The sudden appearance of Yakumo Yukari was like a stone tossed into a tranquil lake. While the Dark King and the Evil King immediately heightened their defenses, and the surprise of Hatsune and Haruhi was self-evident, the most astonished one was Lin Luo, because...

Host: Yakumo Yukari Body Strength: SS Spirit Strength: SS Comprehensive Strength: Quasi-Celestial Price Seal of Non-Protection: ?? World Heart: Heart of Realm (Number Forty-eight, Form Everywhere, Merged Heart)

"Yuki-imouto?!" Lin Luo had intended to call her 'Yuki-Mama,' but at the moment the word left his lips, he thought better of increasing the number of enemies, so 'Mama' became 'Imouto' (little sister).

What shocked Lin Luo wasn't just Yukari’s sudden appearance, but more importantly, that she had become a Host? She hadn't been one during their last encounter in Gensokyo. But he quickly grasped the reason... He recalled that when he killed the Evil King, seven World Hearts had dropped. When he died, two more had dropped. Moreover, Youyou and others had seized several more from the Proxy Gods and released them. This explained why Yukari could become a Host.

"You scoundrel!" Haruhi’s eyes widened instantly, furious that the hostage she had painstakingly captured was suddenly freed by Yakumo Yukari. But before her anger could fully ignite, Yakumo Yukari gave a sweet smile, hooking a finger lightly, and snatched another piece of calligraphy and painting. She then pulled Megurine Luka out from within the painting.

"The universe is so scary, I want to go home!" Regaining her freedom, Luka immediately acted cute, and amidst her tearful pleas, she vanished on the spot.

"Thank you." Luka, being more mature and composed, had no desire to linger in this chaotic battle. She nodded slightly to Yakumo Yukari and also disappeared from the stage. Originally, Haruhi had confined them in the paintings partly out of a desire for revenge, but with her standing alone, it was best for them to escape sooner rather than later.

"Wha—my hostages!" In that single instant, both of them were gone. Haruhi instantly panicked, glaring angrily at Yakumo Yukari. "You bastard, you actually let my hostages run free... Fine then, I'll capture you!" As she spoke, Haruhi reached out directly, and an invisible force manifested in her hand—the Power of Miracle she possessed, turning the impossible into reality. Once caught in her grasp,

Forget tossing them into a painting; she could even project the other person onto a screen and make them do whatever she willed.

In other words, she would become that person's Creator! This terrifying ability was the Miracle that only she, Kyon Suzuya, possessed!

Yakumo Yukari ignored her fierce glare and chuckled softly. She pointed her folding fan forward, and it met Haruhi’s palm. The collision between Realm and Miracle produced no violent fluctuations, nor any earth-shattering sound—it was just like two ordinary people shaking hands, and nothing happened at all.

"You?!" But it was precisely because of this silence that Haruhi was truly shaken. Ever since she understood her power, she had been practically omnipotent. Any wish she made, no matter what, could be fulfilled. Even with Hatsune, whom she hadn't managed to capture yet, she had never suffered a setback.

Yet now, her Power of Miracle had been suppressed—something that had never happened before!

"I see, you too possess a rather marvelous ability." Facing Yakumo Yukari again, the anger on Haruhi's face was replaced by a profound solemnity.

Although mischief was her duty, arrogance was her nature, and being the sole supreme ruler her characteristic, she knew that some things in this world were not to be trifled with lightly. While the previous battle had been terrifying, had it truly escalated into a life-or-death struggle, she wouldn't be certain of escaping unscathed. But she knew that in that fight, she wasn't the center; she was merely an insignificant character, so acting recklessly didn't matter—as long as she withdrew, others wouldn't relentlessly pursue her.

But this time was different. Her Miracle was neutralized so easily, even suppressed. This demanded her full attention.

"Every phenomenon contains a Realm; a Miracle is no exception," Yukari maintained her smiling face, which made Haruhi want to land a punch. "It’s like a game where there are good endings, bad endings, and true endings—that's the varying degrees of a Miracle."

"Hmph, I've played games too, but not as obscure as you make it sound. I do know... that Miracles can manifest within Realms." Haruhi’s tone was unfriendly, though she didn't display much fear.

Realms could control the strength of Miracles, determining whether outcomes were good or bad. Conversely, Miracles could permeate Realms, altering their strength. These two powers were not subject to unilateral suppression but influenced each other. The key lay in whose power was higher and stronger!

"Since you know that much, let's test it out then." Yakumo Yukari closed her parasol and instead reached toward Haruhi's wrist with the hand holding the folding fan. "Let's see if my Realm is stronger..." Haruhi, utterly fearless, the moment Yukari grasped her, extended her own right hand and pressed it against Yukari's wrist. "...or if my Miracle is higher!" BEEP!

