Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

"...The inferior soul in my hand doesn't seem too pleased to hear your words." Melkor, now resembling a rusty suit of armor, withdrew its outstretched hand and stuffed the sphere of light containing the lesser demon's consciousness into its own body. This time, the thick black smoke emanating from its body no longer dissipated, leaving only two faint points of light flickering beneath its crown.

“There’s nothing we can do about it,” Patchouli shrugged. “The Imp is my familiar, and I certainly won’t give her up easily. But it’s an undeniable fact that she’s becoming increasingly useless on the battlefield. Once I become a transcendent being, she will no longer be able to participate in the battles I’m involved in.” She pointed to her head.

"The thinking ability of extraordinary beings is faster than that of most supercomputers. As an auxiliary AI—or what you call a inferior soul—the computing power she can provide will become insignificant to me after I complete my advancement. I don't want to gradually forget or even abandon her after she loses her usefulness, so I have to make preparations for her in advance."

“I am different from my cherished companion Alice. She is focused on raising the level of the other members of the team and helping them escape the fate of being assimilated by the captain’s way—but I don’t have the time to bother with them. After all, compared to those new companions who have only known me for a year or two, the little devil who has been with me for 136 years is obviously more worthy of my attention.”

Her fingers gently touched together.

"So I set up this scheme, while my allies plotted against the enemy, and the enemy, in turn, plotted against my teammates and allies, my target remained you. I decided long ago to use your spiritual light as sustenance for my ascension to a transcendent life. But the spiritual light of a true god is simply an excess for me—"

"The surplus resources from the ritual could easily propel my assistant, who has been with me for 136 years, to a point where she would continue to fight for me in the future. However, there are some technical issues in executing this project—namely, how to allow you, the Dark Lord, to infuse my assistant with the divine power and spiritual light sufficient to transform her. But for now, it seems... my plan remains unimpeded."

"It seems I have no other choice." Beneath the crown of the armor, the two flames that might have represented vision had become weak, as if they might be extinguished at any moment.

“You really have no choice. After all, look, I’ve been wasting so much time talking to you here, and I’ve been helping you stall for time, yet your Celestial Team allies haven’t launched an attack on this Great Library. And since they haven’t come yet, continuing to wait probably won’t yield the result you’re hoping for.”

"Your reinforcements haven't arrived, and you're trapped here with no chance of escape. So you only have two things to do now. First, destroy my assistant. I will erase all traces of you within five seconds. Second, merge with the imp and participate in my ascension ritual."

Her finger pointed to the empty circle in the star trail where Earth was.

"By participating in my ascension ceremony, you will have the opportunity to fight me fairly in the spiritual world. I am not confident that I can directly contact your spiritual light without being corrupted before you die, but if you merge with the lesser demon, the spiritual light that is separated by an AI algorithm will become an opponent that I am confident I can deal with."

"Look, I'm not one to play dirty tricks, so the choice is yours. Choosing the first path will certainly anger me, but you'll also be completely wiped out by me without any chance of survival. The second path, while increasing my gains, gives you a chance to win—you might be able to defeat me on the battlefield of wits, escape this great library, and even steal the supplies I've prepared for so long. The choice is yours, and I think you probably won't keep me waiting long."

Before she could finish speaking, Melkor's withered armor shattered piece by piece. With the outer shell gone, the imp hidden beneath was exposed to Patchouli's view.

Milko made his choice. And soon, the ascension ceremony to complete Earth's orbit began.

Chapter Ninety-One: Closing the Net - Part Two

Meanwhile, on another battlefield.

“And so, this is the end.” Alice slowly withdrew her fingers from Altair’s pierced chest, watching the white-haired woman crumble from the inside out, every drop of blood, every cell turning to ash. There was no hesitation or pity in her eyes.

Altair's forty sabers were all destroyed when the Styx myth reached the fourth level of Hell. And with their complete destruction in a single blow, all of Altair's means of self-defense became ineffective.

She is indeed very strong, after all, she is a Star Soul, with virtually inexhaustible energy. Even her temporarily constructed body, like her soul, is nearly the size of a planet. Although she lacks combat experience, her vitality is far deeper than that of an average fourth-tier reincarnator—she can reconstruct her body, and even if bombed to pieces, she can completely recover in an instant. She can alter the causal relationships of her own injuries, removing the wounds caused by Alice, or even returning them to Alice.

However, Alice's tricks were not enough to fool her.

