"This boy..." Jackson muttered, his eyes following Alfie's movements with disbelief. "He's worth all the effort my papa and yours have put into him. I can barely keep track of his movements."
"Don't get carried away," Rebekah replied, keeping her attention on the battle. "Alfie hasn't even used half of his potential..."
Before Jackson could respond, Marcel suddenly shouted.
"Watch out!"
The ground beneath them cracked as Marcel slammed his palm against it, releasing a surge of Renshi. A massive shield of light erupted from the earth, rising in front of them just as the shadow of something enormous swept overhead.
An uprooted tree came hurtling toward them, torn from the ground by the force of Lucy and Sasaki's battle.
BOOM!
The enormous trunk slammed into the shield. Cracks spread across its surface as the barrier shook violently before shattering into pieces.
The tree continued hurtling toward them, but a blur suddenly appeared in its path.
Bash.
Using Switch Mode, he reappeared directly in front of the incoming trunk. He twisted his body, concentrated blue Renshi into his fist, and punched the tree with enough force to send it flying back toward the forest.
Behind him, Jackson's tentacles had already formed, ready to protect the group if anything else came their way.
"Not bad, Marcel," Bash said, glancing back at him. "Always keep your guard up."
Jackson withdrew his tentacles and frowned at Bash.
"Why aren't you helping the kid fight that monster?"
Bash exhaled slowly.
"He needs to grow stronger on his own. Greater dangers will keep coming, and they won't threaten him alone. Anyone close to him could become a target too."
He turned toward Rebekah.
"Tell me something. Did he mention to you or your master that he had a feeling someone would attack you?"
Rebekah's eyes widened.
"How did you know?"
"I'll take that as a yes," Bash replied, cutting her off. "Then things are about to get more interesting. Keep your guard up. He told me about the same feeling, but this time..."
His expression grew serious.
"The feeling is stronger than before."
Jackson clenched his jaw, struggling to make sense of what he was hearing.
Who the hell is this boy? He's not just powerful. He can sense danger before it even happens.
"Exactly," Bash continued. "And I doubt he's come close to reaching his full potential. Stay together and watch your surroundings. We have no idea when the next enemy might appear."
At the centre of the battlefield, Alfie and the Alpha Darkside Spirit continued clashing at incredible speed.
The creature swung its Renshi-forged blades, forcing Alfie to dodge and counterattack. He responded with sharp punches and kicks, targeting every opening he could find, but the creature quickly adjusted to his movements.
Neither allowed the other to gain an advantage. Every attack was met with a defence or an immediate counter.
Neither showed any sign of slowing down.
---
High above the battlefield, Lucy's fight with Sasaki continued.
Sasaki's body suddenly shifted.
Two additional arms formed from Renshi burst out of his back, each gripping a sword. At the same time, a long, whip-like tail extended from his spine, swaying behind him.
"All five weapons at once, huh?" Lucy muttered.
Sasaki lunged.
His four swords attacked from different angles while his tail whipped toward Lucy, leaving her little room to escape.
She met the first strikes with her twin blades, parrying one sword before turning to block another. Then she twisted away from the tail and used Switch Mode to reappear behind him.
Concentrating a large amount of Renshi into one sword, she raised it above her head and brought it down with tremendous force.
CLANG!
Sasaki crossed his extra arms to block the blow, but the impact was too powerful to withstand completely. He was driven out of the air and hurled toward the ground.
He crashed into the earth, unleashing a shockwave that spread across the battlefield. The ground buckled beneath him, and several nearby trees toppled as dust and debris filled the air.
Lucy followed him down, her wings keeping her steady as she descended.
When the dust settled, Sasaki stood inside the crater without a scratch, a wide grin spreading across his face.
Lucy landed nearby and drove both swords into the ground.
A deep rumble followed.
The earth around them broke apart as enormous chunks of stone and soil rose into the air, floating at different heights like pieces of a shattered landscape.
Sasaki immediately activated Switch Mode, appearing directly in front of her with all four swords raised.
Lucy leapt onto one of the floating rocks.
Sasaki followed, and the two rushed toward each other.
Their swords collided as they moved from one floating stone to another, neither giving the other enough time to gain an advantage.
Suddenly, Sasaki's extra arms reached out and seized two enormous boulders.
He hurled them toward Lucy from opposite directions, attempting to trap her between the incoming rocks.
Lucy folded her wings and pulled both palms back. Her swords dissolved into streams of light as she gathered Renshi into her hands.
She thrust both palms forward.
Two powerful bursts of Renshi struck the boulders head-on, shattering them into clouds of dust and fragments.
Before the debris could settle, Lucy seized control of two other floating stones and sent them crashing toward Sasaki.
He crossed his four swords and raised his tail to meet the incoming rocks. The impact forced him to brace himself, but he managed to break both boulders apart before they could crush him.
Then his grin widened.
His body pulsed with Renshi, and two Alpha Darkside Spirit lookalikes appeared beside him.
Without hesitation, the creatures leapt toward Lucy, using the floating stones as stepping platforms. Their blade-like arms swung at her from different directions, forcing her to defend against multiple opponents.
Lucy summoned her twin swords again, meeting their attacks with quick parries and precise counters.
But before she could create any distance, Sasaki dropped from above with an enormous sword raised over his head.
Lucy sidestepped at the last moment.
Sasaki's blade smashed into the floating platform beneath her, reducing it to rubble. She spread her wings and remained airborne, narrowly avoiding the falling debris.
The battle continued across the floating stones.
Lucy defended against the two Alpha lookalikes while keeping Sasaki's relentless attacks at bay. Her swords flashed whenever she found an opening, but the three opponents continued pressing her from every direction.
Lucy's eyes narrowed as she exchanged another series of blows with Sasaki.
This won't end if I keep trying to save his sorry ass.
Their swords collided again, and she felt the familiar resistance in Sasaki's movements.
I can feel it whenever our blades meet. There's still a part of his humanity left inside him. But holding back won't bring it out.
She could no longer afford to fight as though her only goal was to restrain him. If she wanted to reach the human consciousness buried within Sasaki, she would first have to break through his defences.
Lucy folded her wings and descended, landing silently on a patch of solid ground.
Sasaki landed opposite her, all four swords ready. The two Alpha Darkside Spirit lookalikes settled beside him, one on either side.
Lucy stared at the three of them, her expression turning cold.
"So, this is your army, Sasaki? A couple of weak Darkside Spirits you devoured and turned into copies of themselves."
She raised her twin swords.
"What a pathetic being you've become."