mtl008 Chapter 1318 Self-Deceiving Ambition
Chapter 1318 Self-Deceiving Ambition
Chapter 1318 Self-Deceiving Ambition
"That's about it."
After briefly recounting the past, Akiba Reiko took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh, earthy air of the forest and exhaling it. Compared to when she left home, she appeared much more upright.
While the Phantom Thieves were caught up in a web of love and hate, Shinichi Kudo had already accompanied Reiko Akiba through the small woodland and listened to her recount her past.
Just as Akiba Reiko herself described it, it was neither a dramatic nor a legendary love story; they were simply ordinary partners who met and then walked hand in hand through life.
This process was ordinary and heartwarming; it was the story of two somewhat lonely young souls finding each other. There were not many traces of affectation or pretense. If Hikaru Soma's life had not been ended by an accident, they would probably have been married for several years now, living a warm and peaceful life.
Unfortunately, that's how accidents happen; fate is always unpredictable.
Through her account, Shinichi Kudo had a pretty good idea of the killer's true identity. After all, Hikaru Soma's social connections were indeed very simple, and by the process of elimination alone, he could identify the most likely killer.
However, looking back on the experiences of this ill-fated couple over the years, he couldn't help but feel that the only one who deserved the most pity in this whole affair was Akiba Reiko.
While the four dead were indeed victims of deliberate revenge, unlike Soma Hikaru, whom they killed, whose grievances could at least be redressed, Soma Hikaru, who lies buried at the bottom of the cliff, has no such chance.
Furthermore, because he fell to his death at the bottom of the cliff, the rescue team spent a lot of time bringing his body back from the bottom of the cliff. In the end, he was not even able to give his lover a dignified final appearance.
And what about Akiba Reiko? She lost someone important to her; when she needed someone to speak out, society was cold and harsh; just when she finally emerged from the shadows of the past and wanted to shed the burdens of history and move forward, some arbitrary individual inexplicably appeared, seeking revenge on her behalf as a true victim's family member—
No one cared about her wishes. All that remained of her after years of hardship was this aggressive shell built up during those painful times of being hurt, and a heart that had been forcibly tempered by suffering.
The mere thought that the murderer might actually believe he was avenging Hikaru Soma made Shinichi Kudo feel nauseous.
No wonder the Phantom Thieves chose drastically different targets and attitudes when faced with similar situations; the legitimacy of revenge can often evoke completely different feelings in similar circumstances.
Thinking of this, Shinichi Kudo took a deep breath.
Although he wasn't sure, and although doing so went against his original intentions to some extent, he still felt the urge to do it when he looked at this beautiful woman whom he might have met once before.
Well, at times like this, it's not that important who solves the problem.
"Miss Qiuting," he called softly.
"Hmm? What's wrong?" Akiba Reiko, who had been looking up, lowered her gaze and looked at the young man who was surprisingly good at listening.
"You could talk to Mr. Haga about these things," Shinichi Kudo suggested tactfully. "I think he might give you a different answer, one that you might be really looking forward to."
"?" Akiba Reiko was taken aback by what she heard him say. "I thought you and Mr. Haga weren't very familiar with each other—"
"We can barely be considered acquaintances." Shinichi Kudo smiled subtly. "Let's give it a try. In this regard, he's a very good listener."
What more do you want me to say? I can't just tell you bluntly that although I don't know how the Phantom Thieves did it, they might possess the kind of ability the organization wants to have—the ability to reverse death and change reality.
It goes without saying that the conditions for achieving these goals are likely to be very demanding, but they are still a glimmer of hope, aren't they?
Even if Soma Hikaru can't be brought back, with the professional "psychological correction" from this group of people, Akiba Reiko can get out of the shadows more quickly and continue her life, which is not a bad thing.
Anyway, let's give it a try, the phantom thieves' method.
"Thank you for your advice." Reiko Akiba sensed the sincere concern in his words, and her smile became much more genuine. "You too, you're a very good listener. I feel much better now, thank you for coming with me."
Of course she knew Shinichi Kudo's intentions.
He made a special trip to her apartment building and accompanied her on her outings, simply because he was worried that the criminals might take the opportunity to attack her and cause her any harm.
