"You... what did you just say?"
At that moment, Yukina's expression changed.
As someone who had once heard of the deeds of the God of Sin, Cain, from Kuraki Shirona, and had learned of Cain's existence, Yukina was shaken by what Senga Takehito said.
No—Yukina wasn't the only one. Even Avrora's delicate body trembled, and her eyes widened.
"Itogami Island... is a altar to resurrect the God of Sin, Cain...?"
This kind of thing...
"Are you all about to say it's impossible?"
As if he had anticipated everyone's reaction, Senga Takehito didn't look at the others. He just kept his eyes on Rozen and spoke.
"If it's you, you should understand. Your proficiency in Onmyoudou even surpasses mine."
The implication behind Senga Takehito's words was probably only understandable to Rozen.
Because...
"You should have noticed long ago—Itogami Island itself is an enormous altar."
Senga Takehito spoke word by word.
"The four supermassive floating structures that make up this artificial island were each designed to operate independently and automatically, in order to mitigate the effects of storms and tsunamis and minimize flood damage."
"Under that pretense, the four artificial floating islands that make up Itogami Island were placed in the east, south, west, and north, each imbued with jujutsu properties."
"The Eastern District represents the Azure Dragon of the Four Gods."
"The Western District represents the White Tiger."
"The Southern District represents the Vermilion Bird."
"The Northern District represents the Black Tortoise."
"This is the Four Gods Correspondence in Onmyoudou, transforming Itogami Island into a colossal jujutsu device based on geomancy."
"The purpose of such a massive geomantic jujutsu structure—do you truly think it's merely to harness the power of the Dragon Vein for urban prosperity?"
Senga Takehito shook his head.
"No. This altar serves another purpose—resurrecting the God of Sin, Cain."
Upon hearing that, the first to raise a question wasn't Rozen, and it wasn't Yukina either—it was Avrora.
"How... how can thou prove such a claim?"
Avrora questioned, reacting with an unexpectedly intense emotional response.
It was as if she was desperately protecting something.
And that was only natural.
For Avrora, Itogami Island held tremendous significance. It was the first thing she saw upon awakening from her long slumber. All of her conscious memories were tied to Itogami Island. She met Rozen and Nagisa here, and had lived a fulfilling life on the island.
Now, to be told by Senga Takehito that Itogami Island wasn't a mere Demon Sanctuary, but a sacrificial altar to revive the God of Sin—who was the mortal enemy of the Fourth Primogenitor—it was no surprise she resisted so fiercely.
Even Senga Takehito was taken aback by her strong reaction, while December glanced at her, amusement flickering in her eyes.
Even though Avrora usually appeared timid, her personal will in this moment stood in stark contrast to the Matrices who had accepted their fate and resigned themselves to return to being Beast Vassals of the Fourth Primogenitor.
As No. 6 once said, Avrora might be the most willful of all the Matrices, the one who desired to live the most. Her resistance to fate made her special, the bearer of hope and wishes of the others who had nearly abandoned their own identities.
Thus, the Avrora standing here wasn't just No. 12 of Kaleid Blood, not just a part of the Fourth Primogenitor—but truly herself: Avrora Florestina.
Realizing this, December's expression turned genuinely joyful. For the first time, Senga Takehito looked at Avrora with seriousness, staring deeply at her before answering her question.
"Of course I can prove it," Senga Takehito said suddenly. "Because the one who created this island, Itogami Senra, was like a fellow disciple to me."
"Wha...!?" Yukina was stunned.
"A... fellow disciple?" Avrora was also shocked.
Even Rozen hadn't expected that, his brow twitching slightly.
At this moment, December grinned mischievously at the group.
"Itogami Senra once exchanged knowledge with a certain Onmyoudou authority who taught at a university in Europe. The entire plan and blueprints for constructing Itogami Island as a sacrificial altar were shared with this person—and that Onmyoudou expert was essentially Takehito's master, you know?"
December's explanation left everyone speechless.
But this revelation gave strong credibility to Senga Takehito's claim.
"I learned of Itogami Island's true nature from my teacher long ago," Senga Takehito said quietly. "So I know very well—this island cannot be allowed to exist as it is. If it continues like this, one day Cain will be resurrected, and humans and Demons will clash again. When that happens, another Cleansing will occur."
It was precisely to prevent this from happening that Senga Takehito believed Itogami Island must be destroyed.
However, his claims raised two serious questions.
"Why would Itogami Senra want to revive Cain? What's the goal?"
Rozen asked this straightforwardly.
To that, Senga Takehito seemed surprised.
"You mean you didn't know?" he frowned. "Itogami Senra is a descendant of the God of Sin."
Those words made Rozen's eyes narrow sharply.
A descendant of the God of Sin.
La Folia had mentioned this before as well.
"They're different from those imposters in The Cleansers. They are true magi researchers—legitimate successors of the God of Sin, Cain. Known as the Forbidden Four Characters, these four clans are taboo and feared. The Itogami family is one of them. The remaining three also hold key positions on the island, operating in the shadows to this day."
Senga Takehito truly seemed surprised that Rozen didn't know this.
After all, Rozen was an important figure on Itogami Island. It might be understandable if he didn't know the island's true nature, but he should have been aware of the Forbidden Four Characters.
Especially considering that Rozen's sister, who also held an important role on the island, would have surely known.
But upon further thought, Senga Takehito understood.
"I see. So Natsuki really protected you that thoroughly, shielding you even from the island's darkness. If I had known her doting had gone that far, I would have made sure to meet you no matter what."
Senga Takehito gave a small laugh.
Rozen remained silent.
Then, expressionless, Rozen asked another question.
"How can you be so sure that Cain's resurrection would lead to another Cleansing?"
Rozen's tone was flat—neither joyful nor sorrowful.
"Does Cain even have a reason anymore to recreate Cleansing?"
That was the second question.