"Hahaha! A Clear Plate! With this... I'm the one who'll be saved! Just me!"
"Wait! Don't touch it!"
Ryuga felt a cold shiver down his spine at the sound of Abyss’s spiteful voice. He shouted at the man reaching for the plate, a warning born of pure instinct.
But his warning fell on deaf ears. Consumed by the primal terror of death and a desperate urge to escape it, the man lunged forward and snatched the fallen Clear Plate from the ground.
"Ha, haha! Huh? Wh-whoa!?"
He thrust the plate high, a triumphant, half-crazed grin on his face. But the joy was short-lived. The plate pulsed with an eerie light before erupting in a violent spray of sparks that sent him flying.
As the man sprawled on the ground, nursing his burnt hands, the plate began to glow again. To the horror of the onlookers, it didn't stay a piece of metal—it began to swell and warp, twisting into the shape of a nightmare.
"GUOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
"Wh-what is this!? Why did a monster just...!? Help!"
"Is that the Magic Armor Beast I took down on the ship!?" Anhel cried out, recognizing the creature instantly.
The light faded to reveal the Violence Magic Armor Beast. It let out a guttural bellow, ready to swing its massive, concrete-colored arms, but it never got the chance. A flash of slashing light cut through the air. The beast froze. A moment later, its body slid apart along a perfectly straight line and dissolved into nothingness. Ryuga clicked his tongue in annoyance as he sheathed his cherished sword.
"I-I'm saved...! But what on earth was that?"
"...It seems the mastermind has a sick sense of humor," Ryuga muttered, glaring at the projection of Abyss. "He’s scattered traps like this all over the island."
Abyss, completely unaware of Ryuga's glare, continued his broadcast with theatrical glee.
"Simply hunting for one missing Clear Plate is a bit dull, wouldn't you agree? So, I’ve prepared a little surprise. I’ve scattered countless Dummy Plates across Wind Island that look identical to the real thing. But here’s the catch: the moment someone picks one up, it transforms into a ravenous Magic Armor Beast. So please, do try to be careful!"
"You’ve got to be kidding..." Anhel whispered. "If everyone starts grabbing every plate they find, the monsters will never stop coming."
"This is bad," Ryuga agreed. "The island is already a powder keg. Logic won't reach people in this state. They're going to keep summoning monsters and getting themselves killed."
Just as Anhel feared, the trap was designed to feed on the chaos. Rationality had fled, replaced by the same frantic desperation that had driven the man earlier. People were already fighting over the single real Clear Plate, and the introduction of monster-summoning decoys would only accelerate the carnage.
"Hehehehe...! How delicious!" Abyss cackled. "Watching everyone scramble, desperate to trample over their neighbors just to save their own skins! 'I don't want to die. I want to live.' For those words, they’ll sacrifice everything and everyone else. To see the ugly truth of humanity laid bare... to hold the strings of so many lives in my hands... what a rush! I can’t get enough of it!"
Abyss’s eyes seemed to be feasting on the carnage. Across Wind Island, the thin veneer of civilization was peeling away. Desperate survivors turned on the weak to eliminate the competition. Others brawled over every scrap of metal they found, only to be torn apart by the Magic Armor Beasts their greed summoned.
Friendships and romances forged over years were discarded in an instant. The once-beautiful island, famous for its gentle breezes, had become a gruesome stage for a living nightmare.
"Fuha, haha, hahahaha! It’s perfect! A masterpiece of a view!" Abyss laughed like a man possessed. "Come now, people of Wind Island! Struggle for my amusement! Backstab each other, or huddle in the corners and pray—it makes no difference to me! How you spend your final moments is entirely your choice!"
His laughter eventually subsided, replaced by a smile that was cold and utterly devoid of mercy. He stared directly into the camera, his voice dropping to a haunting, melodic whisper that carried the weight of absolute despair.
"Now... let us savor this hell together... until the very last second."