Chapter 53: Kyubey!! Make a Contract With Me!!!
"Heh… heh…"
That broken, empty laughter pierced Conan's eardrums like an icicle, shattering the last shred of hope in his heart.
He could only watch.
He watched as the flicker of light that had just appeared in Ran's eyes was completely devoured by a deeper, colder darkness.
He watched as the last wisp of pink faded from the Soul Gem on her chest, leaving it a pure, bottomless black that radiated a thick, ominous aura.
It was over.
It was completely over.
The truth… he had told her the truth…
He thought… it would be her hope…
Why… why did it turn out like this?!
He was wrong… He had chosen the wrong time… He was the one who had personally pushed her off the cliff!
No! It can't end like this!
There has to be another way! There has to be something…
Kyubey!
That's right! Kyubey!
That ubiquitous white demon!
Hasn't it been trying to tempt me into a contract this whole time?! Doesn't it just want to trade a soul for a wish?!
Now! Right now!
As long as it can save Ran!
He shot his head up, his eyes scanning the chaotic Witch's Labyrinth that was once Uncle Mouri. His voice, distorted by absolute terror, ripped through the air as he screamed:
"Kyubey!! Where are you?! Come out!!"
"I KNOW YOU'RE HERE!!!"
"A CONTRACT! MAKE A CONTRACT WITH ME!! I'LL AGREE TO ANYTHING!!! I AGREE!!!"
"COME OUT!!!!"
His anguished cries echoed through the twisted space. At this moment, he wanted nothing more than to grasp that final, solitary straw of hope—even if it was poison.
…
Far away, in a shadowy corner of the warped Labyrinth.
Kyubey sat quietly, its red eyes watching everything unfold without a ripple of emotion.
It heard Conan's call and saw the beginning of Ran's Witchification. All over the world, the Kyubeys observed the frantic turmoil in countless human hearts, watched the remaining members of Dr. Agasa and Haibara's group, monitored Karasuma Renya's next move in the Sunset Mansion, and evaluated every possible future development.
The final conclusion was reached.
Although Conan was on the verge of collapse, his rationality had not yet been completely consumed by despair. The optimal time for a contract was in the beginning, before he fully understood the system. Making a contract with him now carried a certain degree of risk, which could potentially jeopardize the objective of continuing the voyage of exploration.
However, with a little minor interference later on, the situation would naturally develop to a point where the true optimal time for a contract would present itself.
Kyubey chose to remain hidden, continuing its observation of the little detective.
…
Conan's heart-wrenching screams faded into the air, leaving only a hollow echo.
No miracle arrived.
No cold whisper offered a contract.
There was… nothing.
The bubble of hope had burst completely.
Was he even being denied the chance to sell his soul for a sliver of hope?
An icy despair flooded his heart, and a wave of powerlessness washed over him. All he could do was watch as the most important person in his life walked toward an irreversible end.
Ran slowly lifted her head and gave him one last look. Within the depths of those familiar eyes swirled an indescribably complex light—sorrow, relief, mockery, and a single, lingering thread of twisted tenderness.
Shinichi.
If only it had been sooner…
No. There are no 'if onlys'.
Dad is dead.
Sonoko is dead.
Sera is dead.
There's nothing left in this world worth holding on to.
Death… is perhaps the best release.
But you… you can't stay here.
"…I… I really am an idiot…"
"...Shinichi..." she choked out his name. Her voice was as soft as a sigh, but it carried clearly to Conan's ears.
Then, she shot her hand out—not for an embrace, but with all her remaining strength, to push him away!
An immense force slammed into his chest. Though powerful, it was strangely harmless, not injuring him in the slightest. At the same time, the wall of the Labyrinth far behind Conan did not resist the blast of pink magic; it blew open, revealing a fleeting portal.
The force sent Conan flying backward, straight toward that opening.
In the instant his body was thrown out of control, the last thing he saw was—
The Soul Gem on Ran's chest, already completely dark and black…
Shattering!
CRACK!
With a dull crack, the black gem burst into countless tiny fragments. Bolts of black lightning erupted from the pieces as they spun and converged in the air, rapidly forming an ominous—
Grief Seed!
