Atop the castle bathed in the crimson moonlight, the white-haired young man held a ruby ring in one hand while holding the vampire girl's left hand with the other. No, perhaps she should now be called a vampire bride.
Luna stared blankly at herself in the mirror.
She wore a pure white bridal gown. Unlike the black roses that had adorned her previous formal dress, the theme this time was white roses.
Black roses symbolized "ultimate love," but they also carried a faint implication of a curse, while white roses, as flowers traditionally used in weddings, represented the purest form of "innocent love."
This symbolized Luna's transformation from someone pursuing love into someone who had finally obtained it. Yet as a masterpiece Elias had painstakingly prepared for her, naturally this wedding gown was not that simple.
"Human, am I beautiful right now?"
"Of course. The girl standing in front of me right now is the most beautiful girl in the entire world. I've completely fallen for you, Luna."
Elias gazed gently at the girl before him.
The pristine white wedding dress was decorated with many crimson roses, while the hem of the skirt even carried an effect resembling burning flames. This was absolutely not something an ordinary tailor could have made.
At the same time, it symbolized the girl's resolve. Though she feared sunlight, she was still willing to set her own body ablaze for the person she loved.
The chest of the wedding dress was made from brown fabric embroidered with intricate patterns. A rose also adorned the position over her heart on the left side of her chest, making it look like a "huge" heart-shaped piece of chocolate melting downward.
Incidentally, the veil on her head had cat-ear decorations, which were one of Elias' little personal preferences. Luna would occasionally end her sentences with an incredibly adorable "meow~", so Elias had deliberately added a pair of cat ears.
Elias gazed at Luna in fascination, as though he wanted to burn this incomparably beautiful image of her into his eyes and never forget it.
Luna still felt somewhat dazed and unreal.
She had once imagined becoming a bride. Long ago, when the two of them had gone on a date at an amusement park, they happened to witness a couple holding a wedding ceremony. Even after ten thousand years, Luna still remembered it clearly.
Back then, she had even caught the bouquet and dreamed of one day wearing a wedding dress herself.
But the girl had never imagined that the day would truly come when she would wear one. The person reflected in the mirror looked so beautiful that Luna felt this had to be the most beautiful moment of her entire life.
"Luna, do you know what comes next?"
"Mm. I-I read about it in a book before."
"Then let's begin."
Elias smiled faintly. At this very moment, his heart was pounding just as rapidly. It was not as though he lacked experience, but faced with a girl he genuinely loved from the bottom of his heart, there was no way he could remain calm.
Yet this feeling was wonderful. The girl before him belonged to him, and right now, the two of them were carrying out the most beautiful, sacred, and joyful ceremony in the entire world.
If it had been anyone else, perhaps they might have regretted not having the blessings of other guests. But Elias and Luna were different. They had once spent ten thousand years together in a world where only the two of them existed.
Thus, somewhere deep in their subconscious, they would occasionally think the same thing.
As long as he or she exists in this world, that's enough.
Other than him or her, I don't need anything else!
Elias and Luna interlaced their fingers and gazed deeply into each other's eyes, their crimson pupils reflecting no one but each other.
"Luna, I promise to love and cherish you forever, through hardship and happiness, darkness and sunshine, failure and victory."
"Human, I promise to remain faithful to you forever, through prosperity and adversity, wealth and poverty, health and sickness."
There was no priest or officiant present, because they did not need one.
The two recited their vows and exchanged their sincerity with one another.
Elias tightened his grip slightly on the ruby ring, took a deep breath, and asked the final and most straightforward question.
"Then, will you marry me, Luna?"
"I will, Human. I've always been willing!"
Luna answered without the slightest hesitation. This was a dreamlike scene she had never even dared to imagine in the past, yet now it had become reality. Her heart pounded uncontrollably, as though it might leap straight out of her chest.
There was not even an instant of hesitation in her answer. Of course she was willing. The white-haired young man before her was the person she loved most in this life. Compared with him, even the entire world was as insignificant as dust!
He was the meaning behind her existence in this world, the greatest miracle of her entire life. In order to find one another, they had crossed the sea of time and reached the very end of the world.
If love needed to be tested,
then they had already overcome the most difficult trial imaginable.
Elias revealed a blissful smile, then slipped the ruby ring onto the ring finger of Luna's left hand.
"Thank you for accepting me, my Luna. Now for my own little tradition. Accept my blessing and my vow."
Elias wrapped an arm around Luna's waist and pulled her into his embrace.
"May the love of the Pure White One protect you, granting you a vow of eternal love. May we never part in this lifetime."
"Human, I heard you."
Luna looked equally blissful, while also finding it incredible.
She could clearly feel her heart beating more violently than ever before. A vampire's body temperature was far lower than that of an ordinary human, yet at this moment, she felt as though the blood in her veins had become scorching hot.
Something deep within her soul seemed to have been ignited!
And Luna knew exactly what kind of person Elias was. She knew that any vow spoken from his lips would never be broken.
At that moment, Luna felt as though she could already glimpse the future.
