This time, another new character appeared: Sherlock Holmes.
Unlike old acquaintances like King Hassan, although he was making his debut, he brought a huge shock to the people outside the video.
If you ask why, it's because his name is Sherlock Holmes, an existence with immense popularity in different worlds.
In their worlds, they can all hear his name.
Type-Moon/Fate World, Sixth Singularity, Sacred Round Table Domain.
"Eh?! Eh—!!!!!!!!!"
Mash and Fujimaru Ritsuka were shocked, very, very shocked. You should know they never expected that Holmes would actually appear.
This existence, who was originally a fictional character in their impression, actually made a grand appearance in the Atlas Institute at this moment.
And from his expression, he seemed to have been waiting here for a long time. How could this not be surprising?
And both Mash and Fujimaru Ritsuka can be considered fans of Holmes, so seeing their idol appear now...
...they also revealed quite excited smiles.
"Mash?! Is this real?! Holmes is actually a Servant too?! In other words, he truly exists?!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka was quite excited. She often read Holmes stories, so she was very admiring and curious about him.
Such an idol actually appearing in the video, and in Sixth Singularity no less—no matter how you look at it, it's something very worth being excited about, right?
"Yes! Senpai! We didn't see it wrong!!"
Mash was also quite excited. Originally, she still felt a hint of inexplicable anger towards the Lancelot who appeared earlier.
But now, because of Holmes's appearance, the anger in her heart had quietly vanished, replaced by joy.
Just like Fujimaru Ritsuka, Mash also admired Holmes very much. She had also wondered before whether he was a real person or a fictional character made up in novels.
Now it seems he isn't a fictional character, but a real person.
The Holmes written by Arthur Conan Doyle might just be his own real experiences. At the thought of this, Mash couldn't help but smile.
This is a major event!!! A major event in the truest sense!!! If this news were to be sent out...
...then it would very likely drive Holmes's fans crazy.
"Holmes, huh?" Da Vinci had a subtle expression. She narrowed her eyes slightly, looking at the Holmes appearing in the video, and a strange look flashed in her eyes.
From his tone, he obviously knew about Chaldea's existence for a long time and was also very familiar with Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash.
He even seemed to have stepped in to rescue Fujimaru Ritsuka's group. His appearance as a great detective now, according to his historical records, must mean there's something he wants to tell Fujimaru Ritsuka.
Because King Hassan said the truth of the Human Order Incineration is hidden within the Atlas Institute.
'Is it about Romani?'
For some reason, Da Vinci instinctively felt his appearance in the Atlas Institute, waiting for Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others, might be for Romani's sake.
Because even Da Vinci hadn't forgotten that one of the main protagonists of this video is Romani Archaman.
Second are Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash.
So compared to the excited Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash, Da Vinci felt a hint of subtle hostility toward Holmes.
Because she is the person who trusts Dr. Roman the most, even though he is very mysterious and hides secrets that even she, the omnipotent person, doesn't know.
But Da Vinci trusts the existence of Romani Archaman. If she didn't trust him, she wouldn't have stayed in Chaldea.
Of course, trust is trust, but Da Vinci still knew that Romani is likely tied to the Human Order Incineration.
He might even have a very deep relationship with that Demon God King Solomon. Regarding this, Da Vinci had almost deduced it already.
Detective Conan World.
?!!!!
Lying on his bed, Kudo Shinichi, who was waiting for the plot to progress, widened his eyes. He stood up on the spot, staring in disbelief at the character appearing in the video.
"Hol-Hol-Hol-Hol... Holmes?!!!!"
As Holmes' number one fanboy, Kudo Shinichi was stuttering at this moment. He never expected that the scene he had just fantasized about would actually come true.
Holmes really appeared!! And he was a bit different from what he had imagined.
But it didn't matter! After all, it was a Holmes from another world, and he had even become a so-called Servant.
There were bound to be some differences from the Holmes of his own world, but that was quite normal, as they were two different worlds to begin with.
It was perfectly reasonable for him to be a bit different from how he was portrayed in the novels.
Not to mention that that world also had so-called Magi and magical energy.
Even so, Kudo Shinichi was still extremely excited. He swept away his previous attitude, and his expression became very serious.
A living Holmes—what an exciting thing that was.
Kudo Shinichi had never thought that he would be able to see a living, breathing Holmes from another world through the multiverse projection.
