After her desperate cries, her body trembled uncontrollably, and she consented.
Just as Li Mo could never refuse the Bizarre-Kiana's demands, Kiana was equally incapable of denying any of Li Mo's wishes.
This wasn't just a rule seared into their souls, one that not even reincarnation could extinguish; it was a choice from the heart that had become an instinct.
Like a seed rooted in the earth, forever yearning for the sunlight and dew from the high heavens.
At two in the morning, the wedding banquet finally came to an end.
"Waaaah, a daughter grows up and flies the coop! Li Mo is nowhere near as good as I was back then, so devoted and loyal!" Siegfried wailed, slung over Durandal's shoulder as tears of sorrow streamed down his face.
"Dad, you're drunk. You're already starting to talk nonsense."
"Waaah, Kiana's married now... Doodoo, you can't leave us so soon, either. Our family only just got back together, waaaah..."
Siegfried was a mess of tears and snot, a far cry from his usual carefree self.
Cecilia and Durandal exchanged helpless smiles. Everyone had underestimated just how lively Kiana's wedding would be.
Before this, the benchmark for the liveliest wedding had been Li Mo and Shigure Kira's.
But it made sense, after all. Kiana was connected to so many people, whereas individuals like MEI and Hua had very few ties to this world.
Soon, Cecilia had Durandal take the drunken Siegfried back to Schicksal HQ. She then turned and headed back to the temporary room Theresa had arranged for her. She had already agreed with Theresa to stay at St. Freya High School for a while to see how Kiana was doing in her married life.
The night wind rustled, gently tapping at the windowpane.
Cecilia was exhausted. She noticed the open window but didn't think much of it.
After a quick wash, she lay down on the bed. A faint vibration from the mattress instantly snapped the battle-hardened woman to full alert. She warily scanned her surroundings.
Cecilia's brow furrowed slightly. "An earthquake? No, the shaking stopped. Even aftershocks don't fade that quickly. And... I think I hear a strange noise in my room. On the bed? No, under it."
Her seasoned experience and judgment immediately led her to point the finger at the space beneath her bed.
In an instant, three possibilities flashed through Cecilia's mind.
First: A prank.
Maybe Theresa, having not seen her in so long, wanted to play a little trick on her.
Second: A bizarre Entity.
The probability was low. She had only heard them mentioned in passing by others. Besides, everyone who dealt with the bizarre knew one fact—Li Mo had long since devoured all the contamination and bizarre Entities across countless cycles of reincarnation.
Unless he lost control one day, it was absolutely impossible for a new bizarre Entity to be born into the world.
Third, umm... the most ridiculous possibility of all.
Although the probability was minuscule, smaller than small... what was that saying again? The chances of being killed by an ant are slim, but that doesn't mean it's impossible.
"On their wedding night... Hiss... Have I been watching too many Shenzhou dramas lately? Why would I think Kiana and Li Mo would be under my bed looking for a thrill?"
"I need to cut back. This kind of thinking is just not right..."
Cecilia spoke, hand on her heart as if making a solemn vow, and got back into bed.
The next second, she leaned forward, hung her head upside down like a bat, and peered directly under the bed.
"See? I was just overthinking it. Kiana is such a good girl, why would she ever do something like that? This is reality, not some TV drama. Life isn't full of such ridiculous plots, hahaha..."
Cecilia finally relaxed. She turned off the light, pulled up the covers, and settled her mind, preparing to drift off to sleep.
However, what Cecilia didn't know was that in the instant she had suddenly poked her head under the bed, a sharp, involuntary clench had seized Kiana's deepest parts. Kiana had clamped her hands over her mouth with all her might to keep from making a sound...
A long while later, the sound of soft, even breathing came from the bed. Cecilia had drifted off to sleep.
From under the bed came faint, soft moans. Kiana had drifted off into a land of bliss.
"Mmmph~"
"..."
"..."
"That hurt like hell just now, when you suddenly clenched so tight..." Li Mo slowed his pace slightly, muttering under his breath. It couldn't help but remind him of a special term: the human radar method.
