The moment Reimu finished speaking, Aya Shameimaru had already jotted down her words. She read them over once, then grinned, “I really couldn’t tell, Reimu. You, who are usually so leisurely, can actually utter words so grand and imposing. Even I… am feeling a bit fired up.” “What, is that not allowed?” Reimu shot her a look, feeling underestimated. “Oh my, how could that be? Of course it is,” Aya Shameimaru laughed heartily, then closed her notebook and headed for the door. As she reached the threshold, she turned back, her usual playful expression gone, replaced by one of intense seriousness. “Rest assured, this time I will have all the tengu assist. I will ensure the Bunbun News spreads throughout Gensokyo in the shortest time possible, along with this crisis and excitement!”

With that, she shot off into the distance with a swish, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Watching her figure fly away, Lin Luo felt relieved. While he had absolute faith in the young ladies of Gensokyo, they were all usually too lazy and idle. Therefore, prior to this, he was only confident in their strength but wasn't sure he could get them to genuinely help. But now… the usually lazy Reimu could speak such commanding and responsible words, and the privacy-digging Aya Shameimaru could speak with such a serious expression—this all pointed to one thing: those who usually lacked motivation would, at the truly crucial moments, be more dependable than anyone else! He believed that as long as everyone in Gensokyo assembled, they could defeat any enemy!

“Everything that needed to be said has been said. So, what do we do now?” After Aya left, Reimu turned back to Lin Luo and asked. Although for her, having fewer matters was better, since this issue had now entangled her, there was no need to feign ignorance any longer. She simply needed to treat it as an Incident and resolve it with all her might. “Wait,” Lin Luo said gravely. “We don’t know when they will arrive, nor from where. So for now, we can only wait for the rabbit by the stump. Moreover, simply letting everyone know an enemy is about to invade and raising their vigilance is sufficient.” “Is that so? Then there’s no need to gather everyone,” Reimu nodded. “A full assembly isn’t necessary, but a partial gathering is still essential. Of course, we don't need to remind them. Once they see the Bunbun News, they will naturally stay close to their friendly acquaintances. Then, grouped in threes and fives, even if their strength is inferior to the opposition, they can at least hold out for a period once a battle erupts. Afterward, others who sense the fighting aura will immediately rush over.”

Lin Luo stated this with confidence. His words weren't baseless, because there were no true lone wolves in Gensokyo. Even the solitary monarch, Yuuka, had Kanzaki as a friend. Once they knew a powerful enemy was coming, the strong naturally wouldn't worry, and the weak would certainly unite with each other. This way, it wouldn't interfere with their normal lives while also serving a defensive purpose. Conversely, if they were all gathered at the Hakurei Shrine, with so many yokai concentrated together, they would lack a sense of crisis, and the enemy likely wouldn't easily take the bait. Otherwise, Lin Luo wouldn't have needed Reimu to step forward; Suika’s ability would have sufficed.

Besides this, Lin Luo had another concern: how many enemies would there be this time? An'ou had set a trap to provoke a fight between him and E'ou. But E'ou clearly hadn't arrived in this world yet. So how could he be certain E'ou would definitely come here? If E'ou didn't come to Gensokyo, what would be the point of An'ou setting this trap? Lin Luo had a speculation: An'ou could lure other Walkers to the world he occupied. Although this speculation seemed fantastical to him, he had encountered even more fantastical things, so he wouldn't rule out this possibility. Even if he was wrong, could E'ou truly be a lone wolf? He had his Contractor; E'ou had the Four Divine Beasts, and likely other summoned beasts as well. Yet, with such combat strength, they only ranked second and third. Lin Luo couldn't believe the combat comparisons Gui Qu Lai Xi spoke of were based only on their personal strength… it should be based on their full power. He, combined with his Contractor, could barely fight against An'ou and his summons. And these two combined forces could barely fight E'ou… If measured by this combat power, then the strength E'ou possessed would certainly drive people mad. Of course, this was merely his guess. Whether it was right or wrong, he would only know after meeting E'ou.