For some reason, Kudo Shinichi felt an urge at this moment; he wanted to go to Fujimaru Ritsuka's world and talk to Holmes in person.
As a loyal fan of Holmes, he had so many things he wanted to discuss with his idol.
"But since Holmes has appeared, will his arch-nemesis Moriarty show up too?" Kudo Shinichi thought excitedly.
After all, whenever Holmes appeared, Moriarty was sure to follow; the ill-fated bond between the two was quite deep.
If Moriarty appeared as well, the corners of Kudo Shinichi's mouth couldn't help but curl up. For some reason, he felt this video had become incredibly interesting.
Kudo Shinichi lay back down on the bed, watching Holmes in the video with great excitement, likely imagining some plot development.
He was chuckling now, his body wriggling on the bed like a maggot.
One could only imagine how excited Kudo Shinichi, known as the Holmes of the Heisei era, was by Holmes' appearance.
Inside the video.
Holmes looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka and the rest of the group. After finishing his self-introduction, he showed a very gentle smile, looked at the group in front of him, and said slowly, "You are Fujimaru Ritsuka, and this is Miss Kyrielight."
"This is the Servant, Xuanzang Sanzang, that is the Servant Tawara Touta, and this one..."
Holmes looked at Bedivere beside them, showing a very'surprised' expression, as if he were truly astonished, and said, "Oh~ how surprising. I didn't expect one of the Knights of the Round Table to be your companion."
"Pleased to meet you, Knight Bedivere. As a fellow countryman, I can't help but feel a certain sense of kinship~"
Looking at this 'existence' calling himself Holmes, Fujimaru Ritsuka, as the Master, didn't feel excited at first, but was also very surprised, saying, "How do you know my name, and how do you know everyone's True Names?!"
Even though it was their first meeting, he already knew her name and had even seen through the True Names of Sanzang-chan and the others.
"It's nothing, it's just common sense, everyone," Holmes said nonchalantly.
Beside them, Mash looked at Holmes with quite some excitement, thinking: 'The famous catchphrase is here! This is the real Mr. Holmes.'
"Before you and I met," Holmes continued, looking at Fujimaru Ritsuka's group, "we had already come into contact through information."
"Information?" Mash was slightly stunned, clearly not yet understanding where they had obtained information about Holmes.
"In London."
Seeing the puzzled expressions of Mash and Fujimaru Ritsuka, Holmes said calmly, "You successfully obtained the information I left at the Mages Association, didn't you?"
"Although it was merely organizing data, at the time, it should have been a job worth a thousand pieces of gold."
"By organizing only the necessary information and arranging it in an easy-to-read manner, at that stage, you should have already accepted me as a shadow collaborator."
After hearing Holmes' words, Fujimaru Ritsuka seemed to remember something, and she realized, "Now that you mention it... Andersen seemed to..."
Mash nodded slightly, picking up where Fujimaru Ritsuka left off, and said seriously, "Mr. Andersen said that before he could even investigate, someone had already organized everything."
"So that was actually done by Mr. Holmes!"
"Yes~" Seeing that Mash and Fujimaru Ritsuka understood, Holmes continued, "If it were organized too simply and clearly, it would have been discovered by Makiri."
"So I arranged it in a way that only those who truly possess wisdom and are seeking the truth would find it meaningful."
"You had to know that information, not as bystanders, but in order to become the solvers of this murder case."
At this point, Holmes' expression became quite serious.
Fujimaru Ritsuka was also slightly stunned. Because of what Holmes had said before, she now trusted that he was the real Great Detective Holmes.
So Fujimaru Ritsuka couldn't help but ask in a doubtful tone, "Murder case?"
"Yes, a murder case." Holmes nodded slightly, a look of solemnity appearing on his face, and said very seriously, "A large-scale case that even I have never experienced before."
"[The complete murder of the primate species through Human Order Incineration], it's practically a mythic-level murder case."
"In that light, it's only natural for me to appear, isn't it~"
Holmes smiled, explaining once again why he appeared in this Singularity and helped Fujimaru Ritsuka's group.
"Speaking of which..." At this moment, Bedivere, whose face was full of conflict, looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash with a subtle expression and said, "Lord Fujimaru Ritsuka, Ms. Mash, I'm sorry to interrupt your pleasant conversation, but... who exactly is this?"
"Holmes... I don't remember any knight by that name..."
Clearly, Bedivere did not know Holmes.
