The man claiming to be King Solomon exerted every ounce of his strength, conjuring multiple layers of magical barriers in front of himself. But the moment they formed, they shattered. The flaming sword seemed to carry an attribute of "inevitable destruction," impossible to block!
However, in the brief moment it took the sword to break through, the man seized an opportunity. With an almost impossible twist of his body, he dodged the strike aimed at his abdomen!
But then, a tremendous force hit him square in the chest!
Bang!
It was Morpheus's fist. His left hand had shot out at some point, striking with pinpoint precision. The blow sent the man flying backward, crashing heavily into the steam engine!
Boom!
The violent impact pierced straight through the steam engine, but the self-proclaimed Solomon didn't stop. He continued hurtling through, finally slamming into the rock wall below, shattering a large section of it.
The sight was so staggering, so astonishing, that everyone's jaws dropped... especially Mordred's. She could clearly sense the terrifying power contained in those four beams of light, equivalent to four of her father's attacks combined. Yet not only had they failed to break Morpheus's defenses, but he'd struck back!
This self-proclaimed Grand Servant, wielding the power to destroy human history, was being completely dominated by Morpheus!
Such overwhelming strength was simply incomprehensible!
This kind of terrifying power probably didn't even exist in the Age of Gods!
"All right, I'll take the Holy Grail." Morpheus appeared beside the steam engine as if by teleportation, retrieving a cup from its wreckage. With a casual toss, he threw it toward Mash, who was watching from nearby.
The Holy Grail traced a graceful arc through the air, about to land in Mash's hands, when the self-proclaimed Solomon stomped his foot. He launched himself from the rock wall like a cannonball, hurtling toward the Grail.
If they got hold of the Holy Grail, this Singularity would be restored!
But as fast as he was, Morpheus was faster!
"Let's say I kill you here... can you still come back?" Morpheus said with a smile, swinging his flaming sword again. In an instant, the flames extended dozens of meters, sweeping toward the incoming man!
If it hit, it would slice the target clean in half!
Morpheus's swing surpassed the speed of sound, and the tip of the blade, the fastest part, moved several times faster than his swing!
In that moment, the self-proclaimed Solomon saw the flaming sword coming and tried to dodge... but he couldn't!
The flames cut through his protective spells, his clothes, his skin, his organs... destroying everything in his body!
Meanwhile, the Holy Grail landed securely in Mash's hands, swiftly merging into her shield.
The world trembled in that moment, as if struck by an earthquake.
The summoned Servants began to dissipate one by one. The man, his consciousness fading, knew he had failed. Even coming here himself, he had been stopped by Chaldea!
With his last bit of strength, he looked at Morpheus, who was smiling back at him, his lips moving silently. Though no sound came, the message was clear enough for him to understand.
"We'll meet again soon. Wash your neck and wait."
"I don't think I need to check those records anymore," Andersen said, approaching as his body began to fade. The petite writer looked surprisingly relaxed. "Where did you even come from? Are you sure you're not some savior handpicked by Human Order itself?"
But then Andersen looked Morpheus up and down and shook his head. "No, that's not right. There's no record of someone like you in history, and magical theory shouldn't allow for someone of your caliber to exist. Even if they tried, they wouldn't find you…"
Morpheus tilted his head. "Once the Third Magic is realized, beings capable of rivaling or even surpassing Grand Servants should be possible, right?"
"It's not that simple. Even across countless worlds, how many have actually achieved that feat? There are limits. If it were that easy, we wouldn't be in this crisis. Just summon someone who can crush a Grand Servant and be done with it."
Andersen shook his head.
"But you're serious? Achieving the Third Magic could produce beings that overpower Grand Servants?"
"It's true. Want to try?"
Andersen shook his head. "No thanks. Leave it to future humanity."
He looked at Morpheus curiously. "Hold on. You seem awfully familiar with this stuff. Don't tell me you've already achieved the Third Magic? That would explain your strength."
Morpheus shook his head. "Nope. I'm not interested in the Third Magic. The path I'm on has nothing to do with the Five True Magics."
Andersen looked at Morpheus, silent for a moment, then patted his shoulder with an old-man-like air. "All right, kid. Walk your own path. But since he claims he can see all futures and parallel worlds, you'd better be careful. I don't think he was lying."
"He was."
"How are you so sure?"
"Because he didn't see through me. If he had, he wouldn't have been so careless today." Morpheus smiled. "Not just the future... he didn't even see the past clearly. In other words, his so-called omniscience is built on a foundation."
"What foundation?"
"The Root. He can only see what the Root records. If it's not recorded, he can't see it. Like he said himself, he can't see Chaldea clearly because it's detached from the timeline. But is human history recorded on the timeline or in the Root?"
"The timeline, right?"
"No, the Root. Time is just a human-made concept. His words also exposed a flaw: Chaldea hasn't detached from the Root. His inability to see it means that even the Root's records are beyond his full grasp due to his own limitations."
Andersen listened, still puzzled. "Why are you so certain?"
