Hattori Heiji was looking for clues.
Cold sweat had soaked his temples.
He couldn't think too much.
He couldn't.
It was terrifying to think too much.
He was worried that if he analyzed the situation logically, the string of 'Reason' in his mind would snap completely.
As a famous detective, he naturally found something strange about Eri Kisaki's sudden departure.
At first, he was a little sarcastic about her 'desertion.' But then he noticed the weird scene that he couldn't escape no matter what: Eri and the others were running, but they weren't moving.
The sky was getting gloomier. It seemed that a heavy rain was about to fall.
However, Kaito Kid liked the coming heavy rain very much.
It was just a pity.
From his vantage point monitoring the Mingwang Temple, Kid noticed the fat policeman (Inspector Megure) had brought a crow.
Kid didn't know much about crows. If it was a police dog, he would have enough ways to deal with it.
But a Crow? How does this little thing find its prey?
Kid was stunned by Megure's trick. He didn't dare to take risks unless there was no chance of error. Usually, he was confident enough to dance in front of his 'fans.'
However… he did not enter the Inner Temple physically.
Even if Kaito Kid was not present, he could still steal the treasure. Because he had prepared a hidden chain mechanism a few days ago.
He wanted to defeat the Mingwang Temple to wash away their arrogant faces.
'Want to point fingers at me from the moral high ground? Haha…'
As for the warning from Inspector Megure about a 'Bomb,' Kid turned a deaf ear to it.
It's almost time…
"No! Absolutely not!"
Abbot Ryōgen's face began to turn red with anger.
Inspector Megure was really too much. How could such a publicity opportunity be wasted by a fake bomb threat?
Ryōgen knew that the monks of Mingwang Temple were beyond salvation. So he wanted to change the atmosphere here by recruiting new people and gaining fame. Otherwise, he feared he would lose his original intention and become corrupt like the others.
However, Inspector Megure rejected his protest very seriously.
He glanced at Hattori Heiji, who was sweating profusely and staring at the 'looping' Eri in the distance, and couldn't help but sigh.
"You little brat… I told you to leave just now. Why didn't you listen?"
"...Inspector Megure, what on earth is this?..."
"Oh… it's exactly what you thought..."
'Just… just as I thought!?'
Heiji was stunned. In an instant, goosebumps appeared all over his body.
He remembered that his father, Heizo Hattori, had warned him earnestly: "Japan is now in a State of Trouble. Do not show off."
Troubled… So, this is what he meant by 'Trouble'!?
"INSPECTOR MEGURE!!"
Eri Kisaki shouted loudly as she ran back toward them. Her face was clearly filled with anxiety.
At this moment, Eri finally understood the cruel fact that she could not escape.
She had read the myth of Mingwang Temple. There were Evil Spirits. There were Great Demons!
If it was true, then everyone here would have to die.
She looked up. Her pupils suddenly shrank, and her breath caught in her throat.
Clouds. Thick, black clouds were gathering into a vortex directly above the temple. It was like an eye in the abyss, staring at everyone around the Mingwang Temple.
In her mind, a memory flashed like lightning. She thought of the warning from the Great Monk in the historical records.
'If people in future generations have no Law to rely on, they should hold the Vajra Pestle of the Wisdom King.'
The Vajra Pestle! And the Kirin Horn!
That Amber Kirin Horn must be the Seal!
So, no matter how absurd this matter was, no matter how it destroyed her worldview, she needed to warn everyone!
"Inspector Megure!! The Vajra Pestle! The Vajra Pestle on the roof..."
RUMBLE——!!!
Thunder roared! Lightning flashed!
Eri's voice was drowned out by the deafening sound, causing brief tinnitus in everyone's ears.
And Abbot Ryōgen stopped making a fuss. The thunder was like a wake-up call.
He 'woke up.' Or rather, he finally noticed something was wrong.
Silence. Tinnitus.
Inspector Megure seemed to be shouting orders. The Black Crow flapped its wings and rushed towards the shrine as ordered.
Hattori Heiji's eyes were bloodshot with fear.
Not far away, Eri Kisaki and the others had returned. They looked terrified, as if they had been running for hours but arrived back at the start.
What are they worried about? The Kirin Horn? Why?
In front of Ryōgen's eyes, illusions flashed like a revolving lantern.
His devout practice. His scolding of the corrupt monks. The outsiders who called him a fraud.
In a moment, the shaking of the ground brought Abbot Ryōgen back to his senses.
He stared at the shrine in amazement.
The Kirin Horn was gone. (Kaito Kid's mechanism had succeeded.)
But that was not important. What was important was...
"ROAAAARRRR————!!!"
Shock! Riot!
A twisted giant, shaped like a Human-Faced Tree, erupted from the ground beneath the shrine.
That ferocious roar. That wanton venting of rage.
There was no sign of humanity.
That terrifying giant made people's hearts shiver and their hair stand on end.
There was no doubt about it. It was the Evil Spirit.
It was the Demon [Hua Yu] from seven hundred years ago that Ryōgen had read about!
"Takagi! Call Headquarters! Call the Special Division!!" Megure screamed.
"The Vajra Pestle! Inspector! The Vajra Pestle on the roof!" Eri pointed frantically.
The Vajra Pestle?
Ryōgen saw it. The giant demon was climbing out of the pit.
But the Vajra Pestle in the hand of the Acala statue on the roof was emitting a faint, golden glow. It was trying to suppress the monster.
However, the effect seemed minimal without the Kirin Horn to anchor it.
It's coming out! It's coming out soon!!
Damn it!
Inspector Megure now hated Kaito Kid with a passion. What a bastard! He broke the seal!
There was no way out.
Megure could only stare at the monster climbing out of the shrine nervously. That twisted posture did not have any good intentions towards humans.
He could only pray that the 'jokes' of the Metropolitan Police Department were of some use.
"LORD MIZUNOTSUKI! HELP US!!!"
Even the people present who were so frightened that their legs were weak could not help but be stunned.
Is the Inspector crazy? Calling for help… from a high school boy? Shouting at a crow? Will it work?
Eri Kisaki was so desperate she couldn't speak. She could only pray that the Vajra Pestle could suppress the birth of the Great Demon.
The sinister aura permeated the air, making everyone shudder. It hadn't completely emerged yet, and the celestial phenomena were already changing.
If it really comes out…
Inspector Megure didn't care about looking crazy. He knew that 'He' must have heard it. The Crow was the link.
"Lord Mizunotsuki! Save… Save us..."
The second cry for help was not completed.
Megure widened his eyes for a moment, and raised the corners of his mouth in ecstatic relief.
The Crow's eyes had turned gold.
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