Chapter 120: Camelot's End

—Infinite Nexus—

"...So that was your ploy." Najimi muttered, her expression impassive as she looked up at the old man sitting in front of her, casually drinking tea.

"..."

"You never planned on having him be the 'main protagonist' in this world's story, no, Zenkichi was merely a side character of it all. Sending him to this world, it didn't teach him anything but that he is but a frog in a well."

She narrowed her eyes, "Zenkichi Hitoyoshi does not chase after strength for the sake of strength, battle or some silly ideal of justice. All he wants is to enjoy his early life before the inevitable demise of his loved ones. Sending him here was a waste of time, besides, wasn't the vision you saw at the end of this world's story turned out well?"

Her eyes shone, overwhelming pressure exuded from her very being, causing the air to tremble around them. The large screws embedded around her body shook and shone a bloody red light, sending intense pain throughout her body but she didn't flinch. Instead, she maintained her stoic composure, her gaze unwavering as she confronted the old man.

The old man remained unperturbed, meeting her gaze with a calm demeanor that belied his true power.

Zelretch took a sip and replied. "Well, I didn't say I was going to make him some sort of hero or protagonist. Rather, I was merely curious about the changes he could unleash into this screwy world and whether he could help fix one of the many... singularities within it and many more in the future."

He smiled, "And would you look at that, he did it! And in the span of a couple of days as well. He didn't even have to go and ask for the help of that old assassin. I'd say, he at least learned to fight better."

"...You used him as bait," Najimi's voice was laced with disdain as she spoke, her eyes narrowing further at Zelretch's nonchalant demeanor.

Zelretch chuckled softly, the sound echoing in the tense atmosphere of the room. "Bait, you say? Perhaps. But isn't that the nature of existence itself? We are all pieces on the board, moving according to the whims of fate and circumstance."

She coldly snorted. "Oh cut the bullcrap and just admit it, that you asked my warden to have an "outsider" get involved in this singularity so that the gaze of your "teacher" doesn't fall upon that little "hero" of yours." Zelretch's smile faded slightly at Najimi's directness, and she then asked. "Just who is he? I can easily recognize him to be some sort of protagonist... but his "halo" seems to be losing its light."

Halo, or the Protagonist Halo. One of Najimi's 12,858,051,967,633,865 skills, lets her identify individuals who possess a significant impact on the world around them, often acting as protagonists or central figures in various narratives. It was how she identified all those "Heroes" and "Villains" in her world.

Zelretch looked down at his cup, gazing upon his reflection, pondering Najimi's question for a moment before responding.

"In a sense, he is my grand-student; the student of my student." he said, his tone tinged with a hint of nostalgia. "Anshin'in, you understand how picky I am about my students; after all, to learn my Magic not only requires talent and potential but also a certain... quirkiness so to speak."

The space around him began to distort as if the very fabric of reality was bending to his will. A kaleidoscope of colors swirled around him, casting a mesmerizing glow in the room.

"After all, to peek into the abyss of madness and chaos, the abyss must also gaze into you," Zelretch finished, his voice echoing with a hint of mystery.

Najimi rolled her eyes, "Yes, yes. Anyone who operates space-time and reality knows that. Get to the point."

"My point is, rude lady. Is that there are a very few people that fit my requirements and survived my teachings, and the outstanding ones, my favorites especially, I treat them as if they were my... grandchildren so to speak. There is this particular one, who has been my student in almost every possible reality that there is."

A smile crept onto Zelretch's lips as he reminisced, his eyes distant with fond memories.

"Rin Tohsaka, a genius and a very eccentric girl. She possesses a unique blend of talent, determination, and a bit of... sass that sets her apart from others," Zelretch continued, his voice carrying a hint of admiration. "In many ways, she embodies the essence of my teachings, and her journey across the parallel worlds has been nothing short of remarkable."

Najimi listened intently, her curiosity piqued by the mention of his student.

"And what role does she play in this intricate tapestry of worlds and singularities?" Najimi inquired, her tone respectful despite her initial brusqueness.

Zelretch's smile widened, his eyes alight with excitement. "Nothing."

"What?"

"Well, not until the next singularity that is." He chuckled at her unamused expression. "So, in my timeline, I treat her as a granddaughter of sort, still strict on her though. But she's quite diligent and eager to learn, always seeking to push the boundaries of her magical abilities. She's a natural talent, and has never ask of anything great from me."

He sighed. "But, just like any human, she isn't perfect. She has one weakness, a great baggage in her life that keeps dragging her down but she doesn't regret keeping him by her side."