"Because I'm the proof. Let me tell you a secret." Morpheus grinned at him. "I was in Greece during the Age of Gods. I fought alongside Hercules and Medea in the war against the gigantes. I was a key player, helping Artemis and Medea take down Typhon. I also joined the Argo's voyage."
Andersen's eyes widened, staring at Morpheus. Seeing no sign of a joke, he finally spoke after a long pause. "So, the mysterious figure mentioned in those stories, with no name recorded... that was you?"
"That's me."
"But in the stories, that figure is just a footnote, never the protagonist."
"Exactly. That's why I'm the proof. The Root can't fully record my existence... it can only capture fragments, what you see in those stories. It's like a format incompatibility. I can't help it.
"Oh, and Apollo said that's just how I am. So don't be too surprised. Now you see why I say I'm proof that his 'omniscience' isn't truly omniscient?"
Andersen laughed heartily, then shook his head. "Fine, I'm relieved. I'll leave the rest to you. If you need my help, try summoning me... though I'm not much use in a fight, just good for logistics."
He waved to the others nearby before vanishing.
Mordred approached, shaking Morpheus's hand. "I asked earlier, and that girl said it was your order to attack Father."
"Yup, my order."
"I didn't even react before Father was gone," Mordred said, her voice tinged with emotion. "I was hoping to fight her myself…"
"There wasn't time to waste back then. Speed was the priority." Morpheus thought for a moment, then added, "If you really want a fight, I'll see what I can do. Maybe in the future, I can summon both of you and let you duke it out. You could fight every day if you want."
"Really?!"
"Of course. The problem is, I don't have a relic for Arthur, so precise summoning is tricky. As for you…" Morpheus rubbed his chin, pulled out a camera, and started snapping photos of Mordred.
"What are you doing?"
"Taking pictures. They'll serve as a relic for summoning you... or at least boost the odds. If quality's lacking, quantity will do!"
After several minutes of relentless photography, Morpheus put away his camera, satisfied.
Watching this bizarre behavior, Romani and Olga Marie, now reconnected via video after the demonic mist cleared, were visibly shocked.
"There's a method like that?!"
What's a relic?
Something connected to the Servant being summoned... even ordinary clothes they wore in life can work!
No relic? Make one!
A one-to-one replica of clothing might not cut it, but photos? No problem.
images and recordings are among the strongest relics for summoning!
The only downside is you need to have met the Servant first to take the photo, but otherwise, it's flawless!
Olga Marie looked at Romani, her eyes gleaming with realization. "Gather all the footage from our past missions. Sort out the high-res images of those Servants and print them in batches!"
In past missions, they'd encountered plenty of powerful Servants... even Arthur. If the enemy was that strong, summoning a few extra Servants to their side was only reasonable!
Meanwhile, Romani initiated the transfer, pulling everyone from the 1888 London Singularity back.
As the group climbed out of the pods, Olga Marie turned to Romani. "Call a meeting immediately. I have a lot of questions about this operation!"
"Yes, Director," Romani nodded. This mission had yielded a ton of intel, and as Director, Olga Marie would naturally want to hold a meeting to discuss next steps.
…
"We just got back, and she's already calling a meeting? Classic Director," Mash teased, looking at Fujimaru Ritsuka. "Aren't you exhausted, Senpai?"
This time, Morpheus had barely acted in the early stages. The exploration and intel-gathering had been all them, making this mission much more demanding than previous ones.
But it had also validated their combat strength, and the group seemed quite energized.
Hearing about Olga Marie's immediate meeting, Morpheus wasn't surprised. He turned to Jeanne Alter. "Go rest."
Jeanne Alter blinked in surprise. "I don't need to attend?"
"Nope. I'll handle it. We saw the same things, and chances are, she'll want to ask me directly anyway."
Jeanne Alter nodded, happily accepting the chance to rest and leaving the scene, much to Mash's envy.
Though they were all Servants now, as a Chaldea employee, Mash still had to attend the meeting.
In the meeting room, only Olga Marie, Da Vinci, Romani, Morpheus, Mash, and Fujimaru Ritsuka were present. After everyone took their seats, Olga Marie spoke. "What do you make of that so-called King Solomon?"
"That guy is absolutely not King Solomon!" Romani declared immediately.
Olga Marie looked at him curiously, unsure why he was so certain.
Seeing Romani struggle to explain, she turned to Morpheus. "Why do you say he's a fake? I clearly remember you made that ring yourself. You can't claim his rings are fake, can you?"
"I was just riling him up. And sure, I made this ring, but its design and the power infused in it are indeed tied to Michael. Of course, that doesn't prove he's a fake Solomon."
Olga Marie nodded. "Exactly. It doesn't prove anything. So why are you so certain he's a fake?"
"Because I know where the real Solomon is." Morpheus grinned, grabbing Romani's shoulder as the man's face filled with panic. "Right here. Weren't you curious about Chaldea's first Servant? That's him."
Romani stared at Morpheus, his expression screaming, "You sold me out!"
***
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