Eriri's gaze swept across the eleven girls before her. Though they all shared the same appearance, she could still easily distinguish their individual identities.
Before Eriri summoned them, most of these eleven girls had been stored within the three Night Empires, while the rest still lay dormant in other ruins, undiscovered.
Among them was the vessel of the First Familiar—the The Divine Sheep of Adamantine—whose ribs, unlike in the original timeline, had not been forcibly removed by Balthazar Zaharias.
At that moment, Eriri's gaze rested upon her.
"You are the eldest among your sisters. From this day onward, your name shall be Blotar Florestina."
Each of the Fourth Primogenitor's twelve familiar vessels not only had a numerical designation but also a codename—like weapons given titles. The first vessel's codename was Blot.
Thus, the name Eriri chose for her was a gentle modification of that title, so that it wouldn't sound as cold and lifeless as a weapon's serial label.
Upon hearing her new name, Blotar's previously emotionless eyes rippled faintly, as though she had rediscovered a sense of meaning in her existence.
"Thank you for bestowing this name upon me, our true master."
Blotar bowed deeply to Eriri. Since Eriri had earlier declared that they all belonged to her, it was only natural for Blotar to recognize her as their rightful master.
Seeing the obedient girl before her, Eriri couldn't help but smile warmly. She reached out her right hand and gently placed it atop Blotar's head.
"You don't have to be so formal. There's no need to call me 'Master.' My name is Eriri Spencer Sawamura—you can call me 'Eriri-nee,' or just 'Nee-chan,' okay~?"
As she spoke, Eriri smiled softly at all twelve girls around her—including Avrora.
Feeling the warmth in her tone, emotions of gratitude welled up within them. Though they had all been artificially created as weapons—treated as dolls or tools—they still possessed human hearts and emotions.
One of them, a girl with golden shoulder-length curls, smiled gently and said:
"Mm-hm, I understand. From now on, I'll call you Eriri-nee."
"Good girl. You're the tenth among your sisters, right? Then your name shall be December Florestina. Do you like it?"
This girl was one of those Eriri had brought over from the Chaos Domain. In the original timeline, her role had been far greater than that of the other vessels—besides Avrora.
The name "December" was actually the one she would later give herself in the future, and she had always been fond of it. So Eriri decided to officially grant her that same name, simply adding the family name for consistency.
As expected, upon hearing it, December's face lit up with a satisfied smile.
"Mm! I love it! Thank you, Eriri-nee!"
"I'm glad you like it. Now then, let's continue with the rest."
After patting December's soft hair, Eriri moved on to naming the remaining nine girls.
Within just a few minutes, each of the eleven girls had received her own name—and all of them wore bright smiles of satisfaction.
Their names, in order, were: Blotar, Titli, Tallis, Talfis, Doris, Helis, Oralis, Hedoris, Nadolis, December, Hektos, and finally Avrora.
Each bore the same surname—Florestina.
Just as Eriri finished assigning names, a faint sound echoed from the stone door of the chamber.
Everyone turned their gaze toward it.
In the next instant, a brilliant light flared across the door's surface—and then, without a trace, it vanished, as if it had never existed.
From the newly revealed passage, a shrine maiden with a blank expression stepped into the chamber.
And from behind her came an anxious voice.
"Nagisa!"
Following behind Nagisa Akatsuki, Kojou Akatsuki tried to stop his sister from entering the chamber alone, fearing some unforeseen danger might be waiting inside.
However, before he could even approach her, the sight that unfolded within the chamber left him frozen in shock.
The same stunned expression appeared on his father, Gajou Akatsuki, as well as the ruins investigation team and the guards behind them.
"This is..."
Gajou's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at the twelve identical girls surrounding Eriri.
"Twelve Kaleid Bloods? How can all of them be gathered here?"
Confusion and disbelief filled his mind. He knew well that the three Night Empires each possessed several Kaleid Bloods—but he had never imagined that all of them, who were supposed to belong to those empires, would appear together inside the ruins of the Twelfth Kaleid Blood.
Standing behind him, Lianna—the guardian belonging to the Warlord's Dominion—was equally shocked at the sight before her.
At that moment, the voice of Nagisa, who stood at the very front, suddenly rang out.
"Ah! It's that pretty lady from yesterday! What are you doing here?"
Her face, once expressionless, now glowed with childlike liveliness as she looked directly at Eriri standing at the center of the crowd.
Though the twelve identical girls piqued her curiosity, Eriri's presence clearly drew her attention the most.
"Little one, we meet again."
Eriri smiled softly as she looked at the cute shrine maiden standing not far away.
Hearing that, Nagisa's eyes lit up, her face beaming with joy.
"You remember me, miss? Yay, I'm so happy!"
Without a hint of hesitation, Nagisa began walking toward Eriri and the others—completely unconcerned about any potential danger.
Seeing this, Kojou's expression turned anxious, and even Gajou's face showed unease.
"Wait, Nagisa! Don't go there yet!"
Gajou shouted as he rushed forward, catching up to his daughter and pulling her back by the arm.
In his hand, a silver revolver had already materialized—ready to fire at a moment's notice.
Lianna also hurried to his side, her wary eyes fixed on Eriri and the others. The armed guards accompanying them followed closely, raising their rifles cautiously.
