"Good grief! These mindless swarms are crawling everywhere—their only merit is their sheer numbers!"
Meanwhile, near Hauvent Castle. Marcos and his companions, who were heading toward Abyss's stronghold, were locked in a fierce battle with a massive host of Magic Armor Beasts waiting to intercept them.
Just as Marcos shouted, the individual strength of a single Magic Armor Beast was nothing special... but there were simply too many.
He was currently holding back the charge of three Magic Armor Beasts with his Giga Scissors. The enemies were launching relentless attacks, capitalizing on their overwhelming numerical advantage.
"Argh! You’re in the way! Get back, get back!"
"What a nuisance! We don't have time to be messing around with you lot...!"
Staring at the Magic Armor Beasts—whose numbers remained high despite how many they had already cut down—Melt sent her magic swords flying while Anhel swung her hammer.
Several more monsters were annihilated by their strikes, yet the enemies continued to appear one after another.
"Goodness! Just how many of these things are being produced!?"
"The panic among the island residents might be causing them to increase..."
"Ugh...! Abyss and Cyan, who obtained a Clear Plate, are waiting ahead. We need to conserve our strength, and yet...!"
Many of the beasts had likely been created by Abyss beforehand, but there were also those spawned by the people desperately searching for the Final Plate.
Marcos and the others groaned as they realized the scale of the chaos. People were running wild, and Magic Armor Beasts were still manifesting all across the island. The situation had turned far worse than they had imagined. Just then, a voice echoed from behind them.
"Everyone, jump when I count to three. I'll finish this all at once."
Turning toward the voice, Marcos and the others were startled to see Ryuga sheathing his katana and taking an Iai Stance.
The group immediately understood his intent, recalling the spectacle they had witnessed during the recent sea-jack incident. They hurriedly prepared to leap.
"Three, two, one...!"
With every second of the countdown, the Magic Power emanating from Ryuga intensified, its edge growing sharper and more refined.
The moment Marcos and the others felt that chilling aura against their skin and jumped with all their might, Ryuga opened his eyes. He drew his cherished sword and swung it in a single, devastating horizontal line.
"Hah...!"
"Gyaga...!?"
Following a sharp intake of breath, the movements of the dozens of Magic Armor Beasts stopped instantly.
A horizontal line was carved across their bodies. Ryuga sheathed Ryuo-ga the moment his comrades landed. At the signal of the sharp metallic clink, the Magic Armor Beasts vanished into nothingness all at once.
"Whoa...! As expected of the strike that sliced the sea apart!"
"Thank you, Ryuga-san. You saved us."
"...If you have time for thanks, storm the enemy stronghold. There's no telling when the next swarm will attack."
For Ryuga, a man capable of cutting the ocean itself, a feat of this level was child's play.
He gave a brusque reply to Raiha's gratitude. Just then, Yugo came running from the opposite path, waving his hand.
"Hey, everyone!"
"Yugo-dono! I am glad we have safely reunited!"
"I wasn't worried, but if you were going to help the islanders, you should have at least called for us..."
"Are you hurt? I can treat you with recovery magic!"
"No, I'm fine. I'm just glad to see you're all safe."
In the midst of this unimaginable emergency, Yugo felt a wave of relief seeing his comrades gathered and unharmed.
Marcos turned to him. "Fee is with the teachers right now. Misery and Hex are guarding him, so he should be safe."
"Professor Castle is taking command, too!" Anhel added. "They’re likely coordinating the evacuation by ship as we speak."
"I see... That’s a weight off my mind."
With trustworthy teachers and allies by his side, his younger brother's safety was as guaranteed as it could be.
Yugo felt a moment of peace, but the composed Ryuga spoke up.
"However, that changes if Abyss activates 'Finale.' If the entire island is destroyed, it won't matter where they are."
"To protect the residents and everyone at Luminous Academy, we must defeat Abyss and destroy that weapon...!"
They had no way of knowing if Fee and the others could escape before "Finale" was triggered. Furthermore, it was physically impossible for every resident to evacuate in time.
There was also the risk that Abyss had already set traps for those attempting to flee.
To protect everyone on the island, they had to defeat Abyss and stop the weapon.
As Yugo and the others reaffirmed their resolve, a mocking voice echoed from the shadows.