Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

There are five individuals at the stable transcendent stage: Patchouli, as a knowledge manager; Sirin, who currently holds no official position; Zhao Zhuikong and Zhao Yingkong, as sentinels and assassins, respectively; and Xiao Honglu, a candidate for the think tank. The first four are self-evident; their possession of such power is only natural. Xiao Honglu, however, could be considered an unexpected bonus. Although he didn't gain much from the trials, it was better than nothing. After his ideals and will were reforged in the practice of the Order Civilization, he came into contact with the Abyss of Death.

He might be considered a flawed transcendent being, but because of Zhan Lan's existence, his status is tentatively elevated. Zhan Lan's true form is currently undergoing a transformation towards becoming a transcendent being; once she successfully reaches the Primordial Heavenly Realm and proclaims the war to that world, even if she dies, she can be resurrected as a transcendent being by the help of the main god. Therefore, Xiao Honglu is tentatively categorized as a stable transcendent being.

Therefore, the individual who transcends the species due to defects is called Zhan Lan.

Further down the hierarchy, there are six individuals whose life levels range from the Four Middle to the True God level. These include former captain Zhang Jie, the tank and firepower specialist Ba Wang, marksman Ming Yanwei, warrior Cheng Xiao, sniper Ling Dian, and the god-bone wielder Luo Gandao. Luo Gandao's situation is somewhat unique; rather than saying he became a member of the Four Middle, it's more accurate to say he gained the abilities of a member of the Four Middle after merging with that giant god-bone. He already possesses the Light of the Mind, a symbol of immortality, but that Light of the Mind, like a base stat, cannot provide him with any power or growth potential.

He was bound to stumble on this matter sooner or later, but not now, nor in the next battle. Although his strength was sufficient to qualify him for the final war, he was merely qualified, and unlikely to leave a significant mark on the battlefield—though he probably had no interest in doing so anyway.

In summary, these are the sixteen people. As for the seventeenth person, Luo Ye, who is an unofficial member, it is difficult to accurately assess her specific combat strength. In the battle against the Demon Team, she would probably be unlikely to become a force that completely sides with Zhongzhou. Therefore, she is not included in the calculation. She is also the first individual to participate in this meeting using an avatar rather than her real body—because she used an avatar, Zhan Lan had to use an avatar as well, so the others also used avatars to participate.

So, everyone is in position.

Everyone took their seats, and in those seats, they looked at each other in silence. In this brief exchange of glances, their eyes all turned to Zheng Zha, the team leader.

Zheng Zha let out a soft breath.

"Everyone." His voice was as cheerful and passionate as ever. He was also straightforward about the next topic—"If nothing unexpected happens, the next world should be the final battle for our generation's Reincarnation Team. The Celestial Team has been eliminated, India and Senzhou have limited potential, and the others are not worth worrying about."

“Next, we need to fight the Demon Team, and ultimately only one Reincarnation Squad should remain as the final victor. So—” He glanced around at all the meeting participants present.

"This battle isn't one you can't avoid. I believe everyone has some means or channels to escape during this final battle. But—" He emphasized slightly, "War is war. If you all intend to participate, then I hope everyone will give it their all. In other words…"

“This is the last chance to withdraw.” Alice picked up where he left off, conveying the message to every participant with her rather blunt language, which was not quite appropriate for a captain. Her gaze lingered briefly on the last group, and then focused particularly on Logandao.

"This battle wasn't necessary for us. Even if we won, we wouldn't gain anything of value. So, it's not shameful for individuals who are not up to the task to withdraw early. On the contrary, such an action should be praised because you've saved others a lot of time and energy, allowing the whole team to fight more effectively."

Her words earned Zheng Zha a wry smile... Ah, yes, those were harsh words. It was also an obvious attempt to make him, the team leader, take the blame. However, even so, Zheng Zha didn't intend to refute Alice's words.

Because he is not ancient.

Unlike the ancients, he wouldn't meticulously arrange the roles of each comrade-in-arms—his path is one of pioneering; he will only forge ahead, clearing obstacles and opening new paths, but he will not become a guiding light for travelers on this new road.

So he could only manage a wry smile, and a wry smile meant acquiescence.

His silence caused the air in the conference room to freeze for a few seconds.

Then, it was broken by a low laugh.

