"Big brother!"
"Hugo!"
Seeing the Trinity Blaster return and realizing Hugo’s group had emerged victorious, Fee and the others ran toward them with wide smiles.
As Hugo deactivated the transformation in front of his companions, the three who had been fused together materialized once again, separating from the suit of armor.
"You won, Big brother! You actually defeated Galberos!"
"Yeah! It was all thanks to your quick thinking! You really saved us, Fee!"
Hugo offered heartfelt praise to his younger brother. It was Fee’s proposal to counter fusion with fusion, along with his meticulous adjustments to the magic circles, that had birthed the power of the Trinity Blaster.
Fee smirked happily at the compliment. He struck his small hand against the one Hugo held out, the two sharing their joy with a resounding high-five.
As the rest of the allies gathered, celebrating the end of the battle, something enveloped in flames plummeted from the sky.
Everyone watched as the object crashed into the earth with a staggering impact. As the smoke cleared, the fallen figure let out a ragged groan.
"Ugh... agh... ah... uuuugh..."
"Dogma? She’s still alive...?"
"She’s certainly tenacious. Though, that actually works out better for us."
Marcos and Ryuga muttered in a mix of admiration and exasperation. Dogma had survived the full force of the Trinity Blaster’s finishing move, followed by a terminal drop to the pavement.
It seemed their own fusion had been forcibly undone by the damage; Burn and Hypno were visible near the groaning Dogma, but their bodies were gradually crumbling into ash, beginning to vanish entirely.
Dogma, however, remained. Despite her heavy injuries, she showed no signs of disappearing like the other two.
As the knights dispatched from the Royal Capital established a perimeter to seize her, Dogma began to laugh like a madwoman.
"Fu... fu-hi-hi-hi-hi! Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!"
"What’s so funny? Have you finally lost your mind in defeat?"
"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! I am perfectly sane! I’m only laughing because your carefree optimism is just too much to bear. Did you really think you’d won against me just because of this? It’s hilarious!"
"What...?"
She had lost the battle even after using her final trump card, the combined magic circle, and her companions were gone.
Common sense dictated that Dogma had no way to turn the tables, yet the knights remained wary of her cryptic words. Suddenly, a wall of shifting blackness began to manifest around her.
The barrier took the shape of a semi-circular dome with her at the center, forcibly pushing back the surrounding knights and throwing them off balance. Hugo immediately dashed forward and slammed a fist into the surface, but the black wall didn't budge an inch.
"What is this!?"
"Truly exceptional people prepare for the possibility of failure. I made sure to have a means of retreat ready and waiting!"
"Tch...!"
A small shadow floated down beside Dogma, who was sneering from within the dome.
Melt recognized the figure as Drop, one of the masterminds who had confronted them in the gymnasium. Realizing Drop had likely created the dome to facilitate the escape, Melt pounded her fists against the barrier and shouted.
"Drop! Are you seriously going to let her get away!?"
"Fufu...!"
Even among the masterminds, Melt had felt something different about Drop compared to the others. She felt a sting of betrayal seeing the girl now aiding Dogma’s flight.
So she was just the same as the rest of them. Melt glared at her with eyes full of hurt, but Drop merely offered a silent, enigmatic smile.
"I’ll admit it; this round goes to you. However, I will return! I’ll use this defeat as fuel to cast you all into hell next time. You should look forward to that day, Hugo Clay...!"
"Wait! Dogma!!"
Dogma began to sink into the darkness she had produced.
Hugo called out to stop her as she attempted to flee with a mocking sneer, but he still couldn't find a way to breach the dome.
Ridiculously confident, Dogma began to vanish into the shadows, and then—
"No, no. We can’t have such a naive little fairy tale, now can we?"
"Huh...? Gwah!?"
Just a moment before she vanished completely, Dogma heard a bold, mocking murmur.
The next instant, Hugo and his friends watched in shock as the woman who had been seconds away from escaping was sent rolling back out across the ground. From within the darkness of the dome, a new figure stepped forward.
"What are you trying to run for? A getaway like that is just so unsatisfying. It’s boring."
"You...!"
Hugo let out a cry of shock. He recognized the young man who had just emerged from the darkness while hurling contempt at Dogma.
Dogma groaned as she looked up, clearly unable to process the sudden intervention.
"L-Lost...? Why are you here!?"
"Hmm? Why, you ask? Isn't it obvious?"
The man in the black hood... the same individual who had incited Rush and Neid to cause chaos, yet had also assisted Hugo on Wind Island. Lost offered a look of innocent wonder at Dogma’s question.
Wearing a bright, childlike smile, he delivered an answer that carried not a shred of mercy in his upbeat voice.
"I came to show you an ending befitting a loser."