In Japan, within Kyoto Prefecture, deep in Mount Oe.
From an old style courtyard hidden deep within the High God Forest, a faint candlelight shone out into the night, where everything else was steeped in silence.
This was the headquarters of the Lion King Organization, the institution responsible for handling large scale artificial magical disasters and intelligence work. It was also the usual meeting place of the Lion King Organization's main leaders, the Three Saints.
At that moment, the dim firelight illuminated the inner hall of the old courtyard, casting three shadows across the floor.
It was not their usual fixed meeting time, yet not one of them was absent. The Three Saints had gathered together, but no one spoke.
After a long silence, Koyomi Shizuka, dressed in an old fashioned kimono that covered her from head to toe, was the first to break it.
"We can now confirm that this operation concerning the Fourth Primogenitor has ended in failure. For various reasons, Yukina Himeragi deviated from the plan we arranged, and even now, Kojou Akatsuki still does not know about that first Observer."
At this point, Koyomi Shizuka lifted her head and glanced at the other two figures. After a short pause, she continued.
"I think we need to discuss once more whether the plan of drawing Kojou Akatsuki to our side through the Blood Partner is even feasible. We have already paid too much for this plan."
As soon as Koyomi Shizuka finished speaking, the other middle aged man in the room finally opened his mouth.
"It is precisely because we have already paid so much that we cannot stop halfway. As long as we achieve our goal, what we have spent now will be insignificant compared to what we will gain."
"But right now, I cannot see any potential return from Kojou Akatsuki at all. All I see is that we have lost a Sword Shaman who could have become one of the Three Saints in the future, and another Sword Shaman who originally had a promising future ahead of her."
[Who do you think you are? Are you a god?]
As Shadow's words echoed in her mind, Koyomi Shizuka clenched her teeth. Looking at the middle aged man in front of her, who was still greedily coveting the power of the Fourth Primogenitor, she could not keep her emotions from rising.
"And how can you guarantee that Kojou Akatsuki will definitely grow into that power? In the end, this whole plan was absurd from the start. Expecting an ordinary high school student to master the power of the Fourth Primogenitor, have you been watching too many cartoons?"
By the end, Koyomi Shizuka's voice had clearly taken on a note of anger.
"Watch your tone, Koyomi Shizuka.
You are still young and lack experience. I do not blame you for having poor judgment in dealing with matters.
But at the very least, I hope you understand how to respect your seniors."
It seemed Koyomi Shizuka had stirred his temper as well, because the middle aged man immediately put on the airs of an elder.
"And you call Kojou Akatsuki ordinary? Hah.
He is the grandson of Hisano Akatsuki of the Akatsuki family. How could he possibly be ordinary?
It may not be obvious because he has never undergone training since childhood, but the fact that he was able to absorb the power of the Fourth Primogenitor is already proof enough of his aptitude."
The corners of the middle aged man's mouth lifted.
"And then there is his younger sister, Nagisa Akatsuki. She has been using a Human body to sustain the life force required by a Primogenitor's Beast Vassal, yet she is still alive and well. Judging by the current situation, she may even be able to fully control that Beast Vassal in the future."
"When Kojou Akatsuki fully masters the power of the Fourth Primogenitor in the future and establishes a Dominion, then either you or I can step down from our position as one of the Three Saints and let Nagisa Akatsuki take that seat. At that point, what we will gain is a member of the Three Saints capable of using a Primogenitor's Beast Vassal, along with the power of a Dominion. Compared to that, the temporary gains and losses in front of us are trivial. You are still too young."
"You have been blinded by greed. You want to gamble the entire Lion King Organization for the sake of your ambition."
Seeing the greed plainly written across the middle aged man's face, Koyomi Shizuka bit down hard.
"Heh."
The middle aged man let out a cold laugh at Koyomi Shizuka's words.
"Blinded by greed? For the sake of my ambition?
What righteous words, Koyomi Shizuka. Have you forgotten that this plan was approved by all three of us together through a vote? And now, after things have come this far, you are trying to wash your hands of it completely?"
"That is exactly why I want to stop this operation now. The risk is simply too great.
If Shadow had not stepped in to deal with Kojou Akatsuki this time, then a rampaging Fourth Primogenitor would have attacked everything he saw out of the instinct to complete himself.
