Shinjuku Fly High

And down goes the Avenger.

We may only have to wait for the magical bullet to get here now, but that doesn't mean we can just sit around.

So why are you so relaxed? Is the bullet already on its way?

It's not coming here. Not yet, anyway.

So now that the Avenger has been defeated, you and I are the only ones who can protect the Barrel.

I'll do my job, not to worry. Luckily this tower is easy to protect, and real tough to attack.

...I see.

But that doesn't mean we can just stay holed up in here doing nothing. I'll go prepare an ambush outside.

If it works out, we'll be able to lure them into a pincer attack at the base of the tower and catch them in the cross fire.

Sherlock Holmes would see through something like that in an instant.

The battlefield's just the kind of place where detective and mastermind logic falls apart.

There's no time for cold deduction there. Only chaos and fervor.

The chaos of battle leaves no room for calculations, and that kind of fervor rips theory to shreds.

The battlefield's where the lowest of life forms can easily destroy the highest form of art.

...I see. Well, do as you see fit.

I won't be of much use when it comes to practical tactics anyway.

A seasoned mercenary like you would be far better suited to come up with ideas.

Don't worry. I'll make sure they suffer.

Get to your positions. Suit up for heavy combat. Use anti-Demonic Beast gear if you have to.

But aren't we only going up against Servants?

Believe me, I know what we're going up against better than most.

Anti-Servant gear's not gonna cut it.

We'll be much better off with the anti-Demonic Beast gear's sheer explosive power.

Use the tungsten alloy armor-piercing ammo. It's cursed so it should be pretty effective against them. Keep up a steady stream of gunfire and pin 'em down.

Yes, sir.

...Even if you all make it this far, that Servant will utterly destroy you.

If Jeanne Alter is like a human carpet bombing, the altered King of Knights is akin to an artillery cannon.

Although, given that she's using that toy to get around, perhaps I should call her a giant high-speed mobile artillery platform?

Ugh, it's always something... Still, it's almost over now.

It doesn't matter how bloody things get. As long as everything's consistent, that's what counts.

What a fool the Master of Chaldea is to willingly meet his end here after saving the world.

He may think he can save this place, but he's wrong. All he can do now is die a miserable death.

Well done, Cavall II.

It was all thanks to you that we were victorious. As a reward, you shall have better dog food than normal.

Feel free to return to your guard post at the stronghold. You've earned it.

？！

How astute of you, Master.

Indeed, I think of Cavall II as my personal hunting dog...or rather, as descended from one.

(So, she's got her own headcanon for him...)

Essentially, I consider him one of my loyal knights, and am willing to dub him appropriately.

Which means that, in my court, he does indeed rank slightly above you.

Benevolent as some kings may be, each is a tyrant in the end.

...

Pretend you never heard that.

He says it is most agreeable. At least, I believe he does.

？！

We're back, Mr. Fujimaru, Ms. Altria.

？！

Papa's home! Come here and give me a big kiss on the cheek!

How could you say that? Fine then, I'll just be over here quietly scrying to myself.

Wait, did I say scrying? I meant crying.

(Mr. Moriarty, that sort of thing is exactly the problem...)

Bwuh!?

That hit way harder than I thought!

Are you all right, Mr. Moriarty!?

Uh, yes. I'm fine, thank you.

Ahh, curse this despicable old man smell of mine!

But really Master, you could stand to mince your words a bit when it comes to people's feelings!

...

Oh, don't give me that look, young Sherlock. You're lucky your prime was in the peak of your youth!

？！

...Ahem. Getting back on track...

We have now defeated the Berserker, the Assassin, and the Avenger.

That leaves the Archer of Shinjukuevil Moriartyand the altered version of Emiya, the nameless Heroic Spirit.

I have also learned that the latter is standing guard in front of the Barrel.

Along with about two hundred or so Hornets.

Two hundred...!

However, I can assure you that time is most definitely not on our side.

With the Phantom Spirit Der Freischütz at his disposal, Moriarty can even control meteors.

We don't know when a meteor will be loaded and fired, but we do know we can't afford to wait until that happens.

Well, hang on. Meteors almost never enter Earth's atmosphere to begin with.

I looked it up, and the only meteor that fell to Japan in 1999 was in Kobe.

And it was tiny, barely weighing 136 grams in total. Hardly anything approaching an apocalyptic scale.

You are quite right, Mr... Er, Ms. Da Vinci.

(He stumbled!)

Don't worry about it, Holmes. Call me whatever you like.

However, there is one thing I've come to understand after seeing our Moriarty in action.

You mean me?

I do.

When you use that coffin of yours, you don't actually do much in the way of aiming, do you?

I sure don't. I fire, and it hits.

I'm confident it would work even if I were facing away from my target entirely.

I don't have many memories of firing a gun when I was alive, so...I'm surprised it works so well.

