"Ugh... what are we going to do, Shuishui? We're surrounded by so many terrifying things!" At a street corner bathed in moonlight, Xiao Tian tugged at the sleeve of the white-haired girl in front of her, her face etched with sheer terror as she stared at the two dozen dark figures encircling them, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

The white-haired girl—who was none other than ORT of Mercury—remained as impassive as ever. Her crimson eyes didn't even glance at the surrounding shadows, as if they were merely background scenery to her.

"Don't mind them, just keep following me," the white-haired girl said calmly, continuing to take her light, measured steps forward.

"Waaah... so scary," Xiao Tian half-squatted behind the white-haired girl, her tear-filled expression making her look exactly like a little abandoned kitten.

Of course, these shadows were hardly homebodies; even deploying her cuteness would be useless. Almost the instant they began to move, the twenty-odd shadows surged forward together, their menacing aura so potent it seemed to warp the very environment around them... No, not merely seemed!

At that very moment, the surroundings genuinely transformed into a bizarre landscape—one that was both unsettling and spectacularly beautiful. Without any warning, a brilliant, crystalline light radiated outward from beneath the white-haired girl’s feet, instantly turning the ground into a crystallized expanse. Even the adjacent street was dyed by this luminescence, becoming transparent and flawlessly bright. The breathtaking scene resembled a world constructed entirely of crystal, drawing the beholder into its captivating depths.

The most incredible transformation, however, involved the twenty-odd shadows poised to attack them; at this moment, they too became part of the scenery. Translucent crystal bound their forms to the ground, holding them aloft in sharply defined lines that intermittently flashed with pristine light, showcasing their beauty as crystalline statues.

In the span of a single breath, everything visible on that entire street, save for the white-haired girl and Xiao Tian, had transmuted into crystal... This was the inherent domain possessed by UO of Mercury: Crystal Valley.

Yet, while it resembled an inherent domain, that was merely the human definition applied to it. Although their effects were highly similar, the actual mechanism behind UO of Mercury's ability was not an inherent domain.

An inherent domain is where the user imposes their own inner world onto reality. Crystal Valley, conversely, was a supernatural phenomenon directly caused by the mere existence of UO of Mercury... Simply put, wherever she was, the environment around her automatically shifted to become a habitat suited to her, an invasion of alien scenery in its purest form.

Calling Crystal Valley an inherent domain was less accurate than describing it as a direct rewriting of physical laws, imposing an alien order upon Earth's structure... In terms of tier and category, this ability and an inherent domain were fundamentally different entities, separated by an unbridgeable gulf.

"That's amazing, Shuishui! You got rid of them instantly," Xiao Tian exclaimed, looking with awe at the beautiful landscape before her, then turning back to regard the two dozen crystal statues behind her, speaking to the white-haired girl with pure adoration.

"It’s nothing. If you wanted to, you could do it too," the white-haired girl replied faintly.

"I can't do something that magical," Xiao Tian admitted without a hint of shyness about her own inadequacy, before promptly asking, "Shuishui, where are we going?"

"I don't know," the white-haired girl answered. She was growing somewhat accustomed to Xiao Tian's sudden leaps in thought, and she saw no point in seriously answering the occasional foolish question.

"You hadn't thought about it before?"

"No. Wherever we end up is where we are. If I get tired, I sleep."

"What if you get hungry?"

The white-haired girl paused slightly, then reached out, plucked a shard of glistening crystal from nearby, put it in her mouth, and crunched on it several times. "I won't starve to death. If I'm hungry, I eat this."

It had to be admitted that her ability was uniquely suited for certain gourmands—truly the definition of eating wherever you go.

Seeing how much the white-haired girl was enjoying the crystal, Xiao Tian also broke off a piece and cautiously tried to chew it. However, she quickly spat it out, her face crumpled in misery. "It's too hard! I can't eat this at all."

"I'm tired. I'm going to rest for a while." The white-haired girl completely ignored her, finished chewing her crystal, and lay down right on the ground, closing her eyes to begin snoring soundly.

"Shuishui... Shuishui... Hey, don't sleep! What will I do if you sleep?" Xiao Tian crouched down and gently shook the girl beside her. She had assumed the other girl couldn't possibly fall asleep so quickly, but to her surprise, she seemed genuinely out, unresponsive no matter how much she shook her.

Only her own voice echoed in the air; the atmosphere was eerily silent. Xiao Tian instinctively glanced around. This unnatural quiet sent a primal shiver down her spine. Thinking of the shadows that had attacked them earlier, aside from her hunger, a genuine fear began to creep in.

"Waaaaah... Don't leave me alone! I'm so scared, and I'm so hungry. Is there any kind soul who could give me something to eat? ...Master, where are you? Come save me..."

