Great Detectives' Great Deduction

This world is filled with stories, large and small. King Lear and Macbeth go without saying, of course.

There's also the gangster from China, the Wolf King, the headless horseman...

Sherlock Holmes and I were part of one such story too. But none of them truly matter.

What matters right now is another story.

Der Freischütz, the marksman, could hit any target he wished with six out of seven bullets.

But the seventh, controlled by the devil, shot someone precious to him, and he fell into despair.

Do you understand? In this story, the seventh bullet possesses powers on par with the Grim Reaper.

At the same time, the devil MUST fire the seventh bullet. He has no choice in the matter.

...! Does that mean this meteor...is the seventh bullet!?

And it activated the moment we tried to kill you! So that's why you moved it closer!

So the moment Moriarty's death was confirmed, the meteor would prepare itself to be fired!

But if that were the case, the seventh bullet shouldn't go where Moriarty wants!

It's controlled by the Devil, right? We have no way of knowing what it will hit...

...Ah.

？！

No way. I can't believe it... That's why you did it, Professor?

No... How could you!?

I see you share Holmes's gift for deduction, Mash. Indeed, there is nothing and no one I hold precious.

So I agonized over this. I had nothing I cared for enough to turn a meteor into one of the bullets.

Holmes deduced that I used the Holy Grail in order to strengthen the bullets.

...But, he was wrong.

It was the first time that he had ever been wrong in his deductions about me.

For my part, this was practically a gamble.

Furthermore, the odds were very much against me. As such, I had to tell Bael everything.

On top of that, I also needed him to lose his memory.

This is because he had to see me as "good Moriarty," and genuinely try to dispose of me.

He agreed to my plan, knowing that it had an extremely low chance of success.

He said it was the only way we would be able to kill Fujimaru.

？！

...I do.

I don't understand. What is going on, Mash?

Moriarty...lost his memory, found a good side of himself, and fought alongside Master.

We know that much is true. But...if you look at it another way...

It also means that he now has someone he would risk his life to protect. Someone precious to him!

That's why the bullet is headed towards you! Because that's where...the person he cares about is...

Then...even bringing Master here was all part of your plan?

Exactly.

The sheer humanity you have all shown me is remarkable. It reveals true goodness inside you.

But while this makes you strong against evil, it also makes you weak against other good people.

Fight fire with fire, evil with evil...

And good with good.

In order to triumph against good, I became truly good myself!

Miscreant!

Indeed I am!

A devil, a miscreant, the Napoleon of crime. That is who James Moriarty is!

Now then. We have about five minutes until the bullet is loaded into the tower.

My calculations cannot be foiled. Not as long as Sherlock Holmes is out of commission.

And he is now serving as my own source of power.

？！

Master...!

Archer, take up your weapons. You're going to help us, whether you want to or not.

What, you planning for us to smash the meteor with our swords?

It's not just a meteor, it's a magical bullet. Our odds are all but nil, and I'm not obligated to help.

But, sure, why not. I achieved my goal. It doesn't matter to me when I die.

Master, we'll do our best to intercept the meteor. ...Don't worry, Moriarty won't harm you.

Of course not. I would never do something so foolish after making it this far.

...

Stay here, Master.

...And remember, you have done nothing wrong. Of that, you can be certain.

No need to console you, huh? I'll do my best, but knowing when to give up is important too, yeah?

？！

...Heh. If you can still glare at me like that, you can last a while longer.

Most people in your position would have accepted their fate. No wonder you managed to save the world.

You're a real piece of work.

What about a forced Rayshift!?

It's no good! Now that the seventh bullet has been confirmed, the causality has been reinforced!

Shinjuku won't let Master Fujimaru jump to another time!

Don't give up yet! Try everything you possibly can!

Yes, ma'am!

Master...!

...

...You're awfully quiet for someone usually so talkative.

I've already explained everything I need to. There is nothing left to say.

I see. Well, congratulations, Moriarty.

