Though Rozen had disparaged the Lion King Agency, it remained an undisputed national intelligence organization.
Their purpose was to prevent large-scale magical disasters and terrorist attacks. Any power capable of causing such catastrophes would be monitored by them - figures like Rozen, Vatler, and Avrora were all on their watchlist. Should any of them pose a threat to humanity, the Agency would immediately take measures to eliminate them, nipping disasters in the bud.
Yukina had been assigned to monitor Rozen with the ultimate goal of executing him should he lose control.
Given this, when a dangerous sealed spiritual entity was about to awaken and potentially cause a massive magical disaster, it was only natural for the Lion King Agency to intervene.
This was why they had contacted Akatsuki Hisano, the guardian of Shinjin Lake in Shinoda - or rather, Hisano had reached out to the Lion King Agency for assistance.
"Priestess Akatsuki Hisano of Shinoda Shrine is a highly respected Attack Mage in the industry. Many famous exorcists have been trained under her, such as Shidosawa, former chairman of the Attack Mage Association, and Kirikado, former chief instructor of our Lion King Agency. Though she remains unregistered with any organization, she maintains close ties with us."
Koyomi continued:
"In recent years, Priestess Hisano discovered signs that the seal on Shinjin Lake was gradually weakening. The sealed spiritual entity is awakening, and if this continues, unimaginable consequences may follow."
Naturally, the Lion King Agency had to act.
But...
"May I ask, what does this have to do with Nagisa and Avrora's involvement?"
Yukina voiced her confusion.
Koyomi didn't ignore her, pausing before responding:
"I believe His Highness is familiar with the concept of 'Holy Annihilation'?"
She suddenly mentioned an undeniable term - Holy Annihilation.
Rozen indeed knew of it. During their discovery of Avrora's resting place, Akatsuki Gajou had mentioned it to him.
"That refers to the traces of unexplained massacres and destruction found worldwide, collectively known as the calamities caused by the Fourth Primogenitor, correct?"
Rozen recalled.
"Precisely." Koyomi elaborated. "As evidence of large-scale destruction and slaughter with signs of the Fourth Primogenitor's involvement have been found throughout history, we collectively term these events 'Holy Annihilation.'"
The Bible of the Western Church also documented accounts of Holy Annihilation.
This raised a question:
"Who exactly was the Fourth Primogenitor massacring?"
The targets of these slaughters and destruction were obvious when one considered the Fourth Primogenitor's nature.
What was the Fourth Primogenitor?
A god-slaying weapon created jointly by the Devas and the three Primogenitors.
As a god-slaying weapon, its enemies were self-evident.
"Gods."
Koyomi looked meaningfully at Rozen.
"The Fourth Primogenitor's enemies were gods."
Thus, Holy Annihilation didn't refer to any specific event, but rather the collective term for all the massacres, conflicts, powers, byproducts, and subsequent impacts between gods and the god-slaying weapon.
Those in the industry believed something world-changing must have occurred during the Holy Annihilation period.
The truth remains shrouded in mystery, still under investigation.
"We believe the entity sealed in Shinjin Lake is a relic of Holy Annihilation, much like Avrora Florestina - both remnants of that history."
The twelve matrices were Holy Annihilation artifacts, having been split from the Fourth Primogenitor who was central to those events.
The entity in Shinjin Lake was similar.
"It may be another god-slaying weapon like the Fourth Primogenitor, or perhaps a divine artifact - in any case, something extremely dangerous."
Koyomi chose her words carefully before continuing:
"Facing an unidentified seal that likely contains a god-slaying weapon, we couldn't act rashly. We lacked confidence in resealing it, and while our expertise lies with Demons, we had to be exceptionally cautious with a god-slaying weapon. We reached an impasse."
However, there were individuals capable of resolving this situation.
"Akatsuki Nagisa has previously interacted with Holy Annihilation artifacts, having broken the seal on Avrora Florestina. Her abilities are highly regarded by Priestess Hisano. We believed her power could affect the seal, another Holy Annihilation relic."
"As for Avrora Florestina - she herself was a vessel for sealing god-slaying weapons, having once contained the cursed soul of the Fourth Primogenitor, 'The Original'."
At this point, Koyomi's explanation was essentially complete.
The situation was clear:
With Nagisa, who had interacted with Holy Annihilation seals before, and Avrora, who was both a Holy Annihilation artifact and capable of sealing god-slaying weapons present, the seal might be reinforced.
At the very least, the awakened entity could be guided by Nagisa's spiritual abilities, then restrained and sealed by Avrora, resolving the crisis.
This was the Lion King Agency's plan, and the decision made by the Akatsuki grandmother and father.
Akatsuki Hisano, as guardian of Shinjin Lake's seal, couldn't ignore the situation.
Akatsuki Gajou, as an archaeologist studying Holy Annihilation, had been investigating its history long before Avrora's appearance.
Neither could turn a blind eye to the Holy Annihilation artifact in Shinjin Lake, ultimately requiring Nagisa and Avrora's involvement.
Regarding this...
"How...how could this be?"
Yukina couldn't help but protest.
"I heard that when Nagisa interacted with the Holy Annihilation artifact last time, she was possessed by 'The Original', nearly died, and was left with chronic health issues requiring long-term hospitalization. Avrora, as a sealing vessel, had been sleeping in the ruins all along. If they intervene this time, might history repeat itself?"
This was the crux of the problem.
Nagisa had nearly died last time from contacting a Holy Annihilation seal. While Avrora was a sealing vessel, she essentially sacrificed herself to contain the dangerous god-slaying weapon. Who could guarantee they wouldn't suffer the same fate at Shinjin Lake?
"We're fully aware of the significant risks involved."
Koyomi looked at Yukina.
"That's why for this operation, we've requested full cooperation from the Self-Defense Forces. The Lion King Agency has also deployed Sword Shamans and Shamanic War Dancers in training, even mobilizing one of the Three Saints - Kuraki Shirona, one of the most powerful Attack Mages."
"We have only two objectives."
"First: reseal the Holy Annihilation artifact in Shinjin Lake."
"Second: ensure the safety of Akatsuki Nagisa and Avrora Florestina."
This was the Lion King Agency's show of sincerity.