Seeing Lin Xiaoke and Mikoto arrive together filled Lin Luo with mixed surprise and delight. Neither of them, by any measure, should be an enemy, and both had already reached the Quasi-Heavenly Tier... Given Yaoyao's almost prophetic knack for knowing things, their entry into the battle at this moment was certainly connected to her machinations, perhaps even the previous chaotic intrusion of Yukari Yakumo was part of her maneuvering.

"Mikoto, this one is yours!" Lin Luo wasn't far from Mikoto. Seeing her gaze shift toward him, he feigned a move, briefly forcing back a slightly surprised Hatsune, then seized the opportunity to rapidly retreat, brushing past Mikoto as he charged toward the battle between the Dark King and the Evil King.

His logic was simple: although Hatsune was powerful and possessed numerous treasures, if he went all out, his chances of defeating her were still quite high. However, doing so would inevitably lead to damage during the fight. If his face happened to be cut or his chest scratched, the already furious Hatsune would surely erupt in rage.

Engaging in such an unprofitable transaction was clearly too much of a loss.

Mikoto arrived at the perfect time. Leaving Hatsune to her, letting the two hostesses engage in their own contest was ideal, allowing him to step away and avoid being caught in the middle and alienated by both sides.

"You ungrateful, two-timing man, don't run!" Hatsune was momentarily stunned and wary due to the sudden appearance of Mikoto and Lin Xiaoke. But the instant she saw Lin Luo attempting to flee, she cast aside those thoughts, and the Mysterious Ark slammed viciously toward him.

Screeeech!

A brilliant arc of lightning flashed past from the side. Mikoto instantly appeared on Lin Luo's retreat path. As her tea-colored long hair whipped around, dazzling electric light burst forth from her body. With just a simple gesture forward, a massive electrical net descended from the sky, forcibly enveloping the Ark, which spanned over a hundred kilometers long.

"Apologies, this road doesn't seem very open."

Mikoto said calmly. A silver coin chimed and appeared before her eyes. She then extended both hands, holding her left palm over her right, and bent her right thumb upward. The coin descended, landing precisely on her thumb.

The current enveloping her instantly concentrated onto her right thumb. Accompanied by a sound like the cries of billions of phoenixes, the coin shot out, carving an orange-red beam of light through the air. In an instant, it pierced the Ark, grazed past Hatsune’s cheek, and traced a dazzling, meteor-like trajectory across the void.

Thousands of kilometers away in the starfield, this beam pierced through five lifeless planets sequentially, triggering violent explosions before it finally dissipated.

Hatsune wiped the left side of her face, feeling a faint trace of heat. Her gaze immediately retracted from Lin Luo’s silhouette and fixed onto Mikoto, a new layer of gravity in her eyes. "It does seem that way. This road is getting harder and harder to walk, but... I will walk it to the end."

The Dark King and the Evil King were locked in full-scale combat, their focus absolute, and they failed to notice Lin Xiaoke's sudden arrival. Caught off guard by her rain of light, their physical forms began to dissolve into faint luminescence. This development greatly shocked them.

However, they were, after all, super-powered beings with one foot already stepped into the Heavenly Tier. Despite their surprise, they remained perfectly composed, deploying their respective forces of rule to repel the power of the light rain.

By the time Lin Luo closed the distance to them, their bodies had just restored themselves. They glanced left and right, then decisively charged toward the Evil King... Xixi was too fixated. It was clear that her desire for revenge for the First Dark King was deeply rooted within her heart, making it difficult to eradicate. Lin Luo couldn't say he had no way to persuade someone like that, but it would be far too troublesome and wouldn't be settled quickly.

Conversely, although the Evil King was haughty, she had discerned some of her opponent's secrets during the previous exchange. Defeating her and then successfully persuading her to stand down offered a much greater chance of success.

As for the Dark King, that could be left to Lin Xiaoke. Lin Luo vaguely sensed that the two of them were of the same kind.

Although Lin Luo hadn't conveyed any message to Lin Xiaoke, not even exchanging a glance, seeing his actions, Lin Xiaoke was neither foolish nor slow. She naturally understood his intentions, and with a flash, she positioned herself in front of the Dark King.

"I didn't expect you to be here too. Are you also trying to stop me?" The Dark King stared at Lin Xiaoke, her expression no longer as calm as before, instead showing a faint trace of anger. Judging by her tone, the two seemed to know each other?

"Long time no see, Xixi," Lin Xiaoke murmured with slightly closed eyes, her tone gentle, as if addressing an old friend, betraying not the slightest hint of fighting intent.

But Xixi, who had shared a brief exchange with her before, could perceive the tsunami of battle intent she concealed. She immediately said in a deep voice, "If you still consider me a friend, step away from my path. This is the final ultimatum, and the only one!"

