A sound that was somewhere between a war cry and a death rattle tore from Abyss's throat just before a massive explosion swallowed him whole.
As the roar faded and the smoke began to settle, Melt and her companions lowered the arms they had used to shield their faces from the heat and shockwaves. Their voices trembled with a frantic, growing hope.
"He did it...! Hugo won! He actually beat him!"
"No one survives a hit like that, not even Abyss! This has to be it!"
He had taken Hugo’s beam attack head-on and vanished into the heart of the blast. There was no way he could still be standing. They were certain they had just witnessed the fatal blow—the strike that would decide the fate of their world. But then...
"Not yet... It’s not over yet!"
"What...!?"
A roar shattered the silence, and the smoke was violently blown away. When Melt and the others saw the figure standing in the center of the crater, they could hardly believe their eyes.
Abyss had undergone a hideous metamorphosis. His Magic Armor Beast form had swelled, losing its human silhouette to become something far more primal and monstrous.
"He’s finally cornered, and now he’s showing his true colors," Hugo noted, his voice grim. "He’s stopped caring about how he looks. He’s coming at us with everything he has!"
"Guoooooooooooooo!!"
Abyss cast aside the cold elegance he had maintained as the Conductor. Now, he was a creature of pure, raw malice, exerting every ounce of his power to crush the enemy standing before him.
Hugo evaded a series of reckless, desperate strikes, barely managing to put some distance between himself and the beast. As he regained his footing, he looked back at his companions.
"Everyone, leave Abyss to me! You guys head for the castle and find the power source for [Finale]! If you can destroy that, you can save Wind Island!"
They were currently standing before the weapon’s massive gunport section. While it would be nearly impossible to dismantle it while dodging Abyss’s attacks, the internal mechanisms—the power source and the Magic Power Collection Mechanism—had to be hidden deep within the fortress.
If they could take those out and render [Finale] inoperable, Abyss’s grand plan would fall into ruin.
Hugo’s companions looked at one another and gave a firm, resolute nod.
"...It’s frustrating, but you’re the only one who can stand against him," Melt said, her eyes fixed on Hugo. "We’re counting on you. Don't you dare lose."
"Consider the machine done for! We’ll tear [Finale] apart and leave Abyss’s script in shreds!" Ann added, her face set in a fierce grin.
"Yeah... I'm counting on you!!"
Hugo watched as Setsuna and Melt gave him their signs of trust. He then slammed his fist into the ground with everything he had.
"Go!" he urged, as a hole opened beneath them, leading into the lower levels of the castle. While his friends disappeared into the depths to finish their mission, Hugo turned back to face the true monster.
"Hugo...!" Marcos lingered for a second, his expression pained.
"Marcos, move! We’re only in his way if we stay up here!" Ann shouted, grabbing his arm.
"Do what you can with all your might... The place where you’re needed isn't here, is it?" Raiha added softly.
Marcos stared at his rival’s back. Hugo was standing his ground against a foe of unfathomable power, and though it stung his pride to leave the front line, Marcos realized his own duty. He gave Hugo one last look of absolute trust before leaping into the hole.
"Hugo Clay...! You have truly tested my patience!" Abyss shrieked, his voice echoing with a frantic, hysterical edge. "I will see you atone for your insolence with a death so gruesome and tragic it will be remembered for ages!!"
"Atone? That’s my line," Hugo countered. "Do you have any idea how many lives you’ve ruined? How many people you’ve made cry for the sake of your twisted games? You’re the one with sins to count, Abyss!"
From the creation of the Clear Plates to the tragedies currently unfolding on Wind Island, Abyss’s crimes were a mountain Hugo couldn't even see the top of. He had manipulated the masses, insulted Hugo’s friends, and treated the world like his private stage.
But Abyss only snorted, his arrogance remaining unshaken even as a monster.
"Hah...! Count my sins? There isn't a shred of need for that! I am the ruler of all! There isn't a soul alive with the authority to judge me!"
"I see... so you don't even have the capacity to acknowledge what you've done. You really are just an irredeemable villain."
Hugo exhaled a slow, steady breath. Behind him, Nine Swords manifested, glowing with a brilliance like starlight scattered across a dark galaxy. He gripped the tenth blade—The Final Sword—and leveled it at the beast.
"If that's how it is, I’m done asking you questions. Instead, I’ll leave you with a declaration, using the words of a certain man who was both a master swordsman and a literary giant."
Hugo’s fighting spirit surged, the aura around him carrying the weight and hopes of everyone on the island. He pointed his blade straight at the monster's heart and shouted.
"Abyss... this pathetic play of yours is over! Because from here on out, we’re the ones who decide the ending!"