Upon hearing the voice, Lin Luo acted without hesitation, instantly materializing the Book of Contracts. A wash of white light spilled out, and the girl's delicate figure was instantly drawn inside… Time held no sway in the Fourth Space; placing Mercurial Lamp there was akin to the plight of King Arthur, Artoria, suspended outside the timeline, caught between dying and not yet dead.

“Sigh, what is this?” Seeing Lin Luo absorb Mercurial Lamp into the Fourth Space, the surrounding girls were stunned, as the function of the Fourth Space was strictly limited to housing contracted Hosts bound by a Heart Contract.

Addressing their queries, Lin Luo relayed the information he had just received. Though unsure why the Fourth Space possessed this unexpected function, it was undoubtedly a blessing; preserving Mercurial Lamp’s life was paramount right now.

As he finished explaining, Little SABER and Lily returned. Lily shook her head with a sigh, “I’m sorry, the other party seemed to possess some special ability and managed to escape quickly.”

“What do we do now? We only have seven days, and this world is so vast—can we really find that Walker?” Mikoto couldn't help but frown, and the others shared her grave expression, feeling the same profound loss over the theft of Mercurial Lamp’s World Heart.

“We have to,” Lin Luo’s gaze was firm as he stared in the direction Mo Xinming had fled, stating in a low voice, “We only have seven days left. No, we still have seven days. I will ensure he has nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.”

“Even if you say so, but…” Evangeline knitted her brows slightly, but before she could finish, as if sensing something, her gaze snapped toward the sky nearby.

The others followed her line of sight and saw a white mirror suspended mid-air. A faint glimmer flashed, and suddenly, a chubby little figure clutching a staff flew out of the mirror.

“Heh heh,” Lin Luo grinned, recognizing the little fatty as Kousaka Taiga, the master of the Grimoire of Magic. “Isn’t there a very useful person right here?”

Before the words even fell, his figure vanished from his spot, instantly appearing before Kousaka Taiga.

“Ah, it’s you.” Kousaka Taiga had just emerged from the N-Field and hadn’t fully recovered when his face contorted in shock upon seeing Lin Luo. His gaze instinctively darted downward, and just as he expected, Evangeline was there.

In his mind, Evangeline was indistinguishable from Death itself; even at full strength, he wouldn't dare cross her, let alone now. The courage to fight was non-existent; he immediately wanted to flee.

Of course, that was impossible.

Before he could make any move, the Black Flame from Lin Luo’s hand scorched him, and one arm instantly vanished without a trace under the searing heat.

“Aaaah…” Kousaka Taiga shrieked hideously, utterly defenseless. Immediately afterward, Lin Luo kicked him hard onto the ground. This was only natural; Lin Luo’s current strength was two full tiers above his, and he had already fought a major battle with Mercurial Lamp before being severely wounded by Mo Xinming. For him to still possess combat capability would be defying the heavens.

Lying on the ground, propped up by his elbows, Lin Luo placed a foot on his chest and said coldly, “Answer me, where are Mo Xinming and the other Walkers?”

“I, I don’t know…” Kousaka Taiga groaned in agony.

“You truly don’t know? Your previous rendezvous points or means of contact. If you tell the truth, I’ll grant you a quick death. If you refuse, I’ll make your life a living hell. Let me tell you, I am very angry right now.” Lin Luo increased the pressure under his foot, and the sound of cracking bone echoed from the other’s chest.

“I… I really don’t know. That bastard Mo Xinming ambushed me just now…”

Through Kousaka Taiga’s explanation, Lin Luo finally understood that ten days ago, after they were scattered by Evangeline, their alliance was effectively defunct. He had only stayed with Mo Xinming for a semblance of security. Earlier, they had accidentally encountered Mercurial Lamp, only for Mo Xinming to launch a surprise attack and inflict heavy injuries.

Listening to him, Lin Luo pondered internally: Indeed, having already secured the World Heart, Mo Xinming certainly wouldn’t continue cooperating with LV2 Walkers. Conversely, killing those Walkers would only make him stronger. Now, he must be hiding somewhere unknown, trying to comprehend Rule Power.

“Very good, you are useless now.” Lin Luo looked at him coldly and spoke without turning back, “Mikoto and Leï, both of you close your eyes.”

“Huh? Close our eyes, why?” Mikoto was momentarily confused but soon had her eyes covered, crying out, “Wow, Evangeline, what are you doing? I can’t see!”

“Stop asking so many questions, just close your eyes when told,” Evangeline violently stopped Mikoto’s struggle, while Leï on the other side obediently closed her eyes.

Then, Lin Luo brought his foot down directly onto Kousaka Taiga’s head… Boom.

One stomp crushed him.

Black fire descended, instantly incinerating his corpse. The Grimoire of Magic, faintly vibrating with flowing magic, shot up from the ground, and Lin Luo casually swept it up into his hand.

