Reichenbach Falls
"In the end, it comes to this."
Reincarnator James Moriarty, the professor, gazed down at the waterfall, lost in the memory of that confrontation with Miss Holmes—and that was the thought that crossed his mind.
But alas, the cool-headed detective opened her mouth.
"Just give up already, Professor."
"Give up?" Moriarty found himself scoffing at Holmes in disbelief.
Yet Holmes spoke calmly, without a hint of agitation.
"You taught me to live rationally, didn't you, Professor? That's why I'm telling you this. You know it's all over already. So act rationally, Professor."
"Rationally?"
Miss Holmes shrugged lightly. But the way she looked at him—like a hunter eyeing her prey—made Moriarty instinctively step back toward the cliff's edge.
"Humans are so frail that they have no choice but to bear children for a taste of immortality. And by some twist of fate, Professor, you possess a mind I acknowledge—no, the only one in all of Europe that might even remotely match mine. If we consider the laws of genetics, bearing your child would be the most efficient path, wouldn't it?"
"Ha!" He let out a mocking laugh, but Holmes pressed on relentlessly.
"I'm speaking purely from a rational standpoint. Of course, as a criminal, you'll have no choice but to go to prison. But I can stop the execution—truth be told, the higher-ups don't want that anyway. So all you need to do is look at me, Professor. In a little cell where only I can come and go, just gaze at me and nothing else. Moran—that girl sticking by your side does grate a bit, but you're a virgin, aren't you? And nothing happened with Watson, so I can trust you. You, the virgin Professor, and I, the virgin—together producing a brilliant heir to carry on the bloodline. Isn't that the most efficient solution for society?"
In Miss Holmes's gaze as she stared at him, he could see the roaring flames of raw desire.
But precisely because of that, all he could do was laugh bitterly at himself. He'd half-expected a day like this might come someday. Yet now that this finale was unfolding right before his eyes, a hollow, incredulous chuckle escaped his lips.
At Reichenbach Falls, England's pride—the detective Miss Sherlock Holmes—and London's greatest criminal, Professor James Moriarty, locked eyes in a deadly glare.