The Unreachable Neighboring Shore

——Misaki City.

It was a fairly large city within the county, renowned for its unique landscape.

The city is characterized by its highly orderly layout.

In the north and south of the city, there is a river that flows through the center of the city.

To the east of the river flows a densely populated commercial district.

To the west of the river flows a residential area lined with mansions.

Connecting the two urban areas on the east and west sides is a rather magnificent large iron bridge.

This iron bridge is called Misaki Grand Bridge.

As for the name of the river, it is called Minami River.

In the residential area west of the Minami River Misaki Grand Bridge, there is an apartment building located in a corner next to the main road.

The apartment is for rent; it's neither small nor large, similar to a dormitory, with many rooms.

At this very moment, the door to one of the rooms in this apartment building was gently pushed open.

The person who came out of this room was Fang Li.

"Is this Misaki City?"

Fang Li came down from the apartment and onto the main road. He looked up at the direction of Misaki Grand Bridge, but because the sun was on the other side of the bridge, he was blinded by the glaring sunlight and had to squint and turn his head to the side.

Raising his hand to shield his eyes from the glaring sunlight, Fang Li gazed ahead.

It was the early hours of the morning.

After all, the sun is just east of Misaki City; it couldn't be setting, it had just risen.

The morning sun shone down from the sky, illuminating the entire Misaki Grand Bridge and the Minami River, making the river surface sparkle and look exceptionally dazzling.

This alone shows that Misaki City's reputation for its unique landscape is well-deserved.

"So I really have entered the world of Shakugan no Shana?"

Fang Li murmured to himself.

The reason for this feeling is simply because the Reiji Maigo, which Fang Li has equipped in the form of Virtual Equipment on the accessory slot, is emitting a faint light.

It felt like returning to the womb, to one's homeland.

This feeling was directly transmitted to the holder, namely Fang Li himself.

That's why Fang Li had this thought.

With this feeling in mind, Fang Li lifted his feet and slowly walked forward.

The mornings in Misaki City are not particularly lively.

At least in the residential area, only people coming and going from one house to another, and although the number of people was not small, it was not too noisy.

Some of these people were young women carrying bamboo baskets and bags, preparing to go grocery shopping.

Some of these people are white-collar workers wearing suits and carrying bags, ready to go to work.

Some of these people are residents dressed casually, empty-handed, preparing to go for a morning run.

Some of these people are dressed in uniforms, carrying schoolbags, and are students preparing to go to school.

People of all kinds were coming and going in the surrounding houses, creating a bustling scene.

As Fang Li walked down the main road, his eyes were fixed on the people around him, a glint in them.

Perhaps, among the crowds here, only Fang Li can be seen?

I saw those clusters of flames burning.

It was a flame that seemed to carry no heat, displaying a pale blue hue.

Some flames were very strong, while others were extremely weak, like different candles being lit, burning slowly in a flower-like shape.

However, what's peculiar about these flames isn't their color, but rather their way of existing.

They are all located inside people's bodies.

Not everyone has it.

However, among the crowds who brushed past Fang Li, quite a few people had such a flame burning within them.

Some of these people looked quite ordinary, while others appeared tired, listless, and had vacant eyes as they walked down the road.

The former refers to individuals whose internal fire is still very strong.

The latter belong to those whose internal flames are already extremely weak.

Looking at the flames, Fang Li began to mutter to himself.

"Is that the torch?"

Fang Li knew that.

These people, whose bodies were burning with flames, were all dead.

Yes.

He died.

Because of the harm caused by an existence from another world.

That's right.

Another world.

Beyond this world lies Other World.

That is a "crimson world" that exists in the Real World, like a "neighborhood that cannot be reached"—the "Crimson World".

Naturally, ordinary humans cannot reach that place, and no one will ever reach it.

Life also exists in the Crimson World.

The beings who live there are called "Crimson Realm Denizens," or simply "Apostles."

That is a life form completely different from humans.

The difference here refers not to appearance, but to power.

Unlike ordinary people, Crimson Realm Denizens are a group with power.

After learning of the existence of this real world inhabited by humans, many "disciples" in the Crimson World wanted to act recklessly in this world for their own desires.

However, this world belongs to humankind.

It's like an apartment building that's already full of people, with no place for any newcomers.

Therefore, Crimson Realm Denizens cannot exist naturally in the Real World.

Therefore, in order to exist in this world, Crimson Realm Denizens maintain their survival and power by absorbing people's "existence".

Without "existence," Crimson Realm Denizens cannot manifest in this world, nor can they use their powers.

The so-called "Power of Existence" comes from this, meaning the power of existence itself, the energy that sustains all things in the world.

Crimson Realm Denizens continuously devour the Power of Existence of humans, transforming their existence into Soul Flame for absorption, thereby remaining in this world to do as they please.

Those who are swallowed up will naturally have their very existence erased, disappearing completely without being remembered by anyone or leaving a trace in any corner of the world.

The so-called torch refers to an Power of Existence has been devoured, leaving only a few remnants, which are then placed in the human world as a substitute.

Because the sudden disappearance of existing life forms would create contradictions in the world, leading to distortions and affecting the balance between the Real World and the Crimson World, many beings who wish to maintain this balance and prevent the collapse of the Real World and Crimson World set up torches to allow them to continue existing in this world and alleviate these contradictions.

Of course, the torch is merely a substitute, a remnant of some of its Power of Existence, which, like a flame, will eventually be extinguished.

Therefore, all of these individuals with Soul Flame burning within them are dead and will disappear sooner or later.

In other words, at this very moment, all sorts of "death" permeated Fang Li's surroundings.

Fang Li stopped in his tracks.

His eyes had long been replaced by Ice-Blue Demon Eyes.

The world of "death" was imprinted in those Magic Eye.