With a nonsensical shout from Chao Lingyin, her fingers pressed down. The symbols dancing on the light screen connected to form a circle, and five cannon barrels simultaneously shot diagonal beams of light that converged into a single point ten meters ahead of the muzzles. Then, the central barrel fired another beam. When it struck that point, two arcs of light expanded outward from it.

Finally, the two arcs intersected again, forming a circle with a radius of nearly three hundred meters centered on Icarus, ten meters away from the cannon mouths… This circle marked the effective range of the Law Weapon.

The instant the Law Weapon activated, Lin Luo distinctly felt his "time" slow to an agonizing crawl. Even the surrounding space felt vaguely unreal, as if moving even slightly was an immense effort; only his thoughts could proceed normally. Although he knew he was being affected by the Law Weapon, he couldn't help but feel a chill of dread.

But before his shock could fully settle, the Ultraman armor on his nose suddenly flickered, and the sensation of slowness vanished without a trace.

"How was it, Teacher? Surprised?" Chao Lingyin turned her head, displaying a triumphant smile.

"You truly are remarkable," Lin Luo praised sincerely. Although the appearance of this protective suit was ridiculous, its capabilities were undeniably powerful, even capable of shielding against the interference of a Law Weapon.

"Hehe, to create a powerful weapon, one must simultaneously create armor to counteract it. That is my hard-earned wisdom," Chao Lingyin declared proudly.

Lin Luo understood her way of thinking well. In fact, it wasn't just scientists like her; many people shared this mindset. Once you possessed the strongest spear, you would invariably seek to forge the strongest shield. Once the strongest shield was made, you would then strive to create the strongest spears capable of breaching that shield… This cycle repeated endlessly, leading to an infinite escalation of power.

"Now, let's see how our lovely Icarus-chan is faring,"

Chao Lingyin licked her lips, speaking with excitement, and tapped the light screen again.

At that moment, Lin Luo saw Icarus, who had been moving slowly within the luminous circle opposite them, abruptly stop, as if immobilized by a spell. He instinctively extended his perception and energy toward her, but they could not penetrate the circle. No, they could enter, but the moment they did, they were halted.

Whether regarding time or space, the inside of the circle was utterly different from the outside—it was a self-contained, static world!

"It seems even your incomplete Law Weapon is enough to suppress a peak Earth-rank expert," Lin Luo stated gravely. Although Chao Lingyin's personal strength was mediocre, armed with this device, if used effectively, she could face several Earth-rank experts simultaneously without fear.

The Law Weapon, whatever its future might hold, was undeniably potent and visually aggressive in its current application.

However, Chao Lingyin shook her head, as if mocking Lin Luo for his naivety. "It's not that simple. If the suppression were complete, the circle would be perfectly regular. But now…" Lin Luo looked in the direction she pointed, and saw that the circle on the light screen was expanding outward in an irregular shape, as if something inside were pushing against it, on the verge of shattering at any moment.

"She is resisting!" Chao Lingyin said in a low voice.

She, without a doubt, referred to Icarus.

Time itself has tiers of existence, just as everything else does—even darkness or light, and even "nothingness" and "being" have distinct levels.

For instance, Xiaye’s time stop rarely affects individuals significantly stronger than him. While Chao Lingyin’s Law Weapon was far superior in raw intensity to Xiaye’s ability, it remained an immature creation, and suppressing the peak Earth-rank Icarus was clearly not going to be effortless.

Icarus was struggling to break free from the bonds of time, and Chao Lingyin was not showing weakness either, her ten fingers dancing rapidly across the light screen, trying to force a complete subjugation.

"Blast! I didn't expect her power to be this immense!" In just a few short minutes, Chao Lingyin was drenched in sweat, her brow deeply furrowed.

Although Lin Luo couldn't decipher the characters flickering on the light screen, her tone and expression suggested that Icarus currently held the upper hand.

He looked toward Icarus, who remained motionless.

Time ticked by in this bizarre confrontation. Another five minutes passed, and Lin Luo watched the circle on the light screen suddenly shatter. At that very moment, Icarus, who had been held captive by time, suddenly had her eyes turn red. Two wings burst open with a whoosh, and her right hand rose upward.

"Summon! Holy Winged Maiden!" With that clear cry, a sacred light erupted from Icarus’s back, rapidly condensing above her head. In an instant, a divine figure materialized above her.

It was a female figure with eight pristine white wings, golden hair cascading down to her thighs, three feathered ornaments sprouting from each ear, and a steel mask covering everything above her mouth. Purple ribbons circled her arms, gently fluttering in a semicircle above her head.

Most striking, however, was her attire—even more revealing than Black Rock’s… no, perhaps it was more accurate to say she wore virtually nothing at all. Apart from the white glove on her left hand, the shoe on her right foot, and the boot-tights covering vital areas up to her chest on the left side, every other part of her body was bare.

