Chapter 133: Waking Up to Find the Hogyoku Is Myself
Mo Yu stared at the screen, every detail of the Conan world-bubble reflected in his eyes.
The significance of the first case Conan participated in after his "rebirth" went without saying, and Mo Yu followed it in its entirety. Truthfully, the case exceeded his expectations. Compared to the relatively fixed format of the original work, this case was clearly more complex and sinister, involving more supernatural elements. This resulted in Conan mostly "running across the map" without contributing much actual DPS.
Of course, this was also because Conan hadn't realized his own "Power."
The OCD world-bubble had put immense effort into molding its Eternal Protagonist. From his appearance to his physique and even his clothes, he was a perfect replica of the original. How perfect?
Conan hadn't noticed that the shoes he wore were the Power-Enhancing Kick Shoes, his belt was the Elasticity-Variable Suspenders with an Instant-Inflating Soccer Ball Dispenser, and the watch on his wrist was the famous "Kogoro Mouri One-Shot-Killer"—the Stun-Gun Wristwatch.
Normally, these would have been developed by Professor Agasa after their meeting. But in this opening, the world had skipped the middleman and granted Conan a full set of "God-tier Gear" from the start—it just forgot to provide the manual.
Conan, his mind filled with too many burdens and an urgency to explore the new world line, hadn't bothered to look closely at himself. The world's earnest efforts were, for now, wasted on the blind.
If Conan utilized his equipment, even without a Stand, this case wouldn't be difficult. With a bit of effort, the culprit would be kneeling in repentance in no time. After all, Shinichi Kudo's kick was so powerful that even Mo Yu's "God-tier Xiao Hei" body had suffered hand injuries from blocking a single Tiger Shot.
If the incomplete "Shinichi" summoned by Megure could cut a case's difficulty and a culprit's HP in half with two kicks, it was clear that even in this supernatural era, Conan's leg strength remained the ultimate tool for solving cases.
Now that he had reclaimed his essence, his protagonist status was fully awakened. The heights his martial arts could reach were unfathomable, limited only by the needs of the plot. From kicking a criminal to kicking a falling satellite—if the script required it, he could do it. Don't ask why; ask the Eternal Protagonist.
Mo Yu mused that if not for the world's subconscious restriction on Conan's self-awareness, perhaps only the "Omnipotent Fist" of Ichigo Kurosaki from World 0 could trade blows with Conan's "All-Powerful Leg" at full throttle.
Setting that aside, Mo Yu was genuinely startled by the transformation of the "Mystery Enthusiast" after he offered everything to the shard.
Mo Yu knew that when the "Demon of Light" Sherlock Holmes rewrote the world line, the Moriarty body was destined for expulsion and sealing. Shinichi had desired it, and his Stand would not disobey. However, seeing the state of the Moriarty body in this new world line made Mo Yu laugh.
Using his Omniscience Authority, he calculated that his Moriarty body had been shattered into at least 120,000 pieces.
Shinichi had failed to "murder" Moriarty due to fate, but his Stand had finished the job by literally dismembering the entity during the world-line restructuring—grinding him down to a level far beyond "ten thousand pieces." One could only say that Holmes was truly Moriarty's arch-nemesis; when he holds a grudge, he is ruthless and efficient.
Mo Yu didn't complain. Since this was Shinichi's choice, he accepted the outcome. But he keenly realized the core issue: In the new world line, the shattered Moriarty body was having a profound impact.
Just like now, when the culprit revealed himself and held up a shard, shouting his devotion, he received a genuine response from "Moriarty." This wasn't Mo Yu's doing; the shards were responding on their own.
I tricked Conan into becoming a humanoid Hogyoku to mod the world, Mo Yu thought with a complex expression, but after the shift, I became the Hogyoku myself?
Regardless, the process of this criminal forcibly mutating into a "Xiao Hei" via the shard was interesting. Mo Yu sensed a link forming between the criminal and himself—not toward his higher-dimensional self, but toward the concept of "Moriarty" embedded in the world's foundation.
"So, this Legion of 666 Beasts is a fanatical religious sect dedicated to my resurrection?"
Mo Yu rubbed his chin. As the Old Testament God, this was his first time encountering mortal cultists devoted to him. It was a fresh feeling, but like the Lord of the scriptures, he didn't accept just "any old cat or dog." He would have to vet these members to see if they were worthy of being his "Heavenly Kin" within this bubble.
In the park, the transformation continued. Half the culprit's body was now a shadowy "Xiao Hei" silhouette. The most significant impact wasn't his power, but the Collective Memory of those present.
The memories of the case were being rewritten. Clues and evidence were vanishing, replaced by the crushing "fact" that the three victims had committed suicide. The conclusion was so strong it felt like it was being physically rammed into every neural cluster in their brains.
"The Great Existence has answered me! The truth is sealed! My trick is realized, and I have evolved into a Super-Villain with a perfect body! I can feel the power... I've never felt so alive!!!"
The killer screamed fanatically. Megure, looking solemn, snorted:
"Stupid. Trying to usurp the truth before a detective and a policeman? You think we're idiots? You might blind us for a moment, but the truth remains. As long as we don't give up, your 'Super-Villain' form will be stripped away, and you'll pay a heavier price!"
