Chapter 93

Just a moment ago, when Kogoro Mouri suddenly proposed connecting with the Onmyoji Akaso Kaze, he had been dismissive.

Just a charlatan, what kind of real ability could he possibly have?

Who would have thought that a single sentence from the other party would nearly scare him into wetting his pants.

Seeing the host, Takafumi Matsuo, freeze up, the assistant, Ayako Nagai, hurriedly stepped in to save the situation.

"Master Onmyoji, I am Ayako Nagai, and I am your loyal fan."

"However, you might not yet be aware of the case we are currently broadcasting..."

"Heh, the case currently being broadcast?" Akaso Kaze laughed. "Miss Ayako, I'm afraid you're the one who doesn't understand the situation."

"If my divination is correct, your show's producer, Michihiko Suwa, is already dead in the fourth-floor conference room."

Everyone in the studio was stunned.

"Is that for real?"

"Mr. Suwa does seem to have gone missing."

"No one is answering the phone or his cell in the room!"

"Go find him, quickly!"

Before long, a call came into the studio.

"What? Mr. Suwa is covered in blood?"

08

"He really is dead in the fourth-floor conference room!"

"Could it be... that everything Master Onmyoji said is true?"

"If that's the case, then the killer is..."

"The host, Takafumi Matsuo!"

Takafumi Matsuo’s face turned deathly pale.

He sat blankly in his seat.

The station manager rushed down in a panic.

"Quick, keep the broadcast going, don't stop, send a few people to the fourth floor to film immediately."

"This is a once-in-a-century live broadcast of a crime scene investigation."

"Ayako Nagai, you take over as host immediately and interview the guests."

"Ah—right. Mr. Mouri, why don't you tell us the truth about this case?"

"Case? What case?" Kogoro Mouri looked completely bewildered.

"The case where Mr. Suwa was murdered, of course."

"Hahaha." Kogoro Mouri laughed, his tongue wagging. "You believe that too? Akaso-san must be joking with you all..."

"But Mr. Suwa is really dead. The body is sitting right there in the fourth-floor conference room, exactly as Master Onmyoji said." Ayako Nagai blinked her large eyes.

"What? Something like that happened?"

Kogoro Mouri was dumbfounded, as if he had just woken up.

"Then did Akaso-san say who the killer is?"

"He did. He said the host is the killer."

Kogoro Mouri stood up immediately and pointed at the host with a serious expression.

"Then there’s no mistake. The killer is you, Takafumi Matsuo."

"As for the reason, heh, Akaso-san is a very powerful Onmyoji; his judgment is absolutely correct."

Ayako Nagai was completely confused.

Is this Tokyo's famous detective?

He talked for ages, yet said absolutely nothing.

In the audience, Conan was shocked.

No way, is Akaso Kaze really this powerful?

He knew a case had occurred in the TV station just by making a phone call?

I still don't even know what happened!

Is the gap between us really this large?

"Enough!"

Takafumi Matsuo suddenly stood up, resigned to his fate.

"I don't want to be a clown anymore. I confess!"

The entire scene fell silent.

Takafumi Matsuo reached up and pushed the glasses on the bridge of his nose.

"I never imagined that Tokyo's strongest Onmyoji would truly live up to his reputation."

"The case I spent over a month planning was exposed by you so easily."

"I truly regret it. When Detective Mouri suggested connecting with you, I should have firmly refused."

"Unfortunately, for the sake of the show's effect, I agreed."

"And such a simple choice has sent me into the abyss..."

"Master Akaso, I surrender!"

Takafumi Matsuo bowed deeply and then held out his hands.

His words and actions were transmitted to thousands of households via television signals.

The audience in front of their TVs were all shocked.

"Aren't all Onmyoji supposed to be charlatans?"

"Can they really perform divination?"

"Didn't you hear him? Only this Master Akaso is truly powerful."

On Fushijima, several hours away from Tokyo, the village head, Takeo Mikami, stood up in surprise.

"Go and invite this Master Onmyoji immediately!"

"He will surely be able to deal with those malevolent ghosts!"

After several days of hard work, the magic maid Akemi Miyano was finally completely finished.

"Key parts of her body are engraved with magic circles, and three crucial, hidden acupoints anchor the space gate leading to the soul realm."

"With these three small gates, she can be provided with a constant stream of magic power, which not only maintains her existence in the real world but also provides combat support."

"Of course, to prevent blockages, these three gates need to be cleared frequently to keep them unobstructed."

"Now, the only thing missing is actual combat experience."

"However, in this Age of Dharma Decline, where can one find ghosts worth fighting?"

Akaso Kaze stroked his chin.

Ring-a-ling.

The phone rang.

"Moshi moshi, this is the Akaso Kaze Onmyoji Office."

"Fushijima? Ghosts of the navy haunting the place?"

"Gold worth a billion?"

Akaso Kaze’s eyes lit up instantly.

Cases, souls, and gold—truly a perfect commission.

"Fine, I accept your commission!"

Fushijima, midnight.

Although it was late at night, every house on Fushijima was brightly lit, illuminating the residential area as if it were daytime.

On the empty street, the village head of Fushijima, Takeo Mikami, his assistant Goro Kinoshita, and several members of the village self-defense force armed with weapons walked together.

