One look was all it took to recognize the overwhelming power of the greatsword.
As Yugo spoke the name of the Magic-Slaying Crimson Lotus Blade—a weapon forged to cut down the Magic Beasts that preyed upon humanity—Naruru screamed, desperately trying to suppress the panic rising in her chest.
"Wh-what’s with that 'Magic-Slaying Crimson Lotus Blade'?! You can give it all the fancy names you want, but in the end, it’s just a ridiculously oversized sword! And these branches you cut... as soon as I put my mind to it, they’ll grow right back—!"
The sudden appearance of such an alien weapon had shaken her, but Naruru told herself it was just a big blade.
She had restored the branch Egos hacked away with his axe easily enough. Now, she tried to tap into her vast reserves of Magic Power and Life Force to regenerate the Treant's limbs once more. Yet, no matter how much mana she forced into the stump, nothing happened.
"Wh-why?! Why won't the branch grow back?!"
"Take a closer look at the stump," Yugo said. "You'll see why."
Driven to the brink of hysteria by her uncontrollable agitation, Naruru did as he said. She looked at the cross-section of the branch he had hacked away.
The wood was charred pitch-black, sizzling and trailing wisps of smoke.
Naruru's regeneration relied on using Magic Power to stimulate the cells at the severed edge, forcing them to regrow. But biology failed where fire had passed. The cells at the cross-section were dead—there was nothing left to stimulate.
Naruru didn’t need to understand the science to know that what she was seeing was impossible. The realization that any branch lost to that greatsword was gone forever finally shattered her composure, sending her spiraling into a frantic rage.
"Don't you... screw with me! I hate you! Before and now, you just keep getting in my way and hurting me!! Die, die, die, die, dieee!!"
"Sorry, I can't do that. Not until I've rescued Shiroi from you."
Yugo answered calmly as she screamed, sending even more branches flying toward him. He tightened his grip on the Magic-Slaying Crimson Lotus Blade.
With a light nudge to Skull’s flanks to signal his partner, Yugo met the incoming swarm of branches, his blade trailing tongues of fire.
"And now, The Main Attraction has arrived. How about a round of applause?"
"Uuuuugh?!"
A single horizontal swing sent log-sized branches flying. Sparks rained from the High-heat Blade like a blizzard of glowing petals as Skull charged through the chaos like a gale.
"D-don't come any closer! I absolutely hate scary, violent men like you!!"
"What a coincidence. I also happen to hate women who use children as shields!"
Yugo cut down branch after branch, systematically stripping Naruru of her Attack Methods. Stripped of her prized Regenerative Ability and unable to think of a countermeasure, she simply repeated her futile attacks as if to ward off his approach.
Rather than burning the opponent with fire, Yugo’s strikes—which relied on the High-heat Blade to amplify the destruction of the massive sword—boasted a literal immeasurable intensity.
However, watching the scene from afar, Hao murmured a doubt that had begun to well up inside him.
"Yugo, what’s your plan? Can you really rescue Shiroi with a sword that size...?"
The Magic-Slaying Crimson Lotus Blade was the perfect counter to the Treant, but its sheer size made precision impossible. Rescuing a hostage without collateral damage was a nightmare scenario. Shiroi was tied down and Yugo was on a galloping horse; the physics simply didn't add up.
Just as Hao was wondering how he intended to save the boy, he suddenly remembered what Yugo had said earlier.
'I don't intend to fight alone from start to finish. But first, I have to stop the momentum that's currently on their side.'
Recalling those words, Hao realized that Yugo knew he couldn't rescue Shiroi by himself. The greatsword wasn't for the rescue—it was for the opening. He was drawing Naruru's fire, whittling down her defenses and keeping her eyes fixed solely on him.
Thanks to Yugo, the number of branches being swung was considerably lower than when the fight began. Now, it might be possible to slip through Naruru's guard and reach the boy.
"Hao? What's wrong?"
Presia, who had been watching the battle, called out as Hao stepped forward.
Hao stopped, turned back, and spoke while his clenched fists trembled.
"I’m going to settle the score. This is my responsibility... it's something I have to do!"
The fact that Shiroi had been taken hostage was his fault for letting his emotions get the better of him. He had a reason why he, specifically, had to move to save the boy.
Deciding that he couldn't leave the fighting to Yugo alone, Hao took a steadying breath and sprinted toward the monster.