Humanity and divinity are two entirely different things.
Looking back on his time in Inazuma, from the moment he prepared to ascend to Tenshukaku, divinity had suppressed his humanity. It was hard to imagine—aside from trading barbs with Yae Miko and showing some affection for Lumine, he rarely did much else.
He hadn't even bullied Sayu. Was that even scientifically possible?
After returning, being around Yukinoshita stirred something in him. That very night, he left for the Demon Slayer world and stayed for a while. No matter how much time passed in other worlds, only an instant elapsed on Earth. For someone disciplined and driven to learn, that time dilation was nothing short of paradise. If a high school student preparing for exams could train in such a world, they would have an overwhelming advantage.
Li Mo had two goals in mind. On one hand, he had a mountain of research topics to tackle—perfecting the interaction between the Spiritual Foundation and the Pseudo-Simulated Star Chart: Mystic Framework, studying the Impact Staff and Spirit-Binding Steps, and the ever-daunting task of deciphering the Index Librorum Prohibitorum.
On the other hand, he wanted to indulge himself.
What was humanity? Li Mo was no philosopher. Even when faced with philosophical questions, he treated them as tools. In any case, spending time with his senior sister and the Butterfly sisters had been enjoyable.
He didn't stay long in the Demon Slayer world. After just half a year—though less than a month had passed since his last visit—he was practically chased out by Shinobu and Makomo. His presence had severely disrupted the operations of the Butterfly Mansion.
"All I did was use life energy to heal people. How does that earn me accusations of hindering medical progress? I really don't get it."
He said that, but he understood the impact he had on medicine better than anyone. Modern medicine was built on trial and error, on accumulated experience—and his existence undermined that process. At first, he had only stepped in as a last resort, but eventually, he started healing every patient who came in. That was when they kicked him out.
Half a year wasn't long. He had only managed to read a few more forbidden texts. His reading speed had slowed because he realized he wasn't applying the knowledge from the ones he had already studied.
The 103,000 Grimoires he had taken from Index were stored in his mind like data on a hard drive. The first step had been memorization—simply holding the information. The second step was comprehension, truly understanding what he had memorized.
For most people, this would be hard to grasp. If the knowledge was already in his head, why did he need to read it again? But Li Mo hadn't been human at that point. The first step was like carrying a library—he had all the books, but no idea what was inside them.
The second step remained incomplete. He had realized another problem: memorizing the texts wasn't enough. Applying the knowledge was a separate challenge. Theory and practice were two different things, and execution had become the third and biggest hurdle.
The Pseudo-Simulated Star Chart: Mystic Framework could serve as a testing ground for the knowledge he had absorbed. The accumulated mysteries within it were enough to support his research in any world.
"Take it slow," he murmured, rubbing his temples. He stopped overthinking it, just as he hadn't obsessed over how to accumulate mysteries in the first place.
The way his internal "Simulated Star Chart" converted human thought into mysteries was a black box—its principles were unknown, just like how the Golden Alchemy could replicate Magecraft Crests from the Fate universe. The mechanics didn't matter as long as it worked.
That was the advantage of magic—or magecraft—over technology. It was durable. Advanced technology could fail due to environmental factors, but mysteries were rarely countered. Especially those embedded in the body—they couldn't be specifically targeted. The only way to stop them was physical destruction, and with his Pseudo-Immortality, even that was difficult.
Unless he ran into another Aureolus Izzard.
But monsters on the level of a quasi-Demon God were rare, even across the infinite universe.
As for how to gather mysteries, it was simple—just by understanding the related "thought currents," they would accumulate naturally. It was far more convenient than something like Magecraft Crests.
The next day arrived. It was still the weekend, so he didn't have to rush back to school in the evening.
Japanese student life was truly comfortable—no Saturday classes, no mandatory Sunday returns. The "relaxed education" system lived up to its name.
For Li Mo, it was even easier. The original owner of his body had practically no family, an orphan's start in life. But there was still a monthly allowance, so money wasn't an issue.
His original plan for the day had been to stay home and wait for the system to deliver a new mission.
He had considered analyzing the system before, but so far, he hadn't even located where it resided in his body.
In other words, he was still too weak.
Just as he began reading through the grimoires in his mind, a phone call disrupted his rhythm.
Hanazono Yurine invited him for a meal. After confirming how many people would be there, he agreed without hesitation.
He had spent enough time studying grimoires in the Demon Slayer world. It wouldn't hurt to take a break. Besides, there might even be a chance to dissect Medusa's little "immortal" friend.
His Pseudo-Immortality was based on her immortality, but that didn't mean she had no research value. He also remembered promising Medusa that he would make something like Mystic Eye Killers.
In any case, he decided to go.
He was familiar with the train to Tokyo and the route to Yurine's home. Even if he forgot, he could always dig the memory out of his mind. But as he entered Tokyo's commercial district, a question surfaced.
—Last night, when he returned, had the filter disappeared the moment he left Tokyo?
Was it a regional effect?
Why would that happen?
His thoughts spiraled. Solving one question only led to more.
Could it be because Tokyo had too many supernatural entities? That might actually be the case. Between Kobayashi's group and Yurine's circle, there were already plenty of demons, monsters, and other oddities.
Watching the scenery pass by outside the train window, Li Mo considered the possibility. He had no idea how many different worldviews were crammed into Tokyo, but the city was undeniably a perfect stage for the supernatural.
Well, he could always bring a gift and ask Lucoa(Quetzalcoatl) about it later.
Arriving at Jinbocho, he calculated the time. The train wasn't much faster than traveling on his own—it was just more convenient.
When he knocked on Yurine's door, Medusa answered. As the "best friend" of a certain troublesome demon, Li Mo was familiar with her.
Stepping inside, he realized all the guests Yurine had invited were people he knew.
A quick glance revealed a magician, several demons, and an angel. Counting them, there were three demons, two magicians, and one angel.
What a strange gathering, Li Mo thought.