The intelligence received from Yakumo Yukari struck Lin Luo as slightly ominous. The enemy could bypass the Great Barrier to enter Gensokyo—a feat even many youkai couldn't manage... No, that wasn't the crucial point!

The Hell Knights were undoubtedly the Demon King's subordinates. Unlike him, they hadn't materialized directly within Gensokyo upon arrival; instead, they breached through the outside world. Thus, when and from where the enemy might arrive remained completely unknown. If a mere vanguard was a Master of the Earthly Rank, the sheer number of beings like the Hell Knights was uncertain. Without thorough preparation beforehand, they could easily be caught completely off guard. While Gensokyo was powerful, it wasn't truly invincible, and sometimes the outcome of a battle depended on more than just strength.

Strike first and suffer the consequences; timing was even more critical!

Last night’s surprise raid by the Hell Knights—if Yakumo Yukari hadn't coincidentally been stationed at the Boundary Line, their ruthlessness could have led to unpredictable disaster.

Lin Luo dared not slacken for even a moment and flew toward the Scarlet Devil Mansion at full speed. However, just as he passed the Beast Path, he suddenly sensed something amiss.

“This feeling… spatial fluctuation?” Lin Luo hastily stopped mid-air, activating his Perception Domain, looking around intently. He soon located the source of the strange sensation coming from the Forest of Magic. Although it wasn't particularly close, the inauspicious premonition was exceptionally clear. “No, it’s not spatial fluctuation; this feels more like…”

Lin Luo found the sensation vaguely familiar yet elusive, difficult to articulate. But one thing he could confirm: this ominous feeling absolutely belonged to the enemy!

“Have they breached in again?” Lin Luo couldn’t help but frown deeply. Behind the Forest of Magic lies the Graves of the Unvisited. Breaking through there would be incredibly easy, causing no disturbance to the barrier, and the defensive strength there was arguably the weakest in all of Gensokyo. Once infiltrated...

“Ah, damn it!” That fellow only told me the information yesterday, and today they’re already attacking one by one. They certainly know how to cause trouble for me!” Lin Luo cursed in frustration and immediately sped toward the Forest of Magic.

Regardless, since he sensed the enemy’s entry, he couldn't pretend not to notice. For beings like the Hell Knights, eliminating one meant one less threat... As for the Scarlet Devil Mansion, he could postpone that for the moment. Reiya hadn't signaled any abnormality yet, and the distance between the Mansion and the Hakurei Shrine wasn't significant; if a true crisis erupted, Reimu and Yakumo Yukari should also sense it.

“Reimu, don't be too irresponsible at a time like this.”

A moment later, Lin Luo arrived at the Forest of Magic, but the ominous feeling had vanished.

“Did they leave the forest already? No, I still feel like the enemy is here!” Lin Luo frowned slightly, pushing his Perception Domain to its maximum, yet still finding no abnormality, which unnerved him slightly.

“It must be a stealth expert... Right, Alice!” Lin Luo’s eyes suddenly lit up. Alice lived in the Forest of Magic; if anything happened there, she would surely be the first to notice.

Although Lin Luo had never visited the Western-style mansion where Alice lived, tracking her down using the search function of his Perception Domain was simple. It took him less than ten seconds to locate the mansion, but when he arrived, he was stunned into silence.

“Wh-what is this?” Lin Luo stared dumbfounded at the Western-style mansion before him... No, perhaps it should be called half a mansion. This dwelling had been cleaved in two by some unknown force; the entire right half had vanished.

Alarmed, Lin Luo flew down immediately to investigate. He realized the mansion hadn't been blown apart by force; rather, it looked as if it had been sliced clean, the cut surface perfectly smooth. Not only the walls but also the windows, tables, chairs, and even the teacups on the table were perfectly halved.

Most bizarrely, even though the table was supported by only two legs, it hadn't fallen over!

“What in the world is happening... Alice?”

Witnessing this bizarre scene, Lin Luo's anxiety intensified. He couldn't help but shout, but there was no response from the surroundings. This was only natural; if Alice were present, she certainly wouldn't choose to hide deliberately.

“This is bad, did that person already move against Alice?” Lin Luo’s brow furrowed. After searching meticulously with his Perception Domain, he couldn't detect any trace of life, nor were there any signs of a struggle near the bisected house.

“Marisa, that idiot! How does she manage to keep a harem? Knowing a strong enemy has invaded, she doesn't even warn Alice, instead running off to find the Red and White! Isn't she afraid of being disciplined with a hatchet?!”

