At that moment, Mash Kyrielight, who had escorted Fujimaru Ritsuka away, returned and stood beside Lev. She didn't take a seat.
Lev surveyed the room, his gaze falling on the young magus gathered there. These were talented individuals, many with prestigious lineages. At least a fifth of the future of magecraft was assembled in this very place.
Eliminating them would deal a devastating blow to the magus community.
But that was secondary. Once the plan succeeded, the future would belong to his king, the great Solomon.
"All for the realization of the dreamed world, that grand utopia!"
With that thought, Lev turned to Olga Marie. "We can begin the experiment."
Olga Marie nodded slightly. "Very well, prepare for the Rayshift experiment."
As the mobilization concluded, everyone stood. The seats sank into the floor, replaced by pod-like chambers resembling nutrient tanks.
Lev headed to the elevated control console. As the de facto second-in-command, he naturally served as the experiment's overseer.
At that moment, he activated the communicator, addressing someone specific.
"Romani, the Rayshift is about to begin. Just in case, could you come over?
"Team A is in good condition, but there have been some anomalies among those in Team B and other groups who haven't fully adapted."
Romani's voice crackled through the communicator.
"I'll administer sedatives to them, then."
Though nothing had actually gone wrong, Lev spun a false narrative, compelling the doctor to come to the control room.
Lev pressed, "Hurry, please. You're in the infirmary, right? It should take you two minutes to get here."
"Got it."
At Romani's reply, Lev flashed an enigmatic smile. "Don't be late."
As long as I take out Romani too, nothing will stand in the way of our grand ambition! Lev thought, his excitement mounting. The thrill was overwhelming, especially when he considered Morpheus, now trapped in his dimensional prison.
Even a legendary magus? Still fell right into my hands.
By now, the Master candidates had donned their Mystic Codes and entered the chambers. As the pods sealed shut, the anomaly struck!
The floor beneath Olga Marie's feet began to bulge, then tore apart. Shards of stone and debris erupted upward, a violent force surging to engulf everything above!
A light enveloped Lev. In the same instant, he activated his Imaginary Number magecraft, slipping into a pocket dimension where he could evade any attack from this space!
No need to watch... he could already envision what would happen next. The bomb he'd "kindly" placed under Olga Marie would claim the esteemed Director first, then obliterate everything in the room.
The unfolding events were simply sublime. The thought of that haughty noblewoman being torn apart sent a shiver of perverse delight through Lev, eliciting a sickening groan of satisfaction.
The sudden explosion was catastrophic, engulfing all the chambers. Olga Marie's body was utterly consumed by the ferocious blast, leaving no hope of survival.
Her soul, however, was drawn by an overwhelming force, plummeting toward an abyss.
The Rayshift experiment's power had activated, hurling her soul toward an unknown era!
"By the divine decree of Sariel, guardian of souls' purity, no defilement shall taint thee."
A sudden voice, like an illusion, echoed. A surge of magical energy flared, and an imperceptible spell pierced the temporal rift, enveloping Olga Marie's still-unconscious soul in a protective embrace.
At the same moment, the door burst open. Fujimaru Ritsuka rushed in, staring in abject shock at the devastation, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
…
Within the spatiotemporal turbulence, Morpheus grappled with his predicament. After breaking free from the dimensional prison and rushing to the scene, the explosion had already occurred. He had only managed to cast a soul-protecting spell in time.
According to the Book of Enoch, Sariel was the angel safeguarding souls. Using Sariel's power, Morpheus shielded Olga Marie's soul... the most tragic victim of the explosion... preserving her chance for revival.
But with the Rayshift device already active, the local spacetime was in chaos. Having just cast his spell, Morpheus was swept back into the temporal turbulence, unable to determine his destination.
"No need to panic. Given the circumstances, I'll likely end up where FGO begins... Fuyuki City. I might even encounter Archer and Saber, have a spar, then retrieve Olga Marie's soul. Later, I can find a way to reincarnate her.
