"They were that easy to talk to?" Ritsuka said, surprised, as Hassan of the Hundred Faces left.
Morpheus rubbed his chin. "I suspect the one leading the Hassans right now might be the Old Man of the Mountain."
Ritsuka looked puzzled. "The Old Man of the Mountain?"
"Yeah, remember the description of Grand Servants? The seven strongest, chosen to face calamities," Morpheus reminded her.
Though his knowledge of Fate/Grand Order was limited, he knew of the Old Man of the Mountain, the Hassan team's leader and the Grand Assassin.
Even gods without a concept of death could be granted one through his Grand Assassin power.
"Of course I remember, but why bring it up?" Ritsuka asked, still unsure of the connection.
Mash gasped. "Is the Old Man of the Mountain one of the Grands?!"
"Exactly. He's the Grand Assassin, the strongest among Assassins. Grand Servants are protectors of Human Order, standing at the forefront of safeguarding humanity. If he's here, we can assume the Hassan faction is on our side," Morpheus explained.
His words sent the group into thought. Ritsuka, now understanding, grasped what Morpheus meant.
After a moment, she said, "So, our only enemies are Ramesses II and the Lion King?"
"Right. If I'm correct, the Old Man's strength is immense. He could handle one of those two for us. Given how Hassan targeted Nitocris, he might already be moving against this faction," Morpheus said, untying Nitocris's ropes and summoning a splash of clear water to her face.
Nitocris had been knocked out; cold water was a simple way to wake her.
The water hit, and she jolted awake, eyes wide, shouting, "Who's there?!"
She saw the group staring at her.
"You splashed me with water?!" Nitocris glared, then looked around. "You kidnapped me?!"
"No, we rescued you, Pharaoh," Morpheus said, smiling. "The water was just to wake you. Carrying an unconscious person would've been a hassle."
"You know who I am?" Nitocris asked, surprised by the title.
"Of course, Your Highness Nitocris. We learned your identity when we saved you," Morpheus said, gesturing to Ritsuka. "This is the Master, a human. You're a Servant, so you must know about visitors from the future here to save the world, right?"
Nitocris studied Ritsuka, nodded slightly, then looked at Morpheus, puzzled. "She's human, no doubt, but you're strange. You seem human yet have Servant traits…"
"Not important. I'm definitely human, that's the truth," Morpheus said with a grin, giving Mash a subtle glance. Mash understood and began her formal introduction.
After Mash's textbook self-introduction, Nitocris finally grasped who they were.
"So, you're from Chaldea, here from the future to save Human Order. Your deeds are known in the Throne of Heroes. Follow me to meet the temple's master," Nitocris said generously, leading the way without the air of a superior.
As they walked, Ritsuka eyed the long ears on Nitocris's head, whispering, "Are those rabbit ears?"
Morpheus shook his head. "No, dog ears."
Nitocris, overhearing, turned with a scowl. "These are catalysts to channel Horus, nothing to do with my sleeping habits!"
"Oh, Horus," Morpheus nodded, seeming calm but teasing, "Though Horus is more about eyes or falcons, right? This feels closer to Anubis…"
Nitocris's face darkened.
Ritsuka tugged Morpheus's arm, whispering, "Stop it!"
Morpheus smiled, saying no more.
He was familiar with Horus, having used a Horus Eye amulet to ward off curses.
Mash and the others watched Morpheus's bold teasing, exasperated but unsure what to say.
Thankfully, Nitocris's scowl faded quickly, and she resumed her composure.
With her guidance, entering the temple was effortless... no obstacles barred their path.
They met the temple's master, the Pharaoh ruling this place: Ramesses II.
The man known as the King of Kings sat in the grand hall, gazing at them.
His presence was regal, but beneath the grandeur lurked death.
Morpheus narrowed his eyes, addressing the yet-silent man. "You're on the brink of death, aren't you?"
The King of Kings's eyes narrowed back. "What do you see?"
"I see death. You're already dead, only sustained by the temple's power, keeping you from the abyss. But it only works within the temple. Leave, and you die, right?"
Morpheus's words made Ramesses II stare at him, causing Mash and the others to break into a cold sweat.
They weren't worried about Morpheus's safety but feared his sharp tongue might spark a fight.
