Chapter 113: Parallel Worlds

"So, how are you here?" Gudako curiously asked, the others looked at Zenkichi and Brunhilde. "Because last I check, you're from another universe and alive. You shouldn't be here, much less being a Servant! How is that possible?!" she threw her arms up in disbelief. This whole thing didn't make any sense! Most importantly, how did they even form a master and servant relationship?! This was the first time they've ever met each other!

"Wait, Fujimaru, is this the same admin of that mysterious group chat? Are you really from another reality different from ours?" Da Vinci asked, her eyes star-struck in excitement and she got up to Zenkichi's side, grabbing his arm. "Ooooh, I'm so curious! What's it like? Did the age of Gods end in your reality? How technically advanced are you compared to ours? Oh, wait! Is it like some dystopian future where robots and artificial intelligence have ruled the world?!"

"D-Da Vinci-chan... you're being too close," Mash said, looking slightly red in embarrassment of Da Vinci's actions.

Da Vinci casually shrugged her shoulders and replied, "Well, it's not everyday I can observe and ask questions to someone from another universe. You have to understand that this kinds of situation is an extremely rare case, as the concept of... messing with parallel worlds could only be done by one of the five true magics; the Kaleidoscope, which only the one magician that uses it is capable of such a thing. Even for me, I can't replicate such power... unless I have certain materials that is."

Everyone stared at her, who stuck her tongue out.

"But, here's my question for our new friend here," She turned to look at Zenkichi. "From my understanding, the Kaleidoscope mainly operates in the main time axis of our universe, as there has been no evidence of the magician of the Kaleidoscope having visited a completely different universe or know the existence of different universes."

Sanzang raised her hand. "Da Vinci-chan, what's the difference of parallel worlds and different universes?"

Da Vinci snapped her fingers, a wide grin on her face. "Great question! Now see, parallel worlds typically refer to alternate timelines or realities within the same universe, branching off due to different choices or events. These worlds exist simultaneously alongside each other but may have divergent histories or outcomes. A great example of this, is what if I didn't become a well-known artist and inventor? That makes it that alternate reality to have no mention of me except being some ordinary person, the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper wouldn't exist in art history and the first airplane would go to someone else later down the line!"

"On the other hand, different universes imply entirely separate planes of existence with their own laws of physics, timelines, and possibly even different dimensions. While parallel worlds may share some similarities with each other, different universes can vary greatly in their fundamental properties."

Zenkichi nodded in agreement with Da Vinci's explanation. "Exactly."

Gudako leaned forward, "Okay, we got that covered now. So, back to my questions. How and why are you here?"

Zenkichi scratched his head and replied, "...I don't know."

They stared at him, deadpanned.

Chuckling, he continued, "That's the truth. We were just minding our own business when a strange magical circle appeared and enveloped both us, the next thing we saw is a vast desert and ruined structures. Oh and uh, I found myself getting turned into a temporary Heroic Spirit? I honestly have clue on how that happened."

Gudako sighed. "Well, it seems like fate has brought you here for a reason, even if we don't fully understand it yet. But I'm glad to have you both with us, regardless of the circumstances." She smiled warmly at Zenkichi and Brunhilde, but she froze as another realization dawned on her. "Wait, who is she?"

Brunhilde raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. "Took you long enough to notice my existence."

"I-" Gudako flinched. Da Vinci, Sanzang and Touta all burst out laughing while Mash rubbed her master's back.

Brunhilde grinned, finding a sort of satisfaction of seeing Gudako looking embarrassed, and said, "Well, we needed to introduce ourselves anyway, so I'll start first. I'm Brunhilde, the eldest and the leader of the Valkyries."

"Huh? Brunhilde...?" Gudako, Mash and Da Vinci looked at her in confusion. They had Brunhilde at Chaldea right now, and she looked nothing like her!

"Oooh! So, you're lady Brunhilde of the Valkyries? I've heard great tales of your prowess as a legendary maiden warrior from afar! I'm Archer, but since we are comrades, my true name is Tawara Touta. Here, have some rice!" The muscular man with long green hair said, handing over a bowl of delicious-looking rice.

"Yeah-! *Eating* Big sis, it's really delicious!" Said Rushd, who eagerly ate his food.

"Rushd! Don't speak with your mouth full, it's rude." His mother said, scolding the boy.

