The Torch That Was Killed

At this moment, the world that existed in Fang Li's field of vision completely changed.

It became a dilapidated world, jaggedly divided by crack-like Death Lines, as if it had been pieced together with difficulty.

The people who brushed past Fang Li had crack-like Death Lines all over their bodies, making them look as if they were falling apart.

The string around his neck made his head droop.

The lines on the chest make it look like the human body has been cut off.

The lines on my arm...

The line on the thigh...

Lines on the abdomen...

The line on the lumbar spine...

Lines were filled with people, making the world completely filled with "death".

Fang Li had long been accustomed to this kind of world.

Even though he wasn't used to it, the countless deaths recorded in his soul made Fang Li understand the end of these things as naturally as eating, to the point that he was numb and unable to feel anything.

Therefore, Fang Li simply looked at those torches with his pair of Magic Eye that could stare directly at death.

These substitutes were covered with threads, densely packed together.

Among them, the torches with extremely weak internal Power of Existence, which could be extinguished at any time, were the most numerous, as if Fang Li would die if he touched them.

This proves that these torches are only one step away from true "death".

And these torches, which were only one step away from true "death," were quite numerous, constantly brushing past Fang Li.

What does this prove?

"Isn't there a disciple in Misaki City with a huge appetite?"

This situation finally reminded Fang Li of some of the plot of the original work.

"I see..."

Fang Li's Magic Eye, which seemed to stare straight at death, turned to a torch in front of him.

A torch with its head bowed, its pupils already unfocused, its presence extremely faint, so much so that even those around it were completely unaware of its existence.

The torch is slowly moving towards Fang Li.

Within his body, the Soul Flame was reduced to a mere wisp, like a candle about to go out.

Once that flame disappears, it signifies the demise of its own existence.

At that time, he will be forgotten in everyone's mind.

That's what they say, but the torch is ultimately just a substitute, a remnant of some of its Power of Existence, while the original itself has long been devoured.

So, the other party is just barely clinging to life, right?

"What a pathetic existence..."

Despite saying these words, Fang Li's expression remained unchanged, chillingly calm.

After all, Fang Li is the most indifferent when faced with death.

So Fang Li lifted his feet and walked toward the torch.

Just as the other party brushed past Fang Li, Fang Li's pair of Ice-Blue Demon Eyes suddenly flashed, and a crescent-shaped dagger appeared in his hand. With a speed that could not be caught by the naked eye, it slashed across Torch's body like a flash of light.

"————"

The torch's journey came to a halt.

Fang Li, however, continued walking forward as if taking a leisurely stroll.

The next second, the wisp of eerie blue flame inside the torch seemed to be extinguished, disappearing abruptly.

"Bang—!"

The torch was instantly engulfed in blue flames, turning to ashes like a candle that had burned out, and vanished from the spot.

In that instant, Fang Li killed him.

It killed off the remaining Power of Existence within its body, shortening the torch's lifespan to zero, causing it to disappear completely.

Everyone around should have been able to see this.

However, no one paid any attention to this phenomenon, as if they hadn't seen it at all, and continued walking around.

Fang Li, with his back to the scene, continued walking forward.

Ahead of them, another torch Power of Existence about to be extinguished, walked listlessly towards them.

This is a closed and dimly lit space.

The space was quite spacious, but there was no furniture or decorations around it; it was completely empty.

However, there are two things in this space.

One is a large courtyard-style bonsai in the very center, composed of toy partitions and models, accurately simulating the entire panorama of Misaki City.

One is a doll.

Dolls of all sizes, dressed in all sorts of clothes, with round, bright eyes, some tattered and others perfectly intact.

These figurines were then placed against the surrounding walls, enclosing the entire space.

In the very center, the large courtyard-style bonsai emitted a faint light, which shone on the faces of these puppets, creating a very eerie scene.

I believe no one would want to stay in a place that's practically a haunted house.

However, at a certain moment, a surprised and doubtful voice rang out from this place.

"What happened?"

It was a voice that was elegant, yet gave off an eerie feeling.

With that sound, a tall, upright man slowly appeared in front of the bonsai.

He was a man dressed in a pure white suit, with a long, equally pure white cloth floating around him. He had a handsome appearance, like a noble young man from high society.

However, the man floated in mid-air, carrying a long cloth that also floated around him, and arrived in front of the courtyard bonsai.

The man lowered his eyes and looked at the bonsai in front of him.

In this large, courtyard-style bonsai garden, within a model simulating a panoramic view of Misaki City, there are mannequins with Ghost Fire burning on their bodies like will-o'-the-wisps.

At that moment, one of the mannequins suddenly disappeared without any apparent reason.

Seeing this, the man frowned deeply and said in a low voice, "Why did the torch I set up suddenly disappear?"

Someone has already answered this question.

"Owner."

The sound came from a doll that the man was holding.

A doll-like figure.

The doll's mouth didn't move, but a sound came out of it.

"Don't torches always burn out?"

Therefore, the disappearance of the torch is not surprising.

There was only one strange thing.

"Ah, my dear Marian." The man's furrowed brows immediately relaxed, and his expression became intoxicated. He stroked the doll in his arms with fascination and explained in a soft voice, "The disappearance of the torch is not surprising, but the torch just now disappeared too suddenly. With the Power of Existence of that torch, it should have been able to last for another two or three days."

"So..." Marian said somewhat uneasily, "Did someone deliberately sabotage the torch?"

"That's it," the man said reassuringly. "Don't worry, my dear Marian. I'll have the servants investigate what happened."

As he said this, the man snapped his fingers.

The eyes of several eerie puppets around him suddenly lit up.