Chapter 70: A New Member Has Joined the "Non-Human Chat Group"
Tokyo. Upon the ruins.
The air was thick with dust and the faint smell of blood. The group, resurrected by Conan, huddled together, their faces a mixture of confusion and exhaustion.
Suddenly, someone gasped. Everyone followed their gaze to the horizon. In the far distance, where the calm sea should have been, a massive, dark shadow now loomed. It was not stationary, but was slowly rotating, with countless twisted points of light shifting and colliding within it. Its edges blurred into the lead-grey sky, and it constantly radiated a suffocating pressure that struck fear into their hearts.
They were too far away to see the specifics of the shadow's interior, but its colossal silhouette, its world-blotting presence, and the soul-freezing chill that carried across the vast distance was enough to tell them everything.
It was the ultimate incarnation, a being that surpassed any known Witch. Having become ordinary people again, they had no idea why they were able to see such a sight from outside a Labyrinth. But they saw it nonetheless.
…
"Wh-what is that?" Takagi's voice trembled with fear as he instinctively shielded Sato behind him.
"..." Ai Haibara's face was pale, her body shaking uncontrollably, as if she had been plunged back into the cold nightmare of the Organization's laboratory, as if she were witnessing the inescapable fate of all Magical Girls.
"No… Shinichi…" Ran slumped to the ground, tears streaming silently down her face. She reached out, trying to grasp something, but her hand closed on empty air.
"Hey… that couldn't be…" Kogoro Mouri's voice was strained. He thought of the kid's final, resolute departure.
…
Just then, a sweet voice, so calm it was infuriating, sounded beside them.
"As you can see, the most powerful, and also the most evil, Witch in your world has been born."
Kyubey had appeared at some point on a relatively flat piece of rubble. It sat there, its small white body forming an absurd yet stark contrast to the world-ending spectacle in the distance. Its red eyes were also fixed on the great shadow as it spoke in a flat tone.
"If he had been able to maintain complete rationality when he made his wish, this world might have headed in a completely different direction."
"It was you! You must have manipulated him! You did this to him!" Kogoro Mouri spun around like an enraged lion and threw a punch at Kyubey.
Kyubey deftly leaped away, dodging Kogoro's attack and landing on another piece of debris. It tilted its head, unable to comprehend such an intense emotional reaction.
"I merely provided options and appeared at the most opportune moment," it stated. "The one who made the final choice, who decided to burn his soul in exchange for a 'miracle,' was Shinichi Kudo himself. He carried the greatest Karmic Destiny in this world and made the most twisted wish, thus becoming the strongest Magical Girl. Therefore, is it not the most natural conclusion that he would ultimately transform into the most evil Witch?"
Kyubey's gaze swept over everyone present, its red eyes devoid of any emotion, containing only pure logic.
"Liar! You devil!" Sonoko couldn't help but cry out, clutching Makoto's arm tightly.
"Language is for communicating information, not for venting emotions. I have never provided false information," Kyubey replied. "As for 'devil'… that is merely a label defined by your own human emotions and morals. It has nothing to do with me."
"Judging by the energy contained within that domain and its current rate of expansion… it will likely only take a few days for all traces of civilization on this planet to be completely erased. Barring any 'accidents,' of course."
Tooru Amuro's face was grim. Was the country he had been willing to die for doomed to be destroyed after all?
"No… please, no…" Ran looked up sharply. She remembered that she was no longer a Magical Girl. Does that mean… I have another chance to make a wish?
She looked at Kyubey with a final shred of hope. "Kyubey! Please! Make a contract with me! I'll pay any price! Just save Shinichi… just stop him…"
Kyubey shook its head, Ran's desperate face clearly reflected in its red eyes.
"That is unnecessary, Ran Mouri. For us, the mission to observe data and collect energy in this world has already concluded. As for this planet and your future… that is your own problem, as humans. It has nothing to do with us."
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Gunshots suddenly rang out. Vermouth had pulled the trigger. The bullets struck the calm Kyubey with perfect accuracy. The small white animal's body went rigid. Bright red blood instantly burst from the entry wounds, splattering into the air and onto the ground. The force of the repeated impacts sent its small body stumbling backward. More blood gushed from the new bullet holes. Finally, it lost all strength and fell with a soft thud onto the rubble. The ground around its body was stained with glaring patches of blood. Then, it went still.
