"What... is this sensation!?"
"This magic power... it can't be!"
Two massive magic power reactions were closing in on the Cathedral.
As Marcos, who recognized the nature of that power, cried out, two figures smashed through the walls and floor, hurtling into the hall.
Burn and Hypno. Yugo and the others gasped at the sight of the two men Marcos and Ryuga had only recently defeated. While they stood in shock, Dogma sank the still-unconscious pair into the glowing magic circle.
"No... you sacrificed them, too!?"
"I thought they were your comrades! Even if they lost, how could you discard them so easily?"
"Hehehe... I haven't discarded them at all. I’ll show you the proof of that right now!"
The group's fury intensified at the sight of Dogma sacrificing her own allies. She merely smiled, her expression thick with a cryptic, sickening glee.
In the next instant, Dogma was surrounded by a sea of shadow soldiers... and then, along with her army, she sank herself into the magic circle.
"What!? What the hell is she doing!?"
They watched in horror as Dogma offered herself up as a sacrifice. As they stood bewildered, unable to grasp what she hoped to achieve at this final hour, the magic circle erupted with a blinding radiance.
Having consumed a sufficient quantity of souls, the circle’s light and magic power swelled, striving to give birth to something new. Yugo and the others tightened their guard, watching the roiling energy as the transformation took hold.
Then, it happened.
"Fuhahahahahahahahahahaha!"
Suddenly, a cacophony of evil laughter rang out. The voice sounded like Dogma’s, yet it also carried the tones of Burn and Hypno. It was as if it belonged to no one, yet it was everyone at once.
Their instincts screamed that the source of this voice was pure malevolence. From the center of the magic circle, a grotesque monstrosity draped in black sludge tore itself free.
"What... is that...?"
Black, red, silver—the colors of the beast were a chaotic jumble. It wasn't just the color; even its form seemed like a violent merger of disparate parts. It was inorganic yet biological, retaining flashes of elemental traits. It was "distorted" in every sense of the word.
Yugo realized intuitively that while it was a Magic Armor Beast, it was fundamentally different from anything they had faced before. He gasped, the realization hitting him like a physical blow.
"She fused! With the soldiers, and with Burn and Hypno too!"
"Exactly! This is our trump card!"
The thing that used to be Dogma cried out in a voice layered like static noise, unleashing its magic power.
Though her consciousness appeared to be the core, the creature was now a fusion of a hundred souls and personalities. It spoke with a manic shift in tone, immediately flaunting its new strength.
"Ahyahyahyahyahya! Hyahahahaha-ha-haaa!"
"This is bad! The Cathedral is going to collapse!"
"Everyone, huddle up!"
The mere release of its magic power caused the very air to vibrate, and deep cracks spider-webbed across the stone walls. Sensing the crushing pressure, the group focused on survival.
They rushed to Melt’s side as she called out to them. The moment they were gathered, she threw up a defensive spell. Raiha layered her own barrier over it just as the beast smashed through the Cathedral’s ceiling and took to the sky, ignoring them for the moment.
"Fu... haha! Marvelous! This is the overwhelming power I sought! This power will grant my wishes and lose to no one! The power to rule the world, obtained by sacrificing every last one of those who supported me!"
A Magic Armor Beast born from three powerful masterminds and over a hundred sacrificed souls. Its power was absolute. It radiated a pressure so intense that it struck terror into the hearts of those outside—the people who had mistakenly believed victory was theirs when the shadow army suddenly vanished.
"What is this... this magic?"
"Look! There’s something on top of the Cathedral!"
The beast looked down at the people staring up in horror and smirked, raising its hand. It channeled its magic, manifesting a massive orb of black, roiling flames, and hurled it toward the crowd below.
"A-Aaaah!"
"Run! Don't try to stop it! Just run!"
The sheer volume of magic power packed into the flames sent the people scrambling for their lives. The orb struck the earth, triggering a massive explosion that gouged a crater into the ground. Watching the devastation, the creature threw its head back and laughed at the sky.
"Fuhaha! Hyahahahaha! Ahahahahaha! Fear me! Tremble! Stand in awe! I am the one who rules you! I am the one who shall trample you into the dirt!"
Slowly, the monster descended from the air. Landing before the crowd, it looked down at the dazed people with utter contempt and announced its name.
"My name is Galberos... the Ultimate Magic Armor Beast, born from Three Evil Souls devouring a sea of offerings!"