Three years… This is my longest stay so far. Even my time in Gekai didn't surpass it. I admit, I feel lonely every now and then, but I chose to push forward since it is something I am determined to do.
Still, their company is something I always miss... even if I could talk with them vaguely through their Arcanum.
I shrugged that thought as I returned to my mobile base. It moves continuously within the airspace and could immediately transfer to the ground through teleportation. It is the product of searching for resources in this singularity for three years. Many functions such as stealth and defense are incorporated to it.
Of course, I didn't excessively do things. The resources and drops from my week-long expedition contributed to its creation.
As for the inspiration behind it…
During three iterations, I went to the abandoned research laboratory of an organization known as Atlas. Their security measures are extremely strong. I took some inspiration from them and created this mobile base.
"{Coordinates locked. Magical energy is starting to fluctuate within these points.}"
In the control room (hangar), five big points glowed red on the screen. Unsurprisingly, all of them could be located in Jerusalem. The rest of the world remained silent.
"Looking at them… It'll take at least half a day." I said. "Let's settle this grail first. We'll act according to the plans we have previously discussed."
"{Understood.}"
As I left the hangar, a long pathway made of silver and blue steel greeted my sight.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Every now and then, I heard metallic footsteps. Those came from the autonomous workers that Miku manages. They are responsible for resupplying and organizing things in the inventory. Having a mobile base isn't exactly as easy as it sounds. Refueling, perimeter checks, production line…
Fortunately, it is Miku who did most of the automated things.
As to how I made them, the [Miracle Maker • Creation Forge] has a huge part in that. It allowed me to virtually summon every tool that I know of and use them to create new things. Then, my creations would receive a buff in accordance to their purposes.
"I have this many stored…"
An itching feeling on my chest appeared. Several lines of thought followed after it.
'Charge: Fifteen'
'Miracle: Two Available | Charging…'
'Summoning: Not yet full'
These were the new functions from three years ago. Aside from my charges to manipulate time, there are the Miracle and Summoning parts. The former allows me to accomplish an impossible deed out of nowhere while the latter has something on what I presume to be summoning.
I am not certain if it would involve Heroic Spirits, though.
Nevertheless, I used more than ten of those charges developing this base as well as myself. Even if I used a charge to learn the Infinite Conversion of Mana Furnace inside this singularity, I would be able to learn it within these three years—and so I did.
That was when I found out that the less 'direct' the things I see, the fewer chances I would be noticed by Solomon. From the fully charged miracle I used before, I would be able to kill the Black Dragon as a level three, yet that was what it took to evade Solomon's gaze.
After that, I managed to find some pieces of information through the supercomputer stored inside the Atlas base, Tri-Hermes. It seems to contain everything from Heroic Spirits' data to the deduction about King Solomon and his goal.
Unfortunately, they met their untimely end during a disaster.
Swoosh-!
The special containment room opened. From here, I saw the thousands of magic circles inscribed within it.
"This is really my work…"
I came to accept my current position after three years. I am no longer the me of the past. I would no longer struggle with clearing Orario's one hundred floors.
I reached a new level.
Hum-!
A singular square pillar rose up in the middle. When I got closer, I saw that it had a gemstone embedded on its top. It is protected by a layer of glass.
I took out the golden grail. The moment it was out, it attempted to do something.
Fuzz-!
Hum-!
More than a thousand magic circles lit up the entire room. They were all compressed on several dozen huge magic circles.
Upon their activation, the grail's reaction stopped.
'I am playing with fire… huh.'
That would be my previous thought if I didn't become stronger.
Sometimes, dangerous things could be made to turn against their creators.
In this case, it is Solomon. He was the one who planted these enormous magical energy batteries throughout the so-called 'Singularities'. That was what came out of Chaldea within those three iterations where I met them.
Tap.
The corrupted Holy Grail was placed on top of the glass. The gemstone immediately shone brilliantly. A golden ring of light scanned it from top to bottom before a hologram appeared within the room.
[Confirmed.]
[The 'Holy Grail' shows a similar reaction as 'Demi-spirits'.]
[Its weakness is confirmed to be Holy Magicka.]
Several texts appeared mid-air.
"{Goshujin-sama, what should I do?}"
"Start an enhancement ritual."
"{Understood.}"
For this strike, I won't hold back anything. It is necessary to remove the demon—the Demon God Pillar—that Solomon planted on this Holy Grail. It is necessary to use it to create a miracle to return to my world. The miracles that I stored will have their uses within the next few days.
"Come to think of it… wouldn't humanity's final Master come here?"
I don't know if they still have to fix this singularity as I am planning to do everything within a week... Perhaps a day or two if I'm lucky enough.
If she does…
I'll have to talk with the other Galahad who gave his power to her.
Taking out Sora, I held its sheath in a diagonal position.
"Veritas Lux." (The truth enlightens me.)
A heavy aura started to press on my surroundings. The magic circles engraved on its walls activated at their fullest capacity.
