2 in 1 because the chapter had 700 words.
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The story continued.
In the original "The Garden of Sinners," not much was explained about this part, but here, Ren added some changes to the plot.
After Aozaki told Shiki Ryogi, "You are now all alone," Shiki suddenly clutched her head.
She remembered her past, revealing her true identity to Li Yun and the audience.
Shiki Ryogi had a split personality, a dual personality due to genetic inheritance. Unlike most families that view split personalities as a curse, the Ryogi family revered such children, treating them as transcendent beings and raising them as the rightful heirs.
Shiki inherited this bloodline.
Shiki's other personality was a male named Shiki Tohno. As a male, Tohno lived within the female body of Shiki Ryogi, with Shiki controlling the body.
Tohno was Shiki's negative personality, bearing the emotions she suppressed. Shiki would repeatedly "kill" Tohno, allowing her to live as a normal person.
This constant internal struggle kept Shiki alive by repeatedly defeating Tohno.
Tohno seemed indifferent to this, mostly remaining dormant, only emerging when bored.
But now, Shiki Tohno had vanished!
"So, the car accident might have caused Shiki Tohno to die, while Shiki Ryogi survived?" Li Yun speculated, recalling similar scenarios in online novels where one soul replaces another in a body.
Could it be that Shiki Tohno and Shiki Ryogi were two souls sharing one body, rather than two personalities? Otherwise, wouldn't people with dissociative identity disorder have many lives?
As Li Yun pondered, the plot progressed.
At night, Shiki Ryogi, troubled by her conversation with Aozaki Orange, pondered deeply.
"Why did the other me die instead of me?"
Shiki Ryogi kept questioning herself, but the one who could answer, Tohno, was no longer there.
What did Tohno die for?
As Shiki Ryogi fell into despair over this unanswered question, the sound of the ward door opening interrupted her thoughts. Slow footsteps approached, and cold hands gripped Shiki's neck, with enough force to break it.
It was a corpse!
Just as the corpse was about to kill her, Shiki thought of one thing.
"Was Tohno happy when he died?"
Shiki believed the answer was no. During her two-year coma, she had felt death's isolation, its lack of worth, its darkness, and its horror. Death was more terrifying than anything else!
Yet Tohno died. For what? Probably for her.
Fueled by this realization, Shiki Ryogi fought back against the corpse, leading the struggle to the courtyard.
At that moment, Aozaki Orange reappeared before Shiki, using flashy magic. However, even she couldn't kill the corpse.
Since it was already dead, normal methods couldn't kill it. To truly destroy it would require crematorium-level firepower.
Aozaki suggested retreating immediately, but Shiki Ryogi stood firm.
She smiled slightly, touching the marks on her neck left by the corpse's grip, with blood still flowing.
"As long as it's alive..."
She removed the bandages covering her eyes.
"Even if it's a god, I'll kill it for you!"
In the darkness, her Mystic Eyes of Death Perception glowed a brilliant blue, captivating everyone.
Shiki leapt at the corpse with graceful, praiseworthy legs. The corpse extended its hands toward her, but she dodged and used her eyes to trace the lines she saw, dismembering the corpse with one hand.
The corpse's shoulder to waist bore the marks of her slash, though her finger bones shattered. The damage to the corpse was far worse.
The strings controlling the corpse snapped, and it fell lifeless. Even then, a hand with lingering lines clutched Shiki's leg.
Without hesitation, Shiki crushed the hand.
"Dead meat shouldn't block my way," she said, laughing quietly.
"Wow! That's badass!"
"Even if it's a god, I'll kill it for you. Damn, how does the Porter come up with such lines? Remember that line from 'Bleach,' 'I will stand above the heavens!'"
"Not surprising from the king of cool lines!"
"I declare, Shiki Ryogi is my new waifu!"
Despite knowing it's inappropriate to make noise in a theater, some couldn't help themselves.
Shiki Ryogi's moment was just that impressive.
Hearing the murmurs around him, Li Yun sneered.
A bunch of dreamers. Shiki Ryogi was his waifu.
Though he'd seen many movies with all sorts of powers, this was the first time he thought Shiki Ryogi's power was the most terrifying.
With the dagger given by Aozaki Orange, Shiki continued her rampage. Her dazzling combat moves captivated Li Yun.
"Wait! What's happening?" Li Yun's eyes widened.
On the screen, as Shiki defeated the last corpse, a white mist emerged and entered Shiki's body.
Seeing this, Li Yun recalled many horror stories.
"Could it be? Is she possessed by a ghost now?"
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"What's going to happen now?" Li Yun wondered as he watched Shiki Ryogi, who had been possessed by a ghost.
