As an ordinary person... to be honest, Lin Luo hadn't truly experienced what it was like to be ordinary for a very long time. In his memory, ever since the Book of Contract possessed him, he had gradually deviated from the path of the common man. The moment he comprehended the power of rules in the world of To Aru Majutsu no Index, he became utterly divorced from ordinary folk, and even during his journey through the afterlife long after that, he couldn't claim any connection to regular people.

After all, what ordinary person dies and comes back to life, only to die and live again?

But this time, in his resolve to confront the projection of the Mirror of Truth, pouring all his strength into the Ancient Ark with the mindset of seeking new life from a desperate situation, he truly experienced what it felt like to be a normal human once more.

As for whether this feeling was good or bad... others might not know, but for Lin Luo, after being a freak for so long, being ordinary felt rather unsettling. It was just as the saying goes: it’s easy to go bad, but hard to turn good.

Once a passionate youth turns unscrupulous, the only way to revert to that fiery idealism would probably be through reincarnation. However, looking at it another way, only in youth and innocence is one truly full of passion; once one has experienced more and seen more, even the most chuunibyou will slowly mature.

It’s like the evolutionary chain of biology: a monkey might evolve into a human, but a human cannot devolve into a monkey.

So, after Lin Luo re-experienced being an ordinary person, he felt as if he had transformed from a human into a monkey, with all aspects of his function severely degraded... He had initially intended to battle the Commander for three hundred rounds, but after merely three exchanges, the aches and pains made him want nothing more than to lie on the ground and play dead.

As everyone knows, Haruhi Suzumiya is an exceptionally powerful and terrifying person. Even without being possessed by the Heart of the World, she possessed abilities not inferior to a Creator, capable of altering everything in the entire world with a mere thought. Endless August, creating alternate versions of herself, making fantasies reality—there was virtually nothing she couldn't do.

Although she herself was unaware of this extremely non-magical ability, it was probably precisely for this reason that she possessed an extreme energy and vitality that a "normal" high school girl shouldn't have. Simply put, no matter what she did, you would almost never see her looking tired afterward; she perpetually radiated vigorous energy and vitality.

Thus, although Haruhi couldn't initially assert dominance due to the difference in strength between a man and a girl, and was instead soundly conquered by Lin Luo, even reduced to tears, her superior endurance and stamina eventually allowed her to turn the tables and ride the man... Having tasted the sweetness, she became unstoppable, using every trick in her arsenal. She completely drained Lin Luo until his limbs were weak and he was on the verge of tears.

"I hadn't even exerted myself, and you already collapsed. You're useless!" Noticing Lin Luo could no longer stand, Haruhi sat atop him, speaking with a tone suggesting she was still unsatisfied.

"Please, have mercy on me... I'm truly out of strength..." Lin Luo gasped, begging for mercy. He hadn't taken any drugs, nor was he a protagonist in a hentai; there was no way he could completely conquer the tireless Haruhi in his current ordinary state.

If creating rules were an option, it would have been an unquestionable victory.

"You disappoint me so much, looking like that... Uh!" Haruhi’s face held an expression of contempt, and just as she was about to scold him further, she suddenly paused mid-sentence, instinctively turning her head, and then froze.

Lin Luo found her reaction strange and followed her gaze, only for his heart to suddenly plummet, wishing he could instantly find a hole to hide in... Because, without him noticing when, Hatsune had appeared at the doorway of the room, hands clasped behind her back, smiling faintly as she stared at them.

For a moment, both of them felt an overwhelming awkwardness. After all, they were both naked, and their bodies were still physically connected... How different was this from being caught in the act?

"Um... when did you get here?" In the end, the Commander was the more composed one. After a brief pause, she spoke, though her tone carried a degree of embarrassment.

A gentle smile still graced Hatsune's face. "Not long ago. Right when you were making those noises. I didn't know what you were playing, but you looked like you were having so much fun, I didn't want to interrupt."

Although Hatsune's smile was sweet, both of them sensed a darkening aura about her.

"That... it wasn't exactly that fun, hehe," Haruhi chuckled awkwardly, then noticed her reflection in the nearby full-length mirror—she was sitting on Lin Luo in an extremely indecent position. She reflexively jumped up, quickly grabbing the clothes scattered on the floor and dressing herself.

Simultaneously, Lin Luo also began frantically scrambling to cover himself.

"Why stop now?" Hatsune continued to smile, watching their movements. "You were clearly having such a good time. Let's have a few more rounds. I can learn a thing or two."

No! There was definitely something wrong with that tone!

Lin Luo broke out in a cold sweat listening to her words. Seeing Haruhi fiercely blink at him, signaling him to explain, he had no choice but to steel himself and speak: "Well... every sport requires moderation. By the way, Hatsune, have you eaten? Haruhi is a fantastic cook. Since you made such a huge contribution, let her make you a nice meal, okay?"

"Yes, yes, we should reward the hero," Haruhi quickly agreed, nodding repeatedly. She was quite skilled in the culinary arts; although she rarely cooked normally, using this as a diversion was a good strategy right now.