"Why are you all looking at me?" Roger's shoulders trembled, but he showed no annoyance at being humiliated. He simply raised his eyes and looked at Alice with seriousness and determination. "I will not run away, nor will I be absent from this final battle. I will not be a burden to others, nor will I need anyone else's extra care—just you wait and see, Miss Alice, I will not be forgotten in this final battle!"

His voice was loud and confident, and Alice clearly couldn't possibly interrupt his enthusiasm—Alice then nodded slightly, and, when no one else was about to speak, indicated she would skip the topic and end it. She then glanced at Zheng Zha, and after receiving an affirmative look from him, pulled a scroll from her sleeve.

She unfurled the scroll, stretching it out. What greeted everyone present was a strangely distorted cluster of light.

It was a cluster of light, with no fixed shape or color, and these lights intertwined and blended together, converging towards the center at a visible rate.

"What is this?" This thought was heard from more than one person's gaze.

—This is a picture of the universe. —More than one gaze has offered an answer to the question.

—Where in the universe is this? —New questions have replaced old ones.

—There are some familiar traces in these universes. —The new questions have not been answered correctly.

All eyes turned to Alice.

Alice nodded slightly.

“This is the past, every world we have encountered during our time as reincarnators.” Alice carefully chose her words, then continued, “And this is also the site of the final battle—because they are converging and forming a new and complete universe.”

The words were simple, yet contained a wealth of information. And clearly, everyone present was no longer the fool who needed to be explained word by word to understand—they quickly grasped Alice's meaning and personally tried to prove it.

“It’s true,” Zhao Zhuikong’s avatar flickered, some messages flowing out from it while others poured in from the outside and were verified. “I just arranged for several avatars to visit the reincarnation worlds I’ve encountered before. They discovered that their fundamental physical rules are changing and distorting—this should be the manifestation of individual universes moving in the seas. And the direction of these universes’ changes is all leaning towards idealism.”

His gaze lingered briefly on the scroll in Alice's hands.

"This must be the result of your efforts in the Trial Universe, Miss Alice. It seems you've already gained a slight advantage in the final battle... The new battlefield should be woven around this Trial Universe. After all, the remnant civilization you single-handedly promoted in Anubis's Trial Universe should be based on a worldview that leans towards idealism."

“Partially correct.” Alice nodded. “This is indeed what I obtained in the trial universe. But the trial universe is not the center of the final war; it is only one of the centers. Besides it, I have also detected many unfamiliar universes that are conceptually approaching it.”

She took a deep breath and offered her answer: "Based on my judgment, the final battlefield will be a collection of all the story universes experienced by all the reincarnation teams in this generation. It will be a cluster of universes constructed based on the rules of one or several core universes. To exaggerate a bit, it can also be regarded as a slightly smaller finite multiverse."

"Everyone, the battlefield of our final battle will be a small-scale, finite multiverse. It is basically certain that those below the fourth rank are not qualified to participate, and those below the middle fourth rank can only eke out a living. Only the combat power of the True God level can play a pivotal role in this war, thereby affecting the outcome of the four high-level battles and distorting the final result."

"In other words, the final victor should be decided between our Central Continent Team and their Demon Team. Unless a new top-tier or even quasi-saint suddenly emerges from another Reincarnation Team. But I don't think that possibility is very high. After all, if such a team really appears out of nowhere, we can't be completely unaware of it."

“I see.” Zhao Zhuikong nodded, seemingly playing with a dagger that hovered between his fingers with apparent ease. “It seems the clearing process can be skipped. After all, the stage is too vast, so much so that even the small fry don’t have the right to participate in the battle, let alone even imagine it.”

“You can understand it that way,” Alice nodded. “However, that doesn’t mean weaker teams pose no threat to us.”

“I know, it’s the butterfly effect,” Zhao Zhuikong agreed.

The next moment, Zhao Yingkong, who was sitting next to him, reached out and took the dagger that was circling his fingertips, making the guy look both amused and exasperated.

“Indeed, they should not be underestimated.” Xiao Honglu, who was quite far away, also spoke up in affirmation. “All the reincarnation worlds experienced in the past will accumulate into the stage for the final battle—given the unclear primary and secondary roles of the merged universe, there are indeed situations where weaker teams can gain the upper hand by leveraging the accumulated momentum. And in this special context of the final battle, the momentum accumulated by the local forces could potentially pose a threat to the team.”

