The Phantom Thief of Heart! But Conan.

Chapter 1317 No Numerical Values, Only Love and Hate

Since Akiba Reiko herself started this conversation, it became much easier for Kudo Shinichi to ask his subsequent questions.

Without needing to carefully probe or confirm, Akiba Reiko recounted her fiancé's ordeal.

"Judging from your expression today, I guessed that the police have probably already found out about Soma's ordeal—" Akiba Reiko lowered her head, looking at the muddy ground beneath her feet, which made it easy to walk on. "I'm sorry for taking up so much of the police's time. I will give a detailed account to the police after the performance tomorrow."

Like Hikaru Soma, she was not a person with a deep family relationship.

Now that things have come to this, there aren't many options left to turn the knife on those four people.

She could somewhat guess the reason behind it, but she didn't intend to explain it.

Once she got involved in the investigation, it would be difficult for the concert to proceed smoothly, which is why she chose to remain silent for the time being.

"It seems you've guessed who this person might be," Shinichi Kudo remarked upon seeing her expression. "This person has also tried to kill you; we can't think of him as too friendly."

"I guessed why he would attack me. He wouldn't really kill me." Akiba Reiko shook her head firmly.

This is why she dared to go out alone before the performance. As the last person close to Hikaru Soma before his death, even disregarding her feelings for Hikaru Soma, the murderer could not have really killed her. The previous attack was probably just a means of intimidation and threats to make her withdraw from the performance.

Even if it's belated and not entirely sincere love and pity, as long as it's just for show, she, Soma Hikaru's fiancée, should be let go.

However, after figuring these things out, she became even more determined to participate in the performance.

Not only because of the weight of her promise to Hikaru Soma, but also because she couldn't let her lover's father go down a path of no return, even if only considering Hikaru Soma's feelings upon witnessing this scene, the murderer should have stopped and stopped escalating the harm further.

"Well, since you've already guessed the police's thinking, it's not hard to guess that they also suspected you. Don't you have any other thoughts about those four people?"

Akiba Reiko lowered her eyes, and after a while, she raised her gaze again.

Even a small patch of forest bathed in the morning light, hidden within the steel jungle of the city, can still evoke a sense of freshness, clarity, and openness of mind.

"—I don't deny that I felt a sense of relief upon hearing the news of their deaths. Although I kept telling myself that I had let go of this matter and that I would forgive them for the harm they had caused us, I really can't lie to myself. I am comforted by the news of their deaths."

Three years have passed. The police initially believed that the incident was an accident and could not be attributed to the group that got the lovers drunk. No matter how much Akiba Reiko couldn't accept it, she could only force herself to accept the result.

Yes, Hikaru Soma's alcohol tolerance is actually quite low; he gets very confused after drinking too much. Yes, these four people forced him to drink even after he had already tried to refuse.

However, this only proves that they made some unkind jokes to Hikaru Soma, but it cannot directly prove that they intentionally caused Hikaru Soma to be in a dangerous situation.

She suffered, she struggled, and she even broke the rules of self-discipline for singers by getting completely drunk. But the workings of the objective world do not change according to subjective pain and denial.

Besides letting go and forgiving, does she have any other options?

It seems like there is a choice, just like the unfamiliar father, Soma Hikaru, who committed the murder, but in reality there is no choice.

For ordinary people like them who lack power and influence, all choices stemmed from having no other options; no one asked her whether she was willing or not.

The more she wanted to escape this powerlessness, the more she had to convince herself to stand up and keep moving forward until she could reach a place where no one could ignore her voice anymore.

Clutching the meager possessions left by Hikaru Soma and a few melodies sealed in cassette tapes and videotapes, she continued her life, seemingly regaining the courage to live and becoming a famous singer. In reality, she was merely being carried forward by inertia and that indomitable spirit.

It wasn't until I heard the news of their deaths and saw the policeman holding that mud-covered flute in front of me that this deliberately ignored emotion finally began to rise and surge again.

"I don't really understand why the culprit would choose this time to kill. It's not the anniversary of Soma's death recently, and apart from me, his ex-fiancée, this concert has nothing to do with Soma. I really don't understand what kind of provocation made him do this, but in this respect, I really can't blame him—just think of it as my lack of spiritual cultivation."

