"Are you sure you want to do this?"
A mechanical voice of a woman asked him as he stared into the vast expanse.
It was nothing but a pure white space, yet before him was a swirl of blue mass emanating immense power.
"Even if you succeed, it won't truly take away their pain."
Another cold voice resounded from behind him.
"Perhaps, it may just be another Singularity or worse, a Lostbelt. You may bleach the earth twice over. Even still, are you willing to take that risk?"
He clenched his fists.
He stared silently at the red sigil engraved in the back of his hand.
The only remaining proof that he fought against Fate.
The mark of Humanity's Grand ambition.
The embodiment of Mankind's will for Order.
"I am."
"Even if the timeline has reset from all your efforts, it has completely thwarted Marisbury Animusphere's plans. At the end of this journey, you will vanish completely. You will become an obsession...
A Phantom.
A wandering spirit...
Until you disappear completely."
The mechanical voice of the counter force resounded inside his head.
Then all of a sudden, he could feel the space distort around him. He found himself in a ravaged city where everything had been burnt to ashes.
"You who have walked the burning streets of Fuyuki. Fought alongside your companions to defeat the corrupted king of knights."
The scene then shifted to a grassy expanse. Dragons flew overhead as they burned settlements around them. A giant ring of light absorbing human history floated above them.
"You who have traveled to Orleans met with great heroes of ages past. Labored to defeat the dragon Witch."
Then the scene faded to black as patches of yellow wheat spread across, and then shifted the scenery once more.
"You who have traveled to ancient Rome. Saw the glory of the empire first hand. The murky black waters that lurk beneath and finally met Altera. The one who would put a damper on your journey. Sefar, the destroyer of civilizations."
Then he felt the place change as he found himself in an endless blue vista, seemingly stretching towards the horizon. He stood on a pirate ship.
"You who have sailed across the seas to meet legends and battle only to learn the truth about the singularities."
The scene changed as quickly as they appeared,
"You dealt with each one, from London, America, Camelot, and finally Babylonia. Repairing irregularities and restoring human order."
She said as He remained silent. Slowly reminiscing about his adventures.
"Yet it didn't end there. You fought against the Beast that sought to incinerate human order. You rallied all the heroes you met across your journey to fight for your future together."
Ritsuka closed his eyes and found himself in a different place.
It was a barren wasteland. Floating rocks all over the place. A large ring of light is floating above the horizon. Gigantic tentacles covered with cat-like eyes tower ominously over him and his companion.
"The Last Master, Fujimaru Ritsuka! Your Fight has truly been amusing! Together with CHALDEA, your journey ends here! The end of HUMAN ORDER!"
A man, rather a being trying to imitate a human, and failing miserably at it talked to him. He looked at him in glee as he struggled on the ground.
However, all of a sudden, countless streaks of light flashed across this empty wasteland. They gently landed behind him as they stood tall against the frightening opposition.
Then a mighty voice of a woman boomed across the deadly battlefield.
<
She was a woman covered in armor. Her blond hair tied in braids slowly extended her hand towards him.
<
He felt his fighting spirit surge as he stood up.
He witnessed the glory of mankind.
He etched into his eyes their will, their hope for a better tomorrow.
He clenched his fist as he raised his hand.
"Hear me! O Heroes of eld! I ask of you! Win this battle for Mankind!"
His hand glowed crimson as one of his command spells was consumed, and he felt massive amounts of energy being drained from him, but he never faltered. He stood tall and witnessed a battle to save humanity.
He fought tooth and nail, bled and cried to save humanity. Fix all its errors throughout time. From the seven singularities to having a full-blown fist fight against the king of the demon gods. To the Four Remnants, to the seven Lostbelts. He fought side by side with heroes of old against alien gods that threaten the broken world. It was an Ordeal, but they still answered the Call. The Ultimate Ones that could wipe reality as long as they exist were felled by him and his allies.
Memories quickly flashed by.
"Even after all that... You stood at the mirror of the swirl of origin and did it once again." The monotonous voice said with slight emotion.
"After reaching the root, your only desire was to go back in time?" The cold voice said with a hint of mockery.
"So you did. You went back in time. To save those who yet remain to be saved, to help those you failed once before. Such madness is unprecedented. To change Pan Human history, to change its trajectory. It could lead to catastrophic consequences! And yet! and yet... by some miracle you succeeded." The cold voice filled with a trace of anger and helplessness echoed her sentiments.
"If you have faltered in any way and altered the results completely, I would've sent them after you. Did you ever think about how crushing that would be for them? Those who stood by you and fought alongside you? to personally take your life?"
The counterforce once again said in complete indignation.
