With a shout as his signal, Yugo, shrouded in black armor, dashed in a straight line toward Batz.
Melt launched her Magic Power Swords to support him, and the two unleashed a perfectly synchronized combination attack.
"Hah!"
"Hmph...!"
Close the distance, then a right straight.
Batz dodged the punch thrown with the momentum of the charge, but Yugo had anticipated the move. He stepped in a pace deeper and threw a left hook in an uppercut motion.
His fist slammed into Batz's stomach. From there, Yugo grabbed a passing Magic Power Sword and swung it, but the feedback from the two hits—which should have been clean—felt strangely off.
"...Is that all? Then it's my turn!"
"Tch...!"
The sensation hadn't been an illusion. Despite taking the hits, Batz looked perfectly fine, not a scratch on him.
Yugo recalled Jinba’s warning that a Demonic Sword granted its wielder immense power. He realized the strange feedback came from a Special Magic Barrier generated by the blade and braced himself for the counterattack.
"Die! Die! Die! Anyone who interferes with the future for me and En... I'll kill them all!"
Wild, sweeping strikes. Batz swung the Demonic Sword with telegraphing movements that hardly resembled those of a trained swordsman.
Normally, an attack from a mere civilian with no training wouldn't pose a threat. But he wasn't normal anymore. The weapon he held defied common sense.
He's fast! Is this the power of the Demonic Sword?
To Yugo, the situation was eerie. He could see every movement and read the trajectory of the swings perfectly. Yet, Batz moved at an abnormal speed. Even though the strikes were unrefined, their sheer velocity made them incredibly difficult to evade.
If he hadn't learned how to read opponents during his martial arts training, Yugo likely would have taken several hits by now. Batz was that swift, and Yugo felt a surge of gratitude that the man had never actually studied the blade.
It can turn a regular guy into a threat like this? How dangerous is a Demonic Sword, anyway?
Batz’s lethality was already evident from how he’d single-handedly decimated the Security Force.
If Batz continued this rampage, the casualties would be catastrophic. Yugo knew he had to stop him here. As he focused on evasion, Melt provided cover, raining down a barrage of swords from the sky like a storm.
"Yugo, get back! Hah!"
"Kh...! You're getting on my nerves!"
Forced to break off his assault on Yugo, Batz swung the Demonic Sword to deflect the Swords of Light pouring down on him.
Using the opening to create some distance, Yugo called out to Melt as they coordinated their next move.
"Thanks, Melt. You saved me there."
"Yugo, what’s the plan? He’s armed, so should we counter with the Purple Armor?"
"No... that sword is bad news. We can't afford to take a single hit."
Having seen the Demonic Sword in action, Yugo sensed something alien and malevolent in the slashes that whistled past him. Even with the Blaster equipped, he felt a primal urge to avoid contact. Using the Purple Armor—which relied on taking hits to counter—would be a suicidal match-up.
Melt picked up on his desire to avoid a close-quarters brawl and quickly pivoted her strategy.
"Then should we focus on long-range? Or maybe hit-and-run tactics?"
"...Actually, I've got something perfect for this. A new function just for a situation like this."
"Shut up with the chatter! You're in my way, so just die already!"
Batz recovered his stance just as Yugo finished speaking. He swung the Demonic Sword, unleashing the same reddish-black Magic Power Slash they had seen in the shop.
The two split left and right to avoid the incoming wave, shouting to each other as they moved.
"Melt! Support me!"
"Got it! Go for it!"
Yugo rolled across the ground, springing back into a stance as Batz left himself open following the big move.
Channeling Magic Power into his right arm, Yugo triggered a transformation in the Blaster. The armor around his arm shifted into a conical shape. He clenched his fist beneath the plating and glared at his foe.
"I haven't mastered flight yet, but a straight-line charge is easy enough!"
Yugo dropped into a low, forward-leaning stance, similar to a sprinter at the starting blocks. He leveled his transformed right arm, pointing it slightly upward.
With a mechanical roar, flames erupted from his right elbow, fueled by converted Magic Power. Using the momentum of a leap to launch himself, Yugo took off, gliding across the air toward Batz at high speed.
"Blaster Rocket Punch!!"