“My, my, this is truly…” Nero licked his lips, a look of excitement on his face as he watched the brutal, violent scene. The others remained silent; such a cruel method of killing an enemy clearly indicated Lin Luo’s terrible state of mind.

“Without a clear target, we have to search this world over the next seven days, so everyone must split up,” Lin Luo returned to the group, his face grim as he proposed, “We must operate separately.”

“That method is good for widening the search radius, but how do you plan to arrange things?” Evangeline pointed toward Mikoto and the others. “If that guy has truly mastered Rule Power, these youngsters will be in danger.”

“There’s a way, of course. We can divide ourselves perfectly into five groups,” Lin Luo said calmly. “Rin and Lily as one team, SABER and Mugino as another, Kuroyukihime and Nero as a third, Evangeline and Mikoto as a fourth, and the rest of us—myself, Leï, and Little SABER—as the final group.”

It was said that SABER and the others had awakened at the most opportune moment. With the strength of the three of them utilizing their Noble Phantasms, they could definitely contend with a Rule-level expert. This both minimized danger and maximized the search area. Even if they couldn't win, a strong mental call would ensure Lin Luo could sense them.

After a moment of thought, everyone accepted the proposal, and they proceeded to formulate a detailed plan.

“Next, we act separately. Everyone be careful. If you encounter an enemy, do not attack immediately. Even if you win, there’s a chance he’ll escape. What I want is to trap him completely, leaving him no escape route.” The operational plan was quickly finalized. Lin Luo gave a final reminder, and the group immediately dispersed, sprinting in different directions.

“Then it’s time for us to move too, Leï, Little SABER.”

“Mmm,” Leï nodded softly, latching onto Lin Luo’s arm, while Little SABER immediately flew high into the air, leading the way.

Although Lin Luo’s sensory domain had recorded Mo Xinming’s aura, finding him based on aura alone was impossible, as the recording encompassed all the paths the other had previously traversed. This clearly couldn't serve as a search target. However, moving in the direction where the aura was strongest still held significant hope.

Several days after Lin Luo and his group began their separate movements, the others scattered across the world were also acting according to their own objectives.

……

“Found it, the World Core.” A cold-eyed girl holding a book stopped at the seashore, gently closing the book and tucking it into her chest. Her gaze drifted toward the massive castle in the center of the sea.

Nearby, space subtly warped, and a blade materialized out of thin air, slicing down to create a thin, black fissure. Two pale hands gripped the edges of the crack, and a tall, slender youth dressed in black crawled out.

The youth walked to the girl's side, shifting his gaze from the castle in the sea back to her. “Spiritual Rank Intermediate. Not bad.”

“You aren’t either,” the girl replied calmly, then frowned slightly. “It’s in the sea. Neither of us can fly, which is a bit troublesome. Should we swim over?”

“Don't joke.” The youth let out a cold laugh.

“Then this is truly troublesome… a minor trouble.” A faint smile touched the cold girl’s lips.

……Inside the black and white castle, the girl named Black Rock Shooter wiped down the massive cannon beside her in silence. Suddenly, her brow furrowed slightly, as if sensing something.

“The earth’s vibrations have begun. Two this time…” Loading the cannon into her left hand and picking up the long saber placed nearby with her right, the girl walked outward.

……Dozens of miles east of that sea surface, Black SABER and Mugino Shizuri were advancing rapidly westward.

……South of that sea, about a dozen miles away in the center of a lake, Yun Feng suddenly emerged from the water. Beside him were eight water dragons, each over thirty meters high.

“Spiritual Rank Intermediate. Then let’s fight again, Black Rock Shooter.” Taking a few steps onto the lake shore, not a single drop of water clung to Yun Feng’s body. He proceeded northward, accompanied by the eight water dragons.

……Further away, perhaps in the most remote part of this world, there was profound darkness where sunlight was almost nonexistent. Suddenly, two pillars of white light descended from the endless starry sky.

Within the light pillars were the figures of a man and a woman.

“Hmph, what a desolate place. Damn it.” The man was powerfully built, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, radiating an intimidating aura. He glanced at his surroundings, his brow tightly knit in clear dissatisfaction.

“It’s fine. I quite like this place,” the woman said, dressed revealingly, with a fiery physique, her every movement exuding seductive charm. She took a deep breath and spoke thus.

“Only two dead in twenty days. Were they playing around?”

“Just some rookies. Don't pay them too much mind. By the way, let’s find a place to sleep first. It won't be too late to join the fun after we wake up.” The woman stamped her foot on the ground, and the earth split open.

“Hmph, fine. Although we aren’t subject to this world’s restrictions, traversing worlds once is tiring,” the man nodded and leaned against a nearby rock.

The next moment, the woman jumped underground, and the fissure closed. The man merged with the rock and vanished.

It was as if they had never appeared, yet two voices subtly merged together.

“Spiritual Rank Peak. Quite a useful ability indeed…” V