He travelled across time to correct everything, or at least ease their burdens greatly.
From beating Sefar with the Holy sword of the stars to prevent mass destruction and the death of the Gods, and kick-start the Deterioration.
To every single turning point in history, side by side with his servants, nay, his friends and companions.
The Living Heroes, who left a mark in history alongside him. Victory after Victory.
He has gained more skills than ever before.
He fought in every single grail war to prevent more tragedy.
He stopped two sisters from completely severing their relationship with one another.
He helped a lonely girl who could see through death.
He helped a cheerful vampire girl who didn't want to be a weapon.
And many more...
He Learned.
Listened.
Observed.
Understand.
With all his efforts, he managed to prevent this world from becoming a land of steel.
Damaging his spirit completely.
A journey that would've killed a lesser man instantly.
But with growth and strength came a price.
His spirit could no longer endure.
He could vanish at any moment.
Something Alaya nor Gaia could accept.
For he was one of the Beauty of this world.
A paragon of mankind.
"And now you stand at the center of the root once more... Yet you...You want to retain this history? The history that isn't the Pan-Human History that is predestined? I can no longer save your life. I can no longer supply you with endless mana. Even the root itself can no longer support your extended lifespan. Changing history alone comes with the greatest price. Your entire existence." The monotonous voice shook with anger as her tone shifted.
"You want to make this the only timeline. Merge everything into one? Crimson Moon and the Dead Apostles and the Heroic Spirit Grail Wars timeline must not merge and should not. The throne of heroes must be retained to be able to fight back against an external threat. Haven't you learned anything from fighting Velbers? And ORT!? You have felled countless Alien Gods, yet you remain this stubborn and foolish." The cold voice wasn't holding back her anger anymore.
They created a portal next to him, "Turn back, Fujimaru Ritsuka. Humanity only has one destination. We do not enforce it, nor do we control it."
Their monotonous voices rang in his ears.
"No matter what kind of force, external or otherwise... Could derail destiny. Perhaps all your efforts would be in vain? We follow the same path. It has and always will be the same. Everything has been predestined. Your efforts alone cannot change it. You cannot change the inevitable. You cannot win against fate." They said at the same time.
"What if... We used the boundless power of the root? What if I make that my wish? Use mystery itself to retain this history. To change pan-human history into this one. This is one timeline where everything coexists. Where everything has suffered less compared to before. Am I not allowed to have that wish? After saving this universe countless times?" He said with a tone laced with confidence.
"ARE YOU MAD!?" They screamed at him at the same time.
"I am Alaya. I seek to preserve humanity's survival. I cannot compromise with your madness." The monotonous voice said.
"I am Gaia, I seek to maintain all that is beautiful in this world. I cannot agree to your insanity." The cold voice retorted at him.
"I wasn't asking. But, I think the root would agree." He said in full confidence.
"Foolish, such a thing will never happen--" Before Alaya could continue, she felt the entire universe shake.
"How!? The Universe agreed with your madness!? Your pain, your suffering, your victories, your bonds, your precious memories... all would vanish. Perhaps even more. The world could change into something more unpredictable." Gaia said as they gathered true ether all around him.
"We want to stop you..." They said their voice was tinged with uncertainty.
"But... we want to see it. Even if we are the subconscious will of the world. We want to see the world we sought so hard to maintain be better." They said with a tone laced with sadness.
"How would Mankind prosper with your conditions?" Alaya said with a tone filled with expectation.
"How would the beauty of the world shine?" Gaia said with excitement.
"So I ask one final time, Fujimura Ritsuka... Humanity's Final Master, Mankind's Final Heroic Spirit, The Last Magician, and the last Living Hero. Are you prepared to sacrifice everything for them?" They asked with a tone filled with both uncertainty and eagerness.
A trace of fear and unwillingness in her tone.
"I am. "
He said simply. No long speeches, just an unwavering conviction to see things through.
The three of them remade reality itself.
For he would be the last and final master.
No one will follow.
With a smile, he was covered in bright light.
"This will be painful..." Those were the final words he heard before he was thrown into the endless torrent of space and time.
He felt his entire body was being reshaped, ravaged by external forces with enough power to remake the universe twice over.
Then a still silence enveloped him as the deep blackness of the abyss devoured him whole.
CHALDEA was now a bygone memory.
A long-standing achievement that no one would remember.
They won against Fate.
Although it would be a little lonely since no one would be able to remember their efforts, and their memories would disappear completely, that's fine.
As long as they're fine.
For He is Humanity's Final Master.
"Fujimaru Ritsuka!!!"
And so he vanished from the world completely.