As the tip of the spear neared, the Evil King saw only the Goddess of Victory beckoning to him. At such close range, with his power, he was certain that no matter what happened, the current Host was already trapped. One second… "No, not even one second is needed; he can seize the World Heart, the only one unsealed, for himself. Once refined, he will be truly invincible. But!

In that span of a second, the scene unfolding before him was utterly beyond his comprehension. The Host of the World Heart had been pierced from behind, instantly reduced to ash… "The Host is dead? Yes, he witnessed it with his own eyes—the Host, who was just moments ago alive and waiting to be slain by him, was gone!

This was no illusion!

And what made the Evil King disbelieve even more was that the one who killed the Host was Lin Luo!

This was absurd! How could a Walker bearing the Book of Covenants kill the Host? It offered him no advantage whatsoever! But, "…He really killed him, because he saw a World Heart enter Lin Luo's body—the one dropped by the Host!"

This sudden turn of events caused the Evil King's attack to halt instinctively. Even his mind could not process what was happening.

Lin Luo killed the Host; he personally killed his Contractor. This… how was this possible?!

"You bastard, what in the blazes are you doing?!" The Evil King roared, his face contorted in immense fury, as if Lin Luo had just slain the one he loved most. Yet, Lin Luo remained impassive, showing no concern for what had just transpired.

From the scene before him, the Evil King seemed more like the master of the Book of Covenants, while Lin Luo appeared more like the Evil King. Their roles seemed entirely reversed.

"You... what in the world are you doing?!" Alongside the Evil King, Reisen Udongein Inaba also shrieked furiously at Lin Luo, utterly unable to understand. She only knew that the Princess had been killed by Lin Luo!

Why did this happen? The Princess had said so, and he had said so too… Why was this happening? This made no sense at all…" Reisen collapsed to the ground, her legs giving way, staring blankly at where Kaguya had been seated, her eyes vacant.

But Lin Luo remained expressionless, uttering no sound, only the black flames in his hand burning even brighter.

"I see…" The Evil King withdrew his gaze from Reisen and fixed it fiercely on Lin Luo's face, his eyes brimming with undisguised rage and savagery. Gritting his teeth, he spat, "You'd rather kill your own Contractor than let me have the World Heart. Ming Wang, your move is ruthless; even I must admire your decisiveness. But ah…" How can I quell the fury in my heart!!!"

Boom!

The demonic spear shot out, and a space storm, compressed to its absolute limit, violently assaulted Lin Luo.

Facing such a ferocious attack, Lin Luo merely extended his left hand—the one that had pierced Kaguya—where surging black flames roared like a black dragon.

Ssshhhrrrriiiip!

The disparity in their power was clear. As the space storm passed, the black flames were instantly annihilated. Then, the sharp attack bore down upon Lin Luo's arm. His left arm, along with half his shoulder, was shredded to dust in an instant. Splattering blood dyed his entire body crimson, and through the wound, his heart was faintly visible.

But despite enduring such terrifying pain, Lin Luo’s expression did not change at all. There was no trace of agony, nor any hint of despair—only cold indifference.

"This arm… is not for you!" At this moment, Lin Luo's tone was devoid of emotion, like a machine. His icy gaze seemed to drop the temperature of the entire room, causing even the Evil King's composure to momentarily falter.

As he spoke, the black flames in Lin Luo’s right hand erupted, instantly forming a vortex. A power capable of destroying everything surged toward the Evil King in a spiral fashion.

"Hmph, showing off!" The Evil King sneered dismissively, flicking his demonic spear. A destructive spatial storm began to rotate in reverse, blasting forward… Although the Host was dead, as long as he could kill Lin Luo, he could still obtain the unsealed World Heart. Before Lin Luo could find a second Host, this was his only chance!

Beep!

The instant the Evil King launched his attack, he heard a piercing sound behind him—a familiar fluctuation of power that sent a massive threat through him.

"Damn it, it's you again, woman!" Without needing to look, the Evil King knew who was attacking him. He was decisive and powerful; even while clashing with Lin Luo, he forcibly divided his power. The demonic spear reversed, and another spatial storm pierced out, attacking the enemies in front and behind simultaneously.

BOOM!!!

Amidst a world-shattering explosion, the room, which had lost its Eternal Power, instantly disintegrated. The ceiling and walls vanished in a flash, and even the entire Eientei was reduced to ruins. Dark red moonlight spilled from the sky, clearly illuminating several figures.

Standing in the center was the Evil King, clad in black armor and wielding the demonic spear. His face was somewhat pale, and thin streaks of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth; he was clearly injured from the preceding exchange.

Standing before him was the arm-severed Lin Luo, engulfed in black flames. Not only was his left hand gone, but his right hand, ravaged by the backlash of the black flames, looked ghastly. This was expected, as the power he had just used exceeded his endurance—the black flames had to backlash.

The sizzling sound of burning mixed with the dripping of blood. An ordinary person would have been horrified by the sight, but Lin Luo seemed oblivious, his face as composed as a monster's.

Standing behind the Evil King was Eirin Yagokoro. Her expression was as grave as Lin Luo’s. Holding small black holes in each hand, she locked her gaze onto the Evil King, revealing neither joy nor sorrow.

With them flanking the Evil King, even someone of his strength sensed the gravity of the situation. He dared not act rashly before they revealed a flaw, especially since Eirin alone was proving difficult to handle.

However, most of his attention remained focused on Lin Luo. A wounded lion is far more terrifying than a healthy one, and he knew all too well how horrifying a rampaging World King could be… He waited for Lin Luo to repair his body, knowing Lin Luo surely possessed that ability. The moment Lin Luo began regeneration, a weakness would surely appear.

