The magnificent wedding hall, once a sacred space, had transformed into a brutal battlefield and an execution ground. A pervasive stench hung in the air: the metallic tang of blood, the acrid burn of dissipated magic, and an even deeper, more profound scent—the very essence of despair.
Like divine judgment made manifest, the colossal ‘Nails of Judgment’ had cruelly pierced Qi Yue’an’s body, impaling her against the ground in a harrowing, crucifixion-like tableau.
Crimson blood streamed down her pristine white wedding gown, gathering at her feet to form a small, sickeningly bright pool.
Her star-dusted veil, once brilliant, had vanished, lost to the chaos. Her long, half-black, half-white hair hung limply, matted with blood. Her eyes were sealed shut, her face a pallid mask, as lifeless and fragile as exquisite porcelain.
Lin Xiao knelt, half-collapsed, on the ground. Black tendrils of mist incessantly seeped from the grievous wounds on his shoulders and thighs, inflicted by the Death Feather derivatives. His life force hemorrhaged like a breached dam, bringing with it a searing agony and an overwhelming sense of depletion.
Yet, the torment in his flesh paled in comparison to the searing anguish that consumed his heart.
A minute, then two, bled into the agonizing silence. His expression cycled through a rapid, kaleidoscopic display of emotions: initial stupefaction, followed by a tidal wave of terror as Qi Yue’an’s brutal impalement was mirrored in his eyes, culminating in a crushing torrent of self-reproach. He cursed himself for not being swifter, for allowing her to be ensnared in this tragedy.
He had succeeded.
The Crown of Reason hovered above Qi Yue’an’s lifeless, bowed head, radiating a gentle, docile luminescence unlike any it had displayed before.
The light no longer pulsed with its former repelling force, instead resembling a wild beast finally tamed, patiently awaiting the touch of its new master.
He could sense it: the crown that had tormented him through countless cycles, the very embodiment of ‘Reason’s’ authority and consciousness, had shed its internal resistance. It had transformed into a pure offering, a gift…purchased at the unbearable cost of the life he held most dear.
Through the countless cycles, Qi Yue—the ‘Moon’ persona—had gradually dissipated, eroding and assimilating the primordial, frenzied will of the ‘God’ within the Crown of Reason.
And Qi An, the ‘An’ persona from this singular cycle, had been utterly annihilated, offering her soul as the ultimate sacrifice to complete the crown’s final integration, thereby sealing the ‘God’s’ authority within this now lifeless husk.
Together, they had sacrificed their very lives and existence to forge for him this ‘sacred relic’—this vessel named “Qi Yue’an,” imbued with the authority of a god.
Now, he needed only to reach out, claim the Crown of Reason, or perhaps seal it away. This endless cycle, repeated countless times, could finally reach its conclusion, and the path beyond ‘The End’ seemed to lie directly before him.
But…
He moved forward, a shuddering, almost crawling advance, oblivious to the searing agony as his wounds tore open with each movement. He extended a hand, yearning to brush Qi Yue’an’s cold cheek, yet recoiled abruptly just before his fingers could make contact.
For his fingertips had only registered the chilling embrace of death.
A low, broken laugh, raw with boundless mockery, tore itself from his throat. He had toiled for untold ages, journeyed through countless cycles, only for this—this devastating end—to be his ultimate reward.
He slowly raised his head, his eyes empty and devoid of light. His gaze drifted from the alluring glow of the Crown of Reason to the cooling form of the body before him.
Should he take it? End the cycles? Or activate the Sands of Time, to try again?
He knew, deep down, that both options were ultimately meaningless. The five sacred artifacts remained impervious to each other’s influence, which was precisely why Qi Yue could be inserted into them, time and again.
Regardless of his choice, as the Crown of Reason’s first bound master, she had no path of return. A brief rewind would only hasten the appearance of this hollow shell, while resetting the world would merely birth a new ‘her’—one utterly disconnected from the Crown of Reason…
This Qi Yue’an—the girl who loved him, who had given him everything—was dead. Irrevocably dead. She had carried the calamity away forever, leaving him her body and this world. Now, he needed only to touch and master the Crown; from it, he could summon any past iteration of ‘her’ and be reunited.
****
Inside the Global Emergency Organization’s secret conference room.
A deathly silence had fallen over the entire assembly.
The holographic projection starkly displayed the gruesome scene from the Dawn Star Hall wedding: the impaled Demon Queen, the Demon King still half-kneeling, unresponsive for what felt like an eternity, and the crown, now softly glowing.
“How is this even possible…”
Donna, the “youthful” politician from the Federation, her golden pigtails framing a face now etched with disbelief, mumbled in a rare moment of discomposure. Her voice then sharpened, escalating into a furious demand.
“Where is the engineering department?! Explain yourselves! Are these ‘Nails of Judgment’ merely decorative?! How could she possibly complete that action after being struck?!”
In a corner of the conference room, a pale-faced engineer in a technical uniform abruptly stood, his fingers flying across a control panel as his voice, laced with incredulity, trembled.
“Re…Reporting, ma’am! The ‘Nails of Judgment’ system is functioning perfectly! All data feedback confirms that the moment target Qi Yue’an was struck, her Soul Gem connection was forcibly severed. Her vital signs and any residual life force within her body registered as zero! Theoretically… she should have been utterly incapable of any conscious thought or movement!”
“Then what was that kiss just now?! A final, fleeting spark of life? Don’t tell me the Huaxia people possess some sort of once-in-a-lifetime power surge ability!”
