A hundred years passed like a long river, silently washing away all traces of the past.
The deceased friends turned into a handful of yellow earth, gradually burying the familiar history under the dust of time.
When the last wisp of breeze connected to the past also quietly disappeared, this world was no longer the home of the old era.
"The last one…"
Li Mo, covered in mud, came to a pool of blood, with several corpses floating on it.
Li Mo slowly stretched out his hand, covering his sight, as if wiping away the chalk marks on a blackboard, and erased the pool of blood from reality.
The Bizarre would not die.
Therefore, countless horrifying blood vessels appeared on Li Mo's face, making his numb expression even more ferocious.
"It's over…"
"Time to go back…"
Li Mo said softly, standing motionless.
This stand lasted for several years.
When his consciousness became clear, Li Mo moved his limbs. Weeds had grown under his feet, and his whole body was covered in dust.
"My concept of time is getting more and more blurred. Fortunately… my memory is not confused."
Li Mo shook his head, gently swiped in the air in front of him, cut a slit, and walked in.
He returned to the Eigenworld from the desolate land.
For a hundred years, Li Mo had been dealing with the Bizarre in various worlds.
Relying on the immortality and rule immunity granted by Vanity, as well as abilities like "Wish," he had traveled through countless worlds and finally succeeded in swallowing all the Bizarre…
Probably.
There was one more… but she was not in this time and space. Li Mo couldn't bear to kill her, nor could he help her, and he didn't dare to see her.
That was not a soul imprint, nor a mental seal, but his purest choice.
Kiana was already awake—
The two seemingly opposite people shared senses, memories, and rules.
From the vision of the future he saw, Li Mo was not sure whether the Bizarre Kiana was Kiana, or if Kiana was Kiana…
This shattered his previous thought that the Bizarre Kiana was a new personality after being contaminated.
The cold winter wind carried a biting chill, shuttling through the empty streets, making a whining sound.
Li Mo walked forward with faltering steps, in ragged clothes, on a bustling and brilliant modern street, out of place with the clean and individualistic people on the roadside.
Especially his uncovered, horrifying face, like an ugly mark left by being branded by fire, the blood vessels swollen and visible on the surface of his skin.
Passers-by avoided him one by one.
No hunger, no fatigue, no sense of time…
These were not the reasons why Li Mo wandered the streets like a walking corpse.
All kinds of karma, countless rules were added to his body. A single thought could cross the galaxy and reach the deepest part of a universe. A single sentence could bring the dead back to life and turn white bones into flesh, reversing everything.
His ugly appearance, too, only needed a single thought to be completely transformed.
But—
That was meaningless.
Using conceptual-level rules without authorization would uncontrollably release contamination, causing unnecessary casualties.
Reviving a person would only cause that person to spread a huge amount of contamination everywhere.
The Bizarre Mei had once used a train and tracks to reveal the truth of the Bizarre. The existence of the Bizarre was a "false track," completing the incomplete fate and extending the life of the world.
But the "false track" created by the Bizarre Mei was too rugged. Even if it could move forward, it would leave the train riddled with holes and in a state of devastation.
And at that time, Li Mo did one thing—he created a smooth and even "false track."
This was also what he was doing now.
He had worked tirelessly for a hundred years to bring all the world's trains back to a temporary, stable "false track."
The Bizarre world continued because of the Bizarre, and was full of pain and despair because of ghosts. So, he just needed to eliminate the ghosts and curb their birth to create a stable and even "false track."
For this reason, he could not use conceptual-level Bizarre rules. This was the path he had chosen.
He didn't care about his appearance because there was no one left in this world for him to miss.
Ugly or not, it was meaningless.
The laughter of the past had all dissipated. Today, he was all alone… why should he pity himself and be constrained by his form?
In the second century, time slipped away quietly like fine sand. When Li Mo once again pulled himself out of his long and hazy thoughts, everything around him was vastly different from the world in his memory.
He was placed in a modern and solemn psychiatric hospital. Various advanced instruments were arranged in an orderly manner, and the air was filled with the faint smell of disinfectant.
Medical staff shuttled back and forth, dressed in neat uniforms, with gentle and professional smiles on their faces.
"Although the appearance is the same, they have no aura of the living. They are not living people."
With just one glance, Li Mo saw the identity of the medical staff.
