Asagi stared curiously at the intricate underground facilities beneath Keystone Gate. Though she had learned from some classified archives that mysterious things were hidden below, this was her first time coming here.
"Aslan, where are we going? Is there really a way to save Itogami Island?" Asagi asked anxiously.
Outside Itogami Island, the rampaging, out-of-control Leviathan was heading toward the island.
"You'll find out soon." Aslan replied, his steps light and unhurried, keeping the secret from Asagi.
Seeing that Aslan didn't answer her question, Asagi could only suppress the doubts in her heart and follow him nervously.
Soon after, the two arrived at the lowest floor of Keystone Gate. They passed through a submarine base and arrived before a stone gate.
The stone gate was etched with highly intricate patterns. Asagi recognized that these patterns were ritual circuits, their complexity far surpassing any magical ritual she had ever seen.
Yet, for some reason, despite seeing these patterns for the first time, Asagi felt an odd sense of familiarity, as if she instinctively understood their meaning without needing to comprehend them.
"Aslan, what is this?" Asagi already sensed that this stone gate and what lay behind it were far from ordinary.
"Beyond this stone gate is the Cleansing System. Right now, it's one of the few things we can use to defeat Leviathan." Having reached their destination, Aslan no longer kept secrets and spoke frankly.
"Cleansing?" Asagi's pupils contracted, and she exclaimed in shock.
"Yes, it's the Cleansing you know, but this isn't the ancient Cleansing ruins that caused massive destruction to the world and hid countless weapons."
"This is the true Cleansing System, with immense power capable of modifying the world."
Aslan's smile faded, and he looked at her seriously. His eyes, deep as the universe, captured all of Asagi's attention, making her breath catch.
"Asagi, at this point, I don't want to hide anything from you. It's time to tell you some things."
"You are Cain's Miko. As for what a Cain's Miko is, you don't need to understand it now. Once you activate the Cleansing System, everything you want to know will become clear."
"You can think of the Cleansing System as a kind of weapon. With Itogami Island now facing Leviathan's threat, only the Cleansing System can handle it."
"I'm telling you all this here to give you your final choice, Asagi."
"No one knows what will happen if the system is fully activated."
"No one knows what Cain's Miko, as the core control component, will experience after the Cleansing System is activated."
Aslan's expression was grave. He left everything to Asagi, letting her make her own decision.
"Of course, even if you don't activate the Cleansing System, I have other ways to deal with Leviathan outside."
Aslan's serious expression vanished, replaced by a mischievous smile.
"Why'd you suddenly get so serious?" Asagi patted her chest, which didn't match her age, startled by Aslan's sudden gravity.
"You have a way, so why didn't you say so earlier? You almost scared me to death."
"You mean you've always had a way to deal with Leviathan? No, to win the battle against the Sanctuary Treaty Agency Army?"
Asagi showed a helpless expression. This outcome was still a bit beyond her expectations.
So all her earlier worries had been for nothing.
"What's the big deal?" Aslan shrugged, admitting it openly.
"Then why didn't you tell me earlier, letting me worry all this time?" Asagi pouted in frustration, turning her face away, unwilling to talk to a jerk like Aslan.
"Aslan, how do I activate this Cleansing System?" Asagi gently touched the tightly sealed stone gate and its intricate yet familiar patterns, asking softly.
Asagi had made her choice. After all, Leviathan's loss of control was her fault. It was a problem she caused, so she had to resolve it herself.
After all, she was the Temporary Supreme Crisis Commissioner personally appointed by Aslan. Handling Itogami Island's crisis was her responsibility.
As for the bad things that might happen when activating the Cleansing System, she trusted Aslan would step in.
With that said, Asagi pushed the stone gate open without any difficulty and walked inside without hesitation.
Aslan said nothing, silently watching her enter the Cleansing System.
After seeing Asagi go in, Aslan shrugged casually.
"Looks like I might not need to activate the Cleansing System after all."
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
At the deepest part of Keystone Gate, inside Cain's Coffin.
The moment she passed through the stone gate, countless memories awakened in Asagi's mind. They contained numerous secrets, including, of course, her true identity.
