The Wicked King finally understood that this world was far more terrifying than he had imagined. Now, only two paths lay before him: be beaten to death by the crowd, or use the Starlight Avenue to leave... but once he left, he would never be able to enter this world again.

"Ah!!!" The impossible choice drove the Wicked King to madness. He roared toward the heavens, and the Desperate Demon Spear trembled with his rage, unleashing a terrifying aura as it stabbed sharply upward, instantly shattering the great mountain hurtling toward him.

But that was only momentary. The principle of the Shan Hai Juan (Mountain and Sea Scroll) was that it grew stronger when faced with superior force. Not attacking was better; the moment the Wicked King attacked, the backlash from the formation became even more potent. In an instant, two even larger mountains pressed down upon him, and simultaneously, the seawater coalesced into countless flood dragons that swept toward the Wicked King.

This was an attack capable of annihilating a peak Earth-rank expert. Even the Wicked King dared not be careless, especially since he was currently plagued by misfortune, which amplified the bonuses to his attacks terrifyingly... For instance, attacks that would normally miss could now easily connect, and attacks aimed at non-essential parts suddenly became fatal. Under these circumstances, every strike was potentially life-threatening, forcing him to dedicate all his effort to defense.

The Desperate Demon Spear erupted with surging demonic energy like a tsunami, and the spatial storms seemed to form into tornadoes. These two forces warred against the Mountain and Sea Grand Formation in a truly world-shaking clash.

"What is he doing?" Only those outside Gensokyo, like Lin Luo, could truly sense and witness the Shan Hai Juan. Of course, individuals on the level of Yakumo Yukari and Kazami Yuuka could also perceive it, but the slightly weaker young ladies could only see the Wicked King seemingly "throwing a fit" by himself and couldn't help but ask.

"Nothing much, just a mouse caught in a trap," Yakumo Rin subtly replied, offering no further explanation.

"...Hey, I’ve said this many times, I am not a mouse!" As soon as her words finished, a slightly annoyed voice drifted from the opposite side. The group looked up to see Reimu, Sanae, and Marisa flying quickly toward them, and it was Marisa who had spoken.

"...No, I wasn't talking about you." Marisa's implied rebuke landed, making Rin feel a distinct pressure. Lin Luo, however, suspected Marisa was speaking out of a guilty conscience, though her ears were certainly sharp.

The three city enforcers arrived openly. Not only Lin Luo and the others saw them, but the Wicked King also saw them clearly. Although he was struggling desperately against the attacks of the Shan Hai Juan, his gaze was quickly drawn to one specific figure... a young girl clad in a red and white shrine maiden outfit.

"That’s... the Host!" Upon seeing Reimu, his eyes instantly lit up, the excitement flashing across his face before vanishing.

Reimu’s surface strength wasn't particularly high—excluding her inherent buggy abilities, she was roughly at the peak Spirit rank... Note: not a bug, but those bugs. Furthermore, she naturally possessed a languid demeanor, appearing like an innocuous small animal. Anyone unfamiliar with her would never suspect that this weak, sluggish shrine maiden was the true leader of Gensokyo. Such a Host was practically the softest persimmon the Wicked King could hope to crush.

With three super-strong figures like Kazami Yuuka guarding the flank, the Wicked King couldn't harm anyone else. But at this moment, Reimu and the others were approaching from another direction, and the closest target to the Wicked King was her. If he could just eliminate Reimu, even though the death of a Host who hadn't signed a contract wouldn't directly affect Lin Luo, obtaining the World Heart would tip the scales heavily in his favor.

With this thought, and almost no hesitation, the Wicked King braced himself to take a hit from the Shan Hai Juan and shot toward Reimu like lightning as the mountain struck him. His speed was so fast that not even an afterimage could be seen.

He was confident that at such close range, even those three monstrous powerhouses couldn't possibly stop him, no matter how heaven-defying they were. Moreover, given her mere peak Spirit-rank strength, she absolutely couldn't withstand his full-power strike.

Peak Earth-rank against peak Spirit-rank—a difference of an entire major realm. His confidence was entirely warranted.

And the reality mirrored his expectation. Facing the Wicked King's sudden attack, no one reacted in time. The moment he struck, Reimu was impaled! The power sufficient to annihilate an Earth-rank expert instantly flooded the maiden’s body—this should have been a killing blow... at least, that's how it was supposed to be.

However, the Wicked King was shocked to find that his attack had been blocked! The tip of the spear stopped dead at her chest, unable to penetrate further. What was even more unbelievable was that the power he had unleashed seemed to have vanished into thin air, like a mud ox entering the sea. The maiden before him hadn't died; not a single thread of her clothing was even torn!

"How... impossible?!" Faced with this situation, the Wicked King could hardly believe it. Instinctively, he looked up at Reimu’s face, feeling as if he had seen a ghost, his jaw dropped... He couldn't comprehend how a mere peak Spirit-rank maiden could halt his killing blow!

At this moment, everyone saw the Wicked King’s attack, but nobody moved to intervene, Lin Luo included. From what they witnessed, it was clear that the Wicked King simply could not harm Reimu.

