Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

As she opened her eyes, she abruptly turned her head, her gaze meeting that of Kaguya, who lay on the other side of the stone coffin and had also quickly turned her head. In that instant, a tacit understanding was established between them. And at the same moment, they both opened their mouths!

"The disc you took from me..."

"The disc Alice gave you..."

Two discs were simultaneously taken from the two girls' arms—they had tried every possible way to discover their function in the hundreds of previous life-and-death cycles. Although they ultimately found nothing, the two girls still regarded the two discs as important items and kept them close to their bodies.

Fujiwara no Mokou blinked.

She guessed that the shut-in girl opposite her had received a special message from Alice, just like herself. But out of caution, she didn't immediately explain everything to this person she had known for over a thousand years. Then, in that moment of hesitation, Kaguya spoke first!

"Password?" Kaguya asked urgently.

“Luoye,” Mokou answered instinctively.

Their eyes met again, and this time Mokou jumped up from beside the coffin without hesitation. Then, for the three hundred and second time, she kicked the open stone coffin lid shut. She reached out and placed the disc she was carrying on top of the one Kaguya was holding. Then, as if consulting a divination stick, the two of them grabbed the sides of the disc and used it as a pen to write on the stone slab!

They actually used the two stacked CDs as pens to draw a summoning talisman on the coffin lid!

Summoning talisman to summon a person named 'Zhao Yingkong'!

Transformation, Chapter Eleven: The Rearrangement of Drama

When the summoning rune depicting the individual information of 'Zhao Yingkong' was fully inscribed, a golden-white light burst forth from the lines of the characters. This light rapidly intensified within a very short time, and a blurry figure then appeared above the summoning rune.

Zhao Yingkong, a name unknown to both Fujiwara no Mokou and Houraisan Kaguya, two immortals. They didn't know who she was, but they guessed that the name must be closely related to the mysterious group Alice belonged to. And when that blurry form quickly solidified, and the girl's petite body was completely formed from nothingness, a silent sense of oppression weighed heavily on the hearts of the two Hourai people.

Then, the girl opened her eyes.

“…I shouldn’t have woken up at this time. It seems the backup plan has been triggered?” Zhao Yingkong slowly opened her eyes, glanced at the two women in front of her who were instinctively tense, and then smiled slightly. She quickly suppressed her extraordinary aura, and at the same time, the mimicry cells in her body that were spontaneously absorbing and releasing energy rapidly switched to a semi-dormant state. She landed lightly on the lid of the stone coffin and nodded to the two ladies in front of her.

Fujiwara no Mokou, Houraisan Kaguya—before coming from the main god, she had read through the information on all the pivotal characters in the entire Touhou Project universe. These two clearly occupied a prominent place in her top priority memory bank. Upon seeing their faces, some vague memories immediately flooded her mind—she almost instantly understood why she had been summoned to this place at this moment.

Alice's plan went wrong—no, perhaps it didn't. Since she had prepared countermeasures, this was within her planned trajectory. She simply habitually dismissed any path that wasn't the 'optimal outcome' as 'plan out of control,' thus making her team extremely cautious when implementing the amendments.

Ultimately, she and Chu Xuan are cut from the same cloth. Well, to be precise, it should be the Chu Xuan from the Ju-on arc. After all, I can't see through the current one at all... Speaking of which, Chu Xuan should have covered the role of Sulyvahn, the Pope of the White Cult. I wonder how he's doing now...

She thought quickly, and the brief memory retrieval ended the moment her toes touched the surface of the sarcophagus. She then naturally lowered her gaze and focused her attention on the two girls who were looking at her nervously.

She smiled.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Zhao Yingkong. Zhao, Yingkong. I'm a teammate of Alice Margot Lloyd, whom you all know." She paused slightly before continuing.

"My strengths lie in close-quarters combat, stealth, and a certain degree of spatial manipulation. My identity in this world is that of Filianor, the youngest daughter of Gwyn, the Lord of the Sun, and one of the last remaining true gods of this era. Since my true form and most of my power are still dormant in the Ringed City, what appears here now is actually an avatar constructed from energy and information. Please forgive any disrespect."

Her tone, her meaning, and her cool but harmless smile made the two girls in front of her relax a little... or at least appear to relax a little.

