Ash, who had been sent skidding more than ten meters across the ground on his back, forcibly twisted himself around in a posture that would have made Newton leap out of his coffin. Still lying flat and close to the ground, he "flew" toward the direction from which the Pegasus Crossbow had fired. Behind his mask, his bloodshot eyes locked onto the arrow in midair! The holy sword drawn from his chest aimed straight at its center.
"Zzz—"
After the arrow split in two and flew past either side of the crowd, two more massive explosions erupted within the already-hole-riddled ship!
"You're pretty capable, kid. Why were you hiding your skills before?"
The spreading flames followed the flammable materials and formed a ring around them. Standing in water that had already risen past his calves, Gagu seemed habitually about to light himself a cigarette. He reached for Aguru at his waist, then realized he was still transformed and had no choice but to give up.
"It's hard to imagine someone like you losing control the way you did before. If you weren't just playing around, what were you worried about? What, are you trying to be some kind of hero who saves humanity? You're putting on such a frightening face."
Looks like I was wrong. Trying to provoke someone like you through your own feelings won't work. I'll have to beat around the bush instead?
"Hero? What kind of joke is that!" Ash got back to his feet and flicked the water from his sword in a string of droplets. "You say that so lightly. Someone like you has no idea what a real hero is. A hero is—"
The biological faceplate fused to Gagu's face twitched. He sensed something in that unreserved declaration, and a crackling abacus began rattling