"Alright... that looks about right. I don't give a damn how I treat these pests, but Dogma’s a real stickler for the details..."
"Kuh...!!"
Meanwhile, back at Luminous Academy, Burn had confined Marcos and his circle within a Makeshift Prison Created by Remodeling the Gymnasium.
The cavernous space held not only those closest to Yugo, like Marcos, but also a group of students from the Elementary Division.
Marcos and the others were stripped of their freedom, their faces twisted in the agony of their helplessness. Burn watched the children sobbing in terror with a malicious smirk. He exhaled a satisfied breath as if completing a mundane chore before turning his attention to his captives.
"What a miserable sight! All these people, and you couldn't lift a finger against just three opponents. You’re beyond pathetic!"
"...What do you plan to do with us? What is the purpose of this isolation?"
"You shouldn't even have to ask. You're hostages—leverage against Hugo Clay."
Burn answered dismissively, practically spitting the words at Marcos. Looking around at the faces glaring at him, he took visible pleasure in their powerlessness and continued with a sneer.
"Truth be told, any hostage would do. But we’re saving the ones who aren't here for something else—they’ll be the front line against Hugo Clay when he comes charging in tomorrow. In other words, they’re just Disposable Pawns."
"So, the reason you’re not treating us as combatants is as insurance for an emergency...!"
"Well, there's that. But you’re also perfect fuel for Yugo’s suffering. Imagine it: he fights his way through a bunch of nameless nobodies he doesn't even know to save his brother, thinking he’s finally making progress—and then his dear friends appear as hostages! If we tell him we’ll slaughter you all unless he surrenders, Yugo will have to face that same hellish choice again: his brother or his companions."
If Yugo were forced to fight his precious friends first and defeated them, the pain of fighting strangers later would surely fade. Burn argued that intensifying the agony in stages—making him taste even stronger despair after overcoming the initial ordeal—would create a truer hell for Yugo. He then turned his gaze toward the students of the Elementary Division.
"And those brats over there? They serve the same purpose. Will he sacrifice a group of innocent children just to save his own brother? That’s the kind of choice that’ll tear Hugo Clay apart."
There was a strong possibility that his companions would shout for him to sacrifice them, just as they had when they helped Yugo escape the academy before. But this time, by placing the children nearby, the villains could demonstrate to Yugo that it wouldn't just be his willing friends being sacrificed, but also terrified children who had no part in their heroics.
The villains had learned from their previous failures and refined their strategy to ensure the same trick wouldn't work twice. As the captives' faces darkened with frustration, Burn laughed loudly.
"Seriously, you guys are a joke! Hugo Clay has saved your hides countless times, and yet you can’t do a damn thing when it actually matters! All you do is weigh him down!"
"Gu... ugh...!!"
"If we play our cards right, beating Hugo Clay will be a breeze. In a fair fight, he might be a handful... but since he’s lugging around such a Massive Weakness like you lot, this is going to be easy! My sincerest thanks, you fools! Gyah-ha-ha-ha-ha!"
No one could find the words to fire back. They were all too aware that their presence was exactly what Burn said—a burden that would only cause Yugo more pain. Burn continued to pile on the insults, further cornering the group who agonized over their own inadequacy. While the children were innocent, they themselves had trained for battle only to fall effortlessly into the enemy's trap.
"In that regard, Ryuga Renjou really is something else. He managed to dance around our schemes and pull Yugo out. If you had even one or two more people of his caliber among you, things might have turned out differently. But no, Yugo has to suffer because every single one of you is an utter moron!"
"Kuh... uuuu...!!"
At Burn's words of contempt, the timid Neries began to tremble as tears spilled down her face. She was not the only one feeling the weight of her own powerlessness. The others, too, cursed their own helplessness.
While they remained silent, stewing in their frustration and despair, Burn turned his gaze toward Marcos with a particularly amused smile.
"Wait a second... didn't we have a Fool Who Calls Himself Yugo's Rival right here somewhere?"