At exactly 8 PM, the hour hand on the museum building pointed to the time Kaito Kid had announced.
Boom!
A cloud of white smoke exploded without warning at the spot where Kaito Kid had first appeared yesterday, drawing everyone's attention.
The smoke quickly dispersed, and that familiar white figure reappeared.
Kaito Kid floated gracefully in mid-air, his monocle reflecting the moonlight, a confident smile playing on his lips.
"Ladies and gentlemen, good evening. Thank you for your patience. Now, let us continue the performance we left unfinished last night."
With that, he, just like yesterday, began to walk again, steadily approaching the blue wonder on the museum roof.
"He's here! Kid-sama!" Sonoko shrieked excitedly.
Almost at the same moment, Officer Nakamori's walkie-talkie blared with an urgent report.
"Report, Officer Nakamori! Helicopter No. 7 has a malfunction! The high-definition camera under its belly has suddenly failed and cannot transmit footage!"
Officer Nakamori immediately looked up, searching for the location of No. 7.
As expected, No. 7 was directly above Kaito Kid.
"Just as I thought!" Officer Nakamori's spirits lifted, and he shouted into the walkie-talkie,
"No. 7! Respond immediately! This is Nakamori! I order you to land at helipad No. 3 for inspection immediately! Repeat. I order you to land at helipad No. 3 for inspection immediately!"
However, No. 7 gave no response and remained hovering.
Hattori Heiji narrowed his eyes, and with his extraordinary dynamic vision, he vaguely saw the steel wire attached to Kaito Kid.
"Kudo! Look! There really is a steel wire! It's hanging from No. 7! Kid is being suspended by it!"
"Hmm!" Conan saw it too. He immediately squatted down, turned on the switch of his Power-Enhancing Kick Shoes, and a soccer ball popped out of his belt, fully inflated.
"It seems this is the secret to his aerial walk! If we cut the wire, he'll have to use his hang glider, and then we can stop him from getting the gem!"
"That's right! Kudo, it's all up to you!" Hattori Heiji encouraged.
Conan aimed at the almost imperceptible steel wire, calculated the angle and force, and shouted,
"Heiya!"
With a sharp shot, the soccer ball whistled like a cannonball into the air.
Whoosh—
smack!
With a crisp sound, the steel wire connecting Kaito Kid and Helicopter No. 7 snapped!
"Success!" Officer Nakamori and Hattori Heiji almost cheered.
However, what happened next caught everyone by surprise.
Kaito Kid, no longer pulled by the steel wire, did not panic and deploy his hang glider as expected, nor did he fall.
He remained perfectly suspended in mid-air, seemingly unaffected, as if what had just broken was an insignificant strand of hair.
He continued his unhurried steps towards the gem.
"No... impossible!" Hattori Heiji cried out in shock, "The steel wire is broken! How can he still be floating in the air?!"
Conan's eyes widened in disbelief. "This isn't scientific! How did Kaito Kid do it? What kind of trick did he use?!"
Standing nearby, Koizumi Akako, disguised as Kuroba Kaito, couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle, seeing the two detectives' frustrated expressions.
How could the greatness of red magic be understood by two mere detectives?
Just as Kaito Kid was about to get the gem, another unexpected event occurred.
A purple figure appeared silently between Kaito Kid and the gem, also suspended in mid-air.
The newcomer was dressed in a lavish purple gown, wore an exquisite half-mask, and held an open parasol.
It was Vivian, in disguise.
"Mr. Kid," Vivian's voice came, "this path is blocked."
"Huh? Another one who can fly!" Hattori Heiji exclaimed.
Conan saw Vivian's attire and whispered, "It's Mockingbird! They're here too!"
"Mockingbird?" Hattori Heiji looked puzzled, "What organization is that? And what's with this woman? Why can she fly too?"
Conan quickly explained.
"Mockingbird is a phantom thief organization active in Europe. For some reason, they've suddenly appeared in Japan recently, and they've already clashed with Kaito Kid before, even gaining the upper hand.
I do know why she can fly,"
Conan pointed at the seemingly ordinary parasol in Vivian's hand,
"Look at her umbrella! The tips of the ribs are equipped with miniature thrusters, providing lift and hovering capabilities!"
While Conan was explaining, the duel in the night sky had already begun.
Kaito Kid was clearly surprised by Vivian's sudden appearance, but he reacted extremely quickly, a poker card gun appearing in his hand instantly.
"My beautiful lady, interrupting someone else's performance is quite rude, you know."
Before he finished speaking, a volley of poker cards shot towards Vivian.
Vivian moved gracefully, dancing and twisting in the air, using the parasol in her hand as a shield to block the incoming poker cards.
Kaito Kid took the opportunity to continue moving closer to the gem, the blue wonder.
Vivian used her parasol as a weapon, blocking Kaito Kid's advance.
For a moment, white and purple figures intertwined in the night sky, a dazzling sight.
While everyone's attention was drawn to the two in the air, Koizumi Akako, disguised as Kuroba Kaito, quietly retreated, exiting through the rooftop entrance.
Since Kuroba Kaito was standing right beside Officer Nakamori when Kaito Kid appeared, Officer Nakamori naturally dismissed his suspicion of Kuroba Kaito and paid him no mind.
Koizumi Akako went to an unmanned blind spot in the surveillance, and after confirming no one was around, she softly chanted a few incantations.
A flash of red light passed, and her figure and face rippled like water, quickly returning to their original appearance.
Her clothes also transformed into her battle attire as a red witch.
"Hmph, although it's amusing to see Kaito in a pickle, I can't let him be bullied by outsiders."
Koizumi Akako prepared to use magic to assist Kuroba Kaito.
However, as soon as she took a step, a playful male voice sounded behind her. "Yo, beautiful lady, where are you rushing off to?"
Koizumi Akako's heart skipped a beat, and she spun around abruptly.
She saw a blond man in a suit, with a cynical smile on his face, leaning against the wall, idly toying with a gold coin in one hand and carrying a briefcase in the other.
Hugo looked Koizumi Akako up and down, his eyes full of curiosity.
"That strange energy fluctuation just now... was that red magic? How interesting. I've heard about red magic for a long time, I wonder if the lady would do me the honor of letting this commoner witness it?"
Koizumi Akako's eyes turned cold, "Since you want to see, then watch closely!"
She said no more, instantly conjuring a ball of red fire in her hand and throwing it towards Hugo.
Hugo chuckled, his figure flickering as he easily dodged the fireball.
At the same time, he flicked his wrist, tossing the briefcase into the air.
Moments later, the briefcase unfolded, transforming into a sleek, large scythe.