On the ground was a magic circle constructed from knowledge Morpheus had learned in the Nasuverse, with incantations also acquired there.
Even without a Holy Grail as a foundation, it was fine. By linking directly to the Root and centering the ritual around the name of the Lord, he created a magic circle with protective effects.
After completing these preparations, as Morpheus chanted the incantation, the circle activated. Amid the surge of magical energy, something distant responded.
This was a Servant summoning ritual, but no relic was needed. As someone who wielded the full power of a Yog-Sothoth summoning ritual, Morpheus himself was the ultimate relic.
Was he summoning that maiden who served the divine?
No. Even a maiden bound to Yog-Sothoth couldn't match Morpheus' current level!
In that moment, what emerged from the circle was not human... not even tangible!
It was an entity formed entirely of magical energy, resembling a cluster of bubbles. Yet, merely observing this illusory structure revealed the terrifying power it contained!
It held the force of time and space!
The special magic circle Morpheus had placed around the summoning ritual worked, containing the overflowing energy. This wasn't Yog-Sothoth's true form... merely a fragment of its dispersed power. Yet even this fragment seemed to possess a will of its own.
The four letters of YHVH began to glow, forming a peculiar circle from a unique triangle, creating a seal that confined this power from the Outer God, preventing it from leaking out.
But to gain its power, to uncover its secrets, he had to make contact!
Morpheus stepped forward, entering the magic circle.
Instantly, he felt a surge... like a tempest of knowledge flooding his mind. Despite having shielded his eyes, blood still trickled from them, dripping onto the ground.
Under excruciating pain, his brain raced frantically. In that moment, he felt, Everything I understood before was wrong.
This was the poison... the mystery that destroys all, driving people to madness. Though Morpheus was a magician who had touched many mysteries, he was still profoundly shaken.
With a stifled groan, he spat out a mouthful of blood. As it hit the ground, he snapped out of the worldview-shattering state, quickly leaping back and reversing the ritual to send the mysterious entity back!
An ordinary person would have gone mad from that brief contact.
Morpheus wiped the magic circle from the ground with his foot, coughed, and collapsed.
He heard hurried footsteps. Soon, two worried faces appeared above him... Medea and Artemis, both visibly anxious.
"Morpheus, what's wrong?!" Medea crouched in panic, grabbing his arm and shaking it gently, afraid to use force. Artemis, after confirming he was stable, said softly, "He's fine. It seems like a mental shock. He just needs rest."
She glanced at the mostly erased magic circle, puzzled. "What was he doing? Another magic experiment?"
Just moments ago, she'd sensed a terrifying, profound, and serene power here. Assuming it was Morpheus' experiment, she heard him collapse and rushed over, only to find something had indeed gone wrong.
Though she reassured Medea, Artemis was still tense.
The circle was destroyed, making it impossible to analyze what he'd done. Some magic could cause unpredictable harm, not immediately apparent.
"Cough, cough, stop shaking me, or my bones will rattle apart…" Morpheus coughed, spitting out more blood but still teasing, showing he was relatively okay.
"What magic was that?!" Artemis asked urgently, seeing he was conscious. "If you pass out, I can figure out how to treat you."
"Just a simple Servant summoning… except it wasn't a person, more like part of a god… It saw my devotion and stuffed a ton of knowledge into my head. Too enthusiastic…" Morpheus muttered, lying on the ground while mentally sifting through the new information.
It wasn't much, but it was exactly what he needed... small insights into time-space magic, helping him better understand how to apply his own power.
Though the systems differed, many aspects were applicable.
But the rest was mostly poison.
In the past, magicians studied grimoires... original texts like the alchemical classic Geber's Sum of Perfection. These weren't copies for ordinary readers but true books imbued with magical energy.
They held forbidden knowledge, craving dissemination, yet their power overwhelmed those who read them.
This poison, if accumulated, could lead to collapse, madness, or death!
As a magician, Morpheus had to purge this poison. At his level, it would take at least two weeks to fully cleanse.
In other words, he'd need to stay put for half a month.
This poison could even transfer through certain intimate acts, potentially causing someone to conceive something horrific, bearing traits of an evil god.
"If you don't mind, could you carry me inside?" Morpheus smiled at the girls. "The ground's a bit hard."
***
Hi guys, I just wanted to let you know that I'm currently working on a new fanfic, so if you like this one, you should definitely check that one out too:
[Saint Seiya: The Lord of the Underworld (Multi-Cross)]
Hades.
The Lord of the Underworld and one of the Three Sovereign Gods of the Greek pantheon is among the most powerful deities to ever exist.
It is said that He was the strongest of the Three Sovereign Gods, and that Zeus holds the throne of the heavens only because He allowed it to happen, because He lacking of ambition and valuing the balance of the world above all else.
But what if this time, the title of Lord of the Underworld had changed hands, and inherited by someone whose ambition is as vast as the waters of the sea?
Chaos!
This is the story of an ordinary human who through both luck and misfortune inherits the title and responsibility of the Lord of the Underworld.
Yet there is a fundamental difference between the Lords of the past and the present.
Ambition!
It is in human nature to possess ambitions that can reach the stars, and because of this once-in-a-lifetime chance, he will not let the opportunity slip away to expand his dark and somber dominion, making it as bright as the sky and as deep as the ocean.
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This is a multiverse fanfic that focuses on journeys to worlds other than Saint Seiya.
Saint Seiya, Nasuverse, Dragon Ball, Campione, Re:Zero, Date A Live, Genshin Impact, Akame ga Kill, Kimetsu no Yaiba, Overlord, No Game No Life, Marvel, DC, Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, Pokemon, Fate, Danmachi, and etc.