Miyamoto slid his second sword back into its sheath. His breathing was heavy but controlled, and the battlefield surrounding him had become nothing more than a wasteland of shattered earth and smouldering ruins.
Alaska lay at his feet, barely conscious.
Miyamoto reached down, grabbed him by the throat, and lifted his battered body off the ground with one hand.
"I won't kill you with my sword," he said coldly. "That would be showing too much respect to a Darkside Spirit who's slaughtered countless innocent people. You don't deserve an honourable death."
He extended his free hand toward the enormous golden sword still buried in the earth.
The weapon trembled before tearing itself out of the ground and flying toward him. Miyamoto caught it by the hilt, barely reacting to its immense weight.
"This sword once represented your strength and pride," he continued, staring into Alaska's bloodshot eyes. "Now, it'll be the weapon that ends your life."
His grip tightened around the hilt.
"As a Shinra of this country, I sentence you, Alaska the Darkside Demon, to death."
Miyamoto raised the golden sword, preparing to bring it down.
Suddenly, Alaska began to laugh.
"Hahaha... You really think... you've... won?"
Miyamoto narrowed his eyes.
Alaska's battered body began trembling. A strange glow spread across his chest as the remaining scales on his arms tightened. Beneath his skin, black veins bulged and spread.
Miyamoto immediately sensed the change.
Is he planning to...?
Alaska grinned through his bloodied teeth.
"If I'm going to... die, Miyamoto... then you're coming with me."
The remaining Renshi within his body began rushing toward his heart, compressing into an unstable mass of energy. The ground beneath his feet cracked as the pressure surrounding him continued to rise.
"Self-destruction!"
Miyamoto's eyes widened.
He immediately tried to throw Alaska away, but the dying Darkside Spirit reacted faster than expected. His clawed hand clamped around Miyamoto's wrist, locking him in place.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Let go, you bastard!"
Miyamoto activated Switch Mode, attempting to teleport out of his grip. But Alaska's claws tightened, while his remaining scales hardened around their locked hands, reinforced by the last reserves of his Renshi.
Miyamoto tried to wrench his wrist free.
It wouldn't budge.
Damn it. If I stay here, I'm finished.
He swung the golden sword toward Alaska's arm, but the darkside demon twisted his body, using his grip to keep Miyamoto close while shielding himself with his remaining scales.
The glow spreading across Alaska's chest grew brighter.
Tch. You've really left me no choice.
Miyamoto tightened his grip on the golden sword and drove its blade straight through Alaska's skull.
Alaska's grin vanished.
Then his body erupted with light.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The explosion swallowed the remains of the battlefield.
A massive wave of Renshi tore through the forest, vaporising distant trees and blasting apart the ground. The shockwave spread in every direction, burying the remaining ruins beneath a towering column of fire and dust.
The earth split open. Rocks were hurled into the sky, and the sheer force of the explosion shook the surrounding kingdoms.
At the centre of the blast, Alaska's body disappeared completely.
Just before the explosion consumed him, Miyamoto pulled the sword from Alaska's skull and activated Switch Mode one final time.
He reappeared high above the destruction, his body suspended in the air as he struggled to catch his breath.
"Tch... That was too close."
Sweat ran down his face, and his arms trembled from exhaustion. His Renshi cloak had weakened considerably, but it had managed to protect him from the worst of the explosion.
He glanced down at the enormous cloud of smoke spreading across the land.
That idiot nearly took me with him.
His expression grew serious.
An explosion of this scale won't go unnoticed. The head of the Shinras will definitely investigate.
Miyamoto sheathed the golden sword and looked toward the distant kingdom.
I need to get out of here before anyone arrives.
With that, he activated Switch Mode and vanished into the sky.
---
Meanwhile, in the Kingdom of Purity
Outside the house, Amanda stood facing Lucy, her fists clenched and her expression twisted with anger.
"You crushed the jade, Lucy. Don't even try to deny it."
Lucy shook her head in frustration.
"I already told you, I didn't crush it. The shockwave hit us just as you threw it to me. The jade activated on its own, and the next thing I knew, we were here."
"Stop making excuses..."
Amanda stepped toward her, her voice rising.
"You had a chance to save him, but you chose to run away."
Lucy's expression hardened.
"A chance? What was I supposed to do? That explosion was powerful enough to destroy everything around us. We would've died if the jade hadn't teleported us."
"We should've stayed with him."
"And what would that have accomplished?" Lucy shot back. "We were already injured, and we couldn't even defeat the two peak Special Darkside Spirits fighting us. Staying there would've only gotten us killed."
Amanda fell silent for a moment.
"You've changed so much, Lucy."
Lucy lowered her gaze.
No, Amanda. You're the one who's changed.
