The combat strength of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, while not top-tier in Gensokyo, is certainly first-rate. If the mansion's residents cast aside the Spell Card rules, they could potentially annihilate Gensokyo; any number of lesser foes would be mere cannon fodder to them... But there is an adage: quantitative change precipitates qualitative change. Hundreds or thousands of fodder are easy kills, but what if there are tens or hundreds of thousands?

Even the greatest strength has its limits; sometimes, one can simply kill until their arms ache.

Such was the case now. The invaders assaulting the Scarlet Devil Mansion were simply too numerous. In this vast room, they were packed shoulder-to-shoulder as far as the eye could see—an uncountable mass. Remilia and the others had long since lost count of how many they had slain, yet as soon as one wave fell, another surged forward, seemingly without end. They had initially fought separately, but were now consolidated, entirely surrounded by enemies.

"Where in the world did this quantity come from?" Patchouli was utterly baffled. Even with her extensive knowledge, she could not discern the means of their entry; it felt as if they were being teleported from another dimension.

"Hong Meiling, shrink the space of this room," Remilia commanded gravely. While expansive space aids in combat, at this moment, being attacked from all sides, the sheer breadth of the room offered no advantage—it merely provided more footing for the enemy. Though proud and confident in her own unmatched superiority, she understood that being invincible meant little against an inexhaustible foe, especially when the enemy contingent was not composed entirely of weaklings.

"I cannot, Big Sister," Hong Meiling shook her head, looking distressed. "There are too many enemies. If I compress the space now, we will be crushed together."

"Damn it!" Remilia gritted her teeth fiercely. "Then I will annihilate them all in one fell swoop!"

As she spoke, she leaped from her spot—moving with lightning speed, evading countless enemy attacks—and instantly shot behind the enemy lines high above, before diving straight down.

Boom!

Remilia impacted headfirst, the sheer kinetic force not only scattering the surrounding enemies but shattering the very floor beneath her. Jagged fissures spread outward, and then, a crimson light as vivid as fresh blood erupted from her body.

"Scarlet Devil Town!"

A colossal, bloody cross burst from the ground. Beams of terrifying pressure, concentrated purely from spiritual energy, instantly vaporized countless enemies. This single strike wiped out every foe within a radius of several dozen feet. The moment the crimson light subsided, Remilia recoiled backward, flying away.

Just then, every surrounding enemy surged towards her—energy waves, projected blades, and even bare-fisted assaults... But Remilia did not spare them a glance, instead donning a look of disdain.

"Kaguya World!" The moment the words were uttered, time ceased, the world fell silent, and the attacks mere inches from Remilia lost all efficacy. Innumerable silver daggers zipped through the air like lightning, eliminating enemies and shattering every projectile they had thrown.

"Did you forget that time is controlled by us?" Remilia smiled faintly, retreating with ease.

"Remi, watch out!" But before she could fly clear of the enemy center, Patchouli suddenly cried out in alarm.

Remilia paused, instinctively turning back, only to see a massive silver greatsword hurtling directly toward her heart!

"How is this possible?" Seeing this, Hong Meiling was first to gasp in shock. Her own power had grown; unless an opponent's realm significantly surpassed hers, she could stop anyone's time at will—or deliberately choose not to stop certain individuals. The technique she employed now specifically halted the enemies' time, but... why could a mere sword breach her world?

"Damn it! This sword..." Remilia was the most panicked. She sensed a sacred power emanating from the blade, strikingly similar to the holy force of the Church she had dealt with before. This was the natural nemesis of a vampire; if struck, she was finished.

Remilia dared not be careless any longer and retreated with blinding speed, but the sword seemed fixated on her, pursuing relentlessly and accelerating all the while...

"Absolute Defense!"

Remilia’s speed could not match the sword, nor could her power destroy it. Just as impact seemed inevitable, a pyramid of golden light abruptly materialized around her, then whoosh—the sword was deflected.

Remilia recognized the pyramid; it was the Absolute Defense conjured by Patchouli, merging the attributes of the seven celestial bodies, capable of ignoring any attack.

"Patchy, excellent work, thank you..." Remilia instinctively turned to look at Patchouli, but before she could finish speaking, her pupils widened in unimaginable terror. She saw a dark silhouette appear behind Patchouli...

Because all focus had been concentrated on Remilia, compounded by the energy drain required for Absolute Defense, Patchouli’s personal defenses were momentarily near zero. She had not noticed the shadow behind her. When she finally registered the expression on Remilia's face, a sharp alarm pierced her, but it was too late.

Chink! The sound of something being torn echoed.

"Uh?" Patchouli felt a sharp pain in her back and instinctively looked down, only to see the hilt of a bloodied sword protruding from her abdomen.

