In the conference room, everyone exchanged glances with one another.
They had already guessed that the Demon Blade, Ghost Cut, was related to Shōtō Tōji.
But they never expected that this blade actually possessed a soul of its own.
"Mr. Ochiai."
The Minister of Justice couldn't help but speak up, "I wonder if we might have the honor of witnessing the blade spirit with our own eyes?"
"The blade spirit has fallen back into slumber."
Ochiai sat upright and said, "However, before that, it told me about the origins of the demon we encountered today."
"It is the Curse King that has existed for a thousand years—Dual-Faced Shōtō."
...
Meanwhile, deep within the caverns of Mud Head Mountain, the death worm, nearly split in half by Ochiai's strike, lay motionless, while a small figure struggled to crawl out from inside.
"Cough, cough, finally out."
Conan pushed himself up with his hands, gasping for fresh air, his face and body covered in green slime, looking utterly disheveled.
He had come so close, so close to dying.
If it weren't for the soccer belt invented by Dr. Agasa, which could launch an inflatable soccer ball that got stuck in the throat of that monster, he would have surely been digested by the highly corrosive stomach acid like those policemen who were eaten.
"That was close!!"
Thinking back on it now, Conan still had a look of fear on his face.
This was the closest he had come to death, aside from being attacked by the Black Organization.
In fact, at the moment he was being eaten, he thought he was done for.
"Thank you, Dr. Agasa, thank you to the person who killed that monster....."
Conan felt a wave of relief as he stood up from the ground and slowly walked forward.
According to his guess, this should be an underground cavern near Mount Takao, with an underground river nearby.
He just didn't know where that underground river led or if he could get out.
"Hey, Dr. Agasa, can you hear me?"
During this process, Conan tried the radio function of his detective badge, but unfortunately, there was no signal here.
"Splash, splash—"
After walking for about half an hour, Conan heard the sound of water; there was an underground river ahead of him.
However, the exit of this underground river clearly couldn't accommodate a person.
"Alright."
With no choice but to glance at the deep and unfathomable exit of the underground river, Conan had to walk in the opposite direction.
One hour, two hours.
Just as he was exhausted and felt his eyelids growing heavier, a statue appeared ahead of him.
No, it was a statue of a demon god with two faces, four hands, and four feet.
Conan slapped his face hard, forcing himself to stay alert as he walked over.
......
"Dual-Faced Shōtō?!"
In the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's conference room, Hattori Heiji furrowed his brow.
The case of Yukihira Ichirō, although it took place in Kyoto, had also reached their ears in Tokyo.
It was said that tracing back hundreds of years, the Yukihira family were the monks who worshipped Dual-Faced Shōtō in the Feizhi region.
So this time, was it once again related to Dual-Faced Shōtō?
"Mr. Ochiai, could you elaborate for us?" Hattori Heiji wanted to learn more information.
"Of course."
Ochiai's expression turned solemn: "I am bringing this matter up because I want to inform everyone that Dual-Faced Shōtō is extremely dangerous."
"According to the blade spirit, Dual-Faced Shōtō existed a thousand years ago and was formed from the accumulation of various negative emotions of humanity."
"At that time, many priests, onmyōji, and monks worked together, paying a heavy price to seal Dual-Faced Shōtō."
"It did not die; rather, its power was dispersed among twenty fingers, sealed in various locations."
"As long as these cursed fingers are gathered, Dual-Faced Shōtō will resurrect once more.......”
"Is that so?"
Upon hearing this, the conference room fell silent for a moment.
The Minister of Justice and Chief Superintendent Hattori exchanged glances, their faces showing signs of unease.
Not long ago, they had been arguing over this matter.
In the corpse of Ten'ei, the police department discovered one of the fingers of Dual-Faced Shōtō.
The Minister of Justice had demanded that this finger be sealed and handed over to their Public Security Investigation Agency for safekeeping.
And Hattori Heiji, of course, had to consider the interests of the police department.
"Everyone."
Ochiai took in their expressions and shook his head inwardly, reminding them:
"The fingers of Dual-Faced Shōtō contain powerful curses, which have a deadly allure to those demons."
"That can't be true?"
The Minister of Justice showed a hint of doubt on his face.
In his view, the finger that had been stored in the depths of Yamini Temple had been fine all along.
How could it suddenly cause trouble once it was in their hands?
"That's because previously, those fingers were heavily sealed."
Ochiai closed his eyes, "But even so, the occasional leaked aura still attracted today's death worm."
"If this continues, the night parade of a hundred demons during the peaceful era will once again unfold in Tokyo!!"
As he said the last sentence, Ochiai opened his eyes, his voice deep and commanding, his gaze sharp as a blade.
"I... we understand!"
The Minister of Justice was startled, bowing solemnly to Ochiai, and began to discuss with Chief Superintendent Hattori and the Chief Cabinet Secretary.
"Mr. Ochiai, we will handle that finger of Dual-Faced Shōtō properly."
Moments later, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kumagai Hiro made a guarantee, preparing to go back and discuss with the Prime Minister, or perhaps just send this finger to the United States to avoid daily pressure.
"Tap, tap—"
At this moment, the door of the conference room was knocked on, and a public security officer in a black suit hurriedly walked in.
"What happened?"
Hattori Heiji frowned.
"Chief Superintendent Hattori."
The public security officer lowered his head, his voice filled with evident self-reproach, "The finger we were ordered to safeguard has been stolen."
"What?!"
Hattori Heiji and his two colleagues exchanged glances.
......