From the shadows, another Kyubey walked out. It padded forward, lowered its head, and opened its small mouth. Without any expression, it began to eat the lifeless husk on the ground, lapping up the surrounding blood as well.
Having finished, this Kyubey looked up. "Please refrain from such futile actions. It's such a waste to die so meaninglessly. It's quite vexing for me, too."
"…" Vermouth's arm fell limply to her side. The gun slipped from her grasp and hit the ground with a dull thud.
Upon the ruins, all that was left was the heavy breathing of the group and the silent, choked sobs of fear and nausea. And, hanging over them all, a cold despair so thick it could not be dispelled. All they could do was watch, and feel the end approaching.
Just then, Kyubey's contract system sent another notification.
[Contract System · Incubator Platform: New research projects have been automatically created based on all observational data submitted from the current world:]
[Principles of 'Conan-Science' (Analysis of Abnormal Physical Laws)]
[Chaotic Timelines (Analysis of Non-Linear Time Flow)]
[Probability Model of Extreme Events Linked to a Specific Individual (Analysis of the "Little Reaper" Phenomenon)]
[Mechanism of Lethality Escalation from Minor Malice (Research on the correlation between emotional imbalance and low-threshold trigger for killing intent)]
[Projects have been initiated. Research findings will be synchronized to all Kyubeys upon reaching periodic breakthroughs.]
At the same time, in Kyubey's consciousness, the interface for the "Non-Human Chat Group" popped up again.
[New member "Squidward" has joined the "Non-Human Chat Group"]
…
Bikini Bottom.
Squidward was irritably polishing his beloved clarinet, trying to find a moment of peace from the unending noise of someone begging for a day off next door. Suddenly, a translucent chat window popped up in front of him.
[Non-Human Chat Group]
? What? A new ad?
He scowled, about to swat it away like a fly. But as his eyes scanned the member list, he froze.
Members:
[Giver of Hope · Spreader of Despair · Kyubey]
[SpongeBob SquarePants]
[Tom Cat]
[Squidward]
SpongeBob?! ??? HUH?! That yellow, square idiot?! How is he in here?! Did he invite me?! Why is every misfortune in my life related to SpongeBob?!
A familiar sense of weary helplessness instantly washed over Squidward.
Squidward: [Unbelievable_expression.jpg]
Squidward: Oh, great Neptune… have mercy…
Squidward: Is this some stupid new game?
Squidward: Why… WHY does that sponge always find new ways to torment me?!
Squidward: Shouldn't he be at the Krusty Krab right now, with Mr. Krabs pinching his nose, wailing about how "the main characters are all going to die!!!" and "the world is ending, I have to take a day off to save my non-existent friends" or some other nonsense?!
Squidward: And who is this "Kyubey" with the ridiculously long title? And Tom Cat? Sounds like another trouble-maker…
Squidward: I just want to be left alone! To enjoy my art! Is that too much to ask?!
Giver of Hope · Spreader of Despair · Kyubey: The group members you mentioned are busy with their own affairs and are temporarily unable to participate in this conversation.
Squidward: …
Squidward: (Ugh, I feel even more tired now.)
…
Back on the ruins of Tokyo, as the group remained lost in despair, the air in a small space not far from them suddenly shimmered, creating the faintest of ripples.
At the center of the ripples, a tiny slit opened without a sound.
A paw tentatively reached out from the slit. It was covered in grey-blue fur and had four fingers. The paw waved uncertainly in the air for a moment, as if testing the atmosphere of this strange new world. Its claws were sharp, with a few old scars, the kind one gets from being repeatedly caught in a mousetrap.
Suddenly, the paw froze.
Then, in an almost panicked motion, it quickly patted its own wrist and smoothed down a non-existent sleeve. As if something was still not right, the paw clenched into a fist, then quickly opened again. The next second, with no more hesitation, it zipped back into the slit, so fast it left an afterimage.
The spatial ripples fluctuated violently, as if there was some commotion on the other side. The faint rustling of clothes being quickly rummaged through could be heard, along with the soft clatter of metal or wood. Only the still-vibrating ripples in space proved that the last few seconds had not been a hallucination.
A moment later, the paw emerged once more. Only this time, it was clear from its wrist that it was now wearing clothes.