"The four native high-ranking officials...?" Zheng Zha stroked his chin, seemingly lost in thought.

“It’s highly likely,” Alice replied. “The most powerful life forms that can naturally emerge in a single universe are at the level of True Gods. Beyond that, they would exceed the level of a single universe. However, if we replace a single universe with a finite multiverse, then, without leaving the final battlefield, there should be a considerable possibility of life forms that surpass the level of Species, or even the four high-level beings, or quasi-saints.”

"...It seems you've already prepared a strategy, Margot Royd?"

“It’s difficult.” Alice shook her head. “There are too many variables, too many variables. We can certainly plant hidden seeds in every universe we’ve ever encountered, but when they come together to form the final stage, the weight they can occupy is an immeasurable value. Perhaps our carefully prepared arrangements can’t even kill an ant, but it’s also possible that a small, casual act will set off a huge wave on the final stage.”

"I understand. But—"

"—Margot, you only said 'difficult,' not 'impossible.' Isn't that right?"

"..." Alice was silent for a few seconds. Then—

“That’s true,” she replied.

And in her eyes, the radiance of power flickered incessantly.

☆ Preparations before the end of the war: Dreams of my old home

Alice presented a proposal, a highly complex and detailed plan document containing a wealth of hidden power. It was so complex that even those of higher beings couldn't grasp its entirety at a glance and needed to dedicate time to reviewing it. This meant the meeting wouldn't end quickly.

It seems this will be a long meeting, a protracted struggle.

However, it doesn't matter, since the reincarnators participating in the meeting are mostly using avatars. While the avatars are in the meeting, the real bodies can naturally be deployed to other areas to complete other, more important missions.

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

Alice blinked, standing in the void, gazing at the earth. While her many avatars participated in the meeting and made plans in various cosmic realms, her true form arrived here silently—not through the main god, nor through the exchange items provided by the main god, but relying on her past, her own bonds, and the traces she had left behind, she traversed the vast and profound void seas, and finally, she successfully reached her destination.

This is... Gensokyo.

She exerted all her strength and energy, and although she ultimately failed to achieve anything, she objectively helped to separate Gensokyo from its original single universe—in fact, the scroll she created by fusing the seven nations was actually based on the concept of the otherworldly painting drawn by Shinki. While she is now billions of light-years away from Shinki's level, this does not mean she is unable to use Shinki's techniques and concepts.

After all, information magic is essentially a means of achieving miracles by borrowing concepts. And Alice, as the daughter of the Divine, couldn't possibly be refused when using this power. Therefore, the moment the scroll in her hands was completed, she possessed a trump card equal to, or even surpassing, the legacy of the sages. Before unleashing this trump card, she needed to perfect it as much as possible.

So she arrived here.

So she settled here.

Patchouli did not come with her, as this was an important matter that Alice needed to handle alone. Furthermore, Patchouli had other places she needed to go alone, so Alice arrived here alone.

Arriving in Gensokyo, arriving in a homeland that is not home.

She gazed upon the earth, and all the information within it entered her consciousness. She easily discerned the current situation of this land and obtained all the information she sought to know.

This is Gensokyo. Not a Gensokyo where a bunch of old, weak, sick, and disabled people are barely clinging to life, but a Gensokyo where the alien species truly live carefree lives. The original settings of Gensokyo have been largely retained, but the external world that Gensokyo had to confront in the old days has been completely erased. The Luna Capital has replaced the outside world as Gensokyo's new adversary.

Of course, they weren't mortal enemies, but merely adversaries used to create a "catfish effect." Both sides' leadership was fully aware of the overall situation and their respective needs. This meant that a true battle was unlikely to break out here.

Without battle, the spell card rules continue to operate. Over countless ages, the Hakurei Shrine Maidens have undergone numerous generations of change. Gensokyo has also expanded considerably, transforming from a single city into a continent roughly the size of Earth.

That was truly a vast amount of time, and it truly represented many years. Alice did a quick calculation and easily arrived at the number 16,077. While this number was merely a blink of an eye for her, for those short-lived beings with limited lifespans, their souls had undergone at least a thousand cycles.