This caused Holmes to show a rather'sad' expression, lamenting, "This is so tragic. I indeed never received the title of knight; rather, it was the person who recounted my deeds who received that title."
"The person who recounted your deeds was a knight?"
A puzzled expression appeared on Bedivere's face. Finally, feeling helpless, he looked at Mash and said, "Um... Ms. Mash..."
Obviously, he couldn't figure it out and could only seek help from Mash.
Mash nodded slightly and looked at Holmes with quite some admiration, saying, "Yes, Sir Bedivere, Mr. Holmes is the most famous detective in the world. His class is probably Caster; he is truly one of the ancestors of all detectives."
"Ah! If the monitoring were still working, the Doctor would surely be dancing with joy!"
"At the same time, I'm also very moved. Sherlock Holmes actually exists!"
"In other words, Sir Conan Doyle's novels were actually biographies written by Dr. Watson!"
Clearly, Mash was quite excited at this moment. What she said even made Kudo Shinichi, who was watching the video, nod frantically, his favorability toward Mash skyrocketing.
"Haha~" Holmes gave a happy smile and continued, "If I can make a pure maiden so sincerely happy, then the work Watson and I did to earn a little pocket money can be considered to have some value."
"But, Miss Kyrielight." Holmes' smile disappeared, and he looked at Mash earnestly, saying, "My true face and essence are slightly different from what you imagine."
"But sadly, that matter is irrelevant to the current topic, because I have not yet accepted Fujimaru Ritsuka's request."
Mash showed a rather disappointed expression and said, "Oh, is that so? I saw that you weren't in disguise, Mr. Holmes, and had revealed your true face completely, so I thought..."
"Hahahahahaha!!!" Holmes laughed again, saying very happily, "What a wonderful fan! You understand my personality perfectly!"
After he finished laughing, Holmes got down to business, saying, "Although I would very much like to assist you, I must follow the order of requests. I have been commissioned by Lord Babbage to investigate this incident."
"Though only a tiny fraction of his remaining ideals exists, it comes at the cost of that reason, which shines like the stars."
"Until that request is finished, I cannot form a bond with Chaldea."
"This isn't a fatal problem; the fighting can be left to you heroes."
"I am a detective; I have no interest in justice or honor. Solving riddles—that is my duty."
Looking at such a serious Holmes, Mash couldn't help but think to herself: 'He's... he's exactly like the Holmes I imagined.'
Fujimaru Ritsuka was also quite excited about Holmes' appearance, but she suppressed her feelings and asked curiously, "In other words, you're just here to show your face for now, and what exactly do you mean by 'riddle'?"
"I will teach you that soon," Holmes smiled with interest, "after all, this is still a long road ahead."
Holmes' words had a hidden meaning, but Xuanzang Sanzang seemed to understand something and said, "You're willing to stand on Fujimaru Ritsuka's side, but you won't join us as a companion... is that the right way to understand it?"
"Yes~"
Holmes nodded, then looked ahead and said with a smile, "You all came to this academy seeking knowledge. 'You must know everything'—that's probably what the Old Man of the Mountain told you, right?"
"Then you should head to the central part of this academy. At the same time, I also have some things to complete in the central part."
"The central part is located 500 meters underground, and the path is like a twisting and winding underground labyrinth."
"I will point out the way to the central part for everyone, while you all will be responsible for using your bodies to clear the traps."
"..."
In that instant, everyone fell silent, their expressions appearing somewhat speechless. This great detective seemingly intended to let them trigger the traps while he followed beside them to reach the destination successfully.
Holmes himself didn't seem to have any such self-awareness, as he still smiled and said, "It's simply a perfectly efficient cooperation. Come! Hurry! Infinite knowledge is waiting for us!"
And so, Holmes and Fujimaru Ritsuka's group began to move.
Bedivere, as a Knight of the Round Table, looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka and complained slightly, "Before I knew it, we started acting together with Lord Holmes. Is this okay, Lord Fujimaru Ritsuka?"
"Trust the detective," Fujimaru Ritsuka nodded slightly and said quite seriously, "our goals are aligned."
"Fou!" Fou cried out, as if saying that Fujimaru Ritsuka was right.
"Is that so?" At this moment, Bedivere showed a very subtle expression. He looked at Holmes beside him and said, "I don't seem to be very good at dealing with that type of person; he gives off the same feeling as Merlin."