Lin Luo and Eirin were also waiting. Strike first? No, whoever moved first would surely lose now!

Meanwhile, the enforcement by the Three City Guards was proceeding fiercely. Reimu’s attack, which seemed to seal the heavens and lock the earth, was not merely about closing off space. That sealing power was significantly restricting the enemies' movements and weakening their combat strength… With the power of her spell cards unbound, Reimu's fighting capability could only be described as brutal.

Of course, Marisa Kirisame and Sanae Kochiya could not be ignored either.

"Miracle Technique… Heaven and Earth Split Open!" Sanae swept her gohei upwards, and instantly the heavens fell and the earth cracked, echoing with thunderous rumbles as the devastation hurtled toward the several Earthly Rank experts.

Although she hadn't entered her 'darkened' state, with the aid of the power of two gods and her past experience at the Earthly Rank, she was now a full-fledged Earthly Rank… a genius who needed only one opportunity to advance ten thousand meters!

Facing the combined assault of Heaven and Earth, the faces of the Earthly Rank experts changed drastically. Such terrifying power, if it struck them, would either kill them or severely injure them, so they scattered instantly, turning to attack Reimu and the others.

"Solving problems with brute force, that’s what I love most… da ze!" Marisa laughed heartily, pointing her fully charged Mini-Hakkero at the charging enemies. "No speed is faster than light; let me show you my new speed and firepower… The Ultimate Firework of the Second Universe!"

BOOM!

A massive magic cannon, over five meters in diameter, shot out from the Hakkero. The moment it launched, it consumed the leading enemy. Its speed had already surpassed the limit, and its power was cataclysmic—an Earthly Rank expert was pulverized into dust.

Although this result was partly due to Reimu’s barrier—the balance shifting allowed Marisa to blast an enemy above her rank—her own strength could not be denied… Diligent effort brings its own miracle. At this moment, Marisa had broken the limits of her humanity, and beyond the limit lay transcendence!

"Super Marisa… da ze!"

When the magic cannon faded, Marisa retracted the Mini-Hakkero and grinned. That single attack had not only eliminated one enemy but had also forced the others to retreat… The remaining Earthly Rank experts were once again forced into a passive defense, having to meet the descending Heaven and the rising Earth head-on.

But how could ordinary beings easily shake the power of Heaven and Earth? Not even Earthly Rank experts could! The reason Sanae could split Heaven and Earth was not just because she had reached the Earthly Rank, but more importantly, the two gods behind her were the creators of Heaven and Earth.

Attacking enemies with the power of Heaven, crushing them firmly with the power of Earth, combined with Reimu’s seal—even with their numbers, the situation was perilous. One mistake and they would be utterly destroyed.

Of course, as Earthly Rank experts, they were not as helpless as ordinary people. They possessed rich combat experience and intuition, which was evident in how they had survived the full-scale war in Gensokyo. They were arguably the strongest among the Evil King's troops.

Thus, even though they were at a disadvantage, they showed no sign of impending defeat. Countless near-death experiences allowed them to turn danger into safety in the most critical situations… As for Marisa’s attack, it was simply too swift and fierce to dodge.

In truth, however, no matter how much they struggled, defeat was inevitable, because the most ferocious 'Red-White' had yet to make her move.

"Let this incident end here." Reimu watched the enemies dodging the attacks of Heaven and Earth, took a gentle step forward, and pointed her gohei ahead. "Hakurei… Dragon Killing Array!"

Rumble! Rumble! Rumble…

As this array manifested, eight colossal dragons, formed entirely from spiritual energy, appeared at the eight corners of the space within this dimension. They roared, rampaged, summoned clouds and rain, possessing an imposing momentum.

Upon seeing this scene, the faces of the Earthly Rank experts turned ashen gray, for the aura emanating from those dragons was no less than their own. Unquestionably… they were all Earthly Rank!

The outcome was sealed. Under Reimu's merciless attack, the Evil King's forces were annihilated. She destroyed nearly ten Earthly Rank experts in a single move, and it was clear she hadn't used her full power. How brutal was this Red-White?!

"Oh my, you're really something," Marisa remarked, her eyes glinting, "I thought you’d pull out 'Dream World.'"

Reimu shot her an irritated look. "Are you an idiot? Against these guys, I didn't even need the 'Dream Seal'… Hm?" As she spoke, her brow suddenly furrowed, and her gaze instinctively drifted—she felt a vague sense of foreboding, looking in the direction of… Eientei!

"Is what you said true?" Yuka Kazami asked sternly, carrying a small, slender black girl while flying rapidly forward.

The girl—clad in black, with silver hair and black wings—was Black Rock Shooter. She nodded heavily. "Yes, it's at Eientei."

"Ren, where are you going?" After dealing with all their enemies, Flandre Scarlet and Kasha suddenly noticed Satori Komeiji walking away silently in one direction and quickly asked.

Satori Komeiji walked on without turning back, guided only by an unconscious pull. "…Eientei."

Simultaneously, Cirno flew toward Eientei… Yuyuko Saigyouji led Youmu Konpaku toward Eientei… Yukari Yakumo finally reclaimed the initiative of time and space, her gaze fixed upon Eientei… Sho Miko noticed Aya Shameimaru and Medicine Melancholy heading toward Eientei… Even Hina Kakuyan flew away from Youkai Mountain toward Eientei.

Inside the Scarlet Devil Mansion, Hoshiguma Yuugi held up her flushed face, raising both hands high, and shouted loudly: "Everyone… to Eientei!"