From the era of the previous generations to the first, there were a total of eleven Hakurei Shrine Maidens; their lives were extinguished long ago, their souls thoroughly disintegrated, merging into the Great Hakurei Barrier, becoming an inseparable part of it. //--//(--Full Text)

This fusion was perfect, flawless; even with Lin Luo's current power, it would be impossible to separate the Maidens' souls from the Great Barrier. However, with the addition of Merii and Renko, the outcome was entirely different.

Merii was Yukari Yakumo's idealized thought-form of the First Generation—in other words, her very existence stemmed from the First Generation. This was evident from the moment Merii first arrived in the surface world, appearing right beside Renko; she possessed the ability to sense the soul of the First Generation. As for Renko, being the reincarnation of the First Generation’s residual soul, the essential nature of their souls was identical, attracting each other like magnets.

If Merii was the eye that could see the First Generation's soul, then Renko was the vessel meant to collect it. With the eye and the vessel in hand, Lin Luo now possessed the necessary conduits to draw the First Generation's soul out of the Great Barrier.

Of course, even with this, correctly utilizing their existence to gather the First Generation’s soul was no simple matter of standing on the Border Eye. The process was so intricate and perilous that even Lin Luo felt deeply troubled; failure meant consequences too dreadful to contemplate.

Because the attraction on the soul level was mutual, if Lin Luo could not preserve the selfhood of Merii and Renko, their souls risked being re-assimilated by the Great Barrier, turning them into hollow puppets. Alternatively, if Lin Luo failed to control the power's intensity, the Great Barrier itself could shatter, resulting in the complete vanishing of the souls of all the Maidens residing within it, let alone preventing the First Generation's descent.

Thus, there was only one chance; success was mandatory!

"Let me say this one more time: if this fails, the consequences are unimaginable. Are you truly not hesitant in the slightest?" Before commencing, Lin Luo gazed at Merii and Renko, his expression utterly serious.

Lin Luo had already explained the risks and consequences of this plan to them beforehand. Their arrival in Gensokyo and decisive entry into the Border Eye meant they were mentally prepared. Hearing him ask again now, the two merely smiled faintly. "As long as it succeeds, that should be enough, shouldn't it?"

"Good."

Lin Luo nodded, saying no more. To prevent any disturbance, he immediately laid down the strongest vigilance and defensive barriers around the Hakurei Shrine. Then, he extended his hand, drawing out the souls of both Merii and Renko from their bodies, and took his own consciousness along as he entered the Great Barrier.

The Great Hakurei Barrier was something invisible to the naked eye. Even Lin Luo could only perceive it through alternative means, but once his consciousness passed through the Border Eye and entered the Barrier, he could clearly see the internal state of the realm.

Pale, pure, boundless... this was the Great Hakurei Barrier.

Existing within it, those unaware would struggle to perceive it as a mere barrier. Even Lin Luo, knowing he was inside, still felt the illusion that he was residing within a vast, white world.

In such an immense "world," locating the First Generation's soul—which had completely merged with this reality—was an undertaking of immense scale. Yet, Lin Luo had to find it, because only by locating the soul of the First Shrine Maiden and facilitating her descent could he then seek out the souls of the other Maidens.

Only when all eleven Maidens were manifested would he have the confidence to persuade Yukari Yakumo and Reimu to stand alongside him.

Otherwise, setting others aside, given Yukari's immense devotion to the Great Barrier, she would absolutely never permit anyone to tamper with it—even him!

Based on this, Lin Luo proceeded in secret, intending to act first and report later. Once all the Maidens were manifested, it would be too late for Yukari to intervene.

Time felt nonexistent inside the Great Barrier, but Lin Luo engaged in dual focus: searching within the Barrier while simultaneously monitoring the outside world. In truth, nearly seventy percent of his attention was dedicated externally.

Although he had established defensive barriers, Yukari Yakumo was a near-Heavenly Rank powerhouse, just like him. If she chose to force her way through, it might not be impossible for her to enter. Coupled with that absurdly powerful ability, the Gap... the stronger Lin Luo became, the more he felt the terrifying strength of the Gap.

Yukari was deeply invested in the Great Barrier. Her past negligence was due to relying on Youmu Blue and Reimu to manage things adequately, but that didn't mean she was blind to the Barrier's condition. If his activities became too pronounced and alerted her to an anomaly, she would certainly arrive.

Therefore, Lin Luo had to be prepared.

Yes, the only one requiring vigilance was Yukari!

Yukari had always been his strongest ally, but in this current affair, she held the high probability of becoming his most formidable adversary.

Conversely, inside the Great Barrier, with Merii acting as the eye and Renko as the vessel, his direct tasks were fewer: he only needed to spread his domain of perception across every corner of the world and protect the souls of Merii and Renko.

