Chapter 691

Remilia pressed her palm down, her savage gaze sweeping across, and wherever it landed, thick inner power formed linked crimson crosses that exploded upon the sea of blood.

High above, Magica, whose throat was clamped by another hand, struggled to pull out the Eight Trigrams Furnace from her waist.

A dazzling flash of light cut through the air, just as another furious, terrifying, and brilliantly radiant Super Nova Spell Card surged to engulf the sky.

Remilia did not dodge or evade—she had anticipated it—she tossed Magica aside and effortlessly blocked the attack with a hexagram-shaped ward.

"The big boss's aesthetic has gone completely off the rails," Huai Shi hid behind the ward erected by the shrine maiden, the salty-sweet gale whipping his long hair into disarray.

"I found you a beautiful girl—I suggest you give her to my good sister Belobog as a harem member, cackle~~~"

The crow placed Magica on the ground, let out a strange laugh, and vanished.

Huai Shi had just woken up Tong Ji, who had been sleeping all two days for her "beauty sleep"; this wicked woman was forced to work, pierced through the red mist, floated up into the sky, then immediately returned to the Book of Fate.

The mist was thick—nearly wrapping the entire Gensokyo—viewed from extreme altitude, the ground was utterly obscured, yet the density of the mist was uneven, as if sketching some pattern.

The pattern extended from a single point into several fibrous strands, as if trying to enclose Gensokyo, like the wings of an angel.

"It's definitely Su Lin's influence, nothing to do with this Taoist!" Meng Qi hid behind the Horned Blue Ox.

"If it were me, she'd already be singing Hallelujah," Su Lin retorted. "What do you mean 'Indestructible Crimson Demon Body'? That's clearly your martial art and the Indestructible Primordial Body!"

Meng Qi grimaced as if suffering a toothache: "Yeah, yeah, yeah—you don't know martial arts? Who's always saying the mortal world is filthy?"

"Elder Ones," Song Shuhang plunged his long blade into the ground, gripping the hilt with both hands as his body swayed with the wind: "What exactly did you two do?"

This is so ugly, Elder Ones—your followers and disciples will cry! If it were me, seeing you two blaming each other like this, my faith would collapse instantly, right?

Song Shuhang suddenly noticed the two had stopped arguing and were staring at him.

He gave a bitter smile: "I get it—you're reading my face."

Shh—!

A spiraling light pierced the ward; under the uncontrolled surge of the blood ocean, waves rose and fell, sweeping Song Shuhang directly away into the distance.

"Shuhang's dead again! You're inhumane!"

Kleen's expression shifted from agonized despair to calm. "Good thing I'm still human."

He snapped his fingers, using transference to link the incoming blood ocean with the area beyond the ward, creating a cycle, then rewound time to the moment Song Shuhang was swept away.

Shu Shu Sandy shook off the red liquid clinging to her fur, then jumped onto Kleen in a reflexive spasm.

"Your humanity's been overdoing it lately," Su Lin called toward Byakuren Lingmeng, who lay flat on the ground. "Can't you, as a shrine maiden, do something?!"

Byakuren Lingmeng merely glanced at him, then slumped face-down, eyes vacant, pretending to be dead.

Kaguya pointed to the crimson energy spear that had originally pierced Song Shuhang: "So what exactly did you two do?"

"We gave blood," Su Lin turned his head away. "Maybe, perhaps, those two little vampires drank our blood."

"It was blood donation—doing good deeds in exchange for lodging and meals," Meng Qi corrected. "But we never expected the reason the Human Village's blood bank ran dry was because someone was selling off the inventory…"

You let vampires who enhance themselves by drinking blood consume the blood of the Three Pure Ones and God?!

Lu Mingfei's expression was blank—he just wanted to say to these two gods: I give up, you win.

"If you hadn't spent all the money, would the two of us—the only normal ones—have gone to donate blood?"

Su Lin glanced at Lu Mingfei, frowned, and said: "But that doesn't make sense—the mystical connection should've been severed. Xiao Su, what's your take on this?"

"I'm just flesh and blood now; under normal circumstances, this shouldn't happen," Meng Qi nodded. "Da Su, I think something's fishy here."

Are you two war criminals acting out Detective Di Renjie or the Song Dynasty's Chief Justice?!

Lu Mingfei finally understood—these two had realized they both had some unshakable residue stuck to them, so they were putting on a double act.

"Are you A-type and B-type blood?"

"I'm B-type."

"I'm A-type."

As Su Lin and Meng Qi answered, shadows appeared behind them—it was Bo Li Byakuren Lingmeng, raising her inflated Yin-Yang Jade high above her head.

"Origin of the anomaly! If I subdue you, I can return to the shrine!"

"Stop, Byakuren Lingmeng! The red mist won't vanish, and Remilia and Flandre still need their blood for treatment!"

Magica hugged Byakuren Lingmeng from behind to stop her.

