Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

[It's difficult for a reincarnation team with a fourth-tier powerhouse to suppress their rating. When we first entered the Star River Squad world, our team didn't yet have a true fourth-tier member. Even though the Senzhou team was a team that consciously suppressed their rating, they were still the strongest in the God's judgment because of the presence of Ex, who is at the fourth tier. Therefore, the Celestial Team shouldn't have any possibility of hiding their strength... unless their power leap occurred between the previous and current reincarnation worlds. In that case, the God's evaluation might be delayed. But even so, they couldn't possibly have a fourth-tier powerhouse.]

She opened her eyes and walked out through the door of the slumber pod. The vast majority of her calculations were still processing the information data of the Melkor God Power. As the progress there steadily increased, her avatar, controlled by only one percent of her calculations, became increasingly agile.

She adjusted the surrounding gravity, allowing her avatar to float along the passageway using inertia. Familiar doors, windows, patterns, bookshelves, and the books on them came into view.

Familiar books, old books. She could even remember the contents of every page, every line, and every sentence—she couldn't help but float over and gently touch one of the books with her finger.

Books are history, history is the past, and everything in the past will become the foundation of the present.

A line of complex data flashed across her eyes. She shook her head slightly, not opening the book whose contents she had memorized, but instead gently sitting down at the desk beside her. Then she continued the thought she had interrupted earlier.

However, now, the East China Sea team is reduced to a single newcomer who dares not even show his face. The South Yan Continent team has been captured and completely controlled by us. The East America team has joined us, and although the Celestial team has not suffered heavy losses, they should have lost the ability to interfere with the overall situation.

The threat posed by the Reincarnation Squad is essentially gone. What remains is the hidden power within this world that could potentially cause disruption—Sauron is dead, and the spiritual light of the Valar and Vili, who govern the world, is blocked by the Apocalypse against the celestial veil. The only one who could potentially have a devastating impact on the overall scheme—Ilúvatar—is also blocked from entering the world and cannot descend in the short term.

Patchouli sighed softly.

[We've essentially achieved our objective; we won the team fight—not being able to completely eliminate the Celestials is a minor flaw, but it's not that important. And aside from the most precious treasure in the world—the Light of the Soul possessed by the Celestials—we've gained almost everything we could possibly want. Once the final time limit expires, we can return home laden with a huge haul.]

[This was just a well-planned arrangement that didn't encounter any major surprises. We achieved our goal and reaped our profits—after all, we don't have to fight tooth and nail every time we want to gain anything in every reincarnation. Occasionally, a couple of times things go smoothly from start to finish...that's normal, isn't it?]

“Yes, that should be normal.” She moved her fingers slightly, fiddling with the soul crystal that hovered at her fingertips, bobbing up and down with the magic threads. “We prepared so much, we arranged so much, we interfered so much… Everything we built in the past is the foundation of where we stand now. And we deserve a victory in return.”

“Unless…” She jolted awake, a thought flashing through her mind like lightning. Alice’s words, actions, gestures, and the meaning she ultimately expressed—all connected by this thought—formed a complete structure. And almost without thinking, she incorporated that structure into her own mind!

And at the very same instant!

"Master Norrell, your pre-set alert has been triggered. Project-M-RC-0021: Melkor's power lost its activity fifteen microseconds before this message was broadcast. Suspected contingency plan activated; individual Melkor, Morgoth Borglier, is completely dead." — The Imp's voice rang in her ears. At the same moment the voice sounded, Patchouli, located in the main control tower, saw the Melkor's power she controlled, which had been churning just a second ago, completely still like a lump of black jelly. It no longer showed any signs of activity.

Melkor is dead.

Before reaching the limit calculated by the witches, its inner light succumbed to self-destruction due to internal wear and tear. There was no announcement from the main god, because it was itself that killed it, not the reincarnators who pursued it. Even so, Patchouli still wanted to make a final verification.

She descended slowly from the high platform of the main control tower, and the corresponding data immediately appeared before her eyes—a mere glance was enough for her to obtain comprehensive information. At the same moment the imp reported this, all the contained Melkor forces within the Great Library entered a dormant state. No amount of physical stimulation, pure energy interference, or even ultrasound, infrasound, various force fields, radiation, or quantum perturbations could elicit any feedback beyond what was expected.