You sacrificed everything, and finally managed to beat Sherlock Holmes.

...I suppose so.

To be honest, in less than five minutes, we'll have lost. So this may not be the best time to ask, but...

...I just can't bring myself to ask Master Fujimaru about it.

？！

Hm? What's this now?

？！

...I have no right to answer that. What about you? Do you have any regrets?

？！

Your obstinacy is remarkable. ...Hm?

？！

What is it, Master?

？！

What!?

Tch!

Who are you!?

Hahahaha!

Regret!? To think the Napoleon of crime would have any regrets!

You truly have fallen low, haven't you, Professor!?

And yet this young man doesn't regret anything!

That's my accomplice for you!

...Well now. This is quite the unexpected entrance!

And here I thought that impostor, Holmes, was the only one who had been summoned!

Hahahaha! You recover quick, don't you!

？！

A new Servant... Analyzing Spirit Origin... No way! It's the same Servant dressed in black we met back in the Temple of Time!

That's right! I am the Count of Monte Cristo! Good to see you again, my accomplice!

You seem down. You must have taken one hell of a beating!

But not to worry! I'm here now!

And I'll accompany you all the way down to hell if that's where our path leads!

Well well, so you were alive too?

...Lovely.

You don't seem happy to see me.

The old Moriarty was way more expressive than you.

I knew I should've roasted your ass when I had the chance, old man.

？！

HEY! Why would you call me that of all things!?

Jeanne... You're alive! Thank goodness!

Yup, sure am.

I cut it real close, but at the last moment...you know.

?

I, um, I'm afraid I don't actually know.

Heh... Hehe...

That's right. Holmes told you to, uh...to watch your feet, if I recall.

Indeed he did! And thanks to that very advice...

She ended up diving straight into a manhole. Wonderful form, too.

Hey, I made damn sure to sterilize myself after!

What're you lookin' at me like that for!? If you got somethin' to say, spit it out!

Oh...

What? You want me to rub your shoulders or something? How 'bout I just freakin' burn you alive instead!?

But that can wait a minute. Hey, Master, I brought backup.

？！

Well, I saved some chump, anyway.

He's not gonna be much help, but he did say he had something to give you.

In fact, I was originally summoned to protect him, and to work with him to save someone else.

Hahahaha! I've finally been rescued, Master!

I'd love to express this joy in a sonnet, but that will have to wait.

For the moment, William Shakespeare is back and fully recovered!

？！

Ouch! You cut me to the quick!

And here's the second unhelpful reinforcement. Some Shinjuku trip this turned out to be.

Here I was looking forward to visiting Kabukicho, only to find it in flames with strange dolls dancing as if possessed!

What in the world were those!?

All I wanted was to see overdressed people with pitch-black desires!

Well, if nothing else, I learned that moving mannequins are truly the stuff of nightmares.

Anyway, with no other choice, I holed up in an abandoned house waiting for just this moment!

...Well now, I certainly didn't account for you two in my calculations. Especially you, Andersen.

You're telling me. But when a certain dumbass asked me for help, I just couldn't say no.

By the way, I also have something for you.

？！

For you!

Sir Moriarty, I take it that Sherlock Holmes is no longer present in Shinjuku?

Seeing as you absorbed him!

Right you are.

As long as Holmes's power is also yours, your power as an evil professor will never decline.

After all, ordinarily, Holmes always beats you, but now, he's your ally.

Right now, professor, I imagine you must feel as though there is nothing you can't do.

Unstoppable, in other words. And it makes sense.

If the story ensures that the protagonist wins, what better way to win than to become the protagonist?

...Stop right there, Shakespeare. What are you planning?

History's greatest detective may have let down his guard for a moment, and allowed you to absorb him!

But remember this well, villain!

He blazed a path to a world in which thousands of skilled detectives followed in his wake.

Naturally, they too are Phantom Spirits. In a normal Holy Grail War, they wouldn't be worth summoning.

However...

Seriously! Thanks to that, we had to resort to a derivative work!

