"Wait... what's this?"
Professor Castle muttered, a frown of suspicion deepening on his face as a vortex of light suddenly began to swirl within the practice ground.
The summoning sequence had initiated despite him not issuing any orders. Suspecting a system glitch, he immediately radioed the control room responsible for the summoning equipment.
"Control room, do you copy? Why have you started summoning a training-use Magic Armor Beast? I haven't given the signal yet. If this is a malfunction, abort the process immediately."
Silence was his only answer. No matter how many times he called, the control room remained unresponsive.
While a sense of impending crisis began to take hold of the professor, Yugo and Neries remained unaware of the anomaly. They stood their ground, eyes fixed on the Magic Armor Beast appearing as their final opponent.
"That Magic Armor Beast is...!"
"...I see. So that’s the game plan."
A wave of bitter memories flooded Neries's mind as she stared at the creature. It was encased in heavy, dull-colored plate and brandished a single, majestic horn. Faced with a monster that looked nearly identical to the one that had left a deep scar on her soul, she swallowed hard, her breath hitching. She only snapped out of it when Yugo spoke to her.
"Neries, remind me what that thing is called again?"
"That’s a Mail Beetle. It’s a Magic Armor Beast born from the fusion of a Living Mail and a Giant Beetle."
Neries forced herself to stay calm, reciting the facts she had memorized to steady her racing heart.
A Mail Beetle was created when the soul of a rhinoceros beetle-type Giant Beetle possessed a Living Mail—a suit of sentient, self-moving armor. The synergy between the spectral plate and the insectile carapace was exceptional, with each element enhancing the other’s strengths.
By integrating the Living Mail's metal with the beetle's natural shell, its durability reached staggering levels. Furthermore, because it maintained the raw power of an insect while gaining a humanoid form, it could wield weapons with devastating efficiency. Even among power-type Magic Armor Beasts, the Mail Beetle was considered a top-tier threat.
In terms of sheer physical force, the Bull Golem was stronger, but the Mail Beetle made up for it with its ability to use gear and its high resistance to magical attacks. It’s a fitting enemy to end the exam, Neries thought, regulating her breathing.
"This must be Professor Castle’s final trial," Yugo said. "It’s a message telling you to defeat your demons and move past your trauma."
"...!"
Yugo had fought the Magic Armor Beast that Trill had transformed into back at the Insect Museum, and he immediately recognized the similarity.
He assumed the professor had summoned a rhinoceros beetle-type beast specifically because of Neries’s history. It was a test of her mental fortitude—to see if she would succumb to panic or if she could face the source of her trauma and overcome it. To Yugo, this was a display of Castle’s "tough love," the ultimate hurdle for Neries to clear.
Steeling herself, Neries let Yugo’s words ground her. He was right; this was the perfect way to finish the exam.
"I’m okay...!" she declared, her voice quiet but firm. "I’m not running away anymore. I’ll defeat this thing and prove that I’ve grown past my weakness!"
"Hell yeah! That’s what I like to hear! Last round, let’s give it everything we’ve—wait, huh?"
Encouraged by her resolve, Yugo prepared to take his combat stance. But as he turned toward the Mail Beetle, a sudden, violent wave of nausea and exhaustion hit him. He let out a sharp gasp, his knees buckling.
"Whoa...! Professor Castle really isn't pulling any punches. But hey, it wouldn't be a Hero's job if it was easy."
"Yu-Yugo! Are you alright?"
"I’m fine, I’m fine! This is just... the perfect handi... cap...?"
Something was wrong. He felt even weaker than he had during the fight with the Bull Golem. His limbs felt as if they were encased in solid lead, and his body was becoming impossibly heavy. Assuming his defense had been stripped away as well, Yugo tried to maintain his "Hero" persona and keep a brave face for Neries—until a terrifying new sensation overwhelmed him.
"What... what is this...?"
The world around him was disappearing. The Mail Beetle, the practice ground, everything was being swallowed by an absolute, suffocating void.
Yugo spun around, his voice trembling with shock as he realized he was completely blind.
"I can't see...! I can't see anyth—Gugh!!"
"Yugo!"
Neries’s scream pierced the air as Yugo, unable to react to the Mail Beetle’s charge, was sent flying across the field.
As Neries stood frozen in horror, watching her partner take blow after blow from the monster’s straight sword with no way to defend himself, a man watched the unfolding tragedy from the shadows of the control room.