Becoming Professor Moriarty’s Probability
Chapter 255: Family Gathering (4)

“Uuuuuuugh…”

When James Moriarty clutched the back of his neck in response to my outrageous statement, I considered it the perfect opportunity.

After all, there was no way I could confront someone of his calibre – capable of effortlessly overpowering even the professor – head-on.

Against a foe of that strength, even the briefest moment of vulnerability was a gift from the heavens.

And here he was, clutching his neck and staggering. How could I not seize this chance with glee?

- Crackle… zap…

Please, let this work…

Without hesitation, I activated the scroll Miss Mycrony had prepared and hurled myself forward, fully determined to make use of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

A thousand years? That would take me at least a year to craft.

You’ve got to be joking! You said the opponent is on par with Jane Moriarty, didn’t you?!

As I charged toward the staggering James Moriarty, fragments of my earlier conversation with Miss Mycrony bubbled up in my mind.

With just 20 minutes? At best, I can make a sealing scroll that lasts 30 years. No, maybe 25 years.

Don’t look at me like that; it’s not like I can work miracles! Even I, a genius, have my limits.

If I’d had just one full day, I could’ve made it last over a hundred years…

It was London, after all, the home of the top three geniuses in the world. If Miss Mycrony said that, it had to be true.

With a mere 20 minutes, buying any more time was an impossibility.

Of course, the fact that she’d managed to craft a scroll capable of sealing someone for 25 years in just 20 minutes was nothing short of extraordinary.

But on the flip side, it was a stark reminder of just how powerful my opponent was.

Moreover, with only half of his power, as he admitted.

“… Huff.”

As I stretched the activated scroll toward him, lost in those thoughts, a sudden shift in the office’s atmosphere made me gasp for air.

“…… Impudent.”

James Moriarty, now somewhat composed, was glaring at me with a cold and menacing gaze.

“Impudent wretch!!!”

His frost-laden roar made every hair on my body stand on end.

“A mere mortal… an inferior being… how dare you…!”

… What is he even going on about?

To be fair, I’m the Creator. Isn’t calling me an inferior being a bit much?

I mean, he’s practically a bug – an unplanned anomaly – existing in a system I designed. Should someone like him really be talking to me, someone akin to a god, like that?

“Tch…”

But regardless of how outraged I felt, my entire body began to seize up.

It seemed to be something similar to the Draconic Fear the professor occasionally employed.

However, unlike the professor, who would unleash her killing intent directly, this man’s mere roar was several times more oppressive.

- Crack, crackle…

And in the brief moment, my body refused to cooperate, an ominous sound began to echo from above me.

- Crackle, fzzzt…

“… Ah.”

When I instinctively looked up, I saw it— a grey, crackling mass shaped like a sharp bolt of lightning, aimed directly at me.

- Shhhhhhh…

For a moment, I froze in place, stunned by the unexpected attack. But then, a black aura surged over me, shielding me.

“Haa… haa…”

Charlotte, standing behind me, was pouring every ounce of her strength into blocking the attack hurtling toward me.

“You dare…”

James Moriarty, his piercing eyes glowing a chilling blue, glared at her. Then, slowly, he raised his other hand.

- Flash…!

But in that instant, someone darted low to the ground, striking at his side with calculated precision.

“That won’t happen.”

It was Inspector Lestrade, her eyes burning with a fierce, cold light, as she lunged at him, wielding her baton.

- Crash, crackle, grind…

Yet, somehow, even as her baton collided with his hand, James Moriarty continued to exert his power effortlessly.

“You… Did you really think I would fall to such a petty trick?”

“…. Ugrgh?”

“Tell me… who do you think created that curse you carry?”

True to his words, it became clear that it was not James Moriarty but rather Inspector Lestrade who was being overwhelmed by sheer force.

I have to… I need to quickly get this scroll… to touch him…

I knew I had to press the activated scroll against his heart, no matter what. But my body, still frozen by fear, refused to move.

“D-Damn it…”

Even so, I clenched my teeth so hard that blood began to seep from my lips and willed my hand to move forward, inch by inch.

- Grab…!

“Khuhk?”

But before I could make it, James Moriarty’s hand, having already dispelled Charlotte’s black aura completely, clamped around my throat.

- Squeeze…

“Keuk? Kugh, guh…”

As his grip tightened around my neck, the world around me began to darken.

What kind of old man has this kind of strength?

Was he amplifying his physical power with magic or something?