This was his new waifu, and she was possessed by a ghost? But the next scene made Li Yun's eyes widen in shock.
Shiki held the dagger with both hands, pointing it at her own chest.
Her previously vacant eyes suddenly filled with determination, and her stiff lips pressed firmly together.
Was she going to commit suicide because she was possessed?
"I need to kill the weak version of myself. Shiki Ryogi— I won't let you take over!"
The blade smoothly plunged into her chest.
When she pulled out the dagger, there was no blood. For her, it was just the pain of the stab.
Shiki Ryogi waved the dagger as if to cleanse it of the ghostly residue.
"She didn't die from stabbing herself?" Li Yun was stunned. He couldn't understand what was happening.
At this moment, the three-time viewer beside him spoke up.
"Thanks to the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, there's no such thing as a perfect object in the world. Everything has flaws, and her eyes can see those flaws. What she saw was the ghost's flaw," the man explained, holding a notebook. The light from the screen reflected off his glasses as he continued, "Just like Shiki Ryogi said, as long as something is alive, she can kill it, even if it's a god."
"Oh." Li Yun finally understood after hearing the explanation.
So, Shiki Ryogi wasn't stabbing herself but the death line of the ghost?
This power was… too overpowered! No wonder she was his new waifu.
And… no wonder this guy had watched it three times.
Li Yun glanced at the man beside him, realizing how detailed his observations were. Because of Shiki's captivating presence, he had almost forgotten the earlier explanation of the Mystic Eyes.
The plot soon shifted again.
The next day, Shiki Ryogi joined Aozaki Orange, along with the boy named Mikiya Kokutou, who had remained by her side during her coma.
Although Li Yun felt somewhat jealous of Mikiya's persistent efforts to win over his waifu, he had to admit that Mikiya's dedication was impressive. Despite the fast-paced world, Mikiya's unwavering care for Shiki was admirable.
"He truly loved her… too bad it's unrequited," Li Yun sighed.
After Shiki was discharged from the hospital, Mikiya continued to visit her daily, bringing treats. Even though she found it bothersome, she let him in.
One day, Mikiya told her about an urban legend.
A series of schoolgirls had been jumping off buildings to their deaths.
These girls, who came from different schools and backgrounds, had no apparent connection, and there was no clear reason for their suicides.
Moreover, the crime scenes were all abandoned buildings.
Additionally, there was a high-rise building in the commercial district called Fujou Building, where people claimed to see shadows flying in the sky at night.
At first, Shiki didn't pay much attention to it, thinking it was just a series of suicides.
However, Mikiya continued to investigate and encountered a lonely girl named Fujou Kirie. In the end, Mikiya fell into a coma because of Kirie.
Shiki, frustrated by Mikiya's absence, was annoyed. When she arrived at the building and met Kirie, she was surrounded by ghostly girls while trying to cut Kirie's death lines.
Watching Shiki fight, Li Yun couldn't help but clench his fists, his palms sweating.
The intense fight scenes, combined with the gripping soundtrack, kept him on edge.
"But I can't let you take him away. He was with me first, so give him back," Shiki said, tightening her empty left hand as if controlling the ghost girls, pulling them towards her.
"Is this her falling for Mikiya?" Li Yun mused, shaking his head.
No wonder. Anyone would be moved by such devotion.
If someone loved him so deeply, even if it was a guy… well, he'd have to consider it.
Shiki's dagger stabbed into Kirie's chest as effortlessly as cutting fruit.
Kirie didn't bleed but convulsed slightly before going still.
Her body silently fell, her hair and clothing disappearing into the darkness.
Meanwhile, Aozaki Orange confronted the real Fujou Kirie.
Li Yun learned Kirie's true story: she had been bedridden since childhood, with her only view being from her hospital bed. She longed to see the outside world.
She encountered Mikiya, who visited the hospital to see Shiki, and fell in love at first sight.
That's why she captured Mikiya's soul, wanting him to fly with her.
"A sad but unsympathetic character," Li Yun thought, shaking his head.
However, he was surprised that Mikiya was so popular with girls.
Even Kirie, a beauty, was attracted to him.
Was he the real protagonist here?
The final scene showed Shiki blushing, hiding her face in her arm.
Shiki, who had been cool and collected throughout the movie, now showed a shy side that made Li Yun's heart race. The contrast made her even more endearing.
As the credits rolled and the soundtrack played, Li Yun got up to leave.
But he noticed the three-time viewer beside him remained seated, still watching the screen.
"Hey, the movie's over. You can go now," Li Yun reminded him, thinking he might be lost in thought.
The man looked up and said, "I heard there's an important post-credits scene."
"Really?"
Li Yun paused and sat back down.
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