"Wait, hold on a second... isn't something wrong with those bombs!?"
"Don't tell me... Did the Magic Armor Beast have a self-destruct mechanism set to trigger upon its death, just to take its enemies with it!?"
"The magic power is spiking! At this rate—!!"
The group, sensing the obvious anomaly, abandoned the calm they’d felt only seconds prior. Anxiety flared as the people waiting for rescue felt the surge of magic power and began to stir with frantic whispers.
"Jinba-san! Isn't the exit open yet!?"
"Don't ask the impossible! Clearing the Briars takes time! We can't just finish the job in an instant!"
"Damn it! If that’s how it’s gonna be, I’ll smash through the walls or whatever I have to do to make a way out!!"
Based on the surging magic within the bombs, they had less than a minute left. No matter how one looked at it, it was impossible to create an exit and evacuate everyone in time.
In a desperate attempt to find a way out, Verda hammered against the hospital’s walls and doors with brute force—but the Briars clinging to the outer walls held fast, sealing them in from the outside. The Security Force was working feverishly, but they couldn't possibly carve out a path in so little time.
"Everyone, get back! Stay low and get behind us!!" Raiha’s voice rang out above the din.
Judging that evacuation was no longer an option, she stood before the panic-stricken crowd and prepared to deploy her barriers at full power. Peewee joined her, lending her strength to the effort. They funneled every ounce of their magic power into a Double Barrier, but the distance between them and the bombs was far too short.
Worse still, there were ten bombs in total. By simple calculation, the force of the blast would be ten times greater than a single explosion. Both girls knew it was impossible to completely nullify the impact at such close range.
Even as they tried to do what they could, the people behind them succumbed to hysteria. Some scrambled for any possible exit, some threw themselves to the floor to brace for the shock as instructed, and others simply stood frozen, wailing in despair. It was a hellish scene of pure pandemonium.
"What is the Security Force doing!? Save us!"
"Don't push! People on the ground are going to get trampled!"
"I don't want to die! Someone, help me!"
"The fear of so many people... it's swirling... ugh, uugh...!"
"Yu-Yui! Are you okay!? Stay with me!"
Fee and Yui could only watch as the room filled with despair. Yui, sensing the shattering hearts of the crowd through the Movement of the Soul, felt a wave of nausea from the overwhelming Negative Emotion.
Fee’s voice trembled. He felt pathetic, wandering in aimless confusion, unable to do anything but worry for Yui as she collapsed onto the floor. Suddenly, a rugged hand reached out and gently stroked his head.
"...Fee, I'm counting on you to look after Yui-chan. Get as low as possible and brace for the impact."
"Big brother...?"
Still clad in his Blaster form, Yugo stood up. Fee looked up at his brother, who was staring directly at the bombs. Sensing his intent, Fee gasped.
"Big brother, what are you doing? You don't mean—!?"
"I promised, didn't I? That I'd protect everyone... It'll be fine. Just believe in me and wait!"
Yugo let out a breath, his voice playful beneath the helmet as he tried to ease his brother's fears. Fee screamed his brother's name as he watched Yugo turn away and bolt straight toward the bombs.
"Big brother! Big brothe—r!!"
"Yugo-san, what are you doing!?" Raiha cried out in shock.
She watched in disbelief as Yugo charged past the barriers they had painstakingly erected, closing the distance between himself and the explosives. In that same moment, the magic power within the bombs reached its peak. Sensing the end was near, the civilians steeled themselves and pressed their bodies against the floor.
"It's coming! Everyone, brace for impact!!"
"Guh...! Yugo-san...!!"
Raiha was desperate for Yugo's safety, but she had a duty to maintain the shield. Knowing that if she wavered now, the people behind her would be slaughtered, she poured her magic into the barrier, her heart heavy with the guilt of being unable to help him.
Verda shielded Fee and Yui, and Peewee strained to maintain the defenses until the final second. In the center of the storm, Yugo stared down the bombs as they reached the point of no return. He spoke softly.
"Super Transformation!!"
A brilliant flash of crimson light erupted as his Blaster Form began to shift. An instant later, a blinding white flare from the explosion swallowed him whole.
Ten bombs detonated in unison. A thunderous roar shook the hospital to its foundations, sending a shockwave vibrating through the earth that could be felt far beyond the building's walls.