"Lord Marcos, please! Any more than this and—!"
"Stop your whining! This isn't nearly enough! Come at me with everything you've got!"
A thunderous roar echoed across the training grounds.
Marcos, currently leading his subordinates through a grueling special training session, continued to intercept their onslaught with his Giga Scissors. He barked orders at his exhausted men, driving them to their limits.
"This won't do... unless I subject myself to even more punishing trials, I will never—!"
In truth, the disparity in skill between Marcos and his followers was far greater than he cared to admit. Sparring against them, even in a lopsided multi-man brawl, offered no real hope for his own advancement.
Just as Marcos was contemplating how to devise a more rigorous regimen to further hone his abilities, a voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Still at it? You're certainly diligent, Marcos."
"Hmph... Ryuga. And Fee. A rare combination."
"The girls all went shopping together," Ryuga explained. "Since Hugo is out on a request, Fee and I were discussing grabbing a meal. We came to see if you wanted to join us."
"I appreciate the offer, but as you can see, I am in the middle of a session. I cannot accept. However..." Marcos narrowed his eyes as he looked at the two newcomers. Pointing directly at Ryuga, he raised his voice until it was almost a shout. "I have felt for some time that I must test myself against you. Cross blades with me, Ryuga!"
"Eh!? M-Marcos-san, so suddenly? Wouldn't Ryuga-san be caught off guard...!?"
"Don't worry, Fee," Ryuga said with a faint, knowing smile as he stepped toward Marcos. "To be honest, I had a feeling it might come to this."
While Fee watched the sudden challenge with wide-eyed surprise, Marcos let his battle spirit flare, his eyes locked on the swordsman.
"I acknowledge your strength," Marcos declared. "I understand why Hugo calls you his partner. But as his rival, I cannot simply concede defeat without ever having faced you in person!"
"That's just like you. But for what it's worth, I’ve been wanting to fight you as well."
Sensing the shift in the air, Marcos’s subordinates ushered Fee away to the sidelines. Marcos let his fighting spirit surge, his gaze fixed on Ryuga, who stood in a relaxed, effortless posture.
"...I will be blunt, Ryuga. I am jealous of you. Until now, my sole aim has been to stand beside Hugo as his equal. Yet, the more I fight by his side, the more I am overwhelmed by his unfathomable strength."
A considerable amount of time had passed since that one-sided duel that had started it all. Since that day, Marcos had dedicated himself to surpassing Hugo. But even as their relationship evolved into one of mutual respect and friendship, the gap between them had only become more glaring.
Compared to the days when Hugo wielded the Blaster—a magic item little better than an antique—he had become titanically strong. Part of that was due to the modifications made by Anhel and Fee, but Marcos knew better; it was Hugo's own technical mastery that truly made the difference.
Hugo had fully mastered the Purple Armor born of a miracle, the Flame Armor developed from magic power crystals, and even the fused form known as the Purple Flame Armor. Beyond that, his proficiency with limb transformations and the heavyweight Magic-Slaying Crimson Lotus Blade was peerless. Even his basic manipulation of magic power had reached a level of near-perfection. The desperate struggles against those powerful, mutated Magic Armor Beasts had forged Hugo into something extraordinary.
And yet, Marcos wondered if he, who fought alongside such a man, could truly claim to be his peer.
"Hugo is a monster of talent. His athleticism, his creativity, his split-second judgment... it's all superhuman. I was already grappling with the weight of our disparity when you appeared—an exchange student from Yamato with power that rivals his own. How could I not feel envious? How could I call myself his rival otherwise? By all rights, I should have been the one standing in that position!"
Ryuga remained silent, listening intently.
The arrival of the strongest swordsman had been a shock. Ryuga possessed a level of strength that was arguably equal to Hugo's. For Marcos, who prided himself on being Hugo’s greatest friend and rival, this was a bitter pill to swallow.
The frustration had reached its breaking point recently. When Ryuga had effortlessly cleaved through the control room door—a barrier that Marcos and the others couldn't even scratch—Marcos’s sense of inadequacy had finally boiled over.
"I want to win! Against you, and against Hugo! I will become someone worthy of standing at his side! That is my mission as Hugo Clay's greatest friend and rival!!"
"...I see. I understand your heart, Marcos. And your nobility. I offer my utmost respect to a man who hones himself so tirelessly with such a proud spirit."
Having heard the truth of Marcos's heart, Ryuga exhaled slowly and drew his Ryuo-ga. He took a quiet stance, leveling the tip of the blade at his opponent.
"...I owe you a debt, Marcos. To settle it, I will face you with everything I have. That is the greatest sign of respect I can offer you now."
"Of course! If you dare to hold back, I’ll never forgive you!"
Ryuga with his blade, Marcos with his shield. One focused on the ultimate offense, the other on the absolute defense. Fee watched with bated breath as the two warriors prepared to clash.
"Here I come, Ryuga!"
With a thunderous roar, Marcos raised his Giga Scissors and charged. Ryuga, holding a steady Mid Stance, tracked the incoming warrior with focused eyes, and then—!