To achieve absolute singularity as its own concept, possessing all the mysteries of this world and holding the entire might of an infinite cosmos, while simultaneously boasting the attribute of undying immortality—in terms of sheer combat power or regenerative capability, it stood undeniably at the apex of the pyramid, further fueled by an inherent, absolute desire for destruction… Such was the World Heart: an entity both terrifyingly powerful and utterly fearsome.

By the time hostesses like Mikoto perceived this truth, their hearts held more than mere shock; they felt a deep-seated trembling. For such an extreme existence was not in some distant realm, nor merely legend—it resided within their very selves!

Though they had realized not long ago that the World Heart was a double-edged blade for them—offering the means to elevate their power, yet also risking their own absorption, transforming them into mere instruments of slaughter driven only by the urge to destroy—Mikoto in the Type-Moon world had been the starkest proof of this danger.

It was only because Mikoto had been successfully rescued that they felt, despite their worry, that control might still be possible. Yet, only now did they grasp the true extent of the horror—a horror that willpower or conviction alone could never dispel.

However, even more concerning to them was another point…

“If the World Heart is this powerful, how did you manage to defeat them in the first place?” Yakumo Yukari asked, utterly perplexed.

Through training in the World Heart’s combat techniques, she too had already reached the Half-Step Celestial Tier. Given her innate ability to manipulate boundaries, she could relatively better understand the immense power of strengths still beyond her grasp. From Hong Ling’s words, she inferred that the World Heart’s power was likely beneath no single member of the Shi no Tabizu-dan (Time Traveler’s Brigade). In that case, a 12 against a 49 matchup, strictly by the numbers, should have been an absolute impossibility to win.

Moreover, the division of the World Hearts into seven distinct groups clearly held significance.

“We didn’t win,” Hong Ling shook her head. “In fact, in our numerous confrontations with the World Hearts, we were perpetually at an absolute disadvantage. Several times, we were pushed to the very brink of annihilation. Even Nana, the strongest among us in combat power, could only manage one against five. As for the rest of us, facing one gave us a seventy percent chance of victory; facing two meant certain defeat. Facing three meant utter annihilation with no place for burial.”

“Gah!” A wave of astonishment swept through the others again. Though they suspected the World Heart held the advantage, they never imagined such overwhelming superiority even against the legendary Shi no Tabizu-dan. Still, that being said, Nana, whom they only knew by reputation, could handle one against five—that implied a strength equivalent to four Yaoyao’s! What manner of monster was she?!

Suddenly, Leafa lifted her head and asked, “Where is the Commander?”

Hearing her words, everyone’s attention was instantly diverted. After all, the Commander was Lin Luo’s previous incarnation; naturally, they were more concerned about him than anyone else.

“He could handle about four,” Hong Ling replied.

“Huh? Why is the Commander weaker than the Vice-Commander?” Kagura Tsuchimiya asked innocently.

“Who said the Commander is weaker than the Vice-Commander?” It was not Hong Ling who spoke, but Yukine.

Kagura Tsuchimiya pointed at Hong Ling and stated matter-of-factly, “But didn’t Sister just say the Vice-Commander can fight five solo, while the Commander can only fight four? So, the Vice-Commander must be slightly stronger.”

“It’s not that simple,” Yukine shook her head. “Judging strength purely by raw numbers is a very naive way of thinking. While Nana is indeed stronger in terms of pure combat metric, if they fought at their absolute maximum strength, Nana’s chance of winning against the Commander would be less than ten percent… After all, the compatibility between two fighting parties is crucial.”

Though Kagura Tsuchimiya was somewhat naturally naive, she wasn't foolish and didn't require detailed explanations. She nodded slightly upon hearing Yukine’s words.

Then, Hong Ling resumed her narrative: “Although both the Commander’s and Vice-Commander’s power levels exceeded that of the World Hearts, given the sheer numerical superiority, the Shi no Tabizu-dan had no chance of victory. Furthermore, every group of World Hearts could combine their strength to form a killing formation, such as the Seventh Arhat Formation of Group Six. Even if the Commander and Vice-Commander fought together, they would still lose more often than they won… Of course, because each World Heart possesses uniqueness, it is extremely rare for them to form such arrays, which is part of the reason we could barely hold off their assaults.”

“But even so, your situation must have remained incredibly precarious,” Yakumo Yukari commented.

“Indeed. The thing that truly sustained our fight was the Commander—relying on his foresight and his ability to conjure things from nothing, we managed to avert disaster time and again. Though we suffered repeated defeats, we succeeded in preventing the World Hearts from fully assimilating this world, holding them off until the day they would naturally expire.” Hong Ling confirmed with a nod.

“Expire naturally?”

“Yes. That is the main point I need to convey now,” Hong Ling paused briefly before continuing gravely, “While the World Hearts are immortal and their power seemingly endless, they possess a weakness inherent in their evolutionary process—a vulnerability called ‘Debilitation.’”