For extraordinary beings, unlimited self-regeneration is as instinctive as eating and drinking. The ability to reverse cause and effect is utterly useless against Alice—every spell she unleashes, every round of magic cannon fire, contains a tiny stream of energy specifically designed to counter Altair's genetic structure. It's a virus designed entirely for Altair; every muscle, connective tissue, and nerve in Altair's body is utterly defenseless against this specially crafted curse virus. However, if the recipient were Alice, it would naturally have no effect whatsoever.

The power of prayer has its limits; even miracles have their insurmountable heights. Even with her seemingly inexhaustible energy, Altair cannot simply obliterate an opponent of equal or even superior strength with a single incantation. Since she cannot do so, once the battle escalates into a fight to the death, Altair's fate is sealed.

“This airspace may imprison me, but you have no way to leave either.” Alice gazed at the gradually decaying and disappearing Star Soul female body before her. The Styx ritual operating around her slowly subsided. In the recent battle, she had thoroughly hammered every cellular structure and soul component within Altair, from head to toe, inside and out. And she was certain that this woman had no chance of surviving.

“If you have any last words, this is your last chance. If you want to save someone, this is your last chance to make a deal,” Alice said softly, looking at her. “You’ve angered me, and my anger means I won’t consider whether innocent people will be harmed. I’ve already guessed at the Celestials’ plans, and I have a general idea of ​​the situation at the Great Library. But I’m not sure if there are other variables—if you can eliminate some wrong options for me, then I won’t vent my anger on innocent bystanders.”

She stared into Altair's square pupils, but to her disappointment, she gleaned no information from them. No struggle, no pleading, no hope, no despair—those square pupils revealed no worthwhile emotion. And the lips beneath them uttered no meaningful words—Altair simply surrendered, allowing Alice's sorcery to incinerate her completely.

She died, and died a very serious death.

The massive spacetime rift that had sealed off this area vanished with her death. The scorching atmosphere, which had reached its peak during their previous clash, was immediately released from the airspace. Approximately one million square kilometers of land was reduced to scorched earth within seconds. Vegetation withered and died, the ground dried up and cracked, all moisture evaporated in an instant, and the dead zone created by the aftershocks of the battle continued to spread outwards.

Alice stared at the spot where Altair's figure had disappeared for several seconds.

“It’s not quite what I expected. Altair’s reaction, the Celestials’ response… they’re all a bit strange.” She rubbed her head, but wasn’t particularly anxious—she’d already figured out what was going to happen at the Great Library the moment she stepped out of the main control tower—it was simply that Melkor had infiltrated the Great Library and was residing in some vessel, waiting for her chance to strike. It was highly likely to be an imp, and even if it wasn’t, Patchouli would definitely find a way to make Melkor ’willingly’ parasitize an imp.

Witches are all very suspicious people, and Patchouli is no exception. Although she doesn't usually calculate things too meticulously, and although she claims she'll gamble on a 70-80% probability, in crucial moments like these, unless it's a ritual I prepared for her, even if it's a promotion she arranged herself, she'll double-check everything before proceeding, until she's absolutely certain there won't be any unforeseen complications.

She would only accept risks within the scope of her calculations—in other words, she would never complete an ascension without sufficient certainty. And if she wanted to maximize her chances, the best way would be to personally send the Dark God Melkor, the main material for the ritual, into destruction.

Alice clenched her fist slightly. During her conversation with Patchouli about Loyal, she and her companions had reached a tacit understanding—the Celestials had undergone an unexpected change, and Melkor might be plotting something. The most likely cause of this was that Altair, who had initially chosen neutrality, had altered her strategy, and the Celestials possessed an unimaginable awareness of her love for someone.

She had to leave, because only if she left would the Celestials and Melkor take action—regardless of what changes had occurred within the Celestials, their absolute inadequacy was an undeniable fact. Therefore, they only had one chance to act, and that chance would likely be at the point when this world was nearing its end.

[...Adam deliberately told me he had met with my clone. Only then would I pay extra attention to them while ensuring their combat strength was insufficient. However, he actually knew me better than I expected; he knew I was very suspicious, suspicious yet lacking in confidence. So, whenever a discrepancy arose in the smooth plan—such as Melkor's several illogical attacks—I would inevitably intervene to ensure no unexpected variables occurred.]

His plan was successful...at least until I made contact with Luo Ye. If there was any variable in this team battle, it would undoubtedly be Luo Ye. There shouldn't be anything in this world capable of interfering with my inner convictions—if there were, we would have already lost beyond any possibility. And since there isn't, then it means...

"We still need to ask that guy properly."

