The moment the spell fell, boundless magic surged from Evangeline’s hands, instantly forming a pure white chill—a coldness of absolute zero capable of freezing everything in creation. This frigid aura spread over dozens of li, enveloping every single Ghoul Soldier within moments.

Crack. The roars of the Ghoul Soldiers abruptly ceased. In an instant, all thousand-plus Ghoul Soldiers were frozen into statues.

“Shatter!”

A confident smile graced Evangeline’s lips. With a slight snap of her fingers, amidst the swirling snow and ice, all the ice sculptures instantly disintegrated into icy shards, quickly vanishing into nothingness.

“Oh, not bad at all, old hag loli. You’re quite impressive,” Lakan whistled in awe, giving Evangeline a thumbs-up. He himself had only managed to take down fifty after fighting for a long time, yet Evangeline had wiped out over a thousand Ghoul Soldiers with a single ultimate move.

Swish!

As soon as he finished speaking, Lakan saw a wave of intense, frigid ice hurtling toward him. His face changed drastically, and he jumped away in panic. “Loli old hag, stop messing around! Absolute zero will kill people!”

“Joking?” Evangeline laughed coldly, her magical output increasing further. The ice of absolute zero surged toward Lakan from all directions. “I genuinely intend to kill you.”

“Whoa, whoa, this is bad news,” even with Lakan’s abilities, this level of attack was giving him a massive headache. He escaped at top speed. “What a terrifying old woman. I’d rather face a thousand Ghoul Soldiers than be chased down by a move like that!”

Whether Lakan was truly foolish or deliberately trying to provoke her, he kept delivering compliments while simultaneously ‘insulting’ Evangeline’s age, making her teeth ache with fury.

As for Ral and the others watching the scene unfold, they didn't intervene. After all, this fight between the two would stop soon enough, and for the moment, the enemy was gone.

“Alright, alright, this isn’t playtime.” Using Teleportation, Lin Luo suddenly appeared beside Evangeline, gently pressing her arm to cut off the flow of magic. He then glared menacingly at Lakan, who had only just managed to escape and stop moving. “Tell me, you bug man, where exactly are your eyes focused?”

Lin Luo seemed genuinely angry. He suddenly pinched both of Evangeline’s cheeks and boomed, “Didn’t you see? This smooth face, this fair and tender skin, this petite figure, and that soft voice, plus the occasional blush—have you ever seen an old hag who is this moe and adorable? She is clearly a top-tier loli, one whose prime state is infinitely sustained and will never spoil—a proud, tsundere loli! And you call such a cute loli an old woman? Bug man, if you don't take back what you said, I won’t be polite!”

“Uh!” Hearing this, Lakan was instantly stunned. He then stroked his chin and observed Evangeline closely for a moment before nodding. “Now that you mention it, it is rather... strange. Why didn’t I notice before? This old hag... oh, wait, this loli is indeed quite pleasing to the eye.”

“Of course,” Lin Luo stated proudly. “How could my judgment be wrong? This face never tires the eyes, no matter how long you look.”

“You... how long do you plan to keep that up?!” Lin Luo was basking in the enjoyment of Evangeline’s smooth face when suddenly, a voice pitched sixteen degrees lower sounded in his ear, carrying a killing intent suppressed to its absolute limit.

Lin Luo shuddered inexplicably and turned to see Evangeline’s twitching lips and eyes brimming with infinite murderous intent. He broke out in a cold sweat, hastily removed his hands, and stammered, “Well... you know, it was just instinct...”

“Then follow your instinct and die!” Evangeline shrieked, a mix of shame and rage fueling her as she suddenly launched herself upward, kicking Lin Luo hard in the back and sending him flying backward. Then, an even more terrifying curtain of ice surged toward both Lin Luo and Lakan. “You two loli-con freaks, go to hell together!”

“Oh dear, Katie has completely gone berserk. This situation is not looking good,” Al murmured softly, barely concealing the smile in his eyes as he covered his mouth.

“He brought this upon himself. I’m suddenly a bit worried, is Mokona... really alright?” Konoe Eiun stroked his chin, falling into contemplation.

“Tch, what a dreadful person...” On the other side, Sakuya shook her head in disappointment, her arms crossed.

“Prepare yourselves, you two idiots! I will now…” A sinister smile played on Evangeline’s lips as she gathered immense magical power in her hands. Just as the cold aura was about to be unleashed, a chill suddenly rose in her heart—not from her ice magic, but from... fear!

