"Doctor, how is he?"
Izayoi immediately stepped forward and asked. The others also looked over, deeply concerned.
Even though they'd had conflicts before, Typhon was purely a victim, and he had saved them at a critical moment. He was, for all intents and purposes, their lifesaver.
"Very bad."
Facing the members of the Salvation Group, the doctor shook his head, not hiding anything.
"He overexerted himself and used up his internal power. That alone wouldn't be so bad, but because of his genetic disease, his body was already constantly breaking down and rebuilding itself. This time, the breakdown is even more severe... Conservatively, he has three days to live, at most."
"Three days..."
Hearing this news, everyone was stunned.
Typhon was already on the verge of death; now, he had taken another huge step into the abyss.
The genetic breakdown within his body was a result of the previous human experiments. It couldn't even be called a disease, so naturally, there was no possibility of a cure, not even with a medical-type BDA.
"I'll do my best to maintain his vital signs, but whether he can even make it to the third day will depend on his own will to live."
The doctor shrugged and said as much.
Given Typhon's terrible condition, no amount of medical equipment or desperate rescue efforts could change the outcome. In the end, it was all up to fate.
"Understood. Thank you, Doctor."
They all knew the medical staff had done their best and could only accept this outcome.
Gazing at the newly shut doors of the emergency room, they exchanged glances and fell silent.
Izayoi was holding the sketchbook given to him by Lapko and was about to say something when his phone rang, signaling an urgent message.
He opened it to find a message from the Holy Cross Group's branch.
Izayoi's eyes widened slightly as he read the contents.
"Izayoi-nii, what's wrong?"
Saigō Homura asked immediately, noticing his expression.
"It's a joint request from all the victims we've found from the experiment sites so far."
Izayoi took a deep breath and showed the email on his phone to the others.
"They're worried about our safety. Even though I already had the Group's staff report that we're okay, they still want to see us, to thank us in person. They also want to see Typhon with their own eyes."
The only good news to come out of this attack was the shift in the victims' perspective.
Realizing the enemy was still watching them like a tiger stalking its prey, their worldview fell into place. They now placed immense trust in the Holy Cross Group and were willing to relocate to the main headquarters.
However, having witnessed the headquarters being attacked by the Evil Dragon Satan, they were worried for the safety of the Salvation Group—especially for their compatriot, the incarnation of Typhon who had called on them to trust the Group.
A simple verbal confirmation of their safety wasn't enough to ease their fears. They wanted to see the benefactors who had bravely protected them with their own eyes.
Honestly, it wasn't an unreasonable request.
"Typhon only has three days left," Kudō Asuka said in a heavy tone.
"Should we let those kids know about his condition?"
As the bond of their trust, if the hundred thousand victims learned that Typhon was about to die, there's no telling how they would react.
"No! Three days... is enough!"
Izayoi shook his head.
"At the Group's speed, we can complete the mass transfer within two days. As for whether to tell the victims about Typhon's condition, we'll let Typhon himself decide then."
It wasn't just the victims who wanted to see Typhon; he surely wanted to see his compatriots as well.
"Our top priorities right now are, first, to ensure the safe transfer of the victims. Kasukabe will be in charge of that."
Izayoi turned to look at Kasukabe Yō.
"The Evil Dragon Satan could strike the other victims at any moment. Among us, you're the only one who can maintain planetary-level mobile combat for extended periods."
The Dystopian Demon Lord may be a counter to Kudō Asuka, but it was in turn countered by Kasukabe Yō.
Kasukabe Yō could reach any point on the globe within thirty seconds, making her the strongest mobile unit we have.
"Okay."
Kasukabe Yō nodded, accepting the responsibility.
"As for the second, and most important, priority: investigating the Dystopia Project."
Izayoi looked at the drawings in his hand.
"Whether it's for justice, for revenge, or to pass the trial, Ojou-sama's seal must be broken, and the Dystopian Demon Lord must be defeated. Therefore, figuring out the details of their project is the most crucial task."
"Right now, the only reliable clue we have is the location of these bases. We absolutely cannot let it go."
