"Don't you dare look down on me! The one who will emerge victorious is I—Conductor Abyss!"
As he screamed at the approaching Yugo, a blueprint for victory was already complete within Abyss's mind.
Just a little longer. If he poured just a bit more magic power into the shell in his hands, it would become a weapon of sufficient destructive force to obliterate both Yugo and this entire island.
To buy the time he needed, Abyss used his psychokinesis to gather the debris from the shattered castle, lining the rubble up in Yugo's path to serve as a makeshift shield.
I’ve won! he thought. Hugo Clay might smash through that rubble, but it will buy me the seconds I need! And it’s bound to bleed the momentum from his charge!
It was a stall, pure and simple. His strategy to halt Yugo’s advance and tilt the scales in his favor was basic, yet undeniably effective.
...Provided, of course, that he hadn't forgotten one other man was still on the board.
"Wh—?!"
The shield of rubble he had just conjured was cleanly sliced in two, carving a wide-open path for Yugo to fly through.
Stunned to see the wall he had so desperately built hacked to pieces, Abyss whipped his gaze toward the source of the slash. His eyes burned with sudden fury as he saw the figure standing there.
"I don't suppose you’ve forgotten about me, have you?"
"Ryuga Renjou...! You insignificant brat!"
Providing long-range support, Ryuga stood upon the top floor of the crumbling castle, wearing a defiant smirk as he taunted the villain.
Brushing off Abyss's hateful glare, Ryuga watched the figure of his partner hurtling through the air. He offered a quiet word of encouragement.
"The stage is set. I’m leaving the rest to you... Partner!"
"Guh! Uoooooooooh!"
Abyss was out of time. The moment his shield failed to stall Yugo’s charge, his options vanished.
The only thing left for him to do was fire the magic power shell in his hands directly at Yugo. Understanding this, Abyss let out a howl fueled by equal parts rage and wounded pride.
"I won't lose! I cannot lose! Not me! I am Conductor Abyss! I am the one who has marveled audiences across countless worlds by destroying them in the most dramatic fashions! I refuse to suffer defeat in a place like this! The number of death-defying stages I have stood upon is beyond your comprehension! With this... it’s over!"
"!!"
Anger, pride, and a desperate obsession with victory—Abyss poured it all into a gargantuan magic power shell and fired.
Glowing with a sickly green light, the projectile began its slow descent to wipe Wind Island from the map. Yugo, flying straight into its path to prevent the catastrophe, howled as he released every last drop of his remaining magic power.
"Let’s finish this, Abyss!"
His silver armor was dyed a brilliant gold, and the surging magic power surrounding him transformed into a beautiful, shimmering radiance.
Carrying the feelings of his companions on his back, Yugo streaked through the sky. His golden light was visible to every person on the island, all of whom were watching the battle with bated breath.
"Do it, Yugo!"
"Go, Yugo... Gooooo!"
"I believe in you, Yugo! If it’s you, then surely...!"
"We’ve entrusted our lives to you! Yugo-dono!"
"Yugo-san... please...!"
Melt and the others, watching the final clash from directly below the ruins, looked up with trust in their eyes as they prayed.
They were not the only ones who believed in the Golden Warrior standing against that massive, ominous green magic. Across the island, countless voices rose to cheer him on.
"Master! I believe in you! You won't lose! Because you... you’re our Hero!"
"Win, Yugo! Wiiiiiin!"
"Clay! Go get him! I believe in you!"
"Please win, Yugo-san!"
Misery, Jinba, Uno, Neries... his companions from Luminous Academy all screamed his name. Even in the West District, the people sent their heat and prayers toward the sky.
"Yugo! Every single one of us believes in you!"
"Crab! Crab! Craaaaab!"
"We’re counting on you, Yugo-kun...!"
"...With this many people behind you, there’s no way you can lose, right? Hero!"
Gomez murmured with a soft smile as he watched Elena, Poruru, Shepherd, and the islanders cheer until their voices cracked.
On the evacuation ship, Fee and Yui stood among the refugees, their voices joining the chorus.
"Don't lose, Yugo-san! Don't lose...!"
"Do your best, do your best, do your best...!"
Yui kept her hands clasped in constant prayer. Beside her, Fee leaned so far over the railing he nearly fell, his fists clenched tight as he stared at his brother.
He didn't care if his voice could actually reach that height. He simply wanted to send everything he felt to the brother who was fighting to protect them all.
Fee took a deep breath and screamed with everything he had.
"Go for it, Big Brotheeeeer!"
"...I hear you. Everyone's feelings... they’ve reached me."
The voices and thoughts of his many friends pushed against Yugo’s back.
As if responding to those wishes, the wind of the island itself rose into a powerful updraft, granting Yugo even more momentum.
Breaking through the sound barrier and becoming a Golden Meteor racing toward the heavens, Yugo concentrated every ounce of his magic power into his legs.
"Everyone... here we go!"
"Wh-What?!"
Abyss let out a cry of pure shock as he saw Yugo accelerate even further.
Even as the villain tried to convince himself that a shell powerful enough to obliterate the island couldn't possibly be stopped, Yugo unleashed his final technique.
"Blaster—!"
Golden magic power dwelled in his feet, held together for a decisive dropkick.
The energy began to trace the letter X, transforming into twin blades of light. Finally, Yugo and the magic power shell collided.
"Golden—!"
"Wha—?!"
The collision ended in a heartbeat.
The magic power shell managed to push back against Yugo for a fraction of a second before an X-shaped fissure ran across its entire surface. The massive bomb shattered into four pieces and blew apart.
As his trump card dispersed into nothingness, Abyss recoiled in terror. From the center of the explosion, the Golden Warrior came flying straight at him. Yugo roared with the weight of every heart on the island behind his voice.
"X-TREEEEEEMME!!"
"Guh! Guoaaaaaaaaaaaah?!"
The flying kick, wreathed in X-shaped magic power, slammed into Abyss’s chest.
Driven through the air by the force of the impact, Abyss groaned, his eyes bulging with agony and disbelief.
"Th-The spelling of 'Extreme' starts with an 'E'...! Wh-Why... why does the [X] Clear Plate have this much power?!"
"It doesn't matter! A Hero isn't something you can measure with your pathetic little ruler!"
"Am I... losing? Me, Conductor Abyss... meeting such a dramatic end? Ha... haha...! It’s been so long... since I last died! Ha, hahaha! Hahahaha—guaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
It was a dramatic conclusion that no one had foreseen—not even the Conductor who had written the script for every tragedy on the island.
Feeling the long-forgotten sensation of death, Abyss felt a twisted sense of satisfaction at the sheer unpredictability of his own final act. He let out a final, high-pitched laugh before vanishing in a titanic explosion.
As the people who witnessed the victory erupted in jubilant cheers, Yugo descended through the air, catching the falling Marcos along the way. The moment his feet touched the ground, he deactivated his transformation.
"...It's over, then. All of it."
"Yeah," Yugo replied, letting the reality sink in. "It’s over. We won."
Confirming their victory to one another, the two of them raised their hands simultaneously.
With a resounding crack, they slapped their palms together in a high-five, acknowledging their shared struggle. Soon, they were swarmed by their companions, lost in a sea of cheers as the entire island celebrated their hard-won peace.