Although Lin Luo was currently performing a version update on the Type-Moon world, intending to upgrade it to the Ming Realm 2.0 version, for the current Earth 1.0 version, he could only be considered an intruder. The only entities with the real official right to interpretation were the two young lolis, Gaia and Alaya. Therefore, he was quite certain that whatever he didn't know, these two lolis must.

The invasion of the Abyss Demons couldn't have happened overnight. They must have been lurking on Earth for longer than his arrival in the Type-Moon world, otherwise, given his current realm, he would have sensed it. So, did Gaia and Alaya know about this? If they did, why did they conceal it?

Harboring these doubts, Lin Luo posed his first question to Alaya... Although Gaia had tried to fool him with malicious cuteness, he didn't think Alaya would do the same. However, Alaya's answer was somewhat disappointing.

"You don't know either?"

Alaya nodded, "Without a doubt, a thousand years ago, all demons were annihilated, and the world's seams were stabilized once more. There have been no incidents over the years, so... theoretically, demons should not exist."

"But in reality, they have appeared, right before our eyes," Lin Luo said gravely.

"Could it be a second wave of their attack?" Gu Ming Dijue inquired.

Alaya shook her head, "That's also impossible. These beings that pose such a threat to us have overwhelmingly strong auras. If they intended to enter this world through any method, both Gaia and I would have perceived it immediately."

"But based on what you're saying, you only just found out now," Gu Ming Dijue, truly deserving of the title of mind-reading girl, hit the nail on the head, pointing out the crux of the matter. "So there are two possibilities right now. First, you are lying. Second, if you aren't lying, then it can only be..."

"Yes." Despite being suspected, Alaya's expression remained as placid as ever, and she stated calmly, "Considering the second possibility, we can only conclude that the method the demons used to enter this world this time is so concealed that even we couldn't sense it... though it seems incredibly unbelievable."

Is this an indirect confirmation that she wasn't lying? Lin Luo mused internally, shifting his gaze toward Gaia, who wore an expression of "I know nothing"... If Alaya wasn't lying, then Gaia probably didn't know either. As the two great Counter Forces, there shouldn't be much difference between them. Yet, Gaia's current demeanor was highly suspicious.

After all, Gaia had a history of sending out "SOS" signals to other planets, drawing in UOs from other worlds in an attempt to eradicate all life on Earth.

Is she merely acting cute now, or attempting to slip past scrutiny?

Frankly, Lin Luo couldn't quite decipher Gaia's attitude. While Gaia was inherently a naturally spacey type, the naturally spacey and the naturally cunning are ultimately the same—no difference at all!

"Then, what kind of method could possibly evade your perception?" While Lin Luo was pondering this, Lin Xiaoke suddenly spoke up.

Alaya shook her head. If she knew that, she could follow the clues to determine when the Abyss Demons arrived and what their goal was, instead of being completely clueless like now.

"Right, what if they are lodging themselves within the cracks of human hearts?" Sanae suddenly blurted out on a whim.

Lin Luo immediately tapped her forehead. "You read too much Shenzhi. Cut back on the manga."

"Waaah..." Sanae rubbed her head, looking thoroughly wronged.

However, Alaya gave a very serious answer, shaking her head. "Impossible. No one understands the intricacies of the human consciousness better than I do. If human consciousness were being invaded, it surely wouldn't escape my perception. Regardless of the method used."

In summary, everyone present was ignorant of how, or when, the Abyss Demons managed to infiltrate this world...

"Wait a minute!" Lin Xiaoke's eyes suddenly lit up, and she stated firmly, "Let's look at this from another angle. To bypass the perception of the four of us, how powerful would they need to be?"

"Ugh!" At these words, Lin Luo's heart seized. Yes, he had overlooked the biggest problem. Never mind when the Abyss Demons arrived, the fact that they were causing havoc in Fuyuki City and he hadn't sensed anything prior to this—this was bad!

Suddenly, Lin Luo was seized by a terrible premonition. Under the astonished and uncertain gazes of the group, he manifested the formation he had set up. The entire room dissolved into a vast, empty white, and then he poured his entire consciousness into the formation... Although he had investigated this formation before, the inspection was not thorough—he had only checked the surface and found no issues, so he hadn't bothered further. But!

If Lin Xiaoke was right, and the Abyss Demons possessed the power to conceal themselves from their senses...

