At this moment, Toichi Kuroba was soaring through the sky, his hang glider unfurled.
The Inspector had failed to notice anything unusual in the air. He was still busy trying to dig through every inch of the ground surrounding the auction house, searching for any trace of the Kid they had just witnessed "falling" to his death.
As the distance grew, the swarms of police and onlookers near the venue shrank into tiny black specks in Toichi's vision.
"You're searching in entirely the wrong direction, New York's finest," he chuckled softly.
It was only when he landed smoothly atop a neighboring skyscraper that he retracted his glider. He pulled the "Crimson Ember" from his pocket, his eyes narrowing behind his monocle as he held the peerless ruby up against the moonlight for a closer look.
"Wrong again? Or perhaps..."
Was it possible he truly couldn't see it?
The man in the phantom thief attire pondered for a moment before stowing the gem back into his pocket. Forget it, I'll take it back and study it later.
"Clap, clap, clap."
Suddenly, the sound of applause drifted from behind him.
"Truly worthy of the Great Kaito Kid. Taking the gem right under everyone's noses... you're quite the character."
Toichi stiffened momentarily before turning calmly to face the source.
A man wearing a mask and a hood, dressed in black tactical gear, stood behind him with a smile. The mask was adorned with three connected red dots, resembling the dangerous glint in the eyes of a predatory insect.
"But why must you insist on interfering with our organization's operations?" The man shook his head and sighed. "I consider myself a magician of sorts, so I originally admired you. However, because of your interference, our Boss is very unhappy. Therefore..."
"Therefore, he sent you to eliminate me?"
"Correct! Bingo~" the man snapped his fingers and let out a laugh.
"That depends on whether you have the skill."
As soon as Toichi spoke, he dropped several flashbangs and smoke grenades to obscure the man's vision, intending to use his grappling hook to swing over to the opposite building.
"Quick reflexes... unfortunately, you are but a mortal."
The masked man spread his hands, watching Toichi flee without lifting a finger.
Suddenly, a sense of foreboding washed over Toichi as his foot hit empty air. Looking down, he saw the skyscrapers beneath him had somehow transformed into a massive, sprawling spiderweb. He didn't panic; he merely remarked, "It seems I've become quite the eyesore... to send even you, your Boss must have paid a high price."
"Indeed, hiring me isn't cheap."
Spider, knowing his identity had been guessed, smiled serenely. "Dying by my hand is no insult to your reputation."
In truth, he was the world-famous illusionist Gunther von Goldberg II, a man of many titles: freelance assassin and the gold-tier member of the "Snake" organization, codenamed Spider. In this slightly altered world, he was also ranked as an A-class Ability User.
However, Toichi Kuroba was more troublesome than he anticipated. Through sheer willpower, Toichi forcibly broke free from the spiderweb illusion, successfully fired his grappling hook, and slid toward the opposite rooftop.
Spider snorted, finally getting serious.
With a wave of his hand, Toichi saw his grappling hook suddenly turn into countless insects that began swarming over his body. Closing his eyes, he told himself it was an illusion and relied on instinct to keep sliding. He nearly made it across.
"Tch, how annoying," Spider cursed. He used his ability to turn "nothingness into reality," conjuring a massive pitch-black scythe to cleave Toichi apart.
Lacking experience against Ability Users, Toichi instinctively accelerated his slide, eventually tumbling onto the rooftop in a disheveled heap. Something fell out of his pocket and rolled away.
Spider used his ability to create a flexible silk ribbon, gliding gracefully to the opposite side. Just then, a gem glowing with a crimson light rolled to a stop not far in front of him. Seeing the priceless treasure, a flash of greed crossed his eyes.
Since Toichi's death was already a certainty, there was no rush. Better to secure the gem first; that alone would make the trip worthwhile.
Seeing this, Toichi immediately flung several razor-sharp playing cards. Some actually found their mark, drawing beads of blood from Spider's wrist and shattering half his mask, revealing a spider-shaped tattoo beneath his left eye.
"Fine..." Spider's smile faded, replaced by cold indifference. "You've made me very unhappy. It seems I'll have to make your death a bit more gruesome."
He unleashed an illusion of a massive, fanged python. The snake hissed as it lunged forward, jaws wide and dripping with venomous saliva, ready to swallow Toichi whole.
"Heh..."
Facing this fury, Toichi actually laughed—though there was a hint of finality in the sound.
His hand darted forward to snatch the gem. As the python lunged, he shoved his top hat into its mouth to jam its jaws and rolled toward the edge of the roof. Then, he did something that, in Spider's eyes, looked like a desperate act of mutual destruction.
"What are you doing?!"
Toichi hurled the "Crimson Ember" high into the air. In a second, gravity would pull it down to be shattered into pieces.
At the same time, he shouted:
"If you don't show yourself now, you'll never get your hands on this gem...!"
Spider froze.
Who was he talking to?
Was there... a third person on the scene?!
"Oh my~ to think you actually noticed me. You really are something, Kaito Kid."
The voice was complimentary, magnetic, and shrouded in mystery.
The moment before the gem began its descent, a tall figure with white hair and blue eyes appeared out of thin air, catching the stone effortlessly in the palm of his hand.
Spider stared at the unknown man and witnessed what would likely be the most unforgettable sight of his life.
The man possessed a face that could only be described as perfect. His snow-white hair fluttered in the wind, making him look even more ethereal. But it was those blue eyes—which felt as though they could peer into the very depths of one's soul—that sparked an involuntary sense of awe and terror.
At that moment, the bright moon hung directly above him, as if it had risen there specifically to await his arrival. The soft moonlight draped over him like a veil of gossamer, a perfect fit.
Spider watched blankly, momentarily forgetting to maintain his illusions.
If people called Kaito Kid the "Magician Under the Moonlight," then this man undoubtedly deserved a title that was similar yet fundamentally different.
He was... "The Son of God Under the Moonlight."