The man in the black robe leaned back in his chair and folded his arms.
"I'm certain they'll attack again by tomorrow," he said. "Sometimes they return four days after their previous raid, and sometimes they come even sooner. I can't tell whether you've arrived at the right time or whether you're simply unlucky."
Miyamoto's eyes narrowed slightly.
"I see. Tell me, how many Alpha Darkside Spirits usually take part in these attacks?"
"Four or five," the leader replied. "The largest group we've encountered had six, while the smallest had four. They've never gone beyond that range."
Miyamoto rested his fingers against the table.
"And how did you discover that these Alphas were being controlled? Darkside Spirits don't usually cooperate so neatly without a reason."
The leader fell silent.
He stared at Miyamoto for a moment before finally answering.
"Isn't it obvious? Alpha Darkside Spirits wouldn't normally work together like that. Something stronger must be directing them, most likely Special Darkside Spirits."
He leaned forward, lowering his voice.
"And there's something worse. They don't eat their victims where they find them. They carry them back to their nest and feed on them there."
His expression grew desperate.
"Too many of my people have died already. If there's anything you can do to help us, please do it."
Amanda slammed her fist against the table.
"Of course we'll help. Just tell us where their leader is, and we'll take them down ourselves."
"Shut up, Amanda."
Miyamoto's sharp voice stopped her immediately.
He kept his attention on the man in the black robe.
"I don't mean to question everything you say, but there are several things that don't add up. The primary concern in the report mentioned Beta Darkside Spirits hunting the children of this town. However, the full report contains the number of Alpha Darkside Spirits and even mentions the existence of Special Darkside Spirits. How did your investigators obtain such precise information?"
He paused briefly.
"And now you're not saying anything about the Betas. But let's put that aside for the moment."
His gaze sharpened.
"Did your investigators actually find the nest? And if they did, where is it located?"
The leader released a weary sigh.
"I understand your suspicions, Mister, but these creatures aren't opponents you should take lightly. We sent four of our strongest Shinras to investigate. They concealed their Renshi and remained hidden in the forest for several days, observing the Darkside Spirits from a distance."
He gestured toward the four men seated around the table.
"Those are the men who gathered the information. They're the only ones I trusted with such a dangerous task."
Miyamoto glanced at the four men, studying them briefly.
"There's no need to question them here. They'll accompany us and lead us to the nest."
None of the four responded. They simply remained seated, watching Miyamoto.
Then the leader slowly smiled.
"Tell me something, Mister. How many Shinras have accepted this mission and never returned?"
Miyamoto's expression hardened.
"At least forty-five. No, fifty-six, including the last group of eleven."
The leader chuckled.
"You're still short by three. Fifty-nine Shinras have disappeared after accepting this mission."
Miyamoto's eyes narrowed.
Before anyone could respond...
BOOOOM!
The floor beneath the round table exploded.
Wooden fragments and chunks of stone shot across the chamber as a massive creature burst through the ground. Its enormous body crashed into the table, sending chairs tumbling in every direction.
The creature had a twisted, humanoid shape. Blades of bone extended from its forearms, while a long, muscular tail dragged across the broken floor with a harsh scraping sound.
An Alpha Darkside Spirit.
It lowered its head, revealing a pair of blood-red eyes.
Miyamoto reacted instantly.
"Switch Mode!"
A flash of Renshi surrounded him as he vanished from his position. Before the dust could settle, he reappeared near the far wall with Lucy and Amanda, one hand gripping each sister's arm.
He released them and stepped in front of them, placing himself between the girls and the monster.
"Stay behind me."
The Alpha slowly straightened, its tail sweeping across the rubble.
But the creature itself wasn't what unsettled Miyamoto.
The leader and the four supposed Shinras hadn't even moved.
They remained seated among the broken furniture, watching the scene as though the monster's sudden appearance were perfectly normal.
Then the Alpha lowered its head toward the man in the black robe.
"You were supposed to wait for my signal," the leader said, his voice carrying a trace of annoyance. "These ones are stronger than the others. I wanted to see what they could do first."
Miyamoto's grip tightened around his sword's hilt.
So that's how it is.
His gaze shifted between the leader and the four men.
