In the dim Basement, the young Kaito was restrained in a specialized container. His limbs had been... amputated, his eyes... ears... His once bright, cunning, and vibrant eyes were now just two empty sockets. His handsome face was twisted and deformed by inhuman pain and despair. Standing before the container, admiring him like a failed experiment, were none other than Kanjuro and... Kuroba Chie! Chie even reached out, gently stroking the container wall where Kaito's distorted shadow was reflected, her face showing a kind of morbid pity and... satisfaction? As if admiring a work, "imperfect" but still valuable, that she and Kanjuro had completed together.
"Human Pig..." Kuroba Toichi had nearly gone mad when he first saw this footage. His only "son," the young man he had devoted his heart to raising and tried to protect from the darkness, had been turned into a "Human Pig" by Kanjuro using such cruel methods! And Chie was there! Was she even... an accomplice or an endorser?
Now, combining this with the scene in the interrogation room, everything connected, forming a clear, nauseating chain of dark logic: Kanjuro had long controlled Chie. Through Chie, he might have noticed Toichi and Kaito very early on. Kaito's "special talent" (sensitivity to gems, Magical Aptitude) might have piqued Kanjuro's interest, or Kaito's existence itself became an obstacle Kanjuro needed to eliminate or "wastefully utilize." Thus, the horrific "modification" occurred. And Chie not only failed to stop it but might have provided information, watched coldly, or... worse.
Then, Kanjuro continued his conquest, bringing his "daughters" (Ran Mouri, Koizumi Akako, and perhaps more) and his women (Yukiko, Chie, and perhaps Eri Kisaki?). Now, it was the turn of his elder brother, Kudo Yusaku, and his nephew, Shinichi Kudo.
"Brother... Shinichi... Kaito..." Kuroba Toichi's voice was hoarse and broken. Tears mixed with blood poured from his eyes—not tears of weakness, but Blood-Tears burned out by extreme grief and hatred.
He watched Kanjuro on the screen, holding Chie like an emperor with his Favored Concubine, enjoying the death throes of the prey in the cage. He watched Yukiko, like the most elegant executioner, continuing her "artistic creation." He watched Ran Mouri, the girl who was once sunny and kind, now coldly executing the commands to inflict pain.
All his calculations, all his elegance, and all the sense of control that came with being a "Magician" were utterly crushed at this moment. He had not only lost his "son" and his "wife" (even if in name only), but he was also watching his elder brother and nephew suffer through torture while he remained powerless. He had even potentially drawn the attention of the Organization by prematurely exposing this secret surveillance node—the final set of eyes he had reserved for the worst-case scenario.
The poisonous flames of hatred burned more frantically in his heart than ever before. This was no longer about justice or the responsibility of opposing darkness; it was the most primitive, bloodiest personal vendetta—the revenge for a son (though not biological, he was more than a son), the hatred of betrayal, and the agony of seeing his kin suffer!
"Kanjuro—!!!" He slammed a fist onto the console, denting the metal surface as the screen flickered violently.
"And... Chie... Yukiko... you... accomplices of the devil!!"
He knew it was no longer safe to stay here; the Organization's cleaners might burst through the door at any second. But he was unwilling to give up! He wanted revenge! Not for some higher principle of justice, but simply for the fire of vengeance in his chest that was about to burn him to ashes!
He had to escape! He had to find power! He had to use every means necessary, even if it meant dragging himself into the deepest pits of hell, to make Kanjuro and those traitors pay a hundredfold, a thousandfold!
Taking one last deep look at the pained faces of his brother and Shinichi on the screen, along with Kanjuro's nauseatingly calm smile and Chie's cold profile, the last light belonging to the "Elegant Phantom Thief" in Kuroba Toichi's eyes was completely extinguished. In its place was a pure and frantic dark determination, condensed from the lowest depths of the abyss.
He abruptly cut all surveillance lines, initiated the preset data erasure and physical destruction programs, and then, like a ghost merging into the shadows, vanished from this soon-to-be-destroyed surveillance node. He escaped into the deeper, more complex, and chaotic underground structures of the FBI headquarters, carrying bone-deep hatred and a vow of destruction as he sought that slim, perhaps equally dark... path of revenge.
Inside the interrogation room, Kanjuro seemed to sense something. He tilted his head slightly, looking toward the general direction of the surveillance node. A faint glimmer of interest flashed in his purple eyes, like a predator noticing a slight rustle in the distant grass.
"The rat... finally couldn't help but come out of its hole?" he whispered to himself, the curve of his lips becoming increasingly cold and cruel.
"Mr. Toichi, what else can your 'magic' conjure? I'm looking forward to... your final, desperate curtain call."
