confused now, as she had never encountered the Inverse Rule before.

"Breaking one's own restraints, possessing both the positive and negative aspects simultaneously," Lin Luo paused to think, then continued. "This can be explained scientifically. Everyone knows about the Law of Action and Reaction, right? If we punch a wall, the wall is damaged, and simultaneously our hand is damaged—that is the reaction force. What I have mastered now is that part of the reaction force. Of course, there are still fundamental differences, but until I master it one hundred percent, I can't explain it specifically."

Lin Luo felt that Aozaki Azusa was likely of a similar type to him. Of course, he hadn't seen the Azusa of the Mage era, so he couldn't be certain, but inferring from the concept of destruction, the two were indeed very close… At least, in his current state, he was closer to Azusa Aozaki's destructive force than to the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.

Although he said this, Lin Luo felt something was slightly off—not that the Inverse Rule was flawed, but rather… somehow, certain aspects seemed to have deviated, preventing him from reaching the true core of the Inverse.

But… never mind. There was no need to fully grasp things he couldn't understand right now; one day he would fully comprehend it all.

For now, defending with the Rule of Life and attacking with the Inverse Rule, he was confident he wouldn't lose to anyone… The status bar in the Contract Book clearly displayed—High Spirit Rank.

After this, everyone explained the powers they had grasped so they could have a clear understanding of their comrades' strength. Then followed casual chatting, eating, and resting—a very routine existence until the next day.

"It's been seventeen days since we arrived in this world. It's time."

That morning, everyone gathered. Lin Luo extended his right hand, and the three Command Spells of different colors on the back of his hand shone brilliantly. Then, three figures—two large and one small—appeared before them.

Wielding the Flame of Chaos, the sexy and commanding Tyrant, Nero—Red Saber.

Grasping the black Holy Sword, the profound and mysterious Black Knight King—Black Saber.

Flying in the sky, possessing the highest mobility and stealth capabilities—Little Saber.

On the other side, white light illuminated heaven and earth. Standing in the center of the magic circle, hands resting on the sword hilt, was the fearless, undefeated, perfect Knight King—White Saber.

"This is…" At the moment these Sabers appeared, Evangeline was profoundly moved. She felt an immense pressure emanating from the three of them.

This was to be expected. Although the Black, White, and Red Sabers were all Middle Spirit Rank, that only accounted for their inherent power, not including their Noble Phantasms, which surpassed their base strength. Including their Noble Phantasms, any one of them could contend with Evangeline, though whether they could win was debatable, given Evangeline's immortality.

However, these facts were secondary. The important thing was…

"It's time for us to counterattack," Lin Luo stated solemnly.

Now, the prey had become the hunter, and the hunter had become the prey. Their positions had completely reversed.