Shiva's power was fading as his fragment departed this world, a departure Morpheus had initiated.
Three attempts, each time invaded by toxins, pushed Morpheus to his limit, even with the four archangels' protection. Continuing would shatter his body.
In the third attempt, the toxins surged fiercer, reacting with remnants from prior tries.
After etching Shiva's power and form into the Golden Book, Morpheus used his last strength to dispel Shiva's summoning, retreating to the archangels' protection.
Raphael's healing mended his body, Gabriel's safeguarded his soul, yet recovery was slow, like a critically ill patient teetering on collapse.
Healing and breakdown balanced, leaving him unable to stand!
…
Rapid footsteps echoed as a crowd gathered outside... Olga Marie, Roman, Ritsuka, Mash, Jeanne Alter, and others, all staring worriedly at Morpheus inside.
They couldn't enter; an unseen force separated them, dividing inside from out!
"The barrier's too strong for brute force. We'd need to find its weak point and dismantle its structure!" Da Vinci said after a quick scan.
"Then do it!" Olga Marie urged, eyes fixed inside.
"No…" Da Vinci shook her head. "Morpheus's barrier isn't just an array... it's built on the entire structure. To break it, we'd need to demolish the building, but it's reinforced by the barrier. Even from outside, it's not easily destroyed…
"We'd need massive explosives, enough to level Chaldea, or gradual dismantling, which could take weeks for partial success."
Da Vinci's words chilled Olga Marie. Then, Morpheus's voice came through.
"Don't worry…" His voice was weak but clear, transmitted via their contract.
"How are you?! If you're conscious, tell us what to do to break the barrier and get you out!" Olga Marie said urgently.
"No need," Morpheus declined, his voice faint but amused. "I don't act without a backup. The four archangels are here, the barrier filled with their power. My soul's safe, my body's healing.
"I'm stuck because toxins and recovery are balanced, but the toxins will fade. Raphael's healing will take over, and I'll recover faster. A day at most, and I'll be fine."
He chuckled, sounding slightly stronger.
Olga Marie wasn't sure if the improvement was real or her imagination.
"It's not your imagination. Go do your work. I touched Shiva's power; staying here is safer for now…" Morpheus reassured her further.
Convinced he was stable, Olga Marie sighed in relief, turning to the group. "Alright, back to your tasks. Morpheus says he's fine, just needs to lie low and recover."
"But…" Roman, the doctor, pointed at Morpheus, blood seeping from his eyes. "That doesn't look fine!"
"Raphael's healing him, with other angels guarding. With an archangel of healing, it should be okay," Olga Marie said.
Roman fell silent. Raphael, the biblical angel of healing... if that couldn't help, his methods wouldn't either.
Sighing, he nodded. "Got it."
Before leaving, he told Olga Marie, "Next time he wants to summon a god, tell him to be careful. This is too dangerous!"
Despite the barrier and separation, the camera's footage revealed the terrifying power of that god.
They knew Morpheus's strength... capable of facing Typhon, rivaling Zeus... yet Shiva nearly killed him!
Was the gap between gods so vast? Zeus was a god-king too!
Olga Marie nodded, silently urging Morpheus, "Be careful next time. You almost died summoning Shiva! How's he so much stronger than Zeus? You fought Typhon; you shouldn't be weaker than Zeus."
"Not this world's Shiva... my original world's," Morpheus's voice carried helplessness and excitement. "I got lucky. I expected this world's Shiva, needing symbols to link to my world's. Instead, I summoned that Shiva…
"But my strength's lacking. It's just a tiny fragment, holding a fraction of his power, yet it nearly tore my temple apart…"
Olga Marie froze. A major god-king of their world was outclassed by a fragment from Morpheus's?
How could the gap be so wide?!
"Don't feel bad. The angels I summon, if their true forms came, could each collapse the universe. Scientifically, each archangel equals an infinite physical cosmos, their summoning shaking reality.
"My strength's low, so I only hit planet-destroying levels… Well, not anymore. Now I can summon stronger forces, and my necklace helps control more."
Morpheus comforted the shaken Olga Marie while healing.
"Besides, this is Shiva, the world's destroyer. In myth, primal Shiva equals a perfect cosmos, said to prevent the world's birth by existing. Even as the Lord of Innocence, stripped of his feminine aspect, he's terrifying, capable of shaking the universe."
Olga Marie stared silently at Morpheus, lying on the blood-stained floor.
His wounds were mostly healed, but he remained prone. Only his twitching fingers confirmed he was alive.
"Go handle your work. Our contract lets us talk from your office. Contact me if needed," Morpheus said.
Olga Marie didn't move, telling a staff member, "Get a desk and chair. I'll work here."
"Yes, Director."
Morpheus paused, then said, "Wait, the director of Chaldea working here? That's weird!"
"…"
"Are you mocking me?! Happy to see me sprawled like this?!"
"…"
As Morpheus opened his mouth again, she tapped the camera. "Exactly. Everything's recorded, including your pathetic state. I'll save it in Chaldea's archives!"
"You!"
"Don't worry, only high-clearance staff can view it. I'll cut the parts of you lying there."
Morpheus exhaled in relief, only to hear, "And store them separately. When I'm down, I'll watch to cheer up!"
Morpheus froze, muttering, "You're ruthless!"
"Enough. I'm working here, and Jeanne Alter's watching too. If the barrier wasn't so strong, she'd have smashed it with her Noble Phantasm."
Morpheus smiled, falling silent.
He could sense the outside, and while recovering, he had pressing matters to address.
Shiva's power and form were etched into the Golden Book, a true grimoire forged by Hephaestus. With Greek myth descriptions, it could channel Zeus's power.
Yet, it wasn't the true Zeus, but a magecraft construct using Morpheus's Greek knowledge, set in the Age of Gods, with the Greek gods' approval as a medium.
The Greek gods, even Nasuverse's, contributed greatly to the concept's creation, shielding Morpheus from much of the toxic risk.
Shiva was different. His fragment's pure knowledge and power brought fiercer toxins.
Without the Golden Book, Morpheus could only absorb knowledge, needing new regalia for related magic later.
Thanks to Hephaestus's book, he reaped maximum benefits.
"Now I have the knowledge, just a fraction, but enough for a pre-peak magician to reach the Abyss. Next, I'll use it to summon the feminine supreme... Parvati. I hope it goes smoothly…
"It will go smoothly. With Shiva's knowledge, it's safer than summoning him… Though, switching targets, I hope the Scarlet Woman doesn't smite me…"
Morpheus thought, clenching his fist as it moved.
Some toxins were purged, their damage now slower than Raphael's healing. His body entered rapid recovery.
Though toxins lingered, Raphael suppressed them, preventing harm until fully purged.
Reviewing Shiva's knowledge, Morpheus frowned.
"Wait, Parvati alone won't do? I need Lakshmi and Sarasvati too? But they're Vishnu and Brahma's wives! Right, in myth, Shiva's feminine aspect, Mahadevi, manifests as these three… A trinity to summon the true Shakti?
"Of course. Shiva exists within the cosmos, so I summoned him directly. But Shakti, a power outside the world, needs the trinity to manifest…"
Morpheus, unable to move freely, wanted to slap himself.
Summoning three goddesses, wives of the Trimurti, with Parvati at major god level, felt overwhelming!
***
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