Lin Luo felt a degree of anger, but anxiety dominated. Although Alice's fate had little to do with him, he couldn't simply stand by and watch her die. But now, he didn't even know where Alice was.

“I miscalculated; the enemy’s power exceeds my expectations...” Lin Luo couldn’t help but slap his forehead, yet under these strange and unsettling circumstances, his mind became unusually calm.

In truth, given Alice's standing, her death at the hands of the Demon King’s forces would actually benefit him. It would certainly draw out Kanzaki, and Kanzaki, seeking vengeance for his daughter, would undoubtedly tear the Demon King to shreds. He wouldn't even need to lift a finger to eliminate a major power... But!

“As expected, I am not suited to be a schemer. Even standing atop a mountain of corpses, I would only stand upon the enemy's slain. I cannot accept that the success of one general costs ten thousand lives. That is where I differ from you people; that is my... True Self!”

Standing where the half of the mansion had vanished, Lin Luo suddenly smiled, his gaze incredibly resolute. He then violently spread both hands, and an invisible force shot out, spreading into the surroundings. Simultaneously, his body began to disintegrate into specks of fire, vanishing...

“Let me shatter this barrier. Factors latent in the past, present, and future, release the True Self, vanish... Myself!” As these words concluded, Lin Luo had completely dissolved into fine dust.

It was a barrier. Lin Luo didn't know how the opponent managed such precision, but if it were a simple slash, the severed table couldn't possibly remain upright. Therefore... the half of the mansion wasn't actually cut off; it was swallowed by the barrier, existing somewhere else in space.

In other words, the mansion was unharmed, merely existing in a different spatial plane, appearing vanished to outsiders. If he wasn't mistaken, Alice had disappeared along with that half of the mansion. Therefore, to break the barrier and find Alice, he too had to make himself disappear!

“What is going on here? These guys...”

While Lin Luo was searching for Alice, in a certain dim space, Alice stood before the half-mansion, controlling dozens of dolls to launch an attack forward. Not far ahead of her stood various black shadows. They had no fixed form, constantly shifting appearance as they attacked or defended—sometimes beast-like, sometimes human, sometimes round, sometimes square, formless and shapeless, bloodless and fleshless, yet emanating a chilling aura of slaughter, terrifyingly hideous. Even with Alice's abilities, dealing with the attacks of these unknown entities was taxing.

Alice disliked fighting enemies with overwhelming force, often choosing to engage only with slightly superior power. In her view, if she used her full strength and still lost, there would be no retreat left. Thus, in normal battles, even in defeat, she never used her maximum power. But now...

This wasn't a normal spell card battle. Though she didn't know the enemy's identity, she understood that if she lost now, she absolutely would not survive. Thus, for the first time, she unleashed her full strength. But!

“There’s truly no turning back now...” Alice’s breathing grew ragged; fatigue showed on her beautiful face. She had already used everything she had, yet the enemy’s strength surpassed her limit. She knew she had no chance of winning.

“I never thought I’d die in a place like this. Ah, I don’t even know who the enemy is,” Alice looked at the strange foes before her with a wry, helpless smile.

She felt a hint of regret. If she had listened to that person earlier and returned to the Demon World, perhaps this wouldn't have happened. But her own excessive willfulness made it impossible for her to accept that person; perhaps this was the consequence of her own making.

Closing her eyes, a flicker of regret and nostalgia crossed Alice's gaze. But when she opened her eyes again, only unwavering resolve and fearless courage remained. “Even if it comes to this, it was my own choice. I will never regret it. Let me show you the extent of what a Doll Master can achieve!”

Saying this, she spread her left hand wide, invisible threads dancing in the air. Her right hand pointed sharply forward, her golden hair flying up to obscure her eyes, defiant and unafraid.

“Crusaders of the Dolls... A Miniature Army of the King!”

Swish!

Instantly, the dozens of dolls formed a tight square formation, bayonets pointing forward, advancing with fierce momentum. Every black shadow blocking the path was instantly shattered by this single charge.

“Ah, that is...” Alice’s expression suddenly changed. She saw one humanoid black shadow that remained utterly still. She felt the immense power emanating from that figure. “It must be you, the enemy pulling the strings... Shanghai, unleash your gruesome light!”

Without hesitation, Alice gave the self-destruct order. Then, as the doll army rushed toward the figure, a deafening explosion erupted.

BOOM!!!

The entire space trembled. The shockwave scattered all the black shadows, forcing even Alice herself to recoil. The waves of heat lifted the girl’s golden hair and the edges of her skirt, billowing wildly.

“Did I get him...?” The girl narrowed her eyes, cautiously watching the space ahead.