Kiana's face was flushed crimson, her eyes hazy. Her body was as limp as cotton candy, devoid of all strength, sprawled on the floor under the bed like a pool of still water. Her voice trembled, wanting to explain but the words were pushed back by the overwhelming physical sensations. The clear blue of her eyes was almost gone, replaced by a hazy white.
"Ah... Stop... I..."
"Shh, quieter. I only concealed our bodies, not the sound."
"Mmph... but... I can't... hurry..."
"Those were my lines back in the coffin. Now it's your turn to experience it. Don't even think about escaping. You drained me for three months; I'm only asking for three hours in return. See how merciful I am?"
"Here... it's so embarrassing... Mo... you're so mean..."
--- [Content Redacted for Harmony] ---
At 1:02 in the afternoon, Li Mo snapped awake, his Bizarre Vision reflexively scanning his surroundings.
"I've got to break this bad habit," Li Mo muttered to himself.
After devouring—or rather, accepting—the Delusion, the very fabric of his body had been turned upside down. He had no concept of time, no need for survival, and certainly no such thing as sleep.
If he had to describe it, his form of existence was that of a human who was essentially a bizarre Entity; from the perspective of his soul and reincarnations, he was a bizarre Entity who was essentially human.
It sounded strange, but it was all thanks to a single wish.
This wish allowed him, Kiana, and the others to live like normal people, so they wouldn't become detached from modern society.
"So does this mean I've achieved the 'Ultimate'? But reaching the 'Ultimate' doesn't feel as exciting as I thought it would. Maybe the idea that there are no regrets after reaching the 'Ultimate' is a false promise. You can get everything you want long before you reach that point."
He had improved with every single cycle. After countless cycles, he had naturally improved countless times, achieving a pseudo-Ultimate form.
Li Mo remembered a conversation he'd had with MEI at home after dealing with the Bizarre-Hua on Mount Taixuan. They had discussed the fundamental nature of the bizarre.
MEI had said that, in a sense, all bizarre Entities strive towards an impossible "Ultimate" state, also known as "Omniscience and Omnipotence"—a concept riddled with contradictions.
God is omnipotent, therefore He can create a stone He cannot lift.
God is omnipotent, therefore He can lift a stone defined as one He cannot lift.
MEI's explanation was that humans are limited by the narrow constraints of their own existence and cannot think about this problem from a higher dimension.
If the definition of omniscient and omnipotent has nothing to do with human cognition, then for such a being, what it knows is what it can do. Its subjective perception becomes objective logic and fact. In a more extreme case, it might even be something that cannot be described with words.
Li Mo had retained all his memories from his reincarnations. Before consuming the Delusion, even when he recalled the past, it never felt as natural as it did now.
To this day, he and MEI still hadn't figured out what the Delusion truly was.
But what it was didn't matter. What mattered was that consuming it had a positive effect, and that was enough.
Probably...
Beside him, Kiana was still lost in a hazy, dreamlike fantasy. She was curled up like a kitten, her little pink tongue gently licking her own fingers as she let out a soft, weak whimper.
Her cheeks were still flushed, seemingly savoring the events of last night.
The Bizarre-Kiana and Kiana were the same person. This was a reality Li Mo had come to accept after consuming the Delusion and recovering his past memories.
There was no point debating what was and what wasn't.
Li Mo considered them one and the same.
To put it crudely, it was no different from a human's normal state versus their time in heat. Her normal state was Kiana at her most human; her time in heat was the obsessive, crazed Bizarre-Kiana.
The latter's level of obsession was terrifying. When she got worked up, she wouldn't even hesitate to kill herself, and her psyche had no limits.
Li Mo suddenly felt a wave of relief. When he had awakened Kiana's humanity, he had adjusted her body's state back to its pre-bizarre levels.
This way, the most he'd have to deal with in the future would be a top-tier Kaslana with the bloodline of Earth's God, the Herrscher of Finality.
Not a limitless, insatiable monster...
If that were the case, his own body, which he maintained in a "one-death state," would be drained completely dry in a matter of days.
"Mo..." Kiana rubbed her eyes and sat up. The blanket slipped from her slender frame, revealing skin as pure and white as holy light. It was a young woman's only adornment, and her most beautiful garment.
