Yugo released a roar of raw, turbulent emotion, venting the pent-up frustration of having been a one-sided punching bag until now.
In response, the Mail Beetle—forced to taste the bitterness of defeat by his hand once again—bellowed as its own fury flared white-hot.
"Jugiraaaaa!"
It roared and immediately launched a Charge. Moving with the greatest speed and momentum it had shown in the battle thus far, the Magic Armor Beast raised its sword, intent on hacking Yugo down.
Harnessing the force of its rush and straining every muscle, the Mail Beetle attempted to split him clean in two with a strike of total conviction. However, the moment it moved to unleash the blow, a dull impact slammed into its face.
"!?!"
Its vision blurred and swam. The pain registered a heartbeat after the shock. Stunned and disoriented, the Mail Beetle realized it was being pummeled as a relentless barrage of punches hammered into its frame.
"Ooooooooooh!!"
"Jugi!? Guga...!!"
He was fast—nearly invisible to the eye. The creature couldn't even manage a defense, let alone an evasion. The Mail Beetle couldn't hide its sheer shock at Yugo’s power. He was dealing massive damage despite the creature's heavy plating. In a total reversal from moments ago, he had become overwhelmingly strong in an instant.
Until just then, it had been the one tormenting him. It had faced resistance, yes, but the pain had been well within tolerable limits. Now, everything was different.
Every single punch being driven into its body was heavy, sharp, and agonizing. It had no concept of how he had suddenly gained such strength. Unaware that Yugo had been struggling under a crippling Debuff until a few seconds ago, the Mail Beetle reeled in confusion as it was sent tumbling across the ground by a final, savage blow.
Groaning, it rolled through the dirt. It tried to stand, its unyielding rage still flickering, but then... it saw him.
Surging heat swirled into a vortex, erupting into a pillar of fire. The moment the creature saw Yugo standing there with Crimson Lotus Explosive Flames fluttering behind him like a hero’s scarf, a cold sense of Fear began to swell in its heart.
"Gaah...!?"
Yugo vanished from the Mail Beetle’s sight, even though it had been staring right at him. An instant later, a fist wreathed in fire buried itself in its abdomen. Double over in pain and scorched by the heat, the Magic Armor Beast froze, its body bent like a staple.
"Uoooooooooh!!"
"Ju, Jugi, Jura...!?"
The follow-up was relentless. An Uppercut flowed seamlessly into a Front Kick. Having endured a flurry of strikes unleashed alongside a thunderous war cry, the Mail Beetle felt a terror that completely drowned out its anger. Its will to fight shattered.
The Mail Beetle cast aside its sword and turned to flee, but Yugo wasn't about to let it escape. He snatched up the sword the Magic Armor Beast had dropped, and as it shifted into a weapon suited for his use, he channeled the power of his Flame Armor into the blade. Red-hot fire coated the steel as he looked up.
"Blaster... Explosive Manifestation!"
"Juhh...!!"
His eyes flashed a brilliant crimson as he leaped. Holding the flaming sword in a high overhead guard, he lunged toward the Mail Beetle. In its final moments, the Magic Armor Beast looked up to see Yugo silhouetted against a burning sun as he descended to deliver the killing blow.
"Blaster Judgment!!"
Magic Power imbued with the Flame Attribute surged from the Magic Crystal in his chest. With his body and weapon reinforced to their absolute limits, Yugo unleashed the momentum of his fall into a devastating Downward Vertical Slash. The strike carved through the Mail Beetle's reinforced plating and split its body from head to groin.
"Gya, Guaaaaaaaaaaa!!"
The Magic Armor Beast let out a final, agonizing shriek as fire erupted from the jagged wound, followed by a violent explosion. Exhaling slowly, Yugo relaxed his grip on the sword. Neries, her breathing finally steady, hurried toward him.
"Yugo-san! You did it!"
"Yeah. I couldn't have done it without you, Neries. Thank you. But—"
Yugo met Neries for a fist bump, each acknowledging the other’s bravery. However, as he looked around while still clad in his Blaster armor, his expression soured beneath his helmet. The Barrier had not deactivated, and there was still no word from Uno.
Before the exam, Uno had explicitly stated there would be three battles. If that held true, the test should have ended the moment the Mail Beetle fell. Yet, nothing happened. Given the series of inexplicable events during the final fight, it seemed the grim premonition he and Neries had shared was correct.
"Seriously, what is going on?"
Muttering a complaint about how he seemed to be a magnet for every possible kind of trouble, Yugo remained on high alert, scanning the area for whatever might be coming next.