Chapter 171: Conan is Gradually Knowing Everything
When a city becomes "activated" and begins to manifest a spiritual will, in any other place, Conan wouldn't be worried.
But what place was this? It was Beika Town—the world's strongest super-capital of crime, bar none. Based on such a location, could a manifested urban spiritual will be anything good?!
One didn't even need a brain; thinking with one's appendix would lead to a clear and unmistakable conclusion.
Furthermore, Conan had a faint inkling that this manifestation was related to his own criminal plan. It was he who locked that "Calamity-level" case within Beika, evolving it into the Nightmare Beika, which in turn triggered the city's spiritual will. Of course, it could also be a chain reaction from the End-Time Witch covering Beika in a flesh-solution, alienating it into a Flesh Beika.
Regardless, Conan felt responsible. He had to handle it.
Moreover, he was worried about Ran and the others. Although he had communicated with Ichigo during the final clash to ensure they only "murdered" the Witch's form rather than the humans comprising it, he hadn't seen the result with his own eyes. Being trapped in this space kept his heart in a state of unrest.
Following that train of thought, Conan couldn't help but ponder: he had wanted to sever the bonds left by Shinichi Kudo from the previous world line, keeping the identity of "Conan" clean and free from those past attachments. But the tree craves stillness while the wind continues to howl. Now that Moriarty had struck them, was it necessary for him to do something?
As Moriarty said, the responsibilities belonging to Shinichi Kudo weren't so easily erased.
However, as Conan snapped back to reality, he couldn't help but give a bitter smile. Since waking up in this new world line, he felt like the things he needed to face, be responsible for, and solve were increasing by the day. It was as if as long as he existed, no matter what he did, everything would just get more troublesome and worse!
But Conan was not a man for self-pity. His resilient reason quickly pushed these gloomy thoughts aside. He focused on planning his criminal scheme—what he needed to do, how to do it, what effects to produce, and how to adjust if the plan hit a snag...
Conan's contemplation didn't last long. Ichigo Kurosaki's voice suddenly broke his train of thought:
"Little Detective—no, Little Criminal. If you don't want to get closer to an abyss from which there is no return, you should learn to stop thinking."
Conan wasn't annoyed. Although they hadn't known each other long, fighting side-by-side as one soul had allowed him to observe Ichigo keenly. He felt that Ichigo was a very simple man; outside of combat, he was unexpectedly gentle and kind, nothing like an "alien invader."
Of course, once combat was involved, it was a completely different story.
Conan believed Ichigo wouldn't say this without reason. He asked curiously, "Why do you say that?"
"Wait a moment. I've developed some techniques usable in this form. I'll let you see for yourself!"
With that, Ichigo suddenly leaped up. His round, spherical body stretched violently, transforming into a taut, rectangular thin screen. Shimmering lights flickered across it, gradually forming an image.
The image was likely Ichigo's memory, as it showed Edogawa Conan from Ichigo's perspective. The picture was clear—overly so—even the pores on the skin were visible. But Conan didn't care about that.
In Ichigo's perspective, Conan sat on a cardboard box, chin in hand, lost in thought. Because of his intense concentration, Conan's expression had naturally become cold and indifferent. His gaze was so frigid it inspired awe, possessing a sense of detachment from the mortal realm. Though he was physically there, he seemed to exist on a higher plane, looking down ruthlessly at the world, peeling away the mist bit by bit.
With his powerful reason, Conan immediately sensed the problem. In the image, as he thought, his humanity was fading, replaced by a spine-chilling depth.
But that wasn't the biggest issue. As the "recorded" Conan thought, the boundless mist of Nightmare Beika Park moved in sync. It swirled in the sky like a vortex, faintly forming the shape of a Crown that resonated with him. At the same time, boundless darkness began to seep out from Conan's body, transforming into swaying, dancing limbs that manipulated everything they could touch.
And in Ichigo's view, this was only the beginning.
As the darkness radiated out, the child's silhouette became increasingly blurry. It was replaced by an existence that defied description.
What was it? Conan couldn't quite tell. Ichigo's memory became fuzzy and ambiguous at that point, as if blocked by some interference—it was covered in "mosaics." If one had to describe it, it was a gargantuan giant, vaster than the sky and more solid than the earth, constructed from uncountably billions of gears and mechanisms, looking down at all of creation with cold, indifferent eyes.
A vast divinity flowed from its pupils, turning into boundless light that pierced and analyzed everything. The darkness leaking from within was merely a "phenomenon" born from the friction of some gears spinning at extreme speeds. This phenomenon acted like a command; once it extended from the giant, it dictated heaven and earth, ensuring everything moved toward the direction of its thoughts. From the laws of the universe to the living beings of the earth, nothing escaped its influence.
Ichigo's memory ended there. He spoke up, interrupting Conan's current line of thought.
Conan was horrified. He couldn't help asking, "What... was that?"
Ichigo retracted his stretched body, returning to his ball shape. He bounced a few times on the ground before saying leisurely:
"I don't know. What you saw was just my soul's 'Purity Radar'—the part specialized in scanning for the strong—triggering spontaneously. It sensed your essence and captured that information. Strictly speaking, that is you in my eyes, not a change that occurred in reality. But that's not important. What matters is..."
Ichigo's casual tone sharpened into seriousness.
"The more you think, the more that unutterable change activates and manifests. When you devise a plan, that incredible phenomenon begins to take root and spread. Edogawa Conan, from my observation, no matter how unbelievable your plans are, their success rate is likely high. But that success isn't just because of your cleverness. It's because you aren't 'making a plan'—you are 'making destiny.' And because of that, you need to learn to stop thinking."
