Phantom Thief of Heart!but conan

Chapter 1279 The Forest of Death God

The towering ancient trees have jagged, intertwined branches, and their broad canopies form a dome overhead, completely blocking out the sky and preventing even a ray of light from penetrating.

Combined with the thick, damp, and cold layer of humus on the ground, it resembled a swamp, almost swallowing anyone who stepped into it.

In such a standard horror movie setting, you don't need to experience any real fright; it naturally makes you wonder if something is hiding in the dense foliage overhead, or if you mistake the thick vines on the trees for a swarm of snakes.

Just like the legend of the Death God has had an impact on the local area, this Forest of Death God can make people feel immense psychological pressure at first glance.

"Truly, this is the Impression Space of a village steeped in eerie legends," Tang Ze remarked.

Thinking about it this way, Makoto Uta's mentality gradually became unbalanced, to the point that he was willing to undergo plastic surgery and destroy his past life in order to trample Shinichi Kudo in the mud. This was probably due to the influence of the Impression Space.

Others may not know where he went, but Tang Ze knows very well that during the six months he was missing, he had been holed up in the mountains, carrying on his deceased father's legacy, and was pretending to be a ghost to scare people.

What happens when someone plays a key role in a legend in a place full of symbolism? Let's see what happens in Kimie Shimabukuro's case.

He gradually merged with the legendary demon god, making it difficult for him to escape this influence.

"Should we go in? I feel like we'll get completely lost." Hoshikawa Teru looked around and pulled out a kunai, holding it in his hand.

The trees here are so tall that standing under them always makes you worry that something might jump down and attack you.

"We definitely have to go in, but we can't just walk straight in like that." Tang Ze observed the surroundings for a while. "Remember what the glacier said? The God of Death can stand on tree branches. Let's go up."

With a flick of his scarf, Tang Ze hooked his hand onto a thick tree branch overhead, then pulled Hoshikawa Hikaru up with him.

Once you reach a higher point, the atmosphere and terrain of the forest change abruptly. Looking down from above, the humus layer below looks like a pool of dark, stagnant water, and you can no longer see any trace of woodland.

Looking at this place that seemed eerily unsettling, Tang Ze couldn't help but sigh, "This is just a village where a portion of the people are deeply superstitious. What will those places, especially those with strong feudal beliefs, become in this world...?"

Thinking about it again, I don't really believe in ghosts and gods, but because of interests, the American island that unites to protect the legend of the sorceress, and human nature is tangible and real, seems like a curse.

If it weren't for the existence of Tang Ze, the masked supermodel, the fate of American Island would have been unavoidable. It would have been destined to be destroyed and submerged in Shimabukuro Kimie's venting of bloodshed, rather than sinking so slowly and gently as it is now.

After expressing his feelings, he didn't forget his original purpose for coming here and asked to confirm, "Noah, can we lock onto Conan's signal here?"

"Yes, it works. The positioning signal is much more stable from this side."

"That's it. No wonder this guy hasn't made a sound. Let's go. It would be such a waste for a good detective to die in a martial arts arena for no reason."

With Noah and Tarot guiding them, and combined with Tang Ze's high-speed movement ability in this terrain, they finally found the protagonist of this incident, who had been missing for several hours, after flying through the forest for about ten minutes.

In a rather inexplicable and bizarre state.

Perched atop the hill is the demon god, Death God, clad in raven feathers, with long white hair fluttering in the wind, resembling a demon or Asura.

The forest was deathly silent, as if no life existed there. Only here did it have sound and movement. The treetops rustled and collided in the wind, like dark clouds and waves. The leaves fluttered down and landed on the body of the God of Death, merging into his raven feathers and becoming a new hem of his robe.

The whole process was like the forest gradually assimilating the earthbound spirit trapped within it. Apart from the fact that Shinichi Kudo's consciousness was still struggling, his long black robe was no longer distinguishable from the leaves and feathers, and he was about to merge into the forest.

"Tsk tsk, what an unlucky fellow," Tang Ze said, looking down at the monster below with a sound of sympathy.

Of course, a normal person wouldn't wander into the Impression Space after just a few walks in the forest. However, the Impression Space here is not only abnormal, but also highly bound to the image of the God of Death.