The tanned little boy and his mother then quietly chatted by themselves on the side as they ate, not participating on the group's talks since they couldn't understand what they were talking about and weren't interested. They, especially Rushd, were much more interested in eating their meals.

Brunhilde accepted the bowl of rice with a smile. "Thank you, Touta. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Touta smiled widely, showing his pearly white teeth.

"Oh, oh! Me next!" The woman wearing a white robe leaned forward, making her large and firm breasts, cladded by only a bra, jiggle. "Umm, I'm Caster. True name Xuanzang Sanzang, nice to meet you two!"

"Nice to meet you too, Xuanzang." Zenkichi said as he ate his bowl of rice, humming in delight. It was delicious!

Gudako waved her hand at them, "And I'm Fujimaru Gudako, this is Mash and that woman beside you is Leonardo Da Vinci."

Mash smiles at the two, waving her hand. "Hello."

Zenkichi softly smiled, nodding at her. His eyes widened when he saw something unexpected.

"Hello, Mash." Unexpectedly, Brunhilde leaned forward, with a kind smile on her lips, she she put her hand on Mash's head and ruffled her hair gently. "It's good to see you, oh young hero."

"H-Hero?" Mash squeaked, flustered. "I-I don't know if I deserve such a title..."

Brunhilde chuckled softly, her hand still resting on Mash's head. "You may not realize it yet, but you possess the heart of a true hero. Regardless of that strange power dwelling within you, you reached this far in your journey and faced many challenges bravely. You have doubts, believe me, every true hero doubts themselves sometimes in their lifetime. But it's your actions and your determination that define you as a hero, as a person... and a human."

Mash's cheeks flushed slightly, touched by Brunhilde's words. "Thank you..."

"Hahaha. Very true, lady Brunhilde!" Tawara Touta chimed in, his voice hearty and warm. "Mash may not fully realize it yet, but she's truly remarkable."

"Mash," A hand rested on her shoulder, Gudako softly smiled at her. "You've been an invaluable companion to us. Your strength, your kindness, and your unwavering determination inspire us all. Whether you see it or not, you've earned the title of hero in the hearts of those around you."

Mash's eyes shimmered with gratitude as she glanced at Gudako. "Thank you, Master. I'll do my best to live up to your expectations!"

Watching such a touching scene, Zenkichi smirked and glanced at Brunhilde.

"... I'm a Valkyrie, Zenkichi. Back before the Gods in my world became... well, more assholes than they were before, I once help guide heroes into Valhalla. I have been doing it for many millennia, that I can easily tell on whether someone possesses a heroic soul... as well as what their problems are. We sometimes act as psychiatrists." Brunhilde simply explained.

Zenkichi nodded, understanding. "I see. So, you sensed something special in Mash, then?"

Brunhilde smiled softly. "Yes, indeed. Mash carries the spirit of a hero within her, I say that in both metaphorically and literally."

Da Vinci, who heard their conversation, whipped her heard towards her in surprise. "Wait, so you can tell that-"

Brunhilde nodded.

The two looked at each, a silent understanding passing between them.

Da Vinci shook her head, "Well, I shouldn't be too surprise."

"But wait, why are you both together in the first place?" Gudako asked.

"Last Master, do you really not recognize me?"

Gudako blankly stared at her...

"Wait, Valkyrie of the Human Record?!"

After a small talk between the two, the atmosphere then turned somber.

"Gudako, what can you tell me about the situation here?" Zenkichi asked.

Gudako nodded and replied, explaining, "Well, to summarize it all, this world will end on 2017 all because of the King of Magecraft, Solomon. I and my companions are from an organization that was created in order to stop such an event from happening, called Chaldea. And in order to stop Solomon, we need to fix all the singularities that he caused."

"And there are seven singularities scattered across human history," Mash added. "This is the sixth singularity that we're on right now."

Zenkichi raised a thumbs up, "Nice job!" and then asked. "So, how do we fix this singularity? Find the Holy Grail? Defeat all the servants summoned here?"

Gudako nodded. "Basically, yeah. But we only really need the Holy Grail, as that is the whole reason as to why this timeline had gone off track. Once we secure the Holy Grail, we can correct the singularity and need only one more to prevent the world from ending."

"But, the Holy Grail is normally with a powerful servant, guarding it like a dragon would to its treasure. We'll need to defeat that servant to claim the Holy Grail," Mash explained.

