The Ruins of Mingwang Temple
Abbot Ryōgen was still crying. He was still kowtowing to the empty sky.
He was venting his grievances, but more than that, he hated his own weakness.
He originally thought that faith was just faith. That Gods were nothing more than a spiritual sustenance for the weak. Although his Master had punished him for this mindset many times when he was still alive, Ryōgen never truly believed.
But how could I know? How could I know that there are Real Gods in this world!
The Real God, Acala (The Wisdom King)! And that other "Adult"—Seiran Mizunotsuki—who came to the rescue.
Ryōgen was crying for his past self. 'I was wrong. Master, I was wrong…'
He shouldn't have questioned the ancient texts. He shouldn't have ignored the moral decay of Mingwang Temple for so many years. He had been guarding a Treasure Mountain without knowing it!
He was so obsessed with money that he almost sold the Kirin Horn to foreigners. And his greed in holding this exhibition resulted in the seal being broken and the treasure being stolen.
Suddenly, he stopped kowtowing. A thought struck him like a bolt of lightning. He turned to look at Inspector Megure with a sharp, almost distorted gaze.
The Kirin Horn! Yes! There is still the Kirin Horn! Find it back! We must find it back!!
Ryōgen's expression twisted into a mask of hatred. Regarding the so-called "Phantom Thief" and his "Code of Conduct"… Ryōgen wished he could eat Kaito Kid alive.
Although the situation was dire, Inspector Juzo Megure was currently experiencing a mix of shock and ecstasy.
The Divine Crow he had applied for had scattered into a ball of ash from the intensity of the magic, but the Metropolitan Police Department's gamble had paid off!
What does this mean? It means that Lord Mizunotsuki has the Metropolitan Police Department in his heart! He answered the prayer!
This news was more valuable than a hundred Divine Birds or Shikigami. It confirmed they had a direct line to a Living God. The surprise made Megure's brain buzz. He felt a faint sense of weakness in his knees from the adrenaline dump of receiving such overwhelming divine favor.
But… he forced his legs to stand straight.
'Damn it! Catch him! I must catch Kaito Kid for Him!'
If he couldn't recover the Kirin Horn for Seiran, Megure felt he would go insane. This was the great opportunity he had risked his life for!
Nearby, Heiji Hattori had calmed down from the shock of the battle. He looked at Inspector Megure's red face—a face that looked like it wanted to laugh maniacally but was desperately suppressing it.
Heiji showed a strange expression. 'What happened to Inspector Megure? Why is he so happy amidst the ruins? Does he have a grudge against Mingwang Temple?'
But Heiji didn't dwell on this. He knew that Megure must know the Truth. The secrets of the Wisdom King and the Gods…
Thinking of this, Heiji's eyes changed. He really wanted to make friends with Inspector Megure now. Usually, as a famous High School Detective, he wouldn't care about kissing up to ordinary police officers. But this was different.
"Inspector Megure…"
Eri Kisaki interrupted them. She was out of strength. The terror of the event had drained her completely. It didn't matter what happened to the temple, but if Ran had died here…
She tried to walk, but her vision swam.
"We need to leave… Ran… Sonoko…"
"Mom! Mom!"
"Auntie Eri!"
Eri collapsed forward.
"Oh no! Did she faint from fear?" Sonoko cried out.
Heiji rushed over, checking her pulse. "No! Her face turned blue… like she was poisoned. Or maybe it was the miasma from the Demon just now…"
Hearing this, Inspector Megure hesitated for a moment. Then he made a decision. He ordered Ran and the others to take Eri to the police car outside.
'I need to take Eri Kisaki to Lord Mizunotsuki to beg for mercy.'
Since it had been confirmed that Seiran favored the Police, Megure felt bold. If there was a spiritual injury, surely the God could fix it.
However… when the group rushed to the Outer Temple in a hurry, almost everyone fell silent.
Blood. There was blood everywhere.
