"Guh! Ugh, aaaaagh...! How dare he... how dare he wound me like this! That brat... I'll never forgive him!"
He's more heavily injured than I imagined, Koumaru thought. To think Zaraki would be pushed this far...
Having somehow managed to shake off the Security Force's pursuit, Koumaru watched Zaraki groaning in their hideout with a bitter expression.
Their original plan was to secure Raiha and the magic items containing Dragon Power, then flee the country in one fell swoop. However, Zaraki had sustained unexpectedly deep wounds, and that plan was now unraveling.
Flight via shikigami was too conspicuous to use from this point onward. Koumaru had initially prepared a safe escape route, but moving with the injured Zaraki would be a slow process, and the risks would skyrocket accordingly. Since they didn't know when the Security Force might discover this hideout, they couldn't simply wait for Zaraki to recover, either.
Yugo’s desperate struggle had jeopardized the final stage of their escape. While his fury didn't quite match Zaraki's, Koumaru felt a cold, simmering hatred for the boy.
I thought I had gathered sufficient data on the Luminous Academy students, he mused. But I never imagined he was hiding such a trump card. It was completely outside my predictions.
He had fully understood that Yugo and Ryuga could become major obstacles. That was precisely why he had intended to prevent their intervention by keeping them in a state of semi-confinement... but it had come to this anyway.
Questions about how Yugo had identified their location or how his preparations had been so swift no longer mattered. The problem was their next move. However, Koumaru had already decided on a strategy for that as well.
"It can't be helped. We'll have to proceed with our contingency, the Second Plan. Zaraki, come here."
"Hah? What do you plan to do?"
Koumaru stood before Zaraki, who seemed to have calmed down somewhat despite the irritation bleeding through his voice. Drawing an orb from his breast pocket—one that contained the sealed Raiha and the magic items stolen from Setsuna and her companions—Koumaru pressed it firmly against the forehead of the kneeling man.
"Nuguoooh!? O-ooooooooh!?"
Violent electrical discharges crackled inside Zaraki’s head. While he reeled from the pain, Zaraki felt something even stronger flowing into him from the orb. As he cried out, Koumaru, who had successfully embedded the orb into the man's forehead, spoke.
"It seems to have been a success. How do you feel?"
"What is this power...!? It feels like a power incomparable to anything before is surging up within me!"
"Of course it does. You now possess the power of two Half-dragons within your single body."
Koumaru explained that by embedding the orb that sealed Raiha and supplementing it with the other magic items, he had amplified the Dragon Power within Zaraki.
Feeling his own strength grow with every heartbeat, Zaraki realized that a power far more tremendous than his previous Dragon-man Form was swirling within him. Koumaru spoke to the ecstatic warrior.
"With your amplified Dragon Power, those wounds will heal in no time. Once they have, head for the escape point via the route I specify. And make sure to go on a rampage while you're at it."
"Hah? You're fine with that?"
"I don't mind. With that much magic power, the Security Force will sniff you out immediately. In that case, rampaging flashily will serve as a better demonstration to all parties involved."
"Hehehe... I see!"
Desperate to test his newfound strength, Zaraki gleefully prepared to obey. Koumaru then explained his own movements.
"I'll be aiming for a separate escape route. I intend to intentionally draw the Security Force's attention and provide a diversion."
"Is that okay? Doing something that dangerous without even a bodyguard?"
"It will be fine. I have prepared a route through which I can certainly escape if I am alone. Besides, if you go on a rampage, the Security Force will be forced to allocate their personnel there. More than anything... this strategy will dispel my sole concern."
"Concern? What are you talking about?"
Narrowing his eyes, Zaraki asked Koumaru what he was worried about. While checking the time, Koumaru answered.
"You are currently cloaked in Dragon Power pushed to its absolute limit. Practically any attack will be nullified by that strength. There is only one exception... Ryuo-ga. Our failure to seize that sword is the only lingering concern in my plan."
The weakness of a dragon was that same Dragon Power. Zaraki’s body, which had been enhanced to the point of nullifying most attacks, was no exception. Currently, the only weapon in this country capable of inflicting a wound on him was Ryuo-ga. However, that also meant a method to defeat Zaraki did exist.
"Even if that swordsman tries to face me now, the result is obvious," Zaraki scoffed. "Between me, who has become even stronger, and him, who’s battered and falling apart from his injuries, it won't even be a contest."
"Yes, quite so. However, if there is even the slightest possibility, it is best to eliminate it."
"That might be true... but why does us acting separately lead to eliminating that possibility?"
Zaraki understood why Koumaru wanted to be thorough. Since their plan had been disrupted by the unexpected element named Yugo, the mastermind wanted to eliminate any factors of uncertainty.
However, Zaraki still didn't see how their separation would crush the possibility of defeat. Koumaru flashed a grin and began to explain the reason.
"You don't understand? In other words—"