"Yo, Marcos! Get enough practice with that new style of yours?"
"Indeed. Taking out that troublesome Shooting Unit was a big help. I’ve finally gotten the hang of it."
"Good to hear. Well then... time to shut off the tap for good!"
Yugo had spent more than enough time testing his new tactics against the samurai. Taking Marcos's word that he no longer needed to pull his punches, Yugo turned his gaze toward Enji—the man responsible for summoning the samurai in the first place.
Panic surged through Enji as he watched his Shooting Unit and the samurai he had summoned for the assault get wiped out in the blink of an eye. He scrambled backward, but the samurai of his Guard Unit stepped forward to shield him, blocking Yugo’s path.
"Lord Enji, get behind us!"
"N-ngh...! Don't let him get any closer! Intercept him, now! Do whatever it takes!"
"Yes, sir!"
With the sound of thudding footsteps, the samurai moved forward to protect their master. Seeing the enemies take a formation to defend their Supreme Commander, Yugo called out to them as he shifted his Blaster Form.
"Heh! Don't worry, I don't have any intention of getting close either!"
Yugo manifested his Emerald Flame Armor, a form that infused his shooting-specialized Green Armor with the power of fire. Bowgun in hand, he glared at his enemies. He lunged toward Marcos, who already had his shield braced and ready. Using his friend as a springboard, Yugo launched himself high into the air.
"He's coming! Brace yourselves!"
The samurai of the Guard Unit looked up at the airborne Yugo and took defensive stances with their katanas. As each of them channeled their magic power, Yugo took aim at Enji and his group, unleashing bullets imbued with the power of fire.
"Finisher! Blaster Burning Shoot!"
"Ugh! W-Whoaaa!?"
The samurai let out cries of shock and fear as they came face-to-face with the emerald fireballs. However, determined to protect Enji, they put up a desperate resistance, swinging their katanas to create a Water Wall or meeting the flames head-on with blades shrouded in wind.
"D-Dammit...! This is bad! All of you! Protect me at all costs!"
Enji had already pushed the empowerment of his subordinates via the Gunbai War Fan: Gale and Raging Waves to its absolute limit. Even so, they were unable to repel Yugo’s attacks and were instead being steadily pushed back. Frustrated, Enji barked orders at his struggling subordinates. Terrified by the assault closing in, he took a few steps backward, but...
"Welcome. I've been waiting for you."
"Wha!?"
Suddenly, with a sharp metallic clack, Enji's body was seized and hoisted into the air. He spun around in terror only to see Marcos, who had caught him in a pair of Golden Scissors created from golden magic power.
"Y-You! When did you—!?"
"Use a decoy to draw the enemy's attention, then strike with the true blow while they're distracted... It's the most basic of military strategies. You were so blinded by the Emerald Radiance that you completely missed the Golden Flash."
"L-Lord Enji!"
Yugo's flashy attack had been nothing more than a decoy to draw the enemy's focus. While everyone was distracted by the aerial assault, Marcos had circled behind Enji and waited for his prey to fall into the trap.
"S-Someone! Anyone! Help me! Help me, quickly!"
Humiliated at having fallen for such a simple trick, Enji’s face contorted in fear as the pressure of the scissors tightened around him. He screamed for his subordinates to save him, but the samurai were already occupied just trying to hold back Yugo's attack; they had no room to respond.
"Dammit! Dammit! I am the heir of the prestigious House of Jiko, Enji Jiko! Someone! Someone save me! Katsuyori! Masanaga! Save meeee!"
Crazed by the terror of being slowly crushed, Enji screamed desperately for help. However, Katsuyori looked at him with total disinterest before turning his gaze away, and Masanaga was too busy dealing with Ryuga to respond. Not a single person came to his aid.
"How pitiful. To think this is the end for a man who looked down on others and used them for his own convenience."
"Guaaaaaah! Curse you! Curse you! Curse you!"
As Enji did nothing but scream, the onlookers turned gazes of pity and contempt toward him. Marcos felt a twinge of disgust for the unsightly figure of the man who had viewed his own subordinates and Elena's group as mere tools. He decided to deliver the finishing blow quickly, if only to end the embarrassing spectacle.
"It’s over. Golden Cutting!"
"Gah! Gaaaaaaaaah!"
The Golden Scissors holding Enji glowed with blinding intensity, swelling to their maximum size before triggering a massive explosion. Enji took the full impact and was sent flying with a final scream. Almost simultaneously, the samurai who had been desperately resisting were overwhelmed by Yugo's flames and caught in the blast.
"...Next time, make sure to pay proper attention to the 'other guy' too. I hope you can learn something from this painful defeat."
"Hegu... gahe..."
Upon hearing Marcos's parting words as he brushed the dirt off his shoulders, Enji finally lost consciousness. Marcos gave a small snort of disdain, then turned his gaze toward Ryuga.