Unlike in anime or games, repairing the summoning magic facilities here wasn't something that could be done quickly. Morpheus wasn't in a hurry about it, though. With a few days to rest now, he chose to first create that ring.
The magical tool known as Solomon's Ring had its own specific material requirements.
Morpheus believed that if Aleister Crowley... the one currently acting as the Hanged Man in Academy City... were to handle this, he might casually whip it up using everyday items from a convenience store. Unfortunately, Morpheus couldn't reach Aleister's level of magic.
He carefully took out the materials he had prepared long ago: gold, collected during his travels through different worlds.
Gold was a rare material, not just for its value, but because it served as an essential component in magic.
In the past, Morpheus would have needed tools like a hammer to work with it, but in a high-tech facility like Chaldea, everything required for blacksmithing was readily available.
With the help of a furnace and other equipment, Morpheus quickly liquefied the gold and began shaping it.
It wasn't simply about forming a ring from gold; he had to engrave sacred words upon it.
This was an item recorded in Enochian magic, said to be a treasure passed down by Michael.
At the top of the ring-shaped band, a square platform emerged... that was the front of the ring.
Then, special symbols and unique characters appeared on it. The design was incredibly simple, to the point where one might wonder if it was fake, but according to the records, this was the blueprint for the ring passed down by Michael.
Now, this ancient design took form in Morpheus's hands, swiftly becoming an utterly ordinary ring.
But it wasn't finished yet, as the ring hadn't cooled and was still scorching hot.
Morpheus took out Roman's blood. He didn't need much... just a portion, or rather, a single drop would suffice.
He let that drop fall, and it splashed into the heated ring, merging rapidly as if the ring itself were devouring the blood.
Afterward, the ring began to cool on its own, solidifying quickly. Finally, emanating faint magical fluctuations, it landed in Morpheus's hand.
In that moment, the magical fluctuations vanished, leaving it looking like a plain, unremarkable ring with no distinctive features.
"As expected, it's complete..." Morpheus smiled faintly, sensing the ring's power.
With this ring as a medium, he could easily perform Enochian magic. Not only that, but the ring itself could partially substitute for a magic circle and divine protection, shielding the magus.
Morpheus wasn't truly proficient in Enochian magic, but he knew some basics, as it was part of the curriculum for the Golden Dawn lineage.
Even if not extensive, it was enough for him to use.
Now, wearing the ring, Morpheus lightly waved his right hand, writing a word in mid-air.
It was the Latin word for "sun."
As the word appeared, Michael's power emerged from the void. Though not in great quantity, it swiftly gathered around Morpheus, without even needing an incantation.
In truth, the word Morpheus had written was the incantation itself.
"As expected, it can partially replace my elemental symbolic weapons, and even compensate for my lack of an ether symbolic weapon. Otherwise, using an ether symbolic weapon normally would require the troublesome construction of a phantom..."
Morpheus muttered to himself, stroking his chin, then dispersed Michael's power. While it couldn't fully compare to the four elemental symbolic weapons he was accustomed to, it had the advantage of convenience.
After all, with the ring on, he could activate magic with just a snap of his fingers.
Not to mention, using this ring would allow him to summon even more angels in the future, naturally including Sariel, whose related powers Morpheus had used several times already.
However, no matter how many spiritual tools he had, it was difficult to break through tiers and reach higher ranks solely with their aid.
Still, indirect assistance was possible.
"Whew, perhaps I should try channeling now..."
Morpheus murmured, leaving the area and heading to his bedroom.
Since he now possessed Solomon's Ring, he could attempt a special summoning next.
Morpheus approached the table, bit his finger to draw blood, and used it to sketch a magic circle on the surface. Then, by arranging environmental features resembling the room's structure on the circle, he began chanting.
Solomon's Ring started to resonate with magical fluctuations. Under the chant, light appeared in the room.
It was a dazzling light, a beautiful radiance... one of the tools used in creation, the power of the sixth Sephirah, belonging to the sun, and to Michael!
Or rather, Michael's spiritual body descended in that moment, gazing silently at Morpheus.
This was a special summoning, different from before. Michael didn't display his terrifying power. He slowly drifted forward, his body making contact with Morpheus's. In that instant, their forms seemed to fuse, creating a eerie union.
In a sense, it was a merging of spirit and flesh, but not to grant Morpheus angelic traits. What Michael brought was knowledge from the Sephirah... insights that represented the power one could attain at this position, and the strength to continue advancing.
Knowledge changes one's perception, and magical knowledge can even alter brain structure. Fortunately, such changes only began upon entering nonhuman realms. For now, this knowledge mostly shifted some of Morpheus's ingrained views.
Such perceptual shifts were nothing new; he had long grown accustomed to occasional changes in cognition.
Michael's power gradually faded, and Morpheus slowly opened his eyes. The communion with the spirit ended in that moment. He knew it was time to take that step toward the next destination.
It was time to enter the 6=5 realm and become an Adeptus Major!
...
"Did you watch all of that?" At the monitor, Da Vinci asked Roman, having observed nearly the entire process.
