Don't mention Marisa's change in color; even Lin Luo felt a chill when he turned to look at Sanae's current appearance. The Sanae before him was no longer the loli he first met, but a genuine young woman, slender and tall, with a delicate waist and generous curves—while not exactly a bounty, she was certainly above the standard baseline, far more substantial than the unprincipled Reimu. ()This book comes from ⒗к.Яg

Of course, what shocked Lin Luo wasn't Sanae's figure, but the aura emanating from her. She held her sacred shrine maiden implement—the Gohei—lowering her head as she walked forward step by step. With every footfall, an indentation, neither too deep nor too shallow, marked the ground. This was hard earth, not mud; for a lightly built maiden to leave footprints in such ground meant she was far from walking normally.

Furthermore, she was enveloped in an aura visible to the naked eye—it was black!

Undoubtedly, Sanae had turned dark. Otherwise, how could a symbol of purity, a living god, exude an atmosphere akin to a malevolent spirit?

“S-Sanae…” Seeing Sanae suddenly appear, Marisa was clearly startled. The terrifying pressure made even her boldness falter, and she instinctively stepped back, offering a nervous, forced laugh. “Um… I didn’t mean to, it was just an accident…”

“Words are useless, Marisa!” Before Marisa could finish, Sanae raised her head, cutting her off, her gaze fixed expressionlessly on the person opposite her.

Damn it!

Seeing her eyes, Lin Luo jumped in fright. In his memory, Sanae was always the sweet girl, consistently wearing a gentle smile and treating everyone kindly. While she sometimes displayed a simple, single-minded, and scatterbrained side, she was generally bathed in sunshine, a girl full of warmth.

But now… the rampaging Sanae not only had a blackened aura surrounding her, but her eyes were black too—a void-like lifelessness so profound it felt dead, empty yet brimming with violence.

Lin Luo had only witnessed darkness this intense on the God of Corruption, Kotonoha Katsura. This meant Sanae's dark transformation had reached the same level of intensity as Kotonoha—yes, at this moment, Sanae was the Second God of Corruption!

“Hey, hey, she looks terrifying like this. You distract her for me, I’m making a run for it,” Marisa gulped, then urgently told Lin Luo before turning to flee.

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Lin Luo immediately reached out and grabbed Marisa just as she lifted her foot, scoffing. “You expect me to deal with the enemy while you run away? You’ve got some nerve. You made the mess; you clean it up completely. A true winner in life needs the resolve of one.”

“That’s not what we agreed! You promised to help me escape. A man can’t break his word; a faithless man will never have a girl!” Marisa shouted back immediately.

“Nonsense. I promised to help you escape, not fight for you. And the current situation clearly points toward Sanae wanting a fight with you, which falls outside the scope of my promise. So, good luck to you,” Lin Luo shot her a look, patted her shoulder lightly as a gesture of comfort, and quietly walked to the side, distancing himself from Sanae’s corrupted aura... Seriously, a woman who has gone dark is the most troublesome. He really didn't want to end up on the receiving end of Sanae’s axe.

“You bastard…” Marisa was furious, but at this moment, she couldn't afford to argue with Lin Luo because she realized Sanae’s presence had completely locked onto her. The distance between them was closing rapidly; if she wasted time arguing with Lin Luo, she’d probably be taken down in one hit by Sanae.

“Sanae, um… the weather is lovely today, shall we go admire the cherry blossoms together?” Marisa looked at Sanae, forcing a friendly smile while stepping backward.

“Fine, give me back my mecha,” Sanae replied, her voice low, her eyes vacant, walking forward step by step.

“Um… right, let’s go visit Eientei! Wow, it’s so lively today.”

“Fine, my mecha back.”

“Well, how about we…”

“Give me back my mecha.”

“…You really love that robot, don’t you?” Marisa was speechless. She knew that right now, Sanae's mind was occupied by nothing but the mecha. Although she wanted to run, she was already locked on and couldn't escape, lest Sanae attack her from behind, which would lead to even more severe consequences.

“Marisa, give me back my mecha…” Sanae’s darkened pupils emitted a piercing, eerie glow, seeming to bore directly into Marisa’s soul, her gaze unwavering.

“Mecha your sister! Mecha!” Marisa had a temper too. Being threatened like this by Sanae, unable to flee or reason with her, she finally snapped. Her violent nature flared up, and she aimed her palm directly at Sanae. “Fine, since you want a fight so badly, I’ll grant you one! Who’s afraid of you!”

Then, with a boom, a massive Magic Cannon fired from her hand. Even without her Mini-Hakkero, the power was not to be underestimated as it shot fiercely toward Sanae.