Even though she guessed that the culprit wouldn't actually kill her, her protectiveness and worry didn't diminish. Such a responsible young detective is rare.
She was genuinely grateful for Shinichi Kudo's help and stopped being so stubborn.
When she returned to the apartment building and was once again cornered downstairs by Inspector Megure and his men, Akiba Reiko's attitude softened considerably.
"I won't be answering your questions for now, but I don't deny that I do know a lot of information related to the case." Akiba Reiko took off her hood, revealing her bare face, and looked calmly at the police officers. "Please come back after tomorrow's concert, and I will tell you everything. I just want to cherish this performance opportunity, and I hope you can understand."
"Miss Akiba—" Seeing her resolute expression, Inspector Megure knew he would have a hard time persuading her, and felt quite helpless. "We don't mean to make things difficult for you, but, Mr. Soma Hikaru's situation—"
"I know what you're thinking, but tomorrow's performance is more important to me than any of that. Please."
After bowing respectfully, Akiba Reiko said nothing more and turned to walk into her apartment.
Inspector Megure, Wataru Takagi, and the others exchanged glances, then looked at Shinichi Kudo.
He clearly seemed to have been traveling with Akiba Reiko for quite some time. To say he knew nothing would be to greatly underestimate this renowned detective, who, despite not having been seen for many days, still retained her charm.
"Don't worry, she's fine." Shinichi Kudo shook his head as well, and as agreed beforehand, he didn't say much about Reiko Akiba's condition. "If you really need to be careful, you might as well come to the ceremony at the Domoto Concert Hall tomorrow to keep watch."
If the criminal doesn't intend to stop there, then the most likely target he'll make is this concert.
Otherwise, it would be difficult to explain his efforts to prevent Akiba Reiko from participating in the performance using non-lethal means.
Regardless of the perpetrator's true intentions, nominally he was avenging Soma Hikaru, so how could he possibly harm the person Soma Hikaru loved most? Therefore, his reason for trying so hard to prevent Akiba Reiko from appearing at the scene is quite intriguing.
It's quite intriguing that Shinichi Kudo was suspicious all day, yet ultimately escaped without encountering any attacks.
Based on the murderer's behavior patterns observed over the past few days, even if he wasn't extremely vicious, he was clearly someone who couldn't tolerate the slightest thing and acted decisively and ruthlessly. So why was everything so calm today, with no one even trying to stop Akiba Reiko?
Has he finally given up trying to persuade Akiba Reiko, no longer caring about even the last bit of tenderness, or is he preparing to create an even bigger disaster and simply doesn't have time to focus on this matter right now?
Regardless of the type, we must be on guard and make thorough preparations.
As Shinichi Kudo mentally prepares for the worst and battles wits with thin air, little does he know that on the other side of Tokyo, in a concert hall in Nishitama City, the very culprit is clutching his wildly beating heart, struggling to control his emotions.
Compared to the young and strong murderers that the Phantom Thieves had targeted in the past, Pu and Jiang did not have a physical advantage. When they felt the Phantom Thieves' relentless mental attacks and assaults, and sensed that something was about to happen to them, they felt their hearts pounding violently in their chests, sweat pouring down their faces, and their entire face turning bright red.
As a criminal who has already been involved in multiple deaths, it was not surprising that he became the target of elusive phantom thieves. What he truly could not accept was the evaluation and announcement on the notice.
"You, who call yourself a righteous avenger, blindly and stubbornly tune your instrument for thirty-five years, still cannot tune your own heartstrings; you have followed your dearest friend to this day, yet you still cannot discern your own place. Under the guise of grief, you exercise selfish and arrogant power that respects only your own interests. The music you have carefully prepared is not worthy of being called elegant. The true rest will be drawn by us. We accept your obsessive self and self-deceiving ambitions!"
Sincerely, Phantom Thieves of Hearts
Due to its wording and other reasons, the letter did not explicitly state his true motive for the crime, but the contempt between the lines was unmistakable.
These phantom thieves showed no mercy in exposing his self-deception.
Secondly, his crimes, from beginning to end, were all for his own benefit.
