Cirno’s attack was undeniably potent. After all, upon reaching her "Super 9" state, even if her overall power couldn't surpass that of Yuuka Kazami or Yukari Yakumo, the gap wouldn't be significant; she was absolutely qualified to rank among the strongest in Gensokyo. The moment the "Kaku ⑨ Hō" manifested, five swords shattered the void, emitting a piercing sonic boom. The terrifying might made even the Evil King regard it with extreme caution.

However, what shocked the Evil King was that those five swords did not strike him. They halted mid-air, not due to a lack of power from Cirno, but because a single hand snatched the lightning-fast blades.

An attack capable of threatening a High-Tier Earth Realm expert was stopped so easily. Looking around the entire scene, there was only one person capable of doing so... it was the Ghost Miko!

For the Evil King, the Ghost Miko blocking an enemy attack for him was simply unbelievable. But the young women watching nearby understood the situation perfectly; they were already mourning for Cirno in their hearts.

The instant she caught the swords, the Ghost Miko slowly turned her head, her terrifying gaze locking directly onto Cirno. "You too wish to interrupt me? Hmm!"

"Eh?" Cirno was momentarily stunned. Hearing that voice, she finally noticed that there was another person opposite her. This annoyed her greatly—how dare someone block her attack! It was outrageous!

"You! Do you also want to taste my power—...Ugh!" Cirno raised her head, puffed out her chest, and roared arrogantly. But when she saw the figure before her, her eyes widened, her face filled with terror and panic, stumbling over her words until she could barely speak. "Y-y-y-you..."—who are you—"...!?"

The Ghost Miko tossed the five swords she held like trash toward the Evil King. Before he could react, the blades formed a five-pointed star array, trapping him. This was not Cirno's sword array; it was one of the ultimate secret techniques of the Dream Skill... Dream Seal, Bind!

As the Evil King was thoroughly sealed, the Ghost Miko instantly appeared before Cirno, leaning slightly forward, glaring intensely. "Dare to interrupt my game? Do you wish to become a shooting star, CIR-NO!" The last three syllables were heavily emphasized, subtly carrying a killing intent.

"I-I-I..." Facing the Ghost Miko's overwhelming aura, Cirno was instantly overcome with fear. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead, and her body trembled violently. "...Back when Reimu turned into the Ghost Miko and rampaged across Gensokyo, Cirno was abused several times. It had long since created a deep psychological shadow. Seeing the Ghost Miko again now, that shadow instantly flared up. Forget teaching her a lesson; she couldn't even muster a shred of will to fight.

"S-s-sorry..." Cirno bowed deeply in apology, terrified to the point of tears. No matter how strong she acted, her nature was still that of a child.

"Sorry?" The Ghost Miko tilted her head, then roared, "If apologies worked, why would we need the city guard? Become a shooting star for me!"

Boom! Wielding her Gohei, she unleashed a single Tiger Talisman Meteor strike. Cirno instantly turned into a streak of light and flew off into the distance.

That was utterly unreasonable; she already apologized... Everyone watching the scene felt indignant on Cirno's behalf, but none dared to speak, only grumbling inwardly. Simultaneously, they were thankful they had retreated from the battlefield in time, otherwise... the Ghost Miko was truly terrifying!

After blasting Cirno away, the Ghost Miko's attention shifted back to the Evil King.

"Hmph!" When the Evil King saw the Ghost Miko's gaze turn toward him, his heart lurched. He understood now: this entity lacked reason and wouldn't hesitate, attacking indiscriminately, ignoring friend or foe—a purely monstrous being.

This was indeed the case. If the Ghost Miko retained her sanity, she would not be the Ghost Miko, but rather Wagorou.

The Evil King knew he stood no chance of victory against such a monster. His only option now was to temporarily escape this place, leave the Boundary Labyrinth, and flee to the outside world. Once there, the world was vast, and no one would find him if he hid... After sacrificing so many subordinates and dying so many times, he would not readily abandon this world; after all, he only had one chance.

Although there were many strong entities here, there were also several weaker Hosts. He still had opportunities. Once his Power of Disorder recovered to its full state and his strength returned to its peak, he could slip back in... As long as he could kill one Host, victory would be his!

