The heartbeat ceased, the pulse vanished, breath disappeared, the physiological cycle halted, even the brain itself completely shut down its most fundamental vital functions... By any measure, the state of Reimu Hakurei, the shrine maiden of the Hakurei Shrine, could only be described in two words right now: Death!

As Yuyuko once said, everyone is subject to birth, aging, sickness, and death. As long as one's essence of life cannot escape the realm of mortality, one cannot evade the Six Paths of Reincarnation. No matter how powerful a person is, they will eventually meet their end... The Hakurei Shrine Maiden was no exception. But!

Under normal circumstances, would someone die as suddenly as Reimu Hakurei?

No accidents, no erosion by disease, no received attacks, no curses... Gathered at this banquet were countless yokai, each mastering one or more methods capable of slaying a human. They could certainly discern the cause of death from another's final state.

But, none of them could ascertain the cause of Reimu's death!

She did not die from any jutsu attack, nor was it the natural senescence of a human being. It was as if... as if fate itself had decreed her end, and there was no recourse!

Because of the bizarre demise of the Hakurei Shrine Maiden, the ongoing banquet immediately ground to a halt. An ineffable heaviness settled in everyone's hearts, and even the entirety of Gensokyo seemed shrouded in a dark cloud, as if the true apocalypse was imminent.

In fact, Ran Yakumo, who constantly monitored the Great Barrier of Gensokyo, felt it clearly: the Great Barrier was beginning to weaken, bit by bit... Though Gensokyo could not exist without a shrine maiden, in the past, even if the current shrine maiden died, the Barrier could function until a successor was formally installed. But this time...

To draw the worst analogy, even if Reimu Hakurei truly could not be revived, as long as the next shrine maiden, Meimu Hakurei, remained alive, the foundation of the Hakurei Shrine would not shake. Furthermore, Yukari Yakumo, who personally crafted the Great Barrier, was still alive. Theoretically, the Great Barrier should remain unaffected.

But why?

Without any discernible reason, Gensokyo faced its greatest crisis in history!

Within the Hakurei Shrine grounds, the deceased Reimu Hakurei lay peacefully with her eyes closed upon the ** bed. A crowd of people surrounded her. However, as the room was not particularly large, it could not accommodate everyone who had attended the banquet. Therefore, only those closely connected to Reimu, or those powerful and knowledgeable figures, were present.

"Father, what happened to Mother? Why has she become like this?" Meimu stood by the bedside, clutching Lin Luo’s hand, tears welling in her eyes, her face etched with sorrow.

If she were an ignorant child, Lin Luo could have lied that her mother was merely sleeping. But though Meimu was young, she was not ignorant; she understood the meaning of death.

Lin Luo crouched down, stroking her head, and said softly, "It's alright. Mother has just temporarily become like this. If we wait a while... a few days at most, she will definitely wake up." In truth, as he spoke those words, he had little confidence, because even he did not know how Reimu had died. Without knowing the cause, how could he possibly revive her?

But as a father, he could not say he could not save her!

"Really?"

"Of course. Trust me." Lin Luo wiped the tears from her face and said earnestly, "Your father has saved many people in his life, some strangers, some close companions. Many call me a hero, but I have always believed that if I cannot even save the ones important to me, then how can I claim the title of hero? So, trust your father. He is a hero!"

Lin Luo used these words to comfort Meimu, and simultaneously, to encourage himself... Because he was a hero, he must be able to save her!

"Mmm, I trust you, Father." Meimu nodded obediently.

Lin Luo smiled faintly, then glanced to the side, "Silvering, and Flandre, please take Meimu outside to play for a while. You don't need to worry about things here."

"Father..." Silvering showed a worried expression.

Although Silvering wished to stay by Lin Luo’s side, she also knew that she was utterly useless in this matter. Moreover, seeing Meimu grieve over her mother caused her intense sympathy, a pain she understood deeply.

Thus, after only a moment’s hesitation, she took Meimu’s hand and left the room with Flandre.