"Or perhaps stuff her soul into a puppet? That's not a bad idea either. This world has some decent puppets."
Morpheus mused, letting himself drift through the temporal currents.
Suddenly, a force surged within him... abrupt and potent. Its mere stir caused ripples in the surrounding turbulence.
Time grew more chaotic, space more bizarre.
Doors began to appear, opening and closing in succession. Amid this endless array of portals, Morpheus traversed countless worlds, unable to halt his journey.
"What's happening?! A Rayshift effect? No, this isn't Rayshift. This magical energy, this magic... I know what this is!"
Morpheus's expression shifted as he recognized the familiar magic.
It was the very spell from the Toaruverse, used by the cult he'd eradicated... the one aiming to summon Yog-Sothoth!
That ritual had caused his initial transmigration to this world. After over a decade of dormancy, he thought it was gone for good... yet here it was again!
"Damn it, am I about to be flung into another world?!"
As Morpheus pondered self-rescue, the space tore open, and he was hurled out.
Blue skies, white clouds, and a vast expanse of land.
Crashing heavily onto the ground, Morpheus stared at the sky, lost in thought.
"Should I be grateful I wasn't tossed into the vacuum of space?"
Though he doubted a vacuum could kill him, not finding Earth would be a hassle.
"You fell hard enough to make a crater, and you're not hurt?" a timid voice called from nearby.
Morpheus snapped out of his reverie and turned to the speaker.
A petite girl with long blue hair stood before him, her blue eyes brimming with curiosity as she studied him.
Morpheus took in her appearance. She wore a light blue, rather revealing dress with a large slit in the front, starting at her chest. Though a blue triangular skirt extended downward from the center, the outfit resembled a flower about to bloom, clearly revealing her slender legs.
Were it not for a tiny underskirt barely covering her lower half, any movement might have left her exposed.
Upon seeing her, a thought struck Morpheus.
Whoever designed this girl is definitely a pervert. And this look... was it based on Japanese stereotypes of fairies or elves?
The girl waved her delicate hand in front of his face, concern flickering in her eyes. "You didn't hit your head too hard, did you?"
She spoke in Ancient Greek.
As a magician, Morpheus prided himself on knowing several modern and ancient languages... Ancient Greek among them. Hearing her, he smiled.
"No need to worry. I was merely captivated by the stunning scenery before me and forgot to respond."
The girl's cheeks flushed slightly, prompting Morpheus to reconsider.
She seems quite innocent. I should tone it down a bit. Just a bit. Right now, the priority is figuring out where I am and what this place is!
With that, the boy propped himself up, brushing off nonexistent dust, and addressed the girl gently. "Dear lady, I've arrived here by accident. Could you tell me where this is?"
"This is the temple of the goddess Hecate. I saw you fall from the sky, so I came to check," she replied, inspecting him closely. Confirming he was unharmed, she looked astonished. "Your body's awfully sturdy!"
Her mention of the location sent Morpheus's mind racing through a flood of information.
Hecate? The triple goddess Hecate or the underworld goddess Hecate? Though the former encompasses the latter, the distinction affects her powers… and it doesn't tell me which world I'm in…
But since she mentioned Hecate's temple and speaks Ancient Greek, this must be Greece, right?
I'll keep probing. Hopefully, I can figure out what era this is. Please don't tell me it's during the Persian invasion…
Maintaining his smile, Morpheus decided to build rapport. "My name is Morpheus. May I have the honor of knowing your name, dear lady?"
The girl smiled shyly, revealing a name that stunned him.
"I'm Medea, a priestess of Hecate's temple."
"Medea?!" Morpheus nearly lost control, his eyes widening. Thanks to his vast experience, he reined himself in.
Even so, his heart reeled at the name.
The girl before me is Medea?! And judging by her appearance, she's the young Medea from the Nasuverse, not yet grown!
Good grief, I've been thrown into the Age of Gods?! In Greece, when the gods still roamed!
***
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