Melkor's life force had completely vanished from this world. She glanced at the screen to the side; several ruins that had been specifically marked earlier, sealing Melkor's power, were also undergoing drastic changes under the monitoring device's gaze. The dark divine power that had been suppressed by the Valar's divine power, and which might have taken tens of thousands of years to be completely erased, rapidly faded and disappeared within the seal. In an instant, it was completely purified by the power of the gods.

The changes in this region even triggered a shift in the heavens. The fourteen stars sealed in the sky by the Book of Revelation—including those that had previously dimmed—all suddenly shone brightly at the same time. Even across the seal of the Book of Revelation and tens of thousands of miles away, Patchouli, positioned above the Earth, seemed to be able to read the joy expressed in those lights.

They are gods, celestial beings possessing the light of an immortal soul. As long as that light remains unbroken, they can have as much of the divine power forcibly dragged down by the Apocalypse, along with the corresponding saintly shells, as they desire. While the Reincarnators' hunt for the saints certainly angers them, anger is ultimately just anger—they are all ultimately at the mid-stage of the fourth tier in terms of combat strength. Even if Alice has great confidence in her Apocalypse, she wouldn't be so optimistic as to think that a single Apocalypse and five or six early-stage fourth-tier combatants are qualified to challenge fourteen celestial beings with extremely rich experience and knowledge.

And for this very reason, their loathing for the Reincarnation Squad far outweighed their hatred. After all, hatred is directed at opponents of equal caliber. But for these Valar and Vali who have ruled the land for countless ages, there is only one thing worthy of their hatred: Melkor, Melkor, Morgoth Boggrel.

They were captured by the Book of Revelation because of Melkor's escape. And though they are still trapped in the distant heavens, their joy reveals the fact that their only real adversary has completely vanished from this world.

“Milko, is it really dead?” Patchouli asked softly. “It’s a pity. I haven’t even had a proper fight with it, haven’t even seen it face to face. From beginning to end, I’ve been using traps and spell cannons to weaken its power. And I still don’t even know its voice or its face.”

"Master Patchouli, Project M-RC-0011: Melkor, the final remnant location of Morgoth Borglier. Should we execute the pre-selection option seven—track and retrieve it?" The Imp's voice rang in her ears again.

“Execute,” Patchouli replied.

"Understood. The Grand Library is now undergoing a temporary acceleration. We expect to arrive at the destination in four minutes and thirty-three seconds. Are there any other instructions, Master Patchouli?"

"Connecting Alice's communications."

“Understood, execute immediately.” The imp's voice paused for a moment, then he immediately replied, “I regret to inform you, Master Patchouli. The communication connection between the Grand Library and Master Alice has failed. The preliminary assessment is that the communication was interrupted on the other end, which can be considered as Master Alice being in a state of non-peace—should we attempt a second connection or utilize an additional channel?”

“…No need.” Patchouli shook her head. “Alice does have things to do right now, and…not answering is also a form of answer.”

She left the central control tower, carrying with her the now-dormant ball of Melkor's divine power, and arrived at the laboratory where other dark divine powers were sealed. She paused slightly as she entered the laboratory, and as she placed the ball of dark divine power into the sealed container, the imp's form quietly appeared beside her.

With her pale red hair, deep red eyes, black bat wings, and black and white maid's attire, this AI familiar who had served Patchouli for a long time remained as quiet and reliable as ever. The flow of information surrounding her was as stable and cyclical as ever. And the witch who created her from nothingness was as capable as ever of seeing through all her internal structures and changes with a single glance.

The Imp is essentially a collection of all information and knowledge within the Great Library; it is an artificial AI residing within the Great Library, not a living being, not an independent individual. Although it can display appropriate emotions and physical actions in suitable situations according to the needs of the witches, its essence remains that of an AI—an AI that, no matter how intelligent or wise, is not recognized as a life by the Supreme God. Furthermore, it offers no opinions, only filtering the entries provided by the witches.

Patchouli gave her a brief, indifferent look.

"Prepare Project X-002: The Transcendent Ascension Ritual." The witch, who wielded the power of stars and soul crystals, said, "The ascension ritual can only proceed normally once Project-M-RC-0011 has been recovered and its harmlessness verified."

“As you wish, Master Patchouli.” The little devil answered immediately, her deep red eyes as serene as ever.

