"So that's how it is." Beneath the Hakurei Shrine, Lily materialized from the shadows, a triumphant smile gracing her lips.

Though she had agreed to go ahead of Lin Luo to the Hakurei Shrine, she had, in fact, played a small trick. After all, she wasn't foolish; she knew that going alone would likely result in some of the trouble meant for Lin Luo being passed on to her. Thus, along the way, she deliberately masked her presence and hid herself... With her current strength, her concealment level was exceptionally powerful; Lin Luo, not being particularly wary of her, naturally couldn't detect it.

Then, watching Lin Luo transform into the masked man and drive all those girls away, she finally understood his objective.

"To avoid the danger of being besieged by everyone, he deliberately sent an avatar to anger them, causing them to scatter, and then lure them out to be dealt with one by one, leaving only a few currently crucial figures behind... This is a classic diversion tactic, isn't it? Moreover, to avoid offending those girls, he completely altered the avatar's aura and physique, so even if the girls become suspicious later, he can completely wash his hands of it with that excuse."

"But given his penchant for self-torment, to placate the anger of those girls, those avatars will most likely be abandoned as sacrifices, right? As long as they vent their frustration, they probably won't dwell on the matter anymore. After all, who would care about a strange masked man who died? I must say, this method is truly... quite tedious."

At this moment, Lily displayed exceptional deductive ability, completely seeing through Lin Luo's thoughts. When she saw Lin Luo interacting with Shinki and the other two, she became even more certain that her deductions were flawless, and she couldn't help but admire her own reasoning skills, while also offering an objective assessment of Lin Luo's actions.

After all, unless one was terminally bored, who would undertake such thankless labor? If the true nature of the situation were exposed, the consequences would be unthinkable.

"Speaking of which, what should I do now? Perhaps I should just... Huh?!"

Suddenly, Lily sensed a strange aura approaching her. She whipped her head around; behind her, the void shimmered, then tore open, and a black, sharp arrow shot out from a higher-dimensional space!

Lily's expression shifted slightly, and then she moved with lightning speed, clamping down tightly on the arrow when it was only ten centimeters from her face. Gazing closely, the black arrow turned out to be pure energy; it was likely dissipating now, having exhausted its energy during its dimensional transit.

"With the energy concentration of this arrow, and the trajectory of the spatial tremor just now... this arrow came from the thirteenth dimension?" Lily frowned, a hint of surprise and bewilderment in her tone. "However, although the attack just now was incredibly sharp, I didn't sense any killing intent or murderous aura. Does that mean the objective wasn't to kill me?"

Thinking this, Lily looked up and noticed that the space before her hadn't fully sealed; she could still perceive the aura of the higher-dimensional space.

"I see." Seeing this, Lily immediately understood the arrow's purpose. She drew Excalibur, her demeanor resolute. "Although I don't know which powerful entity sent it, I accept this invitation!"

As she spoke, Excalibur slashed forward!

Then, the void began to shatter!

One layer, two layers, three layers... eight layers, nine layers... finally reaching the twelfth layer!

Although the space was already somewhat unstable, Lily's single strike cleaved through twelve dimensions of space, obliterating everything regardless of dimensional level. Opposite the rift lay the thirteenth dimension.

Without hesitation, Lily leaped forward, charging into the thirteenth-dimensional space with Excalibur in hand.

After her figure vanished, the fractured space sealed itself once more.

In the blink of an eye, Lily felt the anomaly around her. Looking around, she saw scenery so bizarre it was like viewing a poorly executed oil painting—mountains were not mountains, and water was not water. Yet, upon closer inspection, the mountains were indeed mountains, and the water was water, inducing disorientation.

"Is this... the thirteenth dimension?" A flicker of doubt crossed Lily's eyes as she gripped Excalibur tightly, maintaining her vigilance.

"Indeed." Suddenly, a haughty voice sounded from somewhere. "In scientific terms, this is the thirteenth dimension. In fantasy terms, this is an extra-dimensional space. However, 'extra-dimensional space' is a general term with too broad a scope, so calling this place the thirteenth dimension is more precise."