Killing the four people who caused Soma Hikaru's death was never the goal, but a distraction to divert the police's attention and facilitate his ultimate objective. He had no strong feelings for his son, and it was even less likely that such strong feelings would suddenly emerge now, many years after Soma Hikaru's death.
As for Akiba Reiko, the real reason he wanted to prevent her from participating in the concert with Kawabe Kanade was actually because of their perfect pitch.
He merely glanced at the concert's performance list and saw the names of two members of the quartet. He concluded that they were not even qualified to participate in the grand event, to be compared with others, and to perish in the flames. That's why he chose these four as the prologue to the movement.
They were merely an add-on to his plan, a smokescreen he found to justify killing Kawabe Kanade.
As the director of the concert hall, he could actually influence a portion of the secondary list, and the perfectionist Kawabe Kanade would inevitably have to listen to the performances in groups.
When she went to listen to the two men's performance, she detonated the bomb, making it impossible for her to stop her plan. This was the starting point and the true nature of the entire killing spree.
Kawabe Kanade is a performer with perfect pitch, as is Akiba Reiko. If the two of them had appeared normally at the rehearsal and preview, even if he had successfully prevented Hansmura from showing up, the slight pitch deviation of the orchestra during the preview from the rehearsal would definitely have attracted their attention. For both reason and emotion, he could not allow such an unstable element that could disrupt the plan to appear.
If we had to say what role the close relationship between Akiba Reiko and Soma Hikaru played, it would be that his hostility was slightly lessened when he was around Akiba Reiko.
You see, when facing Kawabe Kanade, he didn't consider whether the explosion would leave her with any lifelong disability or even kill her. He did it without any scruples, and then sarcastically remarked, "Blame it on your talent."
These were his dark, secret thoughts, which he kept hidden from outsiders. Now, this notice had ruthlessly exposed them. Even if he hadn't changed his mind, he would still be furious.
In another dimension unseen by the Spectrum and the Craftsman, in the equally matched hall of fame, Tang Ze, who kept provoking with his mask cutter, used a complete set of meme-filled graduation P combinations to efficiently deplete the Cross's health.
The wooden cross, which looked perfectly fine, was bleeding more and more as the blood loss decreased. At this moment, the tomb chamber, which represented an empty grave, was almost completely smeared with blood plasma.
What's even more hellish is that the room was constantly surging with points of light in a state of high alert, making the whole room look like a bright red sun, which was inexplicably spectacular.
"One last hit. Shade!" Switching to the weakened version of Satanyel given in the second playthrough, Tang Ze raised the gun in his hand.
This is arguably the most mythological and suitable gun for him among his masks. Although it's impossible to replicate the Sin Armor-Piercing Rounds, it can still deliver a rather impressive effect here by relying on attack bonuses and teamwork.
With his mind highly focused, Hoshikawa Teru immediately appeared behind Tang Ze.
A series of passive buffs flashed across his body. Tang Ze raised his gun, closed one eye, and aimed at the center of the cross, which was marked and locked by special effects in his field of vision. This was also the position where the entire wooden cross was bound and fixed.
Tang Ze pulled the trigger, and with the support of the Sword God's will and the Demon King's realm, the Supreme Demon Bullet was activated.
Without needing further instructions, the teammates, who were already working in perfect harmony, responded immediately.
Morofushi Kagemitsu's sniper bullets followed immediately, not pursuing lethality, but switching to a vulnerability dot that could enhance bullet damage.
Hoshikawa Teru's shadow followed the exploding bullet in an instant, rushing towards the cross in the center of the pool of blood.
"Bang-
'
The bullet pierced through the intersection of the cross, causing the wooden structure to crack and burn.
With a deafeningly loud explosion, the gentle hymn finally ceased, and the once noisy hall was enveloped in a long-awaited tranquility.
The pool of blood on the ground receded rapidly. Tang Ze, having abandoned his fighting stance, stepped onto the receding edge of the blood pool and walked step by step to the center of the tomb chamber, looking down at the people in the pit.
It was an old man dressed in a white robe, clutching a silver cross tightly in his hand, lying peacefully with his eyes closed as if in a coffin, awaiting death.
This is precisely the form of the Shadow Hall Master of the Spectrum and the Craftsman.