Am I really hallucinating?

Chapter 724 The Perfect Doll

Doris landed and looked at the doll.

The question of whether one can get along well with a parallel version of oneself is perhaps something that has crossed many people's minds. Of course, each case must be considered individually, but for Doris, there's no need to ponder it; she simply cannot be at ease with another version of herself who shares the same experiences.

Doris knows how fortunate she is to have come this far. It was through meeting Mr. Music that she was able to reopen her closed heart, and that the music she loved was no longer just a sacrifice to power.

They were even able to form a carefree band with other kids they never dared to dream of before.

Although he did not become the lamplighter, he was still able to bring comfort to many others in the capital.

Looking back on this journey, I have overcome many obstacles. Reaching this point today feels like a dream, a true miracle.

Even if this miracle were less severe, especially without Mr. Music, then this perfectly exquisite yet repulsive doll before me would be a possibility on another path for me.

Doris has always hated herself.

Unable to decide their own future, they pinned their hopes on external things, and only by chance, with the help of the music teacher and those around them, could they comfortably be their own little lamb.

I cherish everything in the present moment, yet I often have nightmares, finding myself still trapped in the sheepfold, never having escaped.

Or perhaps they find themselves transformed from sheep into demons, devouring all other lambs and finally venting their anger by taking revenge on everything in sight.

Simple, yet harboring a hidden madness. Living under a manipulated fate, Doris dared not consider whether she had truly broken free from the puppeteer's strings.

However, the thing she hated and feared most still happened.

She saw the possibility she hated most, another version of herself that she found most unacceptable appeared before her. Seemingly having broken free from the torn strings, she was still forever controlled by unseen strings, sinking into endless pain.

Evil, heart, utmost, extreme.

Similar thoughts may also have surfaced in the mind of the doll in front of us.

If neither of the two Dorises could escape the strings of their own hearts, then the difference between them lies simply in the driving force that propels these two dolls.

Immediately afterwards, killing intent rose from both of them.

Throughout her life, Doris had never harbored such pure murderous intent, not even towards the old nun. Countless thoughts flashed through her mind like bullet comments, but in the end, only the thought of "killing her" remained.

"Cover up your mental image." Taking advantage of the gap in the doll Doris's mental image castle being breached by the carrot, Doris took the lead in covering up her own mental image.

The magnificent black concert rivaled the gloomy castle.

The piano music resounded, and the opening of "The End of the Monastery" instantly swept away the countless hateful dolls that had been pulled up by the doll Doris.

The puppet Doris crawled stiffly toward Doris, just like a puppet. The woodcutter's axe came down, but Doris dodged with a dance-like movement, avoiding a direct confrontation. The bow and the axe separated upon contact, dissipating the force of the blow and creating distance. Her performance was not interrupted; combining combat and performance was always what she did.

The doll Doris was attacked by music.

Hearing the music stirred her emotions; the notes and musical staves seemed to materialize and impact her body.

But she still moved her body stiffly, the black mud on her body extending like tentacles, wielding several machetes as she attacked Doris. Radish intervened at the right moment, thrusting his lance repeatedly, and with the support of the music, he managed to block the doll Doris's series of machete strikes more easily this time.

Under pressure from both of them, the doll Doris was finally forced to retreat and be suppressed!

Just then, the doll Doris suddenly held a wood-chopping knife to her neck.

Click!

With a forceful movement, he severed his own head.

Doris and Carrot were both startled, but immediately realized the significance of what the other was doing.

No longer listening, cutting off perception, shutting everything off, the puppet goes out of control!

The doll Doris flung her head away to who-knows-where, and the rest of her body seemed to be wound up like a spring, her stiff movements bursting forth with a speed of action far more terrifying than ever before.

All his techniques were useless. He lashed at the radish in a fit of rage, only to inflict more wounds. Like a spinning top with a machete, he pushed the radish aside and then charged at Doris with all his might.

Doris had to stop playing as her bow clashed violently with the machete.

Even a radish couldn't withstand the onslaught of those frenzied cleavers for long, let alone Doris. If it weren't for her isotopic balance mechanism, Doris felt she might have been chopped into mincemeat by now. Blood and flesh flew everywhere, leaving Doris with many heartbreaking wounds.

Just then, the signal light on Radish's face suddenly turned gray-white, and his body moved again, forcefully cutting into the doll Doris's array of woodcuts, and with a thrust of his lance, he sent her flying.

The headless doll is tireless; she doesn't even get hurt.

Having discarded her head and relinquished the last vestige of human consciousness, the doll Doris had become another kind of life. This sacrifice, in turn, brought about completeness and fulfillment.

A perfect doll that cannot be injured; even Zheng Fan has no way to deal with it unless he draws on the power of the Black World to absorb it.

Blood flowed down her back, and Doris, panting heavily and moving somewhat sluggishly, still managed to set up her violin and nod the bow.

“There’s still a flaw,” Doris said, her voice slightly trembling.

Even the most perfect doll has a flaw that cannot be removed, even if its head is removed.

That is, the mental castle itself.

As the perfect doll gradually takes shape, the castle of the mind is also rapidly disintegrating, and the symbols of hatred within it are being reabsorbed and sealed away by the perfect doll.

Even though this exquisite and magnificent castle was almost filled with hatred, Doris had already discovered that thing when she invaded its mental image, and she had been trying to find it during the recent battle.

The piano music began again, and the extraordinary inspiration of the musical genius was released without reservation.

The headless puppet flung out the wood-chopping knife in its hand. As soon as the knife left its hand, it transformed into a black, sharp blade that cut in all directions. Countless wood-chopping knives were pulled out of the puppet's body and thrown out.

The cleavers poured down on Doris and "Radish" like a torrential downpour.

The radish, possessed by Zheng Fan, remained motionless, its lance pointing diagonally forward at the ground.

This constitutes a collapse!

Without making any movement, it directly created a huge vacuum zone for Doris to use in the rain of hatchets, and all the hatchets that came near were quickly disintegrated into basic particles.

The dual logic of the past is elevated to symbolism, seemingly conflicting yet perfectly combined, creating a stunning effect.

The music flowed and pierced the depths of the castle of the mind, unearthing what had been buried deep within.

boom!
The rock wall collapsed, the ground shattered, and the headless puppet suddenly stopped moving. What appeared in front of it was a violin.

The flaw lies here.

The headless puppet, which should have been deprived of all music and external senses, froze upon sensing the unearthed violin in its own mind. The originally faint violin sound seemed to receive countless responses at this moment; even without the band members, the complete melody was still played and surged into the closed-off puppet's heart.

The headless puppet trembled violently, struggling to move, but it was too late. Numerous cracks spread from its chest, near its heart, throughout its body.

Finally, she reached out and grabbed the old, worn-out violin, then smashed it down on the radish that seemed to be possessed by Zheng Fan.

Bang!
The wooden classical violin collided forcefully with the radish's body, and the outcome was obvious.

The violin shattered, wood chips flew everywhere, and the strings broke into pieces.

Along with the violin, the headless puppet's body also shattered.

The music stopped abruptly, and the castle in my mind completely vanished, leaving only the scattered remains of dolls on the concrete ground in front of me.

Doris put down her violin, stepped forward, her breathing still somewhat heavy, and stared blankly at the end of her other self.

boned...

The head that Doris herself had just cut off and discarded rolled back, its gaze fixed on Doris, finally settling on the violin in her hand.

His mouth opened and closed stiffly and slightly, uttering the last sound:

"I don't like violins."

(End of this chapter)