At the same time, the enhancement ritual started to take effect.
"Complevitque Deus die septimo opus suum quod fecerat: et requievit die septimo ab universo opere quod patrarat." (And on the seventh day, God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.)
Miku's solemn voice resounded within the room; her voice becoming more humane than ever. The bright golden magic circle beneath my feet corresponded to its strength.
With that, I chanted:
"Etiam daemon ruina." (Even demons fall.)
SHIING-!
A sharp whistling sound. The strike which broke the speed of sound several-fold struck the demon down. It didn't harm anything else; only it.
Screech-!
A phantom image of a fleshly pillar appeared behind the grail. It was vague as it was cut into half. Soon, it disappeared. The Holy Grail on top of the pillar started to glow with sanctimony as the demon inhibiting it was obliterated.
Shiing.
Sora was back to its sheath. I could feel the two connections I have from it.
'I owe them a lot…'
That was the only way to vaguely communicate with Artemis and Hephaestus. Their Arcanum spanned over worlds and still reached me through the sword. Since it is outside of Gekai, they are far stronger than before despite the distance between us.
I moved closer to the grail before touching it.
Suddenly, a thought cemented itself in my mind.
'Currently fully-powered.'
"As expected of a Singularity's core…"
In actuality, the main role of the Holy Grail is to maintain these Singularities as batteries. It empowered Solomon's servants, the Demon Gods, to interfere with history.
It is the reason why history started going sideways. Just like the entire city of Jerusalem that I saved earlier. An Arab army was about to conquer it using the grail. If I didn't leave the illusions there, thousands would've been massacred.
As soon as it formed a connection with the grail within me, I found out that I could use some of its stored energy to manifest miracles through the real holy grail.
'Servant Summoning… Should I..?'
To be honest, I thought of making several allies through it. That was how I lived years ago, and I wouldn't change it now. The stronger your allies, the less pressure I would receive.
It's like gacha…
Of course, I know about the conventions on how to summon a Heroic Spirit. They could either be summoned during a grail war or by the holy grail itself.
In the end, I decided to go for it.
Knowing the chant for Servant Summoning, I cut it down with liturgy. I didn't need to do many complex gestures due to the mysteries that I possess. It worked in tandem with [Lord of Machines] that enabled me to turn by state as a being of mystery on and off at will.
In the midst of the process, I came to the part where the catalyst could be added. I didn't have anything on me that could serve as one… except for this.
"Praeteritium, Ostendo tu Ipse." (Bygone events, show yourselves.)
The evolution of [Memoir Manifest], [Historia Emendatus (History Correction)]. It has the same effects as the previous spell, but one of its new functions is the fact I could 'use' it to summon 'something' specifically.
In this case, I would be summoning a familiar item.
A huge circle was formed by the magic spell. Once it disappeared, it revealed a familiar round shield. It is none other than my partner for years.
"If it's my father… I'll have to beat him up. If it's the others… it's good."
In the memories of Galahad—my other life—I came to know that Lancelot is not as good as I expected to be. In one word, he is a deadbeat. Add to that fact he did that to Gareth…
It wouldn't be unjust if I took it out of him—my anger, that is.
With the [Around Round Shield] serving as the central catalyst, I ended the summoning through a chant.
"Consosius quid requaero. Respondere vocatus promptus est." (An ally is what I seek. Answer my call, o' willing one.)
Hum-!
At that moment, a strange connection appeared within my soul. My senses were elevated as the holy grail acted as my arm. It became completely subservient after 'connecting' with the Holy Grail inside me.
My astral body separated from my body. The next moment, a familiar distortion showed up. It is time itself being manipulated.
'Servant summoning… Is this a call from the Throne of Heroes?'
That is one of the terms I learned from Tri-Hermes. Similar to the Spirit Realm, the Throne of Heroes is where servants stay. After passing away in reality, they would be recorded in the said place.
A second later, I found myself in a dark place. The connection served as my guiding light.
Instinctively, I knew what I had to do.
"Mana Archiatius, Overload." I muttered before adding, "Infinitus Commuto." (Infinite conversion.)
A brilliant light engulfed my entire being. The dream organs that are fully activated went beyond their limits, in turn allowing me to surpass my limits. I have become the same being as the gods I had once respected.
Infinite Conversion…
This deserves to be called the Magisters' trump card.
Buzz-!
Hum-!
The distortion of time grew stronger. I am now affecting metaphysical concepts. Under this state, the intangible became tangible.
'It's time.'
I pulled the 'intangible line' towards me once I got the other side's consent. In a blink of an eye, I found myself back in the room. The magicka defense started fluctuating due to the Infinite Conversion.
At the same time, I sensed the 'creation' of the so-called Command Seals, but I chose to turn it into energy for the grail instead. I didn't have the intention of forcibly ordering them in the first place. Enhancements could also be directly done through the grail.