"Treatment?"

"Remilia's been suffering from reversed sleep cycles and loss of appetite."

Magica briefly recounted what she'd encountered that afternoon when visiting the Red Mansion to borrow books, then searching the Human Village for blood, and finally arriving at the Bo Li Shrine.

"Byakuren Lingmeng and I originally planned to enter the Red Mansion to find Patchouli, but something like a ward surrounded the mansion."

"Then Remilia suddenly appeared—she didn't recognize anyone anymore, and didn't use Spell Cards at all."

"Her behavior… something just felt off."

Off?

Indeed, it was odd—the source of the red mist's fibrous strands centered at the Mist Lake; as long as you didn't enter that zone, she wouldn't attack.

Sometimes she'd suddenly freeze, standing motionless, staring blankly.

Remilia unfurled wings wider than her height, her demeanor haughty: "The Phantom Red Mansion awakens! Five hundred years of glory! Fated karma returns to me after a thousand ages!"

Hmm, she also occasionally recites strange phrases.

"To be fair, this trait is 100% inherited from you," Kleen observed. "As for martial arts, it's clearly inherited from Meng Qi."

Su Lin: "Mind your wording—you can say 'influence,' you idiot Azathoth."

Meng Qi: "Exactly—it's all this Taoist's influence alone! Blind Azathoth!"

Their faces turned slightly green, their gazes fixed on Kleen like daggers—they even wanted to immediately challenge him to a life-or-death Dark Spell Card duel.

There was no help for it—people around them were already covering their mouths, barely holding back laughter.

"It's the Fool, not Azathoth."

Kleen had just reached out to pat Sandy's head, but she immediately leapt to Hui Liyi's side, who was protected by Lu Mingfei. "Right now, the priority is entering the Red Mansion to check on the others."

"I need to maintain the Great Barrier and contain the destruction caused by Remilia, but now she's somehow reversing her influence to disrupt my casting—I can't move freely," Reimu said.

The Great Barrier itself isn't that fragile, but if it slackens even slightly, the Principle of the Human World and certain areas will be affected; ordinary humans and weak youkai have no means of self-preservation.

That's also why Reimu had been lying on the ground all along without fighting Remilia.

"Let me and Reimu work together to stall Remilia," Marisa flipped onto her broom, regaining her momentum: "We don't have time to waste."

"We need a guide—you must come with us, and Young Lady Reimu must stay behind," Kleine shook his head in refusal.

"Then who will stall Remilia without using Spell Cards?"

Remilia herself possesses immense power, ranking among the top in Gensokyo; even if her current state is unusual, her aggression is extreme, let alone those new abilities.

"I will," Lu Mingfei said calmly. "You all go in. Lao Zhou, keep an eye on the others—you're the only one even slightly reliable right now."

"." Song Shuhang, just waking up, felt the man before him had changed his aesthetic.

But he didn't complain—only glanced at Shinguu Hui Liyi near Lu Mingfei, a flash of understanding passing through his mind.

As expected, Lu Mingfei's words became a turning point; the atmosphere grew slightly more serious, and everyone shed their previous demeanor.

"A true man becomes strong for others. Merely watching changes nothing—determining to hold firm to the end—that is heroism," Su Lin slapped Lu Mingfei on the shoulder.

"It's from the theme song of Nexus Ultraman," Lu Mingfei sighed, brushing it off, and looked toward Remilia seated on the Blood-Red Throne.

"I'll create an opening for you."

He walked toward the blood-colored mist sea beyond the barrier, the surroundings hazy, yet the figure beneath the blood moon crystal clear.

Remilia slowly raised her right hand; a blood-red spear emerged from the magic array and aimed directly at Lu Mingfei.

"Be careful—she has the ability to manipulate fate, and it seems stronger than before," Reimu warned.

"Fate? How inconvenient."

Golden light slowly flooded his pupils; as Lu Mingfei took half a step, his spiritual sense showed a vision: fate threads tightly binding his body, dragging him toward the blood sea.

"I'm not skilled in other things, but fighting fate has permeated every stage of my life."

"In the past, I lost more than I won."

"But today, I won't let it dictate me."

The illusory world, like a mirror stretching from heaven to earth, shattered his face as if struck—only his golden eyes remained, reflecting crimson, yet his five fingers slowly opened and closed, as if grasping power and authority.

Crackling!

In the instant the mirror shattered, a man riding an eight-legged steed, clad in thunder and golden flame, charged across the boundary between reality and illusion, snapping the bonds of fate.

The World Tree, towering over the blood sea, covered the entire sky, reviving the Age of Ragnarök.

"It will strike!"

"Divine Spear!"

Purple-black light and blood-red meteorites were hurled simultaneously from their masters' hands; at the fork of fate, the two Gungnirs collided, sparking—then, in the next instant, pillars of light obliterated sky and earth.

