The aurora streaked across the vast sky, resembling a fleeting comet from beyond, shooting straight into the district known as Kabukicho.
Before anyone could approach, the opera singers scattered across Kabukicho had already noticed the unidentified flying object descending upon them.
However, the aurora's speed was so overwhelming that it appeared in the skies above Kabukicho almost instantly after it was observed by the opera singers.
Lacking any ability to counter aerial threats, the singers could only stand atop tall buildings, gazing upward at the figure dominating the night sky.
If the night is an eternal existence, then the aurora's presence brought about a new transformation.
It was something that had not appeared above Shinjuku for countless days and nights—no longer the endless dark of night, but a dazzling array of starlight.
Within the swirling constellations, countless arrows of light are aimed at every magical entity below.
The one who had ascended to the celestial heights drew the bow and nocked the arrow. The bowstring curved like a full moon, and the cold moonlight rippled as if it were the all-seeing eye of a god overlooking the mortal world.
Without any words, relying solely on extraordinary perception, Alaric quickly located the figure of a man below who could be identified as a Servant.
It was not Christine, mentioned by James Moriarty, but a male figure who bore the demeanor of a gentleman.
He was the ghost who appeared in the 19th-century novel The Phantom of the Opera—or rather, the character who served as the inspiration for that ghost.
He resided in the vast labyrinthine waterways beneath the opera house, drawn to a young actress whom he guided to become an exceptional songstress. Yet, driven by unrequited love, he committed a series of murders.
He was also the source of the hellscape constructed in this Shinjuku.
Upon glimpsing the opera singers, Alaric immediately understood their true nature. They were false entities labeled as puppets. Beneath their seemingly puppet-like exteriors lay human corpses—or perhaps living materials.
A hundred of these operatic puppets patrolled the area, periodically capturing humans to reconstruct and replenish their numbers, maintaining a population cap of one hundred.
In total, three hundred operatic puppets were born from this hell.
This was not a sin for Fujimaru Ritsuka to bear. Having saved humanity, she no longer needed to kill humans with her own hands to survive.
Without any hesitation, Alaric released the bowstring. The descending aurora was humanity's judgment.
As Alaric acted, countless arrows of light descended one after another. Years after their last appearance, they now fell with such intensity that they reached the domain of Noble Phantasms.
In the instant when the endless celestial light descended, Fujimaru Ritsuka caught sight of the truth of the world through the shimmering light trails.
It was not the brilliance of a starry sea, but the boundless blue sky.
It was the true form of the world that should have descended upon Shinjuku—a dream from the distant realm of daylight.
But in Fujimaru Ritsuka's eyes, she could not focus on the purity of the blue sky. The only thing she could see was one singular object.
"That is—"
Amid the vast blue sky, a brilliant ring of light rotated silently, proclaiming its existence to the world.
It was an entity that should never have appeared in the present.
Though the existence of the Demon God Pillar spanned thousands of years and permeated human history as a great creation—its very nature being a collective of humanity—the Demon God Pillar couldn't return.
With the defeat of the Demon King, the Incineration of Humanity had ended. Humanity, having reclaimed the future, would no longer transform into such constructs.
The light ring encircling the stars had already become a relic of the past.
And the Demon King could not rise again to initiate another Incineration of Humanity.
Thus, Fujimaru Ritsuka immediately concluded that the entity was not a creation of the Demon King but merely a counterfeit fabrication by someone else.
The ring of light vanished from Fujimaru Ritsuka's vision in an instant, as if it were nothing more than a fleeting illusion.
Before Fujimaru Ritsuka could ponder the meaning of what she saw, the arrows of light, like celestial radiance, had already fully descended.
The song emanating from the depths of Kabukicho transformed into a requiem of destruction. Even as death approached, the songstress named Christine did not cease her singing.
Watching this scene unfold, the Phantom of the Opera spread his arms wide, welcoming the inevitable death that was about to arrive.
In the instant the celestial light descended, he understood that resistance was futile.
No matter what he did, it would end here.
The opera singers stationed on rooftops as lookouts were the first to be annihilated.
