Ascending in a single bound from Mid-Human to High-Human and then Peak-Human, achieving the zenith of human capability before undergoing a fundamental, qualitative shift to become a 'Spirit' entity, reaching the initial stage of the Spirit Tier.

Both Isayama Yomi and Tsuchimiya Kagura had rocketed through three levels. Such an exaggerated advancement was shocking enough on its own, yet one might attribute this phenomenon to the unleashed potential of the Yin-Yang Shrine Maidens; the contract was merely the catalyst, after all. Kuroiwa had experienced something similar, and the undeniable fact remained that the Yin-Yang Maidens possessed world-ending capability. But what about this stone?

The stone was not large, perhaps only slightly bigger than what could be encircled by the thumb and index finger. It was ovular, iridescent, emitting a faint, ethereal glow that pulsed outward in visible ripples, lending it an air of profound mystery.

Lin Luo had no idea where this stone originated. It had simply materialized in a flash, with no prior sensation suggesting it had arrived from elsewhere. It simply appeared from thin air... Could it possibly be connected to the Yin-Yang Maidens again?

Lin Luo felt a deep, incomprehensible unease. He knew instantly this was no ordinary rock. Setting aside the impossibility of a normal stone floating in mid-air, the crucial factor was the palpable mystery surrounding it, and the immeasurably powerful energy fluctuations hidden within that mystery... fluctuations far more terrifying than those emanating from the Killing Stone!

Could this be the crystallized love of the Yin-Yang Maidens? Lin Luo immediately judged himself utterly foolish for having such a thought.

At that moment, Isayama Yomi and Tsuchimiya Kagura opened their eyes, their metamorphosis complete. However, they seemed utterly unaware of what had just transpired, looking down at the light radiating from their bodies with bewildered expressions. Though the transformation had concluded, the light had not entirely receded; it had merely softened slightly, yet even this level of radiance was undeniably strange to the naked eye.

The white afterglow was warm and sacred; the black, faint luminescence was chilling and aberrant—the perfect antithesis, the delineation between angel and demon. Yet, these two lights did not repel each other; rather, they seemed drawn toward one another.

"This is..." The bizarre scene caused both girls' eyes to widen. They could hardly believe such a monumental change resulted from merely signing a contract. They scrutinized their own forms, then looked at each other, seeing matching confusion reflected in the other's eyes. Finally, their gazes settled on Lin Luo, seeking an explanation.

"I have no idea what's going on; frankly, I'm more surprised than you are," Lin Luo shrugged, signaling his ignorance. "But I suspect this relates to your very essence. Did you not feel anything unusual just now?"

"Essence?" Isayama Yomi and Tsuchimiya Kagura exchanged confused glances. They understood the term Lin Luo used—the root of power—but they were just two ordinary Exorcists. Where would they possess a root of power? If anything, the World's Heart was the closest analogue.

Seeing their bewildered expressions, Lin Luo knew they were completely clueless, though this was understandable. While the existence of the Yin-Yang Maidens wasn't entirely unknown, the maidens themselves were unaware of their status as fundamental anchors of this world. Even in the original narrative, they only gained slight awareness when the world neared annihilation.

The truth was, despite possessing the identity of the Yin-Yang Maidens, whether they accepted that lineage depended entirely on their own will. At this moment, guided by the World's Heart, they had first claimed the Maidens' power.

"Let's put that aside for now; you will understand later," Lin Luo waved a hand, halting their contemplation. If this world truly faced destruction, they would eventually realize their true identities, especially since they had just accepted the inheritance. If the world would not be destroyed, then knowing or not knowing became secondary.

"What I'm more curious about right now is, what is the deal with this stone?" Lin Luo pointed toward the iridescent stone floating in the air and asked.

"Huh... this stone?" The two maidens also looked utterly bewildered, clearly possessing no answers.

A flicker of curiosity and shock crossed their faces. They were curious that the stone floated in the air, emitting such mysterious waves, and shocked because they felt an elusive familiarity with it, though they could not place where they had encountered it before.

"I see..." Their 'ignorance' was somewhat disappointing to Lin Luo, but it was unavoidable. Overwhelmingly curious about the stone, he instinctively stepped forward, cautiously extending his thumb and forefinger, intending to grasp it.

"!!!" The moment his fingertips brushed against it, Lin Luo's expression snapped taut. He snatched his hand back lightning-fast, pulling Isayama Yomi and Tsuchimiya Kagura back nearly a hundred meters with incredible speed.