"Master!" At this moment, Mash raised her shield and said very seriously, "There's a magical energy reaction! Something is coming!! Just like in London, it's an autonomous-type Familiar!!"
Seeing this scene, Holmes also showed an 'as I expected' smile and said, "The defense system is indeed still operational. Choosing to wait for your arrival was truly the right move!"
"Currently, my existence is very unstable, and I'm simply unable to fight. I can only look forward to everyone's strength~"
Hearing Holmes' words, everyone was a bit helpless, but they didn't say much because his current state really didn't seem capable of fighting.
So Mash and the others charged toward the Familiars, preparing to start the battle!
Demon Slayer World.
"Eh—!!!!!!!!!!!"
Agatsuma Zenitsu widened his eyes and said in disbelief, "Holmes?! He actually exists?! Ah!!!!"
At this moment, Agatsuma Zenitsu was extremely excited. After all, he was also one of those who knew about Holmes, or rather... any young person today with even a little bit of access to information would know of Holmes' existence.
"Hm?"
Tanjiro showed a 'puzzled' expression, as if he didn't know what Agatsuma Zenitsu was talking about.
He really didn't know anything about any Holmes. After all, before joining the Demon Slayer Corps, he was just a charcoal seller.
"Holmes! He's a very famous figure!"
Seeing Tanjiro's expression, Agatsuma Zenitsu talked incessantly, "Just like it says in the video, he's a quite famous existence."
"Eh? Is he in our world too?" Tanjiro showed a rather shocked expression, clearly not expecting that there were legends of Holmes in his own world as well.
"Of course."
Agatsuma Zenitsu looked at Tanjiro quite speechlessly and complained, "Do you have no sense of entertainment at all? No, even if you don't, you should still know of his existence."
"I have no idea at all."
At this moment, some cold sweat appeared on Tanjiro's forehead. He looked at Agatsuma Zenitsu with some fear and said, "If you're saying we have a Holmes on our side too, then doesn't that mean our world and that world are highly overlapping?"
Tanjiro was just making a guess, because previously there were people like King Gilgamesh, King Solomon, and King Hassan, all of whom also existed in their world.
They existed, yes, but it was merely a matter of records.
They didn't have this so-called Mages Association called the Clock Tower. Originally, Tanjiro had been relieved after learning this.
After all, things like Human Order Incineration were simply too terrifying; such incidents were not something the Demon Slayer Corps could intervene in.
However, Holmes' appearance made Tanjiro suddenly think of a small problem, which was that their side was'similar' to the world of Chaldea.
But they were currently in the Taisho era and hadn't yet reached the era where Chaldea was located.
If there was even a sliver of possibility, then after the Human Order Incineration begins in the future, will their world also be destroyed along with King Solomon's Human Order Incineration?
"!!!!!"
Agatsuma Zenitsu was no fool. After hearing Tanjiro say that, he also thought of a certain possibility, and his expression froze slightly.
"It... shouldn't be such a coincidence, right?" Agatsuma Zenitsu laughed a few times, his expression somewhat panicked. The joy he felt from recognizing Holmes at the beginning had quietly vanished.
After all, if this were true!!! Wouldn't that be bad?!!! The very bad kind!!!
At this moment, the two boys fell into a subtle state of worry, deeply afraid that in the next moment, a band of light would appear in the sky, declaring that this world had become a Singularity.
And then they would see the Chaldea group traveling through time and appearing before them—that would be just a bit too terrible.
No Game No Life World.
"Brother! Holmes!"
A distinct light shone in Shiro's eyes. She looked at Holmes appearing in the video and seemed exceptionally excited, for this was a living, breathing famous detective.
"Does he actually exist?" Sora was also somewhat surprised as he looked at Holmes in the video. Clearly, he hadn't expected this world-renowned detective to be a real person.
Rather than a fictional character created by someone else's pen.
However, his appearance made the Blank Siblings quite excited. Although they weren't exactly Holmes fans, seeing a familiar character from their previous world appear in the video...
...still brought feelings of joy and excitement. After all, it was someone they knew.
...
Beside them, Stephanie remained completely silent because she had no idea who Holmes was, though through Mash's words in the video...
...she could roughly understand that the Holmes in the video was likely some kind of high-intelligence character.
King Hassan had sent the Chaldea group to this Atlas Institute probably to find this person named Holmes.
It seemed only he could clear up the Chaldea group's doubts and reveal the so-called 'truth'.
