Shinjuku Station, a subway station serving as a transit hub for millions of people, is structured like a labyrinth. According to Salter, it's even teeming with enemy units, as if it were their base of operations.
That being said, when Alaric, Salter, and Fujimaru Ritsuka arrived at the station entrance, they were greeted by a structure that truly resembled a maze.
Everyone except Salter was slightly taken aback—after all, the current state of Shinjuku Station seemed to be far beyond the scope of normalcy.
However, why Shinjuku Station, and indeed all of Shinjuku, had ended up in this state was a mystery to everyone.
Even when Da Vinci raised the question, Salter only replied, "Who knows? Whether it's some Servant wielding their power or because of Shinjuku's influence, the entrances to Shinjuku Station are far fewer than before. If you get lost inside, you could starve to death."
"Be careful."
Alaric, who had taken the lead in scouting, raised an eyebrow slightly. "No one's here? Hm?"
Noticing a Servant's reaction, Alaric narrowed her eyes slightly but refrained from taking immediate action. Instead, he turned to Fujimaru Ritsuka and Sallter beside him and said, "There's a Servant's magical energy response below. What do you think?"
Upon hearing this, Fujimaru Ritsuka, who didn't doubt the information, thought for a moment and said, "Let's go down and investigate."
If it were just her and Salter, Fujimaru Ritsuka would have acted cautiously, even if she wasn't afraid. However, having Alaric by her side was a different matter.
Alaric's immense combat strength provided a significant level of assistance, giving Fujimaru Ritsuka the confidence to venture into an exploration.
Unlike Fujimaru Ritsuka, Salter was visibly surprised to learn that the Shinjuku Station below seemed empty. After Fujimaru Ritsuka agreed to continue exploring, Salter decisively descended to the station entrance.
It wasn't unusual if no thugs were lingering around, but the disappearance of even the camps in the passageways struck Salter as highly abnormal.
"It's simple."
At some point, Alaric had drawn a longbow styled like a celestial arc. Holding it in his hand, he nocked an arrow of brilliant light and easily pinpointed the location of the Servant's spirit origin response.
By concealing his presence and suppressing most of his magical energy, Alaric's current magical energy fluctuation was even weaker than that of an ordinary Servant.
Seeing this, both Fujimaru Ritsuka and Salter stepped aside.
Unlike Salter, who was simply admiring the knight's frame, Fujimaru Ritsuka hesitated and said, "Is it okay to attack like this?"
Although Alaric couldn't determine the identity of the Servant, Fujimaru Ritsuka could make some guesses.
It was highly likely to be Shinjuku's Archer, the one who had guided them to Shinjuku Station. While his identity was suspicious, attacking outright—
"They won't die. If it's an Archer, based on Artoria's testimony, they're a powerful Servant."
Alaric smiled slightly before releasing the bowstring. The arrow of light shot forth, instantly piercing through the layers of walls in Shinjuku Station, heading straight for the source of the magical energy.
Everything along its path was vaporized, leaving a gap several meters wide before Fujimaru Ritsuka and Salter.
Moreover, the sound of battle coming from the distance stirred Fujimaru Ritsuka deeply.
That sound—it was unmistakable.
By the time Fujimaru Ritsuka, Alaric, and Artoria Alter arrived at the scene, they were greeted by the sight of a melted underground platform. A refined man holding a coffin was wildly shooting down the remaining enemies.
Alaric's sudden earlier attack had nearly engulfed him as well, but after Archer dodged it, he vaporized the thugs instead.
When Salter decisively joined the fray, the battle was swiftly brought to an end.
Shinjuku's Archer, who had been looking relaxed and ready to say something, froze when he saw the man standing beside Fujimaru Ritsuka. Although he bore a resemblance to Artoria, his aura was completely different. If Salter was akin to a tyrant dragon, then to Shinjuku's Archer, the man beside Fujimaru Ritsuka exuded the chaotic aura of pure evil.
Absolute self-interest, a being who could devise long-term schemes to achieve their goals—
A figure with the charm of wicked intellect: A.
He understood this all too well.
Similarly, as Shinjuku's Archer observed Alaric, Alaric was also scrutinizing the man before him.
Dressed in a British-style outfit, with sharp features, a small mustache, and a coffin-like weapon, coupled with an aura of malevolence—
Alaric casually stroked his chin and remarked, "I'd say you're James Moriarty, aren't you?"
Through accumulated knowledge from drifting through human history, Alaric had developed an ability akin to true name discernment. Even for phantasmal spirits born from fictional works, Alaric could often identify their true names after meeting them.
Who was James Moriarty?
In the Sherlock Holmes series, he was renowned as Holmes' greatest and most formidable adversary.
Though he only appeared in three works and was mostly mentioned through Holmes' words, his covert activities in "The Final Problem" garnered him immense popularity as a charismatic villain.
A genius, philosopher, and thinker with an extraordinary intellect, Holmes referred to him as the "Napoleon of Crime."
Although merely a mathematics professor, his network of influence spanned all of Europe.
Based on the revealed setting in the works, he essentially acted as a criminal consultant.
But what was with the coffin in his hands?
Even though Alaric had deduced his true name, he couldn't understand the origins of Moriarty's coffin-like weapon.
Nevertheless, as Alaric revealed Moriarty's true name, Fujimaru Ritsuka and Artoria Alter were both stunned.
Even Mash, far away in Chaldea, had stars in her eyes. "It's the James Moriarty?? The supervillain locked in a love-hate relationship with Mr. Holmes?"
Da Vinci, too, showed a curious expression after Alaric exposed Moriarty's true name.
While everyone else reacted so strongly, Moriarty himself appeared even more surprised. "So, I'm James Moriarty? That's my true name?"
Saying this, Moriarty seemed to have an epiphany and said with a knowing smile, "If that's the case, then everything makes sense now."
"Oh? What happened? Tell me more."
Seeing that the other party wasn't angered by having his true name exposed and instead wore a peculiar expression, Alaric leaned in with curiosity and asked, "Aren't you the Archer Artoria mentioned?"
"Yes, and no. Back then, I was much thinner."
Moriarty smirked and said, "Strictly speaking—I should be considered a fragment, waste material, something like that. Residue, if you will."
"My true name was stolen, and most of my power has vanished. This is who I am now."
"But now that you've revealed my true name, things should improve a little."
PS: Alaric's knowledge of FGO ends in the middle of the seventh Singularity, Mesopotamia.