She landed lightly on the Hakurei Shrine in the center of Gensokyo, where she saw a beautiful adult shrine maiden and a toddler girl who was still learning to walk. She sensed the soul of her old friend, the shrine maiden named Reimu, in the girl. And this was undoubtedly a characteristic of a reincarnated being.

She had no intention of meeting the little girl, and naturally, the adult priestess she didn't recognize couldn't see her either. Even though the adult priestess possessed ten times more spiritual power than Reimu in her prime, she couldn't be seen by the priestess unless Alice wanted to.

I'm past the age of indulging in worldly pleasures.

[At this point, I have no need to forge any more 'connections'—a great battle is imminent, and any 'connections' I form with you will be of no benefit to you.]

She pondered, then gently touched the little girl's head across the barrier of perception. Without her permission, the girl wouldn't feel anything or experience any intuition. However, she saw the little girl's gaze suddenly turn towards her, and then a happy smile appeared on her pretty face.

So Alice's gaze followed her line of sight—

Then a monster girl dressed in black and white with her arms habitually outstretched came into her view.

Ah… it’s Rumia. The youkai of the night who was rumored to be cannibalistic back in the old Gensokyo era. She did indeed have a significant relationship with Reimu Hakurei more than ten thousand years ago. So it’s not incomprehensible that she would now actively contact Reimu’s reincarnation and form a bond with this reincarnation.

but……

Alice raised an eyebrow slightly, a strange sense of déjà vu quietly creeping into her mind. A glint of light flickered in her eyes, and the future unfolded before her—

【……I see.】

A script titled "Touhou Yureimu" caught her eye, though it contained a slight residue of stomach medicine. While it was a fairly ordinary story of love and hate between a demon-slaying shrine maiden and a man-eating youkai, it felt somewhat out of place in the peaceful setting of Gensokyo.

[...There's a very obvious sense of artificiality in it, and some of the logic doesn't quite make sense...]

[It seems to be Yukari's trick... manipulating people's hearts? No... this is a ritual. So that's it, a stimulating ritual Yukari prepared to nurture Reimu's reincarnation. Unable to break free from the cycle of reincarnation, she's trying to awaken the reincarnated Reimu through this emotional stimulation?]

[Tsk, I'll talk to her when I run into her again.]

Alice shook her head, turned around, and took a step forward.

The next step she took was to enter the Scarlet Devil Mansion, which was located thousands of years later.

—She had to admit, Gensokyo really was a retirement paradise. The Scarlet Devil Mansion looked exactly the same ten thousand years ago as it did ten thousand years ago. The two loli vampires were still two adorable loli vampires after more than ten thousand years, and the head maid Sakuya and gatekeeper Misuzu were still working in their favorite positions.

The events of over ten thousand years ago remain unchanged over ten thousand years later. What surprised Alice somewhat was that in the Scarlet Devil Mansion ten thousand years later, she actually saw the Great Library, which had already been removed—obviously, Remilia had copied it and left it empty here.

Sakuya cleans the Great Library every day, as if the library's owner were still there. And when Alice's fingertips brushed across the bookshelves, touching each of the magical grimoires that recorded ancient secrets—she sensed a shift in the causality of spacetime.

It's Patchouli.

Patchouli booked a trip for a day later.

A day later, she would bring the little devil to visit the copy shop in the grand library, then have tea with her old friends and catch up. If possible, she might even take the two little vampires out for some sunshine.

This was truly her style, and Alice could only shake her head—she walked past the busy fairy maids, past Sakuya who was routinely cleaning the library corridors. She came to the side of the small sun table that would become a tea table for guests the next day, and then reached out and conjured a silver and red seal ring out of thin air.

This was a parting gift Remilia gave to her and Patchouli when they first left Gensokyo. Alice used it during a vampire ritual in the World of Zero, recording a forged memory of Remilia's battles and adventures within it—and now it's time to repay this debt.

So Alice extended her finger and placed the ring on the timeline one day in advance. The ring would then fall through the crack in time while Patchouli and Remilia were catching up. Patchouli neither objected to nor corrected her manipulation of the timeline.

Time, time is meaningless.

She turned and left, no longer lingering there.

Her next stop was the Lost Bamboo Forest, the place where Kamishirasawa Keine and Fujiwara no Mokou lived. When she arrived, she found Keine nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, Fujiwara no Mokou was engrossed in an online multiplayer competitive game with Houraisan Kaguya.