"Heh heh," Hatsune grinned, a chilling tremor running through them. "Do you think I'm Luo Tianyi? Trying to fool me with food? That trick might work on the foodie Luo Tianyi, but spare me the attempt with me."

"How about green onion noodles? You love onions anyway," By this time, Haruhi had put on all the necessary clothes except her underwear and bra. With nothing left to fear, she smiled and started joking.

This girl truly doesn't know how to fear death... But Lin Luo's heart clenched upon hearing that. Hatsune's current state was clearly unstable, especially the hands hidden behind her back—he couldn't tell what she was holding. To joke with her in this situation—had he never witnessed Hatsune's dark side?

Lin Luo knew perfectly well that the most obvious sign of Hatsune's descent into madness was: saying terrifying things with a cute expression!

Sure enough, the moment Haruhi finished speaking, the expression on Hatsune's face became even sweeter and cuter. She laughed, "Heh heh, do you two know how long and how hard I worked to collect those treasures? And to save you both, I abandoned all those precious companions. Just now, I was mourning those departed friends, but you two... you still have the heart to do such shameless things at a time like this... Heheheh!"

As she reached the end, Hatsune’s laughter suddenly escalated in volume, and she whipped her hands out from behind her back, grinning maniacally as she roared, "You pair of dogs, go apologize to my important companions right now!"

In an instant, the gleaming kitchen knife gripped in her hands swung viciously toward Lin Luo and Haruhi.

Damn it! I knew there was a weapon!

Lin Luo was startled, but thankfully, he had been anticipating this. Although he was the first target of Hatsune's attack, relying on his foresight, he instinctively leaped backward, narrowly dodging the blow.

However, Hatsune in her dark mode, despite being in a normal human body, could not be judged by common sense in terms of combat power. Just as Lin Luo was airborne, she deftly rotated the knife in her hand, and with a shwoosh, brought it directly down towards Lin Luo’s head!

Oh, my God!

Staring at the glinting blade, Lin Luo broke out in a cold sweat. It was at this critical, life-or-death moment that his superhuman technique shone through... In mid-air, he managed to execute a high-difficulty maneuver—arching backward, tucking his abdomen, and shifting his hips—narrowly avoiding Hatsune's fatal strike.

Though his body was spared, his clothes were not so lucky. With the stunning slash, his garments were neatly cleaved in two, falling to the ground and reducing him once again to a state of nudity... What terrified him most was that Hatsune’s blade had grazed his body. That icy-cold sensation made it abundantly clear that if the blade had advanced even a few centimeters further, even if his body hadn't been sliced in half, the part used for procreation would certainly have been split in two.

"Calm down! Calm down! Let's talk this out, please don't resort to weapons!" Even Lin Luo was utterly horrified by Hatsune's insane combat prowess and shouted immediately upon landing.

"The world is so dark, why should I be calm? I can't tolerate this anymore!" Hatsune shrieked, brandishing the terrifying blade once more.

Lin Luo was forced to engage in a nude sprint to evade.

Fortunately, although he couldn't utilize all his abilities, his neural reflexes and strength were still quite good, especially when facing a threat to his life, where these reaction speeds were markedly enhanced. Coupled with the fact that Hatsune wasn't targeting only him... while her combat power was terrifying, his physical body remained unharmed.

However, the mental pressure was immense.

"Hey! This is dangerous! Don't point that knife at me!" On the other side, facing Hatsune's indiscriminate attack, Haruhi was also somewhat flustered. But she still had slightly better stamina than Lin Luo, thus avoiding the necessity of running naked.

"Fine, we were wrong. We apologize!" Lin Luo used the sofa as a barrier, placing the dark-mode assassin Hatsune opposite him, slightly buffering her assault, and quickly said.

"If apologies worked, why would we need urban management officers?!" Hatsune sneered, then violently swung the knife. The genuine leather sofa was instantly sliced in two, and countless downy fragments danced in the room like snowflakes.

Holy cow! What kind of combat power is that?

Watching the innocent sofa suffer collateral damage, Lin Luo was nearly scared stiff.

"Didn't you just say you wanted us to apologize? Now you say apologies are useless—what the hell do you want?!" Haruhi couldn't help but yell. Due to the nature of their abilities, Haruhi was usually the one driving Hatsune crazy, but now that neither could use their powers, she was trembling with fear, and this dramatic shift left her extremely frustrated.

"So, you can apologize to them after you're dead!" Hatsune leaped over the shattered sofa, then unleashed a sweeping attack. The sharp kitchen knife, rotating with her body, aimed directly at Lin Luo’s head.

Lin Luo decisively ducked, hearing a crack as the LCD monitor behind him was cleaved in two, sputtering electric sparks. Hatsune's strike didn't pause; it swept down toward Haruhi next.

"Die! Die! Die! All of you, die..."