Dozens of opera singers were killed in an instant, with not a single one spared. Next were the numerous opera singers roaming the streets and buildings.
In mere moments, countless deaths occurred.
Sensing the insurmountable disparity, the Phantom gave up.
Rather than struggle, he chose to—
BOOM!!
The arrows of light did not cause large-scale destruction but simply pierced through all the magical entities wandering Kabukicho.
Until the arrow released by Alaric himself struck the Phantom of the Opera.
Flames erupted from the underground waterways, rapidly engulfing the entirety of Kabukicho.
The atmosphere, saturated with magical energy, began to churn. The raging fire spread endlessly with the wind.
It was the result of natural gas leaking from uninhabited buildings being ignited. Under the influence of what Moriarty described as a near-divine magical environment, the flames were imbued with mystery, rising higher and higher.
Eventually, it became a blazing inferno that unfolded before Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others. The operatic puppets burned to ash in the fire, reduced to scorched earth until they no longer resembled humans.
Descending from the heavens, Alaric turned his back on the blazing Kabukicho. Smiling, he said, "That was quick, wasn't it?"
Absolute power, strong enough to surpass even the firepower seen in an ordinary Holy Grail War.
Only those who could be called great heroes could match it—otherwise, only those who had delved deeply into mysteries and achieved unique accomplishments could stand against it.
Fujimaru Ritsuka showed little reaction to the Phantom's lightning-fast death. What she truly cared about was the fleeting glimpse of truth within the trail of light.
Meanwhile, Jalter watched as Salter praised Alaric—one of the Knights of the Round Table—for his prowess.
This greatly irritated Jalter. Just as the two were about to resume their bickering, the deep gaze of James Moriarty met the amused eyes of Alaric.
The two did not exchange words, as their interaction was interrupted before it could begin.
"So it's Lord Alaric."
Emerging from the shadows, an Assassin revealed his true form under Alaric's gaze. It was none other than the Old Man of the Mountain, Hassan of the Cursed Arm.
"Cursed Arm Hassan? Are you the Assassin of Shinjuku?"
Alaric raised an eyebrow, immediately recalling the information about Assassin that James Moriarty had briefly mentioned earlier—a figure capable of disguising themselves as anyone.
But Alaric was certain that the figure before him was indeed Cursed Arm Hassan—
It was unmistakably Hassan's presence.
Had the information been wrong?
"Indeed, Lord Alaric."
The Cursed Arm Hassan, wearing a skeletal mask, spoke in a deep voice, identical to the figure in Alaric's memory.
Not only Alaric but also Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others were astonished by the sudden appearance of Cursed Arm Hassan. Until now, no one had seen the Assassin of Shinjuku. None had expected it to be Cursed Arm Hassan.
Even Mash, analyzing Hassan's Spirit Origin data from Chaldea, arrived at the same conclusion.
This was undoubtedly Cursed Arm Hassan—there was no mistake.
"Didn't expect to meet you here!"
Hassan of the Cursed Arm, who had assisted Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash Kyrielight in the Sixth Singularity, was someone they both trusted entirely—or at least someone they harbored a high degree of faith in.
James Moriarty, who remained silent, watched as yet another Servant joined the group, further diminishing his standing within the team.
After all, he was just a suspicious old man in his fifties.
"Perfect. Let's head back first."
Alaric, his expression calm, looked at the newest addition to the group of Servants and remarked with a smile, "We'll have a proper discussion later."
Although Hassan of the Cursed Arm's appearance was unexpected, it didn't delay Ritsuka Fujimaru, Mash, and Alaric from setting off. Soon, they returned to the residence of Salter.
Of course, Jalter immediately expressed her disdain, much to the irritation of Salter.
Upon arriving, Hassan of the Cursed Arm couldn't help but ask, "Do any of you know who this Shinjuku Archer might be?"
"An enemy, right?"
Jalter grinned. "At the very least, we know that much."
"Even if he claims to have lost his memory," Salter replied nonchalantly, showing little interest in the topic.
"?"
Even with his bone mask, Hassan of the Cursed Arm appeared visibly confused as he asked, "Do you all believe what he says?"
