In that distant past, the God of Sin, Cain, once seated among the Devas in the heavens, was cast out by the gods and exiled to a foreign realm. It was only after this banishment that he developed hatred.
From that realm, he gained tremendous power, returned to this world, and raised a banner of rebellion against the gods.
That was the origin of the Cleansing.
In other words, the reason the history of the Cleansing even occurred in the first place was ultimately because the God of Sin, Cain, sought revenge against the gods.
And now, the gods have all fallen, the Devas have vanished, and Cain's objective has been fulfilled. Even if he were to be resurrected, so what?
Could it be that the God of Sin, Cain, has other goals or other enemies he still wishes to destroy?
If not, then why would Cain want to reenact the Cleansing?
If Senga Takehito cannot answer that question, then the entire basis for his actions collapses into nonsense.
At least, from Rozen's perspective, Senga Takehito's words lack crucial justification and fail to prove that Cain's resurrection would inevitably bring disaster.
"Rather, it's you people—judging by your words, you haven't just attacked the Demon Sanctuary of Iruwas, but seem to have destroyed other Demon Sanctuaries as well. The casualties from your actions, though perhaps not matching the mass slaughter of the Cleansing, still qualify as catastrophes that would shock future generations, don't you think?"
Rozen spoke dispassionately.
"And even so, you raise the banner of righteousness, trying to justify your deeds. Don't you think that's a bit much?"
These words made Senga Takehito's face darken.
Only December retained her usual carefree demeanor and smiled at Rozen.
"Indeed, we have no right to raise the banner of righteousness and claim ourselves as the absolutely correct side."
December's smile faded for the first time as she fixed her gaze on Rozen.
"Then let me ask you this, Minamiya Nichiyo," she said with a forceful tone, "even if we are not correct—can you say that we are wrong?"
The soul-piercing question made Rozen's brow furrow instantly.
Seeing this, December gave a helpless smile.
"That's right. You cannot deny that we are wrong. Because you're intelligent and rational. Now that you've learned the true nature of Itogami Island and uncovered the truth behind the Management Cooperative, you certainly cannot deny us."
Indeed, December and the others may not be able to guarantee that Cain's resurrection will bring about a new Cleansing, but neither could Rozen guarantee that it wouldn't.
If the God of Sin, Cain, were to be revived, what he might do—no one could say.
Perhaps, with his revenge fulfilled, he would let go of his past.
Or perhaps, he would unleash his hatred upon the modern world, turning it into hell.
"We believe the latter is far more likely," December stated. "After all, he's the originator of the Demons, the one who slew the gods, and was ultimately killed by the Fourth Primogenitor. Do you think someone like that would let go of his hatred?"
Ordinarily, it would seem unlikely.
At the very least, Cain would not forgive the Fourth Primogenitor who once killed him.
And now, although the Fourth Primogenitor has vanished, Rozen—who inherited the power of the Fourth—and Avrora Florestina, who remains a part of the Fourth Primogenitor, still exist in this world. Cain could very well shift his hatred toward them.
Then, if Cain's hatred extended beyond that, the other three Primogenitors—who once joined the Devas to create weapons capable of killing gods and destroyed Cain—would also become targets of his wrath.
At that point, the three Empires of the Night would become Cain's targets of vengeance. The allied nations of the Sanctuary Treaty would be dragged into the conflict, and those willing to follow Cain would appear one after another, dividing the world into two factions, leading to a massacre.
And thus, the second Cleansing in history would inevitably occur.
"Our wish is to eliminate the danger that Cain left behind. So, could you please not stand in our way?"
December said this as if seeking understanding.
"..."
Akatsuki Nagisa and Avrora Florestina were speechless.
Rozen narrowed his eyes.
"Eliminate the danger left by Cain… huh?" Rozen murmured. "No wonder you people targeted Kojou."
After all, Cain's spirit resides within Kojou.
If Kojou were to be killed, Cain's spirit would lose its vessel.
Once Cain lost his vessel and was reduced to a spirit alone, Senga Takehito—as a practitioner of Onmyoudou—could directly seal him or even completely annihilate him.
At that point, Cain's resurrection would become impossible.
But…
(Is that really true?)
Rozen outwardly showed no reaction, but inwardly, suspicion gnawed at him.
He thought back to the Blazing Banquet, when he used the forbidden ritual of the Taizan Fukun Ritual to summon the spirit of Cain back into the world.
Even as a spirit, Cain displayed power strong enough to push back the original.
Possessing such power, Cain did not leave after the original was sealed, nor did he act. Instead, he remained inside Kojou's body, sleeping silently, as if seeking a grave, never once awakening.
At the time, Rozen believed Cain feared that his spirit would not last long in the present world and was forced to enter Kojou to prevent dispersion.
But thinking back now—if Itogami Island was truly a ritual site designed to resurrect Cain, how could he not have noticed? He should've already taken control of the ritual with his own power to resurrect himself. Why wait until now?
Also, about the so-called Forbidden Four Characters mentioned by Senga Takehito—if they really held key positions on Itogami Island, then weren't they being too kind to Kojou, who held Cain's spirit?
So much time had passed, and yet these supposed descendants of the God of Sin neither approached Kojou nor attempted to investigate Cain's current condition. They simply allowed Kojou to live peacefully. How could that make sense?
Unless…
(They don't actually want Cain to be resurrected.)
Even Cain himself didn't seem to desire resurrection. He willingly accepted being sealed and continued to slumber.
All of these signs were telling Rozen that there was likely another hidden truth behind this whole matter.
After all, if Cain truly were the progenitor of the Demons, then why would the three Primogenitors—also Demons—have joined forces with the Devas to create a god-killing weapon to destroy him?
That notion, in and of itself, was suspicious.
Therefore, Rozen had long held a thought.
That perhaps…
(The so-called Cleansing isn't as simple as history has recorded…)