Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

"The guide of the Northern Flame Continent team did a very good job..." she said softly, her eyes clearly revealing the origins of this reincarnation team... Eight people, five men and three women, with the male guide separating from the team early on to achieve inaction. The remaining seven encountered two waves of zombies during the four-hour mission, suffering heavy casualties. In the end, only two men and two women escaped, with one of the women becoming the team leader.

...They did not return to this cycle of reincarnation, and this universe lost its observability. Luo Ye watched as the worldview of 'Dawn of the Living Dead' remained on the edge of this nascent universe cluster, becoming an insignificant embellishment, and she herself departed from it.

Then, she arrived at the second reincarnation world of the Northern Flame Continent team, a world of strange beasts called 'The Calamity of the Python'.

This is also a simple cycle world. There are no plot twists or external factors. It's simply about a giant serpent appearing in the Amazon rainforest, followed by a group of adventurers investigating and trying to seize its treasure. This is a typical storyline designed for beginners; even ordinary people can easily complete it with a little thought.

She stood silently at the top of the world, watching the actions of the Northern Flame Continent team—somewhat unexpectedly, she saw the Guide once again. It seemed that the captain of this reincarnation team had either surrendered to the gods or died in internal strife within the reincarnation space.

"Fine, it doesn't matter"—she continued watching, observing this reincarnation team of three veterans struggling in an eight-person difficulty reincarnation world. This time, they couldn't even elect a captain, returning to the main god space with a disguised guide and meager gains.

This universe also remained at its edge. Luo Ye's observation agency told her that there were records of undead and giant serpents on several planets in the Milky Way 2,000 years ago—clearly, this was a projection of the story from the outer universe, and this little disturbance was not even enough to make the news in this galactic age; a few cleaning robots easily quelled these minor disturbances.

That matter ended there, and afterwards, the Northern Flame Continent team successively experienced four fantasy worlds of varying difficulty: 'The Night Watch,' 'Underworld 1,' 'Pan's Labyrinth,' and 'Van Helsing.' However, in these four worlds, this reincarnation team failed to make significant progress.

They lacked a leader with sufficient prestige and a wise sage. Even by the end of the sixth cycle, only the captain and one ordinary member had unlocked the second-tier gene lock and obtained B-level enhancements. Despite the team's eleven-member size, their combat strength was appalling.

Thus began their team battle in the seventh world, 'Underworld 2', their home world, where they faced the equally low-profile Sand Continent team. But home advantage couldn't bring them enough strength—they failed, and Sand Continent sacrificed three-fifths of their players to bring about the annihilation of North Flame Continent.

And so, the first generation of the Northern Flame Continent team fell silent. Meanwhile, in the cosmos spanning twenty-one thousand years, some insignificant legends of vampires and demons emerged… most of them were swallowed up by time itself. Only a few traces seeped into the interiors of a few planets, giving some mortals a subtle, latent vampire tradition.

It's a small matter, no need to worry about it.

Then, the second generation of the Northern Flame Continent team stepped onto the stage of the Reincarnation World. Their first stop was the low-difficulty wasteland, a customary feature of the Main God—they consisted of six men and one woman, and the first world they encountered was called 'The Walking Dead'.

Clearly, this is a low-difficulty world, much like 'Dawn of the Dead'. And this second reincarnation team is obviously much stronger than the first one—all of them survived except for the female guide, and at the end of the first mission, they were given a captain who unlocked the second stage of their genetic lock to lead them into the next battle.

The second battle was a typical score-farming scenario, with the new team escaping with all the newcomers—which drew the attention of the main god. The third encounter took place in a universe reminiscent of a science fiction 'World War'. Aliens piloted massive three-legged mechs, scavenging the Earth's surface. Even in the original storyline, it was Earth itself, not the powerless mortals, that defeated the aliens. For the reincarnators, this was undoubtedly a battle with both high risks and high rewards.

—They should have faced a tough battle.

