The massive structure known as the Chaldea Temple of Time slowly stopped descending from the sky, now suspended above the gathered crowd.
"Oi, oi, oi! What the hell is that thing?! I've never even heard of this kind of reinforcements!"
Mirokuji Yūya, having recovered from his initial shock, rushed over to Ritsuka, his voice nearly breaking in panic.
Ritsuka smiled.
"That? That's the Organization for the Preservation of Human Order - Chaldea."
"The... what?"
Everyone looked bewildered at the unfamiliar name, when suddenly, a group of people came running from afar.
---
"Hey! Selesia!"
Takashi Matsubara was calling out for his character as he sprinted forward. Behind him were other Creators, Kikuchihara, and a detachment of soldiers.
"What on earth is that thing?!"
Reaching Selesia, Takashi Matsubara glanced up at the Temple of Time hanging in the sky, jaw dropping in disbelief.
"Is that... Miss Fujimaru's... summoned reinforcements?"
Meteora hesitantly answered, but her uncertain tone made it sound like a question.
"Reinforcements? Something like that?"
Kikuchihara, having already deployed troops to surround the area, frowned up at the colossal structure.
"What is it, Miss Fujimaru?"
"I told you already-it's the Organization for the Preservation of Human Order, Chaldea," Ritsuka replied with her eyes narrowed in a cheerful smile.
Kikuchihara turned to the officials beside her.
"Ever heard of this agency?"
The answer was unanimous-
"No."
"Who cares what it is! All we need to do is take out that Creator over there, and it'll disappear!"
Illyasviel, still refusing to let Ritsuka go, readied her Berserker.
"Attack! Berser-"
But before she could finish, a deep, echoing laugh rolled down from the Temple of Time.
In the next instant, a barrage of magical bullets and trajectories rained down toward Illyasviel.
"Ha ha ha ha! Subarashii!"
Along with the almost intoxicating laughter, the fierce gunfire drove back Heracles and Illyasviel. Then, a figure leapt down from high above, landing with a crash that sent dust flying.
"You-who are you?!"
Illyasviel shouted furiously at the one who had just humiliated her.
As the dust cleared, the figure revealed himself: an elderly gentleman with white-gray hair and beard, dressed in an ostentatious, heavily adorned suit. His collar bore a blue bow-like ornament, matching the two Morpho menelaus butterflies fluttering around him. Yet the elegant image clashed with the pure white, lavishly decorated coffin strapped to his back.
"Servant, Archer. My true name? Not telling you!"
The old man's first words nearly made Illyasviel explode with rage.
"You don't even have the courage to reveal your true name? Coward!"
"In the Holy Grail War, concealing your true name is basic strategy, idiot," the old man replied coolly. He turned to Ritsuka.
"Master, is this fool really Illya-sama?"
"I feel like you're insulting me somehow..." Illya muttered darkly.
"Stop teasing her, old man. This isn't a Holy Grail War-telling them your name won't hurt," Ritsuka said, clearly unsurprised by his arrival.
The old man gave a soft chuckle.
"Very well, then. Allow me to introduce myself properly."
Straightening his collar, he spoke:
"Servant, James Moriarty, summoned here in the Archer class."
"James... Moriarty? Who's that?" Selesia asked blankly.
"Ah... now that's a famous name," Takashi Matsubara said gravely.
He began reciting:
"The greatest antagonist in The Sherlock Holmes Collection, known as the Napoleon of Crime, created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A fictional character, but widely recognized as the archetype of the 'supervillain.' By profession, a professor of mathematics and philosopher, famed for his treatise The Dynamics of an Asteroid. Publicly, he enjoyed a sterling reputation. In truth, he was the mastermind of Europe's criminal underworld, utterly devoid of conscience or morality-Holmes's intellectual equal and greatest nemesis."
"He's been described as 'like a spider in its web, from which no thread can escape his notice.' The most powerful criminal emperor in all Europe, he built a vast empire headquartered in London. Nearly half the crimes in the city were tied to him. He never left evidence, destroyed all traces, and never once failed-until he fell to his death during a final duel with Holmes at the Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland."
"Oho! You know my biography so well-are you a fan of mine?"
Moriarty's eyes lit up as he set down the coffin with a heavy thud, kicking up another cloud of dust.
"Need an autograph? Ah, what a pity-I didn't bring pen or paper. Anyone here have some?"
"This old man is really as dangerous as you say?" Selesia eyed him skeptically as he rummaged for stationery.
"How should I know? I've never met the real Moriarty," Takashi admitted. Both of them found it hard to reconcile the legendary criminal emperor with this eccentric, almost comedic figure.
"Well, you're meeting him now," Ritsuka said, clapping Takashi on the shoulder.
"From now on, you can brag that you've had a pleasant chat with the king of Europe's underworld. That's a once-in-a-lifetime achievement!"
"Who the hell wants that kind of achievement?!" Takashi snapped.
---
The conversation shifted when Emiya stepped forward, frowning.
"Wait. The Fifth Holy Grail War's Archer is me, the Fourth's is that damned golden Archer, and even the previous three didn't have a Moriarty. That means you must be from a completely different Grail War... Which one?"
Ritsuka answered before Moriarty could speak.
"He wasn't summoned in an ordinary Holy Grail War."
She explained-
In 2015, humanity's very survival was on the brink. Chaldea's calculations confirmed that by 2016, mankind would be extinct. Unable to determine the cause, they detected an unobservable area in a Japanese city in 2004, hypothesized as the root of the disaster. Thus began Grand Order-a mission to travel back in time, identify these "Singularities," and restore human history.
