"What—what are these people?! What on earth is happening—Gyaah!"
"Someone call the Security Force! I don't even know what's...!"
"Look! It's a Bat Magic Armor Beast! It's coming this way!"
"I'm scared, Mommy!"
People with hollow, vacant expressions brandished daggers—though they were more like short swords—slashing at bystanders and destroying everything in sight.
Though small and rudimentary, the weapons they held were Demonic Swords. Their power was far beyond anything a commoner could hope to resist.
Terror gripped the crowd as the rioters shattered their peaceful lives in an instant. Amidst the screams of the panicked populace, the transformed Isaac joined the assault, leaving the citizens with no room for rational thought.
The central plaza had devolved into a living hell. People scrambled to escape Isaac and the mob, only to be cut down where they stood.
"You’ve got to be kidding me..." Yugo gritted his teeth. "Just how many of those Demonic Swords did Neid distribute!?"
"We have to suppress the controlled citizens first!" Melt urged.
Neid had clearly prepared for this eventuality long ago. Whether it had been his own idea or a directive from the Hooded Figure, there was no doubt he had planned this massacre as a contingency for when his crimes were finally exposed.
Fury surged through Yugo at the sheer depravity of a man who would sacrifice countless innocent lives just to save his own skin. However, he forced himself to focus. He needed to protect the people right in front of him. Steeling his resolve, he moved to intercept Isaac.
"Isaac! Can you hear me!? Snap out of it, damn it!"
"Gigigigikiii!"
Yugo threw himself into a tackle as Isaac dove toward the crowd, knocking the monster off course.
He had held a faint hope that some shred of human reason might remain—that Isaac might recognize his voice and regain his senses. But his hopes were in vain. Isaac let out a piercing screech and soared back into the sky, readying another pass at the terrified citizens.
"This is bad, Yugo! We’re completely outnumbered! Between suppressing the mob and coordinating the evacuation, we just don't have enough hands!"
"If we go all out, we'll hurt the civilians! But if we don't, we can't stop Isaac or the rioters!"
Anhel and Melt were fighting desperately to shield the people, but they were clearly struggling. Melt, in particular, was severely handicapped; with the plaza crowded with fleeing people, she couldn't risk using her signature Swords of Light.
Fee was doing his best to direct the evacuation, but there was only so much a child could accomplish on his own. Yugo, meanwhile, was fully occupied trying to keep Isaac at bay. He couldn't spare a moment to support the others.
"We have to stop Isaac and these people so we can go after Neid...!"
At this rate, Neid would make a clean escape. If he did, the Demonic Swords he manufactured would be spread across the entire world. The tragedy unfolding before them would be repeated in every corner of the globe.
He had to stop him. And yet, he couldn't just abandon the people screaming for help.
As Yugo fought through his mounting desperation, he spotted a small boy sitting on the ground, wailing in terror. His heart skipped a beat as he saw Isaac folding his wings, aiming a lethal dive directly at the child.
"Damn it! Like hell you will!"
"Yugo, look out!"
There wasn't enough time to grab the boy and run. Acting on instinct, Yugo lunged forward, scooped the child into his arms, and curled his body over him to act as a human shield.
Melt’s horrified scream rang out as Isaac plummeted toward Yugo’s defenseless back. Yugo squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for a devastating impact.
"...Wait, what?"
A heavy, metallic thud echoed through the air. And yet, the impact never came.
Instead, he heard a high-pitched shriek of pain from Isaac. Yugo looked up and glanced over his shoulder. There, standing tall and defiant between him and the monster, was a man he knew all too well.
"Hmph. What’s the matter, my friend? You seem to be having a bit of a hard time."
"You...!"
That arrogant tone, that familiar shock of brown hair, and the gleaming Golden Armor on his left arm that had just parried Isaac's strike... Yugo couldn't help the grin that spread across his face beneath his helmet.
The man turned slightly, his expression radiating pure, unadulterated confidence as he announced his name.
"Indeed! The Golden Shield who protects this city, and your greatest ally! Marcos Borg has returned!"
"Marcos! Your timing is too damn perfect, you idiot!"
It was Marcos Borg, the Luminous Academy student who had been away from the city to recover from his injuries and repair his gear. His sudden appearance in their moment of greatest peril was a miracle.
"It’s been a while, Yugo," Marcos said with a flamboyant smirk. "It seems I’ve returned at the most exquisite moment possible. Though I must say, I didn't expect to be greeted by a disaster the second I stepped back into town!"
Even as he spoke, Marcos didn't miss a beat. He effortlessly blocked a strike from a crazed Demonic Sword wielder who lunged at him from behind.
Yugo didn't hesitate. He vaulted over Marcos’s shoulders, grabbed the attacker’s wrist, and wrenched the dagger away. As the man tried to lunged back for the weapon, Marcos delivered a heavy right hook to his solar plexus. The rioter slumped over, unconscious.
"Nice one! You’ve actually gotten better!"
"Of course! I have endured hellish training alongside my men so that I might never again fall behind you! My Giga Scissors have reached a new level of power! I am no longer the man I once was—I am Neo Marcos! Fuh-hah-hah-hah!"
Marcos stood tall, laughing triumphantly after their seamless display of teamwork.
Yugo gave a wry smile. Marcos hadn't changed a bit. Glancing around, Yugo saw that Marcos’s two loyal subordinates had also joined the fray, helping to suppress the mob and guide the civilians to safety.
"I'm glad you're back, Marcos. Thanks."
"Hmph. No need for thanks. We are friends; aiding one another is simply what we do!"
With the return of his dependable rival, hope surged in Yugo’s chest. The plaza was still crawling with mindless swordsmen drawn to Isaac’s side, but the tide was turning.
As if to prove that point, a thunderous battle cry erupted from the edge of the square, accompanied by the whistle of a heavy axe carving through the air.