"Ugh..."
Buckling under the weight of Yugo’s murderous aura, Egos cast his eyes around at the surrounding students and teachers, unable to utter a single word.
He hoped someone—anyone—would step in and stop Yugo, but those around him merely looked away, avoiding his gaze.
Even Cyan, who was supposed to be his partner, had put some distance between them, clearly wanting no part in this. Amidst the tension, Uno attempted to reason with the infuriated Yugo.
"Calm down, Clay. I understand your feelings, but if you go any further, I will be forced to discipline you as well."
"Give me a lecture or suspend me—do whatever you want. Any man who’s so afraid of that stuff that he’d let the guy who hurt his little brother walk free has no right to call himself an older brother. If I don't lose it here, I’ll never be able to look Fee in the eye again!"
"...Claire, I’m sorry. Please take Fee and Yui and get them away from here. I don’t want them to see Yugo like this."
Seeing that Yugo had no intention of backing down, Melt spoke to Claire, her partner in treating the wounded.
Claire gave a sharp nod. As she took the unconscious Fee and led Yui by the hand away from the relief station, Zenon hesitated for a moment before following. He stole one last glance at Yugo before departing.
Yugo had never shown this kind of rage before—not when his fiancée was taken, and not even when he was mocked as trash by everyone around him.
Whether it was the incident with Rush or the duel Isaac forced on him, Yugo had remained composed, even going so far as to save Zenon himself, a man he had every reason to hate.
But now, Yugo was more furious than Zenon had ever seen him.
Witnessing him lay bare such unfiltered wrath—not for his own sake, but because his brother had been harmed—Zenon felt a twinge of guilt. He hurried away, unable to linger.
Meanwhile, the interrogation of Egos dragged on.
"Cutman, why did you do it? Why would you even consider abandoning Fee Clay and Yui Renjou?"
"T-That’s...!"
With blood still dripping from his nose, Egos felt the walls closing in. He couldn't answer.
He could hardly tell them the truth: that he had planned to use a game event to get rid of Fee so he could swoop in and farm affection points with Yui. Even if he said it out loud, they would just think he’d lost his mind.
As Egos stood there, tears of pain welling in his eyes, Marcos spoke up from Yugo's side.
"The reason is obvious. I can read you like an open book, Egos. You tried to use Fee to get revenge on Yugo, didn't you?"
"N-No...!!"
Egos tried to protest, shocked by the accusation, but the words died in his throat.
His voice trembled and his face went pale. To everyone watching, it looked exactly like the reaction of a man whose secret had just been exposed.
"...Borg, what do you mean by revenge?"
"It’s simple, Professor. Not long ago, this man did something truly inhumane, and Yugo reprimanded him for it. He must have held a grudge. But Egos knew Yugo was too strong for him to face directly. So, he decided to strike at Yugo’s weakness—his younger brother, Fee."
"So, it was a petty vendetta? You tried to satisfy your spite by leaving two children behind?"
"Most likely. His original plan was probably just to make the two go missing, hoping to watch Yugo panic and suffer. But when the monsters attacked, his little 'payback' spiraled into a catastrophe."
"For such a reason...? You put Fee and Yui in danger and let them get hurt... for something so trivial?"
"No! That's not it! I-I wasn't trying to—!"
Egos desperately tried to deny the claim, but no one was listening anymore.
He failed to realize that Marcos’s theory—that he only intended a "minor retaliation"—actually painted him in a better light than the truth of his murderous intent. If he couldn't even defend himself against that, he was truly finished.
"Is he for real...? Egos, you’re actually that scummy?"
"And to think I actually looked up to him. I'm honestly disgusted..."
"He's weaker than Yugo, the guy he called trash, and he's a bigger scumbag to boot. He's done for."
"Ugh... ah... uh...!"
Hearing the whispers of the students, Egos let out a pathetic, strangled sound.
As his reputation crumbled before his eyes, he could only stand there and shiver. Ignoring him, Marcos turned to the still-seething Yugo.
"Yugo, I know your fury is deeper than I can fathom. But as your friend, I’m stopping you here. That man isn't worth your time. Do you really want to stroke Fee’s head with hands stained by the blood of a fiend? A monster like him will get the punishment he deserves. Everyone here has seen your pain and your anger. Don't take it any further; it won't help Fee. Hold it in, Yugo."
"He's right. If you truly want to kill him... let me be the one to take his head. As a brother myself, I feel your pain. That’s why I don’t want you to be the one to dirty your hands. I’m asking you as your partner. Yugo, stand down."
"..."
The words of his rival and his partner finally reached him. Yugo stood with his head bowed, slowly loosening his white-knuckled fists.
Uno decided to move while Yugo was still wrestling with his self-control. He addressed the gathered students.
"Cutman, you’re coming with us. We have much to discuss. The rest of you, return to your duties. Help the injured and care for the wounded. Dismissed."
Uno declared the end of the gathering and walked over to Yugo.
After a moment of contemplation, the professor spoke.
"...Clay. When the relief squad arrives, I’ll ensure your brother is transported with the highest priority. You should go with him. And... as the one responsible for this group, I am truly sorry for letting things come to this. Please, let me apologize."
Yugo remained silent as Uno bowed his head.
His friends stood by, watching in silence as he struggled with the waves of anguish and restraint crashing through him.