Another representative demanded, her voice sharp with accusation.
Cold sweat beaded on the engineer’s brow as he stared intently at the rapidly scrolling data stream, his voice thick with dismay.
“No… it wasn’t like that! We detected an incredibly brief, yet intensely powerful, surge of external energy—both magical and mental—that forcibly returned to her remains. The source is unknown! Its nature… it aligns highly with the Crown of Reason, yet also differs. It’s as if… as if it overdrafted every last vestige of power simply to execute one final, commanded action. But, this shouldn’t have been possible! The Nails of Judgment are designed to swiftly drain and sever all such connections…”
He stammered, attempting a coherent explanation, but ultimately deflated.
“…Now, all energy reactions have vanished entirely. Target… is confirmed deceased. Life signals, magical fluctuations, and mental residue have all returned to zero.”
Every eye in the room once again converged on the projection.
A minute passed, then two…
Qi Yue’an remained impaled, a broken marionette, utterly devoid of any miraculous revival.
Lin Xiao, too, had become a statue, frozen in place. Only the ceaseless tendrils of black mist rising from his wounds offered proof that time had not entirely halted.
He lifted his head, slowly, agonizingly slowly, his gaze vacant as it fixed upon the Crown of Reason. The crown’s gentle light enveloped him, an unspoken invitation.
It was as if Qi Yue’an’s voice echoed:
“Xiao, I did it.”
He reached out, his hand passing through the soft halo to touch the cold, tangible crown. There was no repulsion, no resistance.
Had he wished it, he could have effortlessly claimed it, this divine artifact forged from countless sacrifices, making it his own.
Yet, the instant his fingertips brushed the crown, a single, searing tear finally escaped the corner of his eye, tracing a path down his cheek before falling to the blood-soaked ground, leaving a dark, indelible stain.
He had obtained the key to victory, yet he had, irrevocably and forever, lost the right to claim it.
Within the hall, the few surviving guests had long since fled in disarray, leaving only a profound, echoing silence.
But none of it mattered to Lin Xiao anymore.
He remained in that pose, his hand still touching the crown, his head bowed, his hair obscuring his face.
An indeterminate amount of time later, the scene on the screen shifted. A brilliant radiance streamed down from the heavens, as if heralding a divine descent, and Qi Yue’an’s body began to ascend, hovering in mid-air.
The magical girl, still clutching her grimoire, laboriously pushed herself upright from the floor. The preceding attack had mercifully missed her Soul Gem, and her inherent magical trait was one of extreme regeneration, allowing her to recover first. Witnessing the unfolding spectacle, she struggled with all her might to stand.
Yet, before she could regain her footing or move forward to investigate, a terrifying aura erupted, sweeping through the surroundings.
“Qi Yue’an” slowly opened her eyes. But these were not the familiar silver irises, tinged with tenderness and obsession. Instead, they were cold, indifferent gold, like a deity gazing down upon mortal realms.
Her gaze fell upon the ancient sword lying on the ground, its former brilliance now dimmed. She extended a hand to retrieve it, only to find it utterly immobile.
An eyebrow arched subtly, and her golden gaze finally settled upon her impaled chest.
“To think my power could be wielded to such an extent?”
“Qi Yue’an’s” ethereal voice resonated, laced with a faint thread of interest. Then, she gently laid her hand upon a Nail of Judgment, and with a sharp ‘snap,’ it splintered into countless fragments, like fragile glass.
An unprecedented surge of golden magic began to coalesce, sealing the bowl-sized wounds and impossibly sustaining the vital signs of the deceased body.
“Who… who exactly are you?”
Lin Xiao suddenly spoke, his voice raspy, utterly devoid of vigor. “Qi Yue’an’s” gaze finally shifted to him, her golden eyes holding a flicker of disdain, as though scrutinizing a condemned soul.
“You yourself released me from the crown, yet you still find it necessary to ask who I am?”
Her voice was glacial.
“Ah, yes, this is our first encounter, isn’t it, human? You may call me Qi Wei, the consciousness you sought to infect and reshape through her soul.”
Qi Wei enumerated the human’s transgressions before her, her voice laced with disappointment.
“You have succeeded. Now, the crown’s power belongs solely to you. I, and indeed all of them, are yours. So, why have you summoned me forth now? Is it to cleanse that minor curse within you? Or do you harbor other intentions?”
Lin Xiao raised his head, his eyes alight with earnestness and a profound plea.
“Is there… any possibility she could return?”
Qi Wei shook her head.
“Broken souls are generally beyond repair, and my current authority is incomplete.”
This chilling pronouncement extinguished the last flicker of hope in Lin Xiao’s heart. He had rewound time countless times, relying on its power, but this absolute loss was the first, and it struck him with brutal suddenness.
“Then… what about completing your authority? If we find the remaining two artifacts…”
He scrambled desperately for solutions, while Qi Wei regarded him with continued distaste.
“Why should I be obligated to help you?”
Her words sent a tremor through Lin Xiao. He seized her hand.
“But, if she dies like this, how… how can I help you? Whatever your freedom, or anything else, I will do it…”
Qi Wei flung his hand away, her eyes growing even colder than before.
“How utterly ironic. No matter which ‘her’ it was… they all cared for you so deeply… yet you, a mere human, constantly spoke of saving her and fulfilling her promises, while being too arrogant to even properly explain yourself, or to simply turn back for her…”
“I…”
Her words pierced Lin Xiao’s core. He opened his mouth to speak, but her voice preempted him.
“Your mind is filled with nothing but yourself.”