Back to Youth

"Heh... Advisor, what a coincidence. Training here too?" Shinichi Kudo forced down his fear and offered an awkward greeting. At the same time, his hand darted into his Ninja Tool Pouch. He pulled out a Smoke Bomb and slammed it against the ground!

Bang! Thick smoke spread in an instant.

But before the smoke could fully billow out, a hand as cold and hard as an iron vise pierced through it and seized Shinichi Kudo's wrist with unerring precision.

An irresistible force lifted him off his feet. He was flung like a piece of trash to Mayuri Kurotsuchi's feet, where he hit the ground so hard that stars burst across his vision. Pain wracked his body, leaving him unable to move.

Demiurge looked coldly at Shinichi Kudo on the ground. Killing intent flashed in his eyes as he raised a hand, a deadly edge gathering at his fingertips.

"Wait." Mayuri Kurotsuchi stopped him, intrigued. "Killing him now would be such a waste."

His golden, slit-pupiled eyes swept over Shinichi Kudo as though he were examining an interesting piece of experimental material.

"As it happens, I've been researching a Rejuvenation Elixir that can overcome the Hayflick Limit on cell division and, in theory, return someone to their youth."

"Unfortunately, I'm stuck at the Human Experimentation stage. Every previous subject melted after their gene chains collapsed."

He crouched, a twisted, excited smile spreading across his face. "Why don't I put you to use as my new test subject? You might even give me some surprising data."

Demiurge lowered his hand, his expression blank. "Do as you like. I'm leaving. Clean up after yourself, and don't leave him alive."

With that, his figure blurred and vanished into the vast night, as though he had never been there.

Only Mayuri Kurotsuchi and the immobilized