"I did, and you dragged me here to watch it. It's such a violation of privacy."
Da Vinci shrugged it off. "He must have noticed already. Not hiding means he wanted us to see. So, what did you make of it?"
Roman was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "I'm called the King of magecraft, and I have used magic, but honestly, I don't understand what he was using. And the ring he made isn't the same type as mine..."
"He said he was making King Solomon's ring," Da Vinci said with a smile, glancing at Roman. "And you're telling me it's not?"
"I could sense the ring's special power. The moment I saw it, my heart felt a strange sensation, like seeing something that originally belonged to me. But the problem is, my memories are intact, and my rings don't look like that!"
"Fine, we'll ask him later..." Da Vinci said, a bit dissatisfied, then asked, "What do you think he was doing after summoning that angel? It looked like he was incorporating the angel into his body, but then he let it leave."
Roman had some thoughts on that. "This is just a guess, but do you know how maguss... or rather, magi from the Age of Gods... cast spells?"
"You mean casting magic, not magecraft?"
"Yes."
"By forming contracts with gods and borrowing their authority to perform magic."
"Exactly." Roman nodded slightly. "Forming contracts."
"You mean he's forming a contract with the angel to gain the power to cast magic?"
"That's my guess. We know nothing about Morpheus's type of magic right now, but from how he can summon the four archangels to assist him, does he really need to keep forming contracts? That angelic silhouette looked like Michael, whom he's summoned before."
Da Vinci spread her hands. "Maybe his magic requires renewing the contract periodically? Like, the contracts have short durations."
Roman couldn't refute that; it even seemed reasonable.
Gods form contracts with humans, allowing them to use magic, and the duration is indeed decided unilaterally by the gods.
...
After Morpheus dealt with Solomon's Ring and slightly elevated his rank, he slipped back into slacking mode.
But this slacking wasn't absolute, as people would come looking for him.
Like Ritsuka.
"So, the special aspect of this magic is that magical energy circulates within the body and doesn't flow out?"
"Correct."
"After the magical energy reacts inside, it returns to itself. The way it casts spells is essentially a mapping, where internal and external changes are identical..." Ritsuka muttered, falling into thought.
Then she startled and quickly asked, "So, if changes happen externally, couldn't that interfere with the body internally?!"
"That theory exists, but in practice... it's difficult, extremely difficult. To achieve changes that affect a person to that degree, the force required is no less than that of an entire planet.
"If the target is powerful enough, influencing them might even require shaking the entire universe."
Ritsuka nodded.
"I see, I was overthinking it!"
"Theory is blameless; you can certainly think that way."
Morpheus said, carefully correcting Ritsuka's posture to make her meditation smoother.
As long as Ritsuka had enough magical energy, she could handle subsequent crises more easily. At least she wouldn't have to rely entirely on Morpheus; she could cope with emergencies even if he went missing or something.
"Once you've learned enough, I'll teach you some simpler spells later. That way, even without Mash, you can handle some Servants on your own."
Ritsuka looked surprised. "Me, handling Servants?!"
"As a magus, reinforcing your own body to surpass the physical strength of ordinary fighters is basic. With the speed and power from that enhanced body, you can easily engage weaker Servants in close combat.
"If you combine it with your other spells, threatening some weak or moderately strong Servants is entirely feasible.
"Besides, while advancing in this magic system gets difficult later, the early stages aren't hard. Entry is simple, and once your strength improves sufficiently, you can reach a level to fight most Servants. With some carefully prepared spiritual tools, you could even take on top-tier Servants."
"Like Jeanne from last time?"
"Jeanne? Don't even think about it." Morpheus immediately shook his head. "An ordinary Jeanne would be fine, but if you mean the one wielding Durandal last time, don't court death. Her strength, bolstered by Durandal in certain aspects, surpassed top-tier Servants."
Even then, Jeanne's reinforcements had reached the level of a top-tier Servant's true Heroic Spirit descending directly, but that wasn't particularly impressive. The most formidable part was Durandal's nature... under that, lesser Noble Phantasms would be cleaved apart outright, leaving no way to fight!
Recalling the Servants he knew, probably only someone like Artoria could battle her, and even then, not for long. As a living being, combined with Durandal's power, it was like cheating for enemies.
Even though that cheat, Durandal, hadn't unleashed its full power, for other Servants, it was already a terrifying advantage.
Even Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon couldn't produce a cheat comparable to that.
"Alright, keep studying for now. I'll think about what spiritual tool to make for you later." Morpheus patted Ritsuka's shoulder and picked up a book on ancient Japanese mythology to read.
Given the mythological origins, Ritsuka's lineage, and the place she lived, basing a powerful spiritual tool on Japanese mythology seemed fitting.
For example, the Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi would be quite suitable.
However, materials were lacking right now, and Morpheus needed to research Japanese mythology further, check the real-world design of the Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi, and so on. Only after all that could he begin crafting a weapon for Ritsuka.
Time passed quickly, and by the third day, the group welcomed a new journey.
They were heading to a new singurality: Rome!
***
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