"It is precisely because I consider you a friend that I will not step back." Lin Xiaoke opened her eyes, her clear gaze fixed upon her opponent with an unshakable resolve. "Xixi, I told you when we first met: you and I are the same kind of people. But you are too attached, clinging to something utterly meaningless. No one would be happy about that. If the person in your heart knew you were like this, do you think he would thank you? Xixi, let it go."

"Perhaps what you say is true—what I insist upon is meaningless. But!" Xixi's bright eyes also reflected the fortitude in her heart. "But this is the only motivation supporting my continued existence. Since you know we are the same, you should also know that persuading me with words is impossible!"

"Then, can defeating you with power work?"

"Of course, if you have the strength!"

"Good." Lin Xiaoke acted without hesitation. The moment the word "Good" left her lips, vast swaths of light rain gathered heavily before her, surging toward Xixi like a tide.

"Roar!" Xixi showed no weakness, and the Eight Divisions Heavenly Dragons let out earth-shattering roars.

Meanwhile, as Xixi and Lin Xiaoke confronted each other, Lin Luo had already closed the distance to the Evil King. Without a word, the Destruction Killing Sword cleaved down upon the young woman with unstoppable force.

"Hmph!" The Evil King snorted coldly, twisting the laws of the stars with chaotic power to form a maelstrom of nebular turbulence. This formless energy, under her deliberate manipulation, instantly transformed into a terrifying tornado, directly opposing the Destruction Killing Sword.

Boom!

Amidst the deafening explosion, the tornado was instantly annihilated, but the Destruction Killing Sword was also forced to disintegrate. Lin Luo took this opportunity to surge forward, his fist wrapped in black flames slamming fiercely toward the Evil King.

Close-quarters combat?!

The Evil King's expression shifted slightly. Although at their level, any fighting style could unleash unimaginable power, conversely, because each of them possessed extremely unique abilities, everyone on the field—except for Hatsune—could better exert the limits of their power in mid-to-long range combat. Yet Lin Luo chose to engage in brute hand-to-hand fighting... This not only placed him in peril and gave up his greatest advantage but was also a profound act of looking down on her!

"You bastard!" Thinking this, the Evil King gritted her teeth, blazing anger shooting from her eyes. She could tolerate insults or slander directed at her. She could endure the hostility of the world. Having embarked on the path of evil, she was destined to walk alone, so she could also endure eternal solitude. But... she absolutely could not tolerate this kind of contempt. That look, that attitude—she was utterly fed up with it!

Absolutely, absolutely... she never wanted to see it again!

"Since you choose close combat, I will use it to kill you!" At this moment, the Evil King withdrew all her items, condensing her chaotic power into her physical body, and charged forward violently.

Clang!

Two fists collided heavily, Destruction and Chaos powers slamming into each other, refusing to yield even an inch.

A perfect hit... Lin Luo felt the immense pressure emanating from the opposite fist. Looking at the young woman's fierce, beautiful face, he was finally certain his prior speculation was correct.

The young woman before him bore a striking resemblance to the First Evil King—that arrogant aura that looked down on everyone in the world, cold and merciless. Yet, the two possessed fundamental differences.

The First Evil King's arrogance stemmed solely from overwhelming strength. Because he possessed unmatched power, he saw everyone as ants. But once his power was inferior to an opponent, he would become timid, as seen in the Fourth Divine War. Thus, he only possessed the form of tyranny.

But the young woman before him was different. It was evident in her eyes; she wasn't just outwardly arrogant—she had etched that arrogance deep into her bones. This arrogance had nothing to do with power; it was the essence reflected from her soul. It didn't make her reckless against weaker enemies or timid against stronger ones; in fact, the stronger the enemy, the more evident this arrogance became.

In her words and actions, one thing was utterly absent: fear!

Knowing this, Lin Luo now clearly understood his next step. He broke into a smile, speaking leisurely, "You are still too green. If you continue fighting me the way you just did, you might last a little longer, but... hah, this is all the 'Path of Evil' amounts to!"

As he spoke, Lin Luo's fist technique changed, transforming from a fist into a claw, fiercely locking onto the young woman's fist, while his left hand struck out like lightning, aiming for her throat.

"You look down on people!" The young woman’s eyes erupted in fury, and she simultaneously struck out to grasp Lin Luo’s neck.

Crack! Crack!

Almost simultaneously, both of their necks were tightly locked. For anyone slightly weaker, this would have instantly crushed their necks.

In this manner, the two were locked in a stalemate. However, Lin Luo possessed innate divine strength among his attributes, and purely in terms of power, he surpassed the young woman. Under his applied force, the young woman was pushed backward, flying away.

With a speed like a falling star, she even scraped sparks against the void, hurtling toward some distant region of the starfield, finally... Boom!

She violently impacted a lifeless planet. Lin Luo, still gripping her throat, pressed her hard against the ground.