Xiao Tian huddled with her knees drawn up against the crystal wall, softly weeping while wiping away the tears flowing down her cheeks. Her pitiful appearance was arguably even more heart-wrenching than that of the Little Match Girl... For a dignified UO of Venus to fall to such straits, her prestige was probably lower than that of a young mistress posing in a defensive stance. Perhaps she never had any to begin with; what a pity for her overwhelmingly cool title, "The Corpse of Heaven."

But just then, a black fissure suddenly materialized beside her, and a small, fair hand emerged, holding a fragrant roast chicken. "Hey, stop crying. Here’s some food."

It was a young girl's voice, the tone childish yet carrying a hint of maturity and authority. However, Xiao Tian obviously hadn't noticed the voice; once the steaming aroma reached her nostrils, all her eyes registered was the roast chicken.

Without hesitation, she snatched it and began devouring it like a starving ghost. "Mmm... This is delicious! This is what it feels like to be alive."

"Don't eat too fast. There's a drink here too," the girl’s voice came from the black fissure, and simultaneously, a bottle of beverage was placed beside Xiao Tian.

"Thank you! You're such a kind person. I will definitely repay you someday," Xiao Tian said to the small hand while eating.

"Repayment isn't necessary, though it might be useful in some way... Eh, never mind." As the voice faded, the hand retracted, and the black fissure vanished with it.

"Okay, goodbye! If I get a chance next time, I'll play guitar for you." Xiao Tian smiled and waved goodbye to the hand, but only after speaking did she suddenly pause, tapping her greasy finger against her chin with a blank, dazed expression. "Huh? Was the one talking to me a hand just now? I didn't see a person... That's weird. Can hands talk these days?"

"Oh well," Xiao Tian thought about it for a moment, failed to find an answer, and decisively gave up thinking, continuing to gnaw on the delicious roast chicken in her grasp.

Soon enough, the girl, fully satisfied by her meal and drink, had completely forgotten the "supernatural incident." She patted her stomach, lay down contentedly, and pulled the girl beside her close as she too drifted into a deep sleep...

As these two little lolis—who were profoundly abnormal in every aspect—sank into sweet slumber, the majority of others were engaged in fierce combat elsewhere.

Take the Altrouge family, for instance. They were facing the largest contingent of shadows; the dense swarm of dark figures numbered close to a hundred, if not more... However, despite the enemy's sheer numbers, these shadows posed little genuine threat to them. After all, there were four of them: one Host and one UO, and even the Black and White Knights acting as mere support wouldn't have posed much trouble.

Of course, as members of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors, they certainly weren't just playing support. The True Magic Sword and the Ghost Army still inflicted significant casualties, and with the four fighting in tandem, they held an absolute advantage.

Observing the combat between the Black and White Knights, one could discern a noticeable gap between Satsuki Yumizuka, a candidate for the Twenty-Seven Ancestors, and true Ancestor-level powerhouses. This result wasn't exactly surprising, though, considering that while Satsuki Yumizuka possessed unlimited potential, until recently she was just an ordinary high school girl; how much combat experience could she truly have accumulated?

Suddenly facing enemies against whom her ability was nullified, coupled with the massive drain the attempt caused, instantaneous defeat was a normal outcome.

Sometimes, experience proved far more crucial than sheer offensive power.

Take the Black and White Knights, for example. After roughly assessing some of the shadows' characteristics, they immediately adapted their tactics, resorting purely to physical destruction... Just this level of adaptability was something Satsuki lagged far behind in.

Then there was Arcueid. Despite fighting alone, she moved with effortless grace against the multitude of shadows. As the world's sole True Ancestor, she had perfectly inherited Tsukihime's combat instincts, and with the dead of night providing an endless source of energy, there was no expenditure of stamina or strength whatsoever... Like Zhao Zilong at Changban Slope, she charged in and out of the enemy ranks, slaughtering them to her heart's content.

The other Twenty-Seven Ancestors—such as Merem, the Dark Six Kings, and Lita-Rosean—also faced no major difficulties. Relying on their innate strength, which already placed them within the top ten Ancestors, combined with vast battle experience, self-preservation was as easy as drinking water.

Finally, there were the combined participants of the Holy Grail War and the Heroic Spirits of the Gensokyo faction... These groups required even less mention.

And so, the battle against the shadows raged fiercely across Fuyuki City. After roughly two hours, the unexpectedly emerged shadows had been mostly eradicated. And then, at that precise moment...

The true enemy finally revealed itself!

PS: Declaring a five-chapter update while not feeling well definitely felt like inviting trouble. I don't know if I can complete it in the end, but I will certainly try my best. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.) RQ