In Typhon's eyes, his humiliation and forbearance had been worth it.
Although his current physical condition severely limited the poses he could strike, and his "Thinker" stance lacked a certain impact, it was still enough to showcase his imposing presence.
Couldn't they see?
He had seized the initiative.
The moment they laid eyes on him, that group of kids had frozen in place.
They must have been struck by the wisdom his posture conveyed, and the unrivaled charisma of a demon lord!
As if only just noticing the door had opened, Typhon lowered his hand and slowly raised his head. He forced himself to maintain a nonchalant expression and said faintly, "You've come?"
The members of the Salvation Group exchanged strange glances, as if holding back something they couldn't say.
This bizarre reaction struck Typhon as odd, something he hadn't anticipated.
Fortunately, Izayoi's style was very much to his liking and perfectly met his expectations.
Seeing Typhon's pose, Izayoi flashed a victor's smile. He glanced arrogantly at the companions behind him who had previously doubted him, then turned his gaze to Typhon, his expression shifting to match the same nonchalance.
"We've come."
"You shouldn't have."
Typhon subtly tried to apply pressure.
"But we came anyway."
Izayoi's expression was serious as he took a step forward.
"Since you're here, let's sit down. We can talk."
Typhon closed his eyes and slowly leaned back against the headboard of the hospital bed.
He appeared to be deep in thought, projecting an air of relaxation, but in reality, he was just trying to recover his strength.
"Alright!"
Without a hint of hesitation, Izayoi strode over to a sterilized chair prepared by the medical staff and leaned back into it as well.
He might have seemed bold and carefree, but in truth, he couldn't hold out much longer either. Sitting down was a huge relief.
As their backs found support, both men could finally rest. They let out a subtle sigh of relief, then opened their eyes almost simultaneously, staring calmly at each other.
"You're not bad."
"You too."
Though their gazes still held a hint of confrontation, a sense of mutual respect had bloomed between them.
"..."
The other members of the Salvation Group, having witnessed this entire exchange, collectively facepalmed.
After a shared sigh, they said nothing, simply filing into the room and taking seats around Typhon.
"Judging by your expressions, are you here to pass judgment on a criminal?"
Seeing their faces, Typhon immediately shed his earlier sense of camaraderie. His tone became placid, even slightly hostile.
Faced with his piercing stare, Saigō Homura and Izayoi exchanged a look, and Homura shook his head.
"There's no need to be so guarded, Mr. Typhon. You have no enemies here. I know you're a victim of human experimentation. We are your allies."
The first step in any negotiation is to establish who is friend and who is foe—to bring both parties onto the same side, by whatever means necessary.
Everyone present had learned this basic knowledge in Canaria's introductory courses, so no one objected.
"All of you are my allies?"
Typhon repeated the words, his voice dripping with disbelief.
"Yes."
Saigō Homura nodded again.
"You know about my brother Izayoi. He's also a victim of human experimentation, burdened by the same fate as you."
"As for me, while I may be the son of the 'great sinner' you spoke of, I was adopted by Teacher Canaria before I can even remember. My parents died in an accident long before that... I'm only alive today thanks to the protection of Teacher Canaria, the Holy Cross Group, and even Lord Su Mo."
"By your own logic, one who has not inherited their parents' grace need not inherit their hatred. Everything I have comes from my teachers. Surely that doesn't make me an object of your vengeance?"
Homura's attitude was completely open. The two brothers were purely victims; there was no need to hide their identities.
Hearing this, Typhon's expression was one of astonishment.
It wasn't the revelation that Homura was Izayoi's biological brother that surprised him, but something else entirely.
"Tōya... your father is actually dead?"
He seemed to have been unaware of this fact.
"Yes."
Homura nodded.
"I don't know the specifics, but given the nature of his research, it's not surprising he was targeted."
"..."
Typhon was silent for a dozen seconds before nodding.
"I believe you. And I believe in the stance you two brothers have taken."
Just as he believed in his own avatar, he accepted that these two brothers held different principles from their father.