“I am Fujiwara no Mokou.” Mokou bowed slightly to her. “I’d say I’m one of Alice’s friends in Gensokyo. I don’t seem to have any unusual identity in this world right now. My specialty is manipulating flames for close combat, but I haven’t crossed that threshold, so I’m definitely far inferior to you.”

"I am Kaguya of Mount Hourai, the princess of the Moon People. I specialize in long-range magical support and some rudimentary techniques of spacetime manipulation." Kaguya gracefully bowed slightly. "You are a powerful being who has transcended the boundary between gods and mortals, and should be able to see the predicament we two are currently facing. So, we hope you can offer us some assistance—or would you like us to explain the current situation to you?"

“No need to trouble yourself, I can see it.” Zhao Yingkong shook her head slightly, her powerful senses easily taking in all the changes within the enclosed space through her calculations. She effortlessly deduced and confirmed the predicament the two Penglai girls were currently facing, while the computing mechanisms in her projected brain operated at high speed, quickly reviewing Kaguya and Mokou's information in her mind.

"This should be the very first graveyard in Dark Souls III, and also a sealed space. The fact that you're trapped here suggests that Gundyr, the gatekeeper, has undergone an unexpected change. Hmm... that guy's become very strong?"

Zhao Yingkong sensed the auras of the two Penglai girls and easily concluded that Kaguya and Mokou were both at a high level, close to the third stage of the gene lock, but had not yet reached the critical strength level. However, considering Alice's initial performance, their existing knowledge, and the unique characteristics of the Penglai people, it wouldn't be unreasonable to raise their combat power by a small level, considering them to have reached the third-stage limit of mortal beings in terms of survival ability.

Two Tier 3 beings, and Tier 3 limit life forms with specialized survival abilities, must be a great being equivalent to Tier 4 who is blocking their way.

Zhao Yingkong immediately had someone in mind. Her expression instantly turned somewhat unpleasant.

“That’s right.” Mokou nodded vigorously as Zhao Yingkong made her judgment. “Gundam has become incredibly strong! His strength and speed are definitely at the level of a supernatural being. But I doubt he’s actually Gundyr, after all, Gundyr wouldn’t be without armor and have thrown away his halberd, instead picking up a large red sword—”

Her tongue suddenly froze.

"Wait a minute! You just said your identity here is Ferrenor, and Alice previously said in her message that her identity is Elfried. So, could the person guarding outside also be..."

She looked at Zhao Yingkong, whose eyes were twitching involuntarily, and finished the question she hadn't been able to finish earlier with some uncertainty.

"Are you also a member of your team?"

................................................

About five minutes later.

"...You guys are really unlucky. That 'Ash Judge Gundyr' should be Zheng Zha, our team's captain who is actually the strongest in terms of combat power. Logically speaking, he shouldn't be in this identity right now, nor should he be in this half-asleep state. But since the backup plan has been activated, this situation is understandable."

Zhao Yingkong sat on the stone coffin, explaining the information she knew to the two girls.

"Zheng Zha should have been the eldest son of the Nameless King, a hidden and powerful enemy in the Dark Souls III storyline, guarding the Elder Dragon's Peak. He should also have been in a state of clear memory, not in a sleepwalking state like he is now."

"In fact, it wasn't just him; in the original script, Alice and I were supposed to be in similar positions. I replaced the goddess Felene of the Ring City, and Alice replaced Sister Elfriede of the Painted World of Ariandel. All three of us were there because we reached the fourth..."

Zhao Yingkong hesitated for a moment, then decided to use another word: "...Because of our extraordinary life stage, even if we participate in the fusion of the world, our memories and powers will not be rewritten because of the fusion. That's why the three of us occupy these three key points that represent DLC1, DLC2, and the hidden map in Dark Souls III, respectively, to ensure that even if the script deviates, we can correct it to the correct position with external force."

"And then you were transformed into this by external forces." Mokou pouted forcefully. "That's all thanks to your captain. The otaku girl and I have been killed a full three hundred and one times in this place! Three hundred and one times!"

She forcefully raised three fingers.

Zhao Yingkong turned her head away somewhat awkwardly.