“Grk… guh… urgh…”

“It’s useless.”

As the sudden lack of oxygen made every muscle in my body twitch, I began to thrash wildly, but James Moriarty’s icy voice drilled mercilessly into my ears.

“You dare… sully the blood of a dragon…?”

“Wait… urgh… ugh…”

“That pure, untouched blood… that has remained untainted for thousands of years!!!”

Isn’t this becoming a bit too intense for a family gathering?

I wanted to hurl some retort back at him, but even forming words was now beyond me.

“M-Master…”

Through my dimming vision, I caught sight of Moran’s pale face reflected in the window.

She had already aimed her gun at James Moriarty’s head but seemed incapable of pulling the trigger, likely because I was being held hostage.

“The crime of defiling sacred blood… atone for it with your death.”

“Damn… it…”

Was this really the end?

I had just reunited with everyone— even met the professor again.

Was it truly going to end like this?

“H-Help… me…”

I hated that thought so much that I muttered those words with all my remaining strength, and that was when it happened—

- Flash…!

Suddenly, something darted between me and James Moriarty.

“… Kraaaagh!!!”

Moments later, a scream echoed through the office.

“You… you vermin scum…”

James Moriarty, who had momentarily let go of me and staggered back, now had his eyes tightly shut, with thin, crimson lines slashed across his eyelids.

“… Ah.”

My gaze shifted to the side, following the source, and I momentarily froze with a dazed expression.

“That’s…”

Embedded in the wall of the office, after grazing the professor’s eyes, was none other than a familiar-looking playing card.

“… Lupin?”

- Shhhhhhh…

I muttered in disbelief, but at that very moment, a bone-chilling killing intent radiated from ahead of me.

“Enough… this has gotten too tiresome.”

James Moriarty, his wounds now completely healed, glared with a ghastly grey light in his gaze, exuding a murderous aura that filled the room.

“…..!!!”

For the first time, he unleashed the full extent of his killing intent, and all of us were overwhelmed, our legs giving out as we collapsed to the floor.

“Die.”

He aimed something grey and incomprehensibly sinister at us— something that could only be described as death itself.

- Boom…!

But just before the grey sphere could reach us, it was devoured by an inexplicable shadow that suddenly appeared and swallowed it whole.

“No, no, no, nonononono…”

“…..?”

I was wondering who had stepped in to block that attack, but the voice now resonating through the office made it clear— my long-time stalker had finally tracked me down.

“That bastard… only I get to kill him…”

Ah yes, none other than the one who had long transcended death— Jill the Ripper.

“… There seem to be an awful lot of flies around today.”

“Kkhhk?”

However, no matter how powerful she was, it seemed James Moriarty saw her as nothing more than a slightly larger fly.

“I never realised my daughter had such a fondness for such vermin.”

“Graaaaaaaahhhh!!!”

With a casual wave of his hand, he summoned a dazzling radiance that seemed ready to engulf everything in its path. The encroaching shadow that had threatened to cover the room flickered like fire and began to dissipate almost instantly.

“You.”

Amid that terrifying spectacle, James Moriarty, his face cold and impassive, looked down at me while whispering in a bone-chilling tone.

“No matter how many flies a mosquito calls upon, it cannot bring down a dragon.”

Yeah, those words might actually be accurate.

But here’s the thing.

This man underestimated my connections.

“… Poppy.”

And most importantly, he underestimated my judgement.

“Bite.”

“… Yes.”

If he hadn’t, he might have been more wary of the fact that, despite the blinding light filling the room, my shadow was now stretching to cover half of it.

- Grrrrrrrrr…!

“…….!”

At my command, Poppy, who had emerged and grown massive enough to fill half the room with her shadow, lunged at James Moriarty, her glowing blue eyes fixed on him.

“You… the hound of the underworld…!”

“Immortals like you… have always been so disrespectful towards me…”

His eyes widened in shock as he hastily tried to retract the radiance meant to fend off Jill the Ripper.

“I’ve always hated that.”

“… Urgh!”

But it was already too late— Poppy, now monstrous with her shadowy form, sank her sharp fangs into his arm.

“Haaaargh!!!”

“Khuhk.”

With that, Inspector Lestrade, now freed, drove her baton with all her might into his stomach, causing James Moriarty to cough up blood for the very first time as he collapsed.

- Bang…!

Before he could raise his other hand, Moran fired an air bullet at maximum output, shredding it to mince meat.