After the three departed, Lin Luo slowly stood up again. The moment he did, a massive wave of dizziness and weakness violently struck him, nearly causing him to collapse. Though he managed to stay upright, his face was deathly pale, utterly devoid of color.

"Are you alright?" Eirin Yagokoro asked, observing his condition.

Lin Luo stopped her attempt to feel his pulse, shaking his head. "I'm fine. Just a bit dizzy. Nothing major."

The truth was, he was far from fine. Although Reimu had not yet signed a contract with him, for some inexplicable reason, her death had dealt him an enormous shock. While his power levels remained intact, his physical and mental state was exceptionally terrible—even the combined use of healing jutsu and Creation could not restore him.

However, compared to Reimu’s state of death, this minor pain was insignificant. He did not wish to place any further pressure on others. Supporting his weakened body, he spoke, "Let's resume our previous discussion. Regarding Reimu’s death, what are your opinions?"

Even though he himself couldn't discern the cause, it was even harder for others to do so. But his current poor condition was causing his thoughts to become somewhat jumbled. Moreover, while the others present might not match his power, their areas of expertise were vastly diverse. Pooling their wisdom might indeed yield a sliver of hope.

At the very least, Lin Luo did not believe Reimu was beyond saving. Because if Reimu were truly and completely dead, the Heart of the World should have departed from her. Therefore... Reimu's death was incomplete!

This meant there was still hope!

The others nodded.

Then, Byakuren Hijiri spoke, "It is normal for Reimu, as a human, to die. After all, humans are subject to birth, aging, sickness, and death. However, Reimu’s death is too peculiar. To be honest, I cannot discern the cause of her death at all."

"Could it be an issue at the soul level? If something went wrong with Reimu's soul, then sudden death, even without physical signs, would be understandable," Patchouli Knowledge suggested.

Kakyō (KamiZaki) shook her head. "Regarding the soul, I believe I have a greater right to speak. Even without intentionally observing, Reimu's soul showed absolutely no anomalies before her death."

"It's not a physical issue, nor a soul issue. Then why did Reimu die so pointlessly? Damn it!" Marisa Kirisame punched the wall, saying resentfully, "She was so happy just moments ago! This... makes no sense!"

No one tried to comfort her, as they all shared the same heavy mood.

The discussion yielded no results after a while. Eirin Yagokoro suddenly announced, "Since we cannot temporarily find the cause of Reimu's death, why don't we simply try to see if we can bring her back to life?"

"Bring her back to life?" Everyone was momentarily stunned. Only Mokou noticed the implication quickly and exclaimed, "Are you planning to use the Hourai Elixir?"

The one who answered was Kaguya. She said, "Yes, exactly the Elixir of Immortality. Although this elixir was originally only effective for the living, that was in the past. Now, Eirin and I have managed to synthesize a new batch of the Hourai Elixir. Even if a deceased person consumes it, as long as the body has not decomposed, it still retains the ability to absorb the elixir's medicinal power, allowing it to take effect. Although the success rate is only one in ten thousand, and we only managed to create a single dose, it is worth a try."

"If that's the case, hurry up and let Reimu take it," Remilia Scarlet urged quickly.

Eirin nodded, pulled a pill from her robes, and placed it into Reimu's mouth. Then, using her medical abilities, she dissolved the pill and briefly activated Reimu's body to ensure all the medicinal power was absorbed.

A few minutes later, Eirin withdrew her hand. "The medicinal power has been absorbed. If it is effective, she should wake up within ten minutes."

So, everyone began to wait.

But ten minutes passed, and Reimu did not wake up.

"The Hourai Elixir didn't work either?" Sanae Kochiya frowned deeply.

Eirin examined her carefully, then shook her head. "No. Although all the power was absorbed just now, I can no longer sense it; it seems to have dissipated... Alas."

While Eirin was deeply disappointed, Lin Luo’s eyes lit up upon hearing this... The medicinal power probably hadn't dissipated, but had been absorbed by the Heart of the World. If the Heart of the World was still functioning, didn't that indirectly prove that Reimu truly could be saved?!

