A sudden disaster, laid bare before everyone's eyes.
Izayoi didn't want to agitate the victims, but things had already come to this. Cutting off the communication would be meaningless and would only create more panic.
And so, the tragic scene at the experimental base appeared before the hundred thousand victims, awakening their painful memories.
"There's no time to mobilize them. You guys stabilize the situation, I'm going to help!"
Izayoi pulled a disposable, glove-type BDA from his pocket, took a powerful stride, and shot off at the third cosmic velocity.
This enemy would surely be formidable. The BDA could only be used once, so he had to conserve its uses and not waste it on acceleration.
With Kasukabe Yō's strength, even if she couldn't achieve a decisive victory, tying the enemy down in a fight wouldn't be a problem.
With the two of them working together to pin the enemy down, Izayoi was confident of victory.
"I'm coming too!"
Hearing Izayoi's words, Typhon gritted his teeth and stood up from his wheelchair.
The enemy was brutalizing his compatriots right in front of him. This hatred made him cast aside all caution, wanting only to utterly crush the foe.
But he didn't get two steps.
"Pfft!"
He staggered and spat out a mouthful of blood, unable to catch up to Izayoi.
Saigō Homura immediately stepped forward to support Typhon. Watching Izayoi's figure disappear completely, he shook his head and said.
"Forget about Izayoi-nii. With him there, we don't have to worry. But you... this might sound harsh, but in your current physical condition, you'd just be a burden if you went."
As he spoke, he gritted his teeth slightly, the same fury as Typhon's burning in his eyes.
"I understand your anger. So, save that strength for the true culprits. They are the source of all this evil!"
Hearing the gnashing fury in Saigō Homura's voice, even the enraged Typhon was slightly taken aback.
He knew the Saigō brothers were men of noble character, but he never expected them to be so incensed by injustice.
Was it the mark of a fool, or the quality of a hero? In any case, they were surely great figures capable of changing the course of human history.
However—
"You said... the source of evil?"
Typhon tried for a moment and confirmed that he was indeed incapable of long-distance travel across half the planet.
Knowing that Saigō Homura's words were the correct course of action, he had no choice but to give up.
Seeing this, Saigō Homura let go of him and sat back down in front of the computer, typing something.
Sensing Saigō Homura's surging anger, Typhon subconsciously asked, wanting to know what Homura considered the source of evil.
Just as he asked, he saw Saigō Homura's serious expression and added with concern.
"What are you doing?"
"The source of evil is obviously those bastards..."
Saigō Homura stared intently at the screen and answered casually.
"I'm checking the Third Stellar Particle concentration records to see if any anomaly alerts were missed, and whether we can use the records to pinpoint the culprits' location..."
"Dammit, there's nothing at all? Even a second before the evil dragon appeared, the Third Stellar Particle concentration didn't change? How did they do that?!"
Saigō Homura's expression was one of utter confusion.
Logically, the concentration of Third Stellar Particles itself is very difficult to conceal. Even if they could set up corresponding shielding facilities at the base, it shouldn't be effective on a finished product of the Red Dragon Satan's level.
But the fact was, before the Red Dragon Satan appeared, the ambient Third Stellar Particle concentration was normal. Only after it appeared did the concentration spike in an instant.
"This shouldn't be possible!"
Judging from the available parameters, the Red Dragon Satan, like the Bull of Heaven, is a mature A-device and emits high-intensity Third Stellar Particle radiation during combat.
So why wasn't there a similar warning before the battle started?
If the enemy has truly mastered a Third Stellar Particle radiation shielding device, why didn't they use it for the Bull of Heaven project?
In the previous battle, if the Bull of Heaven project could have been concealed with this method, it would have been difficult for them to win, even with Kudō Asuka's power.
If this technology was universal, there's no reason the enemy wouldn't have shared it with the Bull of Heaven project.
Unless the infighting between factions within the enemy forces has reached a breaking point, or this technology simply can't be shared and is an inherent trait of this unknown project.
Which possibility was more likely?
While Saigō Homura was pondering the technical problem, cheers suddenly erupted from the live broadcast in front of him.
Typhon's clenched fists also relaxed, and he said bluntly.
"I owe you one for this!"
For a Full-Authority Domain to say something like that was a big deal. Saigō Homura couldn't help but look up.
Sure enough, Kasukabe Yō had arrived.
On the live feed, accompanied by the cry of a divine bird, Kasukabe Yō had actually reached the red dragon's location in under thirty seconds and was now engaged in a fierce battle with it.
The Sun-Wheel Golden-Winged Flames, effective against gods and dragons, were the perfect counter to draconic factors. The golden divine fire scorched the opponent in the very first exchange.