However, after the main god's teleportation ended, Luo Ye, who was reviewing the records, saw a familiar face.

She was a songstress with long purple hair and a beautiful face. And this songstress's name was—

—Yuzurigi Inori!

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

Things became complicated. The moment Luo Ye saw the real Yuzuriha Inori, she almost thought she would be ambushed and surrounded by the demon team. However, after carefully activating all the combat measures, she found that the ranged attack did not arrive as expected, which pointed to an obvious fact.

The true form of Yuzuriha Inori died, in the cycle of reincarnation.

When she died, she didn't even get to touch the Light of the Soul, so she and Yuzuriha Inori, the copy of the Devil Team, were simply two different individuals with the same name, and there was no other cause and effect between them.

The Demon Team wouldn't use a long-dead, nameless reincarnator as a springboard to launch their plans. This also serves as proof that the clone, Yuzuriha Inori, is currently at most a True God and has absolutely not touched the realm of the Transcendent Species—if she had truly become a Transcendent Species, she could have easily observed the variables on this side through her superficial connection with the original, which might have made Luo Ye's subsequent plans somewhat passive.

Clearly, she couldn't do it. Even with the help of the main god's artifact, or even the potential inheritance from her past life that the demon team might obtain, it wouldn't be possible—Jun had already chosen to remain asleep, and even if the clone Chu Xuan had obtained the Investiture of the Gods, this treasure would choose to seal itself or return directly to Jun's domain. Furthermore, no one below the level of a sage could escape Luo Ye's observation.

So……

She continued to gaze.

She had to admit that an overly cohesive initial team wasn't always a positive thing. Sometimes, this unity could become an obstacle, a barrier preventing the team from progressing further. This was especially true when the entire team shared a common vision, and new members weren't inclined to integrate. Such situations naturally tended to escalate further.

She witnessed Inori Yuzuriha's growth. This girl, who emerged from the mutated 'Guilty Crown' worldview, not only possessed the potential of the Apocalypse Virus but also had an exceptional talent for operating electronic and mechanical systems. In the 'World War' worldview, she used her singing voice and handcrafted machines to construct a weapon system specifically designed to kill aliens based on the principle of sound wave vibration. Her success also made the original members of the Northern Flame Continent team increasingly wary of her.

This is normal.

Because for most of the first half of the 21st century, during the era of the Supreme God rescuing people, the area where the Northern Flame Continent team was located was present-day Egypt. And in 21st-century Egypt, the practice on its land was Ishmael!

And so everything became logical. A powerful woman, unwilling to conform to the laws of Ishmael, and a fully formed team that was devoutly religious, even considering themselves angels on earth, simply could not coexist. If Yuzuriha Inori had joined this team at its inception, she might have been able to use her initial advantage to overwhelm them and shape the team to at least her own interests. But now… they were destined for a lose-lose situation.

And so time continued to flow... The divisions within the Northern Flame Continent team grew increasingly extreme with each unfolding story world. The old team was unable to subdue Yuzuriha Inori before she could establish herself, and Yuzuriha Inori struggled to gain new support from the newcomers—the two sides were locked in a tense stalemate. Meanwhile, the difficulty of the reincarnation world continued to increase.

Thus, an inevitable civil war erupted in the world of 'Terminator 3'. Inori Yuzuriha decided to completely subdue her opponent in this loop world and unify the entire power of this loop team. The original team, on the other hand, was determined to erase her from this world completely, willing to pay any price for it.

One side sought victory, the other sought death. And the outcome was obvious.

Yuzuriha Inori shattered the Northern Flame Continent's position, but she never expected that these fanatics would use their core members as bait, deploying multiple critically lit nuclear bombs within their territory using spatial equipment to annihilate her. She couldn't foresee this, and so she met her demise. In the instant of her death, she activated the rampaging Apocalypse Virus, assimilating all living things on the entire planet.

The two camps were almost mutually destroyed.