And so, as time trickled by, the soul of the First Shrine Maiden was finally discovered—pure fragments of light scattered throughout the Barrier's world.

However, Lin Luo did not immediately retrieve these fragments. Because they were an intrinsic component of the Barrier world, extracting them piece by piece would inevitably lead to the collapse of that world.

Therefore, Lin Luo continued searching.

He lost track of how much time passed in that space, but only when Lin Luo was absolutely certain he had found every last, unmissable fragment of the First Shrine Maiden's soul did he begin collection via Renko...

WHOOM!!!

Suddenly, Lin Luo felt a sharp alarm of danger; the defensive barriers surrounding the Hakurei Shrine were coming under assault...

Yukari. She had indeed arrived!

From the energy level and nature of the impact against the barrier, Lin Luo instantly identified the intruder.

Damn it, she came faster than anticipated; he had to accelerate.

Lin Luo gritted his teeth. While juggling his focus, he continued gathering the First Generation's soul fragments while simultaneously controlling the operation of the defensive barriers, striving to impede Yukari's intrusion as much as possible.

Yet, this method, while allowing him to manage both sides, was unsustainable in the long run. Especially with the soul collection, he absolutely could not reduce the control necessary to prevent Merii and Renko's souls from being drawn back in. Moreover, as the collected soul fragments grew larger, he required even greater concentration, causing his defense against Yukari to become increasingly negligible.

He couldn't hold it...

When no more energy signatures registered against the barrier, Lin Luo let out a sigh. Since Yukari knew something was wrong here, she wouldn't leave empty-handed. Her cessation of barrier attacks clearly meant she had already found a way to enter.

Indeed, the next moment, a rift appeared ten meters to his right, and Yukari stepped out with a grave expression on her face.

The Gap—truly inescapable.

"You... what are you doing?!" Yukari was startled when she saw Lin Luo. Although she had sensed his aura outside, she never imagined he was the one tampering with the Great Barrier.

Before she finished speaking, Yukari spotted Merii and Renko, and her expression shifted again.

However, she only glanced at them briefly before refocusing her attention on Lin Luo. Sensing the anomaly within the Great Barrier, she instantly stated in a deep voice, "What are you doing?"

Lin Luo shrugged. "As you can see."

"Stop it!" If it were anyone else, Yukari would have blasted them away. But this was Lin Luo. This fact did not mean she would allow him to continue; her firm and displeased voice conveyed her stance.

Lin Luo knew temporary opposition with Yukari was unavoidable, so he skipped the pleasantries, responding with equal assertiveness: "If you want me to stop, fine. Defeat me."

"You..." Yukari shuddered, utterly unable to believe Lin Luo would utter such words. Defeat him? Such a thought had never crossed her mind.

"Do you know what you are doing?" Yukari asked gravely, forcing herself to remain restrained.

"I know."

"Then why haven't you stopped?"

"I said, defeat me, and I will stop."

"...Fine!" After only a moment's hesitation, Yukari advanced. Regarding the Great Barrier, she would never concede an inch, even if the person involved was Lin Luo.

"Are you truly willing?" As Yukari took her first step, Lin Luo's voice cut through the air. "The souls of the Maidens forever trapped in the Great Barrier!"

Yukari traversed the Gap; one step brought her instantly before Lin Luo, her palm pressed against his chest. But Lin Luo's words prevented her from executing the strike.

"What are you trying to say?" Yukari looked down, her loose bangs obscuring her face, leaving her expression entirely hidden.

Lin Luo continued to gaze at her, seemingly unconcerned by the hand resting on his chest, a hand capable of knocking him away and instantly ruining his entire plan. He simply said, "I want to liberate the souls of the Maidens."

"Impossible!"

"Why?"

"If the Maidens' souls are freed, the Great Barrier will vanish..." Yukari ground out, her fingers tightening on his chest. "The Barrier... cannot be lost. Gensokyo... cannot be lost!"

"Of course I know liberating the Maidens' souls will cause the Great Barrier to disappear," Lin Luo stated with an expressionless face, feeling the sharp pain radiating from his chest. ~~ShuShuNet

"Then why are you doing this?!" Yukari suddenly raised her head and berated him fiercely.

Lin Luo looked at the pain and anger etched on her face, let out a heavy sigh, reached out, brushed aside her golden locks, and gently caressed her cheek. In a soft voice, he murmured, "The Maidens have sacrificed enough. You have shouldered enough burdens. Stop letting sacrifice continue, and stop letting sorrow persist. So, let it go... let go of... Gensokyo."

Yukari stared, her face filled with disbelief.

PS: It's four in the morning; dawn is nearly breaking. I am still typing furiously at this moment. Please support me with a monthly ticket. ShuNet

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