When Heiji Hattori and Conan returned to the plaza, all they could see were swordsmen collapsed on the ground.
"Who, who exactly are you?"
Heiji Hattori picked up a sword and angrily shouted at the man before him. Conan might not have been able to sense it, but as a swordsmanship expert, Heiji Hattori could clearly feel that the formidable strength this man possessed was far beyond what he could withstand. That demon-like figure, as if it had really emerged from the bloody rain of the Bakumatsu era, transformed into reality at this moment...
"......"
The man did not speak. He silently turned around and then raised his sword at Hattori.
"Hattori!"
"Heiji!"
Witnessing the scene, Conan and Kazuha immediately shouted. Hattori, holding the sword tightly, nervously looked ahead. In the next instant, a cold Radiance flashed before his eyes.
So fast!!
Heiji Hattori was considered a swordsman expert, yet even he found himself almost unable to discern the trajectory of the blade as the man drew his sword. At that moment, Heiji Hattori felt as if his body was bound by some invisible string, unable to move even slightly; he could only watch helplessly as the cold Radiance swept past him.
".......Eh?"
Staring at the sword that almost grazed his cheek, Heiji Hattori was momentarily stunned. But before he could react, a "clap, clap, clap" sound of applause came from afar.
"Awesome, awesome, Fang Zheng, you look so cool!"
"Fang Zheng?"
Upon hearing this name, everyone carefully looked at the man. Only then did they realize that the person before them was none other than Fang Zheng.
"Haah......"
Seeing this, Kazuha finally breathed a sigh of relief, and Heiji Hattori rolled his eyes.
"Please, what kind of stunt are you pulling?"
"Just helping out."
Fang Zheng sheathed his sword with a chuckle.
"When I got here, I saw you being chased around by the other side. Who would’ve thought this group was so persistent, only using swords and bows? So to show respect, I decided to cosplay as the New Selection Group... How about that? Not bad, right."
"Almost scared us to death... By the way, you didn’t actually kill them, did you?"
"How could I."
Facing Heiji Hattori’s grumbles, Fang Zheng rolled his eyes.
"The props were bought from a movie set, not sharp enough to kill anyone."
"Judging by your earlier appearance, you likely scared them to death even without killing."
At this point, Conan also chimed in, to which Fang Zheng silently glanced at him.
"You’re one to talk, kicking a soccer ball like a missile."
It’s just mutual harm, who’s afraid of whom?
After that, the situation naturally resolved itself. Fang Zheng was smart enough not to act as foolishly as Heiji Hattori and Conan, promptly calling the police to wrap things up. As for Conan and Heiji Hattori, they solved the boring mystery and luckily found the statue of Buddha, which Fang Zheng obviously didn’t care about or find interesting.
"Speaking of which, Fang Zheng, why don’t you like mysteries? I think detectives are quite cool."
Seeing Conan and Heiji cheerfully surrounding the found Buddha statue, Mira curiously looked at Fang Zheng who had changed back into his clothes.
"I don’t like detectives mainly because I don’t like decrypting."
Fang Zheng shook his head.
"As for mysteries, they seem to me like the challenger poses a question, pulling the detective to their level to solve it. Even if it’s solved successfully, it only shows that your intelligence is on par with theirs. If it were me, I’d skip the hassle and ignore the mystery map. Following the Prime Culprit’s logic, since this temple belonged to the deceased gang leader, we should just get a search warrant and turn the place upside down. Isn’t there anything you can’t find rather than staring at a useless map...?"
With that, Fang Zheng snorted.
"I don’t enjoy being led by the nose, and isn’t that exactly what these mysteries are?"
"That actually makes sense."
Mira thought for a moment and nodded her head.
"But treasure hunting is quite fun."
"At least there are mountains of gold and silver, which isn’t a loss, and fighting with dead people is pointless too."
Saying this, Fang Zheng wrapped his arm around Mira’s waist, whispering in her ear.
"However, I have a more interesting treasure to explore right now......."
"Uh......"
Upon hearing this, Mira’s face instantly turned red.
"Didn’t you already explore all day today?"
"But it’s not enough. After all, it’s exciting as long as the reactions are different each time. Let’s head back to the hotel; the police can handle this..."
".......Hmm."
To Fang Zheng, this was far more alluring than any statue of Buddha.
Meanwhile, in another world.........
"Boom!!"
The chapel doors slowly opened, and a leather-armored Lizard Man with a Longsword on his back walked in. Ignoring the guests around him, he rushed directly to the altar and tightly embraced the groom dressed in formal wear.
"I’m here!"
"What are you here for?"
Feeling the Lizard Hero’s embrace, the groom closed his eyes.
"I’ve already given up, haven’t you?"
"I will not give up because you are mine! I won’t let anyone take you!"
"But......"
"No buts!"
The Lizard Man grabbed the groom’s hand, then opened his mouth. Like a snake, the tongue emerged from his lips, entering the groom’s mouth. The groom shuddered, and his strong arms instantly wrapped around the Lizard Warrior’s tall body.
