"What have you done to me? Why can't I move?!"
Avrora's expression shifted slightly, her face filled with confusion as she looked toward Eriri. Although Eriri's peerless beauty astonished her, she didn't have the presence of mind to think about that right now.
"You look lively enough, but be a good girl now—don't move, okay~"
Ignoring Avrora's resistance, Eriri placed her right hand once more on the girl's cheek. Her slender, fair fingers wantonly kneaded the soft flesh.
As she played with Avrora's face, Eriri smiled and continued:
"By the way, you don't have a name yet, do you? From now on, how about calling you Avrora?"
"Avrora?"
Hearing the unfamiliar name, Avrora froze momentarily. Yet deep inside, she felt a faint sense of joy bubbling up.
"That's right—Avrora Florestina. It's the name of the sleeping beauty from a fairy tale. Doesn't it sound nice?"
Eriri looked down at the girl nestled in her arms with a soft smile. The playful kneading of her cheeks turned into gentle caresses.
The name Avrora had originally been given by the vampire Lianna—the strongest guardian in the ruins investigation team from the original story. Eriri, quite satisfied with that name, saw no reason to change it.
"Mm, it sounds beautiful. From now on, I'll be Avrora! I finally have a name!"
A bright smile bloomed on Avrora's face. As an artificial being created as a weapon, she and the other eleven prototypes of the Fourth Primogenitor had never been given names.
Now that someone had bestowed one upon her, she felt recognized—an undeniable warmth rising within her chest, and her feelings toward Eriri improved greatly.
But soon, her expression changed again.
"No, this isn't good. Since I've awakened, that means the Original might awaken as well."
As a weapon known as the "Holy Devourer," Avrora also served as the monitor of the Original Fourth Primogenitor. Using a shared consumption principle, she had sealed the Original's soul within her own body.
When she was asleep, the Original's soul had slumbered as well.
But now that she was awake, that soul could awaken at any moment—and escape from within her.
Seeing the tension on Avrora's face, Eriri gently pinched her small nose and said with a reassuring smile:
"Don't worry, Avrora. The Original's soul within you was destroyed when I awakened you. Now, you alone possess the complete power of the Fourth Primogenitor."
Avrora's eyes widened in shock at Eriri's calm tone.
"That... how did you do that?!"
"Oh, that's something easily done, you know~"
Eriri's lighthearted words left Avrora utterly speechless.
To her, the power of the Fourth Primogenitor was one of the greatest forces in existence—yet this girl dismissed it as if it were nothing.
While Avrora was still dazed, Eriri's voice rang out again.
"By the way, you may have the Fourth Primogenitor's power now, but you haven't inherited all of her familiars yet. It's about time they returned to you."
As she spoke, Eriri snapped her fingers.
Instantly, multiple spatial portals appeared around them. From each emerged a girl identical in appearance to Avrora—but with different hairstyles.
When the portals closed, the once-empty chamber now held eleven golden-haired girls, all wearing puzzled expressions, unable to understand what was happening.
They were the vessels of the Fourth Primogenitor's remaining eleven familiars—like Avrora herself, artificially created beings.
Meanwhile, in the "Chaotic Domain" across North and South America, the Third Primogenitor, Gadak Kukulkan, suddenly sensed that several of the Fourth Primogenitor's familiar vessels she had been collecting had vanished without a trace. Her beautiful face displayed a rare expression of surprise.
She immediately suspected that Natsuki Minamiya was behind it. After all, they had fought not long ago, and she had experienced firsthand the depth of Natsuki's spatial abilities. She knew the witch was fully capable of doing such a thing without leaving any trace.
"Could it be for the revival of the Fourth Primogenitor?"
Recalling the intelligence she had gathered recently, Gadak Kukulkan's lips curved into an amused smile.
...
Outside the ruin chamber where Eriri and the others were located, Nagisa Akatsuki—wearing a shrine maiden's outfit—had already sensed Avrora's position using her ability.
Led by her brother Kojou and the ruins investigation team, Nagisa was carefully guiding them through the ancient corridors, slowly approaching the chamber where Eriri and Avrora were.
At this pace, it wouldn't take long before they reached Eriri's location.
Meanwhile, outside the ruins, a group of beastmen led by a dog-headed warrior had gathered together. Armed with all sorts of weapons, their eyes gleamed coldly as they waited for the right moment to strike at the ruins.
Of course, Eriri was fully aware of everything happening beyond the chamber walls—but she didn't care in the slightest. She had no intention of stopping them.
No matter how many people came, none of them could possibly affect her.
Arifureta looked at the scene before her—the twelve identical girls standing in the chamber—and couldn't help showing a trace of astonishment on her exquisite face.
"Even though I saw this in the memory projection, seeing it in person still feels unbelievable. It's really like twelve-tuplets."
Hearing that, Shinobu nodded in agreement, her curious eyes moving back and forth among the eleven newly appeared girls.
As for Natsuki Minamiya, she remained silent, simply watching Eriri, Avrora, and the eleven others without any intention of interfering.
The eleven girls didn't pay much attention to the gazes of Eriri's group. Instead, they began observing their surroundings, studying the ancient chamber they had just appeared in. Soon, their eyes turned toward Arifureta and the others.
But when they spotted Avrora—still resting in Eriri's arms—their gazes flickered, all of them focusing on her.