Xuanzang then chimed in, "And from what I heard during my time with the Knights of the Roundtable, the Holy Grail should be with the Sun King."

Tawara nodded, a solemn expression on his face. "With such a grand title, I have no doubt in my mind that he's an extremely powerful servant. Especially since he could make the Lion King reluctant on fighting him."

"Hm. From what I have gathered from some wanderers, I gather that the king is a Pharoah." Da Vinci added. "Adding to the fact that they are called the Sun King, I can take a guess on who it is."

"Huh? How did you guess that they were a Pharaoh?"

"Because only Egyptians would make a pyramid on a desert."

As they were talking to themselves, Zenkichi and Brunhilde shared a look.

"... We don't need to go to the Sun King's territory," Zenkichi said, catching everyone's attention.

"Huh? What do you mean, Zenkichi?" Gudako asked.

Instead of telling them, Zenkichi took out the Holy Grail from his pocket dimension(magic is op) and showed it to them.

Everyone went silent.

"H-How do you already have that?!" Gudako asked, incredulous. For all the time they spent retrieving Holy Grails, going through wars and sailing through treacherous sea waves, this was the first time they were handed a Holy Grail without having to fight for it!?

Zenkichi shrugged, "We stayed a night at the Sun King's territory and after some conversation, he handed the Holy Grail to me."

"S-So easy...?" Even Mash couldn't help but gape in disbelief. Obtaining the Holy Grail without a fierce battle seemed too good to be true.

Gudako's expression shifted from incredulity to curiosity. "What did you talk about with the Sun King? How did you manage to convince him to give you the Holy Grail?"

Zenkichi smirked and replied. "Simple, I'm just that charming."

Gudako deadpanned. "That's so cringe..."

"Gah!" Zenkichi winced, feeling a bit embarrassed at his own remark. "W-Well anyways, we got the Holy Grail. But the singularity still remains."

"That's..."

Da Vinci furrowed her brows, trying to piece together the situation. "It's strange. Normally, obtaining the Holy Grail should resolve the singularity. But if the Holy Grail is already in our possession and the singularity persists, then there must be some other underlying cause."

Zenkichi nodded, as someone who played through this singularity before, he knew what was needed to fix the singularity. "I think I know why, and it has something to do with the Lion King."

"How so?" Xuanzang curiously asked, after all, she spent a couple of months in the Holy City. And despite having been in the city for so long and being close to the king and her knights, she still can't figure out the Lion King.

Specifically, why did they call themselves the 'Lion King'?

It's a very important question!

"From what I had gathered from very reliable sources, before the appearance of the Holy Grail, the so-called Lion King has been spotted wandering around for many years. At least, they wandered for hundreds of years."

"Hundreds of years? Impossible, unless they have non-human blood in them or specialize magic that can prolong their lifespan for so long." Da Vinci said. "More importantly, who is the Lion King? I have some guesses..."

"It's King Arthur, or to be exact, Artoria Pendragon who didn't die after the Battle of Camlann."

Everyone widened their eyes in shock at Zenkichi's revelation.

"That... shouldn't even be possible." Da Vinci said, after pondering about it. "This is an era far after the Battle of Camlann, and sure changes would occur due to the singularity, but you're talking about something that happened before the singularity even existed! A change like that shouldn't happen unless... the Lion King came from a Parallel World." she suggested, her expression turning serious.

Zenkichi nodded gravely. "That's exactly what I suspect. The appearance of the Lion King and the prolonged existence of King Arthur could be attributed to interference from a parallel world."

Gudako leaned forward, intrigued. "So, you think that the Lion King originated from another timeline, and somehow found her way into this singularity?"

"Exactly," He nodded. "so you all understand what this means."

"In order to fix the singularity, we have to defeat the Lion King." Mash muttered.

"Don't forget about her knights," Brunhilde added.

"So, how are we going to confront them? How do we even find the opportunity?" Gudako asked, then turned towards Xuanzang and Tawara.

"Eh, sorry but I can't help with that. I'm slightly ashamed to admit it, but I didn't analyze the structure of the Holy City for any hidden entries." Xuanzang said, rubbing her head.

Tawara crossed his arms before him, saying. "I've never been to the Holy City. I only came across lady Xuanzang when I was lost in the desert."

Zenkichi frowned, and sighed. "Looks like there's no other way. We have one opportunity, an event that occurs once a month; the Holy Selection."

.....

AN: Sup

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