She was one of the descendants of the many Mikos chosen by Cain in the distant past. Upon contact with the Cleansing System, her powers as a Miko were fully restored.
"So this is the Cleansing? What incredible power. With massive calculations, even the laws of the world can be freely modified." Asagi exclaimed in awe.
"Young lady, even so, don't use this power lightly. Don't expand the scope of the Cleansing, let alone forcibly alter certain laws. The side effects are too great for you."
"If you act recklessly, you'll be consumed by this system!"
From Asagi's phone came the electronic voice of Mogwai, the strongest artificial intelligence on the island—perhaps even in the world. Of course, this was only its surface identity. Mogwai's true identity was a virtual persona replicated from data of Cain when he was alive.
It could also be called a clone of Cain.
The Cleansing System was created by Cain himself. No one knew better than him how powerful its backlash was. Even Cain back then had died from overusing the Cleansing System, let alone Asagi, who was merely a Cain's Miko.
"I know, Mogwai. I won't overuse this power. But to protect Itogami Island and everyone on it, I have to borrow the Cleansing System's power."
The junior high school girl wore a resolute expression, displaying an unyielding and determined demeanor.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
As the Cleansing System activated, the ocean roared, and the entire underwater continent trembled.
Aslan, standing outside the stone gate, felt an intense vibration. This was an earthquake caused by drawing massive magical energy from the Dragon Veins.
No, it wasn't just an earthquake. Aslan could clearly see that, centered on Itogami Island, a piece of the continent was rising upward.
The landmass was nearly ten times the size of Itogami Island. It formed a massive conduction chain, visually transforming Itogami Island from an island to a landmass, and from a landmass to a floating city.
"Is this because the world is starting to reject the Cleansing System?"
Aslan observed the monumental event of the Cleansing System's activation, its operations, the program's execution, and all the changes it brought with great interest.
Suddenly, a deep crimson beam shot out from Itogami Island. This red light ignored all magical energy and pierced straight through the magical energy shield covering Leviathan's body.
"ROAARR!!" Leviathan roared anxiously.
Wherever the red light swept, no matter how thick its magical energy shield was, everything vanished without a trace, including the flesh and blood of its body.
For the first time in tens of thousands of years on this planet, it felt the threat of death.
"Emmm…"
Aslan held his chin, watching this scene with slight dissatisfaction.
The Cleansing System's power altered the physical effects of the beam, twisting certain laws. Under the Cleansing's laws, the magical energy in Leviathan's body became ineffective, similar to the Dark Covenant's domain. The magical energy shield naturally lost its effect.
At the same time, the deep crimson light had the effect of turning existence into nothingness, causing all parts of Leviathan it touched to vanish.
But how to put it? In Aslan's eyes, Asagi's use of the Cleansing System was merely utilizing the light emitted when the system was activated.
It was like the light shining on a screen when a computer is turned on. Meanwhile, the true world-law-distorting power of the Cleansing System wasn't manifested at all.
It was as if you spent a fortune on a high-spec computer, but someone only used its glowing screen as a lamp.
"Moreover, the magical energy provided by the Dragon Veins is still far from fully activating the Cleansing System."
"I really don't know how Cain managed to activate the Cleansing System back then, even creating the Three Primogenitors—oh, no, Four Primogenitors."
Well, the Fourth Primogenitor was also created by Cain. What's that called? I Killed Myself?
However, the reason Cain let the Fourth Primogenitor kill him was to give himself a chance for resurrection.
The Cleansing System's backlash would gradually erase his existence. If it were erasing someone else's existence, the system's feedback could restore normalcy. But for the ritual's user, it was irreversible and unstoppable.
So, after Cain resolved the rampant Beast Vassal issue on land, he let the Fourth Primogenitor kill him, leaving an opportunity for resurrection using Cain's Altar.
"But for the energy supply…"
Aslan reached for something and pulled out a circular object glowing golden like a small bedside lamp from his body.
Yes, that's right—this was the Sun Authority. It looked like a cheap toy.