Patchouli had been pierced through the chest by an enemy sword. Everyone witnessed the scene.

"Miss Patchouli!" Hong Meiling, closest to her, immediately broke free from her own attackers and rushed toward Patchouli, gathering immense air currents in her hand to unleash a full-power strike against the shadow.

The shadow smirked dismissively but still withdrew its longsword, stepping back. Instantly, blood poured from Patchouli's wound as she fell backward.

Hong Meiling's blow missed. She immediately cradled Patchouli in her arms, but concern clouded her judgment, and she failed to notice the enemy materializing behind her.

"Kaguya World!" Hong Meiling saw it and tried to stop time, but... it was useless!

"Damn it! Stop for me!!!" Watching the enemy's hand reach for Hong Meiling, Hong Meiling's face changed drastically. But the more panicked she became, the less able she was to focus, unable to halt that single enemy’s time!

"China, move aside!" Remilia shouted, instinctively moving to intercept, but the moment she stepped outside the Absolute Defense, the silver greatsword sliced toward her, forcing her to retreat back inside.

"Hm?" Hong Meiling hesitated. Before she could react, a terrifying force slammed into her body. She immediately spat a mouthful of blood, her face twisting in agony, and she collapsed while still holding Patchouli.

"Flandre, what are you doing!!!" Seeing this, Remilia roared in furious disbelief. She had deliberately kept Flandre back to handle these hidden threats, but now... why had she stopped none of them?

But when she looked toward Flandre, she saw her sister was already fully engaged.

"Sister, this person... this person has no eyes, I can't grab his eyes..." Flandre faced a figure shrouded in a black robe, her face etched with panic, her whole body trembling as she slowly backed away. She wasn't attacking; she looked like a helpless child.

"Where is your Quadruple Existence? Use it!" Remilia screamed in fury, never before had she so harshly blamed her own sister.

"No, no! I..." Flandre seemed not to hear her, clutching her head with both hands, eyes wide with fear. "No! I don't want to become like that, I don't want to kill anyone, I don't want... Sister, save me, Flan is so scared, it's so dark and awful here..."

"Flandre?" Remilia started, alarmed.

"Possessing great power without the corresponding maturity to wield it, you shall slowly despair to death within your own memories."

The black-robed figure standing opposite Flandre spoke in a low voice, raising a hand toward Flandre several meters away.

"Mental attack?!" Remilia understood. This person, like Kaguya and Mokou, had no eyes, and was adept at psychological warfare. He had trapped Flandre in the moment of her very first awakening.

"Ah!" As thoughts raced through her mind, Remilia heard another scream.

"Hong Meiling?" She immediately spun around to see Hong Meiling suspended in mid-air, trapped within a swirling black halo. No matter how Hong Meiling struggled, she could not escape the circle.

"Time control can be broken with a high-dimensional barrier," a man in mage robes standing below Hong Meiling declared with disdain.

"This..." Remilia stood petrified.

In less than ten seconds, Patchouli and Hong Meiling were grievously wounded and down, Hong Meiling was confined, and even the ace, Flandre, was suppressed... Watching the unfolding catastrophe, Remilia felt an icy chill creep through her limbs. She looked down at the blood staining her hands, then at the two figures lying in the spreading pool, and she seemed to glimpse the past—that very first day of awakening.

How terrifying it was, how painful, how utterly hopeless... Only moving forward through death, only finding selfhood through continuous slaughter, slaughter, slaughter, just to survive!

How much blood had these hands spilled due to that suffering and resentment? How much despair had they known?

She never wanted to recall those past sorrows and despairs again—the transformation from human to vampire, she never wanted to feel it again. But why?

Why had this despair descended once more?

Was it her fault? Had her arrogance and willfulness forced everyone else to face this same despair? If only she had sought help from the others earlier, perhaps none of this would have happened.

Was this truly the end? Would the Scarlet Devil Mansion truly perish? Was this the punishment for her willfulness?

Why, why, why, why, why...

I will not accept this!

"I am the King of the Night... AAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!"

Suddenly, Remilia threw her head back and roared. In that cry filled with slaughter, despair, and defiance, two immense black wings stretched out from her body, followed by even larger scarlet wings behind them, blotting out the sky.

The dark crimson mist made her resemble a Red Demon even more, staining the entire world red. Previously, she needed Patchouli’s aid to manifest the Scarlet Devil Realm, but now, she could achieve it with her own power alone. However!

Remilia felt no triumph, only infinite fury!

"The destruction of the Scarlet Devil Mansion? That will... absolutely never happen!"

These were words spoken by a demon. As she spoke, she actively tore apart the Absolute Defense and deliberately charged toward the silver greatsword.

Remilia... went berserk!