"As a nobleman, I cannot allow myself to be so undignified as to strike down an opponent without even knowing his name. Identify yourself. Tell me who you are."
"Heh, aren't you fancy! 'As a nobleman'—you sure have a high opinion of yourself, don't you?"
"Did you not hear me? It seems your hearing is just as defective as your mind and your character."
As Marcos hurled provocations back at the Magic Armor Beast, he noticed the creature twitch in response. It seemed that while the beast enjoyed taunting others, he had little stomach for being the target of it himself.
Maintaining his frivolous air, the Magic Armor Beast finally offered an answer.
"Well, since you asked so nicely, I’ll tell you. I’m Migald. Migald Balua."
"I see. Migald, you are the one responsible for sending these animals into a frenzy, aren't you?"
"Ding-ding! Correct! Though, to be precise, there's actually one more person involved besides me!"
Migald clapped his hands in a mocking ovation, tilting his head as he studied Marcos’s reaction. Marcos remained stoic, his gaze fixed on his opponent as he pressed with another question.
"You were harming the animals in the Interaction Corner earlier. Was that a necessary step to bring about this chaos?"
"Hmm? Hahaha! No way! That was just for my own amusement. Isn’t it fun to watch the weak suffer?"
Migald doubled over with laughter at Marcos's question. Seeing the flicker of a reaction in the young noble’s eyes, the villain grinned and leaned in.
"Since I’m in a good mood, I’ll give you a freebie. My ability lets me plant parasites in a target to make them go wild. I think it works by sending electric shocks through the bugs to scramble their brains, or something like that!"
"I see. So you are merely an amateur who doesn't even fully comprehend his own power. Your stupidity is consistent, at the very least."
"Hahaha! Ouch, how harsh! But I can’t help it, right? I only just got this power, so I’m still practicing. This little hunting game is just a milestone for me!"
Migald clutched his chest in mock pain, but his tone remained irritatingly light. Marcos narrowed his eyes as the man continued to lay out his repulsive goals.
"I absolutely love bullying the weak, you know? But honestly, controlling animals isn't that much fun. If I’m going to have puppets, humans are way more entertaining!"
"You intend to control humans?"
"Exactly! For instance, wouldn't it be the best thing ever if I could plant a parasite in a cute girl I saw in the street and make her do whatever I wanted? Just thinking about turning everyone I pass into my personal puppets gets me so excited! I can't do it yet, but once I get enough practice... man, life is going to be a blast!"
Marcos clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. To Migald, the lives endangered and the animals sacrificed in this incident were nothing more than a training exercise. He could only turn beasts berserk for now, but he intended to refine his control until he could issue complex commands to higher intelligences.
As the realization of Migald’s depravity sank in, Marcos’s fury reached a boiling point. The villain, oblivious or indifferent, laughed as he continued his monologue.
"My goal is to control an entire town’s worth of people and build my own paradise! Well, controlling that many in detail is still a pipe dream, so I’ll start with just one person as I please... actually, even that’s tricky. I’ll settle for being able to give an order as simple as 'jump off that ledge.'"
"What possible purpose could that order serve?"
"Eh? You don't get it? It’s simple! I control the family or friends of the person I actually want to toy with. Then I use them as leverage, like, 'I can make your precious little sister commit suicide at any time!' There are plenty of ways to make people obey besides direct control, you know? Ahahahaha!"
"I see... That's enough. Be silent."
Marcos spoke with a quiet, icy breath. The fire of anger in his eyes had been replaced by a sub-zero murderous intent that shone with a piercing, lethal light.
"I find myself thanking the heavens from the bottom of my heart. I am truly grateful that I was the one to find you here."
"Huh? What’s this? Are you feeling a spark of destiny between us?"
"Hardly. It is a matter of simple necessity. I am grateful that I have been given the chance to crush a scoundrel like you before you can escalate your twisted crimes any further."
This man was undeniably one of the most repugnant individuals Marcos had ever encountered. A sadist who didn't care how many people suffered as long as his own desires were met—the thought of such a man mastering the power to puppeteer others was too horrific to contemplate.
He had to be stopped here. There was no room for mercy, and no hope for redemption. Vowing to prevent the future tragedies that would surely follow if this man were allowed to walk free, Marcos leveled the tip of his Giga Scissors at his foe.
"Migald Balua... I shall sever your twisted ambitions right here!"