"I have an answer for you," Kai said.
That's all it took for Him to materialize out of thin air.
Kai let out a sigh within, confirming that Zelretch had been keeping an eye on him. For him not to even sense an iota of His presence, He truly stood up to the status of Deep One.
The Jewel Golem, housing Zelretch's soul, eyed Kai, standing still among the snow and forest.
"Speak," He said. "After so much time, going as far as to take assistance from other Contestants… I hope you have thought it over wisely, young one."
Kai licked his lips.
So, Zelretch was indeed lingering near him when he had contacted King Purple Mist.
The 18th-floor powerhouse had disconnected the call through the Primordial Tower Trade Market right after answering Kai's question, shocking him.
The moment Kai had learned that the Dead Apostles Zelretch had claimed to be dead were now his father's pets, loud alarm bells had rung in his mind like never before.
The Deep One would consider lying to Kai beneath Him.
So, there was no chance that Zelretch had told Kai about the fate of non-human Dead Apostles wrongly.
Which meant Zelretch truly believed that they were dead.
Which also meant, the moment Zelretch learned that there was some relation between The Banished One and Kai, He might obliterate him on the spot, as They might share some past… and not a good one.
Surprisingly, despite not getting the means to contact any of the Storm Pirates, Kai had received ample information to decide his answer, especially after repeatedly using Reality Marble to hide some of his actions in the last 24 hours.
And that answer was a flat NO.
Because if Zelretch stood against his father, then there was no way Kai could accept a Blessing from the Deep One.
It wasn't even a matter of principle.
It was a matter of life and death, as having His Blessing would also give Zelretch some hold on Kai, just like Malebolgia had on Spawn.
The only reason he hadn't called out Zelretch right there and then was that Kai didn't want to give up on the Blessing.
Yes, it was a potential poison.
Still, a Blessing with its own Mystery… was just too good to pass upon.
"You already knew my answer," Kai said, instead of bringing NO to his lips. Starting with a negative word outright would be nothing but… bad luck. "Before you left me to mull over your offer, Your Eminence, you knew what my choice would be. Yet, you stayed here… in this timeline. Can I take it as you gaining an interest in me?"
Zelretch didn't deign to reply to such an absurd claim.
So, what if the claim was itself right?
Contestant Red was one of the singular most intruders that had caught Zelretch's undivided attention in a long time. For better or worse reason? It was yet to be decided.
The one named Betty Shaw was good as well.
But good wasn't good enough for a Deep One like him.
That's why He had changed His mind at the last moment, offering Red a Blessing with its own Mystery.
It was just — What an absolute shame for Red to reject it…
Even if He had taken a liking to Red, it was still only a liking. No Deep One would offer the same Blessing twice, especially after getting rejected once.
Kai knew this as well.
That's why he hadn't rejected it, yet. Not truly.
"The offer is indeed very tempting, Your Eminence," Kai said, smiling. "Especially now that your Protagonists have become the wildest cards in the Holy Grail War, surpassing even the unpredictability Enkidu carried around him. One could even say that… if I didn't accept your Blessing, I have all but lost this war. Without your Blessing, my desire to win the timeline is… impossible."
Zelretch kept quiet, waiting for Red's answer.
This all was quite amusing to him. The development so far had interested him the most. So what if one won and one lost… as long as the result was in His favor, He could do anything He wished.
The Deep One suddenly smiled.
"No, it isn't," He said, looking at Nothing Is Impossible Skill and the newly gained Master Manipulator Ability in Red's Stats. "It is possible."
"…" Kai.
"…" Zelretch.
Kai kept a smile on his face despite the failure of his trick. "… If it is possible," he said slyly, "… then I have a counteroffer for you, Your Eminence."
For the first time after appearing here, Zelretch's brows twitched, seeing the Master Manipulator Ability's Proficiency jumping to 50% from 15% suddenly. "…?"
It seemed, no matter what He had said — Impossible or Possible — Kai had plans to turn both words to his advantage.
This kid… Zelretch smiled within. Interesting… "I am hearing."
"For Your Eminence, the best outcome is the failure of Angra Mainyu's incarnation," Kai said. "That's what I want, too. However, if I lose, then the Greater Grail will give birth to All Evil, forcing you to intervene. Shirou Emiya, as your protagonist, is strong enough to survive, but not win this war."
Zelretch had to nod, accepting the words.
"If you intervened," Kai continued, "then the Great Spider will take notice of it. I cannot fathom the relationship between Deep Ones, but… if I won, wouldn't you avoid that?"
Zelretch held back a smile and nodded.
"Here's my counteroffer, then," Kai said, taking a deep breath. "If I win this War, without your intervention, then allow me to accept your Blessing for one of my followers. If I lose, then I will accept your Blessing myself."
One way or another — I will have your Blessing — and, in turn, your hold on me.
Even though these words were left unsaid, Zelretch could hear them clearly. Of course, losing the War meant death for Red, but…
The Deep One's pupils shook, seeing countless possibilities. Not in one of them, Red survived, forcing Him to intervene to stop Angra Mainyu's incarnation.
Then, where was Red getting his confidence from?!
Zelretch wanted to say it was an impossible scenario, no matter the Win or Loss, but that would only benefit Red. He didn't want to make things easier for this kid.
"… Alright," Zelretch accepted. "I hope you will surprise me, kid."
Then, just as the Deep One was about to disappear, He noticed something that made His brows shot high.
The Master Manipulator Ability's Proficiency… had just jumped to 90%…
And, as if unknown to this sudden jump, Kai kept smiling gently… perfectly calm.
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