Groveling in a pathetic, miserable, and shameful display, Rush turned a pleading gaze toward Hugo and begged for his life.
Gesturing with his arms, both of which had been severed from the elbows down, he cried out in a sobbing, frantic voice.
"Look at my arms! I'm ruined! I can't hurt anyone ever again! Please, I'm begging you! We went to the same academy, didn't we? There’s no need to kill a man who can’t fight back! I won't resist anymore, so please... just let me live...!"
"..."
Hugo stared down at the broken remains of Rush’s spirit, remaining silent.
Yet, the moment the tip of his blade dipped ever so slightly, Rush—who had been hanging his head in mock defeat—thrust his arms forward with a predatory shriek, as if he had been waiting for that exact opening.
"Fool! You let your guard down! Die, Hugo Clay!"
His severed right arm burst forth anew, accompanied by a sickening, wet crunch.
Much like an actual crab, Rush was capable of regenerating lost limbs. He had deliberately withheld the ability, putting on a desperate performance just to lure Hugo into a moment of carelessness.
The tip of the pincer on his newly regrown right arm glinted with a sharp, black luster as he thrust it directly at Hugo’s face.
I’ve won! Convinced of his victory, Rush narrowed his eyes, an ugly, distorted smirk spreading across his face—but reality refused to conform to his delusions.
"...Huh?"
A sharp crack echoed through the air. For a fleeting second, Rush thought it was the sound of the helmet protecting Hugo’s head shattering, but the sensation in his arm was wrong.
Confused, he slowly pulled back his right arm, only to see that the pincer on his new hand had been completely crushed.
"You really are beyond redemption. I never intended to show you mercy, but seeing just how depraved you are... it’s actually quite refreshing."
"Ah... ah... aaaaah!?"
It was only logical. An arm that had only just regenerated was not yet fully formed. The hardness of its shell was incomparable to its peak state.
If his attacks hadn't worked in perfect condition, there was no way they would pierce Hugo now. Hugo hadn't been careless at all; he had seen through the ploy and deliberately allowed the strike to land.
"You can regrow it if it’s cut off, but I doubt you can regenerate a limb that's been pulverized, right? What now? Do you want to try cutting it off yourself? Consider this a courtesy for the break you gave me during our duel. I’ll wait until you’ve regrown it."
"U-uu... uaaaaaaaaaaah!!"
Driven to the brink of insanity, Rush had nothing left. With every option exhausted, he could do nothing but lash out in a futile, desperate struggle.
Ironically, he was now reduced to the same "useless resistance" he had mocked Marcos for. Hugo gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands, letting out a roar that drowned out Rush’s screams as he lunged forward with everything he had.
"Uoooooooooo!!"
"Gugaaaah!?"
The direct thrust shattered the shell of Rush’s abdomen and impaled him through the torso.
His entire body went rigid, trembling uncontrollably. He groaned, staring at Hugo with wide, disbelieving eyes.
"How... why...? I was... stronger... than you...!"
"...Yeah, you're right. Raw power alone, you probably were stronger than me, Rush. But you were never a match for us."
Rush had climbed to power by trampling over the lives of others, while Hugo had found strength by carrying the hopes and wills of his friends. An unbridgeable chasm lay between them.
Hugo—the Hero—did not fight alone. Until the very end, Rush failed to realize that his opponent fought alongside the invisible weight of countless hearts.
"I am strong...! I am the strongest...! Might is right, and the strong can do whatever they want! That’s why I—!"
"It’s over, Rush. I’m putting an end to your rampage."
With his blade still buried in Rush’s chest, Hugo channeled his Magic Power into the weapon.
The sword erupted in a violet radiance, pumping energy directly into Rush’s internal organs and triggering a chain reaction of explosions that tore through his shell from the inside out.
"Calamity Crash!! Uooooooooo!!"
"Gah! Agagah! Guh, gaaaaah!!"
With a final, spirited shout, Hugo drove the blade deeper before ripping it free and turning his back.
Behind him, Rush flailed his arms in the air, sparks showering from his wounds. Eventually, his movements ceased. He collapsed backward, limbs splayed out, letting out one last, agonized shriek.
"I became so strong... I was supposed to be the strongest... This has to be a lieaaaaaaaaaaah!!"
Explosion after explosion rocked the area.
After a series of smaller bursts, a final, massive detonation enveloped Rush’s body in a pillar of purple light.
Seeing Hugo’s heroic silhouette standing tall against the fading brilliance, Fee realized the battle was finally over. He smiled as the cheers of the children filled the air.
"I knew he could do it... Big Brother is incredible! He's my... he's everyone's hero!"
As if in response to the greatest praise his younger brother could offer—the brother he had protected by overturning despair—Hugo raised a thumb.
Fee returned the thumbs-up, a radiant smile on his face as he ran to welcome the brother who had fought for them all.