"Mind your step! Coming through!!"
With that cheerful cry, Melt slid right between the Bull Golem’s massive legs. Yugo watched as she expertly ducked beneath the beast, popped up behind it, and manifested a pair of violet blades from her Sword Ring.
"Guh... oh!?"
While the Bull Golem was encased in a thick shell of rock, it wasn't invincible. There were gaps in the stony plating—the joints. These areas were intentionally left unarmored to ensure the creature could actually move.
Staying low from her slide, Melt lashed out at the back of the golem’s knees. The Magic Armor Beast let out a guttural groan as red blood sprayed from the wounds, its legs buckling beneath it. As the creature crashed down, Anhel appeared in front of it, swinging her massive hammer with crushing force directly into the monster’s face.
"Compliments of the house! Hope you’re hungry for this!!"
"Bugoh!?"
Anhel delivered a merciless full-body swing, the heavy hammer connecting with a sickening crunch. Even for a Magic Armor Beast boasting such formidable defense, that blow was clearly more than just painful. As Yugo watched, the monster slumped over, its body folded backward in a grotesque, inverted bow. It was dead before it hit the ground.
"Melt! Ann! Looks like you’ve finished up on your end!"
"Easy-peasy! We weren't about to let you have all the fun, Yugo!"
"I’m glad the new features I added to Blaster worked out for you. But let’s save the chatter... time to deal with the main event."
With the two minions neutralized, the group turned their attention toward the final target: the larger leader of the pack. The boss Golem was currently locked in a fierce struggle with Skull and the Security Force, but it was clearly flagging under the pressure of the combined assault.
Skull, in particular, was relentless. Driven by a burning desire for vengeance, he led the charge with a flurry of fire-based attacks—the monster’s natural weakness. Under his ferocious pressure, the Bull Golem was being driven back.
The path to victory was clear. If Yugo and the girls joined the fray now, they could finish it once and for all. However, the Magic Armor Beast seemed to realize its predicament as soon as its underlings fell. Unlike the minions, who had lost their cool under fire, the leader possessed enough intelligence to prioritize its survival.
"Bumoooooooooo!"
"Gwah!?"
"D-Dammit!"
With a desperate, full-powered counterattack, the Bull Golem sent Skull reeling. It then charged straight through the ring of guards and broke into a dead run, fleeing the battlefield. Because it had been fighting in its four-legged Galloping Form to keep pace with Skull, it was able to accelerate instantly, tearing away into the darkness.
"Pursue it! Don't let it get away!" the Security Captain roared. "If that thing reaches the settlement ahead, the casualties will be catastrophic!"
The monster had developed a taste for the hunt; letting it escape was out of the question. But more importantly, there was a human village just down the road. If a creature like that began "hunting" the inhabitants, the resulting massacre would be too horrific to contemplate.
The Captain tried to lead his men in a mounted pursuit, but he was immediately hit by a setback. The horses, sensing the Bull Golem’s overwhelming killing intent, were paralyzed with fear. They whimpered and recoiled, refusing to budge.
"What!? What’s wrong with you!? Move!"
Perhaps it was the stench of their own kind’s blood clinging to the monster, or perhaps it was the sheer aura of the beast’s rampage, but the horses were too terrified to give chase. Without mounts, there was no way the guards could catch up to the fleeing Golem.
"This is bad! It’s going to reach the village!" Melt cried out, her voice laced with desperation as she watched the monster’s silhouette grow smaller in the distance.
Yugo didn't hesitate. He was just about to sprint after it on foot when a shadow blocked his path.
"Neigh!!"
"Whoa!? Skull!?"
Skull had recovered and moved to stand directly in front of Yugo. The skeletal horse tossed his head toward his back, then turned his gaze to meet Yugo’s eyes.
"...Hey, Yugo. I think he wants you to get on," Melt said softly.
"What? Me...?"
"Snort!"
Skull gave a sharp nod, huffing as if exasperated that Yugo had to ask. It was an offer of absolute trust—the highest honor a horse could give. Understanding the weight of the gesture, Yugo nodded back and leaped onto the horse’s back.
"We can't let that thing escape. For your herd, and for the people in that village... we’re going to stop him!"
Skull let out a low, determined grunt. Yugo had never ridden a horse in his life, but he chose to place his life in the hands of the friend who believed in him. He glared at the fleeing Bull Golem and gripped his partner tight.
"Let’s go, Skull! Ride with me!"