"An oracle? About me? And from the Sanguine Progenitor?"
Cyril was a little dazed. He remembered Nibis saying something like this when fooling Emlyn. Why was it suddenly being used on him?
And... were they sure this oracle had truly come from their Progenitor, Lilith, rather than the Moon?
As his thoughts churned, he heard Nibis's hoarse yet smiling voice from within the coffin:
"Yes, an oracle."
"Ever since the Progenitor dragged the 'King of Heteromorphs' and the 'Annihilation Demonic Wolf' down with him after their ambush in the Second Epoch, the Sanguine have been declining."
"But fortunately, the Progenitor did not truly perish. He could still shelter and guide us to a certain extent."
"That is also the fundamental reason why, now that the ancient races created by other ancient gods have nearly vanished, we Sanguine can remain active and retain a sufficient standing in the mysterious world."
"Cough~"
...Stop coughing. I'm really afraid you'll suddenly drop dead in front of me, and then Lilith will pin the blame on me.
And the real reason you Sanguine could remain active into the Fifth Epoch was that Lilith never died at all and had always been watching over you. Back in the Fourth Epoch, she probably even went easy—no, went extremely easy—on you lot who sided with the "Night Emperor."
After grumbling inwardly for a few moments, Cyril asked in a deep voice:
"May I know the specific contents of this oracle?"
"Of course."
Amid the hoarse voice, a streak of crimson moonlight shot out through the narrow gap in the iron-black coffin before him. It intertwined in midair, forming a slightly illusory image.
Within the image, a blood-red full moon hung high in the sky. Then, from the depths of darkness and the mist, a pair of enormous bat