I imagine it would be much the same whether you were using bullets or missiles. Furthermore...

Evil Moriarty likely possesses the same power, only with greater potency. A truly frightening prospect.

With such power, he could likely use any meteor visible from Earth in 1999 for his magical bullet.

Wha

I...

Even Master is dumbfoundedenough to react like a certain idol!

Is it just me, or did you all hear that sound like a great serpent creeping closer, too?

？！

What's more, there was indeed an asteroid observed in 1999.

The one called Bennu. A B-type asteroid measuring an average of five hundred meters in diameter.

Analysis shows that it will approach Earth a number of times over the next two hundred years.

I believe this is the asteroid that evil Moriarty has designated to be his bullet.

Is that even possible?

I mean, the whole reason Phantom Spirits can never be Servants is because they lack the Spirit Origin values to ascend to being a Heroic Spirit.

Yes, if one were to evaluate Phantom Spirits by strength alone, they would be quite unimpressive.

In terms of potency, they would even underperform a literary Caster who did nothing but pen stories.

I can almost hear a voice saying "Don't steal my gimmick!"

？！

There's that serpent again! And it's even closer this time.

？！

I am quite serious. After all, even if they were to be summoned, they wouldn't possess a body.

And because they lack a body, they are unable to do anything.

Regardless of how much magical energy you provide them, they have no means of storing it. You could think of each of them as a vase with a hole.

However, this hole is on the side of the vase, not the bottom, so it IS able to hold SOME energy.

For an experienced mage, I imagine this would pose no issue at all.

All that said...

Even having said all of that, we Servants still have quite the trump card to play, no matter how weak we might be, and that still holds true for Phantom Spirits.

Noble Phantasms!

Exactly. Where such things are concerned, there is little difference between a Phantom Spirit and a Heroic one.

The reason is simple: Noble Phantasms are based off of stories, legends, and objects that truly existed.

When such things become a Noble Phantasm, their power might be reduced, or, in rare cases, even enhanced.

Of course, when a Phantom Spirit is summoned, the power of their Noble Phantasm likely decays considerably. Not that a Phantom could use one anyway.

However, the concept of a Noble Phantasm remains the same.

In short, with enough magical energy, a Noble Phantasm can form. So by fusing a Heroic Spirit and Phantom Spirit to raise the value of the Spirit Origin...

Even an object in space can be made into a bullet!

Not to worry, my dear Da Vinci. This Shinjuku is the only place where such a thing is possible.

Ordinarily, fusing Phantom and Heroic Spirits together, or even two Phantoms, is nigh impossible.

Hey, that's it! That's the key.

I remember we combed through Chaldea's servers to pull up all the details on Phantom Spirits.

But just like how Heroic Spirits can't fuse, neither can Phantom Spirits. It should be impossible.

Or rather, no one would ever think to do so. Who actually went and did such a thing!?

...

I'm afraid the time is not yet right to tell you that. We should avoid speculation.

Or rather, to be precise, we should focus on the more immediate problem at hand!

As I was just saying, Emiya Alter and two hundred Hornets are standing guard outside the Barrel.

Here's a digital snapshot I took. I'll send it to Chaldea so you can fix it up.

How's this? I laid it out in a table view to make it easier.

I took my best guess at marking off how many enemies are there and what weapons they're carrying.

They're using mass-produced firearms, so as long as we can partially see them, we can manage.

Hmm. It appears to be a bog-standard formation, but an effective one.

Looks like they're armed with weapons typically used for taking down large Demonic Beasts.

They're clearly aiming for me.

Which means that I will be unable to use Cuirassier Alter to charge in and cause a disturbance.

While attacking them straight on may be a safe option, it would also take a lot of time.

All we have in the way of fighters are myself and Moriarty. Holmes will be of no help here.

My apologies. I am but a humble detective, after all.

That doesn't seem to be slowing down your rival-slash-mathematician-slash-hunter!

And there's another problem.

A royal guard should keep their defenses as tight as possible, and be prepared to move quickly to cover any gaps that may appear in them.

Given who we are up against, it would be all but impossible to sow chaos among their ranks with our numbers.

Besides, he expects us to charge in. If only there was something we could do that no one could see coming...

Oh...

？！

What is it, Mash Kyrielight? That "oh" certainly sounds as though you have an idea.

N-not at all! N-no ideas here, n-no sirree!

？！

It's nothing! Really! Please don't give it another thought, Senpai!

Answer the question, Mash. If you don't, I'll turn you into Mashed Kyrielight.

Uh... Er... Well...

I just...happened to remember...Arash...

Arash... Do you mean Arash Kamangir, the Hero of the East?

？！

I'm sorry, Senpai.

When Altria mentioned breaking through the formation in a unique way, I couldn't help but remember.

Hm?

I don't believe we know that one. What in the world happened?

