Saeko pulled Ryo aside and cautiously shared her purpose.
"I need your help with something. A few days ago, I got a case—a wealthy family's daughter went missing. I have seven days to find her."
"My investigation points to a Yakuza organization."
"So, I'm hoping you can help me look into them."
Ryo blinked, confused. "Why me? We're not exactly family."
Saeko smiled faintly. "If you help, I'll go on a date with you."
"Yeah, right. You've tricked me too many times."
"This time, I'm serious, Ryo. If I can't crack this case, I might get kicked out of the force."
Saeko leaned against Ryo, looking pitiful. "You're the only one I can rely on now."
Though their voices were low, Morpheus heard every word.
So did the Kisugi sisters.
They exchanged looks, amusement and mockery in their eyes.
It was obvious Saeko was playing Ryo. Getting kicked out of the force? Ridiculous.
She was just using him.
Even Ryo saw through it, sensing Saeko's manipulation.
But seeing her pitiful act, he fell for it anyway, pounding his chest and promising to take the job.
If anyone stopped him, he'd fight them.
Lust had clouded his judgment, true to his character.
Morpheus had no interest in the kidnapping case. After listening briefly, he tuned it out, sipping his coffee.
After a while at the Cat's Eye Café, he said his goodbyes and headed home.
At his doorstep, he met a familiar face.
Void Shiki.
"Yo, I've been waiting for you," Void Shiki said with a slight smile. "You're finally back."
Morpheus was surprised. He hadn't expected Void Shiki to show up at his door. He wished he'd come back sooner.
He quickly opened the door, welcoming her in.
"What brings you here today?"
Usually, he sought her out. This time, the roles were reversed.
Void Shiki smiled playfully. "I missed you, so I came."
Her directness caught Morpheus off guard, his heart racing. Help—this woman was too much.
"Have you eaten? Want me to make dinner?"
"Sure." Void Shiki didn't refuse. Morpheus pulled some gourmet ingredients from his Light Dimension, prepared them simply, and set the meal before her.
His cooking skills were average, but the ingredients' quality was so high that even simple preparation outshone any chef in this world.
Void Shiki nodded approvingly as she ate. "Your cooking's better than I expected."
"It's not the cooking—it's the ingredients," Morpheus corrected.
Void Shiki smiled knowingly. "If you say so."
Then she added, "I came to tell you—you did a great job with the Holy Grail War."
Morpheus chuckled softly, pleased with himself.
Void Shiki continued, "Also, I'd like to borrow the Holy Grail."
"The Grail? What do you need it for?"
Morpheus was puzzled. Void Shiki had access to the Root—why would she need the Grail?
Still, he handed it over.
Void Shiki took the Grail and said, "Do you know what a Lostbelt is?"
Morpheus stared at her, stunned. As an FGO player, how could he not know? But why was she bringing it up?
Seeing his expression, Void Shiki knew he understood Lostbelts.
She got straight to the point. "From what I know, the mastermind trying to destroy the world has struck again. They've found a Lostbelt and are attempting to merge it with the main world."
"If they succeed, the main world will face catastrophic consequences."
"So, I plan to use the Grail to open a path to the Lostbelt and send you in to stop it."
Morpheus's eyes flickered. A mastermind capable of merging a Lostbelt with the main world?
Impressive.
Not just anyone could pull that off.
Just as life involves competition, history has winners and losers.
The "present" is the history of victors, built on correct choices and prosperity, known as Proper Human History.
But histories based on wrong choices and misguided prosperity—the histories of the defeated—are cut off as "unnecessary," discarded even by parallel world theory as "dead-end human histories."
These are called Lostbelts.
In simple terms, a Lostbelt is a parallel world or singularity created by external interference in a specific historical context.
A parallel world.
Merging one with the main world required serious power.
Curious, Morpheus asked, "What kind of world is this Lostbelt?"
Void Shiki shook her head. "I'm not entirely sure, but it's dangerous. If it merges with the main world, it'll cause massive trouble."
"So, I hope you can resolve it quickly to prevent a collision."
Morpheus considered it and didn't refuse. For one, he was curious about what kind of Lostbelt corresponded to this super-converged world.
For another, he wanted to grow stronger.
If he could absorb the entire Lostbelt into his Light Dimension, could he elevate his power to an astonishing level?
The thought alone made him eager.
Void Shiki, holding the Grail, cast a spell Morpheus had never seen before.
It forcibly opened a gate to the Lostbelt.
Without hesitation, Morpheus stepped through, leaving the main world and entering the Lostbelt.
But before departing, he left behind a clone.
This clone would live in the main world in his place and assist his devotees with any tricky matters.
It ensured they wouldn't be at a disadvantage while he was gone.
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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