Seeing this, Stephanie sighed slightly. Humans from other worlds were not only capable fighters but also incredibly smart.
At the same time, Stephanie looked at the happy Blank Siblings beside her and sighed. A lamentable, thick wall had already formed between her and the siblings.
She couldn't experience their joy at all.
"However," Sora rubbed his chin as he looked at Holmes in the video. "It really does have his style. As a detective, while investigating this major murder case, he kept hiding his tracks until he found the real answer or a problem that had to be solved, only then revealing his true self."
Back in London, the Blank Siblings had noticed Andersen's unusual behavior.
At the time, due to a lack of information, they didn't know what had happened to Andersen to make him say those things.
Now, the truth was out. The person who had organized the information for Andersen back then was indeed Holmes.
Furthermore, he was also waiting for the Chaldea group to arrive in this Singularity. As for why he chose this place...
The Blank Siblings had already guessed the reason. It was because the famous Holmes likely also knew about Romani Archaman's abnormality.
That was why he chose to meet the Chaldea group here.
After all, when Mash said earlier, "Ah! If the surveillance were still working, the Doctor would be dancing with joy!"...
Sora clearly noticed that although Holmes kept smiling, a subtle change appeared in his expression.
Although it was only for a split second, he still caught it.
Beside him, Shiro also understood this through Sora.
"Brother, we need to focus now," Shiro said in a very calm tone. She felt that what Holmes was about to say would become a powerful breakthrough clue.
"Yeah, I've been focusing."
Sora nodded slightly. Although they weren't famous detectives, when it came to 'investigative games', they had never lost to anyone!
The video continued playing.
While the group was heading toward the place Holmes pointed out, Fujimaru Ritsuka and her party experienced two battles along the way.
After the second battle ended, Holmes looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka and said, "Hmm... May I talk about my impressions after observing Fujimaru Ritsuka's command twice?"
"YES!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka agreed without hesitation because she also wanted to know what kind of evaluation Holmes had of her.
Being evaluated by a famous detective like him was, in a sense, a good thing.
"In other words," Holmes walked beside Fujimaru Ritsuka and said softly, "Fujimaru Ritsuka, to be honest, I am surprised."
"While the high combat power of everyone is impressive, that is only secondary."
"One could say the root of your strength is your form of contract."
"To be maintained with so many Servants... such a Magus (Master) must be unprecedented. What's even more dangerous is its duration."
"Originally, the summoning of a Servant should be temporary, only sustainable on the battlefield. A permanent contract like yours shouldn't be possible."
"At the same time, Fujimaru Ritsuka has no secrets, which means..."
At this point, Holmes fell silent for a moment.
Fujimaru Ritsuka swallowed and asked nervously, "Which means?"
Holmes frowned slightly, then didn't state his conclusion. Instead, he looked at Mash and said, "By the way, Miss Kyrielight, as far as I can see, you still can't use your Noble Phantasm."
"Why is that? Is it because you don't have the ability to use it yet?"
Holmes's words left everyone present stunned. What was going on? The great detective didn't finish the previous topic with Fujimaru Ritsuka and instead changed the subject?!
Fujimaru Ritsuka also looked at Holmes in shock. "He changed the subject?!"
"Hahahaha..." Holmes used laughter to cover the previous awkwardness.
However, Fujimaru Ritsuka also looked at Mash and said with a helpless expression, "Mash hasn't mastered the Heroic Spirit's True Name yet."
"Yes..." Mash nodded, looking a bit embarrassed. "I still don't know the True Name of the Heroic Spirit who gave me their power."
"That's where you're wrong." Holmes shook his head slightly and looked at Mash seriously. "The True Name isn't a big problem. You've simply stepped off with the wrong foot."
"But rest assured, you're just one step away from solving this. As long as the information is gathered, there is nothing I cannot uncover!"
Holmes appeared exceptionally confident. His confidence even made Mash's eyes sparkle, and Fujimaru Ritsuka showed a look of admiration.
"Ah, my apologies."
At this moment, Holmes seemed to think of something, and his expression became subtle. "I spoke too boldly just now. I actually have things I don't understand as well."
"Especially now, as I'm wrestling with a riddle—the true identity of the culprit behind the Human Order Incineration incident, the Demon God King."
"After all, I have absolutely no information about him."
Even Holmes showed a distressed expression at this moment, venting his frustrations. "Although traces of him remain throughout the eras, I simply cannot link those clues to King Solomon."
