"Whinny!"
"Yugo! Use this!"
Instead of the roar of an engine, Skull’s whinny split the air as he lunged forward with the power of a supercar.
Just moments before, Yugo had accepted the magic sword from Melt, coating it in micro-particle metal to forge a heavy blade of black iron. With the black knight upon his back, the skeletal horse galloped across the plains, leaving a trail of burning hoofprints in his wake.
"Amazing! You're fast, Skull! At this rate, we've got him!"
His voice was a mix of awe and excitement at Skull’s breathtaking speed. Yugo fixed his gaze on the back of the Bull Golem retreating ahead of them.
The gap closed in a heartbeat, the monster looming larger with every stride. Yugo pulled alongside the Magic Armor Beast and brought his conjured sword down against the Bull Golem's torso.
"I’ve caught you, you bull-headed bastard! Halt!"
"Bumo!?"
Whether it was the sudden shout or the shock that anything could match its speed, the Bull Golem recoiled in visible surprise as Yugo’s blow connected.
The sword strike hadn't been a finishing blow, but Skull’s follow-up flame attack scorched the beast, forcing it to stagger as the intense heat sapped its momentum.
"Bumoooooo!"
"Whoops, I don't think so! Drill Arm!"
Snarling in retaliation, the Bull Golem swung an arm as thick as a tree trunk, aiming to crush horse and rider alike. But Yugo was ready; he shifted his left arm into a drill, meeting the blow head-on and parrying it with a screech of grinding rock.
Yugo pressed the advantage. As the Bull Golem faltered, he drove the Drill Arm deep into the beast's chest.
"Take that! And another!"
"Bumuo!?"
One, two, three—Yugo unleashed a series of thrusts with the Drill Arm. He lacked the leverage of firm ground, forcing him to rely entirely on upper-body strength. The strikes were lighter than his usual fare, yet the excavation drill proved devastating against the monster's rocky hide.
Cracks spider-webbed across the stone plating, exposing the vulnerable flesh beneath. Sensing the opening, Yugo signaled Skull, and they swept around to intercept the beast from the front.
"Skull, now!"
Skull responded with a sharp snort. He cut a tight arc, putting distance between them and their prey before turning back for the final charge.
As they bore down on the monster that had slaughtered his kin, Yugo fed more micro-particle metal into his weapon. The black blade elongated and thickened, transforming into a massive, heavy Zanbato.
"Uoooooooooo!!"
"Bugo...!?"
Black knight, black horse, and a colossal black blade—the obsidian cavalry charged with a singular, vengeful fury. The Bull Golem, realizing the tables had turned, froze in terror as the hunter became the hunted.
Flames of brilliant crimson erupted, engulfing horse, rider, and blade. The Bull Golem cowered, paralyzed by the sheer heat and the roar of Yugo’s voice.
"This ends now! Man-Horse Flame Slash! Blaster Phantom!!"
"Bumooooooooooooooooo!?"
The fire-wreathed Zanbato could only maintain its form for a few precious seconds, but that was all Yugo needed.
The Black Zanbato was less a blade and more a massive slab of iron. Using the momentum of Skull’s thunderous gallop, Yugo swung the weapon in a devastating arc that shattered the golem’s stone plating like glass. The flaming edge bit deep into the meat beneath, and with a final, guttural scream, the Magic Armor Beast was cleaved in two.
"Bumo, go...!?"
The fires of vengeance consumed the severed remains, reducing the beast to ash before it could even hit the ground.
As the last of the ash scattered in the wind, Skull closed his eyes. He raised his head toward the moon and let out a long, haunting whinny—a final message to his fallen brothers that their deaths had been avenged.
The flames at his hooves flickered low. The black horse’s long journey for revenge had finally reached its end. Above, the moonlight bathed the avenger in a soft, silver glow, a silent tribute to a battle won.