"All units, battle positions! Don't let it pass!"
At the commander’s shout, the security officers drew their weapons. They readied their swords and channeled Magic Power into their rings, prepping their Magic Items before unleashing a barrage at the charging Skeleton Horse.
"Hah! Hah! Hah!"
With every swing of a sword, a Magic Power Blade went flying; others conjured and launched Fireballs.
However, the Skeleton Horse evaded every attack with agile grace. It leaped in a single great bound, landing right in the middle of the Security Force.
"Waaaaah!"
"Guh...! You monster!"
The impact shook the earth, and the flames erupting from the creature's hooves sent an officer flying with a desperate cry. Enraged to see his subordinate taken down, the commander drew the sword at his waist to face the beast, but the Skeleton Horse simply kicked the weapon from his hands with its hind legs.
"Hey, hey, they're no match for it at all. This is bad!"
With mobility, power, technique, and even area-of-effect fire attacks, the Skeleton Horse possessed a lethal array of abilities. The Security Force was clearly struggling.
Yugo moved to leap out and help them, only to turn pale as he realized the bracelet usually fixed to his left arm was missing.
(Crap! I don't have Blaster!)
Blaster was currently being adjusted back at Luminous Academy, miles away. Without it, Yugo couldn't Transform, and he certainly couldn't fight.
It was a classic hero trope: encountering a powerful enemy when you couldn't transform. Faced with this nightmare scenario, Yugo felt the blood drain from his face. He shouldn't have left Blaster with Anhel—or rather, it felt like trouble followed him no matter where he went.
"Someone! Help! Please!"
A woman’s shrill, agonized cry reached Yugo’s ears.
Trembling with grief, she pointed toward the center of the battlefield where the Security Force and the Skeleton Horse were clashing.
"My son is still over there! He’ll be killed! Someone, please, save my boy!"
"What!?"
Startled, Yugo followed the mother’s finger and saw a young boy curled into a ball, trembling. He must have been separated from his parent when the chaos broke out. Before he could even think, Yugo was already running.
"That's suicide! It's too dangerous, Yugo-kun!"
He ignored the Ranch Owner’s warning from behind. He didn't stop, sprinting headlong toward the boy crying for help.
Even knowing the danger, abandoning a child was out of the question. He’d have no right to call himself a hero if he did. After all, what kind of hero ignores a plea for help?
Driven by pure, selfless intent, Yugo reached the boy just as gales from the Torrent of Magic Power buffeted his body. He grabbed the child’s shoulder and pulled him close, trying to be a source of strength.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt!?"
The boy looked up and gave a small, shaky nod.
He could still move, but the problem was reaching the Safe Zone. Getting there had been the easy part; getting back would be the challenge. Running through a combat zone with a slow-footed child multiplied the risk many times over. Yugo braced himself, waiting for the perfect moment to move, when—
"Watch out!"
The spectators watching from a distance let out a collective scream. A stray Fireball was screaming through the air, heading straight for Yugo and the boy.
It was on a direct collision course. If he were alone, Yugo might have dodged it, but he knew he couldn't make it with the child. Instinctively, he positioned himself as a human shield to protect the boy from the incoming blast.
"Eh...?"
The fireball destined for Yugo slammed into a different target and dissipated before it could reach him.
Stunned that someone had shielded him while he was shielding the boy, Yugo looked up.
It was the Skeleton Horse.
The monster had moved specifically to intercept an attack that wouldn't have hit it, intentionally putting itself in the line of fire to protect Yugo. As Yugo stood there in a daze, the Security Captain finally noticed them and barked orders to his men.
"Cease fire! Cease fire! There are civilians in the crossfire! Prioritize their rescue!"
"...Guh!!"
"Ah!? Hey, wait!"
Sensing the Security Force approaching, the Skeleton Horse let out a short whinny and kicked the dirt. For a brief second before it turned, Yugo locked eyes with the creature. He felt a strange sense of dissonance and tried to call out to it, but the beast gave him no chance, galloping away in the blink of an eye.
"Did that guy... just protect us?"
Yugo watched the Skeleton Horse disappear into the distance as the Security Force members reached them and ushered them to safety. He couldn't stop playback the scene in his head. It hadn't been a coincidence; the creature had acted with clear intent.
Following the officers' lead, Yugo headed back toward the ranch, which was being used as a temporary Evacuation Site.
(What was that thing? Why did it save us? Even if it's a monster, why would it go that far to protect us?)
He didn't know the Skeleton Horse’s identity, its goal, or the truth behind its actions.
However, the fact remained that he owed it his life. For a long time, Yugo continued to stare at the horizon where the skeletal beast had vanished.