With his Blaster deployed, Yugo moved to intercept the shark-type Magic Armor Beast closing in on him.
Yugo slammed his left fist into the ground, attempting to forcibly drag out the opponent lurking beneath the surface. However, Geo dove even deeper, successfully avoiding the vibrations echoing through the earth.
"Just how deep can this guy go!?"
Yugo was stunned by his opponent's ability to swim through solid ground as easily as if it were water.
While searching for any sign of Geo deep beneath the surface, Yugo was suddenly struck by a leaping attack from the Magic Armor Beast. Sparks flew from his armor as the blow connected.
"Guh...!"
"Hihihihihihi! I’m not done yet—I’m going to tear you to shreds!!"
The damage wasn't severe, but while Yugo was still reeling, Geo dove back into the earth.
He began a repetitive cycle of surprise attacks, surfacing rapidly before vanishing again, targeting not only Yugo but the other Security Force members as well.
"That bastard is just doing whatever he wants...!"
"Jinba-san, don't move! He's detecting our positions by listening to the sounds on the surface! If you move recklessly, you'll be targeted!!"
Being underground, Geo surely wasn't locating his enemies with his eyes. It was far more likely that he was sensing their positions through the sounds echoing from above or the vibrations caused whenever someone moved.
If they stayed still, Geo wouldn't be able to lock onto them, but that also meant they had no way to deal with him. Considering Geo's goal was to buy time for Regen and the others to escape, keeping the Security Force pinned down here carried far more weight than one might imagine.
(If I don't settle this now, I'll lose that piece of scum's trail! And then I won't be able to save the children...!)
If he didn't defeat Geo quickly, it would give Regen more than enough time to vanish. To rescue the children, he had to take down this troublesome opponent as fast as possible. In that case... there was only one form suited for the task.
Preparing for a short-term decisive battle, Yugo exhaled a deep breath and whispered to the mechanic who wasn't there to hear him.
"As long as I stay within the time limit, I'll be fine... I’m putting this to use right now!!"
Without a moment’s hesitation, Yugo activated his Purple Flame Armor, cloaking his entire body in a staggering amount of magic power and heat. Releasing a massive surge of magic that even Geo could feel underground, Yugo unleashed the technique he had previously used in the Zaraki Showdown—channeling flames into the earth—only this time, he did so over a far wider area.
"Aggyaaaaaaaaaaah!? W-Why is there fire inside the ground!?"
"Hell yeah! Finally dragged you out, you shark bastard!!"
Geo, caught completely off guard by the sudden shower of Hellfire emitted from the Purple Flame Armor, was forced to leap out of the ground. He surfaced like a fish jumping from the water, and Yugo wasn't about to miss the opening. Before Geo could dive back down, Yugo slammed a kick into his belly, sending him hurtling into the air.
"Gobe-ah!? Gah, hah...!"
"Hah! Te-yaaaaaah!!"
Using his enhanced mobility, Yugo closed the distance to Geo instantly. He delivered a crushing roundhouse kick that completely shattered his opponent's defensive posture. Yugo pulled his leg back for a fraction of a second, then extended it again as purple flames erupted from his back like thrusters. The resulting acceleration powered a flying kick that slammed directly into Geo.
"Blaster Violet Impact!!"
"Gwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!?"
Determined to never let the villain return to his preferred environment, Yugo literally finished the fight in mid-air. Behind him, Geo took the full force of the finishing move and vanished in a violent explosion.
Landing as the explosion roared at his back, Yugo seized Geo—who had been forcibly reverted to his human form after the transformation was canceled—and thrust him toward the Security Force.
"It's your loss! Surrender and come quietly!"
"Gafuh! Impossible... That I, of all people, could be beaten by a brat like this... guh!"
The entire confrontation had taken barely more than ten seconds. The watching Security Force members were unable to hide their shock at the high-speed conclusion following the activation of the Purple Flame Armor.
Even as he listened to Geo's resentful grumbling, Yugo was surprised to find that he felt almost no recoil from the deactivated armor. He offered a silent prayer of thanks to Anhel for tuning the Blaster to such a flawless degree.
"You saved us, Yugo! Quickly, we have to track Regen's... guh!?"
"Jinba-san!"
Jinba tried to thank Yugo and move to pursue the escaped Regen, but the wound on his leg was deeper than he had realized. Blood gushed from the injury, and he slumped to the ground. Yugo hurried to his side and offered his shoulder.
"Moving with an injury like that is pure recklessness! You need treatment first!"
"I can handle this with pure grit! I can't let that Regen bastard get away!"
"It's too much! We're going to get you some help!!"
Despite the leg injury, Jinba still tried to push himself to follow Regen, but Yugo began forcibly dragging him toward medical aid. He understood Jinba's feelings—the man wanted to personally capture the nemesis who had killed his partner and whom he had pursued for years—but moving in his current state was a death wish.
Even so, while acknowledging the part of him that sympathized with Jinba's drive, Yugo hauled him away toward the Emergency Relief Station.