"Idiot! You're too slow! Kishashashasha!"
"What!?"
The Magic Armor Beast exploded from the waves—an all-green Fishman with rows of needle-sharp fangs, shrieking in a high-pitched voice.
The creature targeted Raiha, who had been standing on one of the boats giving orders to keep the passengers calm. It lunged at her, raising an arm lined with fins as sharp as serrated blades—!
"Tch...!"
"R-Ryuga!?"
The beast swung its arm with a wide, lethal arc, but it failed to open Raiha’s throat. Instead, its blades bit into Ryuga’s back as he threw himself in front of her to act as a shield. The monster immediately plunged back into the dark water.
"Ryuga! Why? Why did you—"
"Don't ask me questions."
"But your wound! If you’re hurt, let me see—"
"I said stop asking. This isn't the time for it."
Ryuga cut her off bluntly, his eyes fixed on the spot where the Fishman had vanished. Thanks to his Magic Barrier, the damage wasn't critical, but he couldn't ignore the sharpness of the strike. If he’d been even a fraction of a second slower, the thing would have taken someone’s head off.
As he processed the threat, the two Magic Armor Beasts surfaced nearby, side-by-side, chatting with malicious glee.
"Hehehe! This is getting fun, Biran! Hunting prey with nowhere to run is the best thrill there is!"
"You’re right about that! Let’s show them exactly what this power can do, Guruto!"
"Biran? You don't mean...!"
Biran was the man with the green mohawk who had initially declared the sea-jack. Based on the creature’s coloration, this Fishman was undoubtedly him. The other one, the Bird Magic Armor Beast, was his partner, Guruto. Between the two of them, they held absolute control over the air and the sea.
"If the bird is 'Bird,' then the fish is... 'Shark'?"
"No, it’s likely a Piranha. The features are slightly different."
The group successfully identified the Clear Plates the enemies were using, but the revelation did nothing to change their predicament. The two beasts were a perfect match for each other, and they were slowly but surely tightening the noose.
"Melt! I'll keep them distracted. Heal the Seahorses while you have the chance!"
"Wait! Unless we take down the beast in the water, we’re just running in circles! We have to kill him first!"
"Raiha, can't you finish him with your lightning?"
"I can’t! If I release my magic now, I’ll hit the Seahorses pulling the boats too!"
"Come on, come on! What’s the plan? Think, think!"
"Time’s wasting! If you don’t hurry, you’re going to run out of options!"
Attacking Guruto in the sky meant leaving themselves vulnerable to Biran in the water. But if they focused on the sea, Guruto would rain death from above to keep them pinned. Attacking from two completely different environments where the heroes had little reach, the Magic Armor Beasts were systematically breaking their morale.
"This is bad," Marcos muttered, his face pale. "If the Seahorses collapse, we’ll be stranded in the middle of the ocean."
The Security Force ships had likely been neutralized by Biran already. That would explain why there was no sign of reinforcements. If the Seahorses failed now, the boats would be sitting ducks—isolated and helpless on the open water.
Marcos grimaced as he imagined their fate. Beside him, Ryuga let out a long, quiet sigh.
"...I suppose there’s only one way."
"What?"
Ryuga stood slowly, focusing his mind. Raiha watched him, her eyes wide, as she realized he was tracing Biran's presence beneath the waves. The meaning of his words began to sink in.
"We have to break their coordination first," Ryuga told Marcos. "That’s the only way to create an opening. Marcos, I’ll handle the fish. While I’m busy, heal the Seahorses and get everyone to land."
"You’re going to do what?"
"Wait, Ryuga! You don't mean—!"
Before Raiha could finish her protest, Biran surged out of the water again. He lunged toward the passengers, but Ryuga was faster. Moving like a gust of wind, he leapt across the boats and tackled the Magic Armor Beast mid-air.
"Gwah!? What the—!?"
"Ryuga!"
Kicking off the boat’s deck with every ounce of strength he had, Ryuga drove Biran far away from the vessels and crashed into the sea.
With a heavy splash, they vanished into the depths. Submerged in the dark water, Ryuga drew his katana as Biran pulled back, glaring at him.
"Haha! Are you serious? You think you can fight me in the ocean? You actually think you can win down here!?"
"..."
Unlike Ryuga, Biran could speak perfectly underwater. Between his ability to breathe and his superior mobility, the Clear Plate gave him every possible advantage. Ryuga was fighting with a massive handicap.
Yet, someone had to do it. To save the passengers, the coordination between the air and sea had to be broken. Knowing the odds were against him, Ryuga steeled his resolve.
He knew his partner would have dived in without a second thought. And so, for the sake of his friends, Ryuga began his desperate gamble beneath the waves.