Although Lapko's identity was still unclear, regardless of whether she was an incarnation of an omniscient demon, this was the only verifiable clue we had. There was no reason to ignore it.
"About these bases..."
Izayoi looked around at the group, but in the end, his gaze had to fall back on Kasukabe Yō.
"It looks like we have to rely on you again... I can handle the Evil Dragon Satan too, but with my speed and the number of gloves I have, my mobility is limited. I have to stay at our main base in case the enemy launches another surprise attack."
Originally, Izayoi had planned to go himself to investigate how far the Dystopia Project had progressed and how many human experiment sites remained undiscovered.
But after looking around, he realized he had no one to spare.
Kasukabe Yō needed to be ready to assist the other experiment sites at a moment's notice. If he also went out to investigate, the main base would be left without anyone strong enough to fend off the Evil Dragon Satan.
They had only survived the last attack thanks to Typhon. Now that Typhon was in a deep coma again, no one besides him and Kasukabe Yō had the power to stop the enemy.
Realizing this as well, the Kudō sisters dug their nails into their palms, their faces filled with frustration.
They never imagined they would feel so powerless.
"Right."
No sooner said than done. After assigning the tasks, to avoid any delays that might bring trouble, Izayoi immediately took photos of Lapko's drawings, uploaded them, and fed them to a specialized software to process the information and pinpoint the Dystopia Project's locations.
Up to this point, everything went smoothly. Using the drawings, they quickly determined the exact locations of three bases. All they had to do was go and investigate in person.
However, just as Kasukabe Yō saved the coordinates and was about to depart...
An alarm suddenly blared from Saigō Homura's computer.
"Wait! The concentration of Third Stellar Particles is rising rapidly! The fluctuation is identical to when the Evil Dragon Satan appeared before. The location of the alarm is... the coordinates we just identified?!"
Hearing this, Kasukabe Yō stopped in her tracks and looked over.
With a grim expression, Saigō Homura accessed a geosynchronous satellite and locked onto the location of the alarm.
The red dragon with seven horns and ten heads had now torn away all pretense, spewing flames with reckless abandon and destroying the base beneath it.
Its massive body was easily visible even without a low-orbit satellite.
The same scene was unfolding simultaneously at the other base coordinates, and even at targets they hadn't locked onto yet.
"Dammit! They struck first!"
Izayoi clenched his fists, realizing what was happening.
The enemy didn't know how many bases Lapko remembered, but they could destroy every base she had ever been to.
This might cause them massive losses, but it would prevent Izayoi's group from following the trail to find the other project sites.
As long as the destruction was thorough enough, not only would they fail to find any data on Satan, but they also wouldn't find a list of the other bases.
Should you call it decisive and ruthless, or cutting off a limb to survive...?
Watching the flames burn on the satellite images, everyone's expression was grim.
They could all imagine how many lives were being lost in those flames, all to cover up the enemy's secrets.
"I'm still going to check it out! Maybe I can find survivors!"
Kasukabe Yō turned and left, her figure vanishing in an instant.
Izayoi reached out a hand, wanting to say that the enemy would never leave anyone alive, but he said nothing and let Kasukabe Yō go.
Watching the several bases being destroyed simultaneously, and the innocent victims put to the torch by the Evil Dragon Satan, everyone struggled to contain the rage in their eyes.
After a long wait, a few minutes later, a message came from Kasukabe Yō. She hadn't found any survivors.
It was what they had expected, but everyone's expression darkened further.
"Our only clue... is gone."
Even Izayoi couldn't stop himself from slamming a fist into the wall.
With the Dystopia Project's ability to shield Third Stellar Particle activity, it was impossible to find their bases without a reliable lead.
And now, their only hope had been shattered.
Even if they wanted to fight the enemy, they had no way of finding them.
Just as everyone was sinking into despair...
"No! There's still one more clue!"
Saigō Homura raised his head resolutely, a fire burning in his eyes.
Under everyone's astonished gaze, he pointed directly at a central region in North America.
"To catch the bandits, first catch the king. When you get down to it, aren't these bastards the root of the problem?"
"Why don't we just take out their headquarters?!"