"You won't be disappointed."

Section 87 - Untitled

You won't be disappointed.

Ah... of course you won't be disappointed.

Patchouli checked the time again; there were still exactly four minutes until they reached the tracking point. Adding the time needed for post-traumatic recovery and processing, they could still make some final preparations.

She left the laboratory and went to a preparation room just a wall away from the designated ritual site. The materialized imp, as always, followed silently and lightly behind her, ready to provide her with any service she desired.

“Little devil.” Patchouli’s voice was as calm as ever. She sat down in front of a dressing mirror that rose instantly. After casually removing her hat, her long, pale purple hair cascaded down her shoulders, the delicate, smooth ends touching the cold metal floor. She then removed the purple crescent-shaped hair ornament from her temple and placed this, perhaps the most powerful magical artifact she possessed, aside.

“I am here, Master Patchouli.” The little devil responded to Patchouli respectfully as always—she stood behind Patchouli and used a delicate hair comb made of information to groom Patchouli’s long purple hair, which was free of dandruff and frizz from head to toe.

Patchouli's fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of the chair. Then—

"Little devil, are you nervous?" she asked abruptly.

“My main program does not have a module to drive the emotion of ‘tension.’ Master Patchouli,” the little devil replied calmly, his hands, which were combing his long purple hair, remaining unwavering. “One hundred and thirty-six years, seven months, four days, seven hundred and fifty-four minutes, and thirteen seconds ago, you and Master Alice made a decision when you created me—'Excessive emotion modules will affect the efficiency of AI operation'—if you need me to have such an emotion, then I can now install the corresponding emotion module in the main program.”

"Is that so?" Patchouli's lips twitched slightly, a faint smile reflected in the large dressing mirror. "More than 136 years ago... If you include the time spent in the world of memories, then that's quite a distant history. I had long forgotten that period of time, but I didn't expect you to still remember... For the past 136 years, you've been helping Alice and me with all sorts of things, haven't you—thank you, little devil."

“Serving my two masters is the sole purpose of my existence in any world, Master Patchouli. It is my duty, the rule I must follow. And my main program does not have a module to drive the emotion of ‘hardship’—would you like to install them now?”

Do you want to install them?

“I cannot judge this instruction, Master Patchouli,” the little devil replied quickly. “But I can give you an assessment table—if you only install the ‘Tense’ and ‘Hard Work’ emotion modules on me, then there is a 93.6% chance that I will lose control within fifteen seconds due to a logical algorithm error after the modules are loaded. My work efficiency will drop to a maximum of 15%, and the main program has a very low chance of self-collapse. However, if you install all the emotion-related driving modules on me, then the probability of me losing control will be less than 3%, and my work efficiency will fluctuate between 87% and 140% of my current computing power.”

AI shouldn't have a soul, because the witches couldn't create one. All they could do was make AI behave infinitely close to human behavior—passing the Turing test was just the basics. The AI ​​programmed by Alice could easily impersonate hundreds of thousands of people or non-humans in a city without revealing any flaws. Yet even so, they couldn't create a soul.

They can use information to restore broken souls and rituals to revive lost ones. If they were to set aside their inhibitions, Patchouli could even piece together a complete, independently functioning soul from different fragments—but that is their limit. With their current technological capabilities, they are not yet able to create a soul from scratch.

And for something without a soul, whether it has emotions or not is irrelevant.

“Is that so?” Patchouli nodded. Her lips trembled slightly, but she didn’t continue the conversation—she simply turned her gaze slightly away, and the timer window floating to the side immediately displayed one minute and three seconds remaining.

The time is almost up; the final scene on stage is about to begin.

“I’m nervous,” Patchouli said suddenly—her heightened senses hadn’t detected the unusual sensation at the tip of her hair. “I’m nervous, Imp. I’ve never been this nervous since Alice and I created you. My path to the extraordinary is about to begin, and I can’t be sure whether it will lead to disaster or light.”

“Is there anything I can do for you, Master Patchouli?” the imp calmly replied. “If you permit, I can re-analyze the feasibility of Project X-002: the Ascension Ritual for you—although the ritual setup was completed fifteen seconds ago. But you can choose to perform it or postpone it for now.”

There was a few seconds of silence in the preparation room.