In Ichigo's view, the darkness seeping out when Conan thought was the true face of Fate. When Conan wanted to plan, Fate was born, dancing to his thoughts. The result was always as he wished, but the process was always "dramatic" because Conan himself was unaware, allowing Fate to evolve in a general direction.
Ichigo didn't know why Conan had such a divine power to dictate destiny, but he knew it wasn't a good thing for him. Thus, he gave his advice.
Conan was stunned. He pointed at himself. "You're saying I'm not making plans, but destiny?! That's too much. I'm just an ordinary high school detective... okay, maybe not so ordinary now, but before I met you, I was physically powerless. To say I can control or dictate destiny is just too absurd... right?"
By the end, Conan's voice lacked confidence. For no logical reason, he felt a sudden sense of guilt—as if some deeply engraved but forgotten "facts" were reminding him to stop being so "humble-bragging" (Versailles).
Ichigo stopped bouncing. He performed "squats" with his spherical body to continue adapting.
"I'm beginning to understand why He wanted me to participate in your script. Certain things and feelings... perhaps only I can discuss them with you. I once thought I was just an ordinary high schooler. Just as you are good at solving cases, I was good at fighting. Until one day, I found I could defeat the avatar of God on earth. In that moment, I took one second to look back at my life. I realized that 'protagonists' are different from the very beginning."
During that final battle of "beating up the world," Ichigo had unearthed every possibility of his life: Soul Reaper Ichigo, Quincy Ichigo, Hell Ichigo, Hollow Ichigo, Soul King Ichigo. They all manifested and were unified, allowing him to leap across the impossible limit from 99% to 100% Absolute Domain.
Absolute Domain is total control over the self. The 100% state symbolizes mastering every possibility of one's life from birth to end. In the Bleach world, no one knew how he took that step. He never told them.
But now, he revealed the ultimate secret to Conan.
It was simple: In a single heartbeat, Ichigo looked back and scrutinized his entire life for exactly one second.
Of course, saying it's simple doesn't mean it's easy. Ichigo used his matchless Purity to transform his gaze into one of absolute insight. Starting from his current moment as the source, he looked back up the timeline, inspecting his life.
Then, Ichigo knew everything. Everything hidden within him, the root of his birth, the various burdens he was born with—all were laid bare. In that instant, he understood what a "Protagonist" was.
A seemingly mundane birth and upbringing hid a complex, miraculous origin. A seemingly ordinary human body hid absolute power that surpassed all things from the start. What looked like walking a commoner's path was actually a series of locked destiny nodes, waiting for time to turn into a tide and push him to the peak.
Ichigo understood the Heavenly Mandate he carried: he was born to sever the million years of karma accumulated since the Soul King created the world. Finally, he understood the divergent paths corresponding to every choice in his life.
That one second of scrutiny was a world-shaking transformation. After that second, Ichigo was the master of his own life. He unified it under his Absolute Domain. The 100% realm followed naturally. No destiny could ever bind or guide him again; all karma submitted to his palm, awaiting his judgment.
He was still a protagonist, but no longer the world's protagonist—he was the protagonist of his own life.
Now, he told these secrets to Edogawa Conan.
Conan wanted to retort—what kind of 'ordinary high schooler' goes and fights God's avatar?—but then he remembered himself. A mere high school detective who had a wager of life, death, and conviction with Moriarty, the symbol of absolute evil. A wager that continued even after a world line shift. He couldn't speak. They were both equally absurd.
Although Ichigo told him to stop thinking, Conan couldn't help his brain racing after hearing all that. After a long while, Conan said slowly:
"So, according to you, I'm the protagonist of this world. Even though I look like a regular detective, I might have the hidden power to... punch chaos until it splits into light and dark and creates the universe? Okay, I'm not doubting you, I just want to ask: are you sure you're talking about a 'protagonist' and not a 'Creator God'? As far as I know, protagonists aren't that broken!"
As a modern resident, Conan knew the concept of a protagonist, but Ichigo's description didn't fit the definition at all.
"I know that as a detective, you tend to doubt everything without evidence," Ichigo said. "I have a piece of information that might count as evidence. Want to see?"
"Fine, show me!"
Ichigo once again used his new technique to turn himself into a human screen.
The image showed the moment Conan launched his criminal plan to buff the Giant of Light with Nightmare Beika. Then the image shifted. Because Ichigo had used that criminal power as a source to trigger his Purity Radar, tracing back up the timeline to find the "Criminal Experts" of the past.
Infinite kaleidoscopic images flashed by. Though they flickered rapidly, Conan keenly noticed several familiar silhouettes. Before he could process them, the flashing slowed down.
"The timeline of this world is messier and longer than I imagined," Ichigo noted. "I can't be sure which era my radar hit. But after tracing it back, roughly one million to ten million years ago, I saw a peerless criminal expert. He had slaughtered infinite beings, possessed a killing intent beyond description, and stood with an invincible posture..."
Conan didn't care about the description. He stared at the screen, seeing something he could not comprehend.
There, in the past of a million to ten million years ago, was Edogawa Conan.
A child's form, eyes filled with endless despair, surrounded by unmeasurable evil karma that formed a boundless darkness. He was screaming with all his might:
"Recite my sins! State my evil karma! Then, judge me! Let my sins be made manifest and eternal, and use them to tear down the unshakeable throne of God!"
End of Chapter
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