Lyon exhaled.
"Hey, kid. You'd better finish that thing and get back here. The attacks from above have stopped, so your master's battle is probably over. You remember what she told you before leaving to fight that man-monster, don't you?"
Alfie didn't respond. His attention remained fixed on the Alpha Darkside Spirit lookalike.
I can't waste any more time on this thing. I can't fail my second training under Master.
He finally pulled back, bringing his attacks to a halt.
To his surprise, the creature didn't rush forward to exploit the opening. Instead, it retreated several metres, watching him cautiously with its blackened eyes.
Huh? It's keeping its distance? I thought it would attack the moment I stopped, but it's being cautious instead.
Before Alfie could figure out what it was planning, the creature's arms began to twist and deform.
Blood-red Renshi surged through them, stretching into long, razor-tipped ropes. The transformation resembled the technique Sasaki had used to reshape his own body. Each arm split into dozens of thin strands, their sharpened tips writhing through the air like the tentacles of a monstrous beast.
They attacked without warning.
Some lashed down from above, while others burst from the ground around Alfie. The sharpened ropes struck from every direction, leaving him with almost no room to stand still.
Alfie sprinted around the creature, narrowly avoiding each attack. The ropes tore through the earth behind him, carving deep trenches into the ground, while others swept overhead with enough force to slice through trees.
The relentless barrage continued until Alfie spotted a small opening between the creature's attacks.
He changed direction and rushed in, catching one of the ropes just behind its sharpened tip.
With a powerful pull, he dragged the Alpha Darkside Spirit lookalike toward him.
The creature struggled to resist, but Alfie used its own momentum against it.
CRACK!
His fist smashed into its face, sending it skidding backward through the dirt.
Still holding the rope, Alfie yanked it again before the creature could regain its balance. As it was dragged back within reach, he delivered another heavy punch.
Then another.
And another.
Each blow drove the creature further off balance, breaking apart sections of its hardened body.
But the Alpha Darkside Spirit lookalike adapted quickly.
Several ropes suddenly wrapped around Alfie's torso, tightening until his arms were pinned against his sides. The creature pulled him forward, bringing their heads together.
BAM!
A brutal headbutt struck Alfie squarely in the forehead.
Blood ran down his face as he grunted in pain.
Before he could recover, the ropes twisted together, forming two enormous fists. The creature trapped him in place and began hammering him with one crushing blow after another.
Each impact jolted through Alfie's body. He struggled against the restraints, but the ropes only tightened, leaving him unable to defend himself properly.
Lyon finally lost his patience.
He activated Switch Mode and appeared beside the creature, his sword already sweeping toward its neck.
"STOP IT, OLD MAN!"
Alfie's roar stopped him just before the blade reached its target.
"DON'T INTERFERE...."
Lyon stared at him in disbelief.
After a brief hesitation, he withdrew his sword and used Switch Mode to return to the others.
Rebekah immediately turned toward him, panic written across her face.
"Why are you listening to him? That thing is beating him to death. Kill it before it goes any further."
Jackson, however, slipped his hands into his pockets and slowly stepped forward.
"Don't interfere," he said calmly. "If that's what he wants, let's see it through."
He raised his voice so Alfie could hear him.
"Hey, kid. I know you're strong. From today onward, you're going to be my rival in strength. Don't you dare die before we even get started."
Marcel chuckled beside him.
"That's more like you, Jack. Always encouraging people to push themselves to their limits."
Meanwhile, something began changing within Alfie.
His aura grew darker, spreading around his body like a thick cloud. The ropes binding his torso began to smoke and hiss, as though an intense heat were burning through them.
Within seconds, they disintegrated.
The Alpha Darkside Spirit lookalike released a furious roar. Its two enormous fists merged into one massive arm, which it raised high above its head before bringing it crashing down toward Alfie.
The blow carried enough force to shatter the ground beneath him.
But Alfie moved first.
He leapt toward the descending fist, concentrating dense, dark Renshi into his feet. His kick struck the creature's enormous arm before the attack could land.
BOOM!
The giant fist exploded into fragments of black flesh and Renshi, scattering debris across the battlefield.
The creature recoiled, quickly drawing the remaining Renshi back into its body. Its arms reshaped into two crimson blades, and it used Switch Mode to close the distance.
The blades came at Alfie in a relentless series of slashes.
But Alfie's movements had changed.
He slipped past the first strike, leaned away from the second, and turned his body just enough to let the third blade pass beside him. Every movement was precise, allowing him to avoid the attacks without wasting energy.
His eyes had turned completely black, with no white visible. Dark veins spread beneath his skin, pulsing with the corrupted power flowing through his body.
Suddenly, Alfie caught one of the creature's blade-arms.
At the same time, the dark veins extending from his body reached toward his sword, wrapping around its hilt and pulling it into his hand.
The next moment, everything happened in a blur.
One slash.
The Alpha Darkside Spirit lookalike was split cleanly in two.
Its body began to unravel, breaking apart into black dust before the wind could carry its remains away.
"Alfie..."
Lucy's voice rang out as she landed on one of the few trees still standing.
"I never allowed you to use that much dark Renshi. Forcing it out like that will damage the seal."
The darkness within Alfie surged violently.
His aura multiplied eightfold in an instant.
He dropped to his knees, clutching his head as unbearable pain tore through him. His fingers dug into the earth, and his entire body trembled.
Then his aura erupted.
A powerful shockwave blasted outward, shaking the battlefield and cracking the ground beneath everyone's feet.
Lyon reacted immediately, throwing up a barrier around Rebekah, Jackson, and Marcel before the force could reach them.
Bash tensed, preparing to rush forward.
"I'm going to..."
"Leave him to me," Lucy interrupted.
Her voice remained calm.
She activated Switch Mode and appeared beside Alfie.
He was still on his knees, trembling violently, his fingers digging deeper into the dirt as he struggled to hold back the darkness consuming him.