The barrier's power compressed space inch by inch, as if seeking to crush and imprison all of it.

Yet within that light, vast dragon wings seemed to unfold.

The Red Moon Mansion's underground library

A purple-haired witch stood beside a candlestick, wearing a robe, glancing at the red liquid inside the test tube.

"There's still no issue, no curse-like power—but why has her spiritual energy vanished from her body and reappeared outside as a new entity?"

"It's all my fault," Sakuya clenched her fist in self-reproach: "If the blood I bought hadn't been flawed, Young Lady wouldn't be like this!"

"I think it's not the blood's fault—don't blame yourself too much," Patchouli comforted her.

In the center of the ritual array, on a soft bed, Remilia with blue shoulder-length curls slept soundly—then suddenly, she frowned, blinking open her eyes drowsily.

"Sakuya, what happened to me?"

Before an answer came, Remilia rolled over, closing her heavy eyelids: "Never mind—I'll ask tomorrow. So sleepy… this dream was nice."

"Don't let anyone disturb… me… disturb me."

She dreamed—she found a way to become more dignified.

Though she didn't quite understand martial arts, spells, or poetic incantations, a voice told her such things were dignified, made one more mature, and could erase the shame of her failed anomaly last time.

Then I'll use them.

Using fate as the medium.

"My Lord Patchouli, can't we actively wake Young Lady?"

"We haven't found a way yet—it's completely different from Flandre's condition—cough cough."

Patchouli coughed lightly several times.

Sakuya fell silent for a moment, picked up the nearby test tube, pulled the cork, and drank the blood inside—the witch beside her couldn't even stop her in time.

"If there's a problem, please use my body's data for the experiment."

The Red Moon Mansion is a vast estate of considerable scale.

Before the house lies a garden with a central pond, distinctly European in style.

A red-haired girl in a green qipao lay asleep on her arms inside a pavilion beside the iron gate.

"What's wrong?" Meng Qi noticed Su Lin had stopped, motionless.

"Something feels strange…"

The Azure Sky Phantasm faintly appeared behind Su Lin; he stared ahead, a vague, indescribable ripple passing through just then.

"What's that humanoid shape behind you? A shikigami? A familiar?" Marisa asked curiously.

"Its name is the Digital Monster—actually, it's a Stand."

Su Lin said: "In short, it's a materialized form of spiritual power—mine's just a bit special."

Passing the sleeping guard, the group walked toward the owner's house.

Along the way, it wasn't just unobstructed—it was as if not a single soul had been seen.

"Strange, where did all these fairy maids go?" Marisa looked around: "Hmm, did we take a wrong turn...?"

"Aren't you often here?"

"I am often here, but I rarely use the front door."

I forgot this guy is a thief.

Su Lin was about to speak when the Azure Phantasm reappeared behind him; this time he clearly sensed that peculiar fluctuation.

"I understand now—it's like this! This is the situation!"

Along with the Azure Phantasm, the lines of his face gradually hardened, his aura turned domineering, and his gaze flicked toward a corner of the corridor.

"Master Su Lin, what have you understood?" Song Shuhang asked.

He hadn't finished speaking.

In the blink of an eye, countless silver daggers filled every direction—front, back, left, right, even above—raining down like a storm, pressing against every millimeter of skin.

Song Shuhang: "?"

The daggers were instantly deflected, but Kleine was puzzled, because during the frozen moment, no life had appeared in his vision or perception.

Su Lin over there... seems to know something.

Where did Su Lin go?

Only then did everyone realize Su Lin had vanished—before them in the corridor stood a maid holding a silver dagger between her fingers, and behind her, an invisible silhouette bulged, even warping space.

"Sakuya!"

"Has it begun to awaken? The Joestar bloodline!"

A magnetic voice echoed from above the hall's staircase.

As if sensing something, Sakuya Sixteen Night lifted her head.

Two spectral shadows shot from their masters' positions, meeting above the crowd—fists clashing, unleashing gales of wind.

"Are these the same type of Stand?"

"No... it seems they inherited my bloodline!"

A golden-haired man in a tight-fitting suit, his muscles like marble blocks, descended slowly; his gaze passed over everyone and fixed on Sakuya Sixteen Night's hollow eyes.

"Did they inherit even the strongest Stand—【The World】?!"

At that moment, the two spectral shadows solidified; amid the clashing fists, one before and one behind, they abruptly became two towering figures clad in golden armor.

"I must've taken a wrong turn," Huai Shi began rubbing his eyes: "How did I end up at Haruki Manor...?"

"Haruki Manor, Fantasy Land—makes sense," Kleine said flatly: "Get used to it."

"Who is that man? And what happened to Sakuya?" Marisa asked in surprise.

Meng Qi: "..."

"A wild Dark Emperor," Song Shuhang glanced at Sakuya over there and couldn't help saying:

"A Stand user drawn here."

(End of Chapter)