“Periodically, the World Hearts enter a weakened state, becoming utterly silent and undetectable in the world, as if they vanished entirely. The timing is entirely unpredictable; perhaps after only a decade, they might lapse into a weakness lasting several days, or perhaps after several centuries, a weakness spanning years… In short, there is no pattern to the timing. However, the Commander managed to discern a period when all World Hearts would simultaneously enter this state of collective weakness, a period lasting forty-nine years.”

“So you used that opportunity to eradicate the World Hearts?” Gogen Ruri hastily inquired.

Hong Ling shook her head with a wry smile. “How could that be possible? As I mentioned, the World Hearts cannot be destroyed. Even in their weakened state, no one known to us has ever managed to kill them.” But the Commander, having foreseen this, had already prepared countermeasures. As soon as the World Hearts fell into their collective lull, he swiftly located their silent sanctuaries and departed with Nana and one other person.

“A full fifty years passed. None of us knew what transpired during that time, but when we saw them again, we learned the threat of the World Hearts had been neutralized, albeit at a certain cost…” Here, Hong Ling’s expression shifted subtly, but she quickly regained her composure, looking back at the others. “However, based on the current situation, it’s likely that during that period, he created the Book of Contracts and used it to seal the World Hearts.”

Although Hong Ling’s conjecture contained a degree of subjectivity, upon closer reflection, it seemed highly plausible. After all, when the hostesses were first possessed by the World Hearts, they were all in a sealed state, and the Book of Contracts carried the very power of contracting the World Hearts, gradually unsealing them based on affection levels… As the saying goes, the one who tied the bell must be the one to untie it. If the Book of Contracts hadn't sealed the World Hearts, it was hard to imagine it possessing such a function.

“It’s probably karmic retribution. As the World Heart incident concluded, the Shi no Tabizu-dan gradually began to decline. The first blow was the subsequent arrival of Sin’s Karma, which not only grievously wounded the Commander but even caused Nana, who possessed an immortal body, to perish. And a period after Nana’s death, the Cataclysmic War began—it was in that battle that the era of the Shi no Tabizu-dan was brought to an end, with no survivors apart from Yaoyao.”

A hint of melancholy flickered in Hong Ling’s eyes. Though she knew this final part of the story was irrelevant to Mikoto and the others, the words escaped her, tinged with a sense of wistfulness, a touch of nostalgia, and an abundance of regret… Regardless, total annihilation was never a happy topic.

Mikoto and the others, unable to fully immerse themselves in her experience, still understood her emotions and remained silent.

Of course, this complex sadness was fleeting on Hong Ling’s face. A person of her caliber rarely succumbed to the sentimental nature of scholars. She continued in her usual steady tone: “Currently, the World Hearts exist in three forms. The first is like yours: although your individual power is weak, because your consciousness remains dominant, you prevent the inherent destructive urge of the World Heart from erupting suddenly. Theoretically, your existence functions both as a regulator for the World Heart and gradually begins to supplant its core essence.”

“The second form is Group Six. Because their hosts have died, they have indirectly replaced the hosts’ existence. Though they retain the host’s appearance, they are, in reality, only the World Heart—the exact opposite of you. This is precisely why their power is greater than yours, and as they grow more familiar with this era, their strength will only increase, perhaps even returning to their peak condition.”

“The final form is Luo Tianyi… Fundamentally, Luo Tianyi is no different from you. The distinction is that you act based on your own will, with the World Heart as your power source, whereas Luo Tianyi acts based on the will of the True Heart, with the host Luo Tianyi serving as her auxiliary power. Naturally, the most crucial point is that this True Heart is not the original one; it has actually been replaced, or perhaps, fused with, someone else.”

“In terms of sheer power, Luo Tianyi is currently the strongest, unmatched by anyone, even us. Group Six, however, has the fastest growth rate and is the most inherently murderous entity. As for you… you lag significantly in every aspect. But this does not mean you are the weakest, because you possess self.”

Saying this, Hong Ling pointed towards the group and stated firmly: “In terms of potential, all of you are equal. Therefore, if you can gain complete mastery over the World Heart’s full power, you can truly replace the World Hearts yourselves. At that point, you will never lose to anyone!”

Hong Ling’s speech left everyone stunned. While the literal meaning was clear, the question lingered: “To completely control the World Heart’s power… is that even achievable?”

Having understood just how extreme and terrifying the World Hearts were, honestly, they felt no confidence.

“This is not a question of if you can do it, but that you must do it,” Hong Ling gazed at them, her expression grave. “Currently, we have three potential enemies: one is Luo Tianyi, the second is the rapidly growing World Hearts of Group Six, and the third is the Sin’s Karma that will certainly strike soon. To be frank, with Lin Luo and Nana’s fates unknown, we have no hope of winning against any single one of them now, let alone the fact that Luo Tianyi and Group Six are allied. If you fail to grasp the World Heart’s total power, the moment the battle starts, it will be a dead end.”

