The strength of Shinku-Lamp was at the initial stage of Spirit Rank. Although her power could see a qualitative leap within her N-Domain, essentially an explosive mode, she was ultimately facing two Walkers nearly at the mid-stage of Spirit Rank. Even if she could suppress them initially relying on various advantages, the longer the fight dragged on and the more they adapted, the more strenuous it became for her; by now, she had completely fallen into a disadvantageous position.

Fighting two at once was, after all, not an easy feat.

"Damn it, I must become Alice's perfect doll! I was so close to seeing Father, how could I possibly perish here... Unforgivable!"

A voice filled with resentment and fury, a face nearly twisted out of recognition—the rampaging Black Angel brought down a black "downpour" upon the dark night sky. The surging, roaring Black Dragon responded to its master's rage, unleashing a fatal bite upon its enemies.

"She still has this much power left? Dammit," Mo Xinming exclaimed, utterly shocked. The battle had lasted nearly half an hour; the opponent's stamina and strength were clearly nearing their limit, yet the destructive force of her attacks hadn't waned but had grown fiercer. He truly couldn't fathom where such perseverance originated.

"This one is too obsessed; she probably intends to drag us down with her even if it means death," Kousaka Taiga gasped out, breathing heavily.

"Hmph, she's merely at the end of her rope. Let's see how long she can last," Mo Xinming snorted coldly. His tangible Nen energy manifested like a blade, slicing through the head of the Black Dragon lunging at him with a swish. That dragon, after all, was merely formed from wings, and its hardness wasn't as formidable as its appearance suggested; moreover, Shinku-Lamp, almost depleted of energy, couldn't muster further enhancement.

The severed Black Dragon did not reform; the extended black wings instantly retracted, reverting back to their small, dormant state.

"She's exhausted!" Seeing this, Mo Xinming was overjoyed. He accelerated his footing and hurled a punch toward Shinku-Lamp.

The girl's expression shifted. In desperation, she quickly recalled the other Black Dragon, transforming it into a shield before herself.

Bang!

A deafening impact—the shield made of black wings shattered instantly, and the strain sent the girl flying backward uncontrollably.

"Perfect timing!" From the other side, Kousaka Taiga swung his staff, unleashing a torrent of fire rain towards Shinku-Lamp.

"Father..." Shinku-Lamp struggled to open her eyes. She was, after all, a doll; though she couldn't bleed, her structural integrity couldn't keep up with the power she wielded. Under those crushing attacks, she was on the verge of collapse, yet a sliver of obsession kept her consciousness lucid.

Seeing the fire rain approaching, she gathered the last remnants of her strength and flew toward the mirror in the sky. "Father, I miss you so much..."

"Not so fast." Kousaka Taiga, wreathed in flame, blocked her path, reaching out to seize Shinku-Lamp's body. But just then...

A figure flashed into existence beside him, delivering a heavy punch directly to Kousaka Taiga's face, sending him flying to the ground, spitting blood wildly.

Stifling intense pain and fury, Kousaka Taiga looked up to see that the attacker was none other than Mo Xinming, who had stood on the same side as him moments before. "Mo Xinming, you bastard! You actually..."

"My apologies, there is only one World Heart, and two people aren't enough to share it," Mo Xinming interrupted, smiling coldly and completely disregarding Kousaka Taiga's hateful gaze. Then, he turned his attention to Shinku-Lamp, who had just passed through the mirror, and swiftly pursued her. "I'll let you live a little longer for now. I’ll settle things with you after I claim the World Heart."

Now, the doll host was utterly devoid of power; he could capture her without any effort. Allies were entirely unnecessary at this point. Secure the World Heart first, then return to kill Kousaka Taiga—it was killing two birds with one stone.

"Father... Father, where are you? Father..." Shinku-Lamp, having exited the N-Domain, drifted uncertainly in mid-air, appearing utterly weak.

And behind her, Death was fast approaching.

...

A group of ten walked leisurely across the lush green meadow—it was Lin Luo and his Contractors.

The ABER squad had returned. Mikoto and the other three had achieved a qualitative leap in their power, and Lin Luo himself had advanced to the late stage of Spirit Rank. Facing the other five Walkers, who were all only at the initial stage of Spirit Rank, he could single-handedly obliterate them without a second thought.

"Hmph, this feels more like a mere stroll now," Evangeline snorted, sounding distinctly displeased.

"Isn't a stroll nice? With our current strength, we've already secured victory in this first Divine War. Now we just need to locate them and eliminate them all to win flawlessly," Lin Luo shrugged, indicating his ease.

Hearing Lin Luo, Rin spoke up, "But aren't there still two hosts unaccounted for? If one of them manages to secure a host, wouldn't that be very disadvantageous for us...?"

"Yes, that is something worth noting. If they manage to obtain the World Heart, they will likely instantly ascend to LV3, and if they then grasp Rule Power, it will be a certainty," Lin Luo nodded, his tone growing serious. The immediate priority wasn't eliminating Walkers, but finding the other two Hosts.

"However, there's no need to worry too much. Since the Hosts know their precarious situation, they shouldn't actively encounter the Walkers. Even if they accidentally run into them, they should try to flee immediately... Huh?"

