Chapter 126: The Sixth and the First Opening of Steins;Gate
The law-setting of "Immortal While Identity is Unknown" on Shinichi Kudo's body had begun to collapse. One reason was that Shinichi had thoroughly usurped Mo Yu's existence—he was now the true Moriarty. The second reason was Gin's earlier words.
Culprit: Shinichi Kudo. Motive: Wanting to play a detective game of good versus evil. Method: Changing the world-line with a magical die to create Gin and the Distillery.
The criminal, Shinichi Kudo, had made a full confession and calmly admitted this was his sin. These words aligned with the laws of this world, peeling away the "black veil" of the Xiao Hei silhouette and revealing the true body of the perpetrator.
Of course, Shinichi did not kneel in repentance. Instead, he began a desperate last stand to resist the execution of justice. Mo Yu could only marvel that Shinichi remained methodical even in crime; his style was quintessentially Beika.
But Mo Yu's attention was drawn elsewhere: to the Stand Gin was using—the one that blotted out the sky, engulfed all senses, and shrouded the world in darkness. It was the Stand of the Distillery's Boss, Renya Karasuma. Following the threads of fortune, Mo Yu faintly glimpsed Karasuma's location and vanished with a smirk.
In a secret base on a remote island, "Renya Karasuma" sat with a solemn expression. He was sensing the battle in the Japanese amusement park through the resonance of fortune, unaware that a blurry shadow had appeared behind him.
Mo Yu was curious about this Final Boss, who in the original work was usually just a silhouette of immense dread. He peered into the man's essence and was instantly disappointed. This "Renya Karasuma" was not the 140-year-old monster who orchestrated the Golden Manor tragedy; it was someone else.
The Karasuma Group had deep roots in Japan. Their crest was the Yatagarasu (the three-legged crow). They were low-profile, their internal successions hidden. In the modern era, they hid their wealth in the Golden Manor to escape the fires of war. After the war, the direct lineage broke. The original Karasuma spent his life—even causing the Golden Manor massacre—failing to find the manor's true secret.
However, his illegitimate son was talented. Despite losing the ancient family treasure, he rebuilt the Karasuma Group after the war into a major zaibatsu. The Distillery was born during this era—a product of a time when General MacArthur hadn't yet become an internet meme and ruled Japan with an iron fist. Back then, gangs ran rampant, and every powerful corporation or official had ties to the underworld.
The Distillery was the blade the son forged to carve out his empire. It eventually went international. Forty years ago, the original Karasuma died of natural causes after living over a century. He was cryogenically frozen, leaving a will for a future resurrection. His legitimate children took the public corporation, while the illegitimate son—taking the name Renya Karasuma—took the Distillery to execute the will.
Nineteen years ago, Shiho Miyano's parents joined a research institute sponsored by the Karasuma Group to develop a drug to resurrect the dead. They were geniuses who actually broke scientific boundaries, creating the "Silver Bullet"—the predecessor to APTX4869.
The original Karasuma wasn't resurrected, but the Second Generation Karasuma and Vermouth benefited, achieving a level of rejuvenation that kept them looking forty or fifty years old. The research wasn't perfect; the Second Generation grew impatient and tightened control, leading to a conflict with the Miyanos. A fire destroyed the data and killed the couple. Their daughters were taken in, and Shiho was tasked with restarting the research.
Truthfully, Mo Yu was disappointed that the Big Boss was just an illegitimate son taking a name. It was logical, but lacked "pizzazz."
I suppose Gosho Aoyama hasn't actually decided on the Boss's true setting yet, Mo Yu thought. The world-bubble just filled the gap itself. Maybe in other bubbles, the Boss is someone more shocking.
Understanding didn't mean acceptance. Mo Yu reached out and thrust his hand through the Second Generation Karasuma's back.
The man, still focused on Gin's battle, froze. "Who... are you!?"
Mo Yu whispered in his ear: "Your existence makes the character of Renya Karasuma too boring. You lack the flair of a Final Boss. I'm going to 'mod' your role. But first... take this bento and exit the stage."
Before the man could even scream, he took a "Moriarty-brand backstab bento" and exited the world. Mo Yu chuckled and tinkered with the man's remains for a while before leaving.
Back at the park, the darkness of the Yatagarasu collapsed after a sharp crow's shriek. The spectators saw the battlefield again: Gin was flying backward, covered in blood. Shinichi's "Murder Coasters" were mostly destroyed.