Simply, it boils down to whether they would be a good servant or not, but considering I used my shield as the catalyst, I should be able to summon an acquaintance.
As I calmed the fluctuations down, I saw the person on the other side.
"...Ah."
It was a young girl. She wore a blue dress with white embroideries. Her waist-length white hair distracted me for a moment.
"Huh…"
I couldn't recall a young girl being on the Round Table, though?
"You are my Master…"
'She…'
Upon looking at her, I immediately knew the specifics about her.
'Fairy Knight Lancelot'
'Class: Lancer'
HUH?!
Did I just…
"You're not him…" I muttered. "...it's not…"
"..?"
Wait a moment…
I didn't summon my father.
Fairy Knight Lancelot…
Did she come from a Camelot that I don't know of? A different version of Lancelot that existed somewhere in the parallel worlds?
I admit, this event dumbfounded me. I was expecting my father to appear, not a young girl like her.
Nevertheless, I saw her true nature in a single glance. My confusion didn't cloud my mind.
She is a Dragon.
For some reason, she feels familiar... Was it similar to that dragon on that magi organization?
"I apologize for the impoliteness. I am Akasaka Nobu. You are…"
"Lancelot. You can call me Lancelot."
"...alright."
I paused for a few seconds. I couldn't relate this girl to my father. It made me wonder if I summoned the wrong person.
But then, she seems more fitting as a knight than anything.
"Galahad."
"...Yes?"
I was startled when she called me that out of nowhere.
"You… are not the Galahad I know. Is this the wonders of being summoned?"
"...Perhaps. Countless things could happen in the world." I replied. "If I may, what is a fairy knight?"
When I saw that title, I had a feeling that it is the cause behind this occurence. It'd explain why she is not the Lancelot I know—that is, my father.
"Fairy Knights are the retainers of Camelot's Ruler. We are gifted by our king to serve better." She said. "It will be helpful in following your orders, Master."
"It's better not to call me that. Haven't we agreed upon being allies through the summoning?"
"I… don't understand."
"Well, you'd understand this someday. For now, it's nice meeting you, Lancelot."
I offered my hand as a gesture of handshake. In return, she did the same but with visible confusion.
On this day, I summoned a strange heroic spirit.
*****
A/N: Alright, here are some of the questions that I found.
Q: Will he eventually return to Danmachi?
A: Yes.
Q: We never quite got a description of Knights Physique and Luck, why is that?
A: Part of it was me wanting to avoid excessive info-dumping. This aspect of his (Knight Physique) would be used on the current arc, which is why I delayed that explanation. Then again, I'll be answering their functions in advance. Knight's Physique is simply bringing back Galahad's physical prowess from the Age of Gods (Camelot Era). That would enable him to directly interfere with the mysteries instead of using magic as a medium first. An example of that was his [Even gods/demons fall]. As for Luck, it is the same as the canon explanation (basically divine providence/plot armor/makes him luckier).
Q: So he was already Level 7 before the three year timeskip? And is he physically 15 or 16?
A: Yes, he's already level level prior to the timeskip. He's also physically 16 years old. Though, y'all shouldn't have a misconception that Nobu couldn't upgrade his status on his own. It was stated a few chapters back that he could do just that but chooses not to since his status upgrade serves as a special time with his goddess.
Q: How much time did pass on the other worlds?
A: At the very least, it wouldn't surpass his three years inside the Singularity.
Q: Can you give us a description of his skills and abilities?
A: This is an excerpt from Chapter 108. It shows his post-timeskip status sheet. You will see that there are several new abilities/skills which would be explained as this arc goes on. This should also answer his current level (10).
[Level 10]
Strength: SSS1599 Defense: SSS1599 Dexterity: SSS1599 Agility: SSS1599 Magic: SSS1599
Hacker: S Ubiquitous: S Luck: S Knight's Body: S Chain Attack: S Abnormal Resistance: S Hunter: S Dreamer: S Learner: S Revelations: ?
If you add this to him being a Magister (Infinite Conversion that I stated a few chapters back), you might have an image as to how strong he would be post-timeskip.
Q: Will he pick up some new skills during Jerusalem singularity?
A: A definite yes. As a small hint, think of the possible power-ups that could be found within the Singularity. Atlas, for instance, contains their busted magecraft, a complete information on the entire world, and most importantly... (You know it if you know it)
Q: Will we meet Ritsuka on fgo arc?
A: What do you think? ;)
Q: Is the time skip only for his age or the years passed for Earth and Gekai too?
A: The latter.
Q: When Nobu returns, will his appearance still be the same as now?
A: Nope. He will be more mature and taller than he was on the Danmachi arc.
Anyways, that should sum things up. I hope it answers the asked questions from the previous chapters.
PS: And yes, I chose Melusine in accordance to his identity as Galahad. It's just funny to see him being so confused between PHH Lancelot and Fairy Knight Lancelot. I-it's not like it serves as a plot point for his future entry towards the British Lostbelt, definitely not!