Unfortunately, Makoto Yata, who was impersonating the god of death, had undergone plastic surgery to look like Shinichi Kudo. Under heavy surveillance, Shinichi Kudo, who was lost in the forest, ended up here.

While feigning sympathy, Tang Ze drew his knife with lightning speed.

“It seems that simply going up to him and calling his name a few times won’t wake him up. We need to destroy the clothes he’s wearing. Shade, get ready.”

"Prepare what?" Hoshikawa Teru, who had been quietly following along like a pendant, looked up in bewilderment.

"What else can we prepare? Prepare to beat him up! One, two, jump! Izanagi! Tens of thousands—"

"Wow, that's ruthless!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"So, the former village chief's son, Da Shu, is actually staying at your house temporarily?"

“Yes, the big tree has lost its parents, and Makoto is still a minor. Someone has to take care of their lives.” Shiroyama Kazuma did not deny it.

“I found it strange just now. Since he’s naturalized, Makoto Uta is a child in the legal sense of this family, so why does he still have the surname Uta?” Heiji Hattori also found it quite strange.

"Actually, his surname has already been changed to Nichihara on his household registration. It was Makoto who said that he had already taken up the village chief's resources, and it would be too much to use their surname, so the villagers still call him Yata." Hikawa Moe explained casually, but his gaze was always fixed on the door on the other side.

Just now, this amnesiac "Shinichi Kudo" said he wanted to stay in his room alone for a while and try to recall what he could remember. He has been locked in his room for several minutes now.

“This matter isn’t actually that complicated.” Standing to the side, Kawauchi Shinsato finished his scribbling in his notebook, drew a period, and closed his pen with satisfaction. “No matter what tricks this Detective Kudo wants to play, the truth is the truth, and it’s impossible to keep everyone in the dark forever.”

"What do you mean?" Toyama Kazuha stared at the reporter who was speaking with a pointed remark.

"What do you mean? I know all about Kudo's scheme." Kawauchi Fukari looked at Yata Makoto as he walked out of the room, a smug smile playing on his lips. "Even if your little tricks can fool that gullible high school student who idolizes you and his nice-natured classmate, the police officer who completely trusts your methods, or your bunch of good-for-nothing companions..."

"Hey, what do you mean?" Kogoro Mouri squinted as he was hit by the gunfire.

"Hmph, in short, you can fool others, but you can't fool this discerning journalist." Twirling his pen, Hanoi Shinri pretended to pat his suit. "If you know what's good for you, come find me at the Lake East Hotel. Maybe I'll be kinder and not write too much about you in my report..."

As she said this, she walked down the stairs and left with a smile. "Such a standard villain's line," Koshimizu Nanatsuki remarked, watching her disappear down the stairs.

"Yeah, he's one of those minor villains who'll get kicked to death by the main characters in the next episode," Kazuha Toyama muttered, grimacing.

"So what exactly does she mean? Does she really know about 'Kudo's conspiracy'?" Hattori Heiji repeated, subtly glancing at Yata Makoto, who had walked back to their side.

He didn't think Kudo had any ulterior motives. If we're talking about ulterior motives, this "Kudo" who appeared out of nowhere is more like the one plotting.

Makoto Yata pursed his lips, his eyes flickering as he looked toward the stairs, lost in thought.

"She knows? I don't think she knows anything." Koshimizu Nanatsuki rolled her eyes. "I've dealt with far too many journalists and media people since I came to Tokyo. She seems to be bluffing, trying to scare us and put pressure on us."

"This won't do any good. Kudo has amnesia, and we don't know anything about any conspiracy. What's the point of creating pressure?" Kogoro Mouri looked at Fukari Kawachi with great disdain.

"Do you know why she waited until now to say this?" Koshimizu Nanatsuki looked back subtly. "Because Akechi isn't here right now, that's why she dared to say such things. She knows that if Akechi were here, such provocation wouldn't have the effect of defeating them one by one, and Akechi would just fight back."

After so much time, Goro Akechi has become quite famous in the industry.

It's not about his detective skills, but rather his exceptional ability to handle the media and public opinion. Despite being a detective, a profession that has nothing to do with celebrities, he managed to cultivate good relationships with various high-ranking officials at Nichibukai.

Even today, many in the media industry still believe that the initial plan to create a program, which was actually a ploy to expose Tokizu Junya, was orchestrated by Goro Akechi and his team to promote the newcomer Nanatsuki Koshimizu.

