In truth, guilt also lingered in Avrora's heart.
She knew she shouldn't feel this way—she shouldn't be jealous of her sisters.
Her sisters had all placed their hopes solely on her, entrusted their every wish to her. It was precisely because of this that they accepted a mere human to be their master. One could imagine just how doting they were toward their youngest sister.
Avrora was grateful to them. She was thankful. By all means, she should not feel jealous of them.
Moreover, they all hoped for Avrora to survive. As the conclusion of the Age of Deities, Avrora was the only salvation. If she could continue living on in this era, it would prove that that history wasn't entirely meaningless.
And yet now, Avrora wished to become Rozen's Beast Vassal, abandoning her human form—that was undeniably a betrayal of their wishes.
She had betrayed the intent of her sisters. How could she not feel guilty?
But… Avrora truly had no choice.
She was envious.
She was jealous.
She was scared.
She was terrified.
To put it simply—she just wanted to stay with Rozen. The kind of staying that meant never parting, not even once.
So—
"I too have my own wish, my own will!"
Avrora voiced her feelings with desperate resolve.
Seeing her so desperate, the helpless expression on Rozen's face slowly faded, replaced by a tenderness.
A tenderness unlike anything before.
Not just from Rozen. Even the Beast Vassals within his blood seemed to look upon this version of Avrora with compassion, radiating waves of affection.
Because this was the Avrora they most wanted to see.
Why does someone give their all?
Isn't it because there's something they desperately want?
Avrora's determination to express herself, no matter the cost, was proof that she was truly alive in this world.
And so—
"You really beat me," Rozen sighed. "I was only away for a few months. Why the big reaction?"
To that, Avrora responded with honesty.
"Even if it's just a day… I still don't want to see you leave!"
She seemed to have thrown all hesitation aside. Every word spoken today came from the depths of her heart, her face flushing—whether from excitement or embarrassment was unclear.
"Have you really decided?" Rozen looked into her eyes. "If you truly become my Beast Vassal, you'll have to leave Nagisa, leave Kanon, leave everyone at the school. Are you okay with that?"
At that, Avrora fell silent.
Clearly, those bonds meant a great deal to her.
Especially Nagisa. Avrora's relationship with her was like sisters. If she could no longer be with Nagisa, it would surely break the girl's heart.
That had been the source of her inner turmoil and hesitation all this time.
But now, she had come to a decision.
"I will not leave that shrine maiden. I will not leave everyone."
Avrora smiled, as if awakening to her own answer.
"I will always be with you, and with them—watching over them forever."
That was the answer she gave.
And so—
"You really beat me."
Rozen finally smiled.
Then—
"I don't really want to burn through too much mana… but if I don't summon their true forms and only reveal their human forms, without using any power, it shouldn't cost that much, right?"
Rozen spoke a strange line out of the blue.
"Meet them, Avrora."
Saying that, he raised one hand.
A mist of blood rose around it.
In the next moment, from the blood mist, beautiful figures began to appear one by one.
"Y-You all…!?"
Avrora's eyes widened at the sight.
Because those figures emerging from the mist—each of them had the same face and body as her.
Yes.
They were none other than Avrora's sisters—the Matrices of Kaleid Blood who had once become Beast Vassals and vanished.
"Oh my, I didn't think we'd ever get to appear in this form again."
December stood among them, smiling lazily and playfully.
"Indeed."
No. 6 offered a gentle smile as she looked at Avrora, her gaze full of warmth.
The rest of the Matrices were the same. Each one gazed upon Avrora with loving eyes full of fondness for their youngest sister, and a sense of wonder at their own return.
"T-This is…"
Avrora was utterly overwhelmed.
Seeing her like that, Rozen chuckled softly.
"Originally, your sisters had indeed cast off their human forms, becoming part of the Beast Vassals and departing this world. But recently, I acquired a considerable amount of power and used it to restore their human forms, allowing them to freely shift between human and Beast Vassal forms."
Because they had regained their human forms, as absolute-contract familiars of Rozen, their updated traits were recorded into his soul. Not only were their original appearances restored completely, but they could also shift into Beast Vassal forms at will.
Of course, this consumed a great deal of Rozen's mana.
But he had no choice. For Avrora's sake, he was willing to expend that power.
Rozen wanted to tell her—
"I won't stop you from becoming my Beast Vassal. But I won't let you give up your body, either."
He spoke plainly.
"I have a contract. As long as the contractor holds absolute recognition or loyalty toward me—regards me as the most important existence in their life—they can become a pure record etched into my soul, a familiar bound to live and die with me, never able to betray me."
He looked at Avrora.
"If you sign that contract with me in your current form, you'll retain your humanity, and you'll be able to freely transform between human and Beast Vassal."
"The price is that from this moment forward, like your sisters, you can never betray me."
"What do you think? Can you accept that?"
Rozen extended a hand toward her, eyes brimming with tenderness.
The Matrices all looked at her too, their gazes full of encouragement.
Seeing this, Avrora felt the urge to cry.
She understood why Rozen had gone out of his way to restore her sisters' forms and bring them before her—why he had explained the absolute contract.
He wanted to wipe away her doubts. To tell her she wasn't alone. That she hadn't been left behind.
At that moment, Avrora finally understood.
"So I wasn't the only one who was saved."
Because of this man, all those who were once fragments of the Fourth Primogenitor had been redeemed. Cain the God of Sin and the Fourth Primogenitor, both destroyed by the Original, were also redeemed. And the Origin itself, that curse, had been vanquished by Rozen.
What the world believed to be an irredeemable history—had already found meaning in Rozen's hands.
Perhaps that was why Cain had entrusted the knowledge of Cleansing to Rozen.
Since even Cain acknowledged him, then for these twelve sisters, avatars of the Fourth Primogenitor, to become his strength was only natural.
And so—
"I accept!"
"I am willing!"
"I want to be with you and our sisters forever! Never part again!"
With this vow, Avrora placed her hand in Rozen's.
The surrounding Matrices each extended their hands as well, stacking theirs upon Avrora's without a moment's hesitation, placing them in Rozen's.
A boy and twelve girls, right there, made a vow of eternity.
From this day forth, the twelve Beast Vassals of the Fourth Primogenitor were finally reunited.
And Rozen at last obtained the complete power of the Fourth Primogenitor—claiming the legacies of both the God of Sin and the Primogenitor, and inheriting the will of the two pillars at the center of the Age of Divine.