"However—"
His tone shifted, and Typhon's sharp gaze fell upon Kudō Asuka.
"Does this 'ally' you speak of... include her?"
At his words, everyone was slightly taken aback.
Kasukabe Yō looked at her friend.
"It was like this last time, too... He seems really concerned with Asuka?" Percher asked, puzzled.
No one knew why Typhon was singling out Kudō Asuka.
Never one to back down from a challenge, Asuka met his pointed question with a sharp glare of her own.
"I've been meaning to ask you about this. Do you have a problem with me? Why are you always targeting me?"
"A wielder of a Divinity is not qualified to be my ally," Typhon stated calmly, then issued an ultimatum. "If this 'ally' of yours must include her, then there is no need for negotiation."
A dead silence fell over the room.
The atmosphere had started so well. When the Saigō brothers' identities were discussed, the two sides had found common ground, and things seemed to be moving in the direction everyone had hoped for.
Unexpectedly, they had hit a wall, and that wall was Kudō Asuka.
"Why?"
Saigō Homura asked with a frown.
No one in the room would ask Asuka to leave. Whatever Typhon's reasons were, they would not wrong their own comrade for the sake of another.
But Typhon's opinion was still crucial, so they wanted to understand what this god was thinking.
"Because gods cannot be trusted," Typhon answered succinctly.
"I will never allow the future of humanity to be dominated by gods. If that is its destiny, then I would rather see humanity destroyed and a new species take the place of primates."
His statement was not just radical; it was utterly insane.
Destroy humanity and let a new species replace human history?
"Why?"
Homura pressed on.
"Why are you so opposed to gods? Aren't you a god yourself?"
The Salvation Group's teachers included gods, astral spirits, and dragons. They did not hold a completely negative view of deities.
In response to his questioning, Typhon stared directly at him.
"That is why I have cast aside my divinity and descended into this world as an avatar. If my wish can be fulfilled, I don't care if my main body has to abandon its entire divine Spiritual status."
"I am the youngest son of Gaia, a mother of the blue planet. That is my core Spiritual status. All other statuses are unimportant."
Though he held the status of a god, he, like "K" and Queen Halloween, was not a pure deity. He could survive the loss of his mythological Spiritual status.
His attitude made it clear that his aversion to gods had reached a point where he was willing to sacrifice half of his own being.
"What did the gods do to make you hate them so much?"
Homura still didn't understand.
"After seeing what happened to my avatar, you still have to ask?"
Typhon gestured to himself, then glanced at Izayoi.
"As long as the possibility of divine rule exists, the tower of corpses built from the victims of human experimentation will never cease to grow. This is a fate that has repeated for several eras. It can never be changed!"
"Are you saying... that the rule of gods will inevitably lead to an increase in victims of human experimentation?"
Homura said with a frown.
"With all due respect, I fail to see the logical connection between the two."
"And ultimately, does this 'divine rule' you speak of even exist? Since your true form is a Full-Authority Domain-level being, you should know that the human history outside the Little Garden cannot be interfered with by the power of gods."
He hesitated for a moment, but then continued.
"Worrying that the power of gods will create more victims of human experimentation is an entirely unfounded fear!"
Homura's argument was sound. Even Kudō Asuka herself nodded in agreement upon hearing it.
What was the point of hating gods if a future dominated by them was impossible? His hatred and resistance were meaningless.
However, faced with this rebuttal, Typhon offered no explanation. He simply asked in return,
"Is that really so?"
He hadn't missed Homura's momentary hesitation, and he seized on that weakness to press his point.
"If gods truly cannot interfere with humanity's future, then why can she be your ally? Why can she influence the world?"
"Don't try to tell me the Bull of Heaven incident wasn't resolved by her, a wielder of a Divinity."
At his words, the group froze, finally realizing the loophole.
That's right.
When their teachers refrained from intervening, they always said that powers from the mythological side could not interfere with the course of human history in the multiverse.
But Kudō Asuka was a wielder of a Divinity. Why could she
interfere with human history?
Given her contributions, she couldn't even be called support. In the Bull of Heaven incident, she had been the main force!