"Let’s see here... I think it went something like this..."
"...What do you think you're doing? Another performance full of pointless posturing? I'm amazed you haven't grown bored of it. Why don't you give up on becoming a Magic Knight and become a clown instead? Hah!"
Rooted to the spot, Yugo widened his stance as if he were stretching his Achilles tendons during a warm-up. Marcos watched his bizarre movements and began to mock him boisterously.
Ignoring Marcos—and secretly grateful his opponent was staying put and letting his guard down—Yugo continued his strange routine, building a mental image in his head.
"Clench the fist, draw back the arm, and then..."
He squeezed his hand tight, pulled his right arm back, and gave his body a slight twist.
As he visualized his Magic Power surging into his right hand, Yugo felt the energy pooling in his fist and grinned beneath his helmet.
"Alright! Now for the... finale!!"
"What...?"
Focus, condense. Focus again, then condense some more.
Yugo concentrated every drop of mana he could muster into his fist, treating it like a physical weight he had to grip and mold. Once he felt the charge was sufficient, he launched his strike.
He snapped his leading left arm back and stepped forward with an explosive lunge, thrusting the right arm he’d been coiling straight at Marcos.
Moving like a karate practitioner—with the sensation that his arms were connected by a pulley—he drove his right fist forward. The concentrated Magic Power tore through the air, hurtling toward his opponent like a massive bullet.
"Wh—!? You fool! Gaaaaah!!"
Caught completely off-guard, Marcos glimpsed the incoming projectile and tried to brace himself with the Giga Scissors, but the impact was too great.
The scarlet mana slammed into his left arm's armor. The sheer force pinned him back, and just as his feet left the ground, the magic bullet detonated. With a wretched scream, he was blasted backward.
The clean, decisive strike stunned the audience. The crowd—Fee included—was left speechless.
"Oh, it actually worked. I practiced yesterday, but I didn't think it would go that smoothly..."
Ignoring the spectators, Yugo reflected on the move's execution. It had been more perfect than he’d dared hope. He had simply tried to replicate a classic hero finisher: storing energy in a fist and firing it as a bolt of light.
He’d merely traced the movements and visualized the heroes he knew who used similar techniques, but the results were staggering.
Though slightly worried about Marcos, Yugo was deeply moved by the fact that he’d pulled off a move just like his idols. In his heart, he offered a prayer of thanks to his inspirations.
(Thank you, Ryu... Thank you, I-sa...! In your honor, I shall name this technique "Dragon Fang Blaster"!)
Truthfully, the only reason the move had landed so cleanly was that Marcos had been incredibly arrogant. In a real fight, the long wind-up would likely be interrupted. I'll have to work on that, Yugo noted.
Expecting Marcos to retaliate eventually, Yugo took a defensive stance and waited for a counterattack... but?
"Ah... guh... no... How could... someone like me... lose to..."
"Lord Marcos!!"
"...Huh? Uh-oh."
Seeing Marcos lying face-down while his lackeys rushed to his unconscious side, Yugo let out a bewildered sound.
By any objective measure, the fight was over. The Duel Grounds, previously alive with noise, had fallen into a wake-like silence. The spectators were stunned by the sheer absurdity of the instant victory.
Standing awkwardly in the center of the arena, Yugo turned toward Fee—his only supporter—and asked a tentative question.
"H-Hey, Fee? This might be a silly question, but... did I go a bit too far?"
"Well... I suppose you could call it an unexpected development..."
"Ah, right. I did overdo it, didn't I?"
He really shouldn't have opened with a finisher. A proper hero's battle needed to build excitement through a back-and-forth melee before the final blow. Breaking that fundamental rule had led to this awkward atmosphere.
Maybe I don't understand the hero's aesthetic as well as I thought, Yugo mused. Still, he’d managed to drive off the cowards who were bothering them. Reassured, Yugo scooped up Fee and made a hasty retreat, reflecting on his combat style as he ran.