Kasukabe Yō's performance was even better than Saigō Homura had anticipated.
Facing an opponent she had a natural advantage against, she didn't even need Izayoi. She was dominating the fight all on her own. If not for the need to protect the remaining victims, she might have even finished the battle before Sakamaki Izayoi arrived.
However, the Evil Dragon Satan's power was also terrifying. Not only did it possess the strength to easily destroy nations and shake the very foundations of a continent, but it could also create legions of weaker monsters from its own blood.
This beast-tide offensive brought the two sides to a temporary stalemate.
It was clear that the remaining victims would not be completely slaughtered. Even Laplace, the previous target, was currently safe and sound.
Once Izayoi arrived, the situation should be completely settled.
Realizing this, Typhon and the members of the Salvation Group all relaxed.
Unexpectedly, the victims from the other experimental bases made their decision on the spot. They unanimously chose to trust the Holy Cross Group, and the vast majority were willing to come to the Holy Cross Group headquarters.
Previously, Izayoi had been worried that this sudden turn of events would traumatize the victims, causing them to fall into fear and not dare to come to the headquarters.
In reality, the victims were indeed affected, but compared to the hell they had experienced before, this was nothing.
The hell of a battlefield was nothing more than a straightforward killing machine. The torment they had endured was far darker and more terrifying than simple slaughter.
So, although it might sound inappropriate, rather than being shocked into extreme fear, the victims were more inclined to feel a sense of "coming home."
Before this, the victims, who had experienced so many terrifying things since childhood, were extremely unaccustomed to the selflessness and positivity shown by the Holy Cross Group.
They didn't believe such good people existed in the world, didn't believe in such unconditional aid, and didn't believe a life in the sun would ever befall them.
If such a paradise truly existed, then why had they been living in hell for all these years?
In this regard, the Holy Cross Group's one-sided psychological comfort was so gentle that it felt fake to the victims, making them afraid to get close.
Many of them saw the Holy Cross Group's sanctuary as an untouchable fantasy, or perhaps a new experiment by those "doctors."
Even as the Holy Cross Group led them into a life in the light, they often had nightmares, believing that one day the group's emissaries would rip off their false masks and don the blood-stained white coats their researchers used to wear.
Their experiences from childhood told them that the kind of paradise the Holy Cross Group promised simply did not exist in this world.
How could there be a place willing to give them food and shelter for free, without dissecting them?
The inconsistency between their old, cruel worldview and the overly wonderful promises before them made them wary, even of the Holy Cross Group's gentle treatment.
But after seeing the enemy with their own eyes, after seeing the bloody battlefield, the conflict in their worldview instantly vanished, and their thoughts suddenly became self-consistent.
Just as they thought, the enemy hadn't disappeared. They were still eyeing them like a tiger stalking its prey!
And since the enemy was still out there and was also an enemy of the Holy Cross Group, then the Holy Cross Group could be trusted.
The victims were unwilling to believe they could be saved without doing anything, but they were willing to believe that they would still have to face enemies in the future.
A dream within reach, even if not so perfect, was more trustworthy than an unreasonable fantasy.
Not to mention, the power displayed by the Salvation Group was enough to inspire awe and longing in them.
And so, the goal they had previously failed to achieve despite all their efforts was easily accomplished with an "assist" from the enemy. Almost all of them chose to join the Holy Cross Group.
Izayoi, who had finally arrived on the battlefield, was greeted by the cheers of all the victims.
Everyone looked up to him as a hero, and Typhon also watched the battle intently.
With Izayoi's help, an unburdened Kasukabe Yō went all out, ending the fight with a spectacular display of her Sun-Wheel Golden-Winged Flames.
The Evil Dragon Satan thus met its end.
Just then, Laplace, who was being protected by all the victims, pushed through the crowd and ran to Izayoi. In the center of the live broadcast, the girl said with a pale face.
"Big brother, you have to be careful! This monster—"
At the same moment the little girl spoke, back at the Holy Cross Group headquarters, Saigō Homura shot to his feet.
"Everyone, watch out!"
The moment Izayoi had appeared on screen, a terrifying thought had suddenly popped into Saigō Homura's mind.
Wait!
If the Bull of Heaven and the Evil Dragon Satan are both products of A-devices...
Since the Bull of Heaven can be mass-produced, what about the Evil Dragon Satan?
If there wasn't just one Evil Dragon Satan, but multiple... where would a second one most likely appear right now?
"Enemy attack!"
"GEYAAAA!!!!"
The instant after Saigō Homura shouted his warning, the figure of a giant red dragon appeared. Its roar alone destroyed all the surface buildings near the Holy Cross Group headquarters.