"I call upon the great Zeus, ruler of gods and men, King of the Gods!
"Great Zeus of Mount Olympus, Lord of Lightning and Power, King of the Gods!
"In the name of the King of the Gods, roar, Thunderbolts!"
The lightning, originally blue, transformed into golden arcs as the incantation was chanted... a lightning that symbolized Zeus, the God-King, capable of tearing through space and shattering everything!
The book's pages vanished, and in their place, Morpheus tightly gripped the Thunderbolts. Aiming at Echidna ahead, he hurled it with force!
A newly born Hydra emerged, attempting to block the thunder with its massive body, but it was futile. Struck by the lightning, the Hydra disintegrated instantly, reduced to its most basic particles!
This was not the power of this world's Zeus but the power of the Almighty Zeus!
This force, which had slain Typhon not long ago, now faced Typhon's wife, the Mother of All Monsters!
The Thunderbolts didn't slow, plunging straight into the giant maw that birthed monsters. Cracks began to appear on Echidna's body, growing in number and severity!
Golden electric light spilled from those cracks. Despite Echidna's body constantly healing, it was powerless against this force. The wounds multiplied and deepened!
Finally, the violent electric light exploded from within her, consuming every inch of Echidna's flesh in an endless surge of electricity, reducing her to the most fundamental ether!
Everything seemed to be over!
That is, if you ignored the magical spell that erupted from Echidna's body at the very end.
Seeing the mark of that door, Morpheus was startled. He was all too familiar with what that mark represented!
An abstract door, twisting into a circle, with more and more spheres emerging from within. Space and time warped at that moment!
The twisting force was so powerful that time seemed to freeze, and everyone's movements slowed to almost imperceptible changes.
Morpheus glanced around, noticing that only Artemis showed any reaction.
"What… what is this?!" she asked in a low voice, staring at the spherical entity.
She had already aimed an arrow and shot it, but the arrow merely entered the sphere and vanished.
This made Artemis frown. "Is this a wormhole?!"
"It's a door, and it needs to be dealt with quickly… otherwise, this place will be completely swallowed!" Morpheus said, glancing at the items in his hand. He did have a way to close it, though the method was somewhat crude.
"Artemis, we might not see each other for a while…" Morpheus said as he began to float upward.
Startled, Artemis shouted, "What do you mean?!"
"I said, we won't see each other for a while. I'm not sure how long, but it looks like this is a signal urging me to leave…" Morpheus smiled, glancing at Medea, who was barely reacting. "Keep an eye on her for me. Don't let her do anything foolish…"
At that moment, Artemis understood what Morpheus intended to do.
"You're going in to close that door?!"
"Yes. I can feel the power inside. You can't stop it, and I can't fully stop it either. The only viable option is to shut it from within!"
As he spoke, Morpheus had already flown near the spherical spatial region. He could feel the suction growing stronger... if he weren't holding on, he would've been pulled in already.
Seeing Artemis trying to rush forward, he shook his head. At his gesture, Artemis stopped, gritting her teeth. "I'll watch over her!"
"That's enough!" Morpheus smiled and entered the spherical space.
That was the mark of Yog-Sothoth, the authority over space and time, suppressing nearly everyone. Morpheus didn't know why Echidna's body bore Yog-Sothoth's mark, but one thing was certain: if it wasn't dealt with, all of Greece might be dragged into it.
And now, there was only one feasible solution.
Morpheus glanced at the jewel in his hand, sighed, and let it go.
The jewel floated forward, and the moment it neared the entrance, an overwhelmingly powerful force erupted from within!
The power of Archangel Gabriel... or rather, the totality of all the power Morpheus could muster... burst forth in that instant.
Under the impact of this force, the door was destroyed, but it also made the space-time within even more chaotic.
Morpheus was swept away by the chaotic currents of space-time, hurtling toward an unknown destination.
…
Artemis watched as the terrifying force that twisted everything vanished from the sky. She knew this was Morpheus's doing. As the surroundings returned to normal, she saw Medea approaching, her face shifting from confusion to panic. Artemis hesitated, unsure of how to break the news to her.