He didn't know how much time passed, but after investigating every inch of the formation, Lin Luo's premonition finally came true.

The formation, capable of resetting the Type-Moon world, had been tampered with internally, and in a most vile way... If he had continued to run the formation obliviously, by the end, the Type-Moon world would indeed change, but not into what he desired. Instead... everything in this world, including those residing within it, would be turned into puppets!

Who did this?

Who?!

The Abyss Demons?

No, that was impossible! The Abyss Demons couldn't possess such power!

Lin Luo clearly remembered Tian Dao saying that the Abyss Demons were creatures created by their Proxy Gods—failed experiments, carelessly discarded into some world to fend for themselves. Although they seemed to have evolved since then into terrifying beings capable of devouring worlds, yet!

From his understanding, the Abyss Demons were fundamentally just beings of destruction. They were direct and brutal; they couldn't possibly resort to indirect methods like altering his formation. Moreover, his formation operated based on the essence of the Celestial Rank. Even another Celestial Rank expert couldn't infiltrate the core to change it; at most, they could only forcefully destroy it.

Yet, his formation had been altered, stealthily, without a trace.

This meant... the mysterious enemy who changed his formation possessed strength above the Celestial Rank?

He had initially assumed his trip to Type-Moon would be relatively trouble-free, with the biggest hassle being how to collect mysteries. Lin Luo never expected things to escalate to this degree... The shadows that appeared earlier were mere bait, intentionally stirring up conflicts everywhere only to gather data on them, which would then be used to copy all their abilities and forge powerful armed forces for the Abyss Demons.

Although in terms of raw power, the strongest of these forged armed forces wouldn't exceed the UO level, let alone compare to Lin Luo or Gaia, the effect of the formation meant that powerhouses like Lin Luo, Lin Xiaoke, and Tohsaka Rin were completely unable to fight, and the strength of the Gensokyo girls like Yagokoro Eirin and Remilia was severely weakened... In the current stage, these copied forces of the Abyss Demons were undoubtedly the strongest!

But were the Abyss Demons the ultimate main force in this incident?

No!

They were just pawns. Behind them lurked a far more terrifying entity manipulating everything... If the Abyss Demons won this battle, the mastermind could easily clean up afterward. If the Abyss Demons lost, but because the formation was altered, the entire Type-Moon world would still fall into the mastermind's hands.

No matter the outcome, they would all ultimately be wiped out by this unknown shadow behind the curtain!

However, Lin Luo wasn't without a way to break this stalemate.

Regardless of the objective of this curtain-pulling manipulator, their immense power was undeniable. If they had chosen a frontal assault, they could have annihilated them all instantly. The fact that they didn't, choosing such a "gentle" method—was it disdain, or... an inability to engage in a direct confrontation?

Lin Luo pondered for a moment. His intuition told him it was the latter.

Precisely because they couldn't force a direct confrontation, that person had to tamper with his formation. While it was effective, conversely, he was the true controller and master of this formation. Even if it had been injected with some "viruses," he possessed sufficient ability to purge them.

The immediate priority for Lin Luo was to regain control of the formation.

"Very well. Although I don't know who you are, I accept this battle!"

Having weathered so many tempests and faced every kind of enemy, Lin Luo certainly wasn't going to panic because of this crisis. He immediately settled his emotions and issued orders.

"First, I will be altering the formation here. In the subsequent battle, I likely won't be able to assist you. I suspect the opponent intended to use this to bind me as well. So... Sanae, Xiaowu, you two immediately go and rendezvous with Eirin and the others. Gather everyone together and hold the line for now."

"Understood." Realizing the gravity of the situation, Sanae dropped her playful demeanor. After agreeing, she immediately left with Gu Ming Dijue.

"Let me contribute as well," Lin Xiaoke said after they departed.

Lin Luo shook his head regretfully. "That won't do. Your power exceeds the specifications..."

"I know. So, I will teleport Arthur and the others over."

"That... might be feasible." Lin Luo considered it, finally nodding. Although Arthur's power surely exceeded the specifications, in the Fuyuki City playground, he could suppress the power levels of most individuals. Except for those at Lin Xiaoke's level, whom he couldn't touch, he could manage Arthur and the others' power quite well. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to cast recommendation votes and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)RQ