"Hah! Yah!!"
"Guaaaah!? Aguh, ah... damn it, damn it...!!"
Isaac reeled from Yugo’s fist, glaring at his opponent through a haze of agony.
Staggering to his feet, he felt the pain that had been suppressed by the Demonic Swords beginning to flood back. He shook his head frantically, muttering a delusional string of denials as if the very reality of the situation was something he could reject.
"This... this is impossible. I’m the protagonist! I’m the strongest solo player, the invincible hero! So why is this happening? I’m the protagonist who just awakened to a new power! This was supposed to be a winning flag! So why... why am I the one being cornered!?"
He broke into a desperate sprint, his movements a blur of impossible speed as he circled Yugo, searching for a single opening to strike.
Isaac unleashed a flurry of afterimages before launching a surprise assault from the rear. But Yugo had already anticipated the move; he reached out and caught the very arm Isaac was using to swing the Twin Swords.
"Guuh!? Why!? How!?"
"Stop it, Isaac! Your body is at its limit! If you keep using those swords, you're going to—!"
"Shut up! I won't lose! I'm the strongest! I won't lose to you, and I won't lose to the Curse of the Demonic Sword! Because I am the protag— cough!!"
"Isaac!!"
Mid-scream, Isaac suddenly vomited a spray of dark blood.
Yugo froze, realizing that the Demonic Swords were eroding Isaac’s physical form even faster than he had feared. In that momentary lapse, Isaac released a burst of magic power from his entire body, creating a violent shockwave that blasted Yugo’s grip away.
"Guh...! Isaac...!"
"Uaaaaaaaaah! Aaaaaaaah!!"
Isaac let out a roar that sounded less like a man and more like a mindless beast. He swung the Twin Swords wildly, sending wave after wave of Reddish-black Magic Power Slashes toward his opponent.
Watching the swords wring every last drop of magic and life force from Isaac’s fading body, Yugo steeled his resolve.
"I have to do it!"
The time for words had long since passed. To save Isaac’s life, he had to shatter the Demonic Swords and physically incapacitate him.
Yugo had hesitated to use a major technique on a man already on the verge of death, but he realized that if he waited any longer, the swords would finish the job themselves. He committed everything to one final strike.
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaa...!"
He funneled his magic power into the elemental magic crystal in his chest, then channeled the surge directly into his arms.
The resulting torrent of magic ignited into brilliant flames that wreathed Yugo’s hands. Clenching his fists amid the roaring blaze, he ignored the excruciating strain on his own body and locked eyes with Isaac.
"I’m gonna hit you with everything I’ve got!!"
Yugo leaped high, vaulting over the incoming slashes. Using the momentum of his descent, he closed the distance in an instant.
As Isaac braced himself to intercept the attack, Yugo brought down a Flame Knifehand Strike with the full force of gravity behind it.
"Blaster Grenade!"
"What!? Aaaaaah!!"
Yugo’s flame-shrouded left hand slammed into the blade Isaac swung to meet him. The sheer force of the blow snapped the Demonic Sword in two, leaving Isaac frozen in shock.
"Not yet! I'm not... done yet...!"
Yugo didn't stop. He immediately followed through with his right hand, shattering the second sword with another knifehand strike. Even then, Isaac refused to yield. He poured his remaining magic into the broken hilts, trying to manifest jagged blades of pure energy to cut Yugo down.
But Yugo was faster.
He pulled back the left hand he’d used for the first strike and funneled a second surge of magic into it, cloaking his fist in Crimson Lotus Flames. Just as Isaac raised his broken swords for a final, desperate swing, Yugo drove a spiraling punch into the man's solar plexus—the Blaster Maximum Break.
"This is the end! Blaster Maximum Break!!"
"Agah! Gah... hah...!?"
The corkscrew blow tore through the defensive aura reinforced by the swords. By putting his entire body’s rotation into the strike, the impact rippled through Isaac's internal organs. With one final groan, Isaac’s consciousness flickered and went dark.
The broken remnants of the Demonic Swords clattered to the ground, the reddish-black magic dissipating into nothingness. As Isaac’s eyes rolled back and he collapsed, Yugo caught him before he could hit the floor.
Deactivating his transformation, Yugo looked up at his friends in the spectator seats, his face pale with exertion as he shouted.
"Melt! I need recovery magic for Isaac! Someone get the Security Force! Tell them to find a man named Jinba and get him here immediately!"
"U-understood!"
"I can help with the recovery magic too! Please, let me assist!"
"I-I'll handle the Security Force! I just have to call for Mr. Jinba, right!?"
"I’m heading to the infirmary to prep them! We can only do so much out here!"
Spurred by Yugo’s urgency, his companions sprang into action.
As he handed the unconscious Isaac over to Melt and Claire, Yugo turned to them with a strained voice.
"How is he? Is he going to make it?"
"I'm not sure," Claire replied softly. "He’s in a truly critical state... but if you hadn't stopped him when you did, Lord Isaac would have surely died. By destroying the Demonic Swords, you saved his life, Lord Yugo."
"I see... Don't you dare die, Isaac. I still owe you for that business with Skull, and there are a thousand things I need you to explain... Guh!?"
"Yugo!?"
As he spoke to the unconscious man, Yugo’s face contorted in pain and his knees buckled.
Anhel was at his side in an instant, supporting him as he groaned under the internal damage caused by the Flame Armor.
"...I'm so sorry, Yugo. It's my fault. Because I gave you such an unfinished, dangerous function, I've put you through this...!"
"Why are you apologizing, Ann?" Yugo managed a weak smile. "Because of the Flame Armor you built, I was able to save him. Be proud of your work."
"You idiot! Look at the price you paid for it! As an engineer, creating a magic item that doesn't account for the user's safety is a disgrace! I'm supposed to be in charge of your equipment and your life, and yet, I...!"
The usually composed, headstrong Anhel was trembling, her eyes brimming with tears of frustration and guilt.
She knew the new function had technically succeeded, but the fact that it had harmed the person she was meant to protect felt like a professional and personal failure. Yugo reached out without a word and gently stroked her head, offering a quiet apology.
"I'm sorry. I was a bit reckless. I didn't mean to make you cry."
No matter who you saved, it was meaningless if you destroyed yourself in the process. Even if you defeated the villain, you weren't a true hero if you left the people who cared about you in tears. It was a lesson he had supposedly learned at the end of his life as Yugo Kurei.
Seeing him repeat the mistake, Melt—having finished the initial stabilization of Isaac with Claire—spoke up.
"Yugo, you need treatment as well. Once Hex gets back, we’re taking you and Isaac to the infirmary."
"Yeah... sounds like a plan."
He had won the battle, but he was still far from where he needed to be. As Yugo leaned into Melt’s healing magic, he couldn't help but think that it wasn't just his Flame Armor that was incomplete—he was, too.