Patchouli looked in the dressing mirror, while the imp stared at his own reflection. She continued to tend to the witch's long, unkempt hair. Her movements and expression remained unchanged.

“You really are an AI, little devil.” After about ten seconds, Patchouli shook her head slightly. “If Alice were standing here, she would definitely be able to tell that I had already made up my mind. The conversation just now was just a routine mental adjustment before the ritual was completed—Project X-002: The Extraordinary Ascension Ritual does not need to be changed. Just do it as I arranged beforehand, no adjustments are needed, and it can be put into use directly.”

“Understood, Master Patchouli.” The imp nodded, skipping over the topic Patchouli had skipped. She paused slightly as she combed the witch’s hair, then another message came through to the Great Library and was relayed by her. “Master Patchouli, the Great Library has reached its destination, and Project-M-RC-0011 has been successfully recovered. The ritual may begin.”

“Yes, the ceremony can begin now,” Patchouli said softly, as if she were about to stand up. However, before she did, she added, “You know, little devil, although you have been managing the entire Great Library, there are some places that Alice and I have deliberately prepared to deal with unforeseen circumstances. And among these preparations, some have the highest priority.”

The little devil standing behind her remained motionless, seemingly not believing that a reply was necessary.

Patchouli glanced at the crescent-shaped purple hair ornament lying beside her. Just as the ornament left her sideburns and failed to return to its original position within the allotted time, some dramatic changes occurred.

"And this is one of them."

"Patchouli said calmly. The next moment, the imp in the dressing mirror before her underwent a dramatic transformation at a visible speed! Black armor covered her slender arms, her deep red eyes were obscured by a grotesque crown, and the bat wings on her back transformed into tentacled, writhing black and red auras that extended outwards. The hair comb that had been combing Patchouli's hair at the back of her neck instantly transformed into a one-handed warhammer shrouded in fel energy!"

“Should I say this is our first meeting, Melkor, Lord Morgoth Boggrill? We’ve been exchanging greetings with spells and cannon fire all along; this face-to-face conversation must be a first.” Patchouli gazed silently at the mirror, where she clearly saw the black warhammer, driven by the god of darkness, slashing downwards as if to sever her neck. Yet, a thin membrane of light blocked the hammer, preventing it from touching Patchouli’s hair!

This shouldn't be the case; after all, even the weakest god is still a god. A god's power cannot be hindered by a mortal using magic or barriers. Moreover, Patchouli even sensed the faint, eerie energy fluctuations emanating from beneath the crown of the dark being behind her—clearly, it was either blasphemous speech or the voice of divine authority. Judging from its energy intensity alone, it was a powerful attack capable of causing even a well-prepared witch to suffer a minor setback or stumble. Yet, it remained restrained beneath the crown, unable to interfere with the Great Library in the slightest until now!

This is not something a witch who hasn't reached the extraordinary level could accomplish, nor is it something the entire Great Library could do. And since it has happened, there is only one fact that can be concluded.

*Crack—* The light membrane sealing Patchouli's neck shattered like glass, along with the witch's form behind it. The black warhammer, along with the witch before the dressing mirror, was smashed to pieces. The released energy, like a storm, destroyed everything within the preparation room. It turned steel into dust, the barrier into scattered energy, and disintegrated the information and magic filling the Great Library into chaotic winds! These winds swept outwards, easily destroying everything in their path!

The preparation room was utterly destroyed, along with most of the large library outside. However, the God of Darkness, who had committed this act, was not satisfied. Before him, the enormous dressing mirror, which Patchouli had sat and stared at for nearly five minutes, remained perfectly intact! And reflected in the mirror was a vast library, completely undamaged!

A massive warhammer smashed into the mirror, but the mirror did not shatter; it was merely sent flying. A hand reached out from the void and caught the mirror stand as it hurtled outwards, and what appeared next was the witch's form, engulfed in seven-colored crystals!

"As a god, your acting is truly terrible. But in reality, you shouldn't have acted so badly. Your microscopic level of operational precision is enough for you to easily deceive all mortals who haven't reached the transcendent level. You should have been able to easily deceive me and easily break free from this mirror barrier that takes several minutes to unfold. But you're trapped here, blocked in front of me just when you were about to achieve victory."

