When Lin Luo arrived at the scene, Kōzuka Satsuki had already passed out. There was no dramatic scene of a damsel being saved from a killer's blade at the last second, which the populace so enjoys. Of course, Kōzuka Satsuki hadn't been knocked unconscious; it was simply that the massive expenditure of power had made it impossible for her to maintain consciousness.

She was merely unconscious, not gravely wounded. While the wound on her abdomen looked gruesome—a human would likely have lost their life—for a Dead Apostle, it was merely a flesh wound, slowly knitting itself closed.

So, Lin Luo paid her no mind. Standing before Kōzuka Satsuki, his gaze fixed on the figure opposite, he frowned and said in a deep voice, "What in the world are you?"

In fact, Lin Luo thought that if one discounted the energy drain, Kōzuka Satsuki's Garden of Atrophy was more useful and even more potent than Shiki Ryougi's Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. After all, a Dead Apostle of the Ancestor level might not be susceptible to a single-strike kill from the Mystic Eyes. Take the Tenth Progenitor, Professor, for example; if he knew the nature of the Mystic Eyes and defended against them, the worst-case scenario would require 666 cuts to kill him, which was quite troublesome.

The Garden of Atrophy, however, had no such limitation. Once anything was covered by it, never mind 666 lives—even figures with several more zeros attached would be erased simultaneously. Unless the user of the Garden of Atrophy could be killed first, certain death was unavoidable regardless of precautions.

Of course, this was purely a comparison of abilities. In actual combat, given the terrifying drain of the Garden of Atrophy, Kōzuka Satsuki would likely exhaust herself to death before the Professor's 666 lives were erased.

And this shadow before him—it could withstand the attack of the Garden of Atrophy. This meant it was more than just lacking a death attribute... Although it possessed the aura of life, life itself did not seem to dissipate. Was it an immortal being, like Kaguya Houraisan?

What truly astonished Lin Luo wasn't the enemy's strength, but this fundamental incomprehension. He couldn't even discern the nature of this shadow’s existence... This was certainly not due to a decline in his own sight; the entity must possess some characteristic capable of masking his perception.

"What are you! Get out of my way!" Having anticipated a delectable meal only to be confronted by a roadblock, the shadow roared at Lin Luo, simultaneously spreading its arms. The human-sized shadow instantly swelled to the size of a small mountain and stomped down.

Lin Luo remained rooted to the spot, making no move to fight, merely looking up. As if activated by an AT Field, the massive foot shadow froze mid-air, unable to advance an inch further.

"Very well. Since I can't perceive it externally, I suppose I'll have to investigate from the inside."

Lin Luo said calmly, and then countless white blades materialized around him, whizzing toward the colossal shadow. In an instant, the entity was sliced into fragments.

"Hee hee hee! You think you can find clues by tearing me apart? It's useless! No matter what you do, it's pointless!" As if knowing Lin Luo's intent, the shadow laughed wildly. Even as its body was torn into countless pieces, its voice betrayed no hint of pain.

"It seems you truly aren't a simple life form. No pain receptors... Hmm, perhaps you lack the five senses entirely. The way you perceive the surroundings... is it through information?" Lin Luo stroked his chin, muttering to himself. "While it's slightly disappointing, I must admit, as you say, there is too little data. There are absolutely no clues I need on you, or perhaps you yourself are a non-existent entity... Well then, as a vanguard, your mission ends here."

As his voice faded, a flash of white light illuminated the scene, and the sky filled with black fragments vanished without a trace in an instant.

Lin Luo did not treat the shadow like a professional researcher, taking it back for intensive study. He eliminated it casually because he already understood clearly that this shadow was a mere 'blank slate,' or perhaps an aggregation of empty air. Nothing useful could be gleaned from it; taking it back would only waste time.

A short while ago, Arcueid had told him about 'Air Friends' as a simple bit of dark humor, but who knew... Air People actually existed, even if they weren't friends.

Lin Luo couldn't tell if this was a deliberate diversion by the enemy or something else; a smokescreen seemed more likely. In any case, similar incidents would likely continue.

He just needed to wait and observe.

After dealing with the shadow, Lin Luo crouched down to check Kōzuka Satsuki's condition. His initial assessment was correct: she was merely exhausted, nothing major.

"Forget it, I'll take her back." Lin Luo looked at Satsuki's body, pondered for a moment, and finally lifted her, using the magic circle to return to the hotel.

