A Monster, Just as Expected

"————"

On the brightly lit, bustling street, Fang Li, Arcueid, and Tohno Shiki walked quietly without exchanging a single word, creating a somewhat oppressive and somber atmosphere among them.

Even Arcueid walked there in silence, a stark contrast to her incessant chatter during the day, giving those around her the illusion that approaching her would make their bodies feel heavy.

The surrounding noise lingered slowly, but was contained by the three of them.

It's as if everyone on the street except these three people is just background and props; no matter how lively they are, they can't intrude into the space between them.

Fang Li, Arcueid, and Tohno Shiki just kept walking and walking.

Ten minutes passed.

Twenty minutes passed.

Thirty minutes passed.

An hour passed.

Finally, for a full three hours, all three remained silent, and none of them spoke first.

At a certain moment, Tohno Shiki couldn't help but murmur softly.

"No..."

Yes, no.

No matter how you look at it, Tohno Shiki couldn't see anything unusual with his Magic Eye.

No, it should be said that if this world full of Death Lines is abnormal in itself, then it is indeed abnormal everywhere.

However, Tohno Shiki failed to notice the anomaly that Fang Li had described as easily discernible at a glance.

"Is it because I'm not concentrating enough?"

With that in mind, Tohno Shiki began to concentrate.

In his eyes, a faint icy blue halo began to appear.

Immediately afterwards, the world in Tohno Shiki's eyes underwent some subtle changes.

The specific change is that not only "lines" but also "dots" have begun to appear.

On each pedestrian around them, Death Points began to appear at the junction of the Death Lines, beating rhythmically like a heart.

Not only that, even the surrounding buildings began to change.

Normally, in Tohno Shiki's view, the Death Lines on buildings are generally thinner than the Death Lines on a person.

Now, those Death Lines are becoming clearer, and even the Death Points are starting to appear.

"Good."

Tohno Shiki secretly calmed his mind.

However, in the next instant, a sharp pain began to surge into Tohno Shiki's mind.

"Well...!"

At that moment, Tohno Shiki let out a muffled cry, clutched his head, and stopped in his tracks.

"What's wrong?" Arcueid finally broke the terrifying atmosphere and turned around in surprise to look at Tohno Shiki.

Seeing that Tohno Shiki looked like he had a splitting headache, Fang Li frowned and pressed down on his shoulder.

"Don't force yourself to look at it." Fang Li said without giving any further explanation. "The eyes and brain are paired together. If you only use them to a slight degree, it may not be a big deal for you, but once you force yourself to look at it, your brain will bear an extraordinary burden. If you're not careful, you could become a cripple."

To use the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, one must first open the brain circuits connected to the Root, enabling the brain to understand the concept of death.

However, as mentioned before, the human brain is fundamentally incapable of comprehending death. If we try to comprehend death, it will cause the brain, like an engine, to overwork and eventually break down.

Therefore, the more abstract the concept of death, the harder it is for people to understand.

Humans can talk to each other, but can humans talk to stones?

That's the situation Tohno Shiki is in now.

"You understand death through a near-death experience and gain these eyes, but you are still human after all. If you try to understand human death, it may not be too much of a burden, but if you try to understand the death of minerals and buildings, the burden will become very heavy."

Fang Li, speaking with the composure of someone who's been through it all, calmly explained to Tohno Shiki.

"So, although you can barely see the death of non-living things, it is much more difficult than seeing the death of living things. Your eyes are specialized for humans, and your brain is only at the level of an average person. You cannot force yourself to see death. Just use your normal senses."

"Otherwise, your brain would definitely be burned out."

In fact, even if he were to witness the death of a living being, Tohno Shiki would eventually become a cripple if he overused his eyes.

The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception —these eyes are indeed a legend from the Age of Gods, the highest level of mystery.

But precisely because of this, it is far too difficult for humans to use.

If it weren't for the Mystic Eye Killers, Tohno Shiki might not be alive now and would have become a cripple long ago.

If even the death of the most easily understood person is treated this way, one can imagine what would happen to Tohno Shiki's head if he tried to understand death, which is too abstract.

"Indeed, the power of these eyes is far too great for humans, no, far too great for any living being, unless they are truly gods." Arcueid looked at Fang Li, and said with some puzzlement, "But you seem to be perfectly fine."

"I'm an exception," Fang Li said nonchalantly. "Because of my personal circumstances, I can understand any kind of death as naturally as eating. The only difference is how well I can apply what I've learned."

If we were to use a metaphor, death would be like a deadly poison.

Faced with such a potent poison, Tohno Shiki is the type who cannot withstand it for long; once he ingests too much, he will die from the poison.

Ryougi Shiki's position is that, because she is connected to the Root and has been exposed to the concept of death for a long time, she has developed an antibody to this deadly poison and can accept it as easily as breathing.

As for the Fang Li, it is itself a potent poison, and even its soul contains the recipe for this poison, so it is only natural to use it.

Therefore, both Fang Li and Ryougi Shiki are people who can use the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception without any obstacles.

Furthermore, given that they can even comprehend the abstract concept of death, Fang Li and Ryougi Shiki Shiki's Magic Eye are naturally several levels higher than Tohno Shiki's, and are extremely close to the original.

"Should we understand death as naturally as we do food?"

Arcueid stared intently at Fang Li, and finally offered this opinion.

"You really are a monster."

Upon hearing this, Fang Li smiled calmly and spoke up.

"Thank you for the compliment."

Just as the two were staring at each other, Tohno Shiki, who was covering his head, suddenly opened his eyes wide and pointed forward.

"There!"

Tohno Shiki's shout made Fang Li and Arcueid turn their heads sharply to look ahead.

There, a person staggered into the alleyway beside him.

Fang Li's Magic Eye has been activated.

Therefore, Fang Li can see it.

Countless Death Lines covered that person's entire body.

Fang Li's eyes flashed.

"Found it..."