Shinichi's "Immortal Xiao Hei" body was dissolving, the darkness fading to reveal his human form as he vomited blood. This was the work of a Stand from Gin's "Bonds"—one that could conceptualize medicine and inject it from a distance. Gin had brought a full box of APTX4869 and household cyanide, injecting them all into Shinichi at once.
Gin saw his opening. He raised his gun. The fortune of the Distillery, his convictions, and the Mandate of Heaven fused into the weapon.
Click. The trigger was pulled.
Brilliant light exploded, turning night into day. It announced the arrival of the destiny that tears through the long night. In that radiance, a black bullet emerged—small, yet carrying the power to pierce all phenomena. It was an unstoppable strike locked onto Shinichi's life-fire.
Shinichi, coughing blood, felt a sense of relief. He prepared to activate his final Stand ability: Damage Reflection. His death would take Gin and the Distillery with him.
But then, his relief turned to shock.
Ran Mouri had frame-skipped in front of him. Behind her appeared a brilliant, shapeless Stand.
"Shinichi..." "Ran! No, don't—!"
Shinichi's mind raced. Fate was writing the script: The heroine sacrifices herself for the hero. Her death and her newly awakened Tank-type Stand will weaken the bullet, giving Shinichi a chance to survive. The "Ledger of Life and Death" found this arrangement very logical.
Suddenly, a voice rang out:
"Logical, yes. But the heroine dying for the hero is too clichéd and boring. Let's make things INTERESTING!!!"
A translucent, pitch-black shadow stepped in front of Ran, taking the bullet in his chest!
The black bullet, wreathed in light, exploded against Mo Yu's chest. Mo Yu flexed his muscles and used the last of his Moriarty authority to block it, shouting:
"Shinichi Kudo! When you wake up, the world will be bright and I will be gone! But do not despair! Stand tall!"
"The Black Will of the Kudo family must not end! The criminals craving a master, the cases that set the blood on fire—they are waiting for their Emperor!"
"This is my final 'Dark Ripple'! Live, and twist this beautiful world into the shape you desire! Become the Messiah of Villains...!"
The hot-blooded, "Black Will" speech was just noise to Shinichi, but it bought him time. He tried to push Ran away, but her "Protector" Stand had locked her to him like a shield.
"Shinichi... I won't let you die..." Ran's eyes were firm. She didn't care about logic or the world's fate. She just wanted Shinichi and their daily life. Her Stand was born to protect that.
The black bullet was boring through Mo Yu's chest. In five seconds, it would pierce him and hit Ran. Shinichi realized that because of her Stand's nature, Ran would likely die to save him.
In a higher dimension, Mo Yu's hand hovered over his keyboard, ready to force the timeline to flow backward. The ending would be decided in five seconds.
Four... Three... Two...
It never reached One. Shinichi had made a choice.
"Moriarty... in this world line, I lost my struggle with you. But..."
The bullet punched through Mo Yu and flew toward Ran. Shinichi exhausted every drop of his authority to erode Ran's Stand, twisting its power to pull her into his arms. He used his own body to take the hit.
The bullet pierced them both and vanished into the void. As blood sprayed, Shinichi's hand went limp. The irregular six-sided die fell to the ground.
"Is this the end?" A sigh echoed from the higher dimension. The hand over the keyboard stopped.
Brilliance erupted from Shinichi, illuminating the world. Time stopped completely.
Within the light, a figure condensed—the Demon of Light, radiating supreme benevolence and wisdom. It looked down upon the causal threads of the world.
The figure produced a pipe, took a deep draw, and blew out a cloud of smoke.
"My friend... according to the deduction... this is not the end!"
The figure became clear: A man in an elegant, solemn Victorian-style suit and a top hat, holding a pipe, wearing a calm yet profoundly wise smile.
In a world of detectives, what is the status of the Protagonist? The answer had always been there. Now, it manifested as a Stand.
Shinichi Kudo's True Stand: The Demon of Light, SHERLOCK HOLMES.
This entity had nothing to do with the literary figure; it was the manifestation of Shinichi's status, soul, and desire.
With a whisper, the pipe in Holmes's hand turned into the irregular six-sided die. He let it fall. The die spun, sending out ripples that covered the entire world, making reality look like an illusion being reconstructed.
"Open, Steins;Gate. Continue the unfinished war of the Fifth Divergence. Let the unsettled deduction be carried to its conclusion..."
The ability of the Sherlock Holmes Stand: [Steins;Gate: The Hand that Plucks the World Line].
Mo Yu, watching from his computer, had only one thing to say:
"Shinichi Kudo believed. He actually believed it. And the fun part is... because he believed... it became real."
End of Chapter
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