Gotham Singularity (Part 7): The Old Rival

Fujimaru Ritsuka was unaware that someone on the other side was using her as a causal weapon; she was still pondering her next move. Although she had only been at the crime scene for a short while, she figured she probably wouldn't need to go back again.

This amount of time was enough for Mr. Holmes; she was already looking forward to returning to his deductions.

So now all she had to do was figure out how to break through. And for her, that was far too easy. Even without Mash's shield to knock them unconscious, Mr. Holmes could use Barton's spell to stun them.

The problem lies with Jason. He doesn't seem to want to fight Batman, but now he seems to have almost forgotten that he said he didn't want to fight Batman, and he's so angry that he's itching to do it.

She could see that he and Batman had an unavoidable conflict, but deep within them lay an unbreakable bond of affection. Could this conflict be a good opportunity for them to talk things out?

"Without causing any conflict," Holmes suddenly bent down slightly, lowered his voice, and asked Ritsuka in her ear, "are you confident you can leave?"

He knew why Ritsuka was struggling; her keen perception allowed her to sense Jason's relationship with Batman, and her kindness prevented her from ignoring those in distress.

But now is not a good time.

“Probably.” Fujimaru Ritsuka understood Holmes’ meaning, sighed, and pretended to whisper a secret. “I think you should still remember Zhang Jiao’s tower.”

Jason was suppressing his anger as he confronted Batman when he heard a rustling sound behind him. He twitched his lips, about to say something, but was suddenly stunned into silence by the sight before him.

It's getting foggy.

Thick white fog drifted down from above, like a thick veil of moonlight, gently and irresistibly enveloping everyone.

Almost everyone present instantly narrowed their eyes and gripped their weapons, becoming alert. Batman and Robin stared directly at Fujimaru Ritsuka, and even Jason couldn't help but glance at Ritsuka, the magician.

...Oh dear, this is troublesome. Fujimaru Ritsuka innocently spread her hands and shrugged at Jason. Although she was recognized by the Wise King as a second-rate magician, she was completely unskilled in magic.

This magical white mist, so reminiscent of the London Singularity, was something she would probably never be able to unleash in her lifetime. Unsurprisingly, Chaldea's communications also went down instantly.

When Jason saw that every cell in Fujimaru Ritsuka's body was screaming that she hadn't done it, he instantly felt terrible.

"What on earth happened?!" He gritted his teeth, groping through the increasingly thick fog to grab Ritsuka and Holmes. "And you two are so calm!"

“Servants, magicians, the Holy Grail? It’s nothing more than these.” Fujimaru Ritsuka winked slyly at Jason. “Don’t worry, don’t worry, this is a clue delivered to our door by a singularity.”

“…You truly are worthy of being Holmes’s master,” Jason said expressionlessly. “You share the same love of adventure.”

"Hmm, thanks for the compliment?"

Jason shut up completely.

Fujimaru Ritsuka stopped teasing him and whispered something to Xu Fu, who had returned to her side when the fog rose.

The fog is still spreading outwards.

A thin, soft fog was swept up by the cold wind, spreading until it disappeared a few streets away. A slender hand touched the white fog, the fingertips tightening as if trying to leave a wisp of mist behind.

"I'm sorry." The aloof woman with green beast-like eyes approached the hand that lingered in the mist, which gradually dissipated.

She knelt on one knee before the figure before her, saying, "I was unable to fulfill your wish."

"It doesn't matter."

A gentle yet husky voice came from behind, and the owner of the voice reached out and helped the aloof woman to her feet. "It's alright, please get up quickly, Berserker."

Berserker looked at the woman who had spoken. Mary Colson was dressed in a long black dress, her face pale and beautiful, her gentle eyes like a vast, open sea.

“Please don’t blame yourself. Killing Black Mask so easily is beyond my expectations,” Mary said. “Can you tell me exactly what happened?”

A moment later, after listening to Berserker's narration, Mary clutched the cross to her chest tightly, her mind replaying the words she had just heard.

Gotham has more than one Servant and one Master... Why? He clearly told her that she was the only one qualified to pray to God!

Regardless, Berserker ultimately chose to heed the young man's advice. Even though this wasn't a continuation of the Holy Grail War, she felt she had to protect herself as his Master. Her body couldn't withstand any further fluctuations in magical energy.

A series of uncontrollable coughs interrupted Mary's thoughts. She coughed so hard she bent over, tears welling in her eyes. This shouldn't be happening. She hadn't... hadn't been able to...!

"Master!!"

Mary raised her hand to stop the beast-eyed woman from speaking further. "Say hello to him for me next time. The choice of information and the target remain the same." She said calmly, "I will use Command Spells to help."

The fog dissipated, and the streets returned to silence.

—

Fujimaru Ritsuka and Xu Fu sank deep into the sofa in the safe house. Holmes resumed his silent, pensive demeanor, leaving Jason alone to stare at them in astonishment.

"Hey, isn't anyone going to offer an explanation?" He reached up and removed the Domino mask, his messy hair sticking up impatiently. "Like, how did we get back?"

"Thanks to that fog that appeared out of nowhere," Da Vinci said via the communicator. "Xu Fuli used the chaotic magic within to create an orderly trapping formation, allowing you to escape Batman's sight and return safely."

Oh, an array. Oh, omnipotent spirits, Jason thought. But seeing Batman's shocked expression was still quite memorable.

