Although it wasn't through his own deduction that the true name was revealed, but rather directly exposed by Alaric, after his true name was revealed, James Moriarty still analyzed its accuracy.
That he is James Moriarty—this is undoubtedly true.
And so, at this moment—
James Moriarty and Sherlock Holmes meet.
["Exactly, and Mr. James Moriarty—according to Dr. Watson's writings, Moriarty is portrayed as the archenemy of Mr. Holmes.
And at Reichenbach Falls!
Professor Moriarty and Mr. Holmes duel, and in the end, both fall into the waterfall—Senpai, be careful, do you happen to have a waterfall near you?!"]
If it were only James Moriarty, Mash wouldn't have been so excited.
But with the appearance of Sherlock Holmes, these two figures of destiny meet, and as a devoted reader of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Mash couldn't contain herself.
What a fantastical scene this was!
"Wow, I didn't expect Mash to be so wary of me. I must admit, I feel a bit hurt."
James Moriarty, looking like a middle-aged man nursing a wounded heart, began wiping at the corners of his eyes and said, "Is it just because I'm a suspicious old man?"
["Ah, um... how should I put it—those impressions of you earlier were simply based on Dr. Watson's writings."]
Mash explained, looking slightly embarrassed, ["Well, um, Mr. Moriarty... could you be a good person? I've started to think that might be the case..."]
"Don't worry about it, Miss Kyrielight."
With a smile, Sherlock Holmes said, "He's only pretending to cry."
"Could you not show even a little mercy or kindness?"
James Moriarty dropped his hands and looked at Sherlock Holmes with a reproachful expression.
"Hahaha, absolutely none for you," Holmes laughed even harder and said, "All I think about is how to ruthlessly outwit you!"
"Yes, that's exactly how it would be. Alright, Holmes, let's focus on what's important here."
James Moriarty put away his smile and looked at Holmes seriously. "You've brought information, haven't you? I suspect it's—"
Sherlock Holmes would never appear without reason. His arrival always brings something critical.
The answer was simple.
As a great detective, Holmes knew everything there was to know about his nemesis, Moriarty—
"Yes, it's about the theory of destroying this planet."
Holmes, with a calm expression, said, "To cut straight to the conclusion—it's entirely possible."
["Wait... wait a minute, that's impossible!"]
Hearing Holmes utter such shocking words, Da Vinci couldn't sit still and immediately interjected, ["This planet has several safety mechanisms in place. It's impossible to bypass these safeguards and destroy the planet."]
The mere existence of the two great Counter Forces already negates the possibility of planet-destroying behavior.
"That's correct. This planet, with its long and enduring history, has overcome countless crises. Setting aside non-human entities from the cosmos, it's nearly impossible for us, born from within, to destroy this planet."
Holmes continued, "Therefore, to destroy this planet, one would have to fundamentally overturn conventional thinking. This was what the Lion King originally intended to do in the Holy City, and what Edison planned to achieve using the power of the Holy Grail."
["The Lion King… and Edison?"]
Mash, perplexed, instinctively looked toward Alaric, while Moriarty quickly grasped Holmes' meaning and said, "I see, that's how it is! I was planning to do something so pointless!
No, though it's pointless—it's also quite fitting for me. I understand, I get the psychology behind it!"
"Stop rambling on to yourself. Explain it clearly—what exactly were the Lion King and Edison planning to do?"
Jalter, annoyed by her inability to understand, interrupted Moriarty's self-indulgence.
"What are you all talking about? I don't understand at all!"
"Severing the world. The Lion King used the Holy Lance to establish the end, erasing humanity and the world outside of the Holy City, leaving only the Holy City isolated from the world."
Alaric explained calmly to Jalter.
Mash quickly supplemented, ["At that time, since human history was being incinerated, this method of salvation was feasible."]
To this, Salter, though not particularly opinionated, still remarked, "Though it's a shallow idea, it's a path chosen after much anguish and deliberation."
"Hmph, how stupid. In that case, it would've been better to choose a path of mutual destruction."
Jalter, with a disdainful expression, said, "That's why I hate kings who act alone, though I despise passive kings even more."
"And Edison—"
Before Mash could speak, Alaric provided the answer: "Thomas Edison, though he took no actual action, had a related plan. He intended to operate the United States as an independent world, floating outside of history."
"So that's how it is?!"
Having caught up with Sherlock and Moriarty's line of thinking, Da Vinci's expression turned serious. She quickly ran off, shouting, ["Staff, gather at once! Emergency investigation—"]
"What? What are you all talking about now?"
