Dragon Eater... Yugo’s expression darkened as he heard the name of a heinous criminal with such an ominous moniker.
He remained silent for a moment, unable to discern the exact nature of the man’s crimes from the title alone. Sakai continued his explanation.
"Yugo-san, are you aware that Yamato is a nation that regards dragons as sacred? Have you ever heard that some among our people aim to discard their humanity and evolve into dragons themselves?"
"Yes, to some extent. I’m not exactly an expert on the specifics, though..."
"Then this will be simple to explain. This man, Zaraki, sought to become a being that transcends humanity and stepped into a realm that must never be violated. Zaraki consumed the flesh of a dragon and made its power his own."
Upon hearing Sakai’s explanation that the man had actually eaten dragon meat, Yugo finally grasped the true danger Zaraki posed.
In Yamato, dragons were worshipped as beings equal to gods. To consume such a deity was an act of supreme sacrilege, and it was only natural that he would be branded a villain for it.
However, it seemed the matter was more complex than mere taboo.
"Yugo-san, you have likely seen the fighting styles of the exchange students dispatched from our country. Much like the katana Ryuga possesses, Ryukoga, which was crafted from a Storm Dragon's fang... Yamato's Magic Items utilize parts of a dragon's body. An artifact made from a powerful dragon possesses unbelievable power, even if it is only a single fang, claw, or tail."
"By consuming the meat of a dragon, Zaraki incorporated those abilities into his own body, transforming into what one might call a Half-dragon. Then, he became intoxicated by that power. Having fallen to the demonic path, Zaraki has destroyed numerous villages and continues to take the lives of innocent people."
"We have pursued him for many years. However, every time we come close to capturing him, he manages to slip through our fingers. Without a doubt, someone is assisting his flight. Now that we have confirmed Zaraki fled Yamato for this country, our suspicions have turned into certainty. We believe this benefactor is the same individual who turned the culprit of the recent incident at the Insect Museum into a Magic Armor Beast."
The story Sakai and Ryuga told was by no means irrelevant to Yugo.
A heinous criminal had entered their country, but more importantly, someone was working in the shadows, spreading the power to transform humans into Magic Armor Beasts for some unknown purpose.
In all likelihood, Zaraki was acting as a mediator in exchange for his safe passage, contacting people like the Insect Siblings and granting them power.
While Yugo didn't yet know what Zaraki and his backer were planning, there was no doubt they were much closer than he had initially imagined.
(Is this Lost’s doing? Are they using Zaraki to pull a stunt like this...?)
For a moment, Yugo wondered if Lost—the mastermind behind his previous troubles—was involved. However, he quickly dismissed the possibility.
Until now, Lost and his group had personally scouted the humans they intended to transform. If they were back to their old tricks, why would they suddenly feel the need to use a middleman like Zaraki?
The mastermind this time was likely someone else entirely.
Having reached that conclusion, Yugo decided to keep his thoughts to himself for the moment to avoid disrupting the investigation. Sakai continued.
"We are putting all our effort into tracking Zaraki's whereabouts. We intend to coordinate with the local Security Force, but the process has been... difficult."
"That’s understandable," Professor Castle interjected. "Joint operations between two nations are often more complicated than one might expect."
"I appreciate your understanding. However, while we are stalled by bureaucracy, Zaraki and his associates are surely executing their plans. It is a grim thought, but another incident may very well occur in the vicinity of this academy. If that happens... it is pathetic to admit, but we may need to ask for the assistance of Yugo-san and Ryuga-san."
"Don't worry about it," Yugo replied. "Helping people in trouble is just part of being a hero. Besides, I can't just let a villain run wild. If there's anything we can do, we're in."
"Oh! Thank you! Thank you so much! We will also do everything in our power to secure Zaraki so that everyone at Luminous Academy can rest easy! If by some chance we let him escape again, I shall commit ritual suicide to atone for my failure!"
"Man... it was a real nightmare trying to talk Sakai-san down back then. He kept insisting on cutting his own stomach open even though I told him it wasn't necessary."
"However, thanks to him, we know someone is pulling the strings from the shadows," Ryuga noted. "You suspect they’re involved with Kurotobari as well, don't you?"
Yugo nodded, confirming Ryuga's suspicion.
While their ultimate objective remained a mystery, it was highly probable that Kurotobari was another human who had received the power of a Magic Armor Beast through Zaraki's mediation.
Realizing that Sakura had stepped into a much more dangerous world than Raiha even imagined, both boys felt a growing sense of urgency.
"...For now, I'll pass this along to Professor Castle. He's not the type to cause a panic for no reason. I'll also try to get some info from my contact in the Security Force. But our top priority is waking Amamiya-san up."
"I agree. Capturing Kurotobari isn't our responsibility. It's enough if we can pull Amamiya-san away from the Society of Friends of the Night. Let's bring her back before things get any more complicated."
Having settled on their immediate course of action, Yugo and his friends prepared to mobilize the very next morning.