THE KNIGHT'S JUSTICE:
DIVINE PUNISHMENT PART 6
Conan pivoted toward Ran, his voice piercing the heavy air. "Ran-neechan, hurry! Call the police!"
The urgency in his shout acted as a catalyst, jolting Ran from her paralysis. Though her hands trembled violently, she fumbled for her phone and punched in the emergency digits.
Leon drifted toward Sonoko. She immediately knelt, her hands hovering over him as she scanned for any sign of injury. "Leon! Are you hurt? Talk to me!"
"I am unscathed, Nee-san," Leon replied, his voice eerily steady.
Sonoko exhaled a jagged sigh of relief, clutching her chest. "What on earth were you doing in here alone?"
"I came to witness the Fallen Knight," Leon answered cryptically.
"The... Fallen Knight?" Sonoko repeated, her confusion momentarily eclipsing her fear. She glanced toward the wall where the grim remains of Mr. Manaka hung. Kogoro Mouri was already there, hovering over the body with a grim professional focus. "Is he... is he really gone?"
Kogoro gave a solemn, curt nod. He didn't look back as he issued his command. "Don't touch a single thing. We wait for the authorities."
Conan was already in motion, his sharp eyes scanning the perimeter like a predator. Ran remained on the line with dispatch, her voice hushed and urgent, while Sonoko and Leon stood as silent sentinels in the shadows of the macabre gallery.
Before long, the serene silence of the medieval exhibition was shattered by the discordant wail of sirens. A phalanx of patrol cars swarmed the museum, their strobing lights painting the stone walls in rhythmic flashes of crimson and blue.
Inside the Passage of Hell, the air grew thick with the presence of forensic teams and investigators. Inspector Megure led the charge, his heavy footsteps echoing against the marble. He stopped dead in his tracks as he spotted a familiar silhouette.
"You again?" Megure sighed, approaching Kogoro Mouri. "It seems where there is a corpse, a certain bumbling detective is never far behind."
"Duty calls, Inspector," Kogoro replied, offering a stiff salute. "I assure you, the scene remains pristine. I haven't permitted anyone to disturb the deceased."
Megure grunted in approval before turning his attention to the gathered museum staff, his gaze stern. "Did anyone witness this atrocity? Did anyone see anything out of the ordinary?"
"I have interrogated every member of my staff, Inspector," Manager Ochiai replied, his voice brittle. "No one saw a soul." The surrounding employees nodded in grim unison.
"The surveillance apparatus might have captured the perpetrator," Iijima suggested, extending a finger toward the CCTV unit nestled in the corner of the ceiling.
Every head in the room turned toward the unblinking glass eye.
"Very well. Let us examine the footage," Megure commanded.
The group migrated to the security hub. The room was a hive of monitors, but Iijima focused on the screen corresponding to the gallery of horrors. He manipulated the controls, rewinding the digital tape to the genesis of the incident.
The screen flickered to life in stark, grainy monochrome. A suit of medieval armor, clutching a broadsword, stood like a silent sentinel on a pedestal. Beside it sat a small table. The timestamp at the bottom of the frame bled 4:20 PM.
"Here we go," Iijima muttered, depressing the play button.
"What a foolish assassin," Kogoro remarked, leaning in. "Caught on camera without even realizing the world was watching."
The footage rolled.
"Ah! There's the owner!" Kogoro exclaimed. They watched Mr. Manaka's back as he approached the stationary armor. He paced with agitation, glancing around as if expecting a clandestine rendezvous.
"Step into the light, murderer-san..." Kogoro whispered.
On the screen, Manaka turned, checking his wristwatch with visible irritation. His face was clear now—a mask of impatience. Megure, Mouri, and Conan leaned closer, their eyes narrowing. Let's see your face—
The collective breath of the room hitched.
The "stationary" armor suddenly surged with lethal life. As Manaka's back was turned, the knight hoisted the heavy broadsword high. Without a shred of hesitation, the steel descended. The blade tore through Manaka's light brown suit and deep into the flesh of his back.
Blood erupted in a silent, violent spray, drenching the knight's silver plate. Though the video lacked audio, the agony was palpable; Manaka's mouth fell open in a silent scream, his eyes bulging as his legs buckled. He collapsed to the floor, his body wracked by tremors of shock and pain.
The bloodied knight stepped past him, the visor of the helmet passing directly in front of the lens. For a terrifying heartbeat, it felt as though the killer was staring through the monitor at them all.
In the background, a desperate Manaka clawed at the table, struggling to hoist his failing body upward. He reached for something on the tabletop—a frantic, hurried movement. But the knight had already pivoted. With a brutal, sweeping arc, the sword carved through Manaka's shoulder and torso.
The geyser of gore was catastrophic, painting the floor, the walls, and the knight in a fresh coat of crimson. The knight's gauntleted hand then clamped around Manaka's throat, hoisting the dying man into the air. With a final, explosive thrust, he impaled Manaka's heart, the force of the blow pinning the body to the masonry.
The knight stepped back, a dark spectator to the man's final, twitching moments as the lifeblood drained away.
Kogoro slammed the pause button, his face pale.
"Wait a moment... this composition..." He stared at the frozen image of the knight's back silhouetted against the hanging corpse.
"IT'S AN EXACT REPLICA OF THE PAINTING!" Kogoro, Ran, and Conan cried out in terrifying realization.
"What painting?" Megure demanded.
"The canvas directly across from the body," Kogoro explained, gesturing wildly. "The one titled 'Divine Punishment.' The killer didn't just murder him; he staged the execution to mirror the art. He turned a man into a demon and himself into the knight of justice."
The staff members murmured in fearful agreement as they looked from the screen to the real-life horror across the hall.
"A bold play," Megure mused, his brow furrowed. "But how could someone move through the museum in full plate armor without being intercepted?"
"That reminds me," Kogoro interjected. "There was a 'No Entry' sign barricading the passage to this room earlier."
"What?" Megure snapped.
"Ran, that was around 4:00 PM, wasn't it?" Kogoro asked his daughter.
"Yes," Ran confirmed. "But when we returned to search for Leon-kun, the barrier had been removed. Isn't that right, Sonoko?"
"Exactly," Sonoko added. "That would have been right around 5:00 PM."
Inspector Megure gave a somber nod, his eyes fixed on the frozen frame of the digital recording. "The homicide transpired at approximately 4:30 PM. It appears the culprit deliberately placed the 'No Entry' placard to seal off this wing and prevent any unwelcome intrusions."
AM N. NOT.(っ－＿－)っ♤♤DRAFT♤♤