"Miscalculation, is it? Hmph—" Moriarty looked at Ritsuka Fujimaru and the others, the corners of his mouth slightly raised as if he felt no anger over his failure.
If Holmes were not present, or if his plan had gone forward as intended, even without the rifle barrel, Moriarty could still have put up a fight. But now, it was impossible.
As long as Holmes was around, failure was inevitable for Moriarty.
To achieve victory, it was not enough to ally with Holmes' side; one also needed to gain Holmes himself—
"Ah, it seems that whether it was his dream or mine, both have ultimately crumbled. My apologies, Baal."
Moriarty felt little disappointment in his failure. The only regret he harbored was his apology to Baal.
"Well, saying this after my defeat seems a bit improper, but I'm sorry, Master."
Accepting his defeat with composure, Moriarty handed over the Holy Grail. Yet, as that golden cup fell into Ritsuka Fujimaru's hands, Moriarty continued, "I have deeply hurt you, exploited your honesty, misused your sincerity, and set a trap using your innocence."
Even though his plan had not come to fruition, Moriarty felt he still needed to apologize for his actions.
In the story of Der Freischütz, Max obtained six magic bullets that never miss. However, the seventh bullet, fired by the devil, was aimed at the marksman's most important existence. Only in this way would the marksman fall into despair.
Moriarty, who had merged with the story of Der Freischütz, naturally inherited this tale. But he lacked a most important existence.
Thus, Moriarty needed to create a most important existence. After spending less than a day and a night together with Ritsuka Fujimaru—through battles and conversations in their dwelling—Moriarty, who prided himself on being good, successfully made Ritsuka Fujimaru his most important existence.
The rifle barrel tower itself was meaningless. The only criterion for firing the seventh magic bullet was having an important existence.
If Moriarty had entered the rifle barrel tower with Ritsuka Fujimaru and successfully regained his memories, he would have met the firing condition. After all, within the rifle barrel lay his most important existence. In that case, the devil would have fired the bullet—the seventh magic bullet that never misses—at the rifle barrel tower.
There was no need to dwell on a failed plan. After handing over the Holy Grail, Moriarty gave up his existence. A faint glow of spirit particles emanated from his body.
"Adios amigo / Farewell, friend."
And with that, James Moriarty exited the stage.
As the Holy Grail was reclaimed, the singularity finally began to show signs of dissipating.
The onlookers watched this scene in silence, even Holmes, Moriarty's archenemy, said nothing.
Chaldea immediately began preparations for Ritsuka Fujimaru's spiritron transfer the moment the singularity started disappearing.
Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. As Servants, they would not be affected by the singularity's dissolution. Their only concern was for Ritsuka Fujimaru, the Master.
As long as Ritsuka Fujimaru could leave Shinjuku and return to Chaldea, it would be a success.
"Hmm? Why are you all looking at me?"
Stretching lazily, Alaric grinned at Ritsuka Fujimaru. "Don't worry, I'll keep up."
Seeing Alaric's assurance, Ritsuka Fujimaru said no more.
Meanwhile, someone nearby, due to the crowd, was too embarrassed to speak up.
Until a voice cut through—
Despite some hesitation, Holmes asked the question he needed to clarify: "Sir Alaric, what was that light earlier?"
If there was any mystery left in this Shinjuku singularity, it would only be that ominous aurora.
"Was that a Noble Phantasm?"
Holmes couldn't be sure, but he was certain it wasn't the full extent of its power—only the tip of the iceberg.
"Authority, perhaps?" Alaric, rubbing his chin, wasn't sure either. After all, Nega Genesis wasn't something that should appear now.
"Authority, huh—"
Hearing this, Holmes' gaze grew profound.
Not everything could be called authority. Authority referred to absolute power, the supreme mystery, a realm beyond human reach.
Moreover, from the way Alaric unleashed the aurora, it was clear that his use of authority came at the cost of consuming the surrounding world. That meant his existence was inherently that of an enemy to the world. The reduction of the world also implied a shrinking of the domain of humanity—thus making him, indirectly, an enemy of mankind.
How did he end up like this?
Babbage had only calculated data related to the Demon Pillars, and Alaric's presence had not been accounted for among the anomalies.
Perhaps, when Babbage began his calculations, this individual had not yet arrived in this world.
Whether in terms of time or space.
Holmes, while acknowledging Alaric's existence, couldn't help but feel some emotion as he pondered how he had grown from a knight of the Round Table in the Sixth Singularity to his current state.
Unrestrained growth would not be an exaggeration.
These brief reflections remained within Holmes' heart. As a world-renowned detective, he had maintained close contact with the Mage's Association during his lifetime and possessed extensive knowledge of the occult.
Although he couldn't fully decipher Alaric's current state, he understood a great deal.
Alaric's so-called authority was likely something born of Humanity's Evil—
While Holmes continued his analysis, Alaric was conversing with the departing Artoria Alter and Jeanne Alter.
There were no farewell words to exchange. Artoria Alter vanished in a dazzlingly cool manner, dissolving into spirit particles. Jeanne Alter, however—
"Care to dance?"
Pulling Ritsuka Fujimaru along, Alaric smiled and asked, "You're the last one left!"
"I... I suppose since you're asking…"
Jeanne Alter averted her gaze, her expression unnatural. "I'll reluctantly agree, then."
It seemed as though her response wasn't out of her desire, but rather to fulfill someone else's wish.
Noticing this, Ritsuka Fujimaru quickly understood the situation and blurted out, "The three of us?"
"Dancing is one-on-one, of course. If you're not up for it, we could switch partners!"
Laughing, Alaric pushed Ritsuka Fujimaru forward. "A dance before the world disappears—sounds perfect, doesn't it?"
Hearing this, Ritsuka Fujimaru hesitated no longer. She naturally took the hand of the witch before her.
Clap.
"Let's begin!"
Ritsuka Fujimaru's eyes curved into crescents as she smiled.
The witch and the girl began to dance. The knight and the witch danced together. And so did the girl and the knight for their final dance.
This moment, happening at the end of the world was seen only by Holmes, who took it all in.
...
The spiritron transfer began.
That familiar brilliance filled Ritsuka Fujimaru's eyes. When she opened them again, she found herself in the familiar landscape of Chaldea.
And not only that—
"Sir Alaric is one thing, but why are you here too?!"
Leonardo da Vinci, arms crossed and wearing an amused expression, looked at the two figures not far from Ritsuka Fujimaru.
Besides Alaric, the great detective Holmes had also appeared in Chaldea.