"Wh—Wh-what...?! This man is the culprit of the robbery! Secure him at once!"
Momentarily stunned by the sudden turn of events, Rommelo finally remembered his duty and began barking orders to his subordinates.
The guards drew their weapons, moving to seize Batz now that his true nature was laid bare. However, Batz merely clicked his tongue, muttering with an air of annoyance as he brandished his blade.
"It's too cramped in here to fight properly. I'm going to kill you all anyway, so let's take this outside."
"Uwooooh!?"
With a sharp whoosh, Batz swung his arm. A reddish-black arc of energy trailed the blade's path—a magic power slash that seemed to pulse with the color of the blood he had just drawn from Sanga. The strike shattered the cafe’s window, and Batz vaulted through the opening with predator-like agility.
"D-don't let him escape! Apprehend him at all costs!"
Rommelo and the rest of the Security Force scrambled out of the shop, their heavy boots thundering against the floorboards as they rushed to engage Batz in a fierce struggle on the street outside.
En stood frozen, her mind struggling to process the chaos, until Sanga’s pained groans snapped her back to reality. She rushed to his side, lunging toward him as Melt administered aid.
"Sanga, stay with me! Please, don't die! Sanga!"
"Get back, En! You'll only get in the way of Melt's healing!" the Master shouted, catching En and pulling her away so Melt could work undisturbed.
Yugo hovered over the wounded man, desperately urging him to stay conscious, while Melt focused her recovery magic on the puncture wound. Under the watchful eyes of the group—and Jinba, who had remained behind to represent the Security Force—Sanga’s eyes finally flickered open as the worst of his injuries began to close.
"Sanga! Thank God...!"
"The blade hit his side, so it missed his vitals," Melt explained, though her expression remained grim. "But this is only first aid. He needs proper medical attention soon, or he’ll still be in danger."
"We can't exactly move him right now," Jinba muttered, glancing through the broken window. Outside, Batz was putting on a terrifying display of combat as he effortlessly held the guards at bay. "Not until we deal with Batz."
The first crisis had passed, but the emergency was far from over.
En, who had been the primary suspect until moments ago, spoke for the group as she looked down at the conscious Sanga. "Sanga, tell me what happened. Why did you two do it? Was it because I left? Did you want revenge for me cutting ties?"
"No... no, En... that wasn't it," Sanga wheezed. "Neither I nor Batz ever hated you. You might not believe it, but we were rooting for you. But Batz... he changed. He went mad, and then everything fell apart. I'm so sorry. Please, forgive me...!"
"You were... rooting for En? What do you mean by that?" Yugo asked.
"We need the whole story," Jinba interjected. "It's difficult, I know, but tell us everything in order."
Sanga nodded weakly. His gaze fixed on En, he began to recount their lives after her departure.
"En... it was a shock when we heard you were going straight. But deep down, Batz and I knew we couldn't live like that forever. Those days the three of us spent together were the best of my life, but we knew crime couldn't be our future. When you finally cut us off, I felt like the day I'd been dreading had finally arrived. It hurt, but Batz and I decided to accept it. We wanted to support you."
"But... I was so sure you both despised me!"
"How could we hate our own family? We’ve been together too long for that. We hoped that if you could make it, maybe there was a chance for us, too. We decided to watch over you from a distance. We talked about it—about how it was time for us to leave the past behind, just like you did. And yet... even so..."
Sanga winced, his face contorting in pain as he looked toward the window. Though he couldn't see Batz from the floor, he was clearly picturing his friend. His voice broke, the emotional weight proving heavier than the physical trauma.
"—That sword ruined everything. Ever since Batz got it, he started slipping away. He wasn't himself anymore. And then, he did this!"
"The sword drove him mad?" Jinba’s face went white. He moved closer to Sanga, his voice urgent. "Are you saying that's a demonic sword?! Hey! Where did Batz get it?!"
The group was startled by Jinba's sudden intensity. Sanga coughed, struggling to find his voice.
"I don't know his name... or what he looked like. Batz just said... he was a black hooded figure."