Hugo was the most startled of all by those abrupt, startling words.
Marcos was pleading with Ryuga to abandon them. Hugo shouted back, his voice edged with growing desperation.
"What are you talking about, Marcos?! There’s no way we’re running away and leaving you behind! Just wait—I’m going to blow these guys away and set you free right now!"
"Stop acting tough!" Marcos barked. "You’ve taken too much damage. You’re at your absolute limit. Do you honestly think you can take on every single one of us, plus a trio that might be as powerful as Abyss, and still walk away with a victory in that state?"
Marcos was right. Hugo had endured a brutal, collective assault from his own friends, then used himself as a human shield to protect them from Burn’s lethal finishing move. He was in no condition to fight.
Facing the academy’s strongest warriors—men like Marcos and Uno—alongside the three masterminds was a losing battle. Even with Ryuga by his side, the odds were stacked impossibly against them.
"Run, Hugo! Don't worry about us!"
"Ryuga’s arrival is our only chance! Retreat while you can and regroup!"
"But if I do... everyone... and Fee...!"
Hugo understood their logic. Retreating was the rational choice. But he had no idea what Dogma would do to them or his brother if he fled. The thought that they might be executed just to make an example of them paralyzed him. He couldn't just turn his back on them.
"You idiot!" someone yelled. "If you throw your life away here and lose, the world will fall to those damn women! You and Ryuga are the only ones left who can change this!"
"Hugo-dono, do not spare a thought for our safety! Even if we are slain, it is a necessary sacrifice. We shall meet our end with smiles on our faces, knowing that the two of you will surely avenge us!"
"Master! If you were in our shoes, you’d be telling us to run! You aren't the kind of person who would let someone walk into a blatant trap just to satisfy your own pride, are you?!"
"He's right, Hugo! We’re Magic Knight Apprentices! We’ve already resolved to give our lives for the sake of this world!"
"Withdraw, Clay! Go and save the world!"
"But... but...!"
Their lives didn't matter. If they died, they wanted him to avenge them. Their selfless pleas tore at Hugo’s heart. Precisely because they believed in him and cared for him so deeply, he felt he couldn't possibly leave them behind.
"Marcos and the others are right, Hugo. We’re pulling back. It’s the only way to save everyone."
"Ryuga, even you...?"
"I know how you feel. But what we do right now will decide the future of the world and everyone’s fate. Besides, don't worry. They won't be able to lay a finger on our friends."
Despite his partner’s insistence, Hugo remained paralyzed by indecision. Ryuga looked at his friend’s confused expression and offered a cryptic promise.
"Trust me, Hugo. You risked your life to save me when I was consumed by my quest for revenge. Now it's my turn. I won't let you die here, even if it costs me my life."
Ryuga seemed to have some secret assurance that Dogma wouldn't harm the puppets. Hugo couldn't tell if it was a desperate bluff or if Ryuga genuinely had a plan that he simply didn't have the time to explain.
His friends and his partner were all telling him to run. Was this truly the right path?
As Hugo wavered in his agony, the final push came from the one person he cherished most.
"Run, Brother! Do the right thing!"
Hugo’s head snapped up. It was Fee.
His younger brother was shouting at the top of his lungs, waving his arms frantically to get Hugo’s attention.
"You aren't abandoning us! You’re taking the path that saves both the world and us! You can do it, Brother! I believe in you! So please... run!"
"Fee...!"
Hugo grit his teeth, hearing the boy’s voice tremble as he fought back his own terror. Fee wasn't asking to be saved in the moment; he was asking Hugo to retreat so he could win in the end. Hugo’s clenched fists shook.
"How touching," Dogma said, watching the scene with a cold sneer. "A lovely display of friendship. But do you honestly believe we’ll let you escape so easily? How do you expect to break through this blockade?"
"That’s simple," Ryuga replied, his voice ice-cold. "We still have comrades. Or rather... we have friends."
Dogma laughed at the idea. There were well over a hundred people surrounding them. How could they possibly hope to leave? But the moment she began to scoff, a resounding neigh echoed through the square and the earth began to quake.
Suddenly, a giant black horse descended upon the courtyard. It charged with terrifying momentum, scattering the students who formed the blockade like dry leaves.
It was Hugo’s beloved steed, Skull. Attached behind him was a carriage, and leaning out from the driver’s seat was Yui, her hand outstretched. Before the crowd could even process their arrival, Ryuga scooped up his exhausted partner and made a massive leap.
"Ryuga, Hugo is in your hands! Take care of him!"
Ryuga gave a firm nod to Marcos as they landed in the carriage. Hypno immediately tried to order the puppets to pursue them, but a new voice interrupted the chaos.
"Light, flicker and burst! Prism Flash!"
"What?!"
A magic chant echoed from an unknown source, and the next instant, the courtyard was whitewashed by a series of blinding explosions.
By the time Hypno and the others regained their sight, the carriage carrying Hugo and his companions had vanished completely.
"Damn it! They got away! My plan...!"
Hypno screamed in a fit of rage. The plan to break Hugo, drive him to despair, and drag him into the darkness had been completely ruined. While he raved about the interference, Dogma scanned the surroundings, her eyes narrowing.
"That flash just now... it wasn't magic from either Hugo Clay or the Renjou siblings. That means he has yet another collaborator hiding in the shadows."
"Oh boy, they really made a clean break! Well, I had a feeling things might turn out that way!"
Dogma and Hypno spun around to find Drop floating gracefully down toward them. She was grinning from ear to ear, clearly delighting in their failure.
"I knew Ryuga wasn't hypnotized, and I knew they had allies coming to pick them up! But you guys told me not to interfere, so I kept my mouth shut! Oh, it’s such a shame your big operation failed! Truly, truly a shame!"
Drop’s voice was dripping with a cheerful malice that made it clear she didn't feel a shred of sympathy. She turned back to the fuming trio, a strange, yellowish aura beginning to shimmer around her.
"So? What’s the next move? Drop-chan believes in you—I'm sure you have another 'fun' plan ready to go, right?"