"It's only natural, Miss Akiba." Shinichi Kudo quickly offered words of comfort as he watched her seemingly regress to past pain.

He came to gather clues and understand the situation, not to make a perfectly good singer sound emo.

"You've come to the rehearsals twice, so you should have heard the pieces I mainly rehearsed. These are all pieces that Soma really likes, especially 'Amazing Grace'." Reiko Akiba breathed a sigh of relief at not hearing any high-sounding words from the detective. Since things had come to this point, she didn't mind sharing more related information.

"Why? Is he a Christian?" Shinichi Kudo asked, recalling the piece of music he had heard during rehearsals.

"His mother is a Christian, but he isn't. However, his interest in music stems from the spirituals he heard when he went to church with his mother as a child." Reiko Akiba smiled. "Although he's not religious, perhaps because of this experience, he gives off a similar feeling—compassionate and warm. Anyone who spends a lot of time with him will like him very much."

Shinichi Kudo tugged at the brim of his hood, feeling a mix of emotions.

It's ironic and tragic that such a kind and tolerant person could lose their life due to the malice and targeting of others.

"We met because of *Amazing Grace*. I was doing my usual voice exercises by the stream at school..."

Thatsavedawretchlikeme——————”

Following the pre-arranged route, they entered the burial chamber at the very bottom of the tomb. Unlike other halls where the scene tends to become distorted and dangerous when the alert level is high, Puhe's tomb became much brighter and warmer at 100% alert level.

No matter how much light is used to illuminate an underground cemetery, the damp and cold feeling is inescapable; otherwise, it wouldn't be so fitting to pair it with rats.

Now, the entire space is so bright it's as if the ceiling has been opened, and the light from this source is not only warm but also feels wonderful on your skin.

"Could this be the opposite of the underworld, meaning the living world?" Tang Ze looked around at his surroundings strangely, a bad feeling beginning to creep in.

It's not a bad feeling about combat strength, but a bad feeling about the kind of unfunny metaphor.

It's a religious site, a burial ground, and now spirituals are playing; he can't really say what kind of person the temple's master is.

"Who knows, it might be either Jesus or Jehovah this time?" Kimie Shimabukuro kindly voiced his guess, "After all, this is a temple that cannot be separated from the elements of death and life."

Although some elements of a different style are mixed in, it cannot be denied that Domoto's concerts are inextricably linked to Christianity. After all, the close connection between the organ and religion is evident here, and to study it in depth, one needs to have in-depth contact with religious music.

The scores and the Hall of Craftsmen, which were created based on this concert, are also inseparable from the influence of these factors.

Add to that the tomb, and the current situation, and you can imagine what lies ahead.

"Seriously, even Noah's Hall of Assassins couldn't reuse this mechanism like this," Tang Ze complained sincerely. "Here we go again?"

"However, this story of suffering and resurrection is quite in line with the psychology of the author and the taku." Morofushi Kagemitsu gave a relatively fair evaluation: "The innocent bear the sins of the guilty, and then break free from death to be resurrected and live forever. This makes sense whether it is applied to Soma Hikaru or Domoto Isuke."

Fu and Takumi knew deep down that Domoto Ikki hadn't actually done anything wrong in this matter; it was just that things hadn't gone as he expected.

If this narrative were applied to Domoto Kazuki, it would make sense.

"Whether it is or not, we'll know once we see it." Hoshikawa Teru, too lazy to participate in theological discussions, took two steps forward and pushed open the door to the main burial chamber.

Bright light poured out of the room, and the faint chanting of "Amazing Grace" became increasingly clear.

Listening closely now, one can discern that this is actually the version sung by Akiba Reiko. Regardless of whether Akiba Reiko herself is satisfied or not, the score and the artist at least affirmed their son's aesthetic sense, and the singing is impeccable.

Along with this, there also emerged fragmented whispers, tinged with a touch of madness.

"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."

"Mother, look, your son! Look, your mother!"

"My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me?"

Even Hoshikawa Teru, who wasn't very knowledgeable about religion, frowned at this.