“So, you must achieve it, and the sooner the better!”

From Hong Ling’s serious tone, they all grasped the gravity of the situation. In fact, they already knew how dire things were, but Hong Ling’s words revealed that the situation hadn't been the worst—it could always get worse.

In this predicament, they had absolutely no room to retreat.

“Seriously, I thought everything would end once we eliminated the Proxy God, only to suddenly switch to a far more terrifying BOSS before even fighting the Proxy God. What kind of plot development is this!” Mikoto grumbled, scratching her head, but in the next moment, she looked sternly at Hong Ling. “Since we have no other choice, stop holding back—tell us. How do we proceed?”

“It seems you have resolved yourselves. And you others?” Hong Ling looked around at the rest.

The group exchanged glances before nodding in unison.

As Mikoto said, they had no other option.

“Good,” Hong Ling smiled genuinely. “What needs to be done is actually quite simple: combine the current total strength of the four of us to forcibly send you back into the past—the era when the World Hearts were most rampant. Of course, although it is the past, it will only be an illusionary realm infinitely close to reality. Then, within that past illusion, you must find the World Heart that represents your era and merge with the origin of the World Heart. If successful, you will earn the right and the strength to fight our enemies.”

“And if we fail?”

“Those who fail will be forever trapped within the illusion of the past.”

Clearly, this was a path where victory was the only option.

But since the decision was made, they could only commit to the gamble.

Moments later, Hong Ling, Yiren, Yukine, and Yaoyao stood at the corners, encircling the hostesses in the center. Every face wore an unprecedented seriousness.

“Three Thousand Great Daos!” Hong Ling moved first, crying out as she pointed upward. Instantly, the Three Thousand Great Daos, imbued with infinite mystery, descended from the heavens, bursting forth with radiant divine light that enveloped the hostesses.

“Supreme Pavilion!” Before the hostesses could react, Yiren waved her long sleeves, and a majestic, ornate pavilion suddenly rose from the ground, directly lifting them towards the sky.

Immediately following, Yiren, who had kept her eyes closed, snapped them open. Her sharp gaze seemed to pierce the heavens. In a flash of lightning, she crossed the Supreme Pavilion, standing alone in the void, and drew her long sword.

“Sword Cleaves the Universe!”

As the sword struck, Yukine returned to her original spot, but directly above the Supreme Pavilion, a massive, gigantic vortex suddenly materialized. Through the semi-transparent swirl, one could vaguely see a completely different world on the other side.

However, this vortex did not exert the expected attractive force on the outside world; instead, it released an extremely terrifying repulsive power, keeping even the Supreme Pavilion at bay—unable to ascend or advance.

But just then, Yaoyao acted.

Without any superfluous movement, she merely uttered a single word from her lips: “Reverse!”

Just like her rule of defying fate and changing destiny, the moment the word left her mouth, the outward repulsive force suddenly flipped its direction, sucking the Supreme Pavilion into the other side of the vortex in the blink of an eye. Naturally, the hostesses standing on the Supreme Pavilion had successfully entered the illusory realm of the past.

“Finally… huh?!” Seeing that everyone had vanished, a weary Hong Ling was about to sigh in relief, but as the word left her mouth, her expression froze completely. She stared blankly ahead, utterly speechless.

Following her line of sight, where the hostesses had stood, there was now another girl standing there—a petite figure, silver hair, and clad in black attire with black wings. It was Shinku!

“What… what is happening?” Not just Hong Ling, but all three of them—Yaoyao included—were dumbfounded to see Shinku standing there.

“I seem to… not have gone in,” Shinku said, raising her hands to examine herself, her expression equally bewildered.

“Oh dear, this is troublesome,” Hong Ling finally snapped out of her shock, rubbing her forehead with a headache. She could roughly guess why Shinku was left behind. For the hostesses to be sent into the past illusion, their unwavering resolve and lack of attachments were prerequisites—because there was no alternative path. Shinku likely possessed the former, but perhaps not the latter, because… there was an unresolved causal loop lingering on Shinku!

Realizing this, Hong Ling couldn't help but curse her own oversight.

“What should we do now?” Yaoyao had clearly realized the issue too and immediately asked. Not only was their current power insufficient to reopen the illusionary realm, but even if they could, Shinku, burdened by the unresolved causal loop, could not be sent in anyway.

“What else can we do? We can only let her resolve it herself,” Hong Ling replied weakly, letting out a heavy sigh.

“To resolve the causal loop, do I need to return to my own world?” Shinku asked after hearing their explanation, finally understanding the context.

“That is necessary.”

“Then, can I meet Father there?”

Shinku blinked, a faint trace of anticipation in her voice. Since the causal loop still existed, the possibility of Lin Luo still being alive was quite high. If she traveled to her own world, she would very likely find him. (To be continued)