But he didn't care.
Recalling slightly, a few decades ago, someone had found him and brought him into this psychiatric hospital for observation and treatment. In fact, it could be considered a free human experiment.
People were eager to get the answer to immortality from him.
Fortunately, before he was caught, he had sealed his own contamination. As long as he didn't actively use Bizarre rules, even if they took his blood and organs, it wouldn't affect the outside world, and the instruments would not detect any reaction.
Learn from past mistakes…
He would not repeat the tragedy of the Bizarre Mei's world.
Time flew by, and the years passed like a shuttle.
The administrators of the hospital changed one batch after another. Their treatment of Li Mo was sometimes gentle, sometimes brutal.
Sunrise and sunset, flowers bloom and fade.
As time went on, the research made no progress. People gave up on studying Li Mo. Due to a "Wish" Mei had made hundreds of years ago, people began to make up for the "guilt" of their past experiments on Li Mo, committed to improving the infrastructure and living supplies of the psychiatric hospital.
The only thing that remained unchanged was the way of obtaining external information—newspapers.
Time flew by like a white steed flashing past a crack.
Five hundred years passed quickly. His memory began to become chaotic. He forgot the original appearance of many things—time, place, people, events, the general environment… All the memories were jumbled together, becoming unrecognizable. Even their names were confused. Li Mo couldn't tell who they were, or what his own name was.
His emotions began to get out of control, sometimes cold, sometimes irritable. No one was willing to get close to him. As time went on, his instincts began to become chaotic, and he had less and less control over his actions.
In order not to forget anymore, Li Mo asked for an ordinary diary and recorded something when his mind was clear.
I can't die, I can't die…
One day, a newspaper flew into Li Mo's room from the window. It landed in a corner unnoticed, absorbing the contamination that Li Mo inadvertently emitted when he lost control.
In the dark and slightly oppressive space, the newspaper forgotten in the corner quietly underwent a Bizarre change.
At first, it lay there quietly, the paper as white as snow, the edges slightly yellowed, revealing the traces of time.
Soon, a corner of the newspaper began to show a faint, imperceptible crimson. This red color spread slowly like blood, seeping from the edges to the center.
The scarlet became more and more intense, as if it had a consciousness, jumping and spreading on the paper, swallowing the originally white newspaper bit by bit.
When the entire newspaper was completely covered in red, a few lines of twisted words appeared on it.
[Li Mo, I am the you from five hundred years in the future, and I am telling you all the future possibilities through this newspaper.]
[Five hundred years later, your memory will begin to become chaotic. You will forget the original appearance of many things—time, place, people, events, the general environment… All the memories will be jumbled together, becoming unrecognizable. Even their names will be confused, and you won't be able to tell who they are, or what your own name is.]
[Your emotions will start to get out of control, sometimes cold, sometimes irritable. You will be sent to an ordinary psychiatric hospital. Here, there are normal people and psychiatric patients, but none of them are willing to get close to you. As time goes on, your instincts will begin to become chaotic, and you will have less and less control over yourself.]
[You will record something in your diary.]
[All the people you know have already left you, and you are the 'last one.' But you know that you cannot die yet.]
[You will personally hold your own funeral and write a suicide note.]
The moment the last word appeared, Li Mo suddenly awoke from his confusion.
"Ugh!"
Li Mo held his head in his hands. An indescribable nothingness was devouring his memory, his consciousness, and even the deeper parts of his soul.
The intense pain made Li Mo bump around. He finally knocked the diary off the table, revealing the contents of the first page—
"During the confrontation between the rule and your lingering consciousness, that's when you seize His power and return to the starting point. The Bizarre is immortal, death and restart. He will not die, but I will. The rule of Vanity is especially special, He will mistakenly believe that he is me, and thus return to the time node I most need to return to."
Li Mo squinted his eyes, struggled to reach out, and took out the complete Bizarre pistol that had been completed by Irene from the void. A smile unconsciously appeared at the corners of his mouth.
He had waited for this day for too long…
Desire created the Bizarre, and the Bizarre continued the world.
Only this path could save the world destined for destruction.
Not allowed to exist by fate?
But the road is right under my feet.
"Bang!"
The harsh gunshot ended the world's process. All the tangible things in all timelines were constantly pulled, twisted, and shriveled into a drop of blood that landed on Li Mo's forehead.