"I love you!"
"Mmmmmm......."
Seeing this scene, the Goddess of Order was touched to the point of tears.
"This is true love, isn’t it? This is what I’ve been wanting to see. Indeed, true love is invincible, transcending the shackles of race and gender, achieving real love—what a touching moment... Ah, right, I should give them a blessing or something..."
With the words of the Goddess of Order, the next moment, a Holy Light descended from the sky, illuminating the two of them...
"Hmm, this should be fine now."
The Goddess of Order nodded, and just then, suddenly, a soft sound reached her ears.
"Meow..."
"Hmm?"
Upon hearing this sound, the Goddess of Order turned her head curiously and glanced toward where the sound came from, only to see a Pitch Black kitten with a bow tied on its tail sitting there, licking herself and playing with her little paws. Seeing the cat, the Goddess of Order was first taken aback, then her expression changed dramatically.
"Wait..."
However, before the Goddess of Order could finish her sentence, the next moment, the kitten lifted her head and let out a meow.
"Meow..."
This sound was so faint that it was almost inaudible, but the next instant, the pure white space the Goddess of Order inhabited seemed like it was hit by an invisible Shockwave and shattered completely. A Shadow enveloped the entire world instantly, and the next moment, as the music started playing, the scene before her was no longer the familiar pure white space. Instead, there was an elegant, luxurious sofa, chairs, a phonograph playing grand symphony, in a dimly lit and serene space.
"Sit down and let’s talk."
Sitting in the chair was a girl in a black dress, her long, deep blue hair cascading to her waist. Her eyes carried a timeless wisdom seeming to span eons, yet the tail behind her, casually swaying with a little blue bow tied on it, still held traces of innocence and childlike qualities.
"Ah, it’s..."
At this moment, the Goddess of Order, who had just regained her original form, carefully glanced at the girl before sitting in the chair opposite.
"I didn’t expect the Grand Witch Bernkastel herself to come... Are you alright?"
"Oh?"
Though the girl appeared much younger than the Goddess of Order, she merely raised her eyes and glanced at her.
"You know me?"
"Yes, um... I once attended your lecture..."
"I never thought anyone among the Order Clan would be interested in my lectures..."
The girl silently picked up a teacup and placed it to her lips.
"You came just to earn credits, right?"
"No, no, no, I really am interested in your lectures, Master Bernkastel..."
"Forget it, it’s meaningless to discuss this now."
The girl raised her hand to interrupt the Goddess of Order’s defense.
"You should know my identity, right?"
"Yes."
At this point, the Goddess of Order also turned serious.
"Bernkastel, the Grand Witch ranked second in the Council of Elders—the Witch of Miracles."
"That’s why I am here."
The girl looked at the red tea in her cup, her expression unchanged.
"Miracles, an elusive and unknown alias, exist beyond the imagination of order. To be frank, I don’t really wish to use such a power because once people hope for a miracle, it means things have reached an irreparable stage—just like now."
The girl put down the teacup and looked at the Goddess of Order.
"Your existence itself is a miracle, and all of this is brought by him."
"Eh? Are you watching him too?"
Hearing the girl’s reply, the Goddess of Order was taken aback.
"I’ve been observing him all along, his different thoughts, different actions. To be honest, if you expect him to revive the Order Clan, that’s impossible."
"But..."
"We are already history, lost in the dust."
The girl sighed silently while raising her head.
"I understand your thoughts, but I don’t care about such things. For me, this world is constantly changing no matter what. Our clan will eventually face extinction, whether through our own doing, through Chaos, or something else, it is all inevitable."
As she spoke, the girl gently tapped the teacup.
"He is a miracle, or perhaps the source of miracles. He miraculously appeared in this world, miraculously saved you, and miraculously gained the power to oppose Chaos. Yet, you should realize, he walks a path completely different from what you know. In fact, is this truly a miracle? Is it coincidence or inevitability?"
"..."
The Goddess of Order uttered nothing more, hesitating for a long time before again looking at the girl.
"Master Bernkastel, the Order Clan, is it truly..."
"Gone."
The girl clearly understood what she wished to ask, shaking her head slightly before extending her hand to point toward the infinite darkness outside the window.
"What remains there now is merely a group of beings lingering on, their wills twisted beyond recognition. They can never return to their original form, and all I can do is silently send them to the final Abyss."
Saying this, the girl reached out to the Goddess of Order.
"So, I came to ask you for that."
"That?"
Hearing the girl’s query, the Goddess of Order paused for a moment, then displayed a distressed expression.
"But I originally planned to confirm after he returns..."
"What do you wish to confirm?"
"..."
Though the girl merely asked calmly, the Goddess of Order remained silent, contemplating for a moment before extending her hand. Soon, a golden key appeared out of thin air, landing before Bernkastel.
"Master Bernkastel, I truly do not know what constitutes the right choice."
"You can ask him that question."
The girl quietly took the key.
"I believe he’ll tell you that in this world, there is no correct choice."

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