This hotel was supposed to be his base, kept secure to prevent the veil from being lifted, allowing no unauthorized entry, especially for someone like Kōzuka Satsuki, who had no real connection to his affairs. However, the situation had changed, and given Satsuki's current state, leaving her unattended was quite dangerous.

"Showing off again, are we?" After Lin Luo returned to the hotel, Gaia looked at him with a smirk, her face full of teasing amusement.

"I've always been this cool," Lin Luo retorted casually, which annoyed Gaia for a moment. He then placed Kōzuka Satsuki in a nearby room and, returning to the main hall, asked Gaia, "Regarding that shadow, what are your thoughts?"

"If even you don't know, how would I possibly know?" Gaia spread her hands.

Hearing this, Lin Luo turned his gaze to Alaya, who slightly shook her head.

Gaia was a troublesome child who acted entirely on impulse; her words weren't entirely reliable. However, Alaya wouldn't intentionally conceal information. Since she claimed ignorance, there truly was no lead on that front... Lin Luo had to abandon that line of inquiry.

"Hey, since you're back, keep up with the commentary," Gaia thumped the table, urging him as she watched Lin Luo sit alone, eyes closed in thought.

Lin Luo opened his eyes and glanced at the 'film' still playing opposite them. "At a time like this, you're still thinking about commentary and watching a movie?"

"Why shouldn't I be?" Gaia countered.

"Don't you realize the situation is a bit strange right now?"

"Don't you have the confidence to handle it?"

"Of course, I have confidence."

"Then that's that. No matter how strange this gets, you have the ability to solve it, and it won't cause any trouble for this world or for me. So why should I care?" Gaia looked completely self-righteous.

Lin Luo was momentarily speechless. "While that's true, I'm not in the mood right now."

"Does your mood have anything to do with me?" Gaia asked with a seemingly innocent blink... Damn it, you win!

Lin Luo gritted his teeth internally. He knew Gaia's bratty nature well: if you kept her happy, she'd be obedient, but if she was displeased, she would constantly cause him trouble. Gaia's subtext right now was: regardless of your mood, you must make mine better, or if I'm unhappy, I'll make your bad mood even worse.

This is the plain language explanation. In more literary terms, it’s what Cao Cao often said: Better that I betray the world than the world betray me.

Lin Luo strongly suspected that this child Gaia had studied the art of Machiavellianism very deeply.

"Fine, commentary it is!" Although Lin Luo was truly reluctant to take on this task, he had no choice. This was Gaia's territory, and he really couldn't afford to provoke her. Only by diligently pleasing her could his plans proceed smoothly.

As for those shadows, with Eirin Yagokoro and the others around, major accidents were unlikely.

And indeed...

Just as Lin Luo had predicted, after he annihilated the shadow that attacked Kōzuka Satsuki, the hidden channels throughout Fuyuki City instantly erupted with more shadows. They moved without organization or discipline, aimlessly roaming the streets, attacking anyone they encountered.

Mages, Executors of the Church, the Twenty-Seven Ancestors, the protagonists of the film Demon Lord and Hero, and even Servants like Eirin Yagokoro, were all attacked by the shadows.

"Aaaah! Is there no one who can fight them?!"

Outside the Einzbern Castle deep in the forest, Cirno stood in the void, chest puffed out, showing off her magnificent figure, shouting arrogantly with overwhelming presence.

A quarter of an hour ago, this location had been attacked by a large number of shadows—more than a dozen. But Cirno in her Third Form was in a completely different league from someone like Kōzuka Satsuki. It was an almost complete rout; in moments, all the shadows were shattered by Cirno.

"Chii-chan, Chii-chan, come down quickly." After the battle ended, Illya immediately ran out of the castle, waving her little hands at Cirno floating in the sky.

Cirno drifted down and said seriously, "Don't call me Chii-chan, call me Big Sister."

"Okay, Chii-chan," Illya nodded, then asked, "What were those shadows just now? They looked pretty strong."

"Call me Big Sister," Cirno corrected, then replied, "I don't know either. They were indeed quite tough; they even stumped my 250 IQ. But there's no need to worry. They're just a bunch of defeated foes. I will protect your safety; you won't be in any danger."

"Mmm, Chii-chan is very strong; you took on ten of them just now."

"Call me Big Sister... What's one against ten? These scum with a mere fighting power of five dared to cause trouble in the city I rule! They're asking for death! Let's go right now and destroy all these things to bring peace back to the world!"

"I understand, Chii-chan."

"Call me Big Sister."

"Yes, Big Sister."

"Call me Chii-chan."

"You said it... To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please come and cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)RQ