"A person in a black hood... You don't even know if it was a man or a woman?!"
Frustrated by the severe lack of information in Sanga's testimony, Jinba slammed his clenched fist against the shop's floor.
Yugo wasn't familiar with the term "Demonic Sword," but it clearly carried significant weight. He turned to the captain with a question.
"Jinba-san, what is a Demonic Sword? Is that the key to this whole incident?"
"Yeah, most likely. Simply put, a Demonic Sword is a cursed magic item. Their origins vary, but they are all said to grant tremendous power to whoever wields them. However... the curse placed upon the blade erodes the user's mind. It's said that the wielder of a Demonic Sword eventually loses their sanity entirely."
"So you're saying Batz has gone mad because of that Demonic Sword?!"
"It makes sense if we consider that the Demonic Sword drew out Batz's innate power, allowing him to transform into En," Jinba explained. "But in exchange, he's lost his mind...!"
"A Demonic Sword causes the negative emotions in a person's heart to swell. No doubt his reluctance to part with En was twisted and amplified."
"No... Batz did that...?"
No matter how much they tried to rationalize it, their hearts couldn't accept the truth so easily.
Everyone wore somber expressions as they thought of Batz—a man driven mad after his sadness over losing En and his romantic feelings for her were distorted by the Demonic Sword. Sanga spoke again, his eyes brimming with tears.
"Batz just kept getting worse. By the time I noticed something was wrong, it was already too late. He started saying he didn't want to part with En after all, that they’d stay together forever... He plotted the robbery incident and tried to pin the crime on you to force you to give up on your reform. That's why he transformed into En to intentionally create witness testimony, and why he left that magic item he found here at the scene."
"So Batz was the culprit behind the robbery incident all along," Yugo summarized. "And you, who stood at the forefront, were being threatened and forced to do his bidding."
"I showed up in front of you all hoping I could somehow stop him... but that was the best I could do. I can't help but feel pathetic. I didn't realize Batz was going mad, and I was too afraid of him to do anything but obey... Because of that, he hurt so many people, and En was dragged back into this even though she was trying to start over. If I had just stopped him, even if it cost me my life, it never would have come to this...!!"
Sanga's words were steeped in genuine regret.
He was devastated that he hadn't noticed his friend's suffering, that he had allowed Batz to descend into total madness, and that he had nearly ruined the new life En was working so hard to build.
Melt and the others remained silent, absorbing his grief. They finally understood that even the unpleasant attitude Sanga had shown them was merely an act forced upon him by a Batz driven mad by the Demonic Sword. Yugo reached out, placing a hand on Sanga’s shoulder.
"Don't blame yourself, Sanga. You did well. You didn't abandon Batz or En; you didn't just run away. You kept fighting in your own way to try and make things right. I can't defend what you did during the robbery incident, but I can't bring myself to blame a man who was so desperate to save his friends."
"Yugo..."
There was no doubt that their past misdeeds and the robbery incident were criminal acts. Neither Sanga nor Batz could be considered "good" people in the traditional sense.
And yet, Yugo couldn't see them as true villains.
Faced with a man who had acted for the sake of his comrades and now deeply regretted the consequences, Yugo offered his support. Sanga looked up, pleading desperately.
"I'm begging you...! Stop him... stop Batz...!! At this rate, he's going to kill someone. I’ve managed to hold him back until now, but I’ve reached my limit. Before he takes a life, please...!"
"Yeah, leave it to me. I'll stop him... No—"
Yugo responded firmly, grasping Sanga's outstretched hand. He turned his gaze toward Melt, paused, and then corrected himself.
"—We will."
Melt nodded, meeting his eyes. She stood up and turned to En with a reassuring smile.
"En, please look after Sanga. As a Magic Knight Apprentice, I'm going to do what I must. It'll be okay. Leave Batz to us!"
"...Yeah. I believe in you, Melt. Please, help Batz. Stop him, somehow...!"
With their friend's wish in their hearts, Melt and Yugo stepped out of the shop.
Ahead, Batz stood looking down at a stunned Rommelo, having already scattered the members of the Security Force who tried to arrest him. Melt whispered to her partner.
"Let's go, Yugo. We’re definitely stopping him!"
Melt triggered the crystal set into her Sword Ring, which began to pulse with a vibrant purple light.
Seeing this, Batz turned toward them, his expression oozing madness.
"What? You’re going to get in my way too? That’s not good... that’s not good at all. In that case... why don't you just die?!"
"We’re not going anywhere. For the sake of the friends who still care about you... we’re going to stop you."
Yugo stared at his right fist, clenched tight as if holding onto the feelings Sanga and En had entrusted to him. He looked up, staring Batz straight in the eye.
Slowly, he opened his eyes wide. Feeling a flame surging within his heart, he quietly uttered the word that signaled the beginning of the battle.
"Transform!"