"Guh, ack...!!"
"Come on, what’s the matter?! I thought you said you wouldn't forgive me! Try harder! There!"
"Marcos...!!"
The scene shifted back to the coastline. Elena watched with bated breath as Marcos faced Geras, a Clear Plate Holder, in a desperate duel.
Marcos was being pushed to his limits. Geras’s strikes were devastating—a lethal combination of his colossal frame, the razor-sharp horn on his head, and his terrifying momentum. While he hadn't taken a fatal blow yet, Elena’s heart hammered against her ribs. Every time Geras charged, Marcos was sent tumbling through the sand, his Giga Scissors clattering as he struggled to maintain his footing.
At this rate, Marcos will end up just like Porulu...!
The man who had stolen her beloved family member was now trying to murder Marcos right before her eyes. She remembered how easily Geras’s strike had pierced even the iron-hard shell of the Golden Cancer. The memory of Porulu falling played on a loop in her mind, her knuckles white and her breath catching every time Marcos was sent flying.
"Guh! Kh...!!"
"Marcos! Stop! Please...!"
Marcos was a wreck. He’d been battered by charge after charge, his body dragged across the jagged earth until he was caked in dirt and riddled with bloody abrasions. Elena opened her mouth to scream—to tell him to forget about revenge and just run away with her—but before she could, Yugo and the others arrived.
"Marcos! Elena!"
"Thank goodness! You’re both safe!"
"Yugo! Please, you have to help Marcos!"
Elena turned to the group, her voice a desperate plea for help. Yugo and his companions looked from the girl's tear-streaked face to the duel. Marcos was locked in combat with a Rhino Magic Armor Beast that shimmered with a dull, metallic luster. It was clear now: there was indeed another Clear Plate Holder besides Reina. Then, they noticed Porulu lying motionless on the ground.
"Porulu...? No, he can't be..."
"Porulu fell protecting me...! Marcos is fighting that guy to avenge him!"
"Sahagin, humans, monsters—it doesn’t matter to that man," Fee observed. "He intends to slaughter everyone on the island! He has to be stopped!"
"...Yeah," Yugo muttered. "It’s been a long time since I’ve run into someone this genuinely unforgivable."
Fury boiled within them as they realized Geras was using the Blue Ever’s chaos as a cover to commit mass murder. Right then, Marcos was thrown back toward them. Yugo reached out to steady him as he landed.
"Marcos, let us help. Let me join in this memorial battle for Porulu."
"Me too!" Melt added, her voice sharp with anger. "I’m not letting this slide!"
"Heh... Three against one? Whatever. It doesn’t matter how many trash mobs you bring, you’re no match for me!"
Yugo clenched his fists while Melt manifested a storm of magical blades that hovered in the air. The two were ready to strike at the arrogant Geras, but Marcos shoved Yugo’s hand away. He stood up, his voice low and trembling.
"...Stay... back."
"What...?"
The group froze, stunned by the clarity in his tone. Marcos repeated himself, looking at them with a gaze that brooked no argument.
"I appreciate your anger on Porulu’s behalf. Truly, I do. But... this is my fight. None of you are to interfere."
"...!!"
Marcos looked at Fee, Melt, Elena, and finally Yugo. Having made his stance clear, he turned his back on them and marched toward Geras once more. Elena couldn't stand it. Watching him discard his only chance of survival to face an impossible enemy alone was more than she could take.
"Fighting alone is suicide, Marcos! You're going to die!"
"Hear that? Even the pretty little lady doesn't believe in you!" Geras laughed. "You really are pathetic!"
"Guh-ha...!!"
"Marcos!"
Geras punctuated his mockery by driving his horn into Marcos’s gut, tossing him upward. Marcos traced a bloody arc through the sky before slamming into the earth. Elena let out a harrowing scream and tried to run to him, but Yugo’s hand clamped down on her shoulder.
"Wait, Elena."
"Yugo...?! Why are you just standing there?! Marcos is dying! You’re his friend, his comrade! Why aren't you—?!"
"He's right, Brother! At this rate, Marcos-san is going to...!!"
"...This is what Marcos wanted," Yugo said, his voice level despite the carnage. "His pride is on the line. I won’t interfere in a man's fight."
He looked at Elena and Fee, his gaze unwavering. Fee looked toward Melt, hoping for a different answer, but found her face set in a grim mask of resolve. She, too, intended to see the duel to its conclusion, regardless of the outcome.
Elena couldn't watch any longer. As Geras charged again, she squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face in her hands.
"No... I can't lose Marcos, too! Not after Porulu... I can't...!"
"........."
Yugo watched Elena as she choked out her despair, then shifted his focus back to the battlefield. As Fee and the others watched with hearts in their throats, Geras moved in for the kill.
"You’re so pitiful. Abandoned by your own friends—it’s a tragic sight, really. I’ll be merciful and end this now!"
"...!!"
Magic power surged through Geras as he lowered his center of gravity. Marcos instinctively sensed the impending lethality and braced for impact. Geras launched himself forward with explosive force.
"Pressure Horn!"
"Guh, ha...!!"
"Ah! Marcos!!"
Marcos was hurled further than ever before, his pained cry echoing across the beach. Elena’s face contorted in agony as he hit the ground. She collapsed to her knees, head bowed in defeat. Geras turned back toward the others, his voice dripping with sadistic glee.
"Well, that’s one small fry down! Who’s next? You? Or the cute girl? I don’t mind taking you both at once. Well? What’s it gonna be?"
Geras beckoned them with a mocking curl of his fingers. He waited for the payoff—for them to rage, to cower, or to beg for their lives. Seeing Elena broken and weeping in the sand only fueled his ego. But Yugo, still standing with his arms folded, finally spoke.
"...Hey, you delusional bastard. Let me tell you one thing."
"Huh? What's that? If it's a plea for mercy, I might listen."
Geras bristled slightly at Yugo’s tone. There was no fear, no anger, no sorrow—just a cold, level cadence that grated on his nerves. Staring him down with an icy glare, Yugo delivered his verdict.