Hatsune gripped the knife with both hands, showing no mercy, laughing wildly as she unleashed relentless slaughter upon everything in the room... The TV, the sofa, the cabinets—all were instantly vulnerable to her blade. Even Lin Luo and Haruhi fled, daring not to engage her directly.

The great First Princess of the World, Hatsune Miku! She inherited the glorious tradition of darkness, taking on the souls of Yano Kotonoha, Ryugu Rena, Gasai Yuno, Flandre Scarlet, and the FFF Brigade. At this moment, Hatsune Miku alone represented the long and enduring history and tradition of darkness; she was not fighting alone—she was not alone!

One kill, two kills, three kills, four kills... When nothing remained intact in the room except Lin Luo and Haruhi, Hatsune Miku had completely dominated the battlefield.

At this moment, Lin Luo finally understood: the more harmless and innocent a little white rabbit girl appears, the more terrifying she becomes when she snaps. Long ago, Ryugu Rena and Yano Kotonoha; recently, Luo Tianyi; and now, Hatsune Miku... Which of these girls wasn't gentle and cute normally? But once they go dark, damn it, even protagonist armor can't stop them!

Vocaloid creatures... are truly too frightening!

"Alright, alright! I’ve got her!" But after a short while, at the cost of a few strands of hair, Haruhi finally found an opening and desperately grabbed Hatsune’s legs, tackling her to the ground.

Seeing this, Lin Luo rushed forward, resolved to share her fate. Just as Hatsune swung the knife toward Haruhi, he managed to embrace Hatsune’s arms first, then lightning-fast, snatched the knife away and hurled it forcefully into the distance.

"Let go of me! You pair of dogs! I must kill you today!" With her weapon gone, Hatsune's killing intent did not abate; she struggled fiercely under their restraint.

"Ouch, she’s so strong! Will it kill you to use more force?" As they struggled, Haruhi’s head was knocked twice, and she cursed at Lin Luo.

"I'm using all my strength, but I can't hold her down!" Lin Luo instantly replied. Even though he was using all his might to pin Hatsune's body to his chest, her struggle was unprecedentedly intense, making him feel as if he was hugging not a Vocaloid, but a nuclear bomb.

"Idiot! Grab her chest! Grab her chest!" Haruhi quickly suggested, "Hold her chest tightly; her resistance will weaken... Trust me, that’s every woman's weak spot!"

A morally bankrupt suggestion, but...

At this moment, Lin Luo stopped caring about propriety and followed instructions. His hands moved upward, firmly grasping Hatsune's chest, which wasn't particularly full.

Just as Haruhi predicted, Hatsune's resistance instantly weakened when her chest was grabbed, but immediately afterward, she gritted her teeth, concentrating all her strength to buck upward with her knee, while simultaneously slamming her elbow backward.

Neither Lin Luo nor Haruhi expected Hatsune to be able to counterattack in this state. Both were struck... Hatsune’s knee slammed into Haruhi’s lower abdomen, turning her face deathly pale, while Lin Luo’s stomach absorbed Hatsune’s full-force elbow strike, causing him to instinctively release his hold and clutch his abdomen in pain.

In this moment, Hatsune Miku completed another beautiful double-kill.

"You pair of dogs, you are courting death!" Having had her chest assaulted, Hatsune was both humiliated and enraged, her face contorted in fury. Having successfully counterattacked, she immediately prepared to retrieve the knife.

However, before she could make a move, the room suddenly shook violently, causing her to lose her balance and crash onto the floor with a bang.

This sudden event caused the three of them to instinctively halt their actions.

Then, less than two seconds later, an even more violent tremor resonated, accompanied by piercing, grating noises. Even the surrounding iron walls began to twist irregularly, as if an immense force was squeezing them forcefully...

"Not good!" At this moment, all three of their expressions changed: "The defense wall has been breached!"

Undoubtedly, the defensive net they, as three Heaven-tier powerhouses, had constructed could no longer stop the projection of the Mirror of Truth. The Ark was facing destruction.

"It's just a projection, how can it be this terrifying?" Haruhi exclaimed in shock.

"No, it's not like that," Lin Luo shook his head, and facing their puzzled expressions, he said, "I sense a third force. The Ark must have entered a dangerous region, causing three forces to collide, which is why the defensive barrier couldn't hold."

"Then what do we do?" Hatsune quickly asked.

Lin Luo said gravely, "There's nothing we can do. Now that the defense wall is useless, relying on it means certain death... The only way out now is for us to recall all our individual powers, focus entirely on protecting ourselves, and then..."

"And then?"

"Then, leave it to fate!" Lin Luo ground out.

This was the least viable option, but they had no other recourse. Finally, they could only withdraw the power invested in the defense wall. The moment they did, the entire Ark shattered violently, and the three of them were instantly plunged into a torrent of power several times more terrifying than the World-level Killing Formation.

And at this precise moment, unable to resist or provide assistance, the three were swept into different spaces by the surging power flow...

PS: The Type-Moon Arc concludes. The next volume will be the final arc! RQ