Yes, the other factions would never just stand by and watch a rampaging Fourth Primogenitor destroy the world. But before that happened, Japan, the mainland closest to Itogami Island, would have become the very first country destroyed by Kojou Akatsuki."
"If we stop now, we will suffer some losses, but they are still within what we can bear.
If we give up now, it is not too late. With the strength of the Lion King Organization, we can still pretend nothing ever happened. The power of the Fourth Primogenitor is simply not something we are qualified to touch."
Koyomi Shizuka continued trying to persuade the middle aged man, but he merely shook his head and replied in a heavy voice.
"Give up? And then what, wait here for our end? Two years ago we might really have been able to pretend nothing happened, but now the times have changed."
"What do you mean by that?"
"That is why I say you are still too young. Look at the world outside, Koyomi Shizuka. This world has already changed.
Back then we believed that at the very least we had the ability to protect ourselves, so we could keep our distance and stay out of matters that did not concern us.
But the fusion of the three worlds has brought too many changes and exposed too many things.
It has not even been two years since the worlds merged, and with the external threat of the World Battlefield alone, the world has already changed so drastically. Just imagine what the future will be like.
The Dominions have a Primogenitor. The mythological factions have their own chief gods. They all have the strength to survive the tides of this era.
But what about us? What do we have?"
Koyomi Shizuka unconsciously swallowed.
Her instincts told her that the words the man before her, another member of the Three Saints, was about to say were extremely dangerous.
"Our strength is insufficient. If we only cling to the status quo, we will be drowned by the tide of this era. We must find a way to grow stronger.
And now, the opportunity is right in front of us. Once Kojou Akatsuki completely masters the power of the Fourth Primogenitor and establishes a Dominion, they will inevitably have to imitate Netheril if they want that empire to survive and grow in the current world.
And when that time comes, it will be our opportunity to rise by relying on that Dominion."
At this moment, Koyomi Shizuka genuinely felt the urge to kill.
The ambition of the man before her would drag the entire Lion King Organization down with him.
"I oppose!"
The words were forced out through clenched teeth.
"Hmph. In the end, you are still just a woman. Talking to you is like playing music to a cow. Then let us decide by vote. I still support continuing the plan."
Koyomi Shizuka understood what he meant. She could not deny that the plan had a certain degree of feasibility.
But there were simply too many uncertainties.
If the legend that the Fourth Primogenitor was the strongest Primogenitor was true, then once Kojou Akatsuki completely controlled that power, even if he could not surpass the First Primogenitor, the Lost Warlord, simply being equal to him would already give him combat power ranked among the top fifteen in the world.
That level of strength was indeed enough to serve as the foundation of this plan.
But setting aside whether Kojou Akatsuki could truly master that power, even if he did, that strength would only serve as the foundation. Whether it could withstand the pressure from the outside world was still another question entirely.
A fighter ranked among the world's top fifteen could be considered a world class powerhouse. Under normal circumstances, very few factions would provoke such a person.
But copying Netheril's way of doing things would not only provoke one or two members of the world's top fifteen.
The reason Netheril dared to act as if the entire world were its enemy was because its emperor possessed strength so overwhelming that even if all the world's top fifteen joined forces, they still could not defeat him.
As for Kojou Akatsuki?
Even if his power reached that level, judging by his personality, it was questionable whether he could even defeat a single normal top fifteen powerhouse.
And if Kojou Akatsuki lost, then the newly established Dominion would immediately become a joke and be torn apart.
At that time, the Lion King Organization would also be exposed and destroyed.
Two of the Three Saints had already expressed their stance. One supported the plan, and one opposed it.
Now the decision rested in the hands of the final member of the Three Saints.
Both of them turned their gaze toward the silent figure who had not spoken a single word since appearing.
It was a petite girl.
She had a pair of enormous breasts, pale purple eyes, and long platinum blond hair. Her delicate, childlike face carried a confused expression that seemed completely out of place in the tense atmosphere.
As the two gazes settled on her, the confusion on her face deepened, and her body began to tremble.
Suddenly, the trembling stopped.
The confusion vanished from her face, and her eyes became cold and emotionless.
Only now did the girl truly appear as one of the Three Saints.
Kuraki Shirona.
Her true form was a consciousness of darkness that had been passed down for over a thousand years. Through bloodline inheritance, each generation selected one descendant to host it, where it would exist as a second personality.