Zelretch didn't want to select Contestant Red as the Protagonist. Not at first. Not now.
Shirou Emiya was a Character tested by time across the timelines. You could depend upon him to do the right thing when it came to making the hard choice.
It didn't matter what route it was, either. As long as Shirou became a Master of Saber in the Holy Grail War, he possessed the greatest chance of winning it.
So, Zelretch had first gone to him.
With so many monsters gathered in a timeline, the boy needed a hand to bring out his true potential way ahead of time.
By letting him experience Archer's memories through the vision, many, many times, Zelretch had given Shirou the edge he would need in the coming War.
This wasn't a timeline where Masters could afford to remain weaker than Servants.
If Shirou remained closer to his human limits, then the likes of Red would butcher him sooner or later.
Contestants, especially of Chaos, thrived on taking advantage of the loopholes.
Neither did they know mercy nor did they want to know it.
Zelretch didn't mind that, though.
If it wasn't because of Angra Mainyu's imminent incarnation, and the greater implication of Great Spider waging a Multiversal War as a result, He would have never intervened in this timeline.
Sadly, Zelretch found that He would have regretted doing so later.
Though a Contestant of Chaos, Red was — unique.
Anything that could make a Deep One open its mouth in shock possessed each quality to be either annihilated or preserved for further observation.
The second Protagonist Zelretch had chosen was the one named Betty Shaw of Order, who possessed a Glitch — Cameraman!
Almost all Contestants of the Order possessed the singular-most quality of Protagonists.
But that wasn't why He had selected the Director, twisting the Holy Grail War's rules to bestow a pseudo-Ruler-Class Servant, Jeanne d'Arc, upon him.
It was because Zelretch had seen a possibility in this timeline, stemming from the Evil counterpart of that Contestant, that He didn't like… that He didn't want to come true at any cost.
It was better for both Betty Shaws to keep entertaining themselves instead of letting them meddle in the business of the worsening timeline.
And as the Evil one possessed Matou's legacy, it was only right for the Good one to have a unique edge as well.
With Shirou Emiya and Betty Shaw covered, Zelretch didn't have many choices left.
There was Rin Tohsaka of His moderately-beloved Tohsaka family.
However, the Counter Force had already meddled with her fate, letting her summon a Counter Guardian — Assassin.
Further tampering with the girl could backfire, pushing the timeline beyond redemption.
The Good Sakura Matou could work as well. However, in her case, if He were to choose her as the Protagonist, Rider could go out of hand.
So, Sakura wasn't an option, either.
It left only one other candidate — the Contestant who had begun all this.
Zelretch hadn't trapped Red outside of spacetime to bestow something upon him. He hadn't even wanted to select him as a Protagonist.
The only purpose of presenting Himself was to offer a choice to the Contestant, forcing him to voluntarily give up on the Mission and leave the timeline.
But, after presenting the first offer, and the more Zelretch observed Red, He knew He had underestimated the kid.
By asking for the second offer, Red had all but rejected the first.
At first, the second offer Zelretch had planned to put on the table was to let Red take Medea with him. He had seen how the Homunculus and Caster interacted with each other.
Also, as a Deep One, He could let go of an emanation like Medea without angering the Great Spider. As long as Medea's true body in the Throne of Heroes wasn't touched, losing an emanation wouldn't affect the timeline itself.
Surprisingly, after seeing Red's Stats, Zelretch changed His mind.
He knew Contestants like Red. He had interacted with them. He had vanquished many of them. And He had even taken a liking to a few of them, going as far as to remember their names.
These Contestants thirsted for nothing but Power.
And… there was nothing wrong with that…
…
"Alright," Zelretch said, looking at the yellow crystals dancing in the Contestant's demonic eyes. "Here's my second offer. But first, let me tell you something about it.
"In the history of Multiverse, since accepting the Great Old Contract, I have offered it to 10 Contestants. Seven of those Contestants were non-human species, like you. Three were still humans.
"All seven non-human species died before they could reach maturity. Out of the remaining three, only one is still alive.
"And she became what you Contestants call — a King."
Kai's heart thumped in his chest.
"You can call it a Blessing, if you like," Zelretch said, knowing the terms popular among the Contestants well. "Or, given your Stats, if you don't care about Blessings, you can even call it — Extremity."
Kai had the Extremity of Demon Paragon waiting for him to be claimed in the Verse Fusion Random World.
But, if Zelretch wasn't fucking with him, then what He was about to offer was an Extremity in its entirety.
Not just an Extremity, either.
An Extremity of the Fate Bubble — one of the most difficult ones to obtain!!!
One could even say that this was an Extremity that led straight to the top — above the 18th Floor!!!
Kai's fingers clenched into fists. Not because of excitement. But he knew the moment Zelretch opened His mouth, he would have to fight the hardest battle of his lifetime — of making a choice.
Sure enough, the Deep One's mouth flickered as if He had just smiled, sensing Kai's processors in utter chaos.
"What I offer is a Standalone Title, young man," Zelretch said, dropping the bomb. "The one that will let you keep growing as long as you remain alive. The one that will let you become the most unique existence across the Multiverse. I offer —
"— The Extremity of True Ancestor!"
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