The world solidified into an arena.
A cosmic, floating disc of polished obsidian, surrounded by a silent, star-dusted void.
On one side stood the Jade Emperor, his expression as impassive as a statue.
Behind him, a jury of the cosmos had assembled.
Gods, demons, buddhas, and beings that defied description, all seated in silent judgment.
On the other side stood the four Li Weis.
The Idiot. The Genius. The Hero. The Ghost.
Four pieces of one broken soul, about to be pitted against each other in a battle for the right to exist.
**
Feng Yue watched from a floating spectator box, her heart a cold, dead stone in her chest.
She was trapped behind a barrier of pure, celestial law.
She couldn't interfere.
She couldn't help.
All she could do was watch the man she loved tear himself apart.
Literally.
**
The Jade Emperor raised a hand.
"The rules are simple," he announced, his voice echoing in the silent void. "There are no rules."
"The last version standing will be deemed the 'prime' consciousness."
"The others will be... decommissioned."
He looked at the four figures.
"Begin."
**
Yin Mode, the Idiot, was the first to react.
He did what he did best.
He panicked.
"Wait, wait, wait!" he yelped, holding up his hands. "We're not actually going to fight, are we? We're all... me! This is just a big, cosmic misunderstanding!"
He looked at his other selves for support.
Yang Mode, the Genius, just adjusted his glasses.
"Your emotional response is illogical," he stated, his voice cold. "Cooperation is not a viable strategy in a zero-sum game."
The Hero, the fused version of the two, looked conflicted. He had Yin's compassion and Yang's logic, and they were currently at war in his soul.
And the Ghost, the shadow, just... watched. Its indistinct form seemed to ripple with silent amusement.
"This is stupid!" Yin Mode insisted. "I'm not going to fight me! That's like punching yourself in the face, but with more steps!"
"An inefficient, but accurate, metaphor," Yang Mode conceded.
**
The Jade Emperor sighed, a sound of pure, bureaucratic impatience.
"If you will not compete against each other," he said, "then you will compete against a standardized metric."
He snapped his fingers.
A massive, hulking golem of pure energy materialized in the center of the arena. It roared, a sound of crashing galaxies.
"Your first test: survive," the Jade Emperor stated.
The golem charged.
Yin Mode screamed and tripped over his own feet, accidentally dodging the golem's first devastating blow.
Classic.
Yang Mode didn't dodge.
He calculated.
"Subject's mass is variable, but its energy output is consistent," he murmured, his golden eyes glowing. "Its attack pattern is based on a simple predictive algorithm. Flawed."
He took a single, precise step to the left, and the golem's massive fist missed him by a millimeter.
He then tapped the golem's knee with a single finger, channeling a tiny, precise burst of chaotic energy.
Not an attack.
A piece of code.
A logical paradox.
The golem's leg froze, its internal systems caught in an infinite loop trying to solve the equation: If this spot cannot be moved, but I am moving, am I here?
**
The Hero moved next.
He didn't dodge or calculate.
He met the golem head-on.
He was the perfect fusion. The raw, unpredictable luck of the Idiot, guided by the flawless strategy of the Genius.
He flowed around the golem's attacks, his movements a beautiful, impossible dance of chaos and order.
He didn't just fight it.
He dismantled it.
With every touch, he rewrote its energy signature, calming its rage, soothing its violent code.
He wasn't destroying it.
He was healing it.
The golem's furious roar softened into a confused hum.
It stopped attacking.
It looked down at the Hero, its glowing eyes filled with a strange, new emotion.
Gratitude.
It then sat down, crossed its massive legs, and began to meditate.
**
Three versions. Three solutions.
All effective.
All different.
The cosmic jury murmured amongst themselves, impressed.
The Jade Emperor's expression did not change.
"Impressive," he said, his voice flat. "But you have forgotten the fourth."
Everyone turned to look at the Ghost.
The shadow.
It hadn't moved.
It hadn't fought.
It had just stood there, watching.
