"So that's what it was?"
After experiencing Avrora's short life firsthand, Kaiser finally understood why things had developed into their current state.
It was precisely because of his existence—because he had chosen to approach an important component of this world, namely Leviathan's background—that the butterfly effect was triggered, causing events to evolve into their present form.
Although he had never met Avrora in person, the moment the two of them resonated magically outside of Itogami Island and awakened together, the future had already undergone an irreversible change.
As a result, Kojou Akatsuki didn't become entangled with Avrora as he had in the original story and didn't end up becoming the Fourth Progenitor. Instead, it was Nagisa Akatsuki—who first came into contact with Avrora and effectively disrupted her slumber and seal—who became involved in all sorts of emotional entanglements with her, ultimately absorbing the deceased Avrora, who was originally destined to die as the Fourth Progenitor, into her body and became what others saw as the Fourth Progenitor.
"In truth, Nagisa didn't exactly become the Fourth Progenitor—she merely became the vessel for the already-deceased Fourth Progenitor."
"The true Fourth Progenitor is still Avrora, not Nagisa Akatsuki."
"The Lion King Agency probably knows this, which is why they sent me as an observer."
In the original story, the Fourth Progenitor was Kojou Akatsuki, and the Lion King Agency also dispatched an observer. On the surface, the goal was the same as the one Kaiser had been given: to monitor the behavior of the Fourth Progenitor and eliminate them if they proved dangerous.
But in truth, the Lion King Agency's intent was to prevent the Fourth Progenitor from acting outside their expectations, and to secretly use him to solve certain issues—that's why they sent an observer to help awaken him.
Because the Fourth Progenitor had been created hastily, and because Kojou was just an ordinary high school student before becoming one, he was initially not acknowledged by the Familiar Beasts within him, unable to command them, and his power was extremely unstable.
To help Kojou gain recognition from his Familiar Beasts and obtain the authority to control them, the Lion King Agency deliberately placed several mediums around him.
As long as he drank the blood of an excellent medium, the Familiar Beasts within him would be satisfied and obey his summons.
That was the true purpose of the observer.
"But now, the one who became the Fourth Progenitor is Avrora. She was originally the vessel of the Familiar Beasts of the Fourth Progenitor and was inherently capable of commanding them."
"Even if a medium was required, Nagisa Akatsuki, being a high-level medium, could satisfy the appetites of all the Familiar Beasts."
"The Lion King Agency had no need to send mediums—but still sent me. Their goal was clearly the same as four years ago: to use the unique similarity between me and Avrora to stimulate her and awaken the slumbering Fourth Progenitor within Nagisa."
Therefore, Kaiser felt certain: the Lion King Agency definitely knew that the true Fourth Progenitor was not Nagisa Akatsuki, but Avrora.
As for Nagisa Akatsuki, her role from the beginning was that of a vessel for the Fourth Progenitor. Moreover, she had already lost all memory related to this aspect and had even forgotten about Avrora's existence. Her excellent spirit medium abilities had also been entirely lost—she was a vessel, nothing more.
The reason she developed a fear of demons was because her body's self-protection instinct was acting up, causing her to suffer from a phobia of demons.
"Judging from Kojou Akatsuki's appearance, he must have lost his memories of the Blazing Banquet and of Avrora, just like Nagisa."
"More than that, it seems they've completely lost all memory of what happened on Gozo Island back then."
"That should be due to the Blazing Banquet or perhaps the logical bomb, right?"
The reason the Fourth Progenitor was referred to as the "phantom vampire" was because they possessed the ability to extract memories—capable of replenishing the magical power they needed by devouring the memories of others.
During the Blazing Banquet, this ability had enveloped the entire Itogami Island, affecting all 560,000 of its inhabitants, making them lose their memories of the time around the event. Even the Akatsuki siblings were affected by this power.
And the logic bomb was a mechanism used to maintain confidentiality. The combination of these two factors caused all memories related to the Fourth Progenitor to vanish from people's minds.
"Looks like you've figured everything out."
As that voice entered his ears, Kaiser's consciousness had already returned to his body, and he opened his eyes.
Athena's bright gaze rested on him, as if she had seen through something.
"Yes, I've more or less figured it out." Kaiser rubbed his temple and said, "Never thought my arrival would cause such a change."
"You god-slaying types are the true darlings of the times. No matter the era, no matter the place, you'll always stir up storms." Athena looked at Kaiser with meaningful eyes. "Let alone one like you, who is hundreds of times stronger and more unique than the average Campione."
