「Ugh... gah!?」
「Oh, you're awake. Good work.」
「Y-you...!?」
When Rush next opened his eyes, he saw neither Yugo nor the security guards. Instead, the Hooded Figure stood before him.
Rush scanned his surroundings and realized he was back in the forest where they had first met.
「My, my. You certainly took a spectacular beating,」 the figure said. 「I put quite a bit of effort into nurturing you, but now it's all gone to waste.」
His voice held a hint of laughter, but it was devoid of any warmth or genuine amusement. The mysterious figure—the one who could only be described as the Mastermind—stared down at Rush with eyes that gleamed from the shadows of his hood.
Trembling under that gaze, Rush desperately began to plead for his life.
「I-it was a mistake...! But I was so close! If it hadn't been for that unexpected interference, everything would have gone perfectly! Next time... next time, I swear!!」
「Haha. No, there won't be a next time. I've seen your limits. Even if I were to use the same Magic Beast again, it would be better to choose a subject with more potential than you, don't you think? Besides, you must know by now... I have no mercy for failures.」
「A-aaaaaaaaah... Aaaaaaaaah!」
He knew. He remembered. When they had first met, this man had executed the individual who lost to Yugo right in front of Rush's eyes.
Now that he was in that same position, Rush sensed the end was upon him. Having received what was effectively a death sentence, his face twisted in utter despair.
「I didn't 'rescue' you,」 the figure continued. 「I only brought you here to ensure no information leaks from that mouth of yours. You failed after making such a public spectacle of yourself. Though, knowing how much the Government and the Magic Knights love a cover-up, I doubt they'll announce that this incident was caused by a human transforming into a Magic Armor Beast. Not without decisive evidence, at least.」
The figure slowly raised a finger and pointed at Rush.
Realizing that he himself was that decisive evidence, Rush shook his head frantically as tears streamed down his face. The figure showed no mercy, offering only a detached farewell.
「Well, it is what it is. Goodbye, uh... sorry, what was your name again? Well, no matter. You’re dying here regardless!」
「N-no! Someone, someone help—」
Rush's plea was cut short.
With a soft rustle, Rush vanished, leaving only his school uniform behind. After confirming his disappearance, the Hooded Figure nodded contentedly and muttered to himself.
「Well, this should suffice. It’s impossible to hide the fact that an incident occurred or that a Mastermind exists, so I might as well leave a little calling card. Still, what a shame. Both crab claws are gone now. I'll have to start the research and cultivation from scratch...」
Deliberately leaving Rush's belongings behind to serve as evidence of a dark presence, the Mastermind smirked.
Even though his plan—or rather, his experiment—had failed, he seemed almost cheerful as he whispered one last time.
「Well, there’s no need to rush. Test subjects will keep cropping up one after another, anyway. Although, Marcos... he’s a disappointment. He would have been an excellent specimen, but his Darkness of the Heart was purified by his involvement with that Yugo boy. Hmm... they’re both quite intriguing! I’ll have to mark them as observation targets.」
A sharp breeze blew through the trees. The words carried by the wind vanished before they could reach a single soul.
By the time the wind died down, the Mastermind had vanished as well.
All that remained was Rush’s uniform and a lingering, unsettling aura—an ill omen suggesting that this was not the end, but rather the beginning of true chaos.
At this moment, no one yet knew just how vast the darkness writhing behind the scenes truly was.
Rush Winhelm... Lost.
His existence has been erased from all subsequent scenarios.