"I'm sorry, but since it's already happened, we can only try to make amends now." The assassin girl shook her head slightly and made an apologetic gesture to the two Penglai girls. "Although I don't know why Captain Zheng Zha is in this instinctive defensive state, it may not be a bad thing for me or for the two of you."

She turned her head, her gaze passing through the complex terrain to the area shrouded in white mist at the far end of the cemetery.

“My current state is similar to that of a deity in some worlds. The body I use for walking is just a simulated shell constructed of energy, and my computing power and energy reserves are far inferior to my prime. If we were to calculate it using a relative estimate, then the combat power I can exert now is about a quarter of my prime. I can't pose any real threat to the captain at all. However, since he is now fighting entirely based on vague instincts, the advantages and disadvantages can probably cancel each other out.”

Zhao Yingkong clenched her small fist and lightly landed on top of the stone coffin. She looked at Kaguya and Mokou, her eyes filled with seriousness.

"Our script has been rewritten. According to Alice's original script, members of our team will each take over many well-known and powerful figures in the Dark Souls world. And the people of your Gensokyo will take over those characters who have a place in the story but may not be good at combat. The two of you will serve as the threads of the script, connecting all the causes and effects like the main storyline of the game, involving all members of our team and all the residents of your Gensokyo, until this world ends the cycle of rekindling the fire."

And at that time, the people of Gensokyo will be able to fully integrate into this world in the new cycle of reincarnation, becoming a part of the destiny of mortals in this world. Our team members will also gain knowledge and power from this world in this cycle of linking the flame. It's a win-win situation.”

"But now, the situation is different."

"I'd like to hear the details." Kaguya gently raised her hand and pressed down on Mokou, who looked agitated. "From what you're saying, you're planning to reduce the interests of either of us to ensure this out-of-control situation continues? Perhaps you could be more specific. It would be better if the ratio of input to output were settled from the beginning."

"Don't worry, there won't be any deductions from your Gensokyo's profits. Our team isn't the kind that cares a lot about profits. Plus, because of Alice and Patchouli, the alternative plan naturally prioritizes the interests of your Gensokyo." Zhao Yingkong waved her hand, answering nonchalantly.

"The original script will continue. The cycle of linking the flame will continue. The two of you will still be the protagonists of the script, guiding the cause and effect and fate of all other characters to complete this linking of the flame. Our team will take on the responsibility of repairing the script—I will accompany you from now on, and awaken our team members in advance to deal with that sudden... external interference."

Her toes touched the ground, and in the next instant, the space around the three of them was completely shattered and reformed. When they regained their physical form, the three of them were already standing before a gate shrouded in thick fog!

Zhao Yingkong reached out and gently stroked the spatial structure she had cleaved. Her slender eyebrows trembled slightly, and a faint light suddenly burst from the tips of her delicate fingers.

“There’s something very wrong with this place. The biggest problem is this locked space. It’s not something that was formed naturally. It’s a spatial prison created by some powerful spellcaster using some incomprehensible method. If it weren’t for the special way I summoned you, which directly accessed the bottom-level rules of the world, like a one-time channel with a backdoor in the system, I’m afraid you wouldn’t have been able to summon me even if you drew the talisman.”

"This is a formidable enemy, whose combat strength and tactics are no less than those of my team. However, their hostility towards us is not particularly strong, so I think we probably still have one more chance to make adjustments."

She lifted her foot and stepped into the mist.

"First, I need to wake that stupid gorilla up."

Transformation, Chapter Twelve: The Assassin and the Ape

Zhao Yingkong walked into the mist alone.

She declined the two Penglai girls' request to immediately join her in challenging Zheng Zha—firstly, they wouldn't be of much use in the current situation, and secondly, she didn't want outsiders to interfere in the battles within the Zhongzhou team.

Waking up from the abyss of death to find two more fourth-tier combatants suddenly in my team… this kind of frightening thing is really bad for the mental and physical health of someone like me with a fragile nerve. Seriously, even though my brothers and sisters and I were born as flawed fourth-tier beings due to Project Empty, we still spent over a decade training and fighting to reach this level. But in this team… putting aside Alice, that creature of unknown age, the captain's progress is just too fast.

[Well, they're teammates after all, no need to overthink it. But on that basis, I'm really curious to know what the difference is between a proper fourth-tier combat power and my fourth-tier level, which was forcibly pushed up by my bloodline. I hope they won't disappoint me too much... What nonsense am I talking about?]