"Hehe~ I'm sure if no one gave them directions, those two masked men would probably have to take a detour until dawn~." Xu Fu said gloatingly.

"Hoo hoo, let them lure us into making a wasted trip, that's revenge~" She sprawled on the sofa, unceremoniously using the Savior's lap as a cushion, "Master, move over a bit more~"

"Hey! Shouldn't you go over there? I'm about to fall!" Fujimaru Ritsuka, after her resistance failed, let Xu Fu rest his head on her lap. "Actually, it wasn't a wasted trip. Mr. Holmes saw a lot, didn't he?"

"If you mean there were no more than two killers, Black Mask has informants, or they buy intelligence from somewhere—these are obvious clues."

Holmes slightly raised his chin. "Then there's absolutely no need to ask me."

Fujimaru Ritsuka: "...?"

"Wait a minute." Ritsuka felt like she had missed something. "Putting everything else aside, why did you say someone provided information?"

“Miss Ritsuka, without accurate information, how did the murderer manage to catch Black Mask when he was alone?” Holmes said matter-of-factly.

Jason crossed his arms, his eyes revealing his keen interest in Holmes's deductions, but to his surprise, Holmes looked conflicted and remained silent for a long time.

After a moment, he turned his pipe and his expression became serious. "Actually, I'm more concerned about that sudden cloud of mist."

The fog was ownerless. Da Vinci and Sion explained to the group, who had no knowledge of magic, that it was not created by anyone on site, but rather like opening a can of food.

In other words, it's not limited to Servants and Mages; anyone capable of prying open a can could be the culprit releasing the mist.

"There's no need to guess, I saw him. Or rather, he let me see him on purpose," Holmes dropped the bombshell.

"Eh!!" Fujimaru Ritsuka immediately straightened up, leaning forward and asking impatiently, "Then why didn't you chase after them?"

“Because it’s a hint, a provocation.” Holmes raised one eyebrow. “The man sees it as a riddle, and only those who solve it will have the opportunity to gain his approval.”

Fujimaru Ritsuka was dumbfounded. If that person had spoken, she would have known. Could it be that Mr. Holmes and that person had confirmed all this just by exchanging glances?!

But this style of specifically targeting Sherlock Holmes seems a bit familiar.

Before Ritsuka could figure it out, Holmes suddenly changed the subject, "The last singularity was the Holy Grail brought by Ashiya Dōman. So what about this time?"

The Holy Grail couldn't have just appeared out of nowhere, could it?

The allure of evil that allows one to weave a web of wickedness simply by making a plan, without lifting a finger, is extremely rare.

The silence instantly shifted to Fujimaru Ritsuka. She suddenly understood, covered her face, and fell backward, crashing heavily onto the sofa cushions. "You think the person who delivered the Holy Grail this time, or even who's pulling the strings behind the scenes...?"

“James Moriarty,” Holmes said calmly.

A mastermind accustomed to manipulating events behind the scenes, a demonic force capable of obliterating every trace of evidence. Following the threads woven together, the spider awaits—the Napoleon of the criminal world.

"puff!"

Jason spat out the water he had just downed in his teacup. He wiped his mouth, his fingers still trembling with excitement, "Moria?!"

He thought he would no longer be surprised; he could calmly shake hands with Watson even if he appeared before him—but this was Moriarty, the criminal professor who had come to the abyss of Gotham!

What will Gotham become?

As if sensing Jason's worry, Holmes offered a perfunctory reassurance, "If it's the professor, he probably won't go too far for Miss Ritsuka's sake. After all, the punishment of Miss Ritsuka ignoring him is quite effective."

Damn it, what kind of lethality is this?! Jason abruptly turned to look at the innocent-looking Fujimaru Ritsuka, a weary smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Even a savior can't be immune to intrigue and trickery.

Fujimaru Ritsuka, who was being stared at: "..."

Well, I always felt that Mr. Todd was imagining a lot of strange things. But then I thought of the professor's reputation and it all made me feel better.

The truth is that this was all a cover-up.

Leonardo da Vinci regretfully informed him that Moriarty was not currently in Chaldea, just like Dōman before him. But why, first Dōman, and then the Professor? What was their purpose in causing trouble?

She wondered aloud, and asked the question. But Holmes didn't answer her immediately. Instead, he stroked his chin and slowly said that he wanted to avoid making silly mistakes like preconceived notions until he had gathered the data needed to solve the problem.

In the end, they suppressed the matter and focused on Gotham's singularity. Jason breathed a sigh of relief as he listened to them discussing serious matters again.

"Is the professor... still at this singularity?"

Holmes paused for a moment, "Ha, though I'm reluctant to admit it, but based on what I know of him, he has definitely left the singularity."

Creating singularities without reason was definitely not Moriarty's ultimate goal. If this singularity is considered as an act of instigating a crime, then for him, the crime was already completed.

He must be observing the situation from somewhere far away, preparing to commit his next crime.

Perhaps staging a crime here was just a whim for him; that's just the kind of person he is. Thinking this, Holmes narrowed his eyes slightly, recalling the person whose eyes had just met his.

He suddenly said, "Miss Ritsuka, could you please go to a bar in Gotham?"

The pressure was released too early.

"A bar? Holmes, are you crazy!" Unexpectedly, Jason objected before Ritsuka could. He raised his eyebrows incredulously, as if investigating whether Holmes's brain had been damaged.

Sending a seemingly innocent and harmless young girl to a bar in Gotham? Is that an idea even humanly possible?!