Emiya Shirou doesn't want to work overtime

The disappearance of the power of existence not only makes him unobservable to others, but also causes his will and soul to continuously turn to ashes as the power of existence perishes.

But Shirou Emiya saw it differently. After all, he had encountered a torch, a torch that could be clearly noticed by others, that could live in the world like a human, and that he could remember.

Although the body no longer belongs to humanity, the soul and consciousness, that torch, are still human.

Since torches with complete self-awareness exist, doesn't that mean that those dissipated torches were actually self-aware, and not simply puppets set up by the Flame Haze and the Crimson Lord?

They are no longer human, but they are still human.

If they had completely lost their self-awareness and were merely walking corpses, then Shirou Emiya would naturally not stop Shana, because she was indeed no longer human, but merely a soulless tool.

"Can't you distinguish between what's important and what's urgent? Didn't you hear what Alastair said? If those torches aren't dealt with, the entire city will perish. Are you saving those torches while disregarding the lives of everyone in the city?"

Shana suddenly retreated backward, pointing her greatsword at Shirou Emiya and loudly questioning him.

They are just some torches. Solving them will save the entire city. As a human, Shirou Emiya should understand this principle even better.

It was a choice, especially since those torchbearers were people who were already dead, and Shana had no idea why Shirou Emiya wanted to save them.

Is the life of the torch more important than that of a human being?

If the failure to extinguish these torches leads to the destruction of the entire city, can he bear such responsibility, and can he afford such a price?

Thinking of this, Shana became furious, and the battle that had just ended seemed about to erupt again.

The onlookers, though unaware of the content of their argument, watched with great interest; such a fierce and competitive scene was a rare sight in Misaki City.

Moreover, unlike a certain city with the surname Dong, which experiences minor explosions every three days and major explosions every five days, causing the gas company to be condemned daily, these people are not particularly worried about their personal safety.

They're just two people cosplaying with knives; how could we miss out on such a good thing?

Chapter 242 How to Save the Torch

"Now that this hasn't happened, doesn't that mean Fariagni hasn't completed the spell?"

Shirou Emiya countered Shana's question, saying that if the formula for Faliagni's [City Devouring] technique had already been completed, Shana wouldn't have had any time to notice such a phenomenon.

To be able to achieve one's goal immediately, yet wait for the Flame Haze to discover it, is not something a Crimson Lord known for his wisdom would do.

The reason why Fariagni waited until Shana arrived without using this technique can be summed up in one simple way: the technique was not yet complete.

It hasn't reached the point where it can all be completed immediately.

If he was just one step away from completing such a terrifying technique, then there was no need to hide anything. He could simply devour the life force of humanity with all his might and frantically create torches. Shirou Emiya and Shana would have no chance to stop him.

Fariagni possesses a large quantity of phosphorus that can steal the life force of humanity.

However, Shirou Emiya only had two men, and they were unable to be in two places at once. Even if the speed of the attack was very fast, it was impossible to eliminate all the phosphorus in the city in an instant.

And since Shirou Emiya could think of such an operation, Fariagne could naturally think of it as well.

So why didn't Faria Gni choose to do that? It was an open scheme, and Shirou Emiya and Shana couldn't possibly stop it.

In other words, the effort and reward are not equal, so this method cannot allow Fariagni to complete the "devouring the city" task.

This technique cannot be achieved simply by setting up a large number of torches. Each torch must contain a unique magic that allows all torches to be released instantly when Fariagni wants to use it.

This is why, when Yuji Sakai saw the doll devour his classmate, he absorbed all of the classmate's existence power and then released a portion of that power to construct a torch.

Instead of choosing to devour it while simultaneously transforming it into a torch.

The second method of absorbing the power of existence is faster than creating torches, but it cannot achieve the effect that Fariagni wants the torches to have.

If [Devouring the City] is simply setting up torches, then the Crimson World Apostle only needs to use a wide-range Free Magic to kill an overwhelming number of humans before the Flame Haze arrives, and then set them up as torches, to transform into a powerful Crimson World Demon Lord.

The world would have become a mess long ago if that were the case.

"Moreover, from last night until now, the entire city has not been sealed off, nor has there been any sudden explosion in any area. In other words, Fariagni has not taken any action during this period, and therefore no new torches have been produced."

Shana put down the sword she was holding. She was not an unreasonable person, and Shirou Emiya's explanation was reasonable and well-founded.

As Shirou Emiya said, the situation was not that urgent, and there was no need to rush to get rid of those torches.

However, Shana still couldn't understand why Shirou Emiya cared so much about those torches. In every sense, they were people who had already died, and what walked in the world was just a shell.

"This is not the place to talk."

Shana frowned as she looked at the crowd that kept gathering around her, and a flame rose from her palm.

She made a slight gesture around, and the surrounding crowd immediately froze, their eyes losing focus and staring blankly ahead.