Life is a relentless race, with no end and no return. Happiness and pain will constantly repeat… This is Avici. There are eight great hells in the world, but only Avici cannot be crossed.
No matter how boring or fresh something is, it will fade after experiencing it again and again, becoming dull and numb.
But this is not the end—
All things will eventually return to the starting point at a certain moment, losing the concept of time. Death is rebirth.
…
…
"Going home, going home! Going home to play games!"
On a Saturday evening, the setting sun was like a gentle painter, dyeing the sky a brilliant orange-red.
Li Mo finished his "voluntary" high school tutoring and walked home with a light pace.
The scenery on the roadside was particularly charming under the setting sun. The surface of the stream by the road shone like golden blood in the afterglow of the setting sun.
Li Mo strolled along the small path by the stream.
One or two birds returning to their nests skimmed over the water, creating circles of fine ripples.
Li Mo couldn't help but slow down. His gaze was attracted by the golden stream at his feet, and a strange feeling arose in his heart.
Two figures appeared incongruously on the golden water surface.
One was his own, with a backpack on. Who was the other one?
Li Mo glanced beside him but didn't see anyone else.
The moment the setting sun completely sank below the high mountains, a pair of hands forcefully pushed Li Mo.
Li Mo was caught off guard, lost his balance, and fell into the golden stream like a stone.
Swim up!
It was too late when this thought was born. The golden stream passed through his body without any obstruction. Instantly, every cell, every drop of blood, fell into dormancy.
Li Mo watched himself fall continuously, fall, fall…
Am I going to die…
Just before his consciousness was about to dissipate, a person appeared in his sight.
It was himself.
"..."
Vanity-Li Mo stood on the bank, calmly watching his former self who was constantly falling and about to die.
"Our world is an endless hell full of endless terror. No matter how hard we try, we are just desperately striving for a false happiness, a brief moment of peace. No matter what, everything will return to the starting point, just like the beginning. Whether we succeed or not, whether we work hard or not, how much we have given, how much we have sacrificed… the process is futile, the ending is futile, salvation is futile…"
"When anything in the world is constantly repeated, anything of value will fade over time and become meaningless."
"So, is there even one thing that you would be willing to do again and again, even if you had to start over countless times, and could affirm its value?"
Vanity-Li Mo paused, "I think there is."
"The world is like a grotesque dream. Standing in the present moment, you can never tell whether what you are doing is right or wrong. It is not until we kill ourselves and become ourselves that time begins to flow and life begins to bloom…"
"Enduring endless despair and pain, to go back to the past and see them, even if it's just for a short period of peaceful happiness… For this, no matter the cost. This is the only thing we can do, and must do."
"Only death can bring an end, only rebirth can bring freedom."
As his voice fell, Vanity-Li Mo jumped down as well, grabbing his already unconscious self.
His left hand touched Li Mo's forehead, and one by one, incomplete rules were bestowed upon the surface of his soul.
"Exterminate the Bizarre," "Restart," "Projection"…
Vanity-Li Mo bestowed upon Li Mo the Rule of "Exterminating the Bizarre." It would not last forever. When Shigure Kira sacrificed herself, when Li Mo chose to abandon everything and recognize himself, that was when this rule would be broken.
Only in this way could he meet them.
And before seeing them, he had to live… live by any means necessary…
"Projection."
Vanity-Li Mo used the one and only "Projection," and the target of the "Projection" was Li Mo.
Soon, Vanity-Li Mo's figure gradually faded. His memory, consciousness, and behavioral patterns were all extracted, twisted, and deformed under the catalysis of the golden stream…
With blood and skin as the carrier, and memory and consciousness as the core, it turned into a dry notebook.
His consciousness was completely intact, but whenever the golden stream flowed past, its shape was washed into a bizarre and grotesque form.
The notebook gradually took shape.
Vanity-Li Mo's residual consciousness opened the notebook to the last page. The Bizarre Rule only allowed him to display the most objective truth—
"My name is Li Mo. As you read this, I am dying, and I am about to be reborn."
The only thing unaffected by the golden stream was the ethereal soul. The soul turned into a substantial starlight and entered the dead Li Mo's body.
Time lost its linear trajectory, and space twisted into countless mirror images, each reflecting a different life trajectory and civilization era.
