They roared and leaped simultaneously, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.
Streaking toward the Gigantes as it mindlessly hammered its fists against the barrier, the pair lunged at its exposed back, driving their blades deep into its hide.
"Haaaah!"
"Sei—yaaa!"
"Goh!? Gaaaaah!?"
The Gigantes arched its spine and shrieked as the unexpected impact bit into its flesh.
Redirecting its fury from the barrier to its new attackers, the beast brought a massive fist crashing down toward the spot where Yugo and Ryuga landed. They scattered instantly, the blow hitting nothing but air.
"Too slow, you oversized junk heap!"
"Gii-yaaaa!"
Yugo kicked off the monster's buried forearm, propelling himself toward its face. He swung his greatsword in a wide, punishing arc.
The creature clutched its face, blinded as the blade bit through its eyes. Seizing the opening while the monster’s vision was gone, Ryuga circled behind and delivered a precise strike to the back of its knees.
"Storm Dragon Swordsmanship, Wind Style: Gale Slash!"
"Gugiyiiii!?"
The strike wasn't meant to sever the limbs, but to force the giant to its knees—and it worked perfectly.
Even through the dense muscle and armored hide, Ryuga’s blade had found its mark. As the monster slumped, Ryuga repositioned himself in front of it.
The Gigantes swung another heavy fist at him in a desperate retaliation, but the feedback from the blow was a hard, dull clank.
Through its clouded vision, the monster realized its fist was suddenly wreathed in heat. Crimson flames erupted from the point of impact as the blow was parried, and the beast unleashed a scream that rivaled its own terrifying Howling.
"Guoooooooooo! Gyaooooooooo!"
"I appreciate the cover, Yugo. You saved me there."
"Heh! Please. You could’ve dodged that in your sleep!"
Yugo snorted, adjusting his stance. He had caught the strike on the flat of his Magic-Slaying Crimson Lotus Blade, the red-hot steel acting as an impenetrable shield.
Even with a massive slab of iron to absorb the shock, Ryuga was privately stunned. To catch a direct blow from a Gigantes—a creature defined by its sheer, overwhelming mass—was no small feat.
(To match my speed while encased in heavy plate is incredible enough,) Ryuga thought, (but to have the raw power to halt a giant and the presence of mind to turn its own force against it... He’s pushing that magic item far beyond its limits. I’ve never seen a master like this, even in Yamato.)
It had been a punch thrown using only the arm, without the monster’s full weight behind it, but a Gigantes' brute force remained a lethal threat regardless.
Yugo’s power, which didn't budge even after taking that hit, and his combat sense—demonstrated by not just blocking the attack but by releasing the ability of his flame-attribute sword to deal damage back to the enemy—were things Ryuga acknowledged without reservation.
Above all, Ryuga felt a surge of respect for Yugo's resolve. The man didn't hesitate for a second to face a superior foe if it meant protecting others. As Ryuga's admiration grew, Yugo was also busy evaluating his partner.
(He’s more than just fast,) Yugo noted. (That weight behind his swings is the real deal. And he’s so calm... there’s no way this is his full strength. How many battles has this guy survived to be this composed!?)
The speed, the mastery of momentum, the lethal sharpness of the blade, and the analytical eye that pierced every weakness—Ryuga surpassed every human and Magic Armor Beast Yugo had ever encountered.
Ryuga’s familiarity with life-or-death combat was obvious. Despite his relaxed demeanor, Yugo could feel the sheer pressure radiating from the man known as the Strongest Swordsman.
"It’s a mystery," Ryuga said. "Why is a man of your caliber unknown? You're the one who should be called a Hero Candidate."
"High praise coming from you. But hey, let's finish the conversation later."
"Agreed... Let's end this, Yugo!"
Acknowledging and praising each other's strength, the two turned back toward the struggling Gigantes.
Each leveled their weapon, heightening their magic power to unleash a finishing blow that would bring an end to the battle.
"Magic-Slaying Crimson Lotus Blade... Flame Blade: Full Output!!"
Raising the greatsword burning with crimson lotus flames above his head, Yugo poured his overflowing magic power into it.
The blade began to rage with a great conflagration, as if the fire burning within his chest had taken physical form to scorch the heavens. Beside him, Ryuga silently focused his own power.
"Siiiiiiiii..."
With his sword sheathed, Ryuga dropped into a low stance, breathing deeply as his magic power surged.
Golden lightning began to crackle around him as he took his Iai stance. In stark contrast to his own stillness, the electricity grew more violent with every passing second.
"Ga, oh, ooh...!?"
Perhaps it was a stroke of luck that the Gigantes could no longer see clearly.
At the very least, it did not have to face the terrifying reality of its own death—brought about by the flaming blade charring the sky and the lightning roaring across the ground, waiting for the moment the sword left its sheath.
Yugo swung down the greatsword wreathed in explosive flames. Simultaneously, Ryuga opened his eyes and drew his blade, calling forth lightning that surged from the earth to the sky.
A downward swing and an upward slash; fire and lightning. The two forces converged, their full-powered strikes overlapping as a single wave of energy that tore through the Gigantes.
"This is the end! Combined Special Move: Lightning Blaze Slash!!"
"Ogoaaaaaaaaaa! Gyaaaaaaaaaaa!"
Still on its knees, the Gigantes took the strike head-on. Its massive body was sliced clean in half.
As it let out a final death scream, the severed flesh was incinerated by the combined elemental fury, vanishing into nothingness in an instant.
"...Heh. After unleashing a bolt of lightning that huge, you still claim you’re not good with it?"
"It’s you I should be asking, Yugo. You said you needed my help... but couldn’t you have won on your own? You look like you barely broke a sweat."
"I could say the exact same thing to you. Who was it that said this would be a difficult opponent?"
The duo stood in their follow-through stances, speaking only after confirming the enemy was completely silenced.
Then, both suddenly broke into grins. They stood down from their combat stances and wordlessly bumped their fists together, sharing the quiet satisfaction of victory.