“Is it really time to fight…” On the sidelines, leaning against a bamboo grove far from the battlefield, Lin Luo was slightly surprised. He had honestly expected Marisa to bolt, but she was unexpectedly decisive, turning a passive situation into an active one. Indeed, the supposed winner of Gensokyo wasn't easily bullied—she had guts!

“Well then, I might as well stick around and spectate,” Lin Luo smiled faintly, then spread out a mat on the ground, took out some small dishes and wine from his storage space, sat down, and began watching the confrontation over drinks and snacks. A clash between two major peacekeepers was a rare sight.

Of course, he was also taking precautions. After all, the current Sanae was terrifyingly formidable; she certainly wouldn't hold back or adhere to any Spell Card rules.

“Perfect timing!” Facing the Magic Cannon hurtling directly at her, Sanae did not flinch but laughed instead, the black aura around her intensifying. “Let me show you, Marisa, the secret arts passed down through the Moriya Shrine, and the true power of a living god!”

As she spoke, she suddenly pointed her Gohei toward the sky. “Summon the Earth God!”

In an instant, a little girl wearing a frog-patterned hat materialized above her, her clothing also adorned with frog motifs. Though she appeared human, her movements were like a frog squatting in mid-air.

Kun signifies Earth, and one of the two deities of the Moriya Shrine possessed the ability to create the essence of Kun—this was the little girl who had suddenly appeared. Of course, Sanae wasn't summoning the actual Earth God to her side, but merely a projection conjured through her faith power. However, while the projection wasn't as mighty as the true deity, it possessed some of the Earth God’s abilities.

As soon as the projection appeared, before the Magic Cannon could strike Sanae, the projection transformed into a faint, greenish orb of light that enveloped her. When the blast hit, it caused no damage; the Magic Cannon was dispersed the moment it touched the orb.

“Miracle… Brilliant Starry Night!”

Waving her Gohei once more, as Sanae uttered the words, countless five-pointed star danmaku suddenly materialized around her. Each star was nearly the height of a person and radiated a misty red light… at least, that was how it should have been. But the corrupted Sanae had corrupted even her danmaku; amidst the dark red, a faint, ghostly black sheen permeated the stars, and then, all the pentagrams shot toward Marisa.

“So troublesome!” Marisa grumbled, though her face took on an excited, ferocious look. She instantly leaped onto her broom and ascended into the high sky, dodging the onslaught of pentagrams. Vast magical energy surged from her body. “Star Dust Fantasia… Meteor Shower!”

Suddenly, even more star-shaped bullets appeared in the sky. Though smaller than Sanae’s five-pointed stars, their sheer number far exceeded them, descending rapidly with destructive force… The scene truly looked as if a meteor shower had begun.

“Hmph!” Sanae snorted, paying it no mind. A gust of wind propelled her feet, and she dodged the star bullets with extraordinary composure. Then, the moment she reached the sky, she swung her Gohei again.

“Miracle… Art of Heaven and Earth Sundering!”

Immediately, there was a tremendous booming sound, followed by a shocking sight: a piece of the sky above fractured and collapsed, while beneath, the ground surged upward. The two forces squeezed Marisa between them!

“Ah!” Not only was Marisa dumbfounded, but even Lin Luo was stunned.

The three great peacekeepers of Gensokyo—Hakurei Reimu, Kirisame Marisa, and Kochiya Sanae—aside from Reimu’s quasi-BUG-level invincibility, their inherent strength was quite similar, making true victory difficult to determine. But now… this legendary Art of Heaven and Earth Sundering clearly surpassed Sanae’s own power level. With her previous strength, she could at best create a sea surge; she could never shake heaven and earth!

If she hadn't borrowed the majority of her power from those two deities, one could only conclude that her corruption had caused her to explode with power, enabling her to unleash strength this earth-shattering, a feat nearly reaching the realm of divinity!

Watching the convergence of the two celestial bodies, Marisa dared not be careless. She immediately sped toward the distance. Fortunately, the heaven and earth Sanae split open were not immense, and with her speed, she could barely evade the attack, but…

“Miracle… Art of Summoning Wind and Rain!”

Whoosh!

In a flash, the heavens and earth changed color; wind and clouds surged violently.

The entire sky instantly darkened, shrouded by layers of heavy, rolling thunderclouds, and a torrential downpour began. Simultaneously, the light breeze that had been merely blowing suddenly seemed injected with steroids, whipping up ferocious gales from the ground.

Summoning wind and invoking rain—this was truly a miracle!

l;!--END--g;RH