Patchouli spoke softly, her gaze fixed on Melkor, Morgoth Borglier, who appeared at the edge of her vision. In her magically enhanced vision, she clearly saw the imp coiled around the god of darkness like an illusory serpent. This red-haired, bat-winged familiar gagged Melkor, muffled his hands, and was itself consumed and decayed by boiling dark energy. And as Patchouli looked at her, the witch seemed to hear her voice in her mind.

—'Please leave here immediately, Patchouli Master. Project MRC-0011 is out of control. Please initiate the destruction procedure immediately!'

As expected, the Imp never disappoints her. The reason why Melkor, who is possessing her, has revealed so many flaws is undoubtedly because the Imp has been trying to warn Patchouli.

And naturally, she couldn't ignore it.

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

Alice stopped high in the sky somewhere in the search for the Celestials, and a sudden, profound realization dawned on her, instantly making her understand everything that had happened at the Great Library. She understood many things in a flash, and then, in the same instant, discovered that all avenues for addressing these issues were completely blocked.

She looked up, and the ninth star in the sky seemed about to fall. But as she lowered her gaze, she saw a white-haired figure floating a kilometer away in a straight line.

“Althael,” Alice uttered through gritted teeth. “I thought you would keep your promise.”

"You came to my refuge and used my important people to blackmail me into making concessions. I don't think there's any need to abide by this type of covenant," the other party replied quickly and decisively.

"It seems the Celestials have given you a lot of confidence." Alice pursed her lips, her brow twitching as she clearly sensed that all external communication channels in this area of ​​space had been completely severed by some unknown force. Mental links, orbital satellites, and even electronic signals were all completely cut off. Moreover, the structure of space itself was changing, shifting. Even if someone could trace the point where the signals disappeared to find the area of ​​space where she initially landed, they wouldn't be able to find her now.

The only way to counter a wish-based ability is to kill the caster. Words are useless now, because when she saw Altair there, she knew a desperate battle was inevitable.

—The battle then suddenly broke out in perfect unison between the two.

Chapter 88 Star Soul

Star Soul.

The soul of a celestial body.

In the past—or more precisely, in the previous cycle of reincarnation—to replenish the Star Extraction Tower with energy and to conduct various experiments involving celestial movements or energy conversion, Alice repeatedly shattered enormous celestial bodies floating in space. These ranged from comets and meteors several kilometers in diameter to planets and stars equivalent to Jupiter or even larger versions of the Sun. She destroyed at least seventy or eighty celestial bodies, if not hundreds—and encountered almost no resistance while destroying them, because these enormous celestial bodies, being natural landscapes, were utterly powerless to resist.

She had pondered this: what if these barren celestial bodies, which she had used as experimental subjects, possessed self-awareness, the ability to resist, and a will? How much effort would she need to expend to complete her previous work? She didn't dwell on this question for long, because she quickly realized that even if a celestial body possessed a will, its massive and immobile size would still be a fatal weakness. After all, distance was her best weapon; as long as those planets didn't become like immortals capable of leaping with trillions of tons of mass, she would always find a way to deal with them.

Of course, this is just speculation. After all, she has never truly witnessed a sentient planet in the past. Even if such an opportunity were to arise, she would rationally choose to avoid conflict before it occurs—after all, there are so many universes in this cycle of reincarnation, and the resources within them are abundant, with countless celestial bodies and matter clusters. As a witch who knows when to advance and retreat, she has absolutely no need to fight to the death with a sentient planet.

However, I was wrong; accidents always happen unexpectedly.

[And a star soul without a celestial body to hinder it... is indeed much more troublesome than I expected!]

"The myriad phenomena of the universe, a summary of origins." — As a saber and a PPSh-4 rifle materialized in Altair's hands, which she slung over her shoulder like a violin and its bow, a tangible energy wave emanated from her. Its speed was slow, but it covered every angle around Altair. And when this energy wave swept past the magic cannon fired by Alice, the immense torrent of energy, powerful enough to evaporate an island in an instant, vanished upon contact!

No, it didn't vanish into nothingness; rather, it was restored to its original form when the magic cannon was fired. The light and heat, once gathered into lines, returned as a dissipating energy surge. The vectors attached to it were forcibly deleted by some inexplicable means, turning it into a simple aggregation of energy rather than a fired magic cannon!

The sky was boiling from the intense heat.

Forty military knives appeared around Altair in an instant, spinning like wheels as her slender figure flickered like a phantom!