True to Setsuna’s words, it was Guruto's turn to agonize over his next move.
Should he retreat, regroup with Biran, and wait for another opening? Or should he stay and hold his ground until his partner returned, even if it meant taking a few hits?
While Guruto was paralyzed by indecision, Setsuna—unlike him—had no intention of giving him time to think.
"How long do you plan on standing there? Staying in one place is dangerous, you know."
"Wh—!?"
Setsuna hadn't even notched an arrow yet, but as she whispered those words with a faint smile, the air around Guruto shifted. Almost the instant he felt a heavy, clinging current of wind wrap around him, the atmosphere itself became a crushing weight that slammed into him.
"Guh—!? Guoooh!?"
It wasn't a piercing strike, but a crushing one. Having unveiled a new method of attack that utilized atmospheric pressure to strike from above, Setsuna followed up by loosing several more arrows in rapid succession.
Caught in the crushing weight and plummeting toward the sea, Guruto had no hope of dodging. The arrows pierced his wings, and he let out a piercing shriek.
"Gaaaaah! It hurts! Damn it, it hurts!!"
"Incredible...! Setsuna, when did you learn to fight like that?"
"I told you before we left for the school trip, didn't I? I wanted to get stronger. I wanted to move past the version of myself that could only draw a bow. I've been putting in the work."
Setsuna answered Melt’s question with a calm smile. In truth, parts of her new style had been inspired by her best friend’s techniques, but she chose to keep that secret for now.
"Curved Shots, Spread Shots, and now Aerial Crushing... When you add those variations to your unerring accuracy, your original skills shine even brighter," Marcos observed.
"It’s not just you and Yugo who are getting stronger, Marcos," Setsuna replied, turning her gaze back to the wounded Guruto to gauge his next move.
How would he react? Given his prideful nature, she didn't expect him to just roll over and accept defeat. As she considered her options, the enraged Guruto let out a spiteful howl and spread his wings wide.
"You're good...! But you’ve officially pissed me off! I feel bad for Biran, but I'm ending you all right now!!"
A roar of wind echoed across the water. The next instant, Guruto lunged forward, rocketed toward the boat with ferocious momentum.
"H-He's fast!!"
Raiha watched in shock as Guruto abandoned all evasive maneuvers, hurtling toward them in a straight line. Even as she and Melt fired long-range attacks to keep him at bay, the beast refused to slow down.
Just as you saw through my speed, I've seen through the power and trajectory of your attacks! I can dodge normal arrows, and I'll tank the spreading ones! As thanks for earlier, I'm going to carve a massive scar into that pretty face!
Utilizing the superhuman vision and flight capabilities of his form, Guruto charged like a jet plane. Marcos, realizing that half-hearted attacks would no longer stop him, readied his Giga Scissors and shouted.
"Everyone, get back! I'll stop him!!"
"No, Marcos. There's no need for you to step forward. Actually, could you move slightly to the right for me?"
"What...?"
Marcos had stepped up thinking he was the only one who could block a charge at that speed, but Setsuna gently waved him off. She concentrated her magic power, generating a Wind Arrow. Her eyes narrowed as she watched Guruto barrel toward them, and she whispered in a quiet voice.
"Stop... right there."
"Ghab—!? Hah!?"
A sharp crack rang out. In an instant, Guruto—who had been flying at breakneck speeds—was jolted to a halt as if he had slammed into a solid object. He had crashed head-on into a wall in empty space. As the realization of what had stopped him set in, his eyes widened in horror.
"T-This... an Air Wall!?"
It was a phenomenon very similar to the atmospheric mass that had crushed him from above. Setsuna had taken that same weight and manifested it as an invisible Compressed Air Wall. Guruto was stunned by the technique, which not only neutralized his charge but turned his own momentum into a devastating counter-impact. Worse yet, he realized she had predicted his movements perfectly.
"I knew you would come at me like that. That's why I set the wall in advance. And now... it’s checkmate."
T-This is bad...!!
The faster he had been flying, the harder he had hit the Wind Wall. Reeling from the shock and pain, Guruto was left completely vulnerable. Setsuna, who had used that opening to finish charging her magic, drew her Wind Arrow to its limit and loosed it at the dazed Magic Armor Beast.
"Strong Bow: Storm Tornado!"
"Gah—!? Gyuwaaaaaaaah!!"
The arrow Setsuna loosed transformed into a raging vortex. The shaft, now a Green Storm, tore through Guruto’s body, and the beast let out one final scream before vanishing in a massive explosion.
Once the smoke cleared, Guruto was gone, replaced by his human form and a Clear Plate floating on the waves. The passengers let out a collective sigh of relief as they realized the aerial threat had been neutralized. However, Setsuna did not lower her guard.
"That's one down. But there's still the other one."
"Is Ryuga okay!? Neither of them have come back up yet...!!"
Several minutes had already passed since Ryuga had dragged Biran down into the depths. The fact that neither the boy nor the Magic Armor Beast had surfaced suggested the battle was still raging below. However, the situation was undeniably grim for Ryuga. He was fighting in the water, unable to breathe or surface for air.
As Marcos and the others desperately tried to think of a way to help, Raiha, who had been staring intently at the sea, took a deep breath and turned to her companions.
"Everyone... I'm going for a bit!"
"Going for a bit? Wait, Raiha!?"
Before they could stop her, Raiha dove headfirst into the ocean. Marcos and the others froze in shock, staring at the ripples where she had vanished. Should they follow her, or wait and see?
As they wavered in indecision, a violent tremor shook the area, and an unbelievable sight caught their eyes.