Li Mo's eyes went wide as saucers, shooting out a lightning-quick, sharp gaze.
Faced with his bold and scorching stare, Kiana made no move to cover herself. After all... there was no longer any need.
Where he wanted to look, for how long he wanted to look.
As long as he wanted, as long as it made him happy, it was all okay.
"My wife is so beautiful," Li Mo said with a smile.
"What do you mean, your wife? Hmph, fine, I'm your wife! Happy now? From now on, I'm going to eat all the rice in your house. Let's see if you're still smiling then!" Kiana pounced on Li Mo, pushing him down onto the bed.
Li Mo glanced at the other half of Kiana's body and said calmly, "Want to go again? I don't mind."
"No way!" Kiana glared at him resentfully. "My legs are still shaking! It's all your fault for making that wish!"
"Alright, alright, I'm the weak one. I still haven't gotten over my trauma after all this time. It has absolutely nothing to do with the great Miss Kiana. I am Li Mo, and I bear the original sin."
On the surface, Li Mo was repentant, but inwardly, he was overjoyed.
Duh. If we were all in our bizarre forms, we'd be at it for weeks at a time. How could we live like that? It's much better for everyone to have the physical constitution of a normal person. (Special mention: A certain Scumbag Mo retained his "one-death" constitution.)
Life isn't just about the pleasures right in front of you; it's also about the pleasures in the distance, and more pleasure. (Just kidding.)
"What do you want to eat? I'll go make it for you."
Despite having achieved an "Ultimate" form, Li Mo would only use his bizarre powers in certain necessary—and lewd—situations.
If he were to cheat by constantly using his powers, the simple joys of being human would slip away unnoticed, never to be found again.
What mattered most, always, was the sincerity of a devoted heart.
"The same as always is fine."
"So, is there anywhere you want to go after we eat?"
"Hmph, you have the nerve to ask! You meanie, Mo! You were so rough last night, you have no idea how hard it was for me to hold back! I can't even close my legs right now! Hurry up and wish my body back to its peak condition!"
"Hiss... my ears are ringing a bit. I must be hungry too. Give me an hour."
With that, Li Mo bolted out the door, quickly disappearing from Kiana's sight.
The thought that everyone else's bizarre rules were dormant and their bodies were back to a normal human level, except for his own, made Li Mo hum a little tune.
After all, "truth" is only found within "the range of the cannon."
...
As was their custom, the month after the wedding belonged to the new bride.
Unlike Shigure Kira, who loved to travel the world, Kiana only wanted to walk the paths they had once walked together.
Exactly as they had before, with no bizarre interference and no one to disturb them.
Li Mo drove while Kiana stood in the passenger seat, the top half of her body leaning out of the car.
The wind blew gently, shaking off the light, feathery snow from the tips of the leaves. She saw the frost that had once threatened to bury the first half of her life melt away, revealing tender, vibrant new shoots.
Li Mo would occasionally remind her that what she was doing was dangerous. Kiana wouldn't talk back; she would obediently sit down in the passenger seat, her hands folded on the open window, silently watching as the bustling city gradually gave way to simplicity. The air grew thick with the smell of cooking, the streets were cluttered with old, abandoned sofas, and an old man on a heavily rusted bicycle leisurely crossed a bridge.
The distance was great, so the drive was very, very long.
It was a journey that saw the neon flashes in her eyes fade to the warm yellow glow of streetlights. In that faint light, people laughed and talked, until all people, things, and events were hidden by a blanket of endless white snow. In the far distance, the sun slowly rose, and a one-hundred-and-twenty-mile-per-hour wind whipped across her cheeks.
"Hee~" Kiana suddenly giggled, thoroughly enjoying the journey.
A person is at their most free only when they are on the path to freedom.
The small wooden cabin was in ruins. From the outside, the entire structure looked as if it were about to be buried by frost and snow.
But as Li Mo and Kiana drew closer, bound by some sort of rule, it was restored to its original state.
Flames danced upon the firewood, perfectly illuminating the entire room. It was spotless, showing no signs of having been abandoned.
