"Come! Hand over your sister!"
"Y-you!? What are you doing here!?"
"I don't have time for questions! To make your wish come true, you must offer her to me!"
"What!?"
Gamba recoiled in shock as the Grasshopper Magic Armor Beast burst into the room, but the words that followed left him paralyzed, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"Don't give me that! Why would I ever hand Jasmine over to someone like you!?"
Gamba shook his head violently, flatly refusing the beast’s demand for his sister. Despite his desperate rejection, the Magic Armor Beast only roared back in irritation.
"Sacrifice is a necessity in the war against evil! Even the villain cornering me will hesitate if I use a fragile, pathetic life as a shield! If I survive, I can grant your wish!"
"That’s not my wish! I don't have a single desire that's worth sacrificing Jasmine for! Not one!"
"But you were the one who wished for it! You wanted the evil that harms this village destroyed! Your sister and that man are both evil! Why won't you do what is necessary to annihilate them!?"
"Neither Jasmine nor Yugo are the villains here! The only real evil is me—for trying to force a convenient dream into reality without thinking—and you, for twisting my wish into whatever selfish whim suits you!"
"Nuuuuuuuuuu!"
Gamba stepped forward, spreading his arms wide to shield the bed behind him. He stood his ground against the growling beast, his stance a silent declaration that he would never let it touch his sister.
"My true wish was never to drive out the outsiders!" Gamba screamed. "It was to protect my family! If I can't achieve at least this much with my own hands, I’ll never be able to look Jasmine in the eye again!"
"Silence! I see now—you are evil as well! Anyone who obstructs my path is an enemy of justice!"
Gamba, who had long used his anger toward outsiders to mask his own inadequacies, finally accepted his weakness. Even so, he was prepared to risk his life for what he truly loved.
The Grasshopper Magic Armor Beast, feeling betrayed and insulted, let out a roar of absolute fury. It raised a fist to crush the boy, but before the blow could land, Yugo arrived and caught the monster's arm in a crushing grip.
"Taking a hostage the moment you’re backed into a corner?" Yugo growled. "Your soul really is rotten to the core!"
"Gugh... Gaaaaah!"
The beast groaned as heat surged through the armor and a terrifying pressure bore down on its fist, threatening to pulverize the bone. Yugo delivered a powerful kick that sent the monster flying out of the house. Once the threat was ejected, Yugo turned back toward Gamba.
"Sorry I’m late. You did good. Thanks for protecting Jasmine."
"I... I, uh... yeah..."
Gamba tried to say that Yugo was the one who had actually done the protecting, but the sheer tension left him breathless. After a small, exhausted grunt, his legs gave out and he collapsed onto the floor.
Seeing the boy safe, Yugo allowed a small smile to form beneath his helmet. Then, he turned his gaze back to the exit. His expression shifted to one of pure, unadulterated rage as he approached the monster.
"It’s been a while since I was this pissed off. I’m going to tear you apart for real!"
"Bark all you want! I will not fall until every last one of you villains is purged!"
As the Magic Armor Beast scrambled to its feet and funneled magic power into its legs, Yugo concentrated his own energy into the magic crystal on his chest.
A fire surged within him, a burning passion that seemed to incinerate the very darkness of the night. Yugo leaped into the air, his entire form wreathed in Crimson Lotus Flames, and plummeted toward the monster like a falling star.
"Giga Prominence Blaster!!"
"Uoooooooooooooo!"
Cloaked in a conflagration that took the shape of a massive phoenix, Yugo dove. The Magic Armor Beast tried to intercept him with a magic-enhanced flying kick, but it was shattered instantly. There wasn't even a struggle; the beast's power was simply erased.
"Giaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
"Ah...!"
Enveloped in heat so intense it reduced flesh to ash in a heartbeat, the Magic Armor Beast let out a final, agonizing death rattle before being completely incinerated.
In that same moment, the black crystal hidden in Gamba's pocket let out a sharp crack and shattered into dust, its dark influence vanishing forever.
It was over. As Gamba realized the nightmare had ended, he looked up to see Yugo landing softly on the ground. The armor dissolved as Yugo canceled his transformation and turned back toward the boy.
Their eyes met, and Yugo flashed a bright, toothy grin before giving him a firm thumbs-up. To Gamba’s eyes, Yugo—bathed in the light of the slowly rising sun—shone more brilliantly than anything he had ever seen.