It's nice that we didn't have to come up with any backstories, but the restrictions were a real pain!

Still, the client requested it, so I didn't have a choice. These scribbles may not be much, but they should more than suffice for summoning!

And with that, it's time for a hastily written, slightly hackneyed turnabout story!

Now let me introduce you to everyone! This is the derivative work we spun up!

They may not compare to the original, but at this point in time...

They shine brighter than any Heroic Spirit!

"Märchen Meines Lebens!" A story just for you!

It's not often I get to use this Noble Phantasm in this way! "First Folio!"

What the...!?

What's going on!? Mash, do you have any idea!?

I may be a genius, but even I don't have the foggiest at the moment!

Servants are being summon No, that's not it!

Their Spirit Origin values are too low. These are...Shadow Servants? And there's so many!

Their Noble Phantasms have summoned a hundred...no, two hundred of these...things!

？！

We are Phantom Spirits, Master of Chaldea. That is why we appear to be ghosts.

The others are unable to even do that much, and are merely drifting around us.

You're... No way!

Thankfully, we won't be fighting directly. We'll just be helping out Master a little bit.

Part of me would like to argue in Moriarty's defense, but not when the planet's doom is near.

That's just like you, isn't it. That last one's a perfect betrayal.

Now, where'd that Belgian get off to?

I have a message from him.

He says he already surpasses Holmes, so he won't be sticking his nose in.

That said, he also said he will help us. One of these shadows must be him.

I see that detective's still too proud for his own good. Was it "grey brain cells"?

Brain cells are supposed to be pink. If they're grey, it means you're dead.

Never mind that. Exactly what should we do at this point? We've practically already lost.

The numbers don't lie. Two and two will always be four, no matter what.

Not at all. We've only just begun to fight.

Mister Holmes has left something important behind. That thing we always forget.

Of course, it's not my usual style, but oh well.

I can't say I care for that. I mean, did Holmes himself ever try it out?

Don't worry, it's Master who will be doing it. Otherwise, he can't hope to defeat Moriarty.

？！

No need to fret! We are offering you our power. All you have to do is accept it.

From there, you will attack Moriarty. Nothing at all mysterious about it. In fact, it's quite scientific.

W-wait! I, um...I think I can guess at your True Names.

But Master can't attack anyone!

You're exactly right, young lady. And we too are incapable of attacking anyone physically.

Even if we were Heroic or Phantom Spirits, it's just not in our nature.

Our claim to fame is solving riddles, after all.

Indeed.

As if a bunch of forgotten old men like us could take part in combat.

That's why you'll attack in a way that only we can. That's why we were summoned.

Okay, Fujimaru.

We will now lend you our power. And not just us.

Thanks to the great writers Shakespeare and Andersen, there are countless detectives here with us.

Some of us may have forms, and many may not, but we are all here nonetheless.

And not only from Great Britain. Many of us have come from countries around the world as well.

All of us have gotten up off our behinds and come together to help you: someone who would risk their own life to save a planet that is already outside the bounds of history.

Now, our power is yours!

...That's the scoop, Moriarty. Now go on, pick up your weapon.

You're not real happy about this either, right? So go out with a bang. It'll take a bit of the sting out.

...Hahaha! So this is your last resort? Assembling a multitude of half-baked fictional detectives!?

...

Who do you think I am!?

I'm James Moriarty! The only detective who could ever hold a candle to me is Sherlock Holmes!

Very well then. I don't know, nor do I care to know, what you're up to...but I'll fight you to the last!

If you've got detectives on your side, then I shall draw on the forces of evil to bolster my own power!

...!

I've confirmed the appearance of the Holy Grail! It seems like it was never used in the last battle!

Th-this magical energy is...as powerful as that of a Demon God Pillar! So he really wasn't fighting at his full strength before!

Guess he actually means business this time then!

Master... Please, win!

Sorry, Master, but it looks like you'll be dying three minutes sooner than I expected. I trust you have no regrets, seeing as you're the one who chose this course of action!?

