"Gi, gagi, ga...!?"
"See? You can't use those bombs when I'm this close, can you!?"
The Gigantrose possessed a spark of intellect, more so than the Flowermons it had spawned as its own subordinates. Having evolved enough to possess a modicum of intelligence, it understood perfectly well that it was in a dire predicament.
The distance between Yugo and the Gigantrose was now, quite literally, within arm's reach. If the beast were to fire its bombs now, the resulting blast would consume the creature itself.
It was a stroke of ill luck for the beast to encounter an opponent like Yugo in its very first battle—a man who defied all common sense by charging head-on through a relentless barrage of explosives just to close the distance.
"Jyurarararaaa!"
With its primary weapon neutralized, the Gigantrose lashed out with the briar whips on its arms. The vines whipped across Yugo’s cheeks, constricted his neck, and hammered against his torso. However, these attacks lacked the destructive power of the bombs; they were never going to be enough to deliver a finishing blow.
As Yugo closed the gap one silent step at a time, the Gigantrose began to tremble with fear. Then, from behind Yugo, Fee’s voice rang out.
"Brother! Use this!"
Fee had borrowed a knife from a nurse and asked Verda to hurl it toward Yugo. Just before the toss, Raiha imbued the blade with lightning magic. The weapon streaked through the air, aimed true, and slapped firmly into Yugo’s palm.
"Thanks, Fee. Now then... are you ready for this?"
"Gi, ga...!?"
Yugo willed the knife to transform into a straight sword. The Gigantrose let out a terrified groan at the sight of the double-edged blade, now crackling with electricity and a brilliant golden radiance.
The monster froze, paralyzed by a split-second hesitation between attempting to dodge or trying to defend. In that opening, Yugo thrust the lightning-wreathed blade straight at the Magic Armor Beast.
"Uoooooooh!"
"Gugah!?"
The Gigantrose possessed a soft, impact-absorbing body, but it had one undeniable weak point: the center of the massive flower that launched its bomb fruits.
The golden tip of the sword pried open the floral aperture and plunged deep, the blade driving all the way through the Gigantrose’s torso. The Magic Armor Beast’s body convulsed once and went rigid. As Yugo funneled his magic power and the surging electricity into the beast’s core, he let out a roar.
"Rising... Calamity Crush!"
"Gagya, gaaaaaaaaah!"
The death cries of the Gigantrose echoed through the hospital corridors as its flesh was incinerated from within by the torrent of magic and lightning. Reaching a critical overload, the Magic Armor Beast’s body emitted a blinding flash before erupting in a small explosion that scattered its remains into ash.
"Hey, what happened?! What was that explosion? Report!"
"...It’s all right. It’s over. Yugo defeated the Magic Armor Beast. No one is injured, and the threat has been neutralized."
Peewee let out a sigh of relief as she reported to Jinba, who was frantic on the other end of the line. Upon hearing her words, everyone else finally processed the reality of what they had witnessed and erupted into cheers of joy.
"Brother, are you okay?!"
"Yeah, no problem. I mean, it hurts a bit, sure, but I’ll be fine after a quick rest!"
While the civilians celebrated the end of the threat with profound relief, Fee was the first to rush to his brother’s side, his face etched with worry. Yugo gave the boy a thumbs-up, projecting an air of boundless energy.
Even with his armor mitigating the damage, the point-blank bombardment had certainly taken its toll. However, Yugo knew that putting on a brave face was part of the Hero's job. He stood tall, acting the part to put his brother’s mind at ease.
"Thanks, Fee. I heard your voice loud and clear."
"Ehehehe...!"
Yugo deliberately kept his Blaster form active to hide the fact that he was still grimacing in pain. He patted Fee’s head with a heavy, armored hand, and the boy blushed, offering a happy, bashful smile.
As the brothers shared the touching moment, their comrades approached.
"You saved us, Yugo. We ended up leaning on you far too much."
"Between the bomb disposal and this fight, your contribution to resolving this incident has been immense."
"I told you before, didn't I? I didn't do this alone. Hero's Condition #5: Be someone who can join hands and fight together with comrades. This mission succeeded because you all chose to cooperate. If anything, you guys are the real Heroes here."
Yugo had performed miraculously—from the initial response to the bomb recovery and finally to the solo defeat of a Level 2 monster while protecting the civilians. Yet, he didn't boast. Instead, he expressed sincere gratitude to those who had stood with him.
While Verda and Peewee were still struggling to adjust to this new, noble version of Yugo, Yui spoke up.
"That thing we just fought... it was basically the main body of the flower on the roof, right? Does that mean the danger is finally gone?"
"I believe so. This time, the incident is truly resolved."
They had recovered every bomb fruit in the building and destroyed the Gigantrose that created them. Now, they just had to wait for the Security Force to finish the rescue operation and evacuate.
"...I was thinking the exact same thing a few minutes ago, right before that Magic Armor Beast came crashing through the ceiling," Verda muttered.
"Verda, keep your mouth shut! Do you want to trigger another flag?"
Yugo and the others laughed at Peewee’s sharp reprimand. They all felt certain that, this time, their worries were over. With the Magic Armor Beast dead, surely no more accidents could occur.
Yugo decided it was time to power down; keeping the Blaster armor active indefinitely would only make the civilians uneasy. But just as he prepared to cancel the transformation—
"——!?"
In that heartbeat, a sickening sensation surged through his body. He wasn't the only one; his comrades also stiffened, sensing a sudden, rhythmic pulsing nearby.
They felt a massive swell of magic power. Following their instincts, they all turned toward a single point.
Their eyes landed on the pile of Gigantrose bomb fruits they had gathered together. Every single one of them was now glowing with a sinister red light, throbbing like a beating heart.