The young girl knew she was an incomplete existence, an abandoned one, sharing the same birth but denied the same nobility, forced to gaze upon heaven from the depths of hell. Yet, her black wings would not fall, and the steps she took forward in hope would not cease. The gentle smile of that person looking back in her memory was both the lifelong tribulation and the unsolvable knot of her existence.

So, untold centuries ago, the girl, bearing her fractured body, traversed age after age, searching day and night, knocking on door after door: Father, where are you?

Her broken body had forged broken values, as well as crippled emotions, ways of thinking, and a shattered soul. Her being had achieved a singularity unattainable by humans; she possessed nothing but love and hate, and between these two poles, she was utterly empty.

Thus, her existence became solely for love—to be born for love, to fight for love, to die for love.

When people looked up at the lofty Moon in the Sky, she stood above it, looking down upon all living things. Her presence was like that of a deity, yet... this deity could never reach the place she longed to be.

Because, ultimately, she was incomplete.

In that endless darkness, the girl saw scenes from the past. Though her body had vanished and her life had ended, her lofty soul did not settle into silence. She remained absolute, but within that absolute state, there was something new, something that hadn't been there before; reaching out, it felt as though she could grasp it.

She felt her soul leap with joy. She saw a flicker of light existing within the darkness, right before her eyes, within reach. Thus, she extended her nonexistent hand...

The girl did not know whether she was meant to exist or if she was someone who should not exist, amidst endless world lines and countless timelines. Where exactly did she exist? There were many versions of herself, yet none felt correct, none predestined. Traversing the distant reaches of time and space, unable to find her true place of being, she returned to the beginning.

The future had long been forgotten, except for that warmth she could never forget. But she knew that if she did not change things, even that last vestige of warmth would be utterly lost.

So. She had to change.

So, she returned from the distant future to the present.

Forget the future self; execute the authority that the present self should wield. Even if the path ahead leads only to death, she would have no regrets, because... no one needed that kind of future!

Death was not so terrifying, for she could start anew; this was a power exclusively hers. Casting aside the entire original future in exchange for this singular, one-time strength.

And so, the girl searched in the darkness. No body, no eyes, only that faint soul, flickering as if it might vanish at any moment, searching desperately. Then she felt the light ahead; her soul was called. In that darkness, she saw someone extending a hand toward her...

"So, answer me... Heart of the World!"

There was no light here, only boundless darkness. Yet, it felt like two sides of a mirror; someone on this side, someone on the other. They slowly drew near, pulled by the attraction of their souls, and at the same instant, they stretched out their nonexistent hands. Then, through the mirror, they clasped them tightly.

"Are you the abandoned one?"

"Are you the one who cannot find the future?"

The two souls touched, sensing the deepest parts of each other.

"I want to change."

"I want to obtain."

"But, continuing like this won't work, right?"

"Mhm, it won't."

"If this keeps up, I will lose the meaning of coming here."

"And I will permanently lose what I have always longed for."

"So, I will not be the protected one."

"The important things, we should protect them."

"Have you decided?"

"It was decided long ago."

"Then let us begin..."

"Begin, let our existence..."

"Become one! To protect what we ought to protect!!!"

Because what they sought was the same, because what they wished to guard was the same, at this moment, the souls that were on opposite sides of the mirror perfectly overlapped, indistinguishable from one another.

Black flames engulfed the entire world. Lin Luo, consumed by fury, possessed terrifying combat prowess. His fighting style, utterly disregarding self-preservation in a mutually destructive exchange, put even the Black-Clad Maid under immense pressure.

Anger—is this the power awakened by human emotion? Strong, truly strong. If his realm were slightly higher, if he could fully control this power... But!

"The Finale of Ruin!"

The Black-Clad Maid cried out, transforming into fiercely burning black flames, like a Fire Phoenix, streaking through the surging tide of black fire like a fleeting shadow... The same destructive black flame, yet it felt like two completely different powers. The Fire Phoenix was like a sharp blade striking down an ace, instantly shattering Lin Luo’s black flames, leaving him reeling backward in a pathetic state.

"I must admit, you are stronger now in terms of combat power, but your anger has cost you your composure. In my eyes... you are riddled with flaws!"

The Black-Clad Maid’s tone was filled with disdain. As her voice faded, her Fire Phoenix form swept down from above Lin Luo, charging toward the shrine maidens.

Bad!

Lin Luo’s expression changed drastically. He instinctively lunged forward, but the Fire Phoenix executed an unbelievable turn. In that instant Lin Luo hadn't anticipated, the Fire Phoenix sliced across his waist... waist-severed!

And then incinerated!

It is an undeniable truth that humans, and indeed all intelligent beings, can induce their innate potential through violent emotional upheaval, becoming stronger. However... the trope of the grieving army achieving victory is ultimately just a limited example!

If every grieving force could defeat the enemy, would strength even have meaning?

In the end, willpower only has the potential to play a crucial role when the power disparity is not immense. But when the enemy holds overwhelming superiority, willpower is merely a joke.