He turned to look at Ritsuka Fujimaru and Alaric as if hoping to get an answer from them.
"Honestly, I don't care," Ritsuka said lazily as she leaned against Alaric's shoulder on the sofa. "After all, he said he's lost his memory."
"I don't buy it," Alaric shrugged, slouching on the sofa. "I was planning to kill him first."
With a casual wave of his hand, Alaric added, "Moriarty is one thing, but Hassan, are you part of the Phantom Demon Alliance?"
"Me? No, absolutely not."
Hassan of the Cursed Arm shook his head and replied, "I've been lurking ever since I was summoned and have never joined the Phantom Demon Alliance. However, I have heard about their objective."
"Oh?"
Hassan's denial of any alliance with the Phantom Demons and his willingness to reveal their goal piqued Alaric's curiosity.
Not just Alaric—Mash and Leonardo da Vinci's holographic projections also appeared, eager to hear what Hassan had to say. The Phantom Demon Alliance's true purpose remained a mystery, and any clue was critical.
["Please, Mr. Hassan, tell us,"] Mash said earnestly, her expression serious. ["This is very important!"]
"To destroy this planet."
Hassan of the Cursed Arm did not mince words, bluntly revealing the Phantom Demon Alliance's true objective: "I've heard before that their ultimate goal is destruction—specifically, shattering this planet."
The revelation left everyone dumbfounded.
"Wait, what—?"
Destroy the planet?
No way. That powerful?
Alaric wasn't the only one stunned—Mash, Ritsuka, and the others were equally shocked. Knowing how impossible it was to destroy a planet, Da Vinci immediately spoke up: ["No, no, no, that's absurd. That's complete nonsense."]
"But that is, indeed, their goal," Hassan replied calmly, though even he seemed surprised by the audacity of the plan.
["That's still far too ridiculous,"] Da Vinci said, still in disbelief. ["Even if every top-tier Servant unleashed their Noble Phantasms simultaneously, it wouldn't be enough to destroy a planet. Even if anti-planet Noble Phantasms existed, calculations show they wouldn't be capable of such a feat."]
With her vast knowledge, Da Vinci understood the sheer impossibility of shattering a planet. How could anyone possibly achieve that?
Just as Da Vinci was grappling with the absurdity of the claim, Hassan's warning and the sound of knocking broke the tense atmosphere.
"Be careful. Someone is lurking outside this building," Hassan said.
Knock, knock.
The door opened, and a smiling man entered. "This is our first meeting, everyone."
"This is Sherlock Holmes," Alaric said, his expression neutral but courteous as he introduced the sudden visitor. Holmes had left the Sixth Singularity so quickly that Ritsuka and the others hadn't had a chance to meet him before.
Of course, it wasn't too late to make introductions now.
With Holmes's arrival, someone in the room suddenly disappeared into the shadows, as though they had never been there.
"Wait, Hassan?"
Mash exclaimed in surprise as she noticed Hassan of the Cursed Arm retreating into the shadows and fleeing the underground residence at incredible speed.
"As expected, he's afraid of your eyes?"
Watching Hassan flee, Alaric rose from the sofa and chuckled. "And here I thought he was Hassan!"
If Hassan of the Cursed Arm had been an imposter, only the great detective could have unmasked him.
Of course, this didn't mean the other Servants completely trusted Hassan either. They all remained wary of him. His sudden appearance was simply too suspicious.
However, the speed Hassan displayed as he fled was astonishing. Not even Salter or Jalter could stop him.
Alaric, who remained nonchalant, didn't even bother trying.
No one was particularly puzzled by Hassan's departure, but the ensuing exclamation broke the contemplative silence.
"Mr. Holmes?!"
Mash's eyes practically sparkled as she stared at the elegant detective. As an avid fan of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, her admiration for him was palpable.
["Mash, you can fangirl later. Let's focus on the matter at hand."]
Alaric promptly interrupted Mash's excitement and addressed the detective. "Holmes, since you've come here, would you care to share the information you've gathered? After all, your old rival is here as well."
As he spoke, Alaric cast a glance at James Moriarty, who stood nearby.