Capítulo 135: Chapter 134: Burdens, Salvation
The Black Dragon exists at the peak of Gekai for a long time. It is merely second only to the gods of Tenkai.If they hadn't interfered and gave birth to the Age of Gods, there wouldn't have been any heroes left to halt its advance.
Perhaps, it would have been the true ruler of Gekai until the destined hero arrives.
Unfortunately, fate had cut off its future. It received a huge advancement in the form of a cursed technique, yet it was defeated by me in the end.
Now, it could only serve as a punching bag for an angered girl.
Bam-!
The clash of Telesma and cursed energy happened at this moment. It was the third Black Dragon she fought.
The first one was restricted by me. As such, she was able to end its life easily.
The second was its version with injuries and lack of cursed techniques. She was barely able to come out on top during this round.
As for this third Black Dragon…
It was still too much for her.
Bam-!
Aiz crashed several dozen meters on the ground. The gray soil broke down due to the impact she brought down.
Seeing her current state, I chose to end this dream.
The next moment, we returned to our positions in the library.
"...That was the Black Dragon you fought?"
Aiz asked as she looked at me straight in the eye.
"Yes."
As she fell silent, Lady Riveria began to divert the topic.
"That was a legitimate manipulation of time?"
"That's right, though it only works inside my dreamland."
One of my biggest gains during the fifteenth iteration is the realization of my dream's power. To confirm it, there was even a [Dreamer: EX] in my status. It became the same as [Revelations: EX] which couldn't be easily quantified by the falna on my back.
Currently, my [Dreamland] enabled me to completely defy the physical laws of the world. I could recall previous histories, reverse time, recreate something out of thin air, and so on.
Of course, it isn't that simple.
Everything that occurs within the dreamland would disappear like bubbles when it comes in contact with reality. So as to say, all the items I recalled and the enemies I revived would disappear the moment they exit the radius of [Alice's Wonderland].
As for the energy consumption and fatigue, it is perfectly resolved by [Infinite Conversion].
In the end, I managed to gain a "Domain" that I could use as a shield against attacks and to bypass the need of a chance to utilize [Ein Sof] in my wrist.
"It started as a branch of induced auditory and visual hallucinations mixed with soul magicka but…"
I started talking about the mechanics of this new magicka, to which Lady Riveria listened with great interest.
*****
Just like before, I returned back to Earth after a few hours in Gekai. I couldn't exactly leave here for an entire day since it would cause others to worry… especially Mashiro.
By the time I returned, it was nearly 4:00 PM. Bocchi-chan's dismissal time is around this time, so I was able to teach her about the guitar every day.
"N-n-nobu!"
"Hey. I decided to drop by since I didn't have much to do."
Her school is basically a few minutes walk from Shimokita, which is the reason why she could always go to her "part-time" job at STARRY on time.
"Ah, I see."
I sent a teasing smile to her.
"W-why!!!"
She tried sending a light punch to my waist, but I tanked it all. It became more of a cute gesture than anything.
"A-ah?! Were you hurt?"
"Nope. I'm still entertained with this…" I replied. "An introvert actually has a handsome friend outside of school… or something like that."
I chose to stop teasing her and went away from her school. By the time most of the gazes were gone, she became more at ease.
"If you could perform in front of a… I see."
Just as I am about to ask, I realized why Bocchi-chan got anxious all of a sudden.
"Your trauma with school isn't gone yet, huh?"
"You could still understand everything with one look…"
"That's to be expected from your first friend."
Her ridiculous looks stopped and changed to that of a brighter countenance.
"Anyways, I finished doing maintenance with your guitar." I pointed to the black guitar case on my back. "Maybe I could give some inspiration about your new release."
"Ah?"
"Don't be too surprised. I only wanted you all to enjoy this… moment."
As a veteran in the music industry, I could lead them to an easier path and give them many opinions. However, I chose not to do it. Doing so could lead to them missing out on the fun part of being in a band.
The only reason why I was able to smoothly release things is due to the holy grail. I received the experience of creating songs for ten years, all in the span of one moment. If seen in reality, it would be as if I released one masterpiece after another.
The process of creating songs and performing as a band is something that would definitely push Bocchi-chan for the better.
"This was also thanks to you. If you hadn't taught me the guitar or became my first friend…"
"Don't underestimate yourself too much. I believe you can do many things even without me."
For a moment, she stared at me in a daze.
"Isn't your friendship with Ijichi-san, Yamada-san, and Ikuyo-san proof of it?"
"Ah? Yes…"
This time, it was me who experienced an odd deja vu. Bocchi-chan's embarrassment… It seems different from the usual.
It reminded me of those times.
"How the heck did we even..?"
My mind drifted to my first few iterations.
Just then, something woke me up from it.
Bam-!
A shockwave passed by the entire street.
"Ah..?!"
Bocchi-chan panicked as her skirt flew up.
"What's with the weather… Nobu?"
"Yes? It's nothing."
Inwardly, I clicked my tongue in this scenario.
'Two special-grade entities fighting out in the open…'
I don't know whether to blame the sorcerer or not. I am familiar with the two beings who are fighting just now.
Special-grade Sorcerer, Okkotsu Yuta.
Special-grade curse, the Cursed Womb's Eldest Brother, "Choso".
'Should I kill him…'
I opened my mind partitions. The world around me slowed down.
'He killed innocents during the Shibuya Incident but proved to be a reliable ally during the Culling Game. As long as his brothers are taken care of, he shouldn't prove to be dangerous, at least to the people around him…'
Right now, I killed Kenjaku and Jogo while imprisoning Mahito and Hanami. The only special-grade curses that are left are Choso and Dagon.
Considering they didn't have any leader left, they are simply leftovers of Kenjaku's powerful force.