"The truth is already my power!" the killer yelled. "If I kill you all and bury your deaths in the mist, I can erase my weaknesses and evolve even further!"
"Arrogance!" Megure roared. "Final warning: surrender, or I cannot guarantee your life!"
Even Kogoro Mouri grew serious. "Brother, listen to me. You still have a way back. Once you fully evolve, you'll be in a nightmare with no return, even at the cost of your life. Even that brat Kudo... never mind. Just surrender."
"A nightmare with no return? Joke! By killing a few people who deserved it and turning my skin black, I get an immortal body and infinite power! This is what humans should be! You unevolved monkeys think having hair is 'right'? Don't make me laugh!"
The killer's mind had become arrogant through the mutation. Eight pitch-black spider legs erupted from his back, their tips made of segmented blades. One leg lunged forward, extending via silk links into a whip-like chain blade.
Megure dodged, but the blade curved eerily, leaving a deep gash from the ceiling to the floor. A normal human would have been disemboweled instantly.
"Feel the power of a Super-Villain!"
The slaughter began. Megure didn't use the Inspiration Stick yet, but his Stand went all out. As a veteran of a thousand crime scenes, Megure's combat experience was top-tier. The "Ora Ora" punching style from before had been him holding back. Now, his Stand attacked vitals with lethal police and street-fighting techniques.
Megure's Stand snapped one of the spider legs, but the killer regenerated it instantly. Megure pulled a handgun and tossed it to his Stand, which began firing relentlessly.
"Dammit! He's actually shooting! Good thing my body can take it..." The killer realized the small-caliber bullets only stung. He relaxed. Megure cursed; if he'd known he'd face a Super-Villain, he would have brought a magnum.
"Mouri-kun! Don't hold back!"
Megure's Stand tossed a gun to Kogoro. Kogoro caught it, hesitating for a moment before his expression turned cold and sharp. Sensing a threat, the killer lunged at him.
Kogoro's Stand, [Muddled Sake Bottle], reappeared. It seemed more sober now. It dodged with a sidestep and launched a fierce counterattack. Kogoro was a "Powerhouse" for a reason; in high school, he had mastered Judo so quickly the captain was no match for him. That talent had been passed to Ran. Even after years of drinking, his residual skill was enough to make people wonder how this "loser uncle" was so strong.
But his true ace was his Marksmanship. In the police academy, he had hit twenty bullseyes in a row—a legendary feat that even Bourbon's generation admired.
Martial arts, legendary shooting, and a sharp mind (when he used it)—Kogoro was the ultimate ace in a physical confrontation. But he remained hesitant to pull the trigger. He hadn't fired a gun in a decade, and old psychological scars remained.
As the battle raged, Conan was the most shaken. He had deduced the truth:
Criminals commit crimes, challenge detectives and police with tricks, and if they win, the truth is "buried," completing a ritual that turns them into Super-Villains. These villains were inferior to Moriarty but identical in essence. Conan realized that with Beika's rising crime rate, countless "Xiao Heis" must have been born through these rituals.
One Moriarty vanished, and ten thousand were born!?
Conan almost regretted throwing the die. But he dismissed the thought; a detective doesn't say "what if." Without the die, Ran would have died for him. He would have broken, and a real Moriarty would have been born, which would be even worse for the world.
Still, he felt a crushing weight of guilt. Every "Xiao Hei" was born because of his throw. He clutched his chest, his eyes turning sharp.
"I won't run. I will solve every evil in this Sixth Divergence!!!"
With his resolve renewed, light returned to his eyes. But first, he had to end this case.
Megure and Kogoro had lost their "deduction" ability because the truth was sealed by Moriarty's power. They could only kill the culprit and investigate later. But Conan, thanks to his residual divinity and the fact that he'd already solved it once, was resisting the false reality. He was manually reconstructing the evidence in his mind.
Justice demanded the case be solved on the spot!
Conan stepped forward and pointed: "There is only one truth! The culprit is YOU!"
The killer flinched, fearing another "Shinichi" summon. Seeing it was just a kid, he relaxed—until Conan spoke again:
"The suicide disguise was just the surface. The real trick was the Exchange-Based Crime between you and the real estate agent..."
Conan's voice was icy. His body was small, but his mind was that of the detective who risked everything for the truth. His logical deduction began to unravel the "flamboyant tricks," stripping away the mist and cornering the culprit.
Megure looked at Conan, reminded of a certain "Old Brother."
As the deduction hit home, the black silhouette on the killer began to destabilize. He couldn't袭击 (attack) Conan because Megure and Kogoro were pinning him down. He could only scream:
"Evidence! Where is the evidence!?"
Conan faltered. Evidence existed—the killer's arrogance ensured he couldn't pull off a perfect exchange. But Conan hadn't finished touring the entire scene yet; he needed more time.
The killer breathed a sigh of relief. But then, a low, gloomy voice echoed in his ear:
"As a criminal, falling to the point of needing to scream for your life is too ugly. You cannot, and do not deserve, to be my kin..."
End of Chapter
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