"Let me try next," Sakuya Izayoi stepped forward after Eirin’s failure. "My ability allows me to reverse time. As long as there is no resistance, I can revert the time of even those stronger than me, including the state of life and death. I just don't know if it will work on Reimu."

Sakuya then placed her hand on Reimu’s body.

Sakuya’s ability was incredibly powerful, but it had many drawbacks. Since time must eventually return to normal, anyone resurrected would eventually die again once her power support was removed. However... if Reimu could be temporarily brought back to life, coupled with the Wish ability of the Heart of the World, even if Sakuya withdrew her power, Reimu shouldn't die again.

Lin Luo held three parts expectation for this, but as the saying goes, greater hope often leads to greater disappointment. When Sakuya withdrew her hand with a look of dejection, he knew Sakuya had also failed.

Reimu was dead; naturally, she would not resist Sakuya's power. But the Heart of the World was different. At Sakuya’s current level of strength, she clearly could not touch another person's Heart of the World. Just like Eirin’s Hourai Elixir, her ability was completely repelled by the Heart of the World.

Lin Luo understood that when a host dies, the Heart of the World leaves the body, and the deceased host vanishes completely. It was precisely because the Heart of the World remained within Reimu that she had not vanished, barely preserving her existence. But simultaneously, because of the Heart of the World, all revival abilities were rendered ineffective... Success hinged on the Heart of the World, and failure was also due to the Heart of the World. This had completely become an unsolvable dead loop!

For a moment, everyone was speechless.

"There is no life without reason in this world, and similarly, there should be no death without reason," Yuuka Kazami suddenly said after a pause. "Although we cannot find the cause, Reimu's death must have one. If the reason is not within her, perhaps it lies elsewhere."

Lin Luo nodded, just about to speak, when a voice suddenly interjected, "What if Reimu's death is the cause, rather than the effect?"

Everyone swiftly looked toward the source of the sound. A black rift appeared in the room, and the person emerging from it was none other than Yukari Yakumo.

Seeing her, the crowd remained silent.

Yukari, however, gazed at Reimu lying on the bed. After a moment, she said to Ran Yakumo, "Ran, prepare for the succession ceremony of the new shrine maiden."

"Eh?!" Ran Yakumo was momentarily startled.

"What did you say!" Marisa, who had been expecting Yukari to say something about saving Reimu, rushed up to her when she heard this, suppressing her rage. "What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what I said. Reimu is dead; we need the next shrine maiden," Yukari stated calmly.

Marisa immediately exploded in fury. "What kind of joke is this! Although humans and yokai are different, you are being heartless! You didn't even try to save Reimu after she died, and now you’re rushing to find a new shrine maiden? Moreover, Meimu is only two years old—are you really going to push such a heavy responsibility onto her? In your eyes, is the shrine maiden merely a tool?!"

Yukari remained expressionless, stating flatly, "Gensokyo needs a shrine maiden."

"Enough! I don't want to hear your nonsense. If you need a shrine maiden, find one somewhere else. Neither Reimu nor Meimu are your puppets! If you dare to act recklessly, I will—"

"Silence!" Before Marisa could finish, Ran Yakumo stepped in front of her and said sternly, "Marisa, I know you are grief-stricken, but! You have only lived for a dozen or so years, how much do you understand of Lady Yukari? Lady Yukari has never treated the shrine maidens as tools. To maintain the existence of Gensokyo, the sacrifices Lady Yukari has made are far beyond what you could ever compare to! In the five hundred years of Gensokyo, do you even know how much separation and loss Lady Yukari has endured..."

"Ran, stop talking," Yukari reached out and silenced Ran’s words, closing her eyes, appearing utterly weary. "The decision has been made. Do not interfere further."

With that, a gap opened, and Yukari turned to leave. But!

A hand pressed against the gap, blocking Yukari's path.

Yukari looked at the person obstructing her way. Lin Luo met her gaze, but unlike Marisa, he smiled. "Yukari, you shouldn't bear this burden. I will take it on."

ps: Two chapters totaling nine thousand characters today, but I won't ask for votes for now. The next few days should feature continuous **... As for those asking if Reimu will truly die, after 3.5 million characters, is my style still unclear?! !@#