At Enji’s command, the samurai closed in, surrounding Hugo and Marcos.
Masanaga unleashed a relentless assault on Ryuga, who cast a wary glance toward the soldiers concentrating their efforts on Marcos.
"Surely you won't call this cowardly?!" Masanaga shouted. "Attacking the weakest point is the fundamental rule of warfare! Taking out the least capable of your group first is perfectly sound strategy!"
"No, I agree. It’s an entirely rational tactic," Ryuga replied flatly, effortlessly parrying the blows. "As you said, Marcos is the weakest member of our team. Besides, I hardly expected fair play from men who summon an army of subordinates for a three-on-three duel."
While Ryuga gave his blunt assessment, Hugo and Marcos stood back-to-back a short distance away, surrounded by enemies.
"Hah! 'The other guy,' huh?" Hugo spat. "That bastard’s got a lot of nerve. I’m going to have to punch that smug look right off his face."
"Hmph. None of that matters. Focus on the enemies in front of you for now."
Hugo, who hadn't even been the one insulted, was fuming, while Marcos, the target of the mockery, remained perfectly calm. The exchange perfectly illustrated the difference in their temperaments.
Marcos gave his partner a curt response just as the samurai lunged.
"Kieeeeeeee!"
One samurai charged with a piercing shriek, raising his blade high. Channeling magic power to enhance both his speed and the katana’s edge, he brought the weapon down in a desperate overhead strike—only for Marcos to catch it easily with his Giga Scissors.
"Hmph! Ha!"
Marcos knocked the blade aside and drove a heavy kick into the man’s exposed midsection. As the first samurai tumbled backward, another charged in with a spear leveled low.
"Seiyaaaaaa!"
"Hugo, ready?!"
"Yeah, got it!"
Marcos didn't meet the spearhead directly; instead, he skillfully parried the thrust, redirecting the man’s momentum. Hugo was already waiting in the new path, catching the samurai with a clothesline lariat that used the attacker's own speed against him.
"Guba...!"
The samurai collapsed instantly, his head hitting the ground as he lost consciousness. The rest of the Warrior Band grew cautious after seeing two of their comrades fall so quickly, but as they rushed in to overwhelm the pair, Hugo and Marcos intercepted them with flawless coordination.
"Tsk... These men are even more useless than I thought," Enji muttered, his voice laced with irritation. "I suppose I’ll have to lend them a hand!"
He waved his Gunbai War Fan, and a new group of samurai appeared in response to his call. Armed with bows, the unit nocked their arrows in unison and loosed them toward the center of the fray. Hugo and Marcos noticed the incoming fire and instinctively leaped in opposite directions to dodge, but several samurai were caught off guard by the friendly fire and fell, riddled with arrows.
"Wha—!? You bastard! You’d even cut down your own allies?!" Hugo barked.
"Victory often demands sacrifice," Enji stated coldly. "A few lives are a small price to pay for shattering your coordination. I consider it a successful trade."
"...I never liked you, but now you’ve officially pissed me off. A man who treats his comrades as disposable has no right to lead others!"
"Bold words. However, I think you should worry less about my leadership and more about the fact that you and your precious comrades are in a major crisis."
Enji waved his fan again, signaling the Archery Unit to fire another volley. Hugo dodged the arrows while intercepting the approaching infantry, then shouted over to his friend.
"Marcos! You okay?!"
"I’m not so weak as to be taken down by this! Worry about yourself!"
Though they were individually surrounded and their coordination had been severed, they weren't in any immediate danger of being overwhelmed. Hugo considered trying to regroup with Marcos, but before he could move, Marcos spoke in a flat, decisive tone.
"Hugo, go deal with that annoying archery unit. I’ll handle the ones down here."
"Huh...?" Hugo let out a bewildered sound.
It was true that the archers were a nuisance and that Hugo’s superior mobility made him the better choice to take them out, but he figured it would be safer to finish off the melee troops together first.
"I have something I want to test," Marcos continued. "These men are perfect practice targets. Leave them to me."
"...Heh, so that’s how it is."
Hugo watched as Marcos kicked up a spear dropped by a fallen enemy and caught it mid-air. With a smirk and a nod, Hugo immediately activated his Flame Armor and took flight, soaring over the heads of the samurai. As he broke through the encirclement, the remaining soldiers turned their fury toward Marcos.
"How dare you! Practice targets?! You're just a brat—stop looking down on us!"
"No more mercy! Compose your death poem!"
"...I don't quite understand what you mean by that," Marcos muttered, quietly eyeing the circle of enemies closing in on him.
He braced his shield and leveled his spear, raising his voice so every man on the field could hear him.
"I am not 'the guy who isn't Hugo Clay.' My name is Marcos Borg. Burn it into your memories before you pass out."