"You're not wrong, human. This temple is my kingdom, summoned by me, a union of all Egypt's dynasties. Its power defies death," Ramesses II said, touching his neck. For a moment, a crack appeared, as if his head might fall.
Clearly, his head had been severed, only held by the temple's power.
"The concept of death... even with the temple's power, you can only avoid immediate death here," Morpheus said, intrigued. "Mind if I try something? I might dispel this force, restoring your mobility."
Ramesses II looked puzzled. "Oh? Why help me, human? What's your goal?"
"Just testing if my power can counter this death concept. No ulterior motives," Morpheus said, shaking his head.
The wound was clearly the Old Man of the Mountain's doing, using his Grand Assassin's death-granting power. If Morpheus could heal it, his abilities could counter a Grand Assassin's lethal concept.
With such a perfect test subject, Morpheus was eager to study Ramesses's neck.
"Surely you didn't come just for that?" Ramesses II asked.
"No time to waste, Pharaoh. Let me study your wound while we talk," Morpheus replied.
"You haven't introduced yourselves, humans!"
"I'm Morpheus, this is Ritsuka, and this is…" Morpheus introduced the group. After hearing them, Ramesses II eyed Morpheus with interest. "You're Morpheus?"
Nitocris, standing aside, looked surprised. "You're Morpheus?!"
Seeing their reactions, Morpheus glanced at Medea. "Guess I'm pretty famous."
"If your identity weren't so unique, leaving only vague traces, your deeds would make you a top-tier Heroic Spirit," Medea said, smiling.
"Medea, the Greek witch," Ramesses II said, looking from her to Morpheus. "Rumors say Medea was close to a mysterious figure named Morpheus. Seems that's you!"
"I'm curious, though. My records should be scarce. Why do so many know me?" Morpheus asked.
Ramesses II laughed. "Don't underestimate our intelligence-gathering. Even obscure data gets collected and recorded. Your records are sparse and exaggerated, but with corroboration, their truth holds."
He continued, proud, "Like Medea beside you, or fragments of the Argonauts' memoirs mentioning you. Though not detailed, cross-referencing reveals your general profile."
Touching his neck, he said, "So, are you ready to treat my neck? Think carefully... I was summoned by the King of Magecraft, your enemy. The Grail is in my hands. Kill me now, and it's yours."
"I don't see you supporting this era's chaos. Just hand over the Grail later. Even if I save you, I'm confident I can defeat you again. If you know my deeds, you know I'm not joking," Morpheus said, grinning, issuing a calm threat.
To such audacious words, Ramesses II laughed heartily.
He knew the threat wasn't empty. Servants couldn't rival gods, but Morpheus was here in the flesh, at his peak. Records suggested he'd fought Typhon... and won!
Some even claimed Zeus offered him a spot as the thirteenth Olympian, which he refused.
A human rivaling Zeus, defeating Typhon... taking the Grail from Ramesses II was no issue.
Thus, Morpheus's proposal was accepted. He'd treat Ramesses's wound while the Pharaoh discussed Human Order with Ritsuka and Mash.
Morpheus studied the wound, shrouded in the concept of death. After probing, he frowned.
Like dragon-slaying specialties, it was a Root-stamped ability. Concepts like death or life sounded grand but were tightly limited. True death should encompass all, including the universe.
This didn't.
Life's concept should include the world's vitality, but it didn't either.
No matter... Morpheus had a way to counter this lethal force.
Ramesses II, the King of Kings, resided in a solar temple, using its power to defy death... a flawed approach.
Ra, the sun god, wasn't just eternal light but carried the trait of night.
Day was life, night was death; sunrise to sunset was birth to demise.
As a projection of Ra's power, Ramesses II's best path was to die once, using death and rebirth to escape death's grip, not cling to it.
But Morpheus wasn't sure if Nasuverse's magecraft could achieve this, or if Ra in this world had such power.
He also didn't want Ramesses II to die to test it. Confirming it was feasible, he sought a simpler, more direct method.
"Raphael!" With Archangel Raphael's power, an anomaly erupted in the temple steeped in Ra's energy. The angel's wings unfurled, holy light descending onto Ramesses II!
The power of the archangel of healing descended, suppressing the concept of death!
***
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