There was only one exception—Kiana Kaslana.
Unaffected by linear time, the moment Li Mo "Projected," his soul was exposed to her senses.
Almost instantly, the Bizarre Kiana stepped through the heavens, crossing from a distant time and space and falling into the stream.
The time and space here were getting fainter and fainter. Li Mo's figure sank rapidly in the golden stream, his figure gradually fading.
"Ah Mo!"
"Don't go! Don't go!"
Seeing her lover constantly falling, his figure becoming more and more blurry.
The Bizarre Kiana shouted heart-wrenchingly, doing her best to push aside the water around her. The golden stream was like an indestructible piece of steel. Every time the Bizarre Kiana waved her arms, her bloody and mangled fingers became even more broken.
The golden stream was like a sharp blade, cutting her skin. The closer she got, the hotter the blood gushing from her wounds.
After several attempts, she was like she was being subjected to death by a thousand cuts, the flesh on her body being cut off layer by layer.
"Don't go! Don't leave me alone!"
"I don't want you to go! I don't want you to go!"
"It's like this every time… It's like this every time!!!!"
Her vocal cords were cut, and thick crimson blood beads spurted out.
Tears mixed with the stream water. The Bizarre Kiana's voice was already hoarse. Her throat could only produce broken syllables, like torn cloth, like shattered glass falling to the ground.
Her face was twisted to the point of almost losing its normal outline. Tears streamed down like a broken string of pearls.
Back then, in the Soul Ferrying Passage, Li Mo had sworn to her—
No matter how long it took, he would find a way to return to her side, to make her laugh happily like before…
The two of them would have a small home and never be separated again…
It wouldn't be long…
He loved her deeply.
Li Mo had said again and again that he would definitely save her…
But every time, he was just using her…
Every use pushed her further away…
He used her to save Shigure Kira…
To save MEI…
To save everyone…
In the end, he eliminated all the contamination but chose to throw her away…
"Liar! Liar!!!!"
Her broken vocal cords did not heal under the influence of the golden stream.
The Bizarre Kiana vented her pain without any regard. With a "crack," her vocal cords completely broke, and she could not utter any words.
Despite this, the Bizarre Kiana still did not give up. She swam down regardless, wanting to grab the disappearing Li Mo.
The dormant Li Mo could not hear. He had a dream. In the dream, his body turned into sparkling dust and was scattered over the vast land. It turned into small wooden houses, exposed to the wind and sun.
The chaotic sound of the wind, the flushed cheeks, the pounding heartbeat…
The moment the Bizarre Kiana touched Li Mo, the cycle completely restarted—
The universe was born, flourished, declined, and was reborn.
In the freezing ice and snow, the Bizarre Kiana looked up at the vast, white, endless sky in despair, her eyes completely devoid of light, extremely dim.
The snowflakes continued to fall mercilessly, each one like a sharp blade, cutting her already numb nerves.
The biting winter would not pity a struggling girl. The vast snow and frost covered the land, landing on Kiana's swollen and red nose.
Blood and tears froze in her eye sockets, turning into two long, crimson ice streaks on her cheeks.
The cold snowflakes fell on her body like cold poisonous snakes, corroding her fragile skin.
The person she loved so deeply had pushed her too far…
So what if the contamination returned to zero, so what if the dead were resurrected…
The restarted cycle could not hold back the two lines of disappointed tears on her face.
The lover she had searched for for a million years had still abandoned her for the world.
The snowflakes landed on her broken vocal cords, and the wound slowly healed.
But the trauma of being abandoned in her heart would never heal in the countless moments to come.
"Ah Mo… I'm so tired…"
"Let's… not meet again…"
The Bizarre Kiana's voice was weak and trembling. On this barren plain covered in ice and snow, she finally let go of all her defenses and strength, allowing her body to slowly fall, merging into the endless white.
The icy cold snowflakes wrapped around her small body, and the biting cold wind was like a fine needle blowing through her bone marrow.
Her body temperature was lost, and the sounds in her ears became fainter and fainter. The Bizarre Kiana completely fell into dormancy.
At the very, very end, a familiar, blurry voice appeared by her ear, waking Kiana up—
"You're awake? Have some porridge. The conditions are limited, this is all there is."
(END)