The vortex of darkness spun even faster due to deeper hatred and betrayal, poised to swallow more souls attempting to resist or flee. The hunt within the underground labyrinth of the FBI headquarters did not last long. When the hatred burning in Kuroba Toichi's heart surpassed his usual caution and planning, and when he chose to actively destroy the surveillance node and expose his general location, he became as conspicuous as a lit torch in the darkness within the inescapable net Kanjuro had cast.
Relying on his familiarity with the building's structure and his remaining magical contraptions, he temporarily evaded several waves of outer searchers. But eventually, at the end of a dead-end leading to an abandoned steam pipe level, he was cornered.
Not many people were pursuing him, but they were enough to drive him to despair.
Kanjuro walked at the front, his pace still leisurely, as if he weren't conducting a manhunt but rather inspecting his own territory. Beside him was Kuroba Chie; she had changed into a dark purple skin-tight leather outfit that accentuated her stunning curves. Her long hair was tied back neatly, and her face held no expression—only a frozen indifference. Only when her gaze occasionally brushed past Kanjuro did an unfathomable glint flash deep in her eyes.
Ran Mouri and Koizumi Akako stood on either side, blocking any other possible escape routes. Vodka stood like a wall, obstructing the only way back.
Kuroba Toichi leaned against the rusted metal pipes, breathing heavily. His formal suit was already torn and filthy, and his face was covered in abrasions, sweat, and grime. His former elegance was gone, leaving only the disheveled and frantic state of a trapped beast driven to its limit. His eyes were fixed on Kanjuro, and even more so on Kuroba Chie beside him, the hatred in his gaze almost turning into physical flames.
"Ye! Xiao!" He squeezed the name through his teeth, his voice hoarse and cracked. "You devil! You bastard!"
Kanjuro stopped and looked at him with interest, as if appreciating a piece of art that was on the verge of shattering but still struggling. "Mr. Toichi, why lose your composure like this? Where is the 'Magician's' poise you're so proud of?"
"Poise? Facing a monster like you in human skin, what need is there for poise!" Kuroba Toichi roared, suddenly pointing at Kuroba Chie. "And you! Chie! You slut! You poisonous woman! Look at me! Look into my eyes! Kaito... Kaito... how could you?! How dare you?!"
His voice was distorted by extreme pain and anger as he questioned the woman he once thought had at least maintained a surface-level cooperative relationship, or perhaps even a subtle bond.
Kuroba Chie finally turned her gaze fully toward Kuroba Toichi. Her look was terrifyingly calm—no guilt, no evasion, not even a ripple of emotion. It was as if she were looking at a stranger, or an inconsequential object.
"Kuroba Toichi," she spoke, her voice cold and devoid of any emotion, "or should I call you... Brother?"
Those words were like ice picks, making Kuroba Toichi shudder as his pupils constricted. She knew! She had known this secret all along! Half-siblings, connected by blood, yet never public due to family scandal and their respective missions—even silently keeping their distance... Brother!
"So... you knew all along..." Kuroba Toichi's voice dropped, carrying a hint of unbelievable trembling. "We are siblings... even if there's no affection, at least... at least we had an agreement! You lurked by my side just for today? To help this devil destroy everything?!"
"Agreement?" A faint, almost mocking curve appeared at the corner of Kuroba Chie's mouth. "That was nothing more than a cover for mutual benefit. You needed the cover of a 'wife' to continue your activities and research as a phantom thief, and I needed an identity to get close to certain secrets and observe you. As for sibling affection?" She shook her head slightly, her eyes remaining cold. "That thin blood connection is not worth mentioning in the face of true choice and power."
She took a step forward, moving closer to Kanjuro, her posture displaying a natural sense of belonging.
"True, Kaito is your adopted son, and he was mine as well. I admit, that child... was somewhat special. His talent, his smile—they once made me feel that... perhaps in this boring life of masquerade, there was one little thing worth caring about." Her tone fluctuated slightly, but it quickly returned to coldness. "However, Brother Toichi, you've mistaken one thing."
She looked up, staring directly into Kuroba Toichi's eyes burning with hatred, and said clearly and cruelly, word by word:
"To me, Kaito is an adopted son, and you are a brother by blood... but all of that combined doesn't even come close to the weight Lord Kanjuro holds in my heart."
"From the very beginning, I was never your person, nor was I Kaito's 'mother.' The only one I truly serve, the only one I recognize, the only one who can give me true meaning and... pleasure, is Lord Kanjuro."
Her gaze turned toward Kanjuro, and the frozen depths of her eyes finally melted into a flicker of genuine, twisted heat and infatuation.
"Lord Kanjuro's power, Lord Kanjuro's wisdom, Lord Kanjuro's manner of controlling everything... even the 'punishment' and 'remodeling' Lord Kanjuro grants are a thousand times more real, powerful, and enchanting than people like you who are immersed in ridiculous senses of justice, family responsibility, or hypocritical affection."