Avrora, for her part, stared back in shock at the sudden appearance of eleven identical "sisters." Eriri's unexpected actions left her momentarily stunned.
"Number Twelve... has the Original already awakened?"
One of the eleven girls suddenly spoke, while the other ten all turned their eyes toward Avrora as well.
They didn't care how they had been brought here. What mattered most to them was the condition of the "Original."
Before Avrora could respond, Eriri's calm voice sounded first.
"The 'Original' has already been destroyed. The current Fourth Primogenitor is Avrora—your youngest sister."
Hearing that, the girl who had spoken nodded quietly, showing no emotional response to the destruction of the Original. The other ten followed suit—none of them seemed disturbed by the revelation.
However, Eriri's words drew all of their attention to her instead.
Their expressions varied—some surprised, some curious—but none displayed hostility or anger.
"Are you the one who brought us here?" one girl asked, curiosity evident in her tone.
Eriri nodded without hesitation. "That's right."
"Did you bring us here so that we could return to Number Twelve?" another girl asked, this one wearing her hair in twin tails.
"Yes, that's indeed my intention," Eriri replied. "But you don't have to worry—I won't let you disappear completely. Though you'll fuse with Avrora, as long as you wish, you can separate from her body at any time."
"I see... I understand."
The twin-tailed girl nodded, her eyes glimmering faintly as if in thought.
"I have no objection to this arrangement. After all, we are originally fragments of the Fourth Primogenitor's power. Returning to her is only natural."
"Same here."
The other ten girls voiced their agreement one after another, none showing any resistance to Eriri's arrangement.
After all, Eriri's plan offered them no harm. Their existence wouldn't be erased.
Avrora looked at the eleven girls before her, her eyes flickering with complex emotions. But she said nothing, only watching them quietly.
"In that case..."
Eriri smiled and nodded, then snapped her fingers once more. The eleven girls—each with a different hairstyle—instantly turned into streaks of light, converging into Avrora's body before disappearing as though they had never existed.
At that moment, with the twelve familiars reunited, Avrora became the complete Fourth Primogenitor in the truest sense.
In the original story, Kojou Akatsuki had needed to drink the blood of various girls to activate these familiars. But for Avrora, there was no such limitation—if she willed it, she could summon any of her familiars to fight for her at any time.
"Avrora, how do you feel now?"
Eriri looked down at the girl in her arms, her bright smile softening with genuine curiosity.
"It's... a strange feeling. I can sense all of them within me, and I can speak to them in my mind."
After sensing the changes inside her body, Avrora truthfully shared what she felt without hesitation.
"Of course. Though they've merged with you, they still exist as independent entities. You can communicate with them—and they can hear everything happening outside as well."
Hearing that, Avrora nodded seriously, then looked at Eriri with gratitude in her eyes.
"Thank you—for everything you've done for us!"
"No need to thank me. From the moment you met me, you've already become mine. Helping you is only natural."
"W-What?! What kind of joke is that? I am the Fourth Primogenitor—the strongest vampire in the world! How could I possibly belong to you?!"
Avrora's expression shifted from gratitude to disbelief, her cheeks puffing up indignantly at Eriri's claim.
"That's not something you get to decide~"
Eriri chuckled, her mischievous hand once again rising to pinch Avrora's cheek.
Avrora puffed her cheeks even more, glaring up at her captor. Her adorable pout only made her look even cuter.
Meanwhile, voices suddenly echoed in Avrora's mind.
"Number Twelve—no, Avrora now. I think becoming that lady's personal possession doesn't sound like a bad thing at all."
"Agreed. Considering she could gather us all together from different corners of the world so easily—and that you can't resist her—that alone proves her overwhelming power. Staying by her side would only bring benefits."
"Yeah, yeah! And look at her—she's gorgeous! Being with her isn't exactly a loss, is it~?"
"Avrora, I'm so jealous—you even have a name now! Did that lady give it to you herself?"
"..."
Listening to her "sisters," Avrora couldn't help but feel exasperated, as though they were gleefully selling her off. Words failed her.
Just as she was about to protest internally, Eriri's cheerful voice interrupted her thoughts.
"All right, little ones inside Avrora—come out for a moment. I'll give each of you a name."
As soon as Eriri spoke, the eleven girls who had just merged with Avrora separated from her body, reappearing in the chamber once again.
They immediately gathered around Eriri, joy shining in their expressions.
At the same time, Eriri released the restraints on Avrora and let her go.
Having regained her freedom, Avrora should have felt happy—but instead, a faint sense of loss welled up within her chest.
Sensing Avrora's subtle emotions, the corners of Eriri's lips curved upward. With a teasing smile, she said:
"What's wrong, Avrora-chan? Can't bear to leave my embrace already?"
"O-Of course not! Don't misunderstand!"
Avrora quickly shook her head, but the pink tint spreading across her cheeks betrayed her.
Seeing that, Eriri didn't tease her further. She merely smiled and reached out to gently pat Avrora's head.
"Don't worry—my arms will always be open for you."
After saying that, Eriri withdrew her hand and turned her gaze toward the eleven girls gathered around her.
The moment her attention shifted, the girls eagerly leaned closer, their faces filled with anticipation.
"Don't rush. One at a time—I'll make sure each of you gets a name you'll love."
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