Lily's heart stirred, and she abruptly looked toward the source of the voice. Upon an indistinctly contoured hillside stood an exceptionally beautiful woman of tall stature, curvaceous and well-formed, with long golden hair fluttering around her. Her slender fingers rested on her chin, her scarlet lips slightly parted, revealing a hint of malice at the corners of her mouth.

"It's you." Although this blonde beauty looked hostile, Lily relaxed some of her guard upon seeing her because...

"Long time no see, Evangeline."

The wicked beauty before her, possessing the aura of a commanding queen, was none other than Evangeline.

"Heh heh, I thought you would be greatly shocked by the state of this place, but..." Evangeline floated down from the hillside, arriving before Lily, a smile of unclear meaning on her face. "As it turns out, you are calmer than I anticipated."

"After everything I've been through, I wouldn't be surprised even if a Divine Regent stood before me, let alone a mere thirteenth dimension," Lily replied noncommittally.

Evangeline nodded. "That's true. While we still can't traverse entire planes, we can now travel freely between extra-dimensional spaces within the same plane."

"Never mind that for now, what is your purpose in summoning me here?" Lily abruptly changed the subject and asked.

"I need your help with something. Follow me first," Evangeline offered no further explanation, merely smiling mysteriously before turning and leading the way forward.

Lily paused briefly before quickly following, the two walking side by side.

Although the thirteenth dimension wasn't enough to shock Lily, it was her first time in such a strange place, so curiosity inevitably surfaced. Along the way, Lily couldn't help but look around and soon discovered something peculiar... there were traces of combat everywhere, and the space seemed rather unstable.

"It seems you've noticed. Yes, we have been fighting here constantly," Evangeline remarked, sensing her curiosity.

"You?"

"Yes, and one other person." Evangeline nodded, then pointed ahead. "Look, she is right there."

Lily followed her gaze. Not far ahead, where the void exhibited the most violent turbulence, a young girl wearing a red plaid vest and a long skirt stood. She simply kept her eyes closed, doing nothing, yet the chaotic space couldn't encroach upon her; rather, it seemed to be suppressed.

"Kikyou Yuuka!" Lily immediately recognized her. "What is she doing?"

Evangeline smiled. "The spot where she stands is the very source of this space. The spatial chaos stems from that source, and she is forcefully suppressing it. In other words... she is single-handedly fighting the entire thirteenth dimension."

"Ah!" Even Lily was stunned by these words. Although this space wasn't vast—at most equivalent to the territory of a medium-sized nation—it was still the highest dimension in a normal plane. Could one person truly suppress it? And most importantly...

"You said you've been fighting here constantly—do you mean?"

Evangeline gave a nonchalant smile. "You already know, don't you? A long time ago, that woman brought a complete cultivation system to Gensokyo. It was undoubtedly the fastest path to advancement. Take Yakumo Yukari, for instance; relying on that system, she reached Quasi-Heavenly Rank in just one year. Honestly, I was very tempted by it, but..."

As she spoke, Evangeline looked toward Kikyou Yuuka. "But this fellow refused. I remember her saying back then, 'I walk my own path of absolute dominance. No one can teach me; only I, only I can do it!'" Evangeline imitated Yuuka's tone, then shrugged and shook her head. "What do you think? Isn't that a thoroughly brainless and chuunibyou statement? Sounds like an idiot."

Lily remained silent, awaiting the continuation.

After her critique, Evangeline suddenly laughed. "But you know, despite such a foolish declaration, I can understand it. My experiences are somewhat similar to hers; we both fought and killed our way up step by step through sheer effort. So, in the end, I also refused that cultivation system... Come to think of it, I was a bit chuunibyou back then too, haha."

"And then you came to this place?"

Evangeline nodded. "Something like that. Although we encountered some trouble initially, ever since we gained access here, we haven't moved. Alas, thinking back to when we first arrived, it was truly a near-death experience; partnering with this woman is a seriously dangerous endeavor."

"But you didn't die in the end," Lily said solemnly.