That primal, instinctual terror one feels when facing a higher-tier existence paralyzed her magic. Moreover, her very body seemed locked in place, unable to move for an instant. Her smile froze on her face.

It wasn't just Evangeline who felt it. Lin Luo, Lakan, Al, Sakuya, and Konoe Eiun—at this moment, they all sensed that overwhelming, terrifying pressure, their faces changing drastically in an instant.

(What’s happening? I can’t move! This is... a difference in dimension!) Like Evangeline, Lakan was rooted to the spot. This ultimate expert, whose mere presence could shatter dimensional space, had utterly lost his composure, his heart filled with extreme dread.

(This feeling is exactly the same as twenty years ago—no, even stronger... It’s that person!) Al and Konoe Eiun felt their bodies tremble. Although they could still move, the near-soul-crushing suppression made them feel the threat of death.

(What is this? The person hasn't even arrived, yet their mere pressure makes my soul begin to tremble. I’ve only experienced this feeling on Yukari Yakumo in Gensokyo... Damn it! Is this the enemy we have to face? Damn it! Damn it!)

Sakuya’s throwing knives suddenly felt unsteady in her grip. Her ability to manipulate time seemed unusable at this moment—no, that wasn't right! It wasn't unusable; rather, her soul was suppressed, causing her spirit to be unable to control time correctly.

(Creator! Is this the power of the Creator? Damn it! To be able to achieve this much...)

Lin Luo also felt his heart tremble. However, unlike the others who were too terrified to move or whose spirits were crushed by the aura, the Creator's pressure, aside from bringing heavy stress, didn't affect him too severely. Still, even this pressure was enough to make his breathing quicken.

As everyone felt this pressure, a voice echoed in their ears: “Truly remarkable. To destroy 1,200 of my Ghoul Soldiers in such a short time. You certainly provide surprises. And my daughter, too...”

In an instant, a shadowy black figure appeared before Evangeline. The person wore a huge, shadow-like black robe whose edges billowed outward like a tornado in the sky, enveloping him entirely... This was the Creator!

“You surprised me too. I didn't expect you to be able to activate the Source already. I thought without my guidance, you’d never reach this level in your lifetime. What power have you acquired?” As he spoke, one of the black sashes reached forward, coiling around Evangeline’s body and bringing her before him. “If I take you back, I might make new discoveries.”

“Ugh!...” Evangeline gritted her teeth and struggled, but at this moment, not only was she unable to use magic, but moving even slightly was incredibly difficult. She couldn't break free from the black robe.

It’s over!

For the first time, she felt utterly helpless.

“Damn it! That’s my woman! Put her down now!” Just then, a roar sounded from the side, and a figure dashed over at incredible speed. Black flames burst forth, instantly burning through the black sash, and the young girl fell from mid-air.

“The Ancient Inheritor. You arrived just in time.” However, the Creator showed no surprise, acting as if he hadn’t taken it to heart at all. A black sash flashed out like lightning. It was an ordinary strike, yet it seemed to shatter space, radiating an invincible aura.

But this sash did not succeed, because at the same time, a white beam of light shot out from the direction the first figure had charged, completely blocking the attack of the black sash.

“Oh?” The Creator seemed slightly taken aback. The head hidden beneath the black robe turned toward that direction, and he immediately saw an unexpected figure standing there.

Meanwhile, Lin Luo had already caught Evangeline in his arms, wrapping his arms around her small body as he retreated a dozen meters in a flash.

“Lin... Lin Luo!” Half-reclining in Lin Luo’s embrace, a look of pleasant surprise bloomed on Evangeline’s face. It was the first time she felt a sense of security in this man’s arms that she could rely upon.

Lin Luo didn’t look at her; his eyes were fixed tightly on the Creator a dozen meters away, his hold on the young girl only tightening.

The Creator glanced at the motionless Lin Luo standing by himself, then at the Lin Luo holding Evangeline, before turning toward the latter with a voice tinged with a trace of astonishment. “I see. This is a spatial illusion technique? Truly remarkable, to create such a move. Even I was nearly deceived.”

“Tch! But you weren’t completely fooled, you charcoal briquette!” Lin Luo clicked his tongue and sneered, then extended his right index finger toward the Creator, acting as if he held no fear whatsoever, declaring loudly as if taking an oath, “I say, what do you think you’re doing? She’s my woman. Trying to steal my woman from me has very serious consequences!”