She breathed softly, carefully adjusting the parameters of her projected body to ensure it operated optimally in the upcoming battle—she wasn't afraid of failure, because her true self was still the Sleeping Princess at the very bottom of the Ringed City, guarding the Dark Soul while using this role-playing opportunity to rebuild her power. And because of this, she had an infinite number of chances to start over.

The summoning talisman summons a projection with power, similar to remotely controlling a robot terminal. Given that the 'robot' can acquire power infinitely simply by drawing the talisman—a process akin to cheating—even if Zhao Yingkong fails, it won't cause any loss to her or Mokou Kaguya. As long as the summoner lives, the projected body is a resource that can be regenerated infinitely.

Therefore, those two Penglai people absolutely cannot be allowed to enter. Although it's unclear how much power that sleeping fool can currently unleash, a fourth-tier being is still a fourth-tier being. Even a utterly incompetent and flawed individual could effortlessly kill a fourth-tier mortal. Previously, due to the operating mechanism of this space, they hadn't been able to truly experience the deeper levels of death. But if they were to truly fight, then I might not be able to protect their will from annihilation.

They can't die. If they die, who will be able to summon me from the very bottom of the Ringed Capital?

Zhao Ying thought to herself, her will extending outwards confirming that she had reached the edge of the fog barrier. She then reached out, slowly and gently touching the void shrouded in thick fog—she could clearly sense the intricate, nested, and incredibly complex spatial structure within this enclosed space, a structure that was both incredibly robust and exceptionally solid. The instant she touched it, she realized the harsh reality that her spatial manipulation abilities would be severely diminished here. She couldn't help but sigh softly, and her exhaled breath dissipated the fog before her, revealing the guarded Firelinking Ritual Grounds to her.

"Zheng Zha." Zhao Yingkong softly uttered the name of the person guarding the entrance to the Firelinking Ritual Site from her thin, bloodless lips. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she watched the handsome young man with his eyes closed slowly lift the Destruction Blade stuck in the floor as she stepped out of the mist. Raising his hand, a half-length dagger wreathed in black flames appeared between the assassin girl's fingers.

This dagger has a name; its name is the Fang of Hellfire.

The original Fang of Hellfire was long gone; what appears here now is merely a replica created by the assassin girl from her memories. While its strength and load-bearing capacity far surpass the original Fang of Hellfire, it is ultimately not the original weapon.

It's not the original, but it's better than the original.

In a sense, this can be considered an improvement on the original. However, from another perspective, a forgery that surpasses the original does not necessarily replace it.

Zhao Yingkong slowly took a breath.

"Actually, since my resurrection, I've had a question in my mind." She looked at the fake, enhanced version of the Netherfire Fang in her hand and said softly. "I now have all my memories before and after entering the God's Space. I remember all the training I underwent in the Zhao family, I remember my brothers and sisters of my generation who all turned on each other and died on that nameless desert island. But I also remember everything I encountered and witnessed after I blocked out my memories and my true self—"

"I still remember Kayako, who almost slapped me to death, and the woman from the Indian team who nearly woke me from my slumber. And Saito Hajime, who meticulously planned my every move, even calculating his own demise. These two memories blend seamlessly; there were no sudden splits of two strange consciousnesses vying for dominance, nor any strange misalignment or distortion."

She pressed one hand to her chest, while the other hand, holding a dagger, was slightly raised, the tip of the dagger pointing forward.

"At this moment, I have only one thought in my mind, and only one worldview exists in my brain to recognize all things. So..." She stared intently at Zheng Zha, who had his eyes closed, was in a state of readiness, and had all his strength held back.

"Am I the primary personality or the secondary personality right now?"

Before she could finish speaking, all the air in the nearly one hundred meters in front of her suddenly parted to the sides. The artificial vacuum created by the slash instantly sealed off all room for maneuver in front of her. A flash of red light, and a crimson blade, brimming with immense energy, was already before her. The blade then pressed down, mercilessly delivering a vertical slash that annihilated all life!

[His superficial consciousness has ceased functioning, but his deeper consciousness still possesses the ability to react, to discern the information it receives, and to provide feedback to some extent? Judging from this, he's not sleeping very soundly... or is he trying to wake up himself?]

