Chapter 127: The First Day of the Brand-New World Line
The "Zuo Wang Dao" (Path of Forgetting/Deception) tactic was a massive success. Truthfully, Mo Yu felt quite a sense of accomplishment.
Under the Stand ability of the Demon of Light, Sherlock Holmes, the world was undergoing constant restructuring! Before the restructuring of the world line was complete, time had stopped entirely. Even Mo Yu's own "Xiao Hei" body, which hadn't completely dissipated, was frozen in place—suspended in stagnant time and effectively crashed.
However, this was no issue for Mo Yu. The complete halt of the world bubble's timeline couldn't stop him from looking down upon it all from a higher dimension.
In fact, Mo Yu was slightly surprised. The strength of Shinichi Kudo's Stand—or rather, the status and fortune he possessed—was somewhat "broken" (overpowered). The authority to change the world line involved interfering with the fundamental logic of the world. Even for a protagonist, this was a bit excessive.
But the Omniscience Authority quickly provided the answer, and it was unexpectedly simple.
The original Detective Conan had been serialized for thirty years, becoming a collective memory for generations. But if you asked readers if they expected to see the finale in their lifetime, many would instinctively shake their heads. This was the cognitive inertia caused by such a long run. Simultaneously, the annual movies were not only cash cows for investors but also led fans to expect Conan to constantly invent new ways to hype ships and pull off physics-defying stunts.
All of this gave the Detective Conan IP immense value and vitality, making it feel like it would never end. And this world bubble, being a rigid stickler for details, treated the concept of "The Protagonist" the same way.
If protagonist statuses were ranked, Shinichi Kudo's would undoubtedly be in the highest tier. If one had to name it, it would be the Eternal Protagonist.
The definition was simple: from the birth of the world to its end, throughout an immeasurable stretch of time, there is only one protagonist—Shinichi Kudo (or rather, Edogawa Conan). One could even say the world revolved around him without exaggeration. To this end, the world had granted him an absurd level of fortune, allowing him to change even the world's underlying logic. This was the truth behind that "Conan-Science" power.
For example, if one day Conan felt he could kick a falling satellite out of the sky with a soccer ball, the world would immediately say: "Brother, whatever you say goes." The world gave him root-level permissions. As long as he believed he could do it, shooting down satellites or even nukes was "OJBK" (perfectly okay).
What the world thought didn't matter; what Conan thought did. When world laws clashed with the protagonist's will, the world gave a thumbs-up and cooperated unconditionally. This was the status of the Eternal Protagonist.
This ultimate "Conan-Science" power was the world bubble's way of logic-completing itself. According to the progress of the real-world anime and movies, Conan would eventually enter even more absurd chapters—nuclear crises or alien invasions. The world bubble prepared for this in advance. No matter how ridiculous the plot or Conan's actions became, the world would replicate the details perfectly, one-to-one!
When Gin used his Stand power to inject the APTX poison into Shinichi, the "Fated Moment" arrived. At that moment, Shinichi had technically reclaimed his true essence and awakened the sleeping fortune of the Eternal Protagonist. Thus, the Stand Sherlock Holmes with the ability [Steins;Gate: Plucking the World Line] was born.
Mo Yu, seeing this truth, couldn't help but want to roast the world bubble.
You OCD-ridden cosplayer... look at what kind of monster you've birthed by over-analyzing the source material and filling in the gaps yourself.
The god-like power to change world lines was only a partial manifestation of Conan's true strength. If he went full-throttle, he'd essentially be the Supreme Almighty of a single universe. Not the "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God" level, but the "In the beginning was the God, and the Word existed because of God" level. Did this have anything to do with the original Conan anymore?
But it was just a roast. The Omniscience Authority's insight continued, showing Mo Yu that while the power was exaggerated, it was restricted. The world had drawn an invisible line; Conan himself would likely never realize the truth of his status. Even if he glimpsed it, it would never be complete. Just like now, his omnipotent power manifested as the ability to "pluck" world lines—strong, but nothing compared to his "Perfect Form."
Furthermore, this power only activated at specific moments and underwent a degree of "world auditing" before use. However, these limits were more for "gentlemen" than "schemers." Mo Yu's "Zuo Wang Dao" deception had worked, turning Shinichi into a humanoid Hogyoku and indirectly utilizing the ultimate power that Shinichi himself couldn't perceive.
The world was restructuring under the light of Sherlock Holmes. Many laws and settings were changing, but it wasn't an instantaneous process. Mo Yu watched with total focus, the Authority analyzing every detail.
This was a rare opportunity. "Steins;Gate" didn't actually exist; even in the original Steins;Gate world, it was just a concept. But here, Mo Yu realized that if he could parse the process of the world line shifting under Holmes's authority, he might be able to create a real Steins;Gate or master a similar divine technique.
His gains didn't stop there. As the world line changed, Mo Yu's brand was buried in the world's underlying architecture. Unlike Bleach, the Conan world bubble seemed to have developed specific countermeasures against him. Mo Yu noticed this but did nothing.
The restructuring reached its end. Sherlock Holmes dissolved into light and returned to Shinichi.
