"Nooooo!"
"Giji... juuu..."
The Magic Armor Beast groaned as blue blood sprayed from the wound inflicted by the old woman’s desperate, full-strength strike.
However, a mundane hatchet wasn't enough to deal a fatal blow. The monster quickly regained its footing. With a swift sweep of its heavy arm, it batted the weapon aside and sent the old woman tumbling to the ground.
Startled by the sight, Melt rushed to her side, her voice frantic.
"Grandma, hang in there! Are you all right?"
"I’m fine, dear. Don’t worry about me. Just take the children and run. This old woman will stay behind as a decoy to buy you some time."
"What?! What are you saying?!"
"Life has a natural order, child. There’s no reason for young souls like yours to wither away here. I’ve lived a long, full life. If I can use what’s left of it for your sakes, I’ll die happy. I’ll just be going to see the old man waiting for me on the other side."
Staggering to her feet, the old woman clenched her weathered fists, prepared to challenge the Magic Armor Beast once more for the sake of Melt and the children.
Melt caught her breath at the sight. She ground her teeth in frustration, her heart heavy with self-loathing.
(I’m such a fool! A grandmother with no power is desperately trying to hold back a Magic Armor Beast, while I’ve done nothing but panic because I didn't know what to do. Someone who dreams of being a Magic Knight—a protector—has no right to be this pathetic!)
Her dream was to become a Magic Knight. To become a stalwart sword that shielded the people.
She couldn't hide behind excuses anymore. It didn't matter that Yugo wasn't by her side, or that they were in a crisis, or that she was confused.
She had to fight until the very end. For the sake of the people she had to protect, she had to uphold her pride as a Magic Knight.
Hero's Condition Number One: Never give up.
As Yugo's words echoed in her mind, Melt stepped in front of the old woman and faced the monster.
"Grandma, get back. It’s okay. I won't lose. Because I... I’m a hero, too!"
The Crab Magic Armor Beast let out a series of sickening, squelching sounds, foam bubbling from its mouth. Melt focused her spirit and launched a magic power sword at the creature.
Clang! The attack bounced harmlessly off the thick, stony carapace.
Even so, she refused to let her spirit break. She steeled herself and deepened her focus, searching for a breakthrough. Then, she noticed something that made her heart skip a beat.
(Wait... Grandma’s attack actually worked. If that's the case, then...!)
The old woman's strike had been an ordinary blow with a common hatchet, backed by no magic power at all. Yet, it had definitely drawn blood.
Why?
As Melt searched for the reason, she spotted blue blood oozing from the narrow gaps between the plates of the monster's shell.
A crab’s carapace was undeniably hard, but there were joints and seams where the armor didn't meet perfectly. The old woman's blow had managed to find one of those gaps by pure chance.
Having found her opening, Melt made her resolve. She began channeling every drop of magic power she had into her Sword Ring.
(Projectiles won't work from a distance. I have to get close and use a blade made as thin and sharp as possible to pierce the gaps in that shell!)
To be honest, she was terrified. The image of Zenon being brutally beaten down was still fresh in her mind, fueling her fear of the beast.
But she knew that overcoming that fear was the duty of a Magic Knight—the duty of a hero. Melt manifested a blade in her hand and charged at the Magic Armor Beast.
"Hyaaaaaah!"
"Giju...!"
The monster swung a massive claw in a heavy arc to intercept her.
Melt saw through the sluggish movement. She dodged the wide, clumsy swing and exploited the opening, driving her purple-glowing blade deep into the seam between the creature's shoulder and arm.
(I was right! This thing is weaker than the one Yugo fought! It’s slower and its moves are easier to read!)
With a sharp cry, she pulled the sword downward, cleaving through the joint.
The creature Rush had transformed into had been able to regenerate its limbs instantly, but this one couldn't. Its arm remained severed, dangling uselessly by a few strands of tissue.
Its technique, its speed, its abilities—everything was inferior to the specimen they had encountered before. This Magic Armor Beast was a significantly weakened version.
"I can win! I can do this!"
"Gajuu!"
She took another clean swing at the mangled limb, and the Magic Armor Beast’s left arm fell completely away.
As blue blood geysered from the stump, the creature stared at its own shoulder in a daze, as if it couldn't comprehend what was happening. Melt nodded firmly, her confidence fully restored.
Though she didn't know it, her situation perfectly mirrored a classic trope of the special effects genre: 'The Reborn Kaijin is always weaker than the original.' If Yugo had been there, he surely would have pointed it out with a grin.
Now that her attacks were landing, Melt regained her composure and leveled her sword at the beast once more.
However, she could feel the weight of their predicament pressing down on her.
(I’m the only one left who can still fight. Even if I take down this monster, can I really protect Grandma and the children and lead them to a safe zone while dodging those rioters...?)
Following Zenon's defeat, the other students had fallen into a total panic. Some had fled into the distance, while others had been dragged away into the encroaching red mist.
Melt was the last one standing. She had to handle the combat and the escort mission entirely on her own.
And then, the situation took a turn for the worse.
"Pyugieeeeee!"
"?! Another one?! No way...!"
A high-pitched screech tore through the mist as a bizarre silhouette leaped out.
It was a nightmare fusion of a mushroom and a bee. This was the boss of the mission—the Magic Armor Beast Toadstinger.
Facing the Crab Magic Armor Beast, the Toadstinger, and the mindless rioters all at once while trying to protect civilians was a truly hopeless situation.
But Melt didn't back down. She gripped her magic sword with both hands and shouted to the people cowering behind her.
"Don't give up! Trust me! I will... I will definitely protect you all!"
She wouldn't succumb to despair. She wouldn't quit. She would fight until the very last breath.
It wasn't desperation that drove her, but a pure, burning desire to be the shield for those behind her. Just as she prepared to throw herself into the fray against the two monsters—
"Waiiiiiiiit right theeeeeeere! You bee-mushroom freak!!"