Yet, even with such an appearance, she didn't exude vulgarity; instead, she radiated a sacred aura akin to a saintess, preventing any impure thoughts from taking root in the observer's mind.

The Holy Winged Maiden lived up to her name.

Lin Luo was initially moved by the divine aura she emitted, feeling his own mind become purer, but as he looked closer, a powerful sense of déjà vu struck him, as if she resembled someone deeply imprinted in his memory. A moment of realization almost made him spit out his drink… Damn it! This Holy Winged Maiden was exactly like Angemon from Digimon!

Before Lin Luo could recover from this shocking discovery, the Holy Winged Maiden opposite them shifted into a combat stance. The white glove on her left hand instantly transformed into a winged bow. She stood poised in mid-air on her right foot, left knee bent, drawing the bowstring with her right hand. A white arrow of light immediately manifested.

As the bowstring was pulled to its limit, her slender nose tilted slightly back into the void, displaying unparalleled beauty while radiating an even more sacred energy. Simultaneously— "Divine Punishment!" Even the method of attack was identical to Angemon’s!

Following the Holy Winged Maiden's clear voice, the light arrow on the bowstring shot forth with a whoosh.

Amidst the sound that seemed to tear the air, the light arrow collided with the circle of light released by the Law Weapon. After only a moment of tense stalemate, the circle shattered violently…

The Time Stasis Field was broken!

Phew!

Almost simultaneously, Icarus and the Holy Winged Maiden charged forward, their bows aimed respectively at Chao Lingyin and Lin Luo. Icarus whispered, "You lose."

Chao Lingyin and Lin Luo instinctively raised their hands… that arrow was terrifying; it absolutely could not be fired!

"Oh dear, truly impressive. I hadn't realized Icarus-chan’s strength was so great. It seems my Law Weapon is still far from complete," Chao Lingyin said with a forced smile. She hadn't anticipated this outcome at all; she had hoped for at least an even match.

"No, it's nothing," Icarus replied modestly, retracting her bow and stepping back to the ground.

The Holy Winged Maiden also lowered her bow and landed at the same time, standing quietly beside Icarus.

"Hey, Icarus-chan, how did you break through my Law Field? Tell me about it," Chao Lingyin became animated the moment the combat state ended, pulling Icarus aside to question her.

Lin Luo climbed out of the cumbersome Ultraman gear. Seeing the Holy Winged Maiden standing still while Icarus chatted animatedly with Chao Lingyin, his own curiosity was piqued. After a moment of hesitation, he walked toward the Holy Winged Maiden.

When watching Digimon previously, Lin Luo had always been fascinated by Angemon's appearance, but since Angemon never removed his mask, he never had the chance to see his face clearly. This Holy Winged Maiden, identical to Angemon and serving as Icarus’s guardian seal, presented a perfect opportunity!

Although the Holy Winged Maiden stood motionless like a statue, she was acutely aware of her surroundings. As Lin Luo approached her, she instantly turned her head and asked warily, "What are you trying to do?"

"Uh!" Lin Luo flinched in surprise, then forced a wry smile. "That… Angel, I wanted to ask, could you take off your mask?"

"..." Such a direct request seemed to leave even the Holy Winged Maiden speechless. After a stunned moment, she snapped into an armed state, her arrow pointed at Lin Luo. "Defiler, I must execute Divine Punishment upon you!"

What?!

Asking if she could remove her mask constitutes defilement? This is ridiculous!

Lin Luo felt a sharp pain in his stomach, but he couldn't ignore the Holy Winged Maiden's words, as she had already drawn her bow. "Hey, hey, are you serious?"

"Take this! Divine Punishment!" The light arrow shot out instantly.

Lin Luo executed an instantaneous movement, narrowly dodging it. Fortunately, the Holy Winged Maiden hadn't used the full power of her previous attack; otherwise, he’d be dead. But this was no time for celebration, as she was already manifesting another light arrow.

Watching the arrow, imbued with sacred energy, shoot toward him again, Lin Luo’s face turned green. He dodged frantically, shouting, "Damn it, stop shooting!"

"I will not cease my attacks until your defilement is cleansed!" The Holy Winged Maiden began her pursuit.

The two engaged in a chase, one pursuing and one fleeing, for a brief while. Finally, Icarus noticed the commotion happening elsewhere. She tilted her head to watch for a moment, then remarked, "Master and the Holy Winged Maiden are having a very happy time."

Chao Lingyin nodded. "Yes, since they are having such fun, let's not interrupt. We should continue our conversation." "Mm." Icarus immediately shifted her gaze away.

Meanwhile, the Holy Winged Maiden continued to chase Lin Luo, firing light arrows ceaselessly.

"Angel, I like you! Please stop shooting!" Lin Luo was so frustrated he nearly spat blood. (To be continued.)