It wasn't just physical damage. The air was thick with a foul, iron-like smell, as if the flesh and blood of many people had been gathered and fermented in an instant.
The tourists who hadn't evacuated in time…
"Dead… dead? Are they all dead!?"
Heiji's voice trembled. A horrific realization hit him. How could ordinary people survive under the nose of a Great Demon?
Heiji had the answer in his mind. The police had the Crows. The main cast had plot armor (or luck). But the bystanders?
"Kaito Kid..."
Inspector Megure took a deep breath. He stood in front of the Detective Boys, blocking their view to avoid leaving any psychological trauma on the children.
His tone was freezing cold when he spoke the thief's name.
Some people said that Kaito Kid was a "Chivalrous Thief." Whether he was or not before, Inspector Megure no longer cared.
But now? He is a Terrorist.
Because of his theft, the Seal was broken. Because of him, blood flowed in Kyoto.
After the group left in a hurry, Ai Hayasaka finally crawled out of the surrounding ruins, looking disheveled and covered in dust.
She looked around the destroyed temple expressionlessly. Although her face was calm, the twitching in the corners of her eyes showed that the spy's mind was in turmoil.
'Gods. Great Demons. The Other World. This is really...…'
Tokyo: The Shinomiya Estate
"Crack!"
In his private study, the wine glass slipped from his hand and shattered on the floor. Red wine spilled like blood on the expensive carpet.
Kaguya Shinomiya, standing not far away, bowed her head and remained silent, terrified by her father's reaction.
Gan'an Shinomiya, the Head of the Shinomiya Chaebol, was lost in thought. His eyes were dull, staring at the blank screen where the livestream had just ended. He was recalling the scene of the Fire Giant and the Figure in the Moon.
The majestic power that seemed to step out of the screen had hit his heart like a hammer.
'Impossible… This is impossible!!'
The Extraordinary Realm!? How could such a thing exist in the world of logic and capital!?
Gan'an's mind was extremely unstable. He was a "Hero" of capitalism. He was ambitious. He always believed that the world was what he saw—money, power, leverage. His success proved that he had figured out the rules of this world.
But he was wrong.
The Extraordinary Realm appeared out of nowhere and directly shattered the man's ambition. And the history of Mingwang Temple proved that the Supernatural had always been there.
Suddenly, he widened his eyes. He thought of the dispute between the "Aristocratic Families" and the "Chaebols" that had been brewing recently.
He once firmly believed that the so-called Aristocratic Families (like the old magic clans) were just a joke in the modern era.
Now? It turns out that I, Gan'an Shinomiya, am the joke…
Hehe… Hehehehe...…
He laughed inexplicably, a dry, rattling sound. He was the helmsman of a 200 Trillion Yen empire. His psychological quality allowed him to recover faster than ordinary people.
The Aristocratic Families… they—or should I say, Them—where are they hiding?
He thought of the Suzuki Chaebol. He thought of the Metropolitan Police Department. He thought of the small forces that had been making frequent, unexplained moves recently.
Combined with the abnormalities during this period… Gan'an connected everything perfectly.
The Extraordinary Power is real. But why do they want to control the flow of information? There is only one answer… Monopoly.
His eyes suddenly showed a burning, greedy light. His heart revved up like the engine of an old sports car finding new fuel.
If there is no benefit, how could they keep silent? If it were me, I would naturally make a fortune quietly.
So… what kind of benefit is it? Immortality? Absolute Power?
Thinking of the "God" hanging in the air at Mingwang Temple, and the power that changed the weather in an instant… Gan'an figured it out.
A solid backer. A harbor to avoid the storm. Perhaps, there is still a chance for me to explore the Extraordinary Field…
To explore the Extraordinary?
These simple words instantly made Gan'an's breathing heavier. He was ambitious. But at the same time, he was a sensible predator.
The collapse of his worldview was not enough to stop his greed. It only gave it a new target.
He had made up his mind.
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