"If there were someone who had met the Demon God King directly, I could compare whether he is indeed consistent with King Solomon."
Having said this, Holmes shook his head, holding his pipe and sighing. "But how could I happen to find an eyewitness so coincidentally? It seems I can only rely on information to deduce it to the end."
Upon hearing this, both Mash and Fujimaru Ritsuka wore very subtle expressions.
Then, Fujimaru Ritsuka slowly raised her hand like a student asking a teacher a question. "Um... I've seen him. I've seen the Demon God King."
"Ah?!"
Holmes, who had always been calm as if everything were within his expectations, finally had his expression change.
His eyes fixed on Fujimaru Ritsuka as he asked impatiently, "So you are also an important witness! Please, you must talk to me properly!"
"His appearance?! His voice?! His Magecraft system?! And most importantly..."
Holmes's voice slowed down. He was no longer so excited, but calm and serious as before. "Most importantly, I want to know your direct impression of him."
"A sense of incongruity. Yes, incongruity. In this situation, incongruity is the key."
"I hope you recall carefully. No matter how trivial, was there anything strange about the Demon God King?"
At this moment, Holmes was very serious. Clearly, he hadn't expected Fujimaru Ritsuka to have actually met the Demon God King. This was a massive discovery for him.
"Now that you mention it, there actually was..." Fujimaru Ritsuka fell into a brief moment of thought, recalling the events of that time. Then she slowly said, "I remember what he looked like..."
"Where? What was the problem?" Holmes asked impatiently.
Fujimaru Ritsuka frowned slightly. An image of the Demon God King Solomon appeared on the screen. She couldn't help but say, "In his appearance, there was one place... it felt like something was missing."
Hearing this, Holmes also fell into brief contemplation. Holding his pipe, he muttered to himself, "Something missing? What was missing? For someone seeing the Demon God King for the first time to feel that way, it means..."
"It wasn't conscious, but a tiny oversight to the degree that one would unintentionally go 'Huh?'"
After muttering to himself, Holmes fell into a brief silence. Finally, he looked at Mash and said apologetically, "Miss Kyrielight, sorry to trouble you, but could you draw a sketch while we walk?"
"I hope you can draw the appearance of the Demon God King you saw. Normally, doing so would incur a curse."
"But this is the Atlas Institute, which has perfect countermeasures against external curses, so it won't cause you any harm."
Since Fujimaru Ritsuka had seen the Demon God King, Mash, who was always by her side, must have seen him too.
So Holmes hoped Mash would draw the Demon God King's appearance so he could understand what the abnormality Fujimaru Ritsuka mentioned was.
"I understand."
Hearing Holmes's words, Mash nodded slightly and replied seriously, "Although I'm not very good at it, I will output what we saw onto paper."
"Also..." Mash looked at Holmes with a subtle expression. "May I say something, Mr. Holmes?"
"Hmm?" Holmes looked at Mash and nodded slightly, signaling her to continue.
After all, perhaps he could gain some unimaginable insight from Mash.
While recalling the scene, Mash said, "While I didn't feel the visual incongruity like Senpai did, the Demon God King's words and actions were unstable. That's the incongruity I felt."
"He was sometimes violent, sometimes calm, and sometimes indifferent to us."
"...To me, it all seemed very abrupt."
"Hmm." Holmes seemed to have guessed something. He said seriously, "Please tell me in detail exactly what kind of conversation you had with him."
Following a brief screen blackout, when the image returned...
Holmes seemed to have understood something. He looked at Mash and thanked her, "I see. Thank you, Miss Kyrielight. That is indeed very meaningful information."
"I've already seen a glimpse of the Demon God King's true identity."
Mash, praised by Holmes, blushed slightly and said shyly, "No, you're welcome. It's my honor."
After all, as a fan of Holmes, being able to provide a lead for the famous detective was a great honor.
At this time, Holmes calmly analyzed, "Based on your words, the Demon God King likely has a 'mirror-like' nature."
"A mirror?" Mash was confused and puzzled.
"Yes." Holmes nodded and continued, "A mirror that reflects the person standing before it, showing the same nature as the person talking to it."
"If a violent person speaks to him, he will answer violently."
"If a wise person speaks to him, he will respond sincerely."
"A cruel person will think him cruel."
"A gentle person will think him gentle."
"It's likely not a lack of self, nor is it multiple personalities."