The Evil King's plan was not overreaching; on the contrary, it was quite shrewd.

While the current situation suggested he couldn't gain any advantage in Gensokyo, the fundamental reason was that he was at a disadvantage from the start. Coupled with the continuous emergence of powerful entities, he simply had no room to resist.

But if some time passed and this turmoil subsided, even if these powerful figures let down their guard slightly, they couldn't remain gathered forever. By then, with his strength, he could always find an opportunity to strike down Hosts like Suigintou or Rihaku. Even Evangeline and Li-Li would be in danger, as the Evil King’s High-Tier Earth Realm strength was entirely genuine.

However, even if his plan was sound, it could never be implemented if he couldn't escape the Ghost Miko's grasp.

The five-pointed star array contained the Ghost Miko's barrier power, rendering the Evil King immobile. Though he strained to break free, he couldn't penetrate it. Then, the Ghost Miko detonated the Dream Seal, and the Evil King died once more.

Following the Cirno incident, no one dared to disturb the Ghost Miko’s battle again; even the Three Great Oni didn't dare approach. As for Yuuka Kazami and the others, they were happy to watch the show. While they weren't exactly terrified of the Ghost Miko, they preferred to avoid such a god-like monster if possible.

At this moment, the Gensokyo Great War had completely devolved into the Ghost Miko's solitary game. Reimu in her normal state was invincible in Gensokyo; advancing to the Ghost Miko state made her capable of slaying gods and Buddhas alike. The Evil King's attacks were completely useless, while the Ghost Miko’s attacks were guaranteed kills. Under these circumstances, even though the Evil King resisted with all his might, he couldn't escape.

Resurrection... bisected... Resurrection... shattered... Resurrection... beheaded... Resurrection... death... An infinite loop, infinite terror. How bloody, how brutal, beyond description—this was Hakurei Reimu, the Oni Miko who had transformed!

Gradually, no one could count how many times the Evil King had died. That gruesome slaughter made most of the young women unable to watch any longer.

The Ghost Miko grew more excited with each kill, while the Evil King approached the brink of collapse... Beyond the pain of constant death, the most critical issue was that his Power of Disorder was nearing its limit. Although the Disorder ability activated autonomously without his control, the stored energy fragments were finite. His remaining Power of Disorder could grant him dozens more resurrections, but if the battle continued, true death was inevitable.

Originally, his Power of Disorder shouldn't have depleted so quickly. As an LV4 Walker, he had mastered a significant portion of the Heart Core's abilities. The problem was that he had previously used the Power of Disorder to create multiple copies of himself, causing a massive, explosive drop in its reserves.

This wasn't strange. Resurrection and creating multiple selves required vastly different amounts of the Power of Disorder. No matter how many times he resurrected, the Evil King remained 'one' entity, but creating multiple selves meant at least 'two,' and 'one' and 'two' were entirely different realms.

It was like computer language, which only uses '0' and '1,' but '2' never appears. If it did, no one could imagine what would happen. Or like romance in the real world: one man and one woman could be happy for a lifetime, but if it evolved into a love triangle, it often led to bloodshed.

With his current strength, the Evil King could only create a single duplicate of himself. That was why, in the five-dimensional space against Lin Luo, he used clones. After all, no one reveals their ultimate ability right at the start, and at that time, he wasn't sure how strong Lin Luo was, so he chose the safest approach.

A desperate, last-stand battle was only used when absolutely necessary.

At this moment, under the Ghost Miko's merciless slaughter, unable even to flee, the Evil King finally decided to retreat... Although the unsealed World Heart was a great attraction, his life was ultimately the most important thing. The disadvantage was irrecoverable, and no path to victory was visible. There was no way out except to leave this world.

Though unwilling, regretful, and furious!

"I concede this time!" After being resurrected for the umpteenth time by the Ghost Miko, the Evil King's terrified expression suddenly calmed. At the cost of shattering his Demon Execution Lance, he barely managed to block a palm strike from the Ghost Miko. In that instant, he detonated all his remaining Power of Disorder, shaking the surrounding space and forcing the Ghost Miko back several steps.