"You are correct. No matter how desperate the situation, we always manage to pull through. And..." As she spoke, Evangeline clenched her right fist tightly, her voice betraying excitement and emotion. "Every time we break through despair, we feel a qualitative change in our power, earned without relying on anyone, solely through our own efforts—every drop of sweat, every wound. That feeling is wonderful, especially for monsters like us who can't die for centuries, millennia, or even tens of thousands of years."

"I can relate," Lily nodded, then asked again, "So, what exactly did you call me here for? It shouldn't be to cultivate together, right?"

"Of course not," Evangeline shook her head. "Although it pains me to admit it slightly, we need your help."

"Help?"

"Mm. You might not know, but we have been fighting here for one year and eight months, shattering this space a total of twelve times. Now we are approaching the time limit for the thirteenth shattering, so..."

"Wait!" Before she could finish, Lily sharply stopped her, frowning as she asked, "What did you just say? You shattered this space?"

"Of course," Evangeline nodded calmly. "Every world, even every space, has its own laws. Once you exceed its capacity, it will attempt to annihilate you, and the thirteenth dimension is no exception. The previous twelve times... I won't go into detail, but all previous twelve ended in our victory. However, this time is a bit different."

Not waiting for Lily to ask, Evangeline continued, "The thirteenth dimension is different from ordinary spaces. After each shattering, it undergoes self-recovery, with a cycle of about half a month. Furthermore, every time it recovers, it becomes one level stronger than before. Because thirteen is a major cycle, the spatial disturbance this time will concentrate the power of the previous twelve times—it will be stronger than ever before. While we are confident in our strength, with just the two of us, we aren't completely sure, which is why we sought your help."

Lily's heart stirred at her words. "In other words, soon this thirteenth dimension will unleash unprecedented power to ruthlessly attack us, and we must strike back and kill it?"

"Precisely."

"Can I actually help with something like this...?" Lily couldn't help but frown.

"Certainly, otherwise I wouldn't have sought you out."

"But why not ask him? Since you could find me, you clearly know he has arrived in Gensokyo, right?" Lily asked doubtfully. That 'him' was naturally Lin Luo.

"A woman's matter, a man should step aside!" Evangeline replied without hesitation. "Besides, with his power level, this thirteenth dimension would be a piece of cake for him, rendering our cultivation meaningless."

"I understand. Let me also experience the might of the thirteenth dimension!" After a brief hesitation, Lily declared firmly.

"Excellent. Then, next..." Evangeline gave a knowing smile and snapped her fingers.

Swish!

As the sound faded, Kikyou Yuuka, who had been suppressing the spatial source across the way, immediately retreated to their side, saying without looking back, "Are the explanations finished?"

"No issues whatsoever."

Kikyou Yuuka nodded, her expression serious. "Very well. In half a minute, the space will fully erupt. With the three of us, our chance of victory is only fifty percent, so there is no need to hold back."

"Only an idiot would hold back their strength!" Evangeline sneered, then instantly flew into the air, drawing her right hand into a claw and grasping forward. "Come forth, Dark God!"

As her voice rang out, a gigantic black shadow appeared behind her, releasing terrifying pressure that seemed intent on swallowing the entire sky.

"Descend! Lion King!"

Simultaneously, Lily ascended to mid-air, and a majestic, golden-maned lion materialized beneath her feet. Standing upon the Lion King’s back, Lily held Excalibur, her demeanor as calm as water, yet the space around them began to tremble as a result.

Moments later... BOOM!!!

Amidst an earth-shattering explosion, the entire thirteenth dimension went berserk, and endless, terrifying power surged towards the three figures.

"Perfect timing!"

Kikyou Yuuka roared, stomping her right foot on the ground, which instantly cracked open. Then, she spread her arms wide, "Let the flowers bloom, let the green ocean surge!"

Endless green spread out from beneath her feet. In an instant, green grass and flowers covered the entire earth, rolling and moving like a verdant sea.

ps: Writing while being hypnotized by the infinite loop of Tianyi Lan's 'Fantasy Millennium Sonata'—I'm not blocked on writing at all.