？！

Then have at you!

Ngh...! I can't believe you overpowered me in this state!

But, I haven't lost yet! ...Holy Grail! Give me all your strength!

A second wave!?

We won't survive another one!

Now is the time.

Indeed it is.

Fujimaru, I believe you already know what it is you have to say.

Those words are nothing less than our Noble Phantasm.

Now, Master of Chaldea! Say it!

？！

...!

？！

？！

...Ha. Haha.

Hahahahahaha!

That's your plan!? Yes, you're correct! I was the mastermind behind this whole incident.

I am the culprit!

Nghhh! The power, it's leaving me! And all because my culpability was proven!?

Aha, now I see.

Since I never left any evidence of my crimes behind, I was never once named as the culprit!

So I didn't know that the moment I was unmaskedthe moment I lost to the detectiveswould weaken me like this...!

Still, it's strange...

Even with the power of so many great detectives on your side, I should have been able to defeat you.

Every calculation, every analysis bore that out. Magical energy, tactics, weapons... I should have been your superior in every respect.

So then, why...? Why did I still lose!? Why!?

？！

...

No, I don't. Are you telling me you do, Master?

I, uh... I think I get it too.

Then please...do enlighten me. I cannot die without knowing.

Tell me...why did I lose!?

...Please tell him, Master.

？！

...

？！

... ...So that's it.

I thought I was fighting at full strength...but this is what was eating away at me all this time.

It's the time I spent with all of you before regaining my memory... Now I see.

If I had erased those memories, I would no longer have anyone I care about for the bullet to hit.

So I couldn't get rid of them.

But I know myself well. Even with them, I knew I would return to evil once my old memories came back.

Even if I had someone I cared about, I was sure I could cast them aside.

That was what I thought...and yet...

Thank you. I understand now. No wonder I lost.

I understand evil well. I know the endless charm it holds.

But...I had never once experienced being on the side of justice. Now I have, I feel...strange... It's perplexing...

And I'll be damned...if it doesn't feel better than I thought!

Yes, I see it now. My failure was...inevitable!

Archer, look...!

Seems like something happened to the bullet! Guess we're just dealing with a regular meteor now!

I'll smash it, but it'll take everything I've got. You can clean up the mess.

Fallen king or not, you should still have no trouble sweeping up a bunch of stardust, right?

You, smash it? That's quite a proclamation. Can you really accomplish that with your little spells?

You bet I can. I may not be a great spellcaster, but that sort of thing's right up my alley.

I'll use my Reality Marble.

Usually, I slip this thing designed to turn whole worlds upside down into an opponent's body.

If we're just talking about fragmenting a meteor hell-bent on destroying Earth...it ought to do the trick.

Don't mess up.

Relax. Once a mercenary takes on a job, they make sure to see it through to the end.

I am the bone of my sword.

It's no good! We can't Rayshift him!

Ten seconds until Bennu makes impact!

Rrrgh, come on, Servants! You're the only ones left who can save that world!

Unlimited Lost Works!

Did he do it!? He did it, right!? Right!?

No, not yet!

Even the fragments are enough to obliterate Shinjuku, and there are so many!

Wait... He did it! I'm sure of it! Can't you see!?

I can!

To swat a bullet from the sky, one needs a Divine Construct that stands above all other sacred swords.

Even if the one who wields that sword is consumed by darkness...

...Vortigern, Hammer of the Vile King, reverse the rising sun.

As long as Master is here, that light will never...

Swallow the light, Excalibur Morgan!

Bennu is...completely destroyed!

Shinjuku's environmental parameters have returned to normal! Fujimaru can Rayshift home at any time!

Master... We did it!

Oh well... It seems both of our dreams have been quite thoroughly crushed. Sorry, Bael.

We were both one step away from fulfilling our goals. And yet, ironically, we ARE fulfilled now.

...At any rate, this may not mean much now that I've lost, but...I'm sorry, Master.

I hurt you, over and over again.