In short, I could either turn Choso into an ally or a dead enemy.
'Hm…'
In the end, I decided not to take any action. Yuta is competent enough to capture Choso, a Grade One Sorcerer equivalent, without any casualties. It would only take him a second to capture him in his [Domain].
On the off chance he makes a mistake and threatens the safety of others…
'I will be the one to take care of him.'
In this note, I decided to enjoy this time with Bocchi-chan.
*****
"Another world… You're planning to go to another world again?"
"It's not final yet. It wouldn't take a long time either."
After settling the matters during the day, Nobu continued working hard in the night. Even though he managed to receive a huge gift in the form of his [Dreamer] ability going into another level, he still wasn't content with it.
The things that he experienced in the fifteenth iteration suggests that the Twilight Syndrome requires maximum preparations.
Nobu has several plans that could accomplish this.
Repairing the philosopher's stone into its full form is one of them.
If the Lapis Judaicus, Lapis Philosophorum, and Calculus Albus were merged once again, what kind of power would it produce?
Just from the power of the Lapis Judaicus, it is enough for Nobu to focus most of his efforts there.
As for the second main plan, that is to unlock the Holy Grail's full potential.
"The Singularity where we came from is an irregularity out-and-out. That was the reason why we couldn't leave without a miracle. It'd be different if my destination was a normal world."
Nobu explained things to the concerned Melusine. During the past few days, she guarded the safety of both his brother and Mashiro while he was away. Only now was she able to return to Altair and have a long chat with him.
"Based on Mister Schweinorg's words, there is a world where the Holy Grail was held successfully."
In actuality, Zelretch is held back by his so-called Second True Magic. Despite the fact that he could interact with other parallel worlds, his other parallel selves don't exist—save for one more Zelretch in another set of parallel worlds.
It made it so that he is merely a single entity. Zelretch became an outsider despite being locked by the confines of his world as a result—he views everything in his world in a god-like perspective.
His existence was so great that interfering into other worlds could lead to the possibility of other parallel worlds collapsing, turning the sole world he interfered into the real one.
Fortunately, it could be controlled. As long as he doesn't interfere much with a 'parallel world', nothing drastic would happen.
Nevertheless, going inside a Singularity is a risky-yet-calculated danger that he underwent. It is mostly due to Nobu's [Holy Grail] that he was able to 'circumvent' this law.
After all, it doesn't count as interacting with a world when all he ever talked with is Nobu, an otherworlder. Even if the Clocktower headmaster was accounted for, it was merely a word or two.
"I asked for the coordinates in case I would need it… and here we are."
The world in which Zelretch mentioned in passing is a special one. It was one of the few worlds where the Holy Grail War became successful. Moreover, there was also an interaction with the [Reverse Side of the World] that occurred near the end.
It is simply an opportunity for Nobu to properly meet the Holy Grail's maker.
"When will you leave?" Melusine asked.
"It would still take a while. The conversion of your command seals is nearly done."
Nobu could 'feel' the grail's progress towards absorbing the unique set of Command Seals attached from Melusine. It was far stronger than the Command Seals that he expected.
If he didn't predict wrong, it would give him another miracle and several chances at the very least. There is also a probability of using the summoning function of the grail.
"...Is the calamity you're preparing for absurd?"
"...Yes. It would be on the same level as what your world had experienced, if not more."
At this moment, Melusine saw a glimpse of Nobu's burden.
*****
In a world where salvation has been granted, not many knew about the sacrifices made for it to happen.
"...How stupid am I..?"
Days had passed since the end of the final battle. Every person on Earth who survived the ordeals they experienced during these short four months are already aware of the supernatural side hidden within plain sight.
A few more months have passed since then, but there are people who have become stuck in the past.
"I should've been the one who did it..!"
A girl with the name of a fairy lost her usual liveliness.
"Why did I never… why did you…"
Along with a new iteration lies new sorrows.
Suddenly, the strong smell of alcohol hit her nose. The fairy knight immediately knew who it was.
"Oh…"
The pink-haired girl's dull eyes reached out for her pockets and grabbed a pack of cigarettes.
"Want some..?"
The fairy knight merely shook her head. The pink-haired girl didn't bother her anymore. She simply wore her black hoodie and left.
Without thinking much, she blankly stared at the clear blue sky. Her eyebags signified that she wasn't able to sleep properly. It made her completely different from the girl she used to be.
"It's just sad for you to not even be in the afterlife… How the fuck are we supposed to wish for your well-being..?"
As usual, the pink-haired girl smoked an entire pack of cigarettes that day.
*****
A/N: I felt the need (without massive info-dumping) to clarify how Zelretch's existence worked, so here's this author note. There are two worlds within Type/Moon—Fate and Tsukihime. Thus, it could be said that there are only two Zelretchs within the entire Type/Moon as these two worlds are different (Alaya-favored Fate and Gaia-favored Tsukihime).
As for the "observation turns canon" thing, I thought about it. If observing one world and interfering with it is enough to make it canon, how about his interference during the Prisma/Illya? How about the interference of accepting Rin as his student? Becoming the Marshall of the Clocktower?
It is for these reasons that I came up with the "limit" when it comes to the interference he could do. If this didn't exist, Kaleid might become the one true canon Type/Moon world at this rate (lmao).
Secondly, if someone is curious about the "pink-haired character" in the last section, you can check out "Scummy Bandman (Insert character name)" for the inspiration behind that change. Do take note that I only took the depressed Bocchi part, nothing else.
Lastly, if you are interested with the manuscript where I based off Zelretch's stuff, here it is: TM Manuscript[型月稿本]KATATSUKI KOUHON.
Happy Reading~!
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