？！

My my, it must be quite a good plan if it can make Master blanch. Tell us more about it, Mash.

Spade 1, all clear. I've completed patrol of Point Alpha, and am returning to base.

Club 2, all clear. Nothing up here on the roof.

Diamond 4 here. I can just make out the sound of a motorcycle engine.

...Let me hear it.

They're here. Keep your ears open for any other motorcycle sounds.

Hmph, for a legendary king, I'm disappointed this is the best strategy she could come up with. One-way ticket to hell.

...Fire!

Release the net!

Hmph, so they've resorted to an all-or-nothing gamble. How boring!

All hands, keep watching the perimeter! I'll confirm their disappearance myself! Guards, come with me!

I knew it. That's the king's motorcycle. ...Let's see how her Spirit Origin is doing.

She's still here! It's a decoy! Remain on the alerHuh!?

I'm detecting a Servant close by! Is it Saber!?

...Above!?

Too slow, Archer!

Tch!

I'm surprised to see you and your Master drop in like this. ...How did you do it?

If any Command Spell backup had flown in here, we would have noticed its energy and wiped it out.

Indeed. Which is why we didn't come here via Mana Burst or Command Spell.

We flew here. Literally. I like this!

？！

All right, that should do it! What do you think, Da Vinci?

Looking good!

I created the plans according to Mash's specifications, and modified them to fire without Arash's bow and arrow.

It was a little tricky constructing it entirely out of materials found in Shinjuku on short notice.

But genius that I am, I knew I could do it!

Of course, we were the ones who did all the work!

You're a math professor, right? How can you have so much trouble cutting a straight piece of iron?

Maybe it's BECAUSE I'm a math professor!

At any rate, the Da Vinci-modified Moriarty flyer was a complete success!

I believe you mean "Da Vinci flyer"!? I have a patent on it, you know! A patent!

Tch. So this is why the rich get richer!

(What in the world are they arguing about...?)

Well, no matter. As I explained earlier, Master and Altria will take this over to...

Master?

？！

Forget it. You cannot escape me.

We're doing this no matter what, Fujimaru.

Don't worry. I personally guarantee the flyer's safety.

Read: I'm pretty sure you'll be okay with Altria protecting you. Probably.

Worry not, Master. I am your sword, and your shield. I shall remove any and all threats in our path.

Now get on. We're going to fly this thing to the moon.

？！

You whine like a cat forced to take a bath. Go on, get closer.

Okay, once I pull this lever, whoosh! You'll be off!

Got it. Now hurry up and get ready, Master.

Okay, you're all good to go!

Are you all set, Mr. Holmes!?

Not really, if I'm being honest, but I'll make do! Hahaha! It's a bit hard being a noncombatant!

But not to worry, I promise I'll be there at the appointed time!

Good. Now let us head to the final battlefield!

？！

However, that doesn't change the fact that you've dived straight into your enemy's camp.

That's true. But once I cut you down, my role will be complete.

What...!?

Ready your weapons, Archer. I won't even ask you for a fair fight. Feel free to use as many as you like.

Why you little...!

...! Was that...!?

Oh, I should have known you would notice, Archer. I see your eyes are as sharp as ever.

Captain! We're being attacked by wild Coloraturas!

So that's what Sherlock Holmes has been up to!

Hahahaha! That was cutting it far too close, but it appears it was well worth it. Take that!

Uh oh... The Coloraturas have started targeting us!

Dammit... Without Berserker around, there's no one left to control them!

What are you waiting for!? Take them out!

Yes sir!

That sound...!

Well done, Moriarty!

Captain, there's too many for us! What do we do!?

Get a hold of yourself! Take care of the smoke cloud and take each one out! Aim for their legs!

Captain, behind you!

...!

?

There's nothing there.

Oh, my apologies, sir. I was mistaken.

...Is that so.

Whoa, easy there, Emiya! Not so rough!

I may not be as good as some, but every evil mastermind needs at least some facility with disguises!

Of course, in my case, I had to resort to help from Holmes, but never mind that!

The good Moriarty, eh? ...You should have stayed put like the trash you are.

Or is it actually you?

Hm? I beg your pardon?

Well, never mind that. You want to see the Archer of Shinjuku, huh? Go on then.

He already knew this was coming no matter what I did.

Have fun running around the Barrel.

...Very well then, I'll go do just that. Nothing like crushing one's own dreams oneself, after all!

Shut up.

You handle this area. I'll go after them.

Yes sir.

We can't have any of them escaping. Once I go in, blow up the entryway to seal it.

Yes sir! ...But, what about the tower's internal defenses?

No one else is going to do us any good in there. Or are you volunteering to be a meat shield?

U-understood, sir!

(There's no telling what might happen if you small-timers interfere.)

(You can all die here along with the puppets.)

All right, the end of the world is almost here. It's all-or-nothing now.