Still, completely in the dark, Jalter frowned, unable to comprehend their discussion.
"Destroying the world is impossible. While destroying the world wasn't Goetia's goal, even he needed to gather three thousand years' worth of time. However, it is possible to sever this world from history—"
Sherlock Holmes turned to Alaric and said slowly.
"A severed world can indeed be destroyed."
Alaric, with a calm demeanor, said, "After all, what's to be destroyed is only here."
["Yes, exactly. This world is meaningless!"]
Da Vinci, having finished her investigation, immediately reported, ["This world, meaning Shinjuku, has already been severed from history. In other words, no matter what happens in Shinjuku, it won't affect human history.
Of course, it's not entirely without impact, but at most, there'll only be minor ripples!
And since human history is already unstable, these ripples are inconsequential. The worst-case scenario is simply Shinjuku's destruction, which wouldn't affect Chaldea at all!"]
This is a meaningless world. Everything that happens here is akin to an illusion, like a flower in a mirror or the moon's reflection in water—a fleeting dream.
"For Servants, it doesn't matter. The only one we need to protect is Miss Fujimaru. She cannot die here."
With a composed smile, Alaric said, "Now begins the grand plan to save Miss Fujimaru. Can we prepare for Spiritron Transfer?"
["No problem at all. Based on the situation, a forced Spiritron Transfer can be accomplished!"]
Da Vinci replied, ["As long as Ritsuka Fujimaru successfully returns to Chaldea, we will—"]
"What about you, Sir Alaric?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka, who had been silent, looked at Alaric beside her and asked, "What will you do?"
"Don't worry about me. I've achieved what I wanted—to exist across all space and time."
Alaric smiled and said, "The destruction of this world means nothing to me."
As soon as those words were spoken, Moriarty, Holmes, and Da Vinci all raised their eyebrows. Though they had their suspicions, none of them spoke.
"Alright, Miss Fujimaru, are you planning to leave or stay?"
Alaric, who had not yet met the person he wanted to see, had no intention of leaving just yet. Instead, he planned to resolve the situation in Shinjuku completely.
As for Fujimaru Ritsuka—
"I will stay and save Shinjuku, even if it is completely meaningless."
Without a moment's hesitation, Fujimaru Ritsuka declared, "That is my answer."
Seeing that Fujimaru Ritsuka had no plans to leave, Mash, who was already worried after the current situation was revealed, instinctively spoke up, ["Senpai—"]
Da Vinci, however, who was not concerned because of the deterrence present in the singularity, responded, ["Originally, I should stop you with all my might. But since this is your decision, Chaldea will fully support you. However, we will also prepare for a forced retreat, just in case!"]
The Chaldea staff, who had witnessed Fujimaru Ritsuka's journey up to this point, knew clearly that this girl would not give up so easily.
Having received Fujimaru Ritsuka's response, Holmes grinned and said, "Since you've decided to stay, I can't hold back anymore."
"Are you going to reveal how Moriarty plans to destroy the world?"
Alaric, stroking his chin, asked, "After all, this is no small endeavor."
"Exactly. What I want to talk about is the true culprit—Moriarty's planned crime. If the world is fragmented, safety mechanisms like Counter Force will no longer be effective.
But ultimately, the destruction of a planet is something that shouldn't happen in the first place. Merely controlling Shinjuku is far from enough to achieve that goal."
Holmes's gaze swept across the group before finally stopping on Moriarty. "So, Moriarty, what do you think is required to destroy a planet?"
"Energy."
Moriarty smiled and said, "To destroy a planet, energy is indispensable. And this energy must be concentrated—focused on the Earth's core, which can be called the point of collapse.
Though it sounds simple, the energy required is unimaginably vast. To offer an analogy, it would take something like a meteor.
If a meteor from outer space were to strike, it could provide such energy. However, there's an issue: the impact point of a meteor cannot be controlled.
Given that, the next step is to create a device capable of guiding the meteor to hit its exact target."
"—A barrel," Holmes interjected.
"That tower... was built to guide the meteor to strike the planet's core?"
Having already learned from Holmes that the true purpose of the Shinjuku Tower was to act as a barrel, Alaric now had his answer after hearing Moriarty's hypothesis.
"Exactly. The tower in Shinjuku's western district—the one that seems to race against time, constantly reaching toward the sky—is the barrel Moriarty seeks.
But even with the barrel, the meteor cannot be loaded into it so easily. So, he decided to harness the power of Servants, thus fusing with Phantasmal Spirits—"