"Yugo... is that you?"
"Yeah. I’m just glad I made it in time. But damn, Ryuga... I can’t believe they did this to you."
Yugo, having pulled Ryuga to safety, muttered under his breath as he took in the sight of his battered partner.
While Yugo sharpened his focus on Zaraki, Ryuga pushed him away, his voice a low, pained growl.
"Stay... back...! I’ll be the one... to cut them down...!"
"What are you talking about in that state? Don't push yourself!"
"Shut it! They killed my father! I... I have to be the one to do it... Gh!"
Ryuga tried to shrug off Yugo’s support and throw himself back into the fray, but his body refused to obey. He staggered, nearly collapsing again until Yugo caught him. Turning toward the back, Yugo called out to Melt, their recovery magic specialist.
"Melt! I’m leaving Ryuga to you! Tend to his wounds!"
"Sorry, but you're taking these two as well. I'll stand guard while you work," Anhel added, carrying Sakura and Setsuna over. She entrusted the two priestesses to Melt before drawing her hammer.
With his wounded comrades gathered in one spot, Yugo turned his attention to Fee.
"Fee, I’m trusting you with Yui-chan. Protect her. Skull will help you."
"Right! Be careful, Brother."
Fee gave a firm nod, swearing to protect the girl. Yugo returned the gesture, then turned back to face the enemy. Zaraki stood there, clenching his fists with a look of pure glee.
"So, you're next? I’ve got high expectations for this. Don't bore me!"
With a roar, Zaraki thrust out a fist saturated with magic power, unleashing a violent, spiraling tornado. The gale surged forward with enough force to swallow Yugo and everyone behind him, but a golden shield intercepted the blast, causing it to dissipate instantly.
"You aren't facing him alone. Do not forget the name Marcos Borg!"
"Oh...?"
Zaraki flashed a delighted grin as he locked eyes with Marcos, who had announced himself with noble pride after intercepting the attack. Yugo stepped up beside his friend and patted his shoulder, letting out a short, sharp exhale.
"Let’s go, Marcos!"
"Indeed. Let us show him our power."
Facing the unknown threat of the Dragon-man Form Zaraki without a trace of hesitation, Yugo and Marcos charged. Zaraki stood his ground, watching them approach. He moved to swat away Marcos, who was rushing in with his Giga Scissors raised, but he was met with a surprise.
"Golden Reflection!"
"Ngh!?"
The Giga Scissors possessed the unique ability to store kinetic impact as magic power. Marcos unleashed the energy he had accumulated from blocking the earlier tornado, creating a burst of golden radiance that momentarily blinded Zaraki.
As the villain flinched, Yugo lunged. He channeled magic power into his limbs and drove his fist home.
"My Style Special Move: Continuous Strikes!"
Using the momentum of his leap, Yugo slammed a left hook into Zaraki’s face. The moment his feet touched the ground, he followed up with a blistering flurry of combination punches. After landing over a dozen strikes in the blink of an eye, Yugo delivered a final, magic-infused kick to the villain's midsection. Even though the impact felt like a perfect hit, Zaraki remained unfazed.
"...Not bad. You've got some weight behind those. But you’re still soft."
"Tch...!"
Yugo clicked his tongue at Zaraki’s arrogant composure. Just then, Melt’s voice rang out from the rear.
"Yugo! Use this!"
"Thanks, Melt! Here we go... Super Transformation!"
Yugo spun around, catching the magic sword she threw while simultaneously shifting his Blaster armor into its purple form. Clad in the heavy plating, he transformed the magic blade into a straight sword tipped with a golden point before shouting to Marcos.
"Marcos, we're overwhelming him together!"
"Understood!"
The two flanked the villain, hammering him with a synchronized assault of sword and scissors. They pressed the attack, combining magic-infused slashes with shield bashes and crushing strikes. Yet, Zaraki didn't seem to be feeling the pressure at all.
"I told you, you're soft! Compared to that swordsman from earlier, your swings are nothing but a breeze!"
"Guaah!"
"Ngh!"
A straight punch sent Yugo flying. Marcos tried to catch a follow-up strike with his Giga Scissors, but the sheer force drove him backward, his boots skidding across the dirt. Setsuna, watching from the treatment area, groaned in frustration.
"It's no use... Right now, Zaraki is empowered by the Dragon Power. Unless you use that same power—or an attack strong enough to completely overwhelm it—you won't even scratch him!"
"Damn it...! If only our magic items hadn't been stolen!" Sakura added, her voice thick with regret.
To defeat Zaraki, who was now resistant to nearly every standard attribute, they needed the Dragon Power. While Sakura and Setsuna lamented their inability to help, Melt and Anhel noticed something else—something far more concerning.
"Something’s wrong," Melt whispered. "The Yugo I know would have dodged that counter easily."
Zaraki’s retaliatory strike had been fast, but not unavoidable. The Yugo they knew would have slipped the blow and countered. Seeing him take the hit head-on and tumble across the ground made Anhel's eyes go wide as the realization hit her.
"That idiot... he hasn't recovered from absorbing that explosion! He's fighting through the damage, but he's pushing himself too hard!"
Yugo’s injuries were far worse than any of them had realized. Because he had been acting like his usual self, they hadn't seen the truth: no one could take the blast of ten bombs point-blank and walk away unscathed.
Marcos, fighting by his side, also noticed Yugo’s labored movements.
"Yugo... you're still suffering from yesterday's damage!?"
"Heheh... I was doing alright until just now. Guess I slipped up...!"
"You absolute fool! Do not overexert yourself! I will take point. We only need to stall for time until the Security Force arrives—!"
Seeing Yugo clutching his chest, Marcos's face went pale. He tried to step in front to shield his friend, urging him to focus on defense until reinforcements appeared. But their enemy had no intention of playing along.
"Zaraki, that’s enough. We’re ending this," Koumaru called out. "It will be a nuisance if the guards arrive."
"Huh? Already? I was just starting to have some fun!"
Despite his grumbling, Zaraki didn't seem inclined to argue. Having decided to withdraw, Koumaru formed a hand seal and released a pulse of magic to activate his final trap.
"W-What is this? What’s going on!?"
The moment the seal was formed, the Gigantrose beasts that had been engaged with the Hero Candidates suddenly stiffened. As Cyan and the others stared in confusion, the magic armor beasts' bodies began to glow with an intense, searing red heat.
"No way...!"
The Hero Candidates were paralyzed by a development that had never occurred in the game. As a terrible premonition gripped them, Koumaru let a cold smirk play across his lips.
To create the perfect opening for their escape, he had prepared a grand finale. He whispered the command.
"Self-destruct device, activate...!"
In an instant, the units fighting the students and the Gigantrose hidden beneath the earth detonated in unison. A thunderous roar and violent tremors swallowed the battlefield.