Then, seizing the opportunity, the Evil King used a higher-dimensional passage to escape the Ghost Miko's combat zone, instantly fleeing the Bamboo Forest of the Lost, standing above the Eientei, looking down upon everyone.

After all, he was a High-Tier Earth Realm expert. While he couldn't compare to the top figures in Gensokyo, he was capable of escaping when exerting his full power. However, his arrogant posture irritated the majority—how dare a defeated stray dog look down on them! It was simply outrageous!

"Don't even think about escaping!" the Ghost Miko roared, immediately charging forward. With speed that surpassed everything, she reached the Evil King in the blink of an eye, her Gohei sweeping down... At this moment, the Evil King's Power of Disorder was completely exhausted. If struck solidly, he would have no possibility of resurrection. But!

A dazzling white light suddenly appeared beside the Evil King. The Ghost Miko’s attack landed precisely on that white light... BOOM!

With a sound like the sky collapsing, the white light did not shatter. Instead, the Ghost Miko was violently thrown backward, falling like a shooting star. With a crash, she was smashed into the earth. In the swirling dust, the Ghost Miko did not rise again; it seemed she had been knocked unconscious.

"This... How is this possible?!" This sight shocked nearly everyone present. Except for a few individuals like Lin Luo, everyone displayed expressions of disbelief. They had witnessed the Ghost Miko's overwhelming power firsthand; how could the enemy who was thoroughly suppressed just now actually knock the Ghost Miko unconscious? They found it hard to believe.

Yukari Yakumo’s expression shifted, and she instinctively used her Boundary power to strike down the Evil King. But when her power touched the white light, it vanished as if swallowed by the sea—gone without a trace.

"No need to attack further. He is truly invincible right now." Seeing Yuuka Kazami, Eirin Yagokoro, and others preparing to attack, Lin Luo immediately spoke. The white radiance protecting the Evil King was the Starlight Boulevard—the epitome of absolute defense. It could defend against all attacks: energy attacks would be absorbed, and physical attacks would be repelled. The Ghost Miko was not knocked unconscious by the Evil King; she was struck down by her own power.

"It's useless. The Starlight Boulevard can repel any attack. Even if you possess heaven-reaching power, you cannot harm me," the Evil King said at this point, his voice low and calm.

It must be said that as the foremost among the Walkers, his psychological fortitude was quite strong. After being tortured and killed so many times, he could still speak calmly. His gaze swept over everyone present, and he said in a deep voice, "I was too impetuous just now. Too many variables prevented me from fighting calmly; otherwise, you never would have killed me so many times... One hundred and twelve times. I will remember that number. If we meet again someday—no, I will certainly repay it in full!"

The Evil King’s voice was calm, but his tone was thick with hatred. He had clearly come to despise Gensokyo. If the Evil King's strength hadn't commanded respect from Yukari Yakumo and the others before, seeing the Starlight Boulevard changed their minds; they could no longer ignore him.

"Farewell, everyone, and Mingwang..." The Evil King scanned everyone present, seemingly memorizing the appearance of every person in the arena. Finally, his gaze settled on Lin Luo, and he sneered. "You won this time, but the next time might not be so lucky. I'll have a surprise for you." With that, the Starlight Boulevard activated, soaring into the sky in the blink of an eye.

Lin Luo frowned slightly. He felt a degree of regret that he failed to kill the Evil King completely this time. However, it was understandable; a Walker possessing the Starlight Boulevard was inherently difficult to kill. Being able to force him to retreat was already quite an achievement.

At the same time, the Evil King's final words seemed to foreshadow something, causing Lin Luo a moment of concern. He had a vague feeling that after this defeat, the Evil King’s future growth might accelerate; he needed to be cautious!

But those were matters for the future. At least for now, the Evil King couldn't re-enter Gensokyo, so there was no need to rush. Moreover... he had more important things to accomplish now.

He looked toward Eirin Yagokoro, noticing she was also looking at him. Their gazes met, and Lin Luo nodded slightly. He then flew over to Suika Ibuki and said, "Suika, please do me a favor. Use your ability and make everyone in the Bamboo Forest of the Lost go look for bamboo."

"Look for bamboo? Why?" Suika tilted her head, full of confusion.

Lin Luo smiled slightly. "To welcome the newborn."