Ryoji paused to think for a moment, then the implications hit him, and he was utterly shocked.
Ultimate One.
If he remembered correctly, that title referred to the "Ultimate Being" of a planet, the UO. A supreme lifeform that stood above all others on that world. A peerless, genuinely strongest existence.
Though Earth currently had powerful entities like the Grand Servants and the Beasts, which massively raised the power ceiling, the truth was that this planet had never successfully produced its own UO. Some theorized the competition was too intense; others whispered that Gaia, the will of the planet, was simply incompetent at the task.
The only known Ultimate Ones were all born from other planets in the solar system, the most famous example being the Crimson Moon (Type-Mercury).
And now, Goetia was planning a massive process, a Selection, to choose Earth's very own Ultimate One?
"In that case, it's not strange that the Counter Force agreed..." Ryoji murmured.
After all, the Counter Force absolutely had an interest in producing a planetary UO; one could even argue it was part of its mission. But entrusting something that vital to Goetia, wasn't that outrageously reckless? If he ended up becoming Earth's UO, the resulting disaster could destroy the planet entirely.
"No one knows what the Counter Force is truly thinking right now." Scáthach shook her head, then curved her lips into a sharp, eager smile. "But admit it, the idea of such a selection is fascinating, isn't it?"
"Forgive my dullness," Ryoji raised his hand, "but what exactly is the process of this so-called selection?"
"You've already seen it, haven't you?" Scáthach shrugged, letting her gaze wander meaningfully between Ryoji and Aoko. "Heroic Spirits. True Ancestors. Magicians. Beasts... As time goes on, all of them will appear in this Singularity, and engage in the final contest."
Ryoji glanced at Aozaki Aoko beside him, deep in thought. In other words... "...More worlds will continue to merge into this one?"
"Good insight," Scáthach nodded approvingly.
That was the key. A Singularity was an abnormal world, and because it was abnormal, even something like the merging of multiple timelines became normal within its borders. Goetia's plan was to gather the strongest beings from all relevant parallel worlds into a single stage, and from among these monsters, select the ultimate candidate.
No wonder Scáthach was so excited. Given her battle-maniac tendencies, facing such high-level opponents was likely her lifelong dream.
With the Counter Force's tacit backing, it had been easy for Goetia to pull in the 'Night of the Magicians' worldline. And thanks to the Singularity's distortion, no one had even noticed the fusion of worlds. Yet, this was only the beginning. Many more worlds would be drawn in before the Selection was over.
"But what about the Heroic Spirits?" Ryoji asked, frowning. "I get that Goetia could bring them here, but why erase their memories? Isn't that completely counterproductive?"
A Heroic Spirit was an employee of the Counter Force; if their boss allowed it, their 'transfer' wasn't surprising. But if this was a grand selection, making them forget who they were seemed pointless.
"How many Heroic Spirits do you think there are?" Scáthach countered.
"...Ah, I see." Ryoji's eyes widened as understanding dawned.
There were simply too many. A single Servant could exist in several versions; if the entire Throne of Heroes were summoned, this Singularity would collapse under the weight. Therefore, a filter was necessary.
Each Heroic Spirit would first live here as an ordinary person. Only those who managed to awaken their true selves would qualify for the final selection. As for the rest? They could just treat it as a vacation. For many Servants, being able to live a second, peaceful life was a precious gift.
"And not just the Heroic Spirits," Scáthach added. "This filter applies to everyone, including Aozaki Aoko."
She gave Aoko, who by now looked utterly lost, a knowing sidelong glance. "Even a Magician has to awaken properly to qualify. Fortunately, you succeeded last night."
That awakening itself was part of the ritual, a kind of preliminary elimination round. This was why people from other worldlines couldn't initially perceive the distortion of the world. Only when Aoko used her magic last night, successfully breaking her limits, did she truly step onto the stage of this fused worldline.
"But of course, that's not absolute. There are a few privileged individuals who were aware of the world's abnormalities from the very beginning." Scáthach tapped her fingers together, smiling faintly. "For example: the Headmaster Merlin, the Director Gilgamesh, the Roman Consortium's Romulus... in other words, the Grand-class candidates. Naturally, I'm one of them as well."
"From Goetia's perspective, we were probably considered to have automatic qualification for the official selection."
"Wait, what... !?" Ryoji was startled.
He'd assumed all Heroic Spirits had no memories! But Merlin had seemed suspicious before... and so had Romulus. And then it hit him, Romulus was literally the progenitor god of Rome. Could someone as weak as me even be noticed by a Grand Lancer-class being…?
He briefly wondered if he should break up with that tyrant, but then he remembered the black card, and his rather deep fate with His Majesty, and couldn't bring himself to do it.
"Wait a second! We've been talking for so long, but we still haven't gotten to the main point!" Aozaki Aoko, who had been baffled this entire time, finally snapped, ruffling her messy hair in frustration. "So what was that thing with Medea last night? Why was she there, and why did she suddenly attack us?"
Ah, right. That was a good question.
"Her?" Scáthach waved a hand dismissively. "She's a typical case of failed awakening. Her Heroic Spirit memories overwhelmed her and shattered her sense of self, in the end, she degenerated into a mere humanoid creature. Just think of her as an empty shell, driven only by the instinct to fight."
In this world, Medea had lived for over thirty years. She had a family, a husband, children... one could even say she'd been quite happy. But then, her tragic, miserable Heroic Spirit memories had awakened, and driven her completely insane.
"Wait… awakening can fail?" Ryoji's voice was suddenly strained.
"Of course," Scáthach spoke as if it were obvious. "The awakening process is, by nature, a test of one's own vessel. If you can't even succeed in awakening, then naturally you have no right to pass the preliminary round."
So that's how it is... That meant, as the final selection approached, more and more Heroic Spirits would begin awakening. And among them, there would inevitably be more cases of failed awakenings...
Ryoji's thoughts turned to his mother, Minamoto no Yorimitsu, and his little sister, Okita Souji. In terms of capacity, Yorimitsu might be fine, but Souji... definitely didn't rank very high.
Could that mean… she might fail her awakening, too?
(End of Chapter)
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