I twisted your integrity and your devotion to my own purposes, and used your naivete as a trap.

But at least believe this:

Those moments... The times we spent in the roost... The times we fought together.

Though that justice may have been embedded in me, at the time, I believed in it wholeheartedly. ...However, that is not who I am now.

So just think of me as a terrorist who merely happens to look like him.

Good! I...he was a good person back then. At least, I think I was.

...You're a stubborn one, aren't you! All right, go ahead if that's what you want to do!

？！

Great detectives! Let me just say to you, from the bottom of my heart: go to hell!

Next time, I'll make sure you cannot possibly finger me as the culprit! I'll come up with a crime so perfect you'll never be able to pin it on me!

Thank you for the kind words. Now farewell. ...There truly is nothing like science, is there.

I heartily concur. I say though, aren't you stealing my lines?

Well, we are both professors.

...Don't worry, you have your own personalities. Hmph, I can't believe they even summoned a gaudy old geezer like me.

Thanks for that.

Very well then, I believe I shall take my leave as well. Goodbye, everyone.

And Moriarty: I hope you find happiness in your future.

And what was that supposed to mean? Was it sarcasm?

...I think he meant you may be summoned as a Servant?

No, it couldn't.

Although...I do feel my position may be somewhat tenuous as I try to refute the notion...

I hope you get summoned. I don't want to be bothered with anything troublesome like this again!

If another Servant shows up, it'll mean one less role for me.

Don't be ridiculous.

...On second thought, maybe it's not so ridiculous, is it?

...Hmm. Maybe...it actually is...possible?

Of course it is! You've already been recorded as a proper Servant!

And, given how commendable the young Master is...

No more "They love not poison that do poison need." Let us say "They love poison that do poison need"!

Or something thereabouts.

？！

I see. Then I suppose there's only one thing to be done.

Make sure you entertain me after I've been summoned!

？！

Oh, there's no need to promise. Just keep it in mind.

All right then! Au revoir!

For a guy who took a ton of damage and was on the brink of death, he sure went out on a cheerful note...

Perhaps he was just trying to save face.

I imagine he thought he was doing us a favor by not subjecting us to a sappy farewell.

You think? I think he just wanted to see the look on Master's face.

That too is eminently possible. ...Now then, I believe we had best be on our way as well!

Right you are, Shakespeare. I have deadlines to meet, after all.

And only 28 days this month to meet them.

...

...Um, perhaps I should stay here a bit longer and do some research...

Don't be a fool. We've already started disappearing. If I go, I'm taking you with me!

C-coward!

I've done what I was asked to do. I suppose I too had better be on my way.

？！

Heh... Never mind what Servant Shakespeare is like; as a playwright, he must have a lot of fans.

I was taken aback to see how much worse things were than I had imagined, but...

Having saved the world or not, it looks like you've still got a long road ahead of you. In which case...

Precisely!

Absolutely. I have no doubt our paths will cross once more.

？！

Remember this well, my accomplice: punishment, deserving or otherwise, is always a given.

But you will never succumb to it! All you need do is call my name!

Do that, and I will be at your side in a moment's notice! Hahahahahaha!

...Finally, I can hear myself think again. Yeesh.

？！

...

Could you not say weird things like that just as we're about to say goodbye?

Servants are supposed to die. That's how we're made.

If you really grieved for us, you'd be holding funerals, like, every day.

I'd agree with that.

Master of Chaldea, you're a little too good for your own good, if you know what I mean.

HEY! Jerk! We were still talking! Don't butt in, ugh. ...So what happened to that stupid king anyway?

Is it too much to hope she got squished by the meteor?

If you mean the King of Knights, she said she had somewhere she wanted to visit before she disappeared. Last I saw her, she was riding off on Cuirassier Alter.

Said she wasn't going to say goodbye, because we'd see each other again.

Somewhere to visit?

...Aha. The dog.

？！

This is why I can't stand her! For a king, her manners freakin' suck!