“I erased that memory from their minds.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Shana vanished from her spot in an instant.

Shirou Emiya didn't linger; he leaped away and left the street.

Although Shana is not a Flame Haze who specializes in using Free Magic, she still knows how to use these most basic Free Magic techniques. Just like Seal, Free Magic that erases people's memories is something that Flame Haze often use.

Just like the most basic and frequently used magic tricks by magicians are suggestion magic and enhancement magic, both of which have extremely wide applicability.

When magicians are discovered to be using magic by ordinary people, they often use suggestive magic to make the person forget the experience or treat it as a dream.

Shana's Freedom Magic and Suggestion Magic are similar in purpose: to prevent ordinary people from delving into this extraordinary world.

After all, not everyone is like Shirou Emiya, who can only use imperfect enhancement magic and obscure projection magic.

"If most of the torches are eliminated, then the Hunter's objective will fall apart."

Back on the rooftop, Shana spoke calmly. Although she had chosen not to immediately deal with the torches because of Shirou Emiya, it didn't mean she wouldn't choose to destroy them.

Because this is the simplest and quickest way to stop Fariagni's plot and lure him out.

He couldn't possibly stand by and watch something he had planned for so long be resolved so easily.

Emiya Shirou was fully aware of this.

“Those torches are no longer human. They are dead as human beings, and they will soon perish even if left unattended.”

A calm voice came from in front of Shana. Having lived for so many years, Alastor understood why Shirou Emiya had chosen to save the torches.

"Have you ever seen a torch that isn't subconsciously ignored and that has its own independent thoughts, just like an ordinary person?"

Shirou Emiya did not refute Alastor's advice; living like a puppet was indeed like being dead.

If Shirou Emiya hadn't met Yuuji Sakai, he might have listened to Alastor's advice and let Shana deal with the torches.

But if there are torches that can live like humans, then doesn't that mean that those doll-like torches have a chance to be restored?

Although they cannot become human, they can live like humans.

"One Tianmu"

Shana whispered a name.

"That was the original owner and forger of the Nie Dōsen Zhāna in my hand."

She looked at the weapon in her hand and spoke slowly.

"Mistes?"

Alastair responded.

Torches that possess Noble Phantasms are called Mystices, but in essence, they are still torches, just with something that other torches do not have.

"Mistes?"

Seeing Shirou Emiya's question, Alastor quickly explained it to him.

"No wonder"

Emiya Shirou also understood why Sakai Yuuji was able to live like a normal human being.

"If those torches were to transform into Mystices, theoretically, wouldn't they regain consciousness and be able to live like humans?"

Emiya Shirou wanted to save the torches, but he also didn't want them to live like zombies or puppets, in which case saving them or not would make no difference.

"Theoretically, it's possible, but where would we find so many of them?"

After a brief pause, Alastor answered Shirou Emiya's hypothesis. He had originally intended to deny Shirou Emiya's hypothesis, since Noble Phantasms are extremely rare, and most Crimson Lords and Flame Haze do not possess them.

The ability to possess a Noble Phantasm is generally due to various coincidences and fortuitous circumstances.

But then it realized that the human in front of it might not lack magical artifacts.

Chapter 243 The Second Flame Haze

"——————"

As if sensing something, Alastair suddenly stopped what he was about to say.

Shana quickly turned her head and looked in a distant direction.

"Other Flame Haze warriors have arrived."

Alastor quickly made a judgment about the aura he suddenly sensed.

"Buzz!"

Amidst the tremors in the air, a ripple-like wave, invisible to the naked eye, swept across the entire sky above Misaki City, much like a drop of water falling on the surface of the city, causing the ripple-like waves to spread in all directions.

That was a fluctuation that Shirou Emiya couldn't sense; it was a tremor emanating from the air that only those who were skilled in using the power of existence could clearly feel.

This is why Shana was able to suddenly sense the presence of other Flame Haze warriors; Shana wasn't at the level where she could easily detect other Flame Haze warriors approaching the city.

"Is this the free law of search?"

Alastor reminded Shana.

"With such a wide range of free magic, the other party must be a free magic master who is very skilled in free magic. I just don't know what her purpose is in coming here."

"It used a search-type free magic, so it should have been able to sense my presence, but instead of leaving, it continued to use the free magic recklessly."

Shana calmly sensed the vibrations in the air and analyzed them softly.

Normally, there is only one Flame Haze in a city. This is not a rule or regulation, but rather an unspoken rule among the Flame Haze.

In most cases, Flame Haze warriors who can act alone are those who have the ability to fight Crimson Lords head-on, while there are not many powerful Crimson Lords in the world.

Basically, one Flame Haze in a city is enough to handle all situations, and after resolving the situation, they will choose to move on to the next city. After all, compared to the number of cities in the world, the number of Flame Haze is relatively small.