The instant they grasped each other, it was as if a running television suddenly lost power. With just a flash of white light, both disappeared from their original spot.

Although the disappearance of Yakumo Yukari and Kyon Suzuya didn't create a massive shockwave, it significantly impacted the battlefield. At least for Hatsune, the Dark King, and Lin Luo, they had one less troublesome enemy. Even the Evil King, who hadn't interacted with Haruhi, breathed a sigh of relief... Kyon Suzuya, the woman whose thoughts no one could fathom, was a time bomb in the eyes of everyone present, because one never knew when she might take an interest in someone and drag them into playing games!

"That lunatic finally met her match. That’s great," Hatsune muttered thankfully. It was an unexpected bonus that Luka and Miku were able to escape safely. However, even with Haruhi gone, it was unlikely the two escapees would join the fight. Helpless, Hatsune resigned herself to challenging the situation with her own strength.

Standing on the absolute home ground, Hatsune held the Timeline. The pervasive Destruction Shards met a barrier here, but similarly, she had no immediate way to break through Lin Luo's Peak Throne.

BOOM!

Suddenly, a violent tremor echoed from a spot on the battlefield. Lin Luo hurriedly shifted his gaze. The Dark King and the Evil King, whom he had separated just moments ago, were fighting again, their clash earth-shattering.

"Damn it all!" Lin Luo cursed inwardly, immediately retracting the Peak Throne and turning to attack... Besides the enormous power drain, his Peak Throne had another, more significant flaw: range limitation. The Destruction Shards only attacked within a certain radius.

This was natural. Although the Peak Throne was both offensive and defensive, its primary function was defense. The Dark King and the Evil King were smart; the battlefield they chose had moved outside the attack range of the Peak Throne.

However, the target Lin Luo chose to attack was not them, but Hatsune!

"You traitorous, trashy man, daring to come after me!" Seeing Lin Luo charge toward her, Hatsune immediately became enraged. She had been annoyed by Kyon Suzuya's entanglement, but she hadn't taken it to heart—after all, the other party was a lunatic, incomprehensible. To argue with a lunatic would surely lower her own status.

But Lin Luo was different! She had helped him so much before, assisting him in protecting the Host and leaving him treasures. It was one thing for him not to be grateful; to actually help an outsider attack her was simply—"This infuriates me to death! I'm going to bite you to death!" Hatsune was overcome with anger and confusion, losing coherence. She hurled the Timeline in her hand toward Lin Luo, and simultaneously pulled a key from her pocket, sticking it into the sky... MELLON!

A colossal cavern suddenly materialized in the void, and a super-luxurious "warship" over one hundred kilometers long flew out of the hole, hurtling rapidly toward Lin Luo.

"Holy hell!"

The Dark King and the Evil King couldn't be killed immediately, so letting them fight was irrelevant. For Lin Luo, Hatsune was also a ticking time bomb; it was better to neutralize her first to prevent future trouble. Without the Seal of Protection and the surprise attack from the Absolute Home Ground, capturing her shouldn't be too difficult with his current strength. But upon seeing this "warship," he lost his composure—it was the Ark!

"Are you Doraemon or something? Where do you get so many treasures?!" Lin Luo was genuinely astonished. Having the Light Orbs was one thing, but now the Ark was deployed, and not just any Ark, but one imbued with unimaginable mystical power. Was it too much?

"Hmph, I won't tell you!" Hatsune let out a proud snort, then added suggestively, "But if you're willing to stand on my side, I can give you lots and lots of treasures. How about it?" "Do you think I'm the type of person who can be easily swayed by temptation? Also, what irreconcilable hatred do you have with Xixi that you keep chasing her?" "Xixi? Oh, that person. You trashy, traitorous man, hmph! You lose your direction the moment you see a pretty woman. Do you think I’m that easy to bully? Go to hell!"

Hatsune was momentarily stunned, then sneered disdainfully, pointing at Lin Luo, and angrily commanded, "Smash him hard!"

Lin Luo felt like crying. When had he ever been unable to distinguish women? The only reason he intervened in this battle was because of Youyou! If she hadn't said what she did, he wouldn't have wanted to get involved in such a chaotic situation, and certainly wouldn't risk offending a Host... This was a setup!

The Spirit World, City of the Sky.

As an incomparably brilliant lightning bolt shot into the heavens, Misaka Mikoto emerged from her training chamber, her long, tea-colored hair cascading over her shoulders, her expression wistful. "Sigh, I really couldn't break through. Still stuck at Quasi-Celestial Price... Hmm?" She suddenly sensed something and looked up, seeing Youyou standing opposite her, wearing a meaningful smile.

"Your emergence is perfectly timed. You might as well run an errand for me."

Author's Note: Welcome the Cannon Girl out of seclusion. Celebrate with Monthly Tickets.