"Come on, Dad, don't be so nervous! These pretty ladies are good people!"
Nagisa pouted slightly as she patted her father's arm, her tone light and innocent.
Hearing that, Gajou chuckled, ruffling her hair before turning his attention back to Eriri and her group.
"Well now, this is quite the surprise. To think I'd run into so many beautiful young ladies all at once."
Though his tone was playful, his eyes betrayed his astonishment when they met Eriri's gaze—her beauty left even him momentarily speechless.
Soon, his attention shifted toward another figure standing nearby.
"Ah, I see now. I was wondering how all of you appeared here so suddenly—but with the legendary 'Witch of the Void' present, it all makes sense."
"Natsuki Minamiya, the Fourth Primogenitor has already been secured by us. You and your team can leave the ruins now," Natsuki said sharply as she stepped forward, standing protectively before Eriri and the others.
Her gaze was firm, her tone commanding.
Gajou raised his hands slightly, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "Come now, Miss Witch, we went through quite a bit of trouble to get here. Isn't it a bit heartless to just send us away like that?"
Although he spoke jokingly, the tension in his body betrayed his unease. Even without Natsuki's warning, he could sense the overwhelming pressure emanating from Eriri's group.
Lianna, however, felt nothing but pure fear. Were it not for her duty, she would have already fled from this place—the power radiating from both the awakened Fourth Primogenitor and the Witch of the Void was far beyond anything she could handle.
"I wasn't asking," Natsuki said coldly. "I was informing you."
Her tone left no room for argument.
Seeing her unwavering gaze, Gajou sighed and raised both hands in defeat.
"All right, all right, we'll go. Honestly, you're as cute as ever—but not even a little bit gentle, huh?"
From the moment Gajou Akatsuki saw Natsuki Minamiya, he knew the matter of the Fourth Primogenitor was already far beyond their control.
Not just for them—even if another Primogenitor appeared, it was doubtful they could wrest the Kaleid Bloods away from Natsuki's hands.
After all, her power was legendary; no one dared underestimate the renowned "Witch of the Void."
Among the gathered crowd, Eriri silently watched the exchange between Natsuki and Gajou without any intention of interrupting. Aside from Nagisa, she had no interest in speaking with anyone else.
Just as Gajou prepared to withdraw with his team, the entire ruin suddenly began to shake violently, as if struck by an earthquake.
Caught off guard, Nagisa and Kojou stumbled. They were about to fall when Gajou quickly grabbed Nagisa, steadying her. Kojou, however, along with several scholars from the investigation team, fell awkwardly to the floor.
"What's happening? Is it an earthquake?" Nagisa asked anxiously, glancing at the trembling stone walls, afraid the entire chamber might collapse.
But the tremor came and went quickly. Within seconds, it faded—replaced by a gust of wind that carried a faint scent of gunpowder into the chamber.
Yet the moment that wind reached Natsuki, it stopped abruptly, blocked by an invisible barrier. Not even a trace of its smell reached Eriri or the others.
"My, my... looks like some fools have wandered in~" Natsuki murmured with a faint smile.
Gajou glanced back toward the passage behind them. Far from worried, he wore an amused grin.
From the scent of explosives alone, he could already guess what was happening outside.
Clearly, an armed group had blown open the outer barrier of the ruins—and there was only one possible reason for their intrusion: the Fourth Primogenitor.
If only his team had been here, it might have turned into a fierce battle, perhaps even putting his children in danger.
But with Natsuki present, those armed intruders were as good as dead.
Neither Gajou nor anyone else had any intention of stepping out to confront them. Nor did they plan to leave the chamber yet.
If they went out now, they'd surely clash with the invaders—and Gajou had no intention of doing something so reckless.
The chamber fell into an uneasy silence—until the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from the tunnel beyond.
Moments later, a group of figures clad in bulletproof armor and carrying mechanical weapons burst into the chamber.
The instant they saw the people inside, they raised their guns, ready to open fire.
But before the sound of gunfire could even erupt, every one of the intruders froze in place—unable to move a single muscle.
Gajou and the others, who had instinctively prepared to dodge, stopped in confusion, staring at the immobilized soldiers.
Turning his head, Gajou looked toward Natsuki—who hadn't even moved a step—and a look of deep admiration appeared on his face.
"As expected of the Witch of the Void. You subdued them all in an instant. Truly living up to your reputation."
"There's no need for flattery," Natsuki replied coolly, not even glancing at him. "These people weren't stopped by me."
Gajou blinked, surprised. Before he could ask further, Eriri's clear voice echoed through the chamber.
"All right, that's enough of this little farce."
She gently pushed aside December and Helis, stepping forward to stand beside Natsuki.
Her eyes softened as she looked toward Nagisa, who stood by her father's side with a frightened expression.
Eriri gave her a gentle smile.
Seeing it, Nagisa's face flushed red, her earlier fear melting away—replaced by excitement.
But Eriri's attention soon shifted away, turning to the immobilized soldiers.
Though they couldn't move, their minds were still functioning—and the awareness of their helplessness filled them with unbearable dread.
Dying in battle was one thing, but being forced to stand motionless, awaiting judgment... that kind of fear was far worse.
—
—
40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven