"This time, I summoned Shiva primarily to draw in the highest form of masculine power, and use it as a foundation to summon feminine power. However, I've only completed the first step for now. The second step hasn't been carried out yet... I need to rest a bit first."
Inside the room, Morpheus spoke to Olga Marie and the others.
At this point, about a day had passed since he lay in the temple. His body had regained mobility, and the toxins had been suppressed, though not fully expelled. At least they no longer affected him.
To keep the toxins in check, he was maintaining the magical formula continuously. The four archangels followed behind him at all times, now reduced to ethereal shadows, but their power remained abundant, accompanying his every movement. As a result, the entire Chaldea facility was filled with the power of the four archangels.
This also caused an abundance of the four elemental forces within Chaldea, drawing in magical energy and turning the whole area into a high-mana zone.
Spells that were usually difficult to cast could now be performed with just a slight gesture.
"Shiva corresponds to the Sephirah of 9=2, right?" Ritsuka, who had been studying alongside Morpheus for some time, asked.
"Yes, it corresponds to the Sephirah of Chokhmah at 9=2, titled Wisdom. It's the domain of the stars, representing the masculine, the concept of the father, often symbolized by the zodiac.
"Chokhmah's God-name is Yod, its divine name is Yah, and its archangel is Raziel.
"This archangel means 'the prince who knows secrets or hidden things.' He accompanies God, listening to the mysteries of the universe, recording secrets, and passing them on. If you're doing dream divination or something similar, you could try summoning him.
"Shiva holds an extremely high position in Hinduism, at the pinnacle of the masculine. The primordial Shiva is androgynous, corresponding to the state of the complete human Adam at 10=1. After separating his feminine aspect, the masculine Shiva corresponds to the Wisdom Sephirah at 9=2, the representation of the father.
"Of course, the feminine aspect he separated... the representation of the mother, the highest feminine... corresponds to the Sephirah of Binah at 8=3, which is Understanding, or comprehension."
At this point, Ritsuka's eyes widened slightly. "So it can work like that. Shiva isn't even from the Tree of Life system, yet he's being utilized this way."
Morpheus smiled. "It's essentially the utilization of concepts, the exploitation of symbols. This incorporates some theories from Wiccan magic, but for Golden Dawn magician, the use of symbols and concepts is a strength anyway.
"For example, in the A∴A∴ system, the Scarlet Woman, commonly known as the Whore of Babylon, is the guardian of 8=3, while the Beast of 666 is the guardian of 9=2, corresponding to the highest feminine and masculine respectively."
Morpheus spread his hands. "Unfortunately, I'm not very familiar with the A∴A∴ system. Otherwise, I could have directly relied on the Scarlet Woman's help to cross the Abyss, and it wouldn't be as troublesome as it is now."
As he spoke, Morpheus laughed again.
Everyone has their own path. The A∴A∴ is the road Aleister Crowley walked, while his current summoning of Shiva... and attempting ascension using the concepts and symbols of Shiva and his consort... is a path he's forging for himself.
After quietly digesting Morpheus's words, Ritsuka asked with some confusion, "What is Wiccan magic?"
"Oh, I forgot to explain. It's a form of magic based on Celtic and witchcraft beliefs, incorporating polytheistic faiths. All religions' male and female deities can be found and positioned within Wicca.
"According to its theory, father gods like Zeus or Odin are of the same rank, or rather, the same god, and can correspond to each other, while Gaia and Frigg can correspond as well... just different names for the same deity, all being father gods and mother gods.
"Due to its compatibility, it's a great lubricant to use during certain magical practices."
With that, Morpheus took the opportunity to explain Wiccan magic-related knowledge to everyone. Though it was all basic content, they studied it earnestly. Perhaps because of summoning Shiva this time, Morpheus felt their seriousness far exceeded before.
They must have been stimulated, he thought silently.
...
Standing in the temple once more, Morpheus held the Golden Book in his hands. He'd considered many names for it, but today, he finally decided on a resounding title.
"As expected, it should be called the Book of Morpheus. It's the most fitting name... carrying my own name and full of magical tome flair!"
After choosing a name that might make others roll their eyes, Morpheus flipped through the pages to the one recording Shiva's details.
Shiva's figure was imprinted there. Even as a mere ordinary-looking portrait, staring at it long enough made it feel like something was flowing out, burrowing into one's mind.
This was the knowledge contained in Shiva's portrait, the root of his magic.
Morpheus relied on the book's power to control this surge of Shiva's force, gathering it around himself.
"I bow to the supreme truth, I bow to the divinity within myself."
Shiva represented the supreme truth, as well as the inner true self, the divinity of the ego. With this ancient salutation, Shiva's power manifested around Morpheus.
An ancient figure emerged behind him, like the ethereal shadows of the four archangels. Seated cross-legged, it made no gesture, but its mere appearance invoked destructive forces.
Yet destruction signified rebirth.
As destructive forces appeared, so did those of rebirth, encircling Morpheus.
These contradictory forces seemed so harmonious in that moment, inseparable, intertwining.
Morpheus felt this power, his body twisting slightly... not seductively, but full of strength.
As his right foot stamped the ground, the entire temple trembled in that instant. Even if only for a moment, the temple truly shook!
Shiva's dance of destruction!