Amanda's expression stiffened.
"What did you just say?"
"Ever since I refused to join you in seeking revenge against the Kingdom of Berserker, you've treated me differently."
Lucy's voice softened, but she held her sister's gaze.
"Do you think I've forgotten what happened to our parents? I haven't. I miss them too."
She paused, struggling to hold back her emotions.
"But I won't let their deaths turn me into someone who only knows how to hate."
Amanda's hands trembled.
"You don't understand what I've been through... mentally."
"Maybe I don't understand everything," Lucy replied quietly. "But you're still my big sister. No matter what happens, that will never change."
She took a step toward Amanda.
"I'll always care about you, even if I can't follow the path you've chosen."
Amanda stared at her, unable to respond.
Lucy turned and walked into the house.
The door closed behind her.
For several seconds, Amanda remained outside, staring at the ground.
Why...
Her fingers slowly curled into fists.
Why does it feel like I'm the one who's wrong when I'm not?
Her chest tightened as memories of their parents flooded her mind. Their faces, their voices, and the day everything had been taken away from her.
She clenched her teeth.
"No."
Her voice trembled.
"No, I won't let this go... NEVER."
Her eyes filled with tears, her expression twisting with anger.
The Shinras of Berserker killed our parents. They destroyed our family and took everything from us.
Her breathing quickened.
I'll make them pay. Every last one of them.
Not today... but someday, even if it takes hundreds of years. I don't care how long it takes.
"BERSERKER MUST PAY."
The moment those words left her mouth, her Renshi surged out of control.
BOOOOM!
A dark aura erupted from Amanda's body, spreading across the street with terrifying force.
The windows of nearby buildings shattered. Roof tiles were ripped into the air, and the ground cracked beneath her feet.
The pressure continued to rise.
A towering column of dark Renshi shot into the sky, twisting the clouds above the kingdom into a massive spiral.
Amanda stood at its centre, her hair whipping wildly in the violent wind.
She was barely conscious. Her eyes had turned completely black, leaving no trace of their usual colour.
Lucy rushed back outside as the pressure shook the house.
"Amanda..."
She shielded her face against the violent wind, struggling to approach her sister.
"Stop it. You're losing control."
Amanda didn't respond.
Her aura continued spreading, tearing apart rooftops and sending debris flying through the streets.
Lucy released her own Renshi, forming a protective barrier around herself as she struggled to push forward.
"Please, Amanda. The Shinras will sense this."
She reached out toward her sister.
"You're going to bring the entire kingdom down on us."
Amanda's eyes remained fixed on the sky.
She couldn't hear Lucy anymore.
Her anger had consumed everything else.
---
Inside the Kingdom's Castle
A sudden tremor shook the castle walls.
Several Shinra guards rushed into the main hall as alarms began ringing throughout the building.
Within a nearby chamber, a powerful presence stirred.
Death Stare, a Pro Darkside Knight, slowly opened his eyes.
He had sensed the surge of Renshi the moment it erupted.
His expression darkened.
What is that?
He rose from his seat, allowing his own aura to spread just enough to examine the disturbance.
The Renshi was unstable, powerful, and growing stronger by the second.
Someone is releasing an enormous amount of Renshi inside the kingdom.
He turned toward the guards.
"Investigate immediately. Find the source and determine whether it's a threat."
One of the guards bowed.
"Understood."
He turned and hurried out of the hall.
Outside, a Shinra guard stood atop a tower, staring at the dark column twisting above the town.
"Unidentified Renshi surge detected. Multiple buildings have been damaged. All available units, move out."
"Roger!"
Several Shinras activated Switch Mode, vanishing from their positions as they rushed toward the disturbance.
Amanda still hadn't stopped.
---
High above the kingdom gates, Miyamoto reappeared.
He had been preparing to leave the area when the enormous surge of dark Renshi caught his attention.
His expression changed immediately.
What the hell is that?
He turned toward the town and spotted the dark column rising into the sky.
Then he recognised the energy at its centre.
That idiot...
Miyamoto rubbed his forehead.
She's completely lost control. At this rate, every Shinra in the kingdom will be after her.
He sensed several powerful auras moving toward the disturbance.
His expression grew more serious.
And if Death Stare gets involved, things will become even more troublesome.
Miyamoto released a thin layer of Renshi around his body, masking his presence as much as possible.
Then he activated Switch Mode.
In a flash, he crossed the distance between himself and the town, reappearing directly in front of Amanda.
She stood trembling, surrounded by a raging storm of dark energy.
Miyamoto stared at her for a moment before letting out an irritated sigh.
"Seriously..."
He raised his voice.
"Come on, Amanda. Get a grip on yourself."
She didn't even look at him.