"Kaito's talent piqued Lord Kanjuro's interest; that was his honor. As for his end..." Kuroba Chie's voice was as indifferent as ever. "Failing to pass Lord Kanjuro's 'test' and failing to become a useful 'work' means being disposed of as a 'failure' is a natural conclusion. I even personally participated in parts of the 'evaluation' process to ensure... the process met Lord Kanjuro's requirements."
"As for you, my brother," she looked again at the deathly pale, trembling Kuroba Toichi, "your existence, your activities, and your potential threat to Lord Kanjuro were marked long ago. To have lived until now, to see with your own eyes how Lord Kanjuro controls everything, how he crushes your ridiculous resistance, and how... he took me in, is already your greatest 'luck.'"
These words completely and brutally crushed the last sliver of hope and illusion in Kuroba Toichi's heart. It wasn't just betrayal; it was a fundamental denial of the meaning of every connection between them. It reduced blood relations, agreements, and even their subtle shared concern for Kaito to worthlessness, while exalting her twisted, absolute loyalty and infatuation for Kanjuro.
"Haha... Hahaha..." Kuroba Toichi began with a low chuckle, then his laughter grew louder and more frantic, filled with despair and self-mockery. "So that's it... so that's how it is! I, Kuroba Toichi, have been clever all my life, thinking I controlled magic and saw through human hearts... yet I've been played like a monkey by my own legal wife and blood sister! The son I treated as my own... was destroyed by you like an experimental subject! And I... I was still thinking about plans and revenge like a fool!"
He abruptly stopped laughing, his bloodshot eyes staring fixedly at Kuroba Chie. He roared with all his might, his voice filled with the most vicious curses:
"Kuroba Chie! You shameless, traitorous bitch who serves a thief as a father and betrays your own kin! You poisonous woman! You will die a horrible death! Kanjuro! You too! You monsters wallowing in darkness will one day be swallowed by an even deeper darkness! I'll be waiting for you in hell!!"
"Enough." Kanjuro finally spoke calmly, interrupting Kuroba Toichi's dying curses. He looked at Kuroba Toichi as if looking at a noisy insect. "Your act ends here."
He nodded slightly.
Ran Mouri's figure vanished instantly, appearing before Kuroba Toichi in the next second. Kuroba Toichi roared, unleashing his final potential as a hidden playing card blade popped into his hand, slashing toward Ran's throat! This was the final and most murderous technique of the father of Kaitou Kid, a master Magician of a generation.
However, in the face of an absolute gap in speed and power, this technique appeared pathetically weak.
Ran didn't even dodge. She simply reached out with her left hand, her fingers clamping onto Kuroba Toichi's wrist with the precision of iron pincers, and gave a light squeeze!
Crack! The sound of bone fracturing was agonizing to hear.
Kuroba Toichi groaned in pain as the playing card blade fell from his hand. Ran's right hand, with fingers joined like a blade and wrapped in a faint black mist, pierced toward his heart with lightning speed!
Puchi!
Her fingertips easily punctured his clothes and flesh, accurately piercing his heart. It wasn't a momentary penetration, but rather a burst of corrosive dark energy exploding inside the heart!
Kuroba Toichi's body stiffened abruptly, all movement ceasing. The madness, hatred, and pain in his eyes froze instantly. He opened his mouth as if to say something more, but only black blood foam surged from his lips.
His final gaze remained fixed toward Kuroba Chie, filled with endless resentment and incomprehension. Then, the light rapidly faded and finally went out completely.
Ran Mouri withdrew her hand, and Kuroba Toichi's corpse slid down the pipe, collapsing onto the ground, lifeless. A legendary phantom thief, a wise man, and the brother of Kudo Yusaku died in such an ironic and tragic manner—before a "sister" he never truly knew who gave him the most fatal betrayal, and at the hands of a man he viewed as a devil but failed to even truly confront.
Kanjuro walked to the corpse and glanced down with an indifferent expression. He reached out his hand, and Kuroba Chie immediately stepped forward, placing her hand in his palm with perfect naturalness.
"Clean it up," Kanjuro instructed Vodka, then led Chie away as he turned to leave.
Ran and Akako followed closely behind.
Before leaving, Kuroba Chie took one last look back at the cooling body on the ground—the body of her blood relative. There were still no tears or ripples of emotion in her eyes, only the peace of a completed task and a deeper, absolute dependence on the man holding her hand.
To her, her brother's death was merely another step in proving her loyalty to Lord Kanjuro, a clearing away of inconsequential dust from the old world. Her world had long since consisted only of the darkness and "truth" bestowed by Kanjuro.
Another bloody footnote was added to the dark chapter of the FBI headquarters. Kanjuro's path of conquest continued to spread deeper with the elimination of a potential threat and the absolute display of loyalty from a woman. The blood of the vengeful was merely nourishment for his tree of power. Kuroba Toichi's curse seemed so weak and laughable in this darkness he controlled.
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