Constructing a temple in a vast area was familiar to Morpheus, who had done it several times. Excluding practice, the number of large-scale temples built for specific purposes could be counted on one hand.
Yet, he was well-versed in temples, often dealing with them.
His clothes symbolized a temple, though their power was limited. Despite his efforts, they could only withstand a nuclear blast.
This stemmed from his limited knowledge and the materials used.
If he could use the Shroud of Turin as a base, the protection could reach world-class levels.
Of course, acquiring the Shroud was impossible, like the Holy Lance Longinus that pierced Jesus... both sacred relics, carefully guarded.
"Maybe I'll use linen and my sanctification magic to craft a fake Shroud, then weave new clothes with magecraft as my coat," Morpheus mused, smiling as he gathered resources from storage to build the magical array.
While constructing, he pondered temples.
He recalled Toaruverse's nun outfit, modeled after the Shroud, capable of withstanding a Saint's attack, though destroyed by Touma Kamijou.
Other temples impressed him, especially a British ship... a temple with vast internal space and world-class protection, unaffected by attacks that could destroy half the universe.
Morpheus felt a twinge of envy.
"No wonder Britain's occult legacy is unmatched. With that ship as a temple, I wouldn't need to be so cautious…"
He quickened his pace.
Soon, the room was enveloped in his intricate array of circles and polygons, filled with runes in every gap.
As the array completed, a force emerged from the void, spreading across the area!
The space became isolated, severed from the outside!
The door marked the boundary between worlds!
…
"We've lost contact, like all information was cut off!" a staff member shouted to Olga Marie.
She frowned, glancing at another team.
They checked their screens. "The door's footage is normal, no anomalies."
"Good. It's just information blocking, but we can still see inside," Olga Marie nodded, relieved.
Roman, nearby, watched the manually transmitted footage. The array glowed faintly, then dimmed, as if deactivated.
But instruments showed the area was undetectable, only visible to the naked eye.
The array was still active.
"He's insane, summoning a god's true form…" Roman muttered, eyeing the wired camera's feed... more reliable than wireless against interference.
"Bold, isn't it? Summoning a god's true form... if it works, it'll be Chaldea's, no, humanity's greatest feat, rewriting history!" Da Vinci said.
Ritsuka asked, "Like the Velber' achievement?"
Da Vinci nodded. "Similar, but his…"
"Won't be recorded," Olga Marie murmured. The more she knew Morpheus, the more she understood the Root couldn't capture this.
Morpheus, fully prepared, began the summoning.
…
A lengthy incantation praised Shiva, Lord of Innocence. Using his analyzed Shiva power... Pashupati, the beast lord... destruction gathered in his hands. Though slight, it altered the array.
As the summoning activated, traces of power descended from the void, shaking the temple!
Built to withstand planet-destroying forces, it trembled!
Feeling this power, Morpheus froze, then grinned ecstatically.
Jackpot!
He hadn't summoned Nasuverse's Shiva but the true mythological Shiva!
Though only a fragment, not even an avatar, it thrilled him!
The power coalesced into a four-armed ascetic, body smeared with ash, hair in a topknot adorned with a crescent moon, a snake around his neck, a skull garland on his chest, a tiger skin around his waist, holding a trident, axe, drum, and staff.
His three eyes closed, legs crossed in meditation, silent and serene.
He didn't seem like a destroyer but a compassionate monk.
Examining him, Morpheus noted the crescent moon wasn't lunar but starry, evoking the cosmos, shifting as if the universe progressed.
"The crescent represents phases. Shiva manifests in the cosmos at different stages, yet conceals himself…" Morpheus thought, sweat soaking his back.
Observing further, he saw a goddess peeking from Shiva's ash-laden hair, gazing skyward.
Her face was beautiful, expression gentle. Morpheus paused, then realized.
"Legend says Shiva caught the falling Ganges, so Ganga resides in his hair… She's a mermaid, human above, Makara below."
A cobra around Shiva's neck symbolized death and rebirth. His drum's faint beat set the universe's rhythm!
This fragment's power surpassed all Morpheus's prior angelic summonings... not because the four archangels were weaker, but this summoning's conditions were vastly superior!
"Calm down. It's just a fragment, but it's my Shiva, not Nasuverse's," Morpheus thought, taking a deep breath and stepping into the array.
The drum's faint beat roared in his mind, thudding heavily!
It pulsed his body, as if he became the cosmos.
Without action, the overwhelming pressure nearly floored him. He stood firm, facing the Lord of Innocence.
Infinite, like cosmic forces, destruction and rebirth... Shiva's authority, power, and mercy.
Feeling this, Morpheus kept his gaze fixed.
With the cosmic rhythm, a torrent of knowledge flooded in. Shiva, un restrained, was a symbol of knowledge.
Mystical lore tore into his mind, threatening to shred it. Morpheus made a quick gesture, whispering, "Four archangels, stand by me!"
Their shadows descended, suppressed by the impact but aided by his necklace, succeeding.
The pressure eased.
He wasn't resisting Shiva but buying time to rest.
Sustained exposure to this knowledge would drive him mad.
It was like absorbing a grimoire's knowledge directly.
At 8=3, he could commune with Shiva for power, but now, a junior high student in a college lecture, knowledge poured in relentlessly.
In reality, learning could be gradual, but this was like cramming four years of college in an hour.
Unbearable!
Using the archangels for a breather was his only option.
Yet he wouldn't give up, even if it left him half-paralyzed later. This was a rare chance.
It was Shiva! The true Shiva!
A god at the masculine apex... how could he not seize this opportunity?
The knowledge included not just Shiva's masculine power but also feminine aspects, as Shiva was half-feminine in another form.
This could summon Parvati or Kali, filling his feminine knowledge gap.
For this, enduring near-death was worth it!
After a brief respite, Morpheus stepped out from the angels' protection.
The knowledge torrent hit again. Despite years of studying reality-defying knowledge, this felt like the world collapsing.
Poison spread in his body. Though the angels dispelled it, outside their protection, it accumulated faster. His legs lost sensation, eyes dimmed, vision blurred.
Sighing, he endured the pain, leaping back into the angels' shield.
Raphael's healing restored his body, but Shiva's knowledge still stung his soul. His eyes regained sight, yet piercing pain lingered, like needles.
"I can try once more, then I'm done. I summoned Shiva, but keeping this fragment as a trump card is impossible. At best, I'll siphon some power into my book for new magic…"
Morpheus reflected. The summoning was lucky, but the fragment's power was too vast to control.
The only option was to send it back, lest the temple collapse.
Sighing, he drew his golden book, forged by the fire god, stepped forward, and, enduring eye pain, gazed at Shiva's form.
Raising the book, he recalled the knowledge gained, channeling Shiva's power into it!
***
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