"And what was your solution, anomaly?" the Jade Emperor asked.
The Ghost's form rippled.
A voice, soft and amused, echoed in everyone's mind at once.
Solution? it asked. There was never a problem.
It gestured with a shadowy hand.
And the golem, the meditating, pacified golem... vanished.
Not destroyed.
Just... gone.
As if it had never existed in the first place.
The Ghost chuckled, a sound of dry, ancient humor.
The golem was a projection of your own expectations, it explained. A manifestation of the conflict you were told to have. I simply... chose not to believe in it.
You cannot lose a game you refuse to play.
**
A stunned silence fell over the arena.
Feng Yue stared, her mind reeling.
The Idiot survived by luck.
The Genius survived by logic.
The Hero survived by compassion.
But the Ghost... the Ghost had survived by understanding the system better than the system understood itself.
They were all Li Wei.
And they were all... magnificent.
The Jade Emperor's cold facade finally cracked.
A flicker of genuine surprise crossed his face.
"Fascinating," he whispered.
"Now," he said, his voice returning to its commanding tone. "Eliminate each other."
**
The four versions of Li Wei looked at each other.
The test was over.
Now, the real battle began.
But they didn't move.
"No," a voice said.
It was Yin Mode. The Idiot.
He was trembling, but he stood his ground.
"No?" the Jade Emperor asked, an eyebrow raised.
"I'm not going to fight them," Yin Mode said, his voice shaking but firm. "They're... me. They're the parts of me that are strong, and smart, and... not a complete disaster."
He looked at Yang Mode. "I need you. To do the math stuff. And to remind me not to eat expired yogurt."
He looked at the Hero. "I need you. To show me what I could be. If I wasn't so... scared all the time."
He even looked at the Ghost. "And I... I guess I need you too. To remind me that sometimes, the smartest move is to just not play."
He took a deep, shuddering breath.
"I'm a mess," he said. "I know I am. But I'm a complete mess. And I don't want to lose any pieces of it."
Yang Mode pushed his glasses up his nose. A strange, almost imperceptible softness had entered his golden eyes.
"His conclusion is... illogical," he stated. "But... not incorrect."
The Hero nodded, a sad smile on his face. "We are stronger together."
The Ghost just rippled, a silent gesture of agreement.
They stood together.
Four broken pieces, refusing to be anything but a whole.
It was a mutiny.
A rebellion against the very premise of the trial.
The cosmic jury was in an uproar.
The Jade Emperor stared, his face a mask of cold, calculating fury.
He had expected a battle. A glorious, tragic death match.
He had not expected... a group hug.
**
The trial, the great cosmic examination for the fate of a soul, began to break down.
And it broke down in the most Li Wei way possible.
"Okay, so if we're all staying," Yin Mode said, a look of dawning horror on his face, "we have to figure out the Feng Yue situation."
The other three versions turned to look at him.
"What 'Feng Yue situation'?" the Hero asked.
"Well," Yin Mode stammered, wringing his hands. "Who gets to... you know... date her?"
Yang Mode's eyes narrowed. "As the primary intellect, the most logical choice for a strategic partnership is clearly me."
The Hero scoffed. "She fell for our potential, not just your cold calculations. I am the embodiment of that potential."
Yin Mode's face went red. "Hey! I was here first! I did the initial panicking and falling in love! I have seniority!"
The three of them started arguing.
"My emotional connection is the foundational layer!"
"My strategic value provides long-term stability!"
"I'm the one she actually kissed!"
They had completely forgotten about the Jade Emperor.
They had forgotten about the cosmic jury.
They had forgotten they were on trial for their very existence.
They were just... four versions of the same idiot, having the most bizarre, most pathetic, and most profoundly stupid romantic argument in the history of the universe.
In her spectator box, Feng Yue buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking with a mixture of horrified sobs and hysterical laughter.
This was her life.
This was her magnificent idiot.
All four of them.
📣 [SYSTEM NOTICE: AUTHOR SUPPORT INTERFACE]
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