Alice tilted her head slightly, casting her gaze towards the location of the Great Library. She knew her inner voice urged her to return to the Great Library immediately, but she also knew there was no need for her to go back now—it was Patchouli's ascension ceremony, and the possibility of her going there to help her was far less than the possibility of her interfering. Patchouli was unprepared, and since she knew, she would certainly have prepared sufficient countermeasures. At this point, the most important thing was actually only one thing—to figure out the Celestials' plans and then eliminate the possibility of them being caught off guard.

She closed her eyes, and the next time, surging energy formed an absolutely solid defense around her. Her will, however, sank once more, plunging into the deepest abyss of her own heart.

In the final moments of her fall, her eyes reflected the image of the tenth star teetering on the brink of collapse.

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

“Sometimes I think that killing you right here and now might be the best option.” Luo Ye continued reading her book at her desk. Unlike their previous meeting, this time she was reading a paperback edition of the Cthulhu Mythos with her name written on the cover—she pushed up her black-rimmed glasses when Alice appeared, her pure black eyes revealing a clear sense of helplessness.

"For something whose cause and effect are obvious, you deliberately drain your energy and magic, causing yourself to fall into the abyss of your heart—aren't you afraid that I'll risk expending some non-renewable resources to keep you here, and then replace you to stay at the top?" She closed the book in her hand and cast a very unfriendly look at Alice.

"You think I'm easy to bully?"

“What’s the big deal about bullying yourself?” Alice shrugged. “The energy and spirit I’ve expended are merely stored in the Bubble World. And the only person who could possibly take those temporarily stored resources from the Bubble World is you—since you didn’t act at the beginning, you won’t either. After all, your essence is unchanging; once you’ve decided, you won’t change it later.”

"I remember warning you before I left last time that our reunion wouldn't be good for either of our mental health."

You were using an imperative sentence back then.

Luo Ye rubbed her forehead vigorously. "...What do you want to know?"

"The Celestial Team's objective."

“Isn’t this obvious?” Luo Ye shook his head slightly. “You should be able to guess what the Celestial Team is most likely to possess as a game-changer. Although the timeline is a bit off, I don’t think it’s that embarrassing continental shelf oscillator—it’s highly likely to be the Tree of Life. And now that we’ve confirmed that their trump card is the Tree of Life, what they want to do is naturally obvious.”

Luo Ye pointed to the sky, where the projections of ten stars were faintly visible in the heavens.

"Ten primordial elements, ten angels, ten lights of the soul—they clearly intend to capture these ten angels directly using the Tree of Life as resources. And their plan must have been established after contacting Altair."

"Adam's enhancement is a lie that guides the truth. You investigated this before opening this cycle of reincarnation. It's nothing more than a grand prophetic spell that gains the approval and support of the main god, like those infinite ammunition guns. Through it, or Altair's prayer, they can easily find Melkor's relics in this world. Since Adam already knew of your existence and arranged such a scheme to hide his strength, it means they were preparing from the moment they knew of your arrival, and everything that happened afterward was just an act against you."

"I know this without you telling me."

“You’re really not cute at all.” Luo Ye shook his head. “Every action has a motive. Their main purpose is obviously to use the Tree of Life diagram to provide resources for their own advancement. Therefore, the actual combat strength of the strongest among them should be around the limit of the fourth level. According to my estimation, Song Tian is at the limit of the fourth level, Luo Yinglong is at the upper-middle level of the fourth level, and Adam is more likely to be at the limit of the third level.”

"They have ample strength, and with Adam's abilities, they could have easily won over the other three teams before our arrival, and then plunged us into that terrible situation of being surrounded on all sides when we arrived—but they didn't do that. Instead, they let the plot unfold freely, ignoring the possibility of forming an alliance with other teams. This only proves that they never thought the combined teams could pose a sufficient threat to the Central Continent Team from the beginning."

"Clearly, Adam, who dared to challenge Chu Xuan in the prediction record, wouldn't be so timid. So the only person they're wary of is someone else—it seems Alice from the Demon Team has left a very deep impression on them. So much so that they've decided to make you their primary target for elimination."

Luo Ye shrugged.

"Now that we've come this far, you should understand by now. You went too far with the Demon Team, which made the Celestial Team stronger than expected, and their behavior has changed quite a bit. That poor wretch Altair was probably found by the Celestial Team from the very beginning—her story is probably true, but the only inaccuracy is that the person named Shimazaki Setsuna wasn't actually in that room; he fell into the hands of the Celestial Team, so he had no choice but to work for them."

"Luo Yinglong..."

