— — — — — —
So what exactly is The Cleansing?
Ordinary people think it was Cain's revenge against the gods, a ritual that forced those lofty deities to fall and become the first demon race.
Historians say the term refers to a massacre in the super-ancient era, one that targeted humans, beastkin, elves, dragons, and even angels.
...
"So this is what the Cleansing really was?"
In the Technology Development Bureau deep under Keystone Gate.
Ryo was lounging in the director's chair that absolutely belonged to Asagi, one arm around a well-behaved Glenda, the other flipping through translated documents with a sigh.
"Never in a million years would I have guessed that the original goal was to modify the Deva Tribe so they could stop fearing sunlight, stop drinking blood, and stop relying on humans to survive. Cain was even Deva royalty and their leader, huh."
"Sigh~ If these weren't Cain's own notes, I'd never believe it."
What looked like Cain's 'revenge' was, in truth, a desperate attempt to save his people from extinction—and a hope that all races might one day live in harmony.
"After Cain built weapons against dragons and other lifeforms that could threaten his tribe, he created a temporary peaceful system for all races on Earth and retreated to his lab, leaving his people to enforce it… Heh, but most Deva still saw humans as food and entertainment, and only let go of their desires after he disappeared. They then summoned Beasts from another world to enslave other races, like dragons, that had agreed to the peace."
Natsuki snorted as she skimmed the translated report.
But Cain refused to go along with it. Based on real data, he knew these summoned Beasts would eventually devour every living thing.
Just like the Lost Warlord once said: "Beast Vassals aren't a vampire's weapons or possessions, let alone obedient pets. They're shitty, rampaging beasts that just happen to inhabit our bodies, y'see? If they think they're not getting enough to eat, they'll go off hunting—on us and their own—for sure. Understand?"
So once again, Cain tried to fix the problems his race had created.
He decided to use his half-completed Cleansing ritual and created the Primogenitor Plan, a workaround for the Beasts.
"Use three powerful Deva individuals as the base, turn them into Primogenitors, and have their blood host most of the extradimensional Beasts."
"Then create a second generation of vampires through blood separation and reproduction. Split the original Beast power into countless fragments, weaken their immortality, and eventually kill them."
Ryo let out a low whistle.
"So it was basically a 'divide and weaken' policy for Beasts. Make them have a ton of offspring and dilute their strength. Cain actually had some serious skills."
"That man is a genius. Had his tribe not shackled him, he would have shone beyond measure—I can't even fathom the heights he could have reached."
Natsuki snorted. "If he was that capable, he wouldn't have been killed by the Fourth Primogenitor."
She shook her papers.
"And the Fourth Primogenitor's purpose was to clean up 'Nod' and make room for the Deva Tribe to survive?"
"Which means a big chunk of Deva Tribe survivors retreated into that Nod world and are still hiding there, though nobody knows how many."
By now, Ryo fully understood.
"Due to rejection, vampires can't summon Beasts in the Nod. That's hilarious."
Ryo chuckled, imagining how stunned they must have been.
"Beast Vassals are summoned creatures from another world, after all. But over in the world of Nod, the host vampire is an anomaly. An already unstable existence summoning an even less stable Beast Vassal is simply a bridge too far with one narrow exception."
"So that's why the Fourth Primogenitor is considered the strongest…"
Natsuki looked exhausted.
"In Nod, only the artificially made Fourth Primogenitor could use Beasts. He was the strongest there. Even if the three Primogenitors had experience, without Beast Vassals they couldn't beat him. The Devas saw that and assumed the Fourth was the strongest overall."
"Hey, you two!"
On the couch next to Ryo, Asagi slammed the table, glasses crooked as she furiously typed.
"Can you two shut up while I'm working? I can't focus, dammit! Pouring me a glass of water would be nice."
"Here."
Ryo pulled a cup of water from nowhere and handed it to her.
Asagi snatched it, chugged it, then angrily rapped at the keyboard.
"When I finish translating this, I'm locking all The Cleansing functions so only I can use them, then I'll watch you suffer. That'll teach you."
While she grumbled, Ryo shook the files.
"Anyway, The Cleansing specs are surprisingly clear. We're missing original experiment data, but this is plenty."
His eyes flicked with the interface of the Dimensional Forum.
[Can these specs be used to modify Ares and Hermes?]
[Answer: Requires 15,000 points and experimental data for transforming various species into mechanical types. (Note: includes demigods, gods also acceptable.)]
Ryo narrowed his eyes, then smiled.
"So we have the data, but decoding how to use it, what ritual, what user requirements… all that's on you, my cutest Asagi-chan."
"Why are you suddenly being gross?"
Asagi rubbed her shoulders like she'd been slimed, but her fingers danced over the keyboard a lot faster and she was even humming under her breath.
Simple girl, simple motivations.
Ryo smirked, leaned back on the couch, and closed his eyes.
— — —
Morning - Above Itogami Island
A massive airborne warship slowly descended into the airport.
The Valkyrie banner of the Aldegyr Kingdom snapped in the wind overhead.
.
.
.