"How... How could this happen...?! My plan, undone by something so trivial...?!"
"Hero's Condition #5: A hero stands with their comrades and fights by their side. We aren't alone. We have friends who watch our backs when things get tough."
Regen let out a low groan, reeling from the shock of Ryuga's transmission. The news that his separate unit had been wiped out hit him like a physical blow. A single stroke of misfortune had shattered his every calculation, leaving him speechless in the face of Yugo's taunts.
With his greatest insurance policy gone, the tide of battle had turned decisively against him. Regen tried to convince himself there was still a way out, but the situation on the ground told a different story.
"T-the separate unit is gone...?! You mean even Gabejin was taken down!?"
"It’s over! We’re finished! Run for your lives!!"
"You idiots! Why are you running? Get back here and fight!!"
His subordinates, having learned of the unit's destruction immediately after their leader, were unable to handle the impact. Their previous bravado vanished in an instant. Realizing they no longer had a prayer of winning, the group fractured as every man scrambled to save his own skin.
Even Regen couldn't maintain command in the face of such panic. He could only watch helplessly as the Security Force struck down and apprehended his men as they scattered.
"Your trump card has been crushed and your men have abandoned you. This really is the end, Regen!"
"Not yet! I'm not finished! As long as I'm not caught, I can make a comeback as many times as it takes! To do that, I just need to—!"
His organization had collapsed, and he had lost everything. But he still had himself. If he could just avoid capture, he could start over. He had escaped after slaughtering Thomas, and he would escape again today. With a snap of his bat wings, Regen launched himself from the chaotic battlefield and soared into the sky, desperate to leave the carnage behind.
"You’re not going anywhere! Skull, move out!"
A loud whinny echoed through the air as Skull came crashing through a nearby wall to reach his master. As Yugo vaulted onto the horse's back, Jinba's Boss shouted to his own subordinate.
"Jinba, take my horse! Finish this once and for all!!"
"Boss...! Thank you!"
Jinba swung himself into the saddle, his eyes fixed on the fleeing Regen. Just as he was about to dig his heels in, Yugo pulled up alongside him. Looking at the boy, Jinba felt a jolt of recognition.
"Let's go, Jinba-san!!"
The sight of Yugo—projecting absolute trust as he prepared to charge—overlapped perfectly with the memory of his old partner.
Jinba’s heart hammered against his ribs, his soul boiling with a heat he hadn't felt in years. He nodded powerfully and let out a roar.
"Right...! Let's go! We're bringing that bastard down!!"
With that shout as the signal, the two horses thundered forward. Frustration and panic flared in Regen's chest as he watched the pair weave through the melee, leaping over the heads of guards and thugs alike to begin their pursuit.
"Dammit! You're like leeches! How far do you intend to chase me!?"
"I’d chase a piece of trash like you to the ends of the galaxy to see you behind bars! You aren’t getting away!"
"Don't underestimate the resolve of a hero who never gives up! You have nowhere left to hide, Regen!"
"Shut up! Stay out of my way!"
His rage exploding at Yugo and Jinba, who had dismantled his plans and were now threatening his life, Regen screamed. He wheeled around mid-air, channeling magic power into his claws before unleashing a continuous barrage of Magic Bullets at his pursuers.
"Whoa! He really is a sore loser!"
"You're the last person I want to hear that from!"
Regen fled with the desperation of a cornered rat, while Yugo and Jinba pursued with the relentless drive of the righteous. Both sides possessed a death-defying refusal to yield, trading attacks as the chase sped through the streets.
As Regen rained down Magic Bullets, Yugo counterattacked with his Arrow Arm—a specialized transformation of his Blaster—while Jinba fired back with the crossbow he kept as a memento of Thomas. They traded fire and evasive maneuvers, but the advantage lay with the pursuers.
Sensing he was being slowly backed into a corner, Regen unleashed a final, frantic attack.
"Just... disappear already!!"
He fired a massive, unfocused volley of Magic Bullets, scattering them wildly to cover the entire path. He expected the wall of fire to force them to slow down, but their tenacity far exceeded his imagination.
"I'm counting on you, Skull!"
Skull let out a sharp huff, his Hoof Flames flaring into a brilliant blaze as he made a massive leap. Instead of heading directly for Regen, the horse veered toward a nearby wall. To Regen’s utter disbelief, Skull’s hooves found purchase on the vertical surface, and the animal began to sprint along the side of the building.
"Wha—What the—!?"
Yugo fired a bolt from his Arrow Arm at the stunned Regen. The villain barely managed to dodge, but the awkward movement cost him his balance.
"I've got you, Regen!!"
"Crap—!"
Jinba didn't miss the opening. Charging straight through the remnants of the magic barrage while parrying bolts with his sword, he leveled his crossbow with his free hand.
The bolt streaked through the air, piercing one of the leathery bat wings. Stripped of his flight, Regen plummeted toward the earth, slamming into the hard ground and tumbling through the dirt.