From now on, she would surely be welcomed into an unimaginably happy ending within Elias' love. For a vampire, it would be a life far too happy, extravagant, and beautiful.
But that was precisely why she could not remain forever as the one who was loved. The reason was simple. Elias was not the only one who loved deeply. She loved him just as deeply.
Thinking this, Luna cupped Elias' cheeks and unconsciously spoke a vow of her own.
"May Luna's Vow protect you, granting you unwavering true love. May we never part in this lifetime."
"Luna..."
Elias froze for an instant. This was the first time anyone had ever bestowed a vow upon him. Suddenly, the cool night breeze of Castle of Eternal Night blew fiercely, sending countless rose petals into the night sky before they fluttered down over the two of them.
Their uncontrollable emotions became action. Elias and Luna kissed each other at the same time, while melodious music drifted from within the castle and a grand holy bell rang out loudly for the two of them.
"I love you, Luna."
"So do I, Human."
After that, words were no longer necessary. Elias lifted his bride into his arms, while Luna wrapped both hands around his neck. The vampire prince and princess entered the castle together.
Then beautiful sounds transformed into a melody and echoed freely beneath the crimson moon. Because this was a world belonging only to the two of them, Elias and Luna could freely release all the feelings they held for each other without restraint.
Because time flowed more slowly here than outside, they could love each other to their hearts' content. Because no outsiders could see them, they could indulge themselves without restraint. Tonight would never end. It was a sleepless night.
...
Half a day later, aboard the Hyperion.
"May I ask how long the two of you kept going? I mean inside that unbelievable space of yours, Captain."
"Uh, apparently about ten days and nine nights?"
"...Vampires really are monsters."
The corners of Rosemary's and the others' eyes twitched violently as they stared at Luna, who was still wearing her bridal dress and clinging affectionately to Elias' right arm. The vampire girl's eyes were overflowing with tender affection.
As Luna gazed at Elias, there was no longer room for anyone else in her eyes.
Elias also had an arm around Luna's fragrant shoulders. The two of them seemed to radiate visible pink bubbles, enough to fill the entire Hyperion. No, at this rate, they would fill the entire Sea of Quanta!
Incidentally, Ai had been right in what she said earlier. A vampire's regenerative ability was almost comparable to Garuda's. Even if Luna completely exhausted both her stamina and energy, drinking blood allowed her to recover without limit.
Combined with Luna's reckless, intense, almost maddening love, she had directly endured everything Elias could give her! It seemed that only Finality from the Proper World could surpass her.
"Uuu! She came later than everyone else, so how can Luna be this incredible?! If Elysia, Mei, and the others in the Proper World saw this, their jaws would definitely hit the floor!!"
Ai spoke with equal parts envy and shock.
If the time they had spent together in the World's Interstice was excluded, Elias and Luna had technically only known each other for around ten days in total!
Yet now the vampire girl was wearing a white wedding dress, had a ruby ring on her hand, and had already done everything there was to do. She had directly caught up with Elysia, the strongest competitor of the current season, despite Elysia having a fifty-thousand-year head start!
This was simply absurd!!
"Wait, no! There's still one thing missing!"
Ai seemed to think of something and clung desperately to one last shred of hope.
"Even though they've exchanged vows, put on the rings, and done all those things, they still haven't gotten a marriage certificate yet! Mm! That means it still isn't completely official. I still have a chance to catch up later!"
"Oh, right. We haven't gotten the certificate yet. I almost forgot about that. Ai, that was actually a great reminder!"
Elias blinked and gave her a thumbs-up.
"Huh? What?"
Then, under the AI girl's utterly dumbfounded gaze, Elias took Luna back to her Bubble World. Only ten minutes later, each of them returned holding a small red booklet.
(Elias: Getting the certificate in the Bubble World where Luna was born definitely makes it feel more official. We didn't have identity records here, but something that minor is easy enough to solve with my Authorities.)
He used the Authority of Reason to construct completed marriage application forms, then used the Authority of Corruption to enter his and Luna's identity information into the Bubble World's network. With that, they could legally marry as normal~
The two also took the opportunity to notify Kallen.
At the time, the Schicksal saint was in the middle of a mission killing Honkai Beasts. She was so stunned on the spot that she nearly slipped up and got killed by a Parvati.
(Kallen: What the hell?! How long has it even been? Theresa already grew this big, and m-m-m-marriage?! Isn't this way too sudden?! I can't accept this!!)
(Ai: "I can't accept it either—!!")
The AI girl tearfully bit down on a handkerchief as she stared at the two people holding their red marriage certificates. She wanted nothing more than to slap herself twice. Why did she have to open her mouth? Now she had lost even her final chance to overtake them.
"No! I can't just let this end here!"
"Uh, Ai?"
"Hyperion repairs complete. Initiating jump. Destination: St. Freya Academy in the Proper World! Set sail!"
Following the principle that she absolutely refused to suffer alone,
Ai decisively launched the Hyperion back toward the Proper World. She was absolutely going to share the "wonderful news" that Elias and Luna had gotten married with all the women in the Valkyrie dormitory!
Today, she was going to light the fuse for a world war!