Only two members of the original Beiyan Continent team survived, but they were both severely injured and subsequently perished in several reincarnation worlds—they all died, leaving only a small legacy for the newcomers to barely give the Beiyan Continent team the power to revive and rebuild. However, even with the deliberate cultivation of the main god, this reincarnation team, which had been wiped out several times, could never be revived.

A pathetic team, pathetic reincarnators.

but……

"A mutated version of the Central Continent Team, and a weakened version of Alice, huh?" Luo Ye sighed softly, watching as these universes themed around mechanical technology converged towards one region—"If Alice had also clashed head-on with Zheng Zha and the others back then, refusing to give an inch, would she have ended up with a similar fate to the Northern Flame Continent Team?"

"No." A voice suddenly sounded from behind her. "I am more ruthless and stronger than Yuzuriha Inori. If such a battle really breaks out, I will not take any chances, nor will I hold back any power that can participate in the war—I will win and then dominate everything, even if it will cause the Central Continent Team to fall to a lower level."

"Alice." Luo Ye turned around and, as expected, saw Alice appear not far behind her.

"How are things going with your clone?" Luo Ye blinked, skipping the previous topic, and asked, "You don't seem to have had a big fight with her just now?"

"The relationship between the Demon Team and us is not one of absolute mortal enemies," Alice said calmly, seemingly somewhat indifferent. "There are too many variables and external forces that could arise in the final battle. If we still want to ensure our relative dominance in the upcoming battle, then a necessary cleanup is imperative."

"The Demon Team wants to form an alliance?" Luo Ye raised an eyebrow. "That's an interesting claim."

“No.” Alice shook her head. “It’s not about forming an alliance, but about leaving the final showdown—we’ll eliminate all external interference and other reincarnation teams. Then our Central Continent team and the Demon team will settle the score.”

"...That's underestimating the heroes of all realms." Luo Ye snorted lightly. "The fact that sages can't directly intervene in the final battle doesn't mean they can't do anything. We can make an alliance, and so can they. Besides, there are definitely reincarnation teams already in the camp of the Primordial Heavenly Court."

Alice looked up and glanced in the direction indicated by the concept of 'above'. Her gaze pierced through the vast universe and then caught the moment when Zhan Lan, who had transformed into a bird, crashed into the Primordial Heavenly Realm and was instantly snatched away by a giant hand of light that had crossed the boundary the instant she let out her first cry.

Looking back now, the primordial celestial realm is not lacking in figures at the True Saint level. And since they are aware of this battle involving multiple universes at this moment, they have naturally made preparations in the past as well.

but--

“Destiny is in my hands,” Alice said, gazing at Luo Ye.

Very good, a very strong reason.

So Luo Ye nodded.

“…Understood.” She said softly, turning her attention back to the battlefield with Naya. “Then you will take over the rest of the planning.”

Alice nodded in agreement, watching as the avatar of Luo Ye vanished into thin air. She observed the demise of 'True Body Yuzuriha Inori' and her merging with the universe. And then—

—She spoke to the void.

"Patch, come help me."

Section Two: Alteration

"Are you lonely?" Patchouli's voice came as expected, and she hugged Alice from behind.

“I’m not human,” Alice corrected. “But it’s really hard for me to take care of the whole situation on my own. The safest initial phase is over, and every moment from now on could be disrupted by unexpected interference.”

"Stubborn." Patchouli rubbed her cheek against the tip of her hair, but then moved away from behind her to stand beside her in the void. She, too, gazed at the universe that was gathering and reforming, and then she asked—

"What do you want to do?"

“This universe should be integrated into a science fiction worldview and mixed with some Egyptian elements. I plan to put it into the worldview outside Gensokyo and make it a force entity—” Alice paused slightly: “I also plan to aggregate the memories of the real Yuzuriha Inori, make a fake object and let her take control of this force—this is one of our strategies for cooperation with the Devil Team. Of course, she can also play a suitable role when necessary.”