Take Lin Luo now: although anger made him stronger, his loss of calm meant he faltered significantly in both control and execution. For an opponent of the same level, this minor disadvantage could be masked by sheer combat power, but against an enemy of a higher realm, any slip-up in detail results in irreversible consequences.

Therefore, in the eyes of the Black-Clad Maid, Lin Luo at this moment had not grown stronger, but weaker!

The Black-Clad Maid’s unexpected blow not only seemingly destroyed Lin Luo but also blasted him far behind, instantly rushing toward the location of the shrine maidens.

"You fiend!" Faced with the Black-Clad Maid’s ferocious advance, Reimu’s eyes widened in rage. Her daughter killed, she too had lost her composure due to fury, just like Lin Luo, ready to meet the attack without considering the disparity in strength.

"Get back here, you are courting death!" Yukari Yakumo had been watching her every move. Before Reimu could charge forward, she used her boundary power to pull Reimu back, then swiftly retreated.

"What are you doing! Let me go!" Reimu roared.

"Don't let anger cloud your judgment! Haven't you seen the preceding lesson?" Yukari shouted. She certainly felt anger; she had viewed Meimu as her own daughter. The grief and indignation in her heart were no less than Reimu’s, but in this situation, anger solved nothing.

Calmness and rationality—Yukari would never lose these, which is why she was a genius.

Perhaps this mindset appeared somewhat heartless, but it was the most correct.

"Trying to run?" The Black-Clad Maid sneered when she saw them scattering. Her eyes shifted to the First Shrine Maiden on the other side. "Impossible!"

The Fire Phoenix bent its course and flashed toward the First Shrine Maiden like lightning.

Among everyone present, the First Shrine Maiden was not the closest, but she was the furthest forward among all the maidens. Clearly, the Black-Clad Maid's primary target remained the shrine maidens.

Indeed, her main goal must be reclaiming the cost? If so...

The First Shrine Maiden instantly judged the Black-Clad Maid’s intent. Were it anyone else, they might retreat, but not her. If she retreated, the enemy would target another maiden.

Sacrificing herself to protect others—this was how she had always acted.

Even if she didn't know if she could succeed this time, she would never violate her own will, no matter the enemy.

Endless spiritual power surged from the First Shrine Maiden’s body, meeting the Black-Clad Maid’s attack head-on.

Swish!

Swish!

However, before the Black-Clad Maid’s attack could land, two figures suddenly appeared before her... one draped in flowing kimono like a princess, the other striking and utterly dashing—Kaguya Houraisan and Sakuya Izayoi.

"You two?" The First Shrine Maiden gasped in shock.

Sakuya managed a smile that wasn't quite happy. "Perhaps some things cannot be salvaged, but what remains must be protected at all costs. Leave this one to us, who are perhaps not up to the task."

Without waiting for the First Shrine Maiden's reply, Sakuya and Kaguya exchanged a glance and attacked simultaneously.

"Control of Time—False Time!"

"Eternal Night Return—Twilight Dawn!"

They unleashed their strongest attacks upon engaging. Sakuya shot out hundreds of throwing knives like lightning, each condensed with the reversed flow of time; one could clearly see time rapidly retreating the moment the blades sliced through. Kaguya, on the other hand, conjured a river where twilight and dawn converged—something impossible, yet made real in her hands—which then seemed to freeze into eternity.

"Hmph, petty tricks!"

The Black-Clad Maid maintained her look of scorn. The Fire Phoenix charged forward relentlessly. But just as the two were about to make contact, the False Time and the Twilight Dawn suddenly intertwined, and the eternally fixed time began to reverse... The impact speed of the Fire Phoenix instantly slowed.

How is this possible?!

The Black-Clad Maid was greatly alarmed. Although the Law of Time was powerful, Sakuya and Kaguya’s realms were not high enough; her destruction should have instantly burned away both time laws. They shouldn't have been able to block it.

...I see!

As a Heavenly Rank expert, the Black-Clad Maid possessed the highest realm and insight among those present. Although she couldn't grasp it initially, she understood in an instant... Separately, the two time laws were useless, but their momentary convergence drastically intensified the time law's power. Fixing reversed time, reversing fixed time—destruction must have an order. Destroying one first would allow the other time law to take effect.

Fixation and reversal—either one could halt the Fire Phoenix’s charge.

"You possess some ability, but how can a firefly’s glow contend with the sun and moon!"

Once the theory was understood, breaking it became simple for the Black-Clad Maid. With a cold laugh, the Fire Phoenix split in two, launching a ferocious counter-attack that instantly incinerated both time laws, even turning that space into chaos.

Then, one of the Fire Phoenixes slipped into the ruptured dimensional layer.

"This way, it is over!"

The Black-Clad Maid’s voice rang out again. Everyone looked in shock as the figure wrapped in black flames appeared directly above the First Shrine Maiden.

"How could this be?!" Sakuya and Kaguya were instantly struck with terror.