Holmes frowned slightly and said with a grim expression, "The Demon God King probably possesses multiple attributes—no, he possesses too many. That is his nature."
"I see." At this moment, Fujimaru Ritsuka also seemed to understand. She couldn't help but say, "Because Mordred is violent, and Andersen is spiteful."
Mash then looked at Holmes very seriously. "But I said he showed indifference to us and said that life has no value."
"Among everyone present at the time, no one should have had such thoughts."
Clearly, since leaving the Fourth Singularity, Mash had been troubled by this question. Now that she had finally met Holmes, she wanted to get an answer from him.
..." Holmes was silent for another moment, then said in a worried tone, "That is precisely the problem. That is what I find terrifying, Miss Kyrielight."
"'Indifference toward humanity' is likely a truth for the Demon God King, because 'he has already destroyed humanity'."
"Unlike the Artoria Pendragon who is about to destroy this era, he has already won. It is precisely because he has won that he appeared."
"Being indifferent to us is natural; he has already begun moving on to the next step."
Hearing this, Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others were stunned. The next step? Isn't the Human Order Incineration still ongoing? Why would he be moving on to the next step?
Seeing their confused expressions, Holmes explained patiently, "For example, suppose there is a desk here, and on the desk is the proposal for 'Human Order Incineration'."
"He has long since completed that task and is already sitting at the next desk."
"Originally, it should have ended there. Humanity should not have had the option to 'fight him'."
Everyone was silent. Yes, logically that was the case. Once the Human Order Incineration began, it was already the Demon God King's victory.
However... everyone turned their gaze toward Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash.
Holmes continued, "But then a miracle occurred. Needless to say, that miracle is you, Chaldea."
"You are merely a bit of blank space left on an empty desk."
At this moment, Mash also understood Holmes's meaning. She said, finding it hard to accept, "To the Demon God King, the Human Order Incineration is a completed task... so that's why he's indifferent to us?"
"Yes." Holmes nodded, then said calmly, "To be precise, he is 'busy with the next task'."
"What I am worried about is exactly what that 'next task' of his is."
The crowd fell silent once again, and at the same time, they couldn't help but sigh. Holmes truly lived up to his name; just by obtaining information from Mash and Fujimaru Ritsuka, he had deduced so much.
"This detective really has some tricks up his sleeve."
"Listen well, everyone." Holmes looked at the thoughtful crowd and continued, "This incident can be called a perfect crime. No one could have prevented this plan in advance; we have fallen completely behind from the start."
"A detective is an existence that only begins to act after an incident has occurred and the victim has appeared. Even if one uncovers the truth of the matter, it cannot overturn the event itself."
As he spoke, Holmes looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka and said earnestly, "But you are different, Fujimaru Ritsuka. Only you can overturn this event, and the Demon God King does not believe this."
"This is the only breakthrough for you to defeat this devilish crime."
Saying this, and deducing as he went, Holmes and Fujimaru Ritsuka's group finally arrived at the entrance of the central section. He cheered quite happily, "Rejoice, everyone!"
"We are almost at the central section. Countless answers are waiting for us ahead!"
"There are two reasons why Old Man of the Mountain sent you here. The first concerns this Singularity, to provide you with knowledge regarding the Artoria Pendragon and the Sacred Lance."
"And the second concerns the seven Singularities, which is a piece of the mystery of the Human Order Incineration."
"For both, I have already prepared the answers, but before that..."
Before Holmes could finish his sentence, an alarm sounded again. This time, everyone was almost immune to it.
Because it was like this every time; whenever Holmes spoke halfway, an alarm would always sound to interrupt his conversation.
And every time! Holmes would swallow his words, wait for the enemy to finish, and then slowly pick up where he left off, or simply drop the topic entirely.
"Before that, we have to deal with the defensive mechanism, right?" Fujimaru Ritsuka said helplessly. She looked at the crowd and said, "The customary battle is here!!!"
Obviously, Fujimaru Ritsuka was quite experienced with this.
However, this time, unlike the previous times, Holmes frowned slightly. He looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash and said earnestly, "No, this is my advice. No, it is a declaration!"
"?" Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash looked at Holmes with some confusion. The other party suddenly became serious, making the two instinctively ignore the impending battle and focus all their attention on Holmes.
At this moment, Holmes looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash, his expression serious and earnest. "The biggest reason I have appeared before you is that Chaldea cannot see this place."
"I'll say this upfront: I do not trust Roman!"
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