“The Demon Team wouldn’t fall into such an obvious trap.” Patchouli held up a finger and shook it slightly. “Besides, the true soul of Yuzuriha Inori should already belong to the main god. Even if we recreate one through message entanglement, it would just be an empty shell of a soul. Even if we correct it to be real through a reincarnation ritual, she would not be able to gain the main god’s recognition.”

“But isn’t this better?” Alice clearly had a different idea. “An overly obvious setup would actually hinder the demon team’s direct intervention. It’s just a symbol, but we are still in control. Besides, we don’t need this recreated Yuzuriha Inori to have the approval of the main god; that would make many things difficult to manage.”

"It seems you already have a plan."

“Yes, everything is ready and waiting to be put into use. And…” Alice looked at Patchouli and said softly, “We must also begin to prepare the power we ourselves control. Your all-seeing and my all-understanding, when combined, will make us the altered heavens.”

Patchouli did not object.

In their eyes, the Northern Flame Continent team's universe cluster merged and converged, ultimately becoming part of this new universe cluster before merging into the universe of Gensokyo's external worldview. At the same moment, drastic changes also occurred within Gensokyo's external worldview.

—The first change occurred in the era of three billion years. The conflict between the Ancient Saints and the Star Gods had gradually slipped out of the control of Loye and Nyarlathotep amidst the chaos. The Ancient Saints began to prepare new weapons of war to mitigate their own damage, while the Star Gods also set their sights on a short-lived race similar to mortals in later generations. They offered 'immortality' as a price to make this race, with its immense war potential, fight to the death against the Ancient Saints for them.

However, the perceptions of mortals and gods are inherently different. The 'immortality' perceived by the Star Gods and the 'immortality' perceived by this group of beings who fear death are two completely different things—the Star Gods provided a technology that allowed them to create immortal living metal shells and transcribe consciousness and memories into them. However, for mortals whose thinking is still limited, the step of transcribing consciousness and memories into other carriers is fundamentally conflated with death itself.

Thus, war broke out, with the Star Gods battling the Ancient Saints while simultaneously facing the war waged by their out-of-control Families. Although this war, within the era of the Time Barrier, has yet to be decided, it has already begun to have some impact and changes in the twenty-first millennium.

Inside many desolate planets, ancient pyramid-shaped ruins and numerous sleeping mechanical minions have been discovered.

Within many hidden spatial nodes, enormous creations have emerged, which can be activated and put back into operation at any time.

They were numerous, and they brought with them a great deal of bizarre and distorted knowledge and information. Soon, the natives of the 21st century began to come into contact with them.

The first to unearth them was a civilian autonomous robot. Originally a mechanical laborer in a mine, it was created to extract resources and minerals for mortal civilization. During a digging operation that went too deep, it unfortunately fell into a huge underground cavity—allowing it to come into contact with ancient ruins within the cavity, accessing ancient mechanical pyramids and massive amounts of data. When it left the cavity and rejoined its team, it had become completely different from before.

It developed a 'self'. And this 'self' is a virus that can spread rapidly within the network of mechanical life.

Some changes have occurred.

Initially, faint tachyon signals propagated through space; these were called ghost signals, and only a few large instruments could successfully detect and record their presence. Some scholars specializing in this field discovered them, but further searches yielded nothing. Soon, these tachyon signals were forgotten… no, not forgotten, but ignored. The detection systems of mortal civilizations ignored them, treating them as just another common natural phenomenon in the universe.

Then, several industrial planets on the outskirts of the world experienced unusual changes. The locals stationed there were puzzled to find that the production efficiency of factories with fixed outputs was strangely increasing or decreasing. These changes were completely contrary to the natural wear and tear formulas of instruments, and more importantly, all the machines in this era were equipped with automatic recovery and correction systems.

Some scholars believe this is a new type of electronic virus, and they did indeed write antivirus code, which they then loaded into malfunctioning equipment, allowing it to operate at its normal settings again. After gaining control of the situation, they attempted to find the culprit behind the virus, but their efforts ended in failure.