"What is it?" The sudden shift left the two girls bewildered as they instinctively questioned Lin Luo. But when they looked at him, they saw cold sweat beading on his forehead, laced with a distinct tremor of fear.

This sight shocked them deeply, as they could sense the terror within Lin Luo. For him, whose composure never faltered even when facing the combined enemies of the entire world, to display such an expression over a mere stone was unbelievable.

Was Lin Luo afraid? Yes, he felt genuine dread.

This fear surpassed the battle against Accelerator in the A Certain Magical Index plane, exceeded the despair felt upon first encountering Caster in Fate/Zero, and even dwarfed the immense pressure exerted by the peak-tier Ancestors in the Nasuverse. It was comparable only to the existential dread elicited by Gaia and Alaya!

He had every reason to believe this stone was on the same tier as Gaia and Alaya—not as beings, but as manifestations of terrifying power. A single touch sent an icy jolt down his spine... Destruction! Destruction! Destruction! Destruction... There was nothing else within it but the force of annihilation.

For some unknown reason, that brief contact had agitated the dormant destructive power. Fortunately, he had retracted his hand quickly, and the fluctuation had now subsided. Had it erupted fully, the only recourse would have been to flee this world with the two girls.

This stone was unequivocally a world-ending weapon of mass destruction!

Yomi and Kagura, ignorant of this revelation, could only sense the gravity in Lin Luo's grim expression and guessed the situation was dire. For a time, apart from their internal agitation, they remained silent.

"Are you absolutely certain you know nothing about that stone?" Staring intently at the colored stone a hundred meters away, Lin Luo only relaxed once he sensed the energy fluctuations had completely calmed. He turned back to the two maidens.

"Nothing," both replied simultaneously. Then, Yomi furrowed her brow. "But it feels familiar, like I've seen it somewhere before... Is this stone very dangerous?"

"Extremely dangerous!" Lin Luo nodded without hesitation, his voice heavy. "Its power far exceeds the combined might of twelve Killing Stones. If my guess is correct, once its power fully erupts, this world will most likely be shattered."

"This..." The two girls were stunned into silence, clearly terrified. Though they found it hard to fully believe, if twelve Killing Stones could destroy the world, it wasn't impossible for this one stone to blow the world apart.

"Big Brother, bad news! The Evil Spirits are attacking again!" Just as the three stood in silence, and Lin Luo pondered how to deal with the bizarre stone, Arthur came sprinting around the slope, shouting urgently, "There are so many this time! I don't know why, but their intensity is even higher than yesterday!"

"Is that so? Half an hour has passed already," Lin Luo showed little surprise. It was inevitable that the spirits would attack once his barrier failed. Since Yomi and Kagura had grown stronger, a few mere Evil Spirits were nothing to worry about; the strange stone was his current focus.

"Wow, you guys got so strong!" Arthur quickly reached the trio. When his gaze fell upon Yomi and Kagura, he gasped in astonishment. His ability gave him a clear readout of the two girls' strength—solidly at the initial Spirit Tier—their combat power far surpassed his own.

"We got stronger?" Due to the preceding string of strange events, Yomi and Kagura hadn't paid attention to their own power change. It was only when Arthur mentioned it that they realized. A brief internal check confirmed their awareness, strength, and reaction times had all markedly increased. They even seemed to possess faint glimmers of knowledge previously absent.

"You’re both at initial Spirit Tier now, three full levels up! I'm so envious!" Arthur exclaimed excitedly. "Now we won't have to fear those Evil Spirits at all! Hahaha! If that scoundrel Youming knew, he’d probably vomit blood from anger... Huh? Big Brother, why does your face look so grim?"

As he spoke, Arthur suddenly noticed Lin Luo's continuing dark expression and asked curiously.

"No, it's nothing. You guys prepare yourselves; I need to handle something," Lin Luo said, ignoring their strange looks. He walked forward, stopping several meters in front of the floating stone.

Gazing closely at the peculiar, iridescent stone once more, a thought struck Lin Luo... Before he arrived, Youming had never dared to proactively attack Yomi and Kagura, sending only minor minions instead. Could this stone have been the reason?

Lin Luo felt this conjecture had a high probability of being correct. That power made even him fearful. The one certainty he held was that this stone must have been concealed within one of the girls, or perhaps both, prior to this moment... A

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