"Why did you live here before?"
Kiana asked the question that had troubled her for so long.
Li Mo pushed open the cabin's only door. The snowfall grew heavier, and he shivered instinctively. With every breath, a visible puff of white mist drifted away.
Before accepting the Delusion, he had also wondered about this—why his past self had lived in such a harsh environment.
Leaving a young child to survive in such a brutal place meant there was almost no chance of survival.
What's more... there was also the rule, "Cannot leave alone," which had prevented his immortal self from ever leaving.
"I think it's because if I hadn't stayed here, the story could never have begun."
Li Mo smiled and bit his finger, letting a single drop of blood, imprinted with a rule, fall onto the snowfield.
Yes, even as a weak child who had forgotten everything, his younger self was still immortal. The harsh weather couldn't trap him. Human nature and instinct would have compelled him to constantly try to leave.
It was for the same reason he had used the Impostor rule to go back in time and project himself there.
Humans are exceedingly fragile. Without external force, they can neither endure endless loneliness nor withstand the biting frost.
If he had left this place, Kiana would have died. She would have died in this snowfield. Without that lingering obsession, none of the later events would have happened. In that case, the world, to him, to the person named Li Mo, would have been completely meaningless.
Whether the bizarre world collapsed or was destroyed, it would have had nothing to do with him.
No love, no hate, no caring, no concern.
"Let's not talk about that. Carry me..." Kiana suddenly hugged Li Mo from behind, gently bumping her forehead against his spine.
"I feel like I was born to be overworked."
Though he said that, Li Mo instinctively hoisted Kiana onto his back. It was just like that moment, a long, long time ago, when he decided to carry the injured little Kiana out of the snowfield, rather than imprison her here, to stay with him forever.
The biting wind howled past, tearing at their dry skin. A bone-chilling cold seeped into their bodies. Breathing felt like swallowing silver needles, each breath a sharp sting.
After nullifying all their bizarre rules, their physical bodies couldn't completely withstand the severe cold.
In the pristine white world, two small figures clung tightly to each other.
The girl took off her coat, draped it over her back, and spread it open to shield the boy pressed against her from the wind and snow.
"I suddenly have an idea."
"What?"
"I could just make a wish and turn into a human torch. That would be so cool, and we wouldn't feel cold at all."
"...Silly Mo! Don't say such unromantic things! But..." Kiana's petulant voice suddenly softened. "...just a little bit is okay... Don't catch a cold..."
"..."
"..."
The world suddenly fell silent, but the footprints in the snow grew deeper and deeper.
Kiana buried her face in his back. Li Mo felt his body grow hot. Strange... Was it not cold at all back then? I don't remember it being like this...
"I'm kidding. If I really did that, there'd be no point in coming here. I also want to... carry you out of here, one step at a time, with my own two feet." Li Mo let out a long breath and looked up. The sky was clearer than it had ever been. "We're going home together."
"Mmm..." Kiana's voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz, almost inaudible.
Louder than her voice was the frantic, chaotic beating of her heart.
Hmph, so even the memories of a bizarre can be wrong. The sky over the snowfield was never this dazzling before...
They returned to the rental apartment. Because Cecilia had been curious about it before, Theresa had asked him and Kiana to come back and clean it up, so it wasn't the dirty, neglected mess one might expect.
"This is so nice, to be able to come back here with Mo like this." Kiana stood before the bedroom, staring in a daze for a long time. Finally, unable to resist, she broke into a gentle smile, walked over, and picked up the long-obsolete game console from the bedside table.
After leaving the snowfield, the two of them were strangers in a new city. She couldn't move, so Li Mo could only do the most basic manual labor to barely support them.
Most of the money he earned went to buying her medicine and nutritional supplements, hoping she would recover sooner.
He never spent much on himself. All the money he saved through tireless work was poured into the bottomless pit of her illness.
She owed him too much, far too much... so much that no matter how much she gave, it would never be enough.
Thankfully, after three years of Li Mo's meticulous care, her body finally recovered, and she could work alongside him.
The two of them didn't earn much, but they were always happy when they came home after a day's work.