"The Seven Words of the Cross?" Miyano Akemi muttered softly, "This guy, it actually fits pretty well—"

Only after the light, which was so bright it was almost overexposed, had dissipated somewhat were they able to see the situation inside the tomb.

This time, we finally didn't see the Christ the Redeemer himself hanging on the cross—maybe musicians are more concerned about copyright. Standing in the center of the tomb was only a huge cross.

Its surface was covered in blood and nail marks, and wrapped in strips of linen. The seven words of the cross from the mouth of the suffering Jesus Christ seemed to be imprinted on it, echoing continuously as the blood fell.

"As expected, the minions are like coffins, but this boss is not to be outdone," Tang Ze couldn't help but sigh.

According to the account of Jesus' Passion and Resurrection, Jesus first carried the cross to the execution ground, was then nailed to the cross, bled to death, and his body was then wrapped in linen and spices and placed in a stone tomb. The tombstone was then sealed with seals to prevent the disciples from stealing the body.

Two days later, on Sunday morning, when several women went to the tomb with spices to prepare for further treatment, they found that the stones had been rolled away, the tomb was empty, and all that remained was the linen that had been used to wrap Jesus' body.

This musician, though verbally resisting the organ, actually made the religious logic and story crystal clear.

Looking at the brightly lit "Shadow - Empty Tomb of the New Testament - Crucifixion" on the health bar that only he could see, Tang Ze thought, "I must say, it's quite a unique little thing."

"He hasn't even made himself into a godfather yet, Mr. Puhe is surprisingly modest in this regard." Asai Narumi took his bow off his back, nocked an arrow, and didn't forget to complain, "This is clearly implying that the dead are the holy ones."

Following this logic, the temple master, Pu Hejiang, should be the one who responded to the call of the Holy Son, eradicated sin itself, and gave believers the eternal Holy Father.

If it were someone less humble, they'd probably be dressed in white and giving a speech in front of the cross right now.

"Probably because no matter whether this death is directed at Domoto Ikki or Soma Hikaru, he doesn't deserve to be called a father." Morofushi Kagemitsu, who had started setting up his sniper rifle, said in a gentle but highly aggressive tone.

Pu Hejiang himself doesn't seem to want to define himself, but if Tang Ze, an observer, were to give him a position, then if we had to say what role Pu Hejiang played in this story, a quick calculation would be that he was almost Judas.

You are not devout at all, disciple!

"You lot, at least show some respect for her." Miyano Akemi pursed her lips, raised her fan, and the butterfly mask on her face quietly melted away. "Maybe she sees herself as a cross? Ophelia!"

Several buffs were quickly and skillfully applied to the damage dealers. In the warm, blazing light, the blood dripping from the crosses fell faster and faster, soon staining the ground crimson.

At this point, it becomes easy to identify what the decorations carved on the white marble are; without a doubt, they are musical scores.

"I knew it." The blindfold disappeared, and Tang Ze stepped forward. "The sheet music, whether it's puzzle elements or attack/defense mechanics, is all yours to study, great musician. 'Maria'!"

As he shouted, a beautiful statue of the Virgin Mary appeared behind him, which almost made Morofushi Kagemitsu, who had already set up his gun next to him, lose his composure.

Everyone in the group knows that, unlike them who can only use one type of mask, Tang Ze has a unique ability to absorb familiars and use them himself. He can use the masks he needs as needed and often doesn't wear the same one twice.

But no matter what, it's really perverted to pull out the Virgin Mary from the crucifixion of someone who suffered.

"What, is this not suitable?" Tang Ze smiled, waving his hand in front of his eyes. "How about this one, Satan?"

"—Are you sure you didn't do this on purpose?" Asai Narumi, who felt the scene was a bit too hellish or too biblical, couldn't hold back this time.

"This won't work either? Then I also brought 'Lucifer,' 'Messiah,' and the Great Babylonian ————"

"Alright! That's enough! You can start now!"

There are no numerical values, only love and hate. Fortunately, the hall master himself cannot hear what is happening in the hall. If he could, this eccentric old man might have been driven to his death by now.