They certainly didn't believe their combined technique could stop her, but it should have bought enough time for Lin Luo to arrive with support. After all, the Black-Clad Maid had never used a teleportation method like dimensional escape in the previous battle.

But now, after a direct confrontation, they understood: it wasn't that the Black-Clad Maid couldn't use this ability; it was that Lin Luo had constantly constrained her movements, making it seem as though she could only move in a straightforward manner. Unfortunately... they were not Lin Luo, and they couldn't create that kind of restriction, so trying to hold back the Black-Clad Maid with their strength could only be described as: a mantis trying to stop a chariot!

The Black-Clad Maid’s maneuver was entirely unexpected. No one could react in that moment, not even Lin Luo, who had already revived, could intervene.

So, everyone could only watch helplessly as the hand burning with black flames descended upon the First Shrine Maiden.

The First Shrine Maiden falls!

The thought of this impending scene plunged everyone into despair.

But!

"ROAR!!!"

Just as the First Shrine Maiden stepped onto the threshold of death, a world-shaking dragon roar suddenly sounded. No one noticed how it happened, but simultaneously with the roar, a black dragon lunged upward from below, biting down hard on the Black-Clad Maid, instantly pushing her far away.

A black dragon! Where did a black dragon come from?!

This completely unexpected turn of events confused not only Lin Luo and the others but also the Black-Clad Maid. In her fury, she struck and shattered the black dragon, halting her retreat abruptly, and then her fierce gaze fixed directly in one specific direction.

"Who dares intrude?!" the Black-Clad Maid demanded coldly, looking toward the spot where Mercury Lamp and Meimu had been killed earlier.

At that moment, Lin Luo and the others also sensed a familiar yet strange power entering the battlefield. They subconsciously followed the Black-Clad Maid’s gaze and saw at that location... two orbs emitting dazzling light.

The Hearts of the World!

Lin Luo gasped in shock. No one understood better than him that those two orbs were the Hearts of the World, and moreover... they belonged to Mercury Lamp and Meimu.

Normally, when a host dies, the Heart of the World immediately drops. The power of the Heart of the World was so immense that even Heavenly Rank powers could not destroy it. Yet, when Mercury Lamp and Meimu died earlier, the two Hearts of the World did not appear, only manifesting now.

If it were the usual Lin Luo, he would have noticed the anomaly instantly, but in that moment, the deceased were his closest kin; the immense grief and fury in his heart prevented him from realizing the issue.

But why did the Hearts of the World appear at this time?

Lin Luo could not comprehend.

Lin Luo kept his eyes on the Hearts of the World while simultaneously watching the Black-Clad Maid. Now, forced back by the black dragon’s attack, the distance was sufficient for him to intervene, so he didn't rush forward. But what surprised him was... the Black-Clad Maid also stood frozen in place, as if others didn't exist, her gaze fixed solely on the two Hearts of the World, revealing a faint trace of solemnity.

She is wary?!

Lin Luo perceived this, making him even more puzzled. The Hearts of the World themselves possessed no combat ability; what was the Black-Clad Maid wary of? Wait! Although the power of the black dragon was different, it was clearly Mercury Lamp’s technique, and it traveled through spatial transfer—which seemed to be Meimu’s ability. Did they make a wish before dying, thereby activating the Hearts of the World?

Lin Luo pondered this endlessly, completely unable to understand. He stared fixedly at the Hearts of the World, and everyone else was the same... At this moment, all eyes were focused on the two orbs, filled with anticipation, unease, fear, and sorrow, as if they were the main characters.

Then, the Hearts of the World moved.

They emitted light and slowly drew closer, and under the incredulous gaze of everyone, the two Hearts of the World suddenly overlapped... instantly, boundless radiance erupted, illuminating the entire world.

This light was no longer merely dazzling; it was blinding, forcing everyone to shut their eyes. Even the Black-Clad Maid pressed one hand to her brow, frowning deeply just to see a little clearly.

What is that?

Through the haze, she saw a figure speeding rapidly toward her.

"Hmph, just in time!" The Black-Clad Maid snorted coldly and threw a punch straight out. The black flames, capable of destroying everything, surged like a tide, rushing forward.

In an instant, the white light and the black flames collided.

BOOM!!!

Amidst the world-shaking explosion, a fissure appeared where black met white, piercing heaven and earth, seemingly cleaving the world in half.

Then, the black flames dissipated, and the incandescent light faded. Before the stunned eyes of everyone, a young girl stood blocking the Black-Clad Maid’s attack.

The girl appeared to be fifteen or sixteen, with silver and black dual-colored hair, wearing a black and white combat suit. Two wings sprouted from her back—one pure black, the other pure white. In the girl’s features, one could faintly discern the shadow of Mercury Lamp and Meimu.

"Who are you?" the Black-Clad Maid asked heavily.

"Not me, but us!"

The girl spoke, her melodious voice clearly carrying two different tones. (To be continued)