“He might not know,” Luo Ye replied quickly. “And whether he knows or not doesn’t matter. Because with so many clues, you should be able to see that the Celestial Team’s primary goal is to complete the Tree of Life diagram, and their secondary goal is probably to kill Alice’s Central Continent body from the Demon Team. But it’s not the end of the war yet, the resurrection items are still usable, and you haven’t used up any of your resurrection opportunities from the Legend of Gods and Demons. So the only way he can kill you is to forcibly destroy you when your inner light is gathering—after all, if the heart dies, the soul’s resurrection is meaningless.”

“It’s obvious you’ll be involved in the Tree of Life ritual. So, our previous battles were just tests, tests to see if you possess a certain aptitude like Alice from the Demon Squad—” Luo Ye glanced at her with ill intent. “I think you should know what that is, after all, I already hinted at it to you the time before last. To activate the so-called Tree of Life, two elements are needed. One is ‘Adam,’ and the other is Lilith, the divine creation who consumed the Fruit of Life.”

Alice lowered her eyes. It wasn't that she hadn't read the EVA materials, nor that she was unaware of the necessary steps to activate the Tree of Life—what exactly the 'Adam's contact with Lilith' pattern entailed.

"...I am a married person."

"So once the ritual starts, you'll be destroyed, and then I'll be dragged down with you." Luo Ye glared at her angrily. "Do you really think that ship girl you used as a catalyst to break the deadlock in the Sixth Era named herself Lilith? Do you really think it was all a coincidence of fate?"

She grabbed the paperback book titled "The Cthulhu Mythos" and smashed it over Alice's head.

"Now, take what you want and get out of my sight!"

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

I feel like I'm going to die _(:з」∠)_

I want to post this..._(:з」∠)_

Chapter Ninety-Two: Closing the Net - Part Three

"I'll settle the score with that guy next time I have time."

Alice rubbed her head, opening her eyes as she felt the energy and spirit stored in the bubble world replenishing her. The paperback book that Luo Ye had thrown contained some tangible power, and when it made precise contact with Alice's forehead, an important item fell into Alice's hands.

Alice opened her hand, and what came into view was a recording crystal with a rather uncomplicated structure. After examining it with her consciousness, she discovered that the crystal was storing a thought formula—a soul, or more accurately, a copy of a soul.

That was Lilith—more precisely, the ship girl Lilith from the sixth era of the Bubble World, with whom she had many interactions and who had even consumed the Fruit of Wisdom created by Lilith. This creation, conceived by Lilith herself, had finally gained independence of soul after a long life. Although her original form in the Bubble World had long since died naturally due to the difference in time flow between the inside and outside, and her soul had long since withered and dissipated, Luo Ye had copied her soul before it naturally dissipated, and it would soon prove its true purpose.

“The tree diagram ritual, Human Instrumentality, Adam and Lilith.” Alice closed her eyes and sighed softly.

She certainly knew what the so-called Tree of Life ritual was. It was a godhood ritual based on an anime called EVA, as recorded in Saito's prophetic records. By gathering enough spiritual light to eliminate their differences, it created a powerful being with a life level far exceeding the fourth stage. In the final battle of the prophetic records, the Tree of Life ritual was even claimed to have the power to create a non-existent sixth stage of the Gene Lock. Although Adam ultimately failed in the prophetic records, this ritual might still have had a chance of succeeding.

[A sixth level is impossible. This so-called Tree of Life diagram is, in essence, just a relic of a saint. If a sixth level could truly be created, it would have already been put into use in the distant past. Adam would never have had the chance to use it. If I'm not mistaken, it's at most a ladder to heaven to unlock the fifth level of the genetic lock. And it has huge flaws, since even the fifth level of the genetic lock is still an extremely powerful force. But if its effectiveness is reduced by another level, then that would be quite reasonable.]

[Yes, Adam wasn't aiming for instant success. He wasn't even pursuing the elusive sixth tier, nor the seemingly promising fifth tier—he simply wanted to use the Tree of Life diagram to unlock his fourth-tier genetic lock and simultaneously enhance the power of the other members of the Celestial Team. Then, while strengthening his own faction, he would use the Tree of Life as a weapon.]

I should have guessed it long ago...

Alice exhaled a long breath.

"No, actually 'I' had already guessed it and made corresponding arrangements. Because Luo Ye is also 'me,' even if she represents the unchanging part of 'me' that should be discarded. At least before the inner demon was broken, she was still a part of 'me,' and her arrangements were actually the same as mine. What she did was actually what I did—as the unified individual of 'Alice,' Adam's scheme had already appeared in 'my' mind. It's just that because of the differences between Luo Ye and Alice, neither I nor Luo Ye knew a part of it, and only did a part of it."

