The blade crashed against Lucy's wings with a deafening clang.
A powerful shockwave swept through the forest, sending dust and leaves spiraling into the air. Nearby trees shook violently, while cracks spread across the ground beneath their feet.
Yet Lucy remained standing.
Her white, feathered wings had barely moved. Not a single feather had been cut. Sasaki's enormous sword had failed to pierce them.
Instead, a jagged crack had appeared along the edge of his blade.
Sasaki's eyes widened.
Impossible... How can a pair of wings be harder than steel?
He immediately retreated with Switch Mode, reappearing several meters away. His boots scraped against the dirt as he steadied himself and examined the damage to his weapon.
They're just feathers and bones. How does this make any sense?
"Don't look so surprised, brat," Lucy remarked, glancing over her shoulder.
Her expression was almost bored.
I wasn't serious earlier. In fact, I haven't fought seriously in a very long time.
She slowly turned to face him.
"But there's one thing I can't stand, and that's a man who doesn't know how to treat a lady."
Sasaki's expression darkened.
"Don't take me lightly, woman. And stop calling everyone a brat as if you're some ancient goddess."
Red Renshi began gathering around his body.
"I'm the predator of Darkside Spirits. No human alive can defeat me."
Lucy disappeared.
Sasaki barely had time to react before she appeared directly in front of him.
His instincts screamed.
He thrust out his free hand, releasing a powerful red tornado that swept across the clearing. The violent winds tore up the ground and ripped branches from the surrounding trees, creating a swirling wall of debris between them.
But Lucy didn't budge.
She stood inside the tornado, her wings spread as the raging winds swept around her.
Sasaki stared at her in disbelief.
What? She's inside my reverse domain, and the wind isn't even moving her?
He clenched his teeth and increased the tornado's intensity. Then, with another surge of Renshi, he summoned dozens of Darkside Spirit lookalikes within the vortex.
The creatures emerged from the swirling darkness and lunged at Lucy from every direction.
She made no attempt to retreat.
Instead, she slowly raised one hand.
"Wabi... Sabi..."
Her voice was quiet, almost melodic.
Sasaki frowned.
"What are you..."
Lucy extended her fingers toward him.
Then she snapped them.
BOOM!
White Renshi erupted from her body, mixing with her Force Energy in a blinding surge. The resulting shockwave tore through the tornado, scattering its winds before they could recover.
The Darkside Spirit lookalikes disintegrated almost instantly.
Sasaki tried to brace himself, but the force struck before he could establish a proper defense. He was hurled backward, his boots carving two deep trenches through the dirt before he finally came to a stop.
He clutched his head.
What...?
A strange emptiness spread through his mind.
Hold on... Why did I call myself the predator of Darkside Spirits earlier?
His breathing became uneven.
What am I missing?
Lucy lowered her hand, watching him with cold, unwavering eyes.
"Wabi Sabi. A technique I developed decades ago."
She took a step toward him.
"I rarely use it, but it works particularly well against opponents who don't understand spiritual energy."
She raised one finger.
"By combining my Renshi with Force Energy, I create a spiritual disruptor called the Soul Brute technique. Instead of simply damaging the body, it interferes with the target's spiritual form."
Her eyes narrowed.
"And you, Sasaki... You've spent so much time devouring Darkside Spirits that you've neglected to understand the very nature of the energy you're dealing with."
A faint smirk crossed her face.
"You should learn something beyond devouring Darkside Spirits, Sasaki the Reaper."
Her words struck him harder than the shockwave.
Sasaki staggered, pressing both hands against his head as fragments of conflicting thoughts flooded his mind.
"I am Sasaki..."
His voice trembled.
"Sa... Sa..."
He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stand.
"I AM SASAKI!"
His scream echoed through the forest as a massive Renshical aura burst from his body.
The ground beneath him cracked, and crimson light surged into the sky.
Lucy watched without moving.
That's more like it.
---
MEANWHILE, IN GUHAN
Exca abruptly stiffened in his chair.
He could feel Sasaki's Renshi surging through their connection, growing increasingly unstable.
Damn it... His Renshi is spiraling out of control.
Exca clenched his fists beneath the table.
My own Renshi is already depleted from maintaining the mind-control spell. After shrinking the circle, I can barely keep the connection stable.
Across from him, the towering man in white leaned back in his chair.
"Tell us, Special Darkside Knight. Why are you hiding this from your Pro Darkside Knights?"
Another man smiled faintly.
"We have all the time in the world to hear your answer. It's entirely up to you how long this conversation lasts."
The third man chuckled.
"That technique requires a considerable amount of Renshi, doesn't it? With your reserves running so low, you can't afford to break the connection now."
Exca slammed his fist against the armrest.
"Get the hell out of my castle. Your presence is no longer needed. I'll handle this myself."
The towering man grinned.
"Don't fool yourself, Exca. We're not here because you crushed your badge."
He leaned forward, his expression becoming more serious.
"We have our own business with you. Your emergency summons and our arrival just happened to coincide."
Exca's eyes narrowed.
The man continued.
"The Reinforcement was supposed to consist of five members, wasn't it?"
He glanced at his two companions before looking back at Exca.
"You're so busy throwing your weight around that you forgot how to count."
---
BACK AT THE BORDER BETWEEN SUNFLOWER AND EMINENCE
Sasaki's mind had become a battlefield of its own.
I am Exca.
Capture the boy.
Kill the woman.
Do whatever I want with the little girl.
He shook his head violently.
"No..."
His fingers dug into his scalp.
"My name... is Sasaki the Reaper!"
His Renshi surged again, spreading across the forest in violent crimson waves.
"I'M THE PREDATOR OF DARKSIDE SPIRITS!"
The two conflicting identities continued to clash inside his mind. Each time Sasaki tried to reclaim control, Exca's commands pulled him in the opposite direction.
His aura grew increasingly unstable, flaring wildly before contracting around his body.
Lucy watched him carefully.
"There we go!"
Her voice rang across the clearing.
"Bring it all out, Reaper..."
She raised her sword and pointed it toward him.
"That fool controlling you thinks he's already unleashed your full Renshi, but he has no idea what you're truly capable of."
Her expression hardened.
"Now show me the man who stole my prey years ago and made my entire squad the laughingstock of my kingdom!"
Sasaki's head snapped toward her.
His eyes cleared.
Then his expression twisted with fury.
A deafening roar escaped his throat as his Renshi erupted once more. The crimson aura climbed into the sky, shaking the surrounding trees and splitting the earth beneath his feet.
But something was wrong.
His body began to convulse.
Sasaki dropped to his knees, clutching his chest as his enormous aura suddenly started collapsing inward.
Crack!
His bones shifted beneath his skin. His muscular frame began to shrink, and his screams grew louder as the crimson energy was forcibly drawn back into his body.
Lucy took a cautious step backward, keeping her sword ready.
What's happening to him?
The Renshi continued to contract, becoming denser and more concentrated until the crimson light vanished completely.
Then everything went silent.
Sasaki remained kneeling in the ruined clearing, his head hanging low. His shoulders rose and fell as he struggled to catch his breath.
Lucy studied him, uncertain whether he had finally regained control.
---
BACK IN GUHAN
Exca felt the change immediately.
His connection to Sasaki had gone quiet.
His eyes widened.
I've lost control.
He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms.
After everything he had done to maintain the mind-control spell, Sasaki was no longer responding to his commands.
Exca slowly raised his head toward the three men seated across from him.
"I don't care what personal grudge you have against me," he said coldly. "I have my own mission to complete."
His gaze hardened.
"If you're not here to help, then get the hell out of my castle."
He shouted the final words, his voice echoing through the meeting room.