169: Chapter 169 The True Purpose of the Restraining Force—

Under the dim, yellow streetlights, smoke curled in the air.

That name, "Sherlock Holmes," was like a spell imbued with endless magic; it instantly pierced through the air of this dead-silent alley in Shinjuku and exploded in the ears of the tens of thousands of viewers in the livestream.

PD's mouth hung open as he stared blankly at the man before him, who was dressed in a British plaid suit and smoking a pipe with slow, deliberate movements.

In this game called 《FGO》, they had witnessed King Arthur, who drew her sword to sever eras; they had witnessed the arrogant Hero King; they had even come face-to-face with the omniscient and omnipotent King of Mages.

But among all the Servants, only this one before him represented the absolute pinnacle of human wisdom and rationality!

"Great Detective... is it really you?!"

PD swallowed hard. The tension he had felt moments ago while facing a powerful enemy instantly vanished, replaced by the wild joy of reuniting with an old friend.

"Damn, you scared me to death! I thought that disgusting Phantom Demon Alliance could even copy the Count! So it was you in disguise!"

Sherlock Holmes nodded slightly, a hint of gentle amusement in his eyes:

"To hack into their intelligence network without alerting that suspicious 'Professor,' borrowing the spirit origin signal of an acquaintance was the safest tactic. I only regret that you had to suffer some fright in this performance."

"It's fine, it's fine! As long as you're here, this little fright is nothing!"

PD waved his hand excitedly, but immediately after, his high-level player brain instantly detected a logical blind spot that felt wrong.

He looked Sherlock Holmes up and down, frowned slightly, and asked a question that all players found confusing:

"Wait a second, Great Detective. You just said... it's been a long time since we parted ways at the Camelot Singularity?"

"Logically speaking, after a Singularity is restored, you Servants summoned by the world without a Master should have your spirit origins dissolved on the spot, and your souls should return to the Throne of Heroes."

PD scratched his head, looking completely puzzled. "Even if you were re-summoned here in Shinjuku, your memories should only be limited to the records on the Throne of Heroes. How could you remember me and the events of Camelot so clearly?"

Hearing PD's question, the lore-hunters in the livestream also pricked up their ears.

In the underlying lore of 《FGO》, a Servant's memories in the world of the living are just like reading a novel to their main body on the Throne of Heroes.

Even if summoned again, it is merely a "record" akin to reading material; it would never be as vivid and continuous as if the person had experienced it themselves.

Sherlock Holmes took the pipe from the corner of his mouth and exhaled a wisp of blue smoke.

His gaze became incredibly profound at that moment, as if piercing through the mist of time.

"Master of Chaldea, your observation skills have become increasingly keen."

The Great Detective's lips curled into an appreciative smile as he slowly revealed a shocking secret:

"You guessed completely correctly. I am entirely different from those conventionally summoned Servants."

"From the fourth Singularity, the foggy city of London, to the Sixth Singularity's Atlas Academy, and now to this demonic capital of Shinjuku, filled with malice."

Sherlock Holmes's tone was calm, yet resonant. "I have never returned to the Throne of Heroes. From beginning to end, the one appearing before you is 'Sherlock Holmes' himself, possessing the same spirit origin and the same continuous memories."

"What?!"

PD's eyes widened. "Not returning to the Throne of Heroes? Then how have you managed to survive these past six months?!"

"By relying on this vessel of mine, I have performed continuous Rayshifts within the gaps of time."

Sherlock Holmes turned his gaze toward the Shinjuku night sky, shrouded in thick fog. "I have been pursuing a certain hidden truth. For the sake of this, even if I must pay a great price, I will see this long investigation through to the end."

These understated words caused the audience in the livestream to fall into a state of wild frenzy!

"Holy crap! Did the Great Detective just exploit a bug in the world?!"

"Continuous Rayshifts?! He actually managed to survive from Chapter 4 until now with just one spirit origin!"

"No wonder he was so familiar when we met him at the Atlas Academy in Chapter 6! It turns out he never returned to base to refresh his status!"

Just as the viewers across the internet were marveling at the Great Detective's "smuggling" method.

Chu He, the number one lore-hunter who had been staring intensely at the screen, suddenly sat up straight, his eyes bursting with unprecedented, fanatical light.

He picked up the voice recorder on the table, his brain spinning at high speed.

"It's not just as simple as continuous Rayshifts..."

Chu He muttered in his own livestream, his tone filled with a hint of restrained excitement. "Everyone, carefully analyze what the Great Detective just said."

"Why would he risk his spirit origin collapsing just to forcibly remain in the world of the living? What truth is he pursuing?"

Chu He's breathing quickened slightly. He pulled up the story footage from the previous Sixth Singularity and enlarged it on the side of the screen.

In the video footage, Sherlock Holmes stood in the ancient desert of the Atlas Academy and said that classic line to Fujimaru Ritsuka: "I am sorry, I cannot assist you in subjugating the Lion King."

Chu He paused the footage and turned to look at the camera.

"Back in Chapter 6, we all thought that the Great Detective didn't help fight the Lion King simply because, as a Ruler or an investigator, his combat stats were too weak, and going up there would just be suicide."

"But it's very clear that the truth of the matter is not that simple."

"Combined with his behavior of always lurking in the shadows, there is definitely an ultimate reason hidden behind this that is enough to overturn the entire FGO worldview."

A glimmer of insight into everything flashed in the depths of Chu He's eyes.

As if to confirm Chu He's deduction.

In PD's livestream, Sherlock Holmes looked at the surprised Master and took the initiative to steer the conversation toward that profound mystery.

"Master, do you remember that brief meeting we had in the underground facility of the Atlas Academy?"

Sherlock Holmes put the pipe back in his mouth, his tone becoming unprecedentedly solemn.

PD nodded. "Of course I remember. At that time, you helped us uncover the true identity of the King of Mages, and then you said your combat power wasn't up to par, so you couldn't go to the front lines to subjugate the Lion King."

"That statement itself was absolutely true. This spirit origin of mine is indeed not suited for engaging in direct combat with existences of that god-like level."

Sherlock Holmes took a deep breath, his blue-gray eyes flashing with cold, rational light. "But behind that statement hides a deeper causal logic."

"Master of Chaldea, you must understand one thing."

The Great Detective's voice dropped very low, each word like a heavy hammer, slamming hard against the hearts of PD and the millions of players,

"'The World' absolutely does not do useless work. The Counter Force summoning an [Enigmatologist] like me to descend into the world means that, in some corner of this spacetime, there must exist a [Great Mystery] that even the world itself finds troublesome."

Sherlock Holmes took a step forward, his gaze locked firmly onto PD's eyes.

"And that great mystery is by no means the Demon God King Goetia, nor is it that Incineration of Humanity which destroyed the past."

"Although Goetia's plan is grand, all its steps are exposed under the sun. To deal with him, one only needs powerful martial force and an unyielding will; there is absolutely no need for a 'detective' to intervene."

Hearing this, PD had completely held his breath, and he subconsciously took half a step back.

Sherlock Holmes's cold, chilling conclusion echoed leisurely in the dead-silent Shinjuku back alley:

"The true purpose for which I was summoned by the Counter Force is to deal with what happens after the Incineration of Humanity has been completely stopped—"

"That... ultimate crisis, born from nothingness, that is about to devour the future of the entire planet."

Boom—!!!

As soon as these words were spoken, it was as if a nuclear bomb had detonated right inside PD's brain!

He stood frozen in place, the hair all over his body standing on end at this very moment!