Zhao Yingkong's form completely disintegrated the instant the blood-red blade was upon her. The assassin's steps were swift, and her figure arrived beside the swordsman as the blade struck—she clearly sensed that this charged strike was not fully executed; the swordsman had forced the attack before his strength and spirit had reached their peak, thus failing to achieve his full potential. As a result, he easily dodged the strike and precisely delivered his feedback to the ideal position.

First, a thrust, the Netherfire Fang, was blocked and sealed by an invisible yet tangible energy field. With the failed thrust, the energy field protecting Zheng Zha's body also quietly shattered. Shattering meant a vulnerability, and a vulnerability meant it could no longer stop the assassin's chain attack!

Her free hand pressed against Zheng Zha's side, and the sudden burst of concentrated energy shattered the seemingly solid spatial structure, making it appear as if it were made of solid steel. Black spatial rifts instantly covered most of Zheng Zha's upper body. The surrounding matter was then absorbed by the spiderweb-like rifts thanks to the self-repairing power of space!

However, Zheng Zha remained unmoved!

He closed his eyes, letting the spatial spiderweb, powerful enough to slice even Gundam alloy into irregular pieces, futilely tear at his skin, which outwardly appeared no different from that of an ordinary person. He forcibly halted his missed strike, changing direction mid-air to deliver a reverse sweep. A torrent of energy, like a collapsing mountain or sea, erupted forth, instantly transforming into a surging tide of light that engulfed everything to his side!

It was a blazing light, a torrent of energy. The immense energy, comparable to that released by a small volcano from eruption to its subsidence, was compressed into a single strike, then released completely in a sweeping motion—no unique techniques, no special skills, just a radiant tide of light composed of power, speed, and energy that evaporated all molecular structures in Zhao Yingkong's area within two microseconds—air was disintegrated into elemental substances in the massive discharge, and mineral salts in the soil were broken down into metal ions and individual carbon and silicon. This chaotic true elemental storm boiled violently, extending this chaotic domain formed by extremely ordered forces all the way to the boundary of the Fire Sacrifice Grounds!

However, an invisible wall stands firm above the border.

Even though this strike was enough to turn the Firebreak Shrine outside the boundary into a 'true elemental soup' composed of the first three or four rows of the periodic table, the spatial barrier that separated this land from the Firebreak Shrine steadily withstood this incredibly sharp slash. Dense white mist overflowed from the edge of the barrier, violently churning and boiling, before the incredibly surging torrent of energy was completely swallowed up and dissipated by the white mist, ultimately returning the boundary barrier to its initial tranquility.

[This is really going too far. A spatial barrier of this strength... either the will of this world itself intervened, or the 'person' who created this space is so powerful they could create an independent world out of thin air. Honestly... if I weren't certain they didn't have much malicious intent, I'd already be trying to get back to the Main God's Space right now, and not get involved in this mess. Anyway, after Gensokyo was stripped away, the Main God canceled our return point; we just need to wait ninety days to smoothly return to the Pillar of Light!]

Zhao Yingkong's transparent form glided silently and invisibly in the area untouched by the storm. Zheng Zha's storm slash was indeed fast and ruthless, but its vast area of ​​attack meant it was destined to be inaccurate. After expending some effort, Zhao Yingkong successfully escaped along the spatial rift she had previously torn open, then moved to another location to launch her next attack.

The spatial structure here becomes increasingly rigid towards the outside.

The assassin girl pondered, hundreds, even thousands, of assassination plans flashing through her mind before being rejected one by one. Calmly hidden in the void, she calculated and deduced the most likely strategy to break the current predicament.

The stable structure of the space meant that his power was difficult to exert. The middle section was alright; he could barely tear open spatial rifts for combat. While the effect was negligible, it did significantly boost his mobility. However, this small advantage wasn't enough to reverse the overall disadvantage—Zheng Zha was stronger than expected, and the area's weakening effect on him was greater than anticipated. The original equation that 'Zheng Zha, fighting instinctively, is equal to Zhao Yingkong, an energy projection' completely failed. Not only could his attacks not penetrate his defenses, but more importantly, this space, which included the outer courtyard of the fire-prevention sacrificial ground… wasn't very large.