Lin Luo was smiling easily, but his grin suddenly froze on his face.

"What's wrong?" Mikoto, standing closest to him, instinctively asked when she saw his expression change.

"Someone is calling me..."

"Someone is calling you? Who is it?"

"A voice I haven't heard before, yet it is filled with sorrow and hope... Danger, danger, extremely dangerous... No, it's the Host!" Lin Luo's face abruptly changed, and without waiting for anyone else's reaction, he shot off toward the source of the "voice."

The others exchanged bewildered glances, but seeing Lin Luo's urgency, they didn't hesitate and followed immediately.

Faster, faster, just a bit faster...

Lin Luo gritted his teeth, pushing his speed to the absolute limit. He could feel the voice growing fainter, almost disappearing. Evidently, the Host of the World Heart had already been attacked and was in mortal peril.

Though he desperately wanted to arrive instantly, his creation rule was only at ten percent; even pushing his speed to the maximum, it was impossible to reach the destination in a single bound.

"Damn it, why is it so far away..."

In this critical moment, where every second counted, Lin Luo held nothing back, his speed even surpassing the fastest Little ABER. One minute later, he finally arrived at the location, but...

In the sky bathed in the sunset, an incredibly tiny girl was held in a man's grip. A white, glowing spherical object flew out from the girl's body and was swiftly snatched up by the man, who laughed maniacally.

Lin Luo recognized that man—it was Mo Xinming, the owner of the Tome of Psychic Power.

"Beast, stop what you're doing!" Black flames swirled in Lin Luo's palm, shooting toward his target like lightning.

"Hm?" Hearing this voice, Mo Xinming, who had been laughing heartily, changed expression instantly. Without a moment's hesitation, he violently threw the girl far away while simultaneously firing a beam of white light from his hand directly at her.

"You're a step too late, hahaha! See you next time." Immediately after, Mo Xinming fled at his fastest speed, his escape velocity appearing in no way inferior to Lin Luo's. He had originally planned to pursue Kousaka Taiga for his Heart Codex, but with Lin Luo's arrival, that was clearly no longer an option.

"Damn it!" Lin Luo clenched his jaw. On one side was the World Heart; on the other, the Host herself. If he pursued Mo Xinming, he was absolutely certain he could retrieve the World Heart, but the girl's body would be obliterated by the white light. But if he moved to save the girl, Mo Xinming would escape with the World Heart...

Damn it, there was no time to hesitate!

Finally, Lin Luo gritted his teeth and charged toward the girl... No matter what, he could not allow her to be smashed to pieces.

Of course, he would not let Mo Xinming get away either. The instant he charged toward the girl, he commanded the gradually catching-up Little ABER and Lily to pursue Mo Xinming.

Then, a flash of black flame instantly extinguished the white light. His two hands gently cradled the girl. Instinctively, the girl tilted her head...

"Shinku-Lamp?" He hadn't seen clearly in his haste, but now Lin Luo recognized the Host whose World Heart had just been stolen—it was the first doll from Rozen Maiden, Shinku-Lamp.

"Father... adult..." Although her World Heart had been taken, Shinku-Lamp did not immediately die. At this moment, a faint sliver of consciousness remained. When she saw Lin Luo, a flicker of joy appeared in her dissipated, weak crimson eyes.

"Shinku-Lamp, hold on! I will take back the World Heart for you right away, you absolutely cannot die!" This was the first time Lin Luo had witnessed a Host having their World Heart forcibly removed. It felt as if something vital within him had been lost. He called out loudly.

"Father... adult, I finally... finally see you... Father adult..." The girl in his arms extended a delicate hand, reaching for Lin Luo's face, a smile of pure happiness and contentment gracing her lips. "Father adult, I'm sorry... I didn't become the perfect Alice, and now I'm... broken, but... seeing Father adult... still... so happy..."

"That's not true, Shinku-Lamp is not broken." Lin Luo assumed the girl was mistaking him for Rozen in her dying moments, so he didn't dwell on her words, gently holding her as he descended to the ground.

By this time, the others had caught up. When they saw the girl in Lin Luo's arms, their expressions changed drastically.

Without Lin Luo needing to explain, they guessed the girl's identity, especially after witnessing the scene moments before. Clearly, this girl's World Heart had been stolen.

Losing the World Heart meant death. A wave of inexpressible grief washed over everyone's hearts, piercing their souls as if something vital had been lost from their complete selves.

"Father... adult..." Shinku-Lamp whispered softly.

"Damn it! If only I had been a little sooner..." Watching the girl's life ebb away, Lin Luo tightly clenched his fists, his fingernails digging into his palms, drawing blood... Any sacred healing spell was utterly useless now; she wouldn't survive five more seconds.

Profound despair enveloped him. Just then...

"Ding! Identity confirmation achieved. Current target is the Host of the Ninth World Heart, the Heart of Hope... System detects that the current Host has lost her World Heart. It can be stored in the Fourth Dimension. If the World Heart is retrieved and reintegrated into the current Host's body within seven days, otherwise the Host will die."

"Huh?" The cold, emotionless system prompt ignited boundless hope within Lin Luo's despair.