Then, Shinichi—who had been holding Ran—vanished. Frozen time resumed, but in a very "lively" way. In Mo Yu's observation, clear daylight switched to night in a single frame. The people in the amusement park, including Gin and Megure, had also vanished, leaving only a few staff members on patrol.
Shinichi had Mo Yu's "Perspective" tag on him. As long as he was in this bubble, Mo Yu could find him. When Mo Yu switched his view, he saw a very familiar sight.
Wearing oversized clothes, his body shrunk to that of a child, Shinichi Kudo was stumbling through a dark street.
"Is this the Sixth Divergence? I turned into a kid? Was this shift a form of time reversal? I need to confirm this quickly."
Unlike the original Shinichi, who was thrown into a panic by the unscientific reality, this Shinichi—having experienced the world-line shifts—was far calmer. He moved quickly. Guided by destiny, he arrived at Professor Agasa's house.
Just as he arrived, Agasa was returning from dinner. But unlike the original, Shinichi didn't get to do their secret code. The moment Agasa appeared, a crowd of people swarmed him:
"Professor Agasa! We heard you were an acquaintance of the world's strongest Stand User, Shinichi Kudo! Can you tell us about his past deeds?" "Professor, it's been a month since Shinichi Kudo was murdered by a Super-Villain. Do you still feel grief?" "How do you feel about the Japanese government's failure to solve the Jet Coaster Murder Case and soothe Shinichi's spirit...?" "Do you think Shinichi's death is related to the legendary 'Great Secret Treasure of Moriarty'?"
Agasa, never good with crowds, was beyond annoyed. Suddenly, a Stand made of countless mechanical parts manifested behind him, pushing back the reporters and their cameras. He retreated inside and slammed the door.
Shinichi was stunned for a second, but his sharp mind caught the keywords.
It was now one month after the Jet Coaster Murder Case!
Shinichi didn't stick around. He ran to the Kudo mansion but only watched from a distance. The scene was even more absurd. Police officers were maintaining order outside while a massive crowd laid flowers and paper cranes. Some held black-and-white funeral photos of Shinichi, lighting candles in mourning. Reporters were everywhere.
He left the crowded area. Passing a shop, he stopped. A television by the door was playing a program titled: [Era of Change: One-Month Review of the Jet Coaster Murder Case].
The guests on the show were using the typical exaggerated tones of Japanese variety TV to discuss his "death" and the case. As Shinichi listened, his expression grew increasingly bizarre.
According to the show's guests, Shinichi had been extraordinary since birth: he could recite the complete works of Shakespeare at one month old, could tear apart tigers and leopards at age one, had biceps thicker than his waist by age three, and could fire lasers from his eyes by age six. To explain his non-human nature, they claimed his bloodline was one-third the divinity of Amaterasu and one-third Namekian from the Centaurus constellation.
The final third was still under debate, with theories ranging from Godzilla to Xenomorphs. Regardless, they claimed he awakened his Stand in high school. By day, he was a detective; by night, he wore his red underwear on the outside and donned a mask as a Super-Hero to fight crime.
His heroism had offended a "Mysterious Evil Organization." To fight Shinichi, they found a relic called the "Great Secret Treasure of Moriarty," awakened their own Stands, and eventually orchestrated the "Evil Murder" at Tropical Land. It was a legendary case, but the details were unknown. The guests sighed, wishing they could travel back in time to witness it.
But the reason for their excitement was the profound impact the case had on the world.
According to their "ironclad" claims, on the day of the murder, everyone in the world dreamt of Shinichi Kudo. In the dream, he told them that a terrifying darkness was coming and, to change the ending, he decided to share his power with all of humanity. From that day on, the duty of maintaining justice fell to them.
When they woke up, they had all awakened Stands. Not just them—the entire human race had dreamt of Shinichi, received his approval, and "classed-up" into Stand Users.
"High School Detective" and "Savior of the Police Force" were titles of the past. Shinichi's current title was The World's Strongest Stand User and the First Super-Hero.
Listening to the guests heap praise upon him, Shinichi gave a bitter smile and walked away with his head down. He recalled his thoughts in the moment before being shot. Facing Ran's impending death, he had admitted defeat. Paying with his life was an easy choice, but using his loved ones as the price was something he couldn't do. Finally, he had placed all hope for change into the Magical Die.
Shinichi walked until he reached the Mouri Detective Agency. It was much quieter here. He didn't go up; he simply watched the light in the second-floor window from the street. By coincidence, Ran walked past the window.
Seeing her safe and sound, Shinichi breathed a sigh of relief. He took one long look at her, etching her image into his heart, then turned and walked away without looking back.
Since Shinichi Kudo was "dead," he would stay dead. In that final moment, he had admitted defeat, but his stubborn nature refused to yield.
He didn't know what else had changed in the Sixth Divergence besides him becoming a child and everyone getting Stands. But he knew the Distillery still existed, and Moriarty's shadow was flickering in this new world line. That was enough.
Even as a child, his conviction remained. The Distillery and Moriarty must die.
However, his resolve was quickly challenged. After sleeping in a park for the night, Shinichi woke up freezing. He looked up at the sky in total disbelief at the falling snowflakes.
"It was summer yesterday... why is it snowing today? Is this new world line a bit too ridiculous!?"
End of Chapter
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