Hanoi Fukasato wouldn't dare to make any harsh statements to Akechi Goro, a seasoned professional in every sense of the word; he could only try to scare them.

"Eh, does Akechi dislike reporters?" Ran Mouri, misunderstanding the meaning of her words, was stunned.

"No, but a reporter he doesn't like will probably have a hard time surviving in the future." Koshimizu Nanatsuki shook her head. "He seems to have a good temper, but he's actually quite petty."

"Is it alright for you to talk about him like this behind his back?" Hattori Heiji, who knew Akechi Goro's identity well, twitched his eyebrows.

Please, that's not some kind detective; he's a ruthless man who dares to criticize me, a man sentenced to more than ten years in prison. And you're just someone who works at his firm...

"It's fine if I say that to his face," Koshimizu Nanatsuki said with a grin, waving her hand. "He's pretty good to his friends."

Their leader isn't a bad person at heart, so why would he get angry over minor squabbles within the team?
“Friend…” Hattori Heiji frowned, recalling Tang Ze, and reluctantly agreed with her statement.

Makoto Yata scrutinized Nanatsuko Koshimizu's profile, pondering the veracity of her words.

Is that so? So, Hanoi Shinri didn't see anything amiss. On the contrary, as long as Akechi Goro was around, the reporters would choose to keep quiet to protect themselves...

So, the next goal...

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Cough, cough cough—Stop, that's enough, stop! I'm awake, really awake!"

Just as Tang Ze pressed down on the blindfold again, preparing to do it again, a trembling hand reached out from the writhing black mass on the ground, trying to stop the phantom thief in front of him from taking further personal revenge.

Shinichi Kudo strongly suspected that Joker was not unaware of the extent to which he could break free of the restraints on him, but was deliberately attacking him as well.

"Ah, are you back to normal?" Tang Ze looked at the black robe that was now quite torn, and reluctantly put his hand down. "It's good that you're back to normal. You really have a lot of nerve, Detective. Venturing into undeveloped forests like that."

As he spoke, Tang Ze grabbed Shinichi Kudo's trembling hand and pulled him up again.

After the outer shell of the Death God shattered, his mind clearly recovered. He managed to stand up and revealed his face, which was covered by long white hair, which made Tang Ze pause in surprise.

Nothing more. This face is still Shinichi Kudo's face, but the eyes are red, just like the description of the god of death.

"You're the same way." Tang Ze sighed, quickly realizing the situation. "You know you need to turn back into an adult, so couldn't you bring your own clothes?"

Shinichi Kudo's current state is somewhat similar to that of Karasawa himself.

His Joker form was created by utilizing the image of the Joker in the public eye and the property of the Impression Space that can transform perception into reality, thus fixing his white-haired and red-eyed appearance.

His hair was originally just a wig, but after he entered the Impression Space wearing the wig and appeared in front of the media many times, the white hair became real hair, without revealing any flaws.

Shinichi Kudo got lost in the forest after wearing the Shinra God suit that Makoto Yata had hidden in the wooden house. He was then dragged here by the fixed concept of the Impression Space, which even affected his appearance.

Once he leaves the Impression Space, Tang Ze can dispel the debuff for him, and he will naturally turn back.

"What could I do?" Shinichi Kudo couldn't help but feel aggrieved. "I had prepared clothes, but who would have thought that after Makoto Yata knocked me unconscious, he would even take my clothes off?"

He planned to meet Makoto Yata in his true form, because he had guessed from Yata's subsequent letters that the guy was completely unaware of the truth behind the incident, and he was somewhat wary of the hostility the other party might show.

However, he underestimated Makoto Uta's determination and malice, and was knocked unconscious by a stun gun from Makoto Uta, who was hiding outside the wooden house.

When Shinichi Kudo woke up, he was only wearing his underwear. He couldn't very well run around naked in the forest. Putting aside the matter of whether it was embarrassing or not, he would catch a cold in this weather.

"So you even wore a wig?"

"I only observed the wooden house in Yada and had some guesses, so I prepared to cover my face..."

Thinking of this, Shinichi Kudo tugged at the white hair that fell over his shoulder in frustration, only to find that he couldn't pull it out. He then raised his hand and touched the top of his head.

Wait, isn't this a wig?
(End of this chapter)