As she spoke, Athena turned her gaze to Nagisa Akatsuki, who was lying on the bed.
"What do you plan to do with this girl?" Athena said indifferently, as if it had nothing to do with her. "If you leave her alone, she will die."
Kaiser fell silent.
Indeed, Nagisa's current condition was not good.
Not only had she lost her spirit medium abilities and developed a phobia of demons, but her frailty had always been an issue.
Even though she had used all her remaining spirit medium power, sacrificing her abilities just to protect Avrora, she was still destined to be unable to protect her for long.
The power of the Fourth Progenitor was ultimately too vast for her to endure. Moreover, although Avrora was the Fourth Progenitor, she was already dead—her body destroyed, only her soul remained.
Without a body, Avrora could not possess the virtually infinite negative vitality of a vampire true ancestor, nor could she nurture or summon Familiar Beasts.
In other words, Avrora's very existence required Nagisa's constant expenditure of power to sustain. If she summoned Familiar Beasts or used the Fourth Progenitor's power, it would be an unbearable burden for Nagisa.
Don't forget, Familiar Beasts inherently consume life force.
Aside from vampires who possess infinite negative life force, anyone else who summoned Familiar Beasts would have their lifespan instantly drained and die.
That Nagisa could still survive was already thanks to Avrora holding back as much as possible, cooperating with her fully, and because she herself was exceptionally talented.
But if this went on, the two of them would still die—it was only a matter of time.
"The Lion King Agency really knows how to scheme," Kaiser said with a blank expression. "They let me come into contact with Nagisa and awaken Avrora. They're probably thinking of using my nature as a vessel to make me the new container for the Fourth Progenitor after Nagisa's death—or maybe they want me to become the new Fourth Progenitor altogether?"
If even Leviathan could be housed within him, then Kaiser could certainly accommodate the power of the Fourth Progenitor with ease.
By then, possessing the power of the world's strongest vampire and the world's most powerful magic beast, he would become the ultimate trump card of the Lion King Agency. Even if he faced the Three Night Empires or stood against the three True Ancestors, he would not be at a disadvantage.
If things really turned out that way, the Lion King matchmaking agency would definitely send a new observer, introduce him to a bunch of mediums, form bonds with them, and ultimately tie him completely to the Lion King Agency's cause.
This was an open scheme—although it was a calculation, all the benefits would go to Kaiser. Considering that the Lion King Agency had practically raised him, they were like his natal family—would he not help his own people?
Even if he didn't, they could still use his name as leverage, allowing the Lion King Agency to act more freely on the international stage, wielding more influence and authority.
In short, it was a win-win situation for everyone—except Nagisa Akatsuki, who had become a complete sacrificial pawn.
"Humans are always like this, constantly pursuing and desiring all sorts of things."
"Wealth, power, status... these are the things that drive them forward."
"Even the warriors once blessed by me fought for such things."
Athena narrowed her eyes, looking at Kaiser, and suddenly smiled.
"So, my master—the high being who can even enslave the Trinity's most powerful queen—what will you do?"
"This human world, overflowing and rampant, is noisy, ugly, and filthy to the point of being unbearable."
"Why don't you join me in cleansing all this filth—destroy the human-infested surface world. How about it?"
As she spoke, Athena reached out and caressed Kaiser's face as if touching the most precious treasure in the world.
"Don't you think... this is the duty of gods—of higher beings?"
The Goddess of the Underworld, the one who presides over death, spoke in a sweet voice, bewitching the warrior and man who had shattered her worldview, made her realize how vast the world was, and made her curious about what lay beyond. Unknowingly, she had been captivated by him.
Pa!
But Kaiser expressionlessly slapped her hand away and said:
"Don't forget, I too am one of the filthy humans you speak of."
Hearing this, Athena shook her head.
"You already left the category of human long ago. You've even transcended life itself and become an existence far nobler than the gods."
"Even if you continue to identify as human, your essence is no longer human."
"From the moment you entered that library and became its Librarian, there has no longer existed any being nobler or higher than you."
"Deny it all you want—it's useless."
Athena stood up and looked at Kaiser, her gaze shining with light.
"But it doesn't matter. You and I are both eternal beings. Even if you can't recognize this now—even if you refuse to acknowledge it—what about hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of millions of years from now?"
"Sooner or later, you will come to realize your uniqueness—to realize the truth that you stand above humanity."
"I will wait for that day to come."
With those words, Athena turned into the Gorgoneion and flew back into Kaiser's body.
Kaiser didn't respond—he simply stared at Nagisa Akatsuki, who lay on the bed, silent for a long, long time...
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