"And I," Ritsuka said proudly, "am humanity's last Master. I fought through seven Singularities, made allies of over two hundred Heroic Spirits-including this old man-and saved the world."
The onlookers were stunned.
Emiya twitched at the "two hundred Heroic Spirits" part.
"Wait... don't tell me-"
"That's right. One phone call from me, and over two hundred Servants will drop on your head," Ritsuka said sweetly.
Emiya: ...Is it too late to go home now?
Moriarty, having given up on finding a pen, turned to Emiya.
"Now then, red Archer-let's duel! You're justice, I'm evil. Let's see which side laughs last!"
With a sly grin, Moriarty hoisted his ornate white coffin, its barrel-like muzzles swiveling into place. A storm of magical bullets and ballistic trajectories erupted forth, screaming toward Emiya like a hail of steel and fire.
The red-clad Archer clicked his tongue, instantly projecting Kanshō and Bakuya. Twin blades flashed in his hands as he twisted and spun, weaving through the incoming fire, deflecting what he could. With each sidestep, he closed the distance between himself and the old man.
They had been enemies from the instant their eyes met. Theirs was not the playful rivalry of Emiya's counterpart and Cu Chulainn-it was oil and water, destined to collide until only one remained.
(Chaldea's Emiya never bothered insulting "the old man" because he knew Moriarty would never harm innocents under Ritsuka's orders. This Emiya didn't know that.)
---
The coffin's muzzles roared again, spitting another wall of firepower to block his advance. Emiya was forced to abandon his approach, projecting a bow into his hands. A shimmering copy of Caladbolg formed on the string as he prepared for an Archer-vs-Archer duel.
But Moriarty had already read his every move. Side-stepping smoothly, the professor maneuvered along a parallel line of fire, until-finding the perfect angle-he suddenly leapt forward.
With a deceptively nimble motion for someone his age, he swung the coffin like a massive hammer.
THUD!
The blow landed squarely, sending Emiya flying back. He skidded across the ground, boots digging furrows in the dirt before he pushed himself upright again, looking slightly worse for wear.
"What kind of Archer fights in close combat?!" Emiya barked, irritated.
Moriarty stroked his beard with a look of mock sophistication.
"Weren't you the one who tried to cut me down first, red Archer?"
Emiya had no comeback for that.
Damn it... I can only fire one arrow at a time, but he can unleash a barrage in an instant. If this keeps up, I'll be overwhelmed.
Gritting his teeth, he searched for a way to turn the tables.
Only one option came to mind. He dismissed his bow, raised his free hand, and deployed Rho Aias, the seven-petaled shield. Then, in a steady voice, he began his incantation-
I am the bone of my sword.
Karada wa tsurugi de dekiteiru.
Steel is my body, and fire is my blood.
Chishio wa tetsu de, kokoro wa garasu.
I have created over a thousand blades.
"Not good!" Moriarty's eyes narrowed. He had sparred with another Emiya back in Chaldea-he knew exactly what this was.
He's trying to deploy Unlimited Blade Works!
The professor gave a cold laugh.
"You think Rho Aias will save you? How laughable."
Moriarty's voice deepened. His eyes gleamed. He invoked his skills one by one-
Charisma of Wicked Wisdom: A - Party's attack power UP. Party's [Evil] alignment members (excluding himself) gain an extra attack boost.
A light flared over his form. Even Selesia and the others watching from the sidelines felt themselves grow slightly stronger.
The Extremity of Spiderwebs: A++ - Restores magical energy, increases Noble Phantasm damage, reduces critical star generation.
Der Freischütz: EX - Grants himself continuous Invincibility, boosts critical star absorption.
A cascade of buffs enveloped him, his aura swelling with lethal intent. All the while, Emiya's incantation was only halfway done.
Moriarty smiled.
"Then allow me to show you-my greatest crime."
---
Noble Phantasm - Activate.
The scenery around them warped. In the blink of an eye, the plaza vanished, replaced by a sprawling, shadowed cityscape under an eternal night. Countless Morpho menelaus butterflies glimmered in the gloom, their wings scattering flecks of pale blue light. But Moriarty himself was nowhere to be seen.
From the shadows of a high-rise, a dark figure leapt. His voice rang out-
Kore ga waga saikō no hanzai da!
(This is my greatest crime!)
A thunderous volley erupted, bypassing Rho Aias entirely and slamming straight into Emiya.
"What?!" Emiya's eyes widened-his chant was broken. The bullets engulfed him in a storm of light and sound.
Before he could recover, Moriarty strode forward, coffin-barrels aimed squarely at Emiya's chest.
Hoshi o ugokashi, hoshi o kudaku!
(Move the stars, shatter the stars!)
'Shōwakusei no Rikigaku'! (The Dynamics of an Asteroid!)
A brilliant lance of energy burst forth, piercing Emiya clean through. The ground beneath them fractured, great cracks splitting outward.
And then, the name was spoken-
Catastrophe Crime!
The Reality Marble shattered. The dark city dissolved, and they were back where they had started. The only difference was Emiya, collapsing to the ground.
---
"Shirou!"
"Emiya!"
Moriarty calmly adjusted his collar and cuffs, smiling in satisfaction.
"Victory before the battle even begins is always the most elegant outcome. But this... this isn't bad either."