- Goooooooo…

At the same time, Charlotte’s black aura wrapped around James Moriarty, binding him.

“D-Damn…”

As soon as I managed to shake off some of the oppressive weight, I began moving the activated scroll towards his heart.

“STOP!!!!!!!!”

“… Arggh.”

The roar that erupted from James Moriarty froze me in place once again, my breath catching in my throat.

“””……….!!!”””

It wasn’t just me— everyone else, though to varying degrees, was similarly paralysed.

“At first… I thought I’d show some mercy, keep a few of you alive to serve as my pawns…”

“Urgh…”

“But no… it seems you lot are beyond redemption…”

And then, before our very eyes, James Moriarty began to unleash a power far greater than anything he had displayed before.

“You’re telling me… he’s been holding back this entire time…?”

“Shit…”

The realisation that he still had strength to spare – and that he had taken little damage – began to sap the will of everyone present.

“Pathetic wretches. Every single one of you… your lives end here, without exception.”

“””………”””

“And you, especially… for the unforgivable sin of defiling the blood of a dragon…”

His deadened gaze swept over the others before locking onto me, his expression twisting into one of seething hatred as he began to radiate raw power.

“But… I was the one defiled by the dragon though…”

“You shall suffer the most excruciating death this world has ever known!”

As his hand, brimming with an overwhelming and chilling killing intent, lunged toward my heart—

“Uwaa?”

“Eeeh?”

“… Huh.”

Out of nowhere, two bright-eyed children clambered onto James Moriarty’s knees, their innocent faces completely unfazed by the suffocating tension in the room.

“…….”

For a brief moment, James Moriarty stared at them, dumbfounded. Then, as if shaking off the absurdity, he tried once more to extend his hand toward me.

“Granpa!”

“Grandpaa!”

The two children giggled happily as they crawled on his lap, babbling cheerfully. Their bright smiles seemed to ripple through James Moriarty’s otherwise unshakable composure, causing his cold, piercing gaze to falter for the first time.

- Clink, clatter, chaaaain…!

“……!?”

And in that exact moment, grey chains materialised and coiled tightly around his body, binding him completely.

“………”

It was then I noticed, standing calmly was the professor – now free from her restraints – her hand raised as she cast the spell to ensnare James Moriarty with the chains of magic.

“… How long have you been waiting for this opportunity?”

“… From the very beginning.”

As James Moriarty’s dazed question hung in the air, the professor answered with quiet composure, her voice steady and resolute.

“Uwaaaahhh!!!”

Summoning every last ounce of strength, I slammed the scroll into his heart with all my might.

- Crackle, fzzzt, buzzz…!

A brilliant, multicoloured light immediately began to flood the office.

“H-Ha… haha…”

And then, in the very next moment—

“WAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”

From the once-dazed James Moriarty came an explosive, boisterous laugh that echoed throughout the room.

“Yes… now that’s my daughter!!!”

“……..”

“I almost started to feel disappointed in you…!”

Laughing so hard it seemed tears might spill, his voice rang with pride. But then, as though flipping a switch, his expression darkened, and he fixed me with a cold, menacing stare.

“… For someone like you to dare touch my precious daughter.”

“Hold on a second, excuse me, I was the one being touched and ravished!”

“Prepare yourself, Isaac Adler.”

I tried, against all odds, to explain myself, clinging to the faintest hope for some understanding.

“The scroll’s effect will last no more than 20, maybe 30 years.”

“Wait, hold on.”

Yet whether it was pure rage clouding his judgement or simply his natural disposition, James Moriarty paid no attention to my words, leaving only his ominous warning.

“When I awaken, after that time…”

“Listen to me, damn it!!!”

I shouted desperately, my face contorted with indignation, but,

“First, I will thoroughly slaughter you.”

“I’M THE VICTIM HERE!!!”

The light from the scroll surged, wrapping around him completely.

“Prepare yourself… for defiling my grandchildren’s blood… y-you… you…”

“… I’m going to lose it.”

“You filthy, inferior being…”

With those final words, James Moriarty was swallowed whole by the scroll’s power, disappearing entirely.

“”……….””

And then, there was silence.

“Hoeng?”

“Uung?”

The first sounds to break the miraculous and temporary peace in the London office came from the two children, now seated on the floor where Moriarty had been. They tilted bobbed heads from side to side, looking at me with curious babbling.

“Da.”

“Dada!”

“… Yeah.”

At this rate, I think I need a break.

“It’s Dad, children…”

***

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