The force of the gem's explosion sent Ran's lifeless body flying as well. But just as she fell, an imperceptible white figure flashed past.
Kyubey. It had made its move.
It had interfered.
An interference that, in the current situation, was perhaps insignificant.
The trajectory of Ran's falling body shifted, a minute but crucial deviation.
And its new path was aimed precisely in the direction Conan had been thrown.
The two bodies, at incredible speed, shot through the closing spatial rift one after the other.
"RAAAAAAN—!!!!"
Conan let out a soul-tearing scream in mid-air. He watched helplessly as the portal vanished completely.
Then…
Thump.
A soft, rapidly cooling body fell into his arms, carrying the faint, familiar, clean scent of an orchid.
It was Ran.
Her eyes were closed, an undried teardrop still clinging to her long eyelashes. Her face was a mask of endless sorrow, yet her lips were frozen in a strange, peaceful smile, as if she had finally found release.
"Ugh… ah… AAAAAHHH…"
Conan clutched her "corpse" tightly, desperately, as if trying to merge her into his very bones. His body trembled violently, uncontrollably, under the weight of an unbearable grief. Tears burst from his eyes like a flood, instantly blurring his vision.
He opened his mouth, wanting to scream, to roar, to curse this damned world, but his throat felt like it was being squeezed by a white-hot brand. All he could manage were broken, bestial, choked sobs.
Pain.
It was bone-deep.
…
Inside the Labyrinth.
With Ran's Witchification, a new Witch, born of sorrow and a shattered will, had come into being.
Its form was indistinct, like a giant, broken statue of a guardian angel, composed of countless shattered karate tiles and wilted orchid petals. Black tears flowed from its hollow eye sockets, silently presiding over this chaotic and mournful domain.
This newborn Witch immediately resonated with Kogoro Mouri's Labyrinth.
In the chaotic detective agency maze, a rain of pink, razor-sharp petals began to fall. The whispers of the Familiars were now mixed with a girl's sorrowful sobs and the sharp whistle of karate strikes.
The entire Labyrinth had become even more dangerous, even more chaotic.
…
[Ran Mouri, Soul Gem Witchification confirmed.]
[Contract energy recovered: 30,000 points.]
Far away, in a shadowy corner of the warped Labyrinth, a pure white, cat-like creature watched it all.
It was still Kyubey.
There was no emotion in its red eyes. No sympathy for the back-to-back tragedies. No joy at having successfully recovered a large amount of energy. It simply observed the developing situations everywhere, calmly waiting for the right moment to make its true contracts…
It was merely an observer. An executor.
Nothing more.
…
At that exact moment, in Bikini Bottom.
Inside the Krusty Krab.
SpongeBob SquarePants, in his chef's uniform, was trembling violently with agitation, his two square arms waving frantically.
"No! Absolutely not, Mr. Krabs!"
"I have to take a day off! Right now! Immediately! It's a huge, huge problem! The main characters are all about to be wiped out!"
Behind the counter, Mr. Krabs waved his giant claws, his eyes bulging with rage.
"A day off? Main characters? Have you been watching too much TV, boy?"
"All I know is if you don't get back to your station and flip those patties, you won't be seeing this month's salary! Not one cent! You hear me, boyo?! What kind of trouble is more important than me money?!"
"But…"
"No buts! Get back to work! Or else I'll…"
The argument echoed through the empty Krusty Krab.
…
Meanwhile, in a chaotic suburban basement filled with scorch marks and explosion craters.
Tom Cat, wearing a pair of severely crooked goggles and covered in motor oil and unknown chemicals, was frantically operating a bizarre, sparking device made from an old television, a toaster, bicycle parts, and countless wires.
Wiping non-existent sweat from his brow with a paw, Tom mumbled incoherently around the wrench in his mouth.
He yanked down a massive, rusty lever.
The device let out a violent hum and a crackle of arcing electricity that nearly zapped him into next week. On the screen, countless distorted characters and coordinates scrolled by at high speed, occasionally flashing a blurry image of a star map teeming with chaotic energy…