…
2004, Fuyuki City, Japan.
A twin-tailed girl stood in her home, having etched a summoning circle for a Servant. Standing at its center, she held a magic book and began chanting the incantation.
"Let it be declared now; Your self is under me, my fate is in your sword. In accordance with the approach of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer! Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead. You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence!"
Blood dripped onto the circle, and the mystical array fully activated!
The transparent jewel hanging from the girl's hand emitted a faint glow, swaying gently with the surge of magical energy.
"O keeper of the balance!"
With the final invocation, the magical energy amplified, forming a connection. The summoned answered the summoner, descending in that moment!
"There's no mistake... I've drawn the strongest card!" The twin-tailed girl flashed a smug smile. The powerful surge of magical energy confirmed the strength of the one who had arrived!
Then, a figure emerged from the circle. A slightly youthful blond boy glanced at the girl, blinked, and stepped forward. Under her puzzled gaze, he showed a playful expression.
Then, he said something that left the girl stunned.
"Dear beautiful lady, did you summon me to fight in the Holy Grail War?"
A trench coat, an inner lining, a top hat... a Victorian-era celebrity style with some modern tweaks. The outfit left the girl baffled. Was this a Servant?
And his words only deepened her confusion. "You answered my summons... isn't it for the Holy Grail?"
The blond man rubbed his chin and nodded. "Oh, I see. So I came here for the Holy Grail. Thank you for telling me, dear lady."
This made the girl frown. She suddenly began to doubt whether she had truly summoned the strongest one. Why did this guy seem so clueless?
Then, the man gave her a slight bow. "I am Morpheus, just an ordinary magician. How may I address you, miss?"
Magician? Not a magus, but a magician?! Though puzzled, the girl didn't contradict him. She simply said, "Rin Tohsaka, your Master."
Hearing the name, the corner of Morpheus's mouth twitched upward slightly, but he quickly suppressed it.
"Alright, Rin. Is it fine to call you that? Or should I address you as Miss Tohsaka?"
Seeing how familiar he was acting, Rin Tohsaka felt a bit annoyed but said, "Whatever you prefer."
"Alright then. But could we get some food now? It's been a while since I've eaten, and I'm starving." Morpheus smiled at Rin, rubbing his stomach. "Please forgive me. I'm not sure of the exact time, but I'd guess it's been months since I've had anything decent."
"This is the first time I've heard a Heroic Spirit needs to eat. Don't you sustain yourself with magical energy?" Rin said with a hint of surprise, though her tone carried clear mockery. Still, she pointed in a direction. "The fridge is over there. There's only cold food for now."
To her surprise, Morpheus asked, "Where's the kitchen? Or give me some money, and I can go eat out."
Rin raised an eyebrow. She felt that this Servant she'd summoned was exceptional... exceptional at making himself at home!
Especially when he mentioned money, she felt a surge of irritation rising within her.
Without hesitation, the girl shouted, "No money!"
To her shock, he muttered under his breath as he walked toward the fridge, and though his voice was low, she heard every word clearly.
"No money, huh? No need to yell about it!"
Rin took a deep breath, struggling to suppress the anger threatening to boil over.
Then, she fell into deep self-doubt.
"I've prepared for years, training tirelessly for this Holy Grail War. I thought everything was set, that I'd summon the strongest Saber. So how did I end up with this guy?!
"And I still don't even know his class! Is he not going to tell me? Oh, wait, he said he's a magician, so did I summon a Caster?
"Saber! I wanted a Saber! Casters are useless in the Holy Grail War! Even if not a Saber, a Lancer or Archer would've been fine!!
"And look at his outfit... clearly from the modern era, or close to it. What kind of powerful magus could come from that time? He even called himself a magician. In that era, there were no magicians! Magicians are from the distant past, the Age of Gods!
"So, was this a failure because my training wasn't enough?!"
***
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