Alice laid the groundwork on the outside, ensuring the alliance with the East American team and the writing of the Book of Revelation. Meanwhile, Luo Ye made the internal preparations, calculating the variables for the Celestial team and corresponding countermeasures. Although the two were adversaries and in conflict, their preparations were not neglected. While Alice, on the outside, learned of the problem slightly later than Luo Ye, on the inside, the conclusions were the same.

"Sure enough, the closer I get to the fourth level, the more prone my mind is to making mistakes compared to when I was at the third level. The inner demons and the non-inner demons are constantly in conflict and collision, creating even bigger gaps in my thoughts—no wonder I've felt strange ever since I came into contact with Shenqi. I always feel like something's not right here or there, and I'm always hesitant and indecisive about everything—so the real reason is that I belong to the 'change' part, which is why I can't hold a firm stance no matter what..."

"No wonder Luo Ye always said that she was the true body and I was the inner demon... It turns out that before the battle is completely decided and the individual spiritual light is gathered, both I and she can be considered inner demons."

The girl let out a sigh of relief, a sense of liberation from a heavy burden filling her entire being. The thin mist that had lingered in her heart throughout almost the entire Lord of the Rings cycle quietly dissipated. A feeling of growth and transcendence filled her thoughts.

She was fully aware of everything that had happened in this cycle of reincarnation, and she also understood what she should do next—Adam wouldn't have to wait long. Since Altair, this pawn, had acted at this moment, it meant that their chosen time of action was the instant the tenth god was hunted. Once the Tree of Life unfolded, the ten spiritual lights, stripped of their bodies and divine power, would be captured by the tree, becoming ten points of matter in the ritual. These ten formed points would then amplify the intensity of the ritual, allowing the activated Tree of Life to directly cover the entire Lord of the Rings world, and then—to complete everything in this world.

Everyone will die. After the ritual of the Tree of Life is initiated, everything that has not reached the fourth stage... or, to be more lenient, all creatures that have not reached the third stage limit of the genetic lock will be forcibly replenished. They will be transformed into life essence and initial soul structure and absorbed by the ritual. And Alice herself, due to her special status, will be the first to be affected.

Lilith, Adam, and Lilith.

Although she was reluctant to admit it, Alice knew that she truly carried the elements of 'Lilith' within her. In the world of Final Destination 2, she consumed the genuine Fruit of Knowledge and later inherited the status of the Earth Mother Goddess. With these concepts intertwined, no matter how much she denied it, in a world without Lilith as the primordial mother goddess, she was undoubtedly the first and foremost candidate. And once the Tree of Life ritual was activated, she, as 'Lilith,' would be captured by the ritual and forcibly brought into contact with 'Adam.'

She didn't know who 'Adam' was; perhaps it was someone with the same name, or some random product of a ritual—she didn't care, nor was she interested in caring. However, having read the relevant materials, she knew that the so-called 'Adam's contact with Lilith' referred to some kind of ritualistic intercourse. And since she was nearing the middle of the fourth stage, with her mental vulnerabilities at their greatest, if she, while conscious, voluntarily or involuntarily made 'contact' with a life form other than Patchouli, then she would face no fate other than self-destruction.

A person who becomes strong because of love will naturally have no ability to resist when love collapses.

"What a ruthless bunch... How did they know I had consumed the Fruit of Wisdom, meeting Lilith's selection criteria? Yes, it's undeniable that the Heavenly Prince of the Demon Squad gave me that thing that looked like a peach at Shinki's behest. And as a clone of Alice from the Demon Squad, there's no reason she wouldn't have received a similar gift. They've been in contact with Alice from the Demon Squad, which is why they gained the corresponding understanding during the battle and strengthened their resolve to eliminate me as soon as possible. So that's why Luo Ye said the previous battles were tests and probes of ritual aptitude. No wonder."

She interrupted her self-reflection, and while her mind was racing, most of the unused computing power directly connected to the information network and surveillance system that covered almost the entire Lord of the Rings world. Although she said she shouldn't have gone, she eventually detected the situation in the area where the Great Library was located through the satellite system and obtained a result that made her breathe a sigh of relief.

Very good. Now that the whole story is clear, the only remaining task is to deal with the Celestial Team's scheme with preparation. She looked at the crystal in her hand, knowing that she now had the means to overturn the table even under extremely unfavorable circumstances. And what she needed to do now was...

She raised her head and looked up at the sky.

At the edge of her vision, hanging in the sky, the brilliance of the tenth star quietly shifted from dazzling to dim.

Time is up.