They would eat cheap snacks together. Sit by the window together, gazing at the lonely moon, and talk about random, silly things.
They would do chores and clean the house together. They would walk hand in hand along the riverbank, counting the little yellow ducks and chatting about the interesting things that happened during their day...
Through their combined efforts, their life got better and better.
Today was better than yesterday, and tomorrow would be better than today.
Leisurely time, a small warm home, two people in love...
"Heehee, look what I got for you! Ta-da! It's your favorite game console. I secretly saved up for a long time..."
"That's something only a dummy like you would do. Couldn't you have used your allowance to buy yourself something nice to eat?"
"Hmph~ I wanted to!"
"Then I'm not giving you an allowance anymore."
"You—how could you do this to me! Hmph, fine, don't give me any! I'll earn my own money and spend it myself!"
"But the money you make from your part-time job isn't even enough to fill your own stomach."
"You—how can you slander me like that! Just you watch, next month I'll definitely deliver more orders and make more money!"
In the tiny house, Li Mo bickered with her. The brand-new game console on the table was a rare luxury for them at the time.
The house had no fancy decorations, only practical, necessary furniture.
The only things that could be called decorations were the countless photos covering the walls.
Without exception, they were all intimate photos of the two of them. And in them, her expression went from a blank stare at the beginning to a genuine, heartfelt smile later on.
Yes, even if she had to do it ten million, a hundred million more times, it wouldn't matter. She would never, ever, ever, ever regret it.
Even if her consciousness blurred and her memories became jumbled, it was okay. She just needed her body to remember the instinct—the instinct to draw close to Li Mo, to carve her love into instinct...
"Spacing out? Then I'm stealing a kiss."
Seeing Kiana in a daze, Li Mo observed her for a moment and decided to tease her. He moved in to hug her, his lips brushing against hers as lightly as a dragonfly on water.
But the next second, his body froze as if encased in ice. A sharp pain came from his lips.
"Never be apart again..."
"Together forever..."
"In life..."
"In death..."
"I love you..."
Kiana murmured in a trance, a morbid smile on her lips. She greedily chewed the piece of flesh in her mouth, filled with Li Mo's essence.
"..." Faced with this sudden change in Kiana, Li Mo didn't push her away. Instead, he held her even tighter.
He had already pushed her away so many times...
St. Freya High School, the cabin in the Bizarre-Mei's world, the spirit-crossing passage in the haunted house, Mount Taixuan, the Tenshukaku...
He had even done something so unforgivable to her in Bronya's world...
He would never push her away again.
Even if his consciousness blurred and his memories became jumbled, it was okay. He just needed his body to remember the instinct—the instinct to draw close to Kiana, to carve his love into instinct...
The lights slowly faded. In the room, a girl wept in satisfaction...
---||---
[Author's Note: Original Plot Outline]
In the Asura Path arc, Li Mo was supposed to go insane, leading to all the Bizarre heroines making an appearance.
Ultimately, the Bizarre-Kiana, with her heaven-defying stats and mechanics, would have won and become infected by the Delusion—thereby regaining her humanity.
However, she would be pushed away ten thousand times by the "five-deaths" Li Mo. On their ten-thousand-and-first embrace, Li Mo would attack indiscriminately, replacing the gentle Li Mo in every single one of their sweet, shared memories—and brutally killing Bizarre-Kiana, destroying those memories.
The other revived Bizarre heroines would also try to awaken Li Mo, confessing their feelings and the things they had treasured in their hearts.
Hua would have said the most (the author gives her a special shout-out; Hua: "But you didn't write it").
Unfortunately, they came up just short. An annoyed Delusion-Li Mo would erase their memories before leaving.
But no matter how many times Delusion-Li Mo erased Bizarre-Kiana's memories, she never left him—because she had already transformed her love into an instinct.
A simple confession from her would be the finishing blow, triggering Li Mo's own instinct to love Kiana, giving him a chance to return to the present.
The story would then lead into the SAMSARA of horror arc in the final volume.
Yes, the entire book's foreshadowing of "instinct" was meant to lead up to this plotline—but alas, it was never written.