Ha ha. You sure you're one to talk about manners, country girl?

Don't lump me in with you lot.

Fine. In that case, I'll see myself out.

Oh, and Master of Chaldea? Your leadership wasn't half bad.

The next time I'm summoned, I'll lend you a hand if we're not enemies.

For a price, of course.

In other words, he's just another mercenary. Ah well, at least he didn't name a price.

...

Rayshift preparations are complete. Master, are you ready to

Yah!

？！

...Don't worry. It's just me.

...What's with that look? Ugh!

Come on, stand up straight! Shoulders back!

There. That's it.

Okay Master, now...dance.

？！

Yes! D-A-N-C-E, dance! Now come on.

I wanna do that thing you did with the stupid king before fighting the Assassin!

It's not fair she got to and I didn't! Or are you too good to dance with a girl from the country!?

...You're not? Th-then go on, lead!

Ugh, you're so inconsiderate. And aren't you kind of close? You better not be smelling my breath, you weirdo.

Huh? This is normal in dancing? ...W-well, okay then...

Good, now she and I are even. Take that, ice bitch queen.

Did I only dance to get back at her? No, you idiot. I danced 'cause I wanted to.

What's with the grin? I'll burn you, you see if I don't.

Okay, that should do it. I'm satisfied now. Besides, I'm already disappearing.

...

All right, guess this is it. I'll try to practice a little more before I see you again.

So you better do the same...

Welcome back, Master!

Fou, fou!

That was quite the ordeal, wasn't it, Fujimaru!?

There's a lot I'd like to discuss, but first, I think you've earned a hot shower and a good rest!

Um, Senpai? When the connection cut off suddenly a little while ago...

Did something happen then?

？！

Oh, come on, Senpai! Please tell me!

Fou fou!

Okay, that should take care of that rather sudden Analyze Lost Order! Good work, everyone!

Th-thank goodness...

Now then...

Care to tell me what brings you here?

Well, I did just suffer a crushing defeat. And at the hands of my nemesis, no less!

So I thought I would stay here awhile and reflect on my missteps. If that's all right with you?

My Spirit Origin values were already so low after numerous Rayshifts that I wasn't much use in battle.

But this latest bout of damage was so severe that I'd be nothing more than a burden now. For the time being, I need to be more of an armchair detective.

...So, you have something you want to investigate. Sure thing. I'll go ahead and issue you a permit.

Precisely! I knew Leonardo da Vinci would understand right away. Oh, and I also have some news to share.

When Moriarty absorbed me, I used him to make off with some information.

It turns out he and Bael had quite a lot to discuss.

In particular, there is one thing of crucial importance: there are still living Demon God Pillars.

...Go on.

Three of them, to be precise. But I'm afraid I know neither their names, nor the time periods in which they exist.

They only survived that battle by giving up and running for their lives.

Although there are only three of them, they are not united in the goal of incinerating humanity.

Rather, they each have their own desires, and are hiding out in this world in different times.

That would mean...

Indeed. Both the Incineration of Humanity and the Shinjuku Phantom Incident cases have been solved.

However...there are still riddles in this world that have yet to be solved!

And furthermore, there's one other thing that's nagging at me.

What's that?

... ...

...On second thought, I'd better save that for a later point.

Gah! So this is what it feels like when someone pulls that on you!

I'm glad you enjoyed it. Now then, I'd better get down to business.

Perhaps I'll even help you falsify your data if the mood takes me.

I do specialize in mixing truth with lies to logical ends, after all.

Hmm. You know, from an objective perspective, we geniuses are kind of infuriating, aren't we!

(Yup.)

(Yup.)

?

What's with the cold stares?

This is the last time I can feed you. I'm afraid I have to be going now.

I doubt we'll ever see each other again. But don't feel sad.

You're free now, Cavall II. You can live out your days as a stray, or choose a new owner.

Whatever you decide, I'm certain you'll be fine. Thank you for standing guard all this time.

...

Now go. Don't look back.

...Go!

...