"Hey, hey, hey! Hand over the brats! Bring 'em out, now!!"
"Man, there’s nothing better than beating down trash that can’t fight back!"
Turning back the clock slightly: the hospital. Fee and Yui were present as the separate unit led by Gimol, Regen’s confidant, ran amok.
Several men had stormed the building, brutalizing security guards and doctors as they went. Panicked by the chaos, the two children clutched each other's hands, desperate not to get separated as they navigated the frantic interior.
"Fee! What’s going on!?"
"It’s the kidnapping group my brother warned us about! Their separate unit has come to attack the hospital!"
Looking out the window, they could see a long line of thugs deployed to intercept any external interference. With such a massive force, flooding everyone into the building at once would have been counterproductive, so they were likely sending in small teams first to suppress the interior.
Fee was stunned by their numbers—there were far more than he had imagined. Just as he was processing the scale of the threat, a man with a vicious sneer blocked their path.
"Ho! Not bad at all. The boy and the girl both have pretty faces. The deviants will pay a fortune for these two!"
"Kh...! Don't come any closer!!"
"Fee..."
Fee stood in front of Yui, shielding her from the man who intended to claim them as merchandise. The thug let out a mocking laugh at the boy's adorable resistance and reached out his hand...
"Useless, useless! If you don't want to get hurt, just be a good little—guh-blurgh-aaah!?"
Suddenly, a powerful kick slammed into the side of the man's face.
Caught completely off guard, the thug tumbled across the floor. He managed to raise his head, twitching as he struggled to stand.
"W-who the hell are you!? What do you think you're—ugyaaaaaaaaaah!?"
The follow-up was immediate. A burst of electricity struck the man directly, and the force of the impact sent him crashing through the hospital doors and flying out into the street.
Several other thugs were similarly blasted away by the lightning-fast strikes, restoring a momentary peace to the hospital wing.
"Yui, Fee, are you safe?"
"Are either of you hurt?"
"Brother! Raiha! Thank you so much, you saved us!"
Yui expressed her gratitude to their rescuers. As Fee let out a long sigh of relief, Ryuga and Raiha turned their attention toward the scene outside.
"Raiha, is that the kidnapping group Yugo mentioned?"
"It appears so. The man who seems to be their commander is holding the magic item known as the Birdcage."
"So, the children are trapped inside that thing..."
Ryuga muttered the words as he surveyed the gathered thugs. Since the man who had transformed into the Magic Armor Beast Regen was missing, this was almost certainly the separate unit. They had likely timed their attack to coincide with the Water Thanksgiving, assuming the Security Force would be too distracted to protect the hospital. It was a calculated move to secure more hostages—a deduction that was nearly perfect.
"The enemy numbers are incredible," Fee said, his voice trembling. "It’s not just ten or twenty."
"I’d count roughly a hundred. A Night Parade of One Hundred Demons made of villains... It’s the perfect warm-up for someone just discharged from the hospital."
"Eh!? Ryuga, you don’t mean...!?"
Ryuga checked the edge of his beloved katana, his gaze fixed on the criminals outside. He turned back to Fee with a slight, confident smile and posed a question to the surprised boy.
"Tell me, Fee. If your brother were the one fighting that rabble, who would win?"
"...My brother. My brother would win, absolutely."
"Heh... exactly. And I am your brother's partner. Do you understand what that means?"
His smile deepened at Fee's unwavering faith in Yugo. After receiving a firm nod from the boy, Ryuga turned to Raiha.
"Raiha, I need you to deploy a barrier and protect everyone inside the hospital. I’ll handle the crowd outside. And—"
"I know what you wish to say. Leave it to me. I wish you good fortune in battle, Ryuga."
"Be careful, Brother!"
Waving a hand in response, Ryuga walked toward the hospital entrance. He moved with dignity through the crowds of people who were fearfully peeking outside or trying to pile up furniture for barricades. As he stepped out onto the hospital grounds, startled voices called after him.
"Young man, what are you doing!? It’s dangerous, get back inside!"
"There are so many of them out there! Do you have a death wish!?"
"Big brother, what are you going to do!?"
"To my question—"
As was his habit, Ryuga started to dismiss the questions, but he caught the expressions of the people behind him and swallowed his words.
The young, the old, the sick—every face in the hospital was etched with anxiety. They looked at him as if they were seconds away from being crushed by their own fear.
If Yugo were here... how would he answer them?
He would probably give a bold, slightly theatrical answer to soothe their trembling hearts. He would make them feel hope in the face of terror.
Ryuga let out a small laugh and turned back to the crowd.
"What am I going to do, you ask? That’s simple."
He wore a fearless, defiant grin. He showed them an attitude that betrayed no hint of being at a disadvantage. As the witnesses looked on in a different kind of shock, Ryuga turned his back on them and faced the villains, letting his dormant ferocity explode as he announced his answer.
"—I'll slice through this Night Parade of One Hundred Demons!"
The villains stood in a wall of a hundred men. Countless eyes turned toward Ryuga as he approached. Those eyes were filled with rage, curiosity, and mockery as the thugs began to hurl insults.
"You bastard, you think you can just do that to our guys and walk away!? You're dead!"
"Coming out all alone... I can't decide if you're stupid or just suicidal. We'll make you regret underestimating us!"
"You're the prize! Whoever bags you wins this hunt! Come on, entertain us!"
"Talking is a hassle," Ryuga cut them off. He drew the Ryuo-ga, ignoring their taunts. "I'll end this quickly. If you're eager to die, step forward."
The thugs bristled at his insolence. Ryuga fixed his eyes on the enemies he needed to cut down, his smile turning predatory as he let out a growling roar.
"Now... let’s shake them off!"
"Um, I was just wondering..."
Watching her brother from inside the hospital, Yui tilted her head. She voiced her suspicion with an adorable look of confusion.
"Brother... do you think he’s taken a liking to those catchphrases?"
"Yui," Fee replied. "I think this is one of those 'don't ask about that' moments."