177: Chapter 177 My Beloved—

A speck of deep crimson light, like a viper in the night, instantly tore through the darkness!

"Bang——!!!"

The deep crimson bullet, carrying a shriek that tore through space, flew past Saber Alter's cheek.

Then, it struck the defensive barrier in front of James Moriarty with pinpoint accuracy!

A violent magical explosion erupted within the office.

James Moriarty, who had been acting so arrogant, was actually forced back several steps in mid-air by the terrifying shockwave.

"Who goes there?!"

The fanaticism on the old man's face froze instantly, and he looked towards the fire escape in a rage.

The smoke cleared.

Emiya Alter, with his dark complexion and white hair, slowly stepped out of the shadows, holding the still-smoking magic pistol in one hand.

"We meet again, Master of Chaldea."

He didn't even glance at James Moriarty in mid-air, but greeted PD with a flat tone.

"Emiya Alter?! Didn't you run off after letting us in? Why the sudden return?"

PD's eyes widened.

Even the livestream chat was filled with question marks.

Facing everyone's confusion, Emiya Alter casually swapped in a magazine filled with high-concentration magical energy.

"Don't misunderstand, I was never a subordinate of this old fox from the start."

He lifted his golden eyes, gazing coldly at James Moriarty before him.

"I'm merely a wandering Servant who happened to be summoned to this Singularity alongside their so-called 'Phantom Demon Alliance'."

"I am a mercenary who will stop at nothing to eliminate my target; my principle is to do the job I'm paid for."

"But unfortunately, my true employer is not this old criminal whose mind is filled only with mathematical equations, but someone else."

He did not say the name of the 'counter force'.

But the veteran players understood the implication immediately!

"In fact, regardless of whether I am Altered or not, there has only ever been one thing I intended to do from the beginning—"

Emiya Alter raised both guns, the dark muzzles pointing directly at the towering, twisted Demon God Pillar Baal.

"And that is... to eliminate this threat to humanity!"

"Holy crap! So cool, Emiya! Wait, no, it's Emiya Alter now."

"No matter what he becomes, an ally of justice is always an ally of justice!"

"An agent of Alaya requests to join the battle! This is a sure win!"

The livestream chat exploded instantly, the screen filled with excited cheers.

PD's mood, which had hit rock bottom, rebounded at this moment, completely reignited!

"Hahahaha! Old man, it seems your perfect equation missed one of the most fatal variables!"

PD laughed aloud, facing the tactical sandbox that had manifested, and calmly brought up the command terminal.

Even facing a double boss fight against the Demon God Pillar and James Moriarty, as long as there were no strange damage immunity mechanics, for a PD with a complete, maxed-out roster, this battle was a sure thing!

Saber Alter's black holy sword turned into a meat grinder, slicing through all the demon tentacles surging forward.

Meanwhile, Emiya Alter on the high platform transformed into a ruthless sniper machine, his bullets accurately piercing through the outermost defensive barrier of James Moriarty with every shot!

Finally, under the bombardment of two brilliant beams of Noble Phantasm energy.

The two health bars representing the ancient Demon God Pillar and the Napoleon of Crime were instantly depleted!

"Rumble——!!!"

Demon God Pillar Baal's massive body began to collapse violently, turning into a sky full of foul-smelling black sludge.

"Hehehe... Hahahaha!"

However, in his final moments, Baal did not let out a shrill scream, but instead erupted into a hair-raising burst of maniacal laughter.

Countless dissolving crimson eyes stared fixedly at PD behind the defensive line.

"Do you think you have won, Master of Chaldea?"

"The gears of fate have already turned; even if we perish here, your ending is already doomed!"

"You will die... You will surely die in a despair ten thousand times deeper than today!"

Accompanied by this vicious curse and prophecy, Baal completely turned to ash and dissipated into the night wind.

Before the livestream audience could even celebrate this hard-won victory, an ominous premonition suddenly shrouded everyone.

Because James Moriarty, who was slumped in the ruins with his spirit origin on the verge of collapse, was now laughing lowly as well.

"Cough, cough... Baal is right."

The old man struggled to raise his blood-soaked arm, reaching out to point into the void ahead.

"Master of Chaldea, have you ever heard... the story of 'Magic Bullet Shooter'?"

PD's internal alarm bells rang loudly:

"What do you mean? What are you trying to do?!"

James Moriarty ignored the black holy sword pointing at his throat.

The smile on his face became twisted and pathological, yet eerily carried a hint of fatherly kindness.

"The magic bullets from a contract with a devil; the first six will inevitably hit the target the shooter desires to strike."

"And this seventh magic bullet... will be controlled by the devil, and it will inevitably hit the shooter's beloved."

James Moriarty's voice was like a whisper from the depths of hell.

"Did you really think that I voluntarily let Baal erase my memories and disguised myself as a harmless, kind old man..."

"...just to deceive Sherlock Holmes? To gain that pathetic bit of trust from you?"

Boom!

This sentence struck like a thunderbolt in the minds of PD and all the players!

"Could it be..."

Chu He stood up abruptly in the livestream, his hair standing on end as if he had guessed something terrifying!

"That's right! Hahahaha!"

James Moriarty laughed hysterically, tears even streaming from the corners of his eyes.

"As a pure 'villain', I have no beloved, and I could absolutely never trigger this fatal seventh magic bullet!"

"Only by letting myself truly become a good person!"

"Only by fighting alongside you without any falsehoods, being saved by you, and being protected by you!"

"In the heart of that 'Good Moriarty', you, this brave and passionate Master, have long since become the 'bond' that this old bag of bones cherishes and wants to protect most in this Singularity!!!"

The dagger was revealed!

Extreme calculation, extreme malice!

All the kindness and fighting side-by-side were actually just to satisfy the causal conditions to launch this fatal blow!

Using the purest bond to feed the deadliest bullet!

"This seventh magic bullet ignores distance, ignores defense, and violates the laws of causality to guarantee a hit!"

"Because it will seek out... the 'you' I love most!"

"Checkmate, Master!"

"Rumble——!!!"

The entire night sky of Shinjuku was completely ignited by terrifying high temperatures and firelight at this moment!

That asteroid serving as the "magic bullet" had already locked onto its only target—

James Moriarty's "most beloved" Master!