“What are you thinking about?” Seeing Lin Luo frowning silently, Reimu couldn't help but ask. “Nothing much, I’m just thinking about what kind of performance you’ll put on during this Incident,” Lin Luo said with a faint smile. He wouldn't underestimate the enemy's power, but neither would he belittle his own. At this stage, as long as Gensokyo went into total mobilization, no Walker could stop them. “Huh?” Reimu blinked, then shot Lin Luo a look of contempt. “Are you an idiot? Whoever causes an Incident is my enemy for disrupting my peaceful days. Whether they are human or yokai, I will deal with them seriously, using brutal methods.” “Then I’m truly looking forward to it.” “Whether you look forward to it is your business. What I want to ask is…” Reimu frowned, pointing at Lin Luo, “Are you planning to stay here tonight?” Lin Luo spread his hands. “Are you planning to kick me out? Sanae enthusiastically invited me to stay at the Moriya Shrine. As fellow shrine maidens, you couldn't possibly have so little integrity as to make a guest sleep outside, could you? Besides, we are allies fighting side-by-side now.” “…” Reimu was immediately speechless. After a long pause, she rose from her seat and walked towards her room without a word. Before closing the door, she poked her head out and gave Lin Luo a fierce warning: “If you dare try any night attacks, you are dead!” Bang! With that, she slammed the door shut. “Night attacks your head,” Lin Luo muttered wryly. It was bizarre for someone so unscrupulous to say something like that. Shaking his head, he then poked the face of the sleeping Suika while looking toward the window. The night had completely fallen now, and the new moon offered no light. “What a harmonious night it is.”

...

That night, at the boundary line on the edge of Gensokyo. Gensokyo’s Great Barrier was not seamless. In fact, in thinner spots, one could pass freely without any external power, be they human or yokai—the Netherworld Graveyard being one such place. Of course, the barrier in this specific location was relatively dense. Generally, unless a certain seventeen-year-old girl deliberately came to punch a hole, even powerful yokai could not enter or exit… or so it should have been. Shhhhrrrrrik! Suddenly, the space, which had been calm, seemed to be sliced open by something, revealing a massive fissure. The fissure gradually expanded, and after a moment, it formed a pitch-black hole with a radius of over ten meters. A terrifying aura of death emanated from within. As the deathly presence intensified, the first things to emerge from the hole were black knights. These knights were clad entirely in black armor, revealing nothing but two eerie, ghostly green eyes. Furthermore, the horses beneath them were also draped in thick black barding, looking quite imposing, and in their hands, they held black lances whose tips radiated an undeniable, spectral glow. After emerging from the hole, the knight’s steed leaped forward, walking directly upon the air. “We have arrived. This is the battlefield for us Hell Knights,” the knight pointed his lance towards the sky. His low voice sounded as if it truly originated from hell; any ordinary person hearing it would be utterly horrified. As he finished speaking, more knights surged out of the hole—a dense, dark mass, numbering no less than fifty. All the knights sat rigidly upon their horses, clutching their lances, poised in the void. The intangible death aura they exuded caused the temperature in the vicinity to drop sharply, revealing their terrifying nature. The first knight to appear was presumably the leader. He stood before the others, pointed his lance toward the ground, and stated in a deep voice, “Such a fragile barrier. This Spear of Ruin could shatter it with ease. One can imagine how weak and helpless the enemies beneath us are. We, the first to enter… tonight, we shall cleanse this battlefield with blood and let every world hear the renown of our Evil Realm!” Swish! The knights behind him offered no words, simply raising their lances forward. The killing intent alone was enough to make snow fall in the peak of summer. “Oh my, oh my. I was just following a whim to wait here, and I actually ran into something. The saying about waiting for the rabbit isn’t a lie after all,” just as those knights were about to charge downward, a rift suddenly appeared in the air not far from them. Out of the rift drilled a young girl, about seventeen or eighteen, dressed in beautiful clothes. The girl propped a lovely parasol on her right hand and held a paper fan in her left, a faint smile playing on her lips. As she stepped out of the rift, she said, “Which knights are you, if I may ask?” “Kill!” The leading knight’s eyes flashed with intense green light the moment he saw the girl. Without hesitation, he spurred his horse and charged at her, the piercing lance tearing through space in an instant. Simultaneously, the knight corps behind him charged toward the girl. If Lin Luo were present, he would immediately recognize that the leading knight’s strength had reached the Earth-rank, while the others were at least high Spirit-rank. The combined combat power of their simultaneous attack was earth-shattering. However, facing such an assault, the girl remained utterly composed, her smile unwavering. “Greeting first, then fighting—that is the style of Gensokyo. Those who do not abide by this custom are not welcome here… Since you are knights from hell, then return to hell.” As the girl spoke, she gently raised the paper in her hand. “Boundary Between the Mortal World and Hell!” In an instant, the heavens and earth changed color. Before the knights appeared… an endless Avici Hell! The Avici Hell—once entered, never to leave! : Although the updates are sparse, I shamelessly ask for a little support. IO