The dance unfolded slowly, power converging. In an instant, earth, wind, water, and fire emerged around him, as if the world were being reduced to its foundational four elements.
This world-destroying force continued to gather, condensing until it formed a trident in Morpheus's hand.
Storms and lightning swirled around it. At that moment, Morpheus inexplicably resembled a god of storms and lightning, with Zeus's figure faintly emerging as well.
"As expected, using Shiva's authority over storms and lightning can invoke the power of the almighty god Zeus. But this also means the reverse is possible..." Morpheus sensed this immense power, far stronger than what he wielded with the four archangels!
"Indeed, after being force-fed so much knowledge by Shiva and having such intense close contact, my mastery of Shiva's power is better than with the four archangels. It's like my adaptability has been enhanced..."
Morpheus muttered to himself, slowly ending the magical formula and retracting Shiva's figure into the book.
After that test, he'd confirmed one thing: Relying on Shiva's power, he could invoke Shiva's world-destroying force, but it was hard to control... even a planetary-level defensive temple trembled under it.
One could imagine that using this power outside would be a cataclysmic disaster.
Thus, the world-ending dance couldn't be used casually. If he did, it might drag all of human civilization down with it.
But manifesting a trident with Shiva's power to invoke his lightning storm authority, and thereby drawing on the almighty god Zeus's power recorded in the book, was safer and could unleash even greater might than directly invoking Zeus.
The only drawback was that the initial summoning, converted through Shiva, made the activation process a bit slow.
However, for an increase of over fifty percent in power... with room for further enhancement... Morpheus felt the slight delay was entirely acceptable.
Alternatively, he could just fight directly with Shiva's storms and thunder; it just wouldn't be as versatile as Zeus.
"Whew, I need to find time to properly improve myself, absorb all the knowledge Shiva brought, structure the ritual, and ascending to 7=4 shouldn't be a problem... After reaching 7=4, I can consider summoning the three goddesses."
Morpheus muttered, not rushing to leave the temple. He had other matters to attend to.
The temple hadn't been dismantled but kept intact... after all, an area with planetary-level defenses was invaluable for Chaldea.
In the future, many dangerous magecraft or magic experiments could be conducted here, and it could even serve as a final stronghold.
Of course, the main reason was that Olga Marie figured Morpheus would recklessly summon gods again, so keeping the place would definitely come in handy.
He slightly altered the central summoning circle, adding a few special symbols, then stroked his chin with a smile.
"This should do it."
He incorporated symbols belonging to the Scarlet Woman Babalon, but that was merely a catalyst. The symbols he inscribed around it represented a woman from ancient Greece.
She was now a Heroic Spirit, seated in the Throne of Heroes.
Morpheus deliberately infused the Scarlet Woman's power because, in the distant past, this maiden had connected with the Scarlet Woman due to him.
To pull someone directly from the Throne of Heroes rather than summoning a copy, he naturally needed some tricks... like borrowing the power of other great existences!
The Mother of All, the being who birthed all life... Babalon's power began to permeate at Morpheus's call, without manifesting her form.
A summoning circle akin to Servant summoning combined with Morpheus's standard one began calling to the specific target.
Such a highly directed summoning spell usually brought the target over. If it failed, the reasons were typically only two: the target was busy, or the target didn't want to come.
Naturally, as a magician, one couldn't compromise with their summon... even if it was a demon or a god. You could threaten them, manipulate them!
The Scarlet Woman's power transcended space-time, tearing through the barriers between reality and the outer world, opening a narrow path.
A figure slowly appeared from the circle: long purple hair, a beautiful face, exuding the charm of a mature woman.
She looked at her summoner, the corners of her mouth lifting into a slight smile.
"Long time no see."
"Long time no see."
Morpheus smiled too. He withdrew his hand, the restraints around the summoning circle vanished, releasing the person confined within.
The woman was a witch who ruled a kingdom, a hero whose name was etched in myth. But now, she was just an ordinary woman. Upon seeing her beloved, she leaped forward, embracing him tightly.
Medea, the Greek witch!
"You really did it!" she whispered. The now-mature woman reached out to cup Morpheus's cheek, leaning in proactively, passionate and unrestrained.
Even with her copy encountering him below, even knowing she'd regain all sensations upon returning, it was vastly different from experiencing it firsthand.
She claimed him fervently, as if filling the void of millennia.
After a long kiss, she finally released his cheek but still held on, unwilling to let go.
"I thought you weren't going to summon me. I was waiting for you to call my copy, but instead, you pulled my true self right off the Throne of Heroes." Medea laughed, exceptionally delighted.
Morpheus was delighted too. He hadn't expected his attempt to succeed on the first try. Though it was largely thanks to the knowledge gleaned from Shiva, and he had some confidence, the instant success was still surprising.
"You know, I felt the Scarlet Woman's power. It severed my connection to the Root, peeling me from the Throne of Heroes. Heroic Spirits are supposed to be records of the Root, but I discovered the Scarlet Woman's power had been hidden within me all along."
"Hidden?"
"Yes. When you called, the concealed power emerged. Now, because of you, a spot in the Throne of Heroes is vacant!" Medea laughed, gently pinching Morpheus's nose. "The Root might come looking for you to take responsibility."
Morpheus chuckled, holding her without speaking, savoring the warmth of the moment.
***
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