Abyss scoffed at Marcos, who had resorted to such a reckless method as having his own allies attack him just to gain momentum. He leveled a finger at the approaching boy.
He fired a barrage of beams, showering Marcos in a rain of light while he laughed hysterically.
"I suppose I should commend you for destroying the Finale. But do not mistake that for a victory. You are, quite literally, beneath my notice!"
"Urgh... Gh...!"
Marcos desperately raised his Giga Scissors to block the hailstorm of light, but his upward momentum flagged with every impact.
Abyss deliberately held back from a finishing blow, savoring the sight of Marcos’s ascent slowing as he withered under the pain. He snorted in derision.
"Don't flatter yourself. There is nothing you can do in this situation. A commoner like you could never be a match for me—you aren't even worthy of breathing the same air!"
"Guh! Guaaaaah!"
"No! Marcos!"
From far below, Elena watched the castle tower soar into the sky and the Golden Shield begin its long descent. She screamed as she saw Marcos finally lose all his momentum and begin to plummet.
Abyss watched him fall, a slow and steady descent... until he noticed that Marcos was staring back at him. Abyss narrowed his eyes.
"Abyss... you’re right," Marcos grunted. "As I am now, I can’t win against you. I can’t even reach out and touch you. But... that doesn't mean I can do nothing."
"...!"
There was no sign of despair or regret on the falling boy's face. Instead, Marcos wore a fearless, dignified smile, looking for all the world like a man who had planned for this exact moment.
"Thank you, Abyss. Thanks to your attacks, I was able to reach this position. I truly appreciate it."
Abyss heard a sound—not from Marcos, but cutting through the wind. It was the sharp, powerful sound of someone kicking off a solid surface. He instinctively dismissed it; there was no ground to kick in the open sky. Then, realization dawned.
The sound grew louder, a rhythmic thrumming of power, and then a Silver-white Armored Warrior lunged into Abyss’s field of vision.
"Think you’re getting away, Abyss?! Not a chance!"
"Hugo Clay?! Impossible! You were following me?!"
Abyss gasped in shock. Hugo—who should have been stranded on the Castle Rooftop—was scaling the sky. He had reinforced the crumbling fragments of the Tower Section with Blaster’s micro-particle metal, using them as makeshift footholds to pursue his enemy.
Panic flared in Abyss as the unexpected turn of events forced him to look at Marcos again. He finally understood.
"You... you planned this from the start?!"
"Of course I did! And I believed in him. I knew that if it was Hugo, he would find a way to reach you!"
While Marcos had been drawing Abyss’s fire, he had been tracking Hugo’s progress. He knew Hugo would never give up until he reached his Nemesis. Marcos had flown this high for the sole purpose of assisting him.
By drawing the attacks of his friends and the villain alike, he had created enough noise and visual chaos to mask Hugo’s approach. He had anticipated that the arrogant, sadistic Abyss would waste time gloating, so Marcos had feigned suffering to buy every second possible.
While Abyss was busy mocking him, Hugo had closed the distance. At the same time, Marcos had adjusted his descent to fall directly alongside his partner.
"Have I been played? By the shallow tricks of a brat like him?!" Abyss’s eyes widened in horror. He had fallen hook, line, and sinker for a strategy that weaponized his own personality and Marcos’s technical prowess against him.
Marcos looked up at the villain and laughed.
"You were right about one thing, Abyss. I can’t defeat you myself. But... I can ensure the Hero wins!"
Marcos had willingly dragged himself through the mud, played the fool, and allowed himself to be mocked. He had done the one thing only he was capable of to ensure the man he believed in could claim victory.
But his role wasn't over. There was one final mission left for him.
"Wait... the ability of Giga Scissors is—!"
Abyss finally realized the danger. He saw the noose he had helped tie tightening around his own neck. Right in front of him, Hugo leapt through the air, and Marcos roared a challenge.
"Hugo! I, Marcos Borg, have come all this way to be your springboard! Now, move!"
"Right! I'm on it!"
Hugo landed squarely on the shield Marcos held out.
Hugo dropped into a deep crouch, coiled like a spring. Marcos let out a final shout, releasing all the magic power stored within the Giga Scissors—energy accumulated from the attacks of Melt, the others, and Abyss himself.
"We’re entrusting our hopes to you! Go save the world, Hero!"
Hugo didn't waste breath on a reply. He answered with action, launching himself with incredible force toward Abyss.
The Golden Wave released from the Giga Scissors acted as a booster, slamming into Hugo's back. The X-Blaster’s silver-white body began to glow with a brilliant golden light. As Hugo accelerated toward him, closing the gap in a heartbeat, Abyss felt the chilling certainty that this battle would be decided in less than ten seconds.