One villager stammered, "Village head, is it really useful to arrange night patrols in the middle of the night? I think we should stay at home and wait until we pick up Master Onmyoji tomorrow."

"That's right, village head." Another villager nodded in agreement. "Those armored samurai ghosts have already started hurting people; several people have been slashed in the last few days."

"The wounds on those people are strange. Although they aren't deep, they won't scab over or heal, and black energy keeps leaking out. It’s definitely the work of ghosts!"

"Things have been getting worse over at the navy cave these past few days, too. Some people have seen wandering samurai ghosts there even during the day; their bodies look like they’re made of condensed smoke. It’s so terrifying."

"That’s right, this is definitely the work of the ghosts of the navy who were killed on this island four hundred years ago! I really want to leave this small island."

The villagers whispered among themselves, and Takeo Mikami was also visibly anxious, but as the village head, he forced himself to continue the patrol.

Half an hour passed quickly, and the group had circled all the buildings on the island before returning along a small forest path.

Suddenly, a cold wind blew. A villager’s hand trembled, and his flashlight fell to the ground, rolling several meters toward the forest.

Goro Kinoshita, who was in that direction, froze for a moment before hurriedly walking a few steps toward the forest and bending down to pick up the flashlight.

Just then, Takeo Mikami suddenly exclaimed, "Kinoshita! To your right! To your right!"

Goro Kinoshita’s heart skipped a beat, feeling as if his heart had jumped into his throat, and he hurriedly turned his head to the right.

An armored samurai formed from black energy was standing just a few meters away.

Its entire body was shrouded in black mist, making its face impossible to see; one could only see a black katana held upright in front of it.

Suddenly, the samurai moved.

Its body seemed to float in the air, and accompanied by the cold wind, it instantly arrived in front of Goro Kinoshita and slashed at his chest!

Goro Kinoshita let out a scream and sat down on the ground.

Then, he scrambled up in terror.

He screamed while running into the distance with Takeo Mikami and the others.

In the forest, the armored samurai stood quietly in place, as if that single strike had exhausted all its strength.

The black energy forming its body became very faint, and as the wind blew, it vanished.

Just as suddenly as it had appeared, the samurai vanished again.

The forest returned to silence, as if nothing had happened.

The next afternoon, just as the sun was about to set.

The golden sun hung low, dyeing the distant sky a golden yellow.

The sea shimmered, reflecting golden spots under the sunset, and seabirds flew past, leaving behind a few cries.

On a medium-sized cruise ship, Akaso Kaze stood on the deck with his arm around Ran, facing the salty sea breeze, watching the beautiful scenery on the sea in silence—a peaceful moment in time.

Conan sat on a bench, looking depressed.

Fushijima hadn't just invited Akaso Kaze, the Onmyoji; they had also invited Kogoro Mouri, under the pretext of asking him to give a speech.

However, Akaso Kaze knew clearly that this was because they were afraid he would find the treasure and keep it all for himself, so they brought a detective to keep him in check.

Still, they were foolish enough to choose a dimwit like Kogoro Mouri.

Looking at the detective snoring not far away, Akaso Kaze’s lips curled slightly.

Even if he took the treasure right in front of Kogoro Mouri, the man probably wouldn't notice.

Takeo Mikami came to Akaso Kaze’s side respectfully and bowed slightly. "Master Onmyoji, that small island ahead is our Fushijima. We should be able to dock in about five minutes."

"Mm." Akaso Kaze looked at the small island not far away.

[Ding, discovered an Undead Conversion Magic Circle left behind by a mage from hundreds of years ago.]

[Undead Conversion Magic Circle: A magic circle for converting and cultivating undead creatures.]

Oh, a new magic circle!

It seems the harvest this time will be even greater.

Akaso Kaze turned his head and said:

"Village Head Mikami, no need to rush to dock. Please have the captain circle the island once; I want to assess the situation."

"Very well, Master Akaso."

Takeo Mikami nodded hurriedly, then turned and gave an order. A villager nearby immediately entered the cabin to relay the command.

Two or three minutes later, the cruise ship drew closer to the island, and the crowded waiting crowd on the pier could already be seen, but the ship suddenly turned and began to sail around the island.

As the ship sailed, Akaso Kaze used his Eye of Space to stare intently at the island, observing.

In the blink of an eye, the ship had circled to the northeast side of the island.

Akaso Kaze’s eyes narrowed slightly.

A cave on the cliff was continuously emitting thick black energy.

That must be the eye of the Undead Conversion Magic Circle.

Akaso Kaze pondered, squinting as he asked, "Village Head Mikami, the navy cave you mentioned should be at this location, right?"

Takeo Mikami was stunned for a moment, then immediately replied, "That’s right, this is the location. This cave and the cave sealing the navy ghosts are on the same small hill."

"So that’s how it is."

Akaso Kaze nodded.

How could an ordinary island village defeat a navy specialized in slaughter?

It turns out there was an undead mage here back then.

To a terrifying mage, a hundred fierce navy samurai were no different from a hundred docile sheep.

But hundreds of years have passed; the mage from back then must have died long ago. How much power does the magic circle he left behind still have?

Akaso Kaze was very eager to find out.