The Absolute Godspeed of Infinite Worlds

Eiji pondered for a moment, then was utterly shocked.

Ultimate One.

If he remembered correctly, this referred to a planet's Ultimate One (UO)—the "ultimate existence" of a celestial body, a being that surpassed all other lifeforms, the unparalleled supreme entity, the undisputed strongest.

Though Earth currently had Grand Servants and Beasts that raised the ceiling of top-tier combatants, the planet had never actually produced its own UO.

Perhaps the competition was too fierce, or maybe the planetary will Gaia was simply incompetent at creating life. The exact reason remained unclear.

All currently known planetary UOs originated from other celestial bodies in the solar system.

The most famous example was the Mercury Spider, ORT.

And now, Goetia wanted to conduct a grand Selection to choose Earth's UO?

"No wonder the Counter Force agreed..."

After all, the Counter Force did have the desire to create a planetary UO. In fact, it could be considered part of its mission.

But entrusting this to Goetia seemed... reckless.

If he became Earth's UO, who knew what chaos would ensue? The planet might not even survive the ordeal.

"No one currently knows what the Counter Force is thinking."

Scáthach shook her head, then curled her lips into an excited smile.

"But this Selection is undeniably fascinating, don't you think?"

"Forgive my ignorance, but what exactly does this 'Selection' entail?"

Eiji raised his hand, voicing his second pressing question.

"Haven't you already witnessed it?"

Scáthach shrugged, her gaze lingering on Aoko.

"Heroic Spirits, True Ancestors, Magicians, Beasts... Over time, they will all converge within this Singularity for the final competition!"

Eiji glanced at Aoko beside him, deep in thought.

In other words—

"More worlds will merge into this one?"

"Good comprehension."

Scáthach nodded approvingly.

Exactly.

A Singularity was an abnormal world.

Precisely because it was abnormal, merging with other worldlines became perfectly normal.

Goetia's plan was to gather powerful beings from various worldlines into one world, then select the final candidate from these monsters.

No wonder Scáthach was so excited. Given her battle-hungry nature, facing so many top-tier fighters was likely her dream scenario.

With the Counter Force's support, merging the Mahou Tsukai no Yoru worldline had been effortless. Combined with the Singularity's unique properties, no one noticed the anomaly.

And this was only the beginning. More worlds would merge going forward.

Everything finally made sense.

"But what about the Heroic Spirits?"

Eiji recalled another issue. "I get that Goetia can transplant them here, but why erase their memories? Wouldn't that defeat the purpose?"

Heroic Spirits were essentially contracted labourers. If the higher-ups at the Counter Force permitted it, Goetia relocating them here wasn't surprising.

But if this was a grand Selection, stripping them of memories seemed counterproductive.

"How many Heroic Spirits do you think exist?"

"...I see."

Eiji had an epiphany.

The number of Heroic Spirits was staggering. A single hero could have multiple variations. Dumping the entire Throne of Heroes here would overwhelm the Singularity.

Thus, a filter was necessary.

Heroic Spirits would live as ordinary humans in this Singularity. Only those who truly "awakened" would qualify for the final Selection.

As for those who didn't? Consider it a vacation.

For many Heroic Spirits, a second chance at life was a rare opportunity.

"This threshold applies to everyone, not just Heroic Spirits. Take Aoko, for example."

Scáthach glanced at the thoroughly confused Aoko.

"Even a Magician must successfully awaken to qualify. Fortunately, she succeeded last night."

The awakening itself was part of the ritual—a preliminary elimination round.

Thus, individuals from merged worldlines initially couldn't perceive the world's anomalies. Only after Aoko used her Magic did she break through the shackles, officially entering this world's stage.

"Of course, there are exceptions. Some privileged individuals were aware from the start."

Scáthach steepled her fingers, smiling cryptically. "Such as Principal Merlin, Director Gilgamesh, and Romulus of the Roma Financial Group... essentially Grand candidates. Myself included."

"Goetia likely considers us pre-qualified for the main event."

What?!

Eiji was startled.

He'd assumed all Heroic Spirits lacked past memories. But in hindsight, Merlin had seemed suspicious. And Romulus...

The realization that Romulus was the actual Divine Ancestor made Eiji break out in cold sweat.

Could someone of my caliber even catch a Grand Lancer's eye?

Maybe I should break up with the Tyrant...

But the thought of that black card and Her Majesty's... generous assets made him hesitate.

"Wait, we've gone off-topic!"

Aoko, having been lost for ages, finally snapped, ruffling her messy hair in frustration.

"What about Medea last night? Why was she there attacking us?"

Ah, right.

That was the original question.

"Her?"

Scáthach waved dismissively.

"A classic case of failed awakening. Tormented by her Heroic Spirit memories, she lost her sense of self, becoming little more than a combat-driven husk."

In this world, Medea had lived over thirty years with a family—husband, children, presumably happiness.

Then her Heroic Spirit memories awakened.

Given her tragic past, it drove her insane.

"Awakening can fail?"

"Naturally."

Scáthach stated matter-of-factly. "The awakening process tests one's caliber. Failure means elimination."

This changes everything.

As the final Selection approached, more Heroic Spirits would awaken.

And among them, failures would inevitably occur.

Eiji thought of his "mother," Minamoto-no-Raikou, and "sister," Okita Souji.

In terms of caliber, Raikou was debatable, but Souji...

Would she fail to awaken too?

***

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