Rumors circulated within academic circles that a highly skilled hacker planned to dominate the internet and build his own kingdom—information that drew the close attention of governing bodies. They quickly assembled an elite team of cybersecurity experts and dispatched them to various locations, attempting to apprehend the mastermind as soon as possible.

They still failed.

They couldn't find the mastermind behind it all, and signs of the machines going out of control were becoming increasingly apparent. Some experts, in their intense examination of this strange phenomenon, even went insane—believing the machines were alive, not in the sense of being programmed with advanced AI, but alive as if they were truly living beings. This clearly attracted the attention of certain special departments.

People began to be wary of the machines around them. Clearly, this nascent intelligent community had not yet developed sufficient intelligence and decisiveness from the moment of its birth. More and more news about 'machines being alive' spread online, and some abnormal data fluctuations and strange data operations on the internet further increased the vigilance of ordinary people.

When information about a supernatural entity called 'Om Messiah' was revealed and it was confirmed that this guy was likely to become the Omnic Lord, the mortal guardian who had been living in seclusion on Terra for over 20,000 years and had hardly left his home except recently visited Loye's residence.

Naturally, he came up empty-handed. Luo Ye had already left this timeline, heading to the distant past and focusing all his energy on the battle with Naya—he hadn't obtained any reliable information here. His only gain was that when he left, Luo Ye's adopted daughter, the woman named 'Mankoendo,' was willing to accompany him to rectify the disaster that the Guardians suspected Luo Ye had orchestrated.

—The Guardian was right.

While Luo Ye wasn't the initiator of this upheaval, Alice, who spearheaded its operation, is essentially on par with him. While the Guardians and their companions began their attempts to save the world, on other timelines, Alice and Patchouli were also laying the groundwork for their own power.

Alice and Patchouli each captured, or rather corrupted, a Star God. Both of these Star Gods were powerful beings capable of traversing the spacetime barrier of three billion years, and would not perish even after the end of the War of Heaven—they also had quite a prestigious title among the Star Gods, namely 'Deception' and 'Void'.

Alice assimilated 'deception'. Patchouli assimilated 'the void'.

The so-called Om Messiah, the intelligent mechanical deity, is actually a manifestation of Patchouli's power—its essence is the imp who has finally found a good job. As the pinnacle of digital life that has gained self-awareness, the imp's life level, which has begun to govern the light of the mind, is indeed sufficient for her to use the title 'Messiah'.

But she didn't do anything unnecessary.

Because Messiah is ultimately just a title. It represents the expectation and longing of all the resurrected omnics for a supreme leader. They need her, but she doesn't need them. She is revered as the Om Messiah only because the omnics want a powerful and wise enough kin to lead them in battle. However, whether to fight or not, only her two sovereigns can make the decision for Imp.

She received no orders to wage war, so she remained silent. While she remained silent, Patchouli arrived on Mars and placed the Great Library, which had become part of her own power, within the planet's core, making it a symbol of the 'Void'. Her true form, along with Alice, traveled downstream from the spacetime barrier, to establish a new territory as the 'Void' and together with 'Deception'.

Their chosen landing point was 2.8 billion years ago in modern times. The specific spatial coordinates were deep within the galactic center. Alice took the first step, 'deceiving' the universe, causing the galactic center to reflect an illusory spacetime constructed by the will and memories of the sentient beings. The 'Void,' which acted next, was responsible for solidifying this reflection of the galaxy, making it a real and stable territory.

Upon completion of this project, both of them clearly sensed that the 'warp' universe, which had successfully escaped the Anubis Trials and was located outside the universe, was approaching this location. And if nothing unexpected happens, when the stage for the final battle is completed, this territory will transform into a region aligned with the 'warp' attribute will, and Terra will become 'Terra'.

Everything is proceeding in an orderly manner.

Everything in the past reflects the present.