"Her student, I presume." Najimu added.

Zelretch nodded. "Shirou Emiya, the one in her Majesty's arms. The story between them is quite long but to summarize it all, normal boy meets powerful girl, falls in love, but they get separated by time and space with almost zero possibility of meeting once more. And during his journey to find her, he momentarily stayed by Rin's side to complete his Magus training and since he was fairly useful, I took him in several... learning expeditions with my students."

He chuckled softly, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. "He's an endearing boy, sad that he and Rin didn't get together in this timeline. But his eyes was set on someone else. And, it's finally done. His goal has been achieved, it's why his halo is losing its luster. His story is coming to a close."

Najimi stared at him incredulously. "So you went through all of this trouble, probably pissing off a lot of beings, just for the sake of one boy's love story?"

"Wouldn't you?" Zelretch raised an eyebrow.

Najimi stared at him and chuckled. "True. I've done a lot of stuff like that over the years myself."

She then asks, "So then, what's your plan with Zenkichi on the next singularity?"

Zelretch smiled, and picked up his cup of tea.

"To start off, he deserves some reward for going through all of this. Then? Well, it would be along the lines of the... divine nature."

...

Zenkichi looked at his hands, seeing himself turning into blue light.

"Is the singularity...?"

[Ding! Congratulations, Quest Completed!]

[Rewards pending... Calculating results...]

'Well damn, alright.' Zenkichi smiled. Feeling extremely relieved that everything was finally over. He couldn't wait to get back home; his friends, his mom, the internet and a proper bed.

No offense to Ozymandias, but a modern bed still beats his. The wonders of centuries of engineering towards comfort.

"My king..."

"Tch, over already? But I still haven't managed to kill one of the them!"

"... It's been an honor to work alongside you, sir Gawain."

Zenkichi looked up to see the remaining Knights of the Round Table, surrounding around Artoria and Shirou with mixed emotions. Agravain especially, had the most anguished expression among them all.

But in the end, they all bowed towards their King, who ignored them all and sorrowfully leaned her head against her lover's face as they were enveloped in a bright golden light.

Their story, that had been stretched across space and time, had finally come to an end.

"Shirou..." Artoria softly mumbled, tears trailing down her eyes. "I love you..."

Shirou slowly opened his eyes, a small smile slowly crept up his lips.

"I love you too... Artoria..."

They shared a final kiss as the golden light enveloped them, their forms gradually fading away into the ether.

"You..."

Shockingly, after standing silently behind Artoria for a while, Berserker Lancelot then walked up towards the disappearing Mash. The latter didn't know what to do, as while she felt like she shouldn't come anywhere near the creep, but she also felt like she should lend her ears for a bit.

"Never... waver... in your... resolve..."

He was about to open up his helm, when he was suddenly knocked back by a punch.

"... You didn't have to tell me that, stupid old man." Mash grumbled.

"Mash?!" Gudako, Da Vinci and Romani who watched her was astonished. She didn't expect her to do that!

Why did their sweet and adorable junior just straight-up punched someone on the face?!

Mash blinked and looked down at what she had done and went beet red.

"Ah, no! I didn't mean to do that! I–!"

"Well, that ended pretty nicely." Brunhilde said, walking up to Zenkichi, her body also turning into motes of light.

"Guess so," Zenkichi nodded and glanced at her, spotting the strange sword in her hand and daggers around her belt. "Looks you got yourself some spoils of war."

She raised the sword, its cyan blade shimmering in the fading light, reflecting her indifferent expression.

"...It's Gram." She lightly said.

"The sword of Sigmund? Or is it Siegfried?"

Brunhilde shook her head. "Doesn't matter. It's cool, and it could of use to you."

He looked at her in the eyes and shook his head.

"Nah. I prefer using my fists and, well, you than a specific weapon. So keep it."

Brunhilde looked at him for a moment and smiled.

Zenkichi turned towards Gudako and said loudly. "Hey Gudako! See you later!"

"Hm! Don't forget to talk to us at our gc!" Gudako nodded with a smile, waving back at Zenkichi.

As the singularity continued to unravel, Zenkichi felt a sense of closure wash over him. It was pretty great adventure, walking across a vast desert wasteland, meeting heroes and battling a Goddess, it was a pretty awesome journey in another world.

'Welp, time to get back to school.' He closed his eyes, feeling the familiar sensation of being pulled back through the fabric of space and time.

But when he opened them again, he found himself in a unfamiliar room.

Beside him was also Brunhilde, who looked around the room in confusion.

"Where the fuck are we...?"

...

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