"I knew something was wrong. Your story was too convenient, and your answers were too carefully prepared. Did you really think that disguise would be enough to fool us?"
Lucy stared at the Alpha, her face pale.
"Master... what is that thing? Its arms are covered in blades, and look at the size of its tail..."
The creature turned its blood-red eyes toward her.
Lucy flinched and instinctively stepped back.
"S-Scary..."
"Get a grip, Lu," Amanda snapped, though her own hand remained firmly on her sword. "Haven't you figured it out yet? Those men aren't Shinras. They're Darkside Spirits."
She glanced toward the leader, her anger growing.
"They created these missions to lure Shinras here. Every group that accepted the quest became their next meal. And now that they've run out of easy prey, they've turned this entire territory into a hunting ground."
Amanda looked at Miyamoto.
"You already suspected something was wrong, didn't you? I was watching them while you questioned the leader. Their answers didn't match what you'd expect from people genuinely trying to protect their town. They kept giving us just enough information to make us accept the mission, but never enough to help us find the nest ourselves."
Her eyes narrowed.
"That second question gave them away. They claimed to know the number of Alphas and the existence of their leaders, yet they couldn't tell us where the nest was. They wanted us to follow their instructions without asking too many questions."
Miyamoto gave her a brief, approving smile.
"Good observation. You're finally learning to look beyond what people tell you."
Amanda smirked.
"Of course I am. What do you take me for?"
"Don't get carried away."
Before Amanda could reply, the leader slowly rose from his chair.
"Enough talking. You've figured out our little game, so there's no reason to keep pretending."
He spread his arms, and his body began to change.
His long white hair shrivelled and darkened until it became black. His face twisted, his features growing more monstrous as his eyes turned a brilliant blood-red. The black robe covering his body tore apart, revealing dark crimson, armour-like scales spreading across his skin.
His Renshi surged through the chamber, pressing against the walls like an approaching storm.
Miyamoto watched without moving.
"So, you're Alaska, the Darkside Demon."
Alaska grinned, revealing rows of sharp teeth.
"You know my name. How interesting."
The four men around the table rose together.
Their human appearances began to distort. Their black hair whipped around their heads as dark energy poured from their bodies, and their eyes burned with an unnatural light.
The pressure inside the chamber increased.
Lucy felt her knees weaken as the combined auras pressed against her body. Amanda gritted her teeth, forcing herself to remain standing.
Miyamoto's gaze moved from one to the next, carefully assessing their Renshi.
Four Special Darkside Spirits...
Before he could finish, two of the creatures reached for each other.
Their hands locked together.
A violent surge of dark Renshi erupted between them, spreading across their bodies like black flames. Their forms began to merge, their outlines twisting as their combined energy forced the air around them to tremble.
The remaining two followed suit.
The floor cracked beneath their feet. The windows shattered, and the paintings tore from the walls as the pressure continued to rise.
Within seconds, the chamber was filled with two enormous masses of dark Renshi.
The merged creatures roared.
The sound shook the castle, sending cracks racing across the ceiling. Stone fragments rained down as the walls began to buckle beneath the force of their combined power.
Miyamoto immediately understood the danger.
If the castle collapsed around them, Lucy and Amanda could be buried beneath the rubble before they even had a chance to draw their swords.
He turned toward the sisters.
"Lucy. Amanda. Hold on to me, and don't let go."
Lucy grabbed his arm without hesitation.
Amanda hesitated for only a moment before gripping his other sleeve.
Alaska watched them with an amused smile.
"Running away already, Miyamoto? I expected more from someone who carries four swords."
Miyamoto's eyes remained fixed on him.
I'm not running away. I'm choosing where to fight.
Renshi surged around Miyamoto's body.
"Switch Mode!"
The three vanished in a flash of light.
A heartbeat later, the two merged Special Darkside Spirits unleashed another burst of dark Renshi.
KRAAAASH!
The remaining walls collapsed. The roof caved in, and the entire chamber was swallowed by a storm of dust, stone, and shattered wood.
Alaska stood among the ruins, watching the place where Miyamoto had disappeared.
His smile widened.
"Go on, then. Run as far as you like."
His blood-red eyes gleamed through the dust.
"You've only delayed the inevitable."