In contrast to the Wicked King’s shock, Reimu was both surprised and furious, because she realized his attack was utterly vile—it had stabbed right into her flat chest... This enemy was not only a warmongering factor disrupting the peace of Gensokyo but also a lecherous beast in human form. Unacceptable! Even the Heavenly Orb wouldn't suffice to vent her anger!

A swelling fury instantly saturated Reimu’s body, and even the surrounding temperature seemed to drop with her rage... Actually, Reimu had misunderstood; the Wicked King had aimed for the heart, but the flat chest had merely intercepted the strike.

"You damn well asked for it!"

It was well known that an angry Reimu was terrifying, and she never concealed her fury. Amidst her curses, she pressed her left hand onto the spear shaft while her right hand snapped around the Wicked King’s neck with lightning speed. Crack! A horrifying sound echoed from his throat.

However, Reimu’s attack was far from simple. Immense spiritual power gathered in her grip, forming an inescapable "shackle." She then used this grip to slam the Wicked King directly toward the ground... or perhaps, the sea surface.

His neck broken, the Wicked King’s face contorted in agony. His throat choked off his voice, but the shock in his eyes reached an unprecedented peak, for under her restraint, he found himself completely unable to struggle or resist... couldn't attack, couldn't defend, couldn't activate his power!

Impossible! Impossible! She is only a peak Spirit-rank! She is only peak Spirit-rank!" the Wicked King screamed internally. To him, peak Spirit-rank felt as weak as an ant. Could it be that he couldn't even defeat an ant now?

Bang!

Regardless of the Wicked King’s shock, what had happened was an undeniable fact. With a tremendous crash, his body slammed violently into the "sea surface." The intense impact made him vomit blood again, and every bone in his body felt as if it had shattered, the pain piercing his very core. Then, before he could even push himself up, the enraged Reimu formed a hand seal and pressed downward.

"Eight Directions Ghost Binding Formation!"

A pillar of light formed entirely from spiritual energy shot straight into the sky, blasting the Wicked King's body into dust.

"...That was too brutal," witnessing this scene, everyone’s mouths twitched involuntarily. Most people present had been ruthlessly subdued by Reimu before and felt a touch of empathy. Although Lin Luo hadn't been subdued yet, he gained a direct, clear understanding of Reimu's savage violence.

"As expected, making this girl angry is terrifying," even Marisa, a fellow member of the city enforcement team, couldn't help but gasp, quickly retreating to a safe distance. Sanae followed close behind; she was reminded of her own experience, recalling how terribly Reimu had bullied her shortly after she arrived in Gensokyo, still leaving her with lingering fear.

The Wicked King, possessing the power of chaos, would not be so easily killed. When the pillar of light dissipated, the empty space was suddenly filled with several swirling halos... the visual manifestation of the Power of Chaos. The halos spun, pushing time and space back to the past, stopping only after an instant. The Wicked King reappeared completely unharmed!

"Die!" The moment he resurrected, the Wicked King’s killing intent flared to its maximum, and he stabbed lightning-fast toward Reimu’s heart... He refused to believe it! He absolutely could not accept that a mere peak Spirit-rank girl could block his ultimate move!

Reimu seemed unprepared for his revival and was momentarily stunned, unable to react in time. Her chest was stabbed again... To be honest, the Wicked King's attack wasn't vulgar; he aimed for the heart, intending to seize the World Heart in one go, but it felt entirely different to Reimu.

A chest-attacking maniac who clearly didn't know when to quit!

Staring at the spear tip buried in her chest, the anger on Reimu’s face suddenly calmed. Instead, a terrifying smile curled her lips, and from her mouth issued an infinitely low and strange voice... This caused the Wicked King, who was already merely shocked that Reimu had blocked him again, to feel an inexplicable chill creep into his heart.

He looked closer and noticed that the shrine maiden, who had previously shown no discernible aura, now had a blood-red mist rising behind her. That mist permeated her being, seeming to dye even her clothes completely red.

"Bad news, this one..." The Wicked King’s expression changed drastically. He sensed immense danger. Even if he didn't want to believe it anymore, he now knew this shrine maiden could not be judged by common sense.

Without hesitation, he tried to retreat, but an invisible force restrained his movement... The Wicked King was horrified to discover that the flow of time around him had become incredibly sluggish.

"...Hee hee! Hehehehehe..." Reimu let out a bone-chilling laugh that made hair stand on end. She raised her head, her gaze locking onto the Wicked King. He instinctively flinched, but before he could make any move, Reimu’s attack was upon him.

One punch!

The speed wasn't fast, the technique wasn't complex—a simple straight punch. The Wicked King couldn't dodge it, and the result was... his armor was pierced, his ribs shattered, and his entire abdomen caved in.

"Ugh... Waaah!" The Wicked King immediately spewed a mouthful of blood, his body flying backward like a cannonball.

"Uh... Hahahaha!" Amidst his hideous shrieks, Reimu followed up even faster.

At this moment, the shrine maiden had transformed into a demon!