"This place isn't an ordinary forest. How the hell did I even end up here in the first place? I was with the others, then we got attacked, and somehow, I got separated from everyone,after master accepted that Sasaki guy all of a sudden."
Alfie glanced around at the twisted trees.
"What was the last thing I saw? A tree? A shadow? Damn it, I can't remember. None of this makes any sense."
Suddenly, the shadows between the trees began to shift.
Several figures emerged from the darkness. Their bodies resembled wooden versions of Beta Darkside Spirits, with twisted limbs covered in rough bark and faint green lights glowing from their hollow eyes.
Alfie raised his fists and forced a crooked smile.
"Hey, hey, give me a break. This has to be an illusion, right? There's no way I'm actually stuck here with wooden Darkside Spirits."
He glanced at the creatures, hoping they would disappear.
They didn't.
Four of them lunged at him from behind.
Alfie's instincts kicked in. He twisted out of their path, rolled across the ground, and sprang back to his feet as their wooden blades carved deep grooves into the soil.
But before he could catch his breath, dozens more emerged from the surrounding trees.
Alfie slowly clenched his fists.
"Fine. Whether you're real or fake, I'm not letting a bunch of wooden freaks beat me up. If this is some kind of game, then let's play."
Twenty-four wooden Darkside Spirits stretched their arms toward him. Their limbs twisted and elongated, transforming into thick wooden ropes covered in sharp spikes.
At the same time, thirty more charged forward, their arms reshaping into jagged blades.
Alfie's smile disappeared.
"Oh, come on. You brought the whole damn forest?"
The first wave attacked.
He dashed between the trees as the spiked ropes whipped through the air. One tore through a thick tree trunk just inches from his head, while another slammed into the ground beneath his feet, scattering dirt and splinters.
Alfie leapt over the damaged roots, twisted in midair, and landed just as the blade-wielding creatures closed in.
He ducked beneath a slash and drove his fist into one creature's stomach. Its wooden body cracked, sending it stumbling backward.
Another swung at his head.
Alfie leaned aside and countered with an uppercut, shattering its jaw.
But the others gave him no time to breathe.
He blocked one attack, dodged another, then jumped over a third blade that nearly sliced into his leg. Behind him, the spiked ropes continued striking from a distance, forcing him to keep moving while the melee fighters attempted to surround him.
As the battle continued, Alfie began noticing something strange.
His movements were becoming sharper.
He could read the angles of incoming attacks more easily, and his reactions seemed faster than before. Attacks that would have caught him off guard moments earlier were now much easier to avoid.
What's happening?
He slipped past another blade and punched the creature wielding it in the face.
My body is adapting to their movements. Am I actually getting stronger, or is this just another part of the illusion?
Alfie shifted from defense to offense, charging directly into their formation. His fists struck with increasing force, shattering wooden skulls and breaking apart torsos.
Seven creatures fell in rapid succession.
Yet the enemies showed no sign of stopping.
The twenty-four rope-wielding creatures increased the speed of their attacks, forcing Alfie to dodge with almost no room to spare.
I need to get closer to those things.
He glanced toward the creatures controlling the ropes, but the thirty blade-wielders blocked his path.
Then the enemy changed its strategy.
Fourteen of the melee fighters leapt ahead of him, cutting off his escape route. The remaining creatures closed in from behind.
Before Alfie could adjust, seven of them grabbed their own allies by the limbs and began swinging them around like living weapons.
"What the…"
They released them.
The wooden creatures hurtled toward Alfie from different directions.
"Shit."
He dodged the first four by twisting sideways, ducking, and throwing himself across the ground.
But the remaining three struck him before he could recover.
BOOOOM.
The impact sent him flying through the forest. He crashed through several trees, breaking branches and scattering splinters before slamming against a thick trunk.
Pain shot through his body.
He coughed, blood escaping his mouth.
Grabbing the tree beside him, Alfie slowly forced himself upright.
"Damn… That actually hurt… even if it doesn't hurt physically."
His eyes narrowed as he watched the wooden creatures approach again.
"I'm done taking your bullshit."
Alfie pushed away from the tree and charged.
The remaining twenty-three blade-wielding creatures rushed toward him, their weapons swinging from every direction.
He ducked beneath one strike, blocked another with his forearm, and drove his fist into the attacker's chest.
The creature shattered.
But before he could follow up, a wooden blade sliced across his shoulder.
Alfie winced and stumbled sideways. Another attack grazed his ribs, leaving a fresh cut across his skin.
He gritted his teeth and struck back, smashing the creature's head apart.
I don't care how many times you cut me. I'll keep hitting back. None of this is real.
He rushed through their formation, dodging whenever possible and countering whenever an opening appeared. His movements were becoming more efficient, but the enemies' numbers and relentless attacks were gradually wearing him down.
At the same time, the twenty-four rope-wielding creatures unleashed another barrage.
Spiked ropes swept through the trees, tearing apart branches and forcing Alfie to abandon his position.
He jumped onto a nearby trunk, climbed several feet, and launched himself toward a thick branch.
The ropes followed.
One wrapped around the branch and ripped it apart. Another shot toward his legs, forcing him to twist in midair before landing on a neighbouring tree.
Behind him, the remaining twenty-three melee fighters continued their pursuit.
Then eighteen of them leapt into the air.
Their bodies twisted unnaturally as they wrapped their limbs around themselves, forming spinning wheels covered in jagged wooden edges.
The other five spread out, rushing toward Alfie from different directions to cut off his escape.
Alfie glanced at the spinning creatures above him.
"Tch. You think I'll fall for that? The rope users are the real problem."
The eighteen wooden wheels descended.
Alfie sprang backward, barely avoiding the first impact. One slammed into the ground where he had been standing, sending dirt and splinters flying.
Another struck a tree and tore straight through its trunk.
The others followed, crashing into the forest with terrifying force.
But they didn't remain motionless after landing. Their bodies unfolded, and they immediately resumed their attacks.
Alfie ducked beneath a spinning limb, rolled across the ground, and kicked off a tree trunk to avoid another strike.
The five remaining creatures continued harassing him, slashing at his sides whenever he tried to move toward the rope users.
He blocked one attack and countered with a punch, but another blade forced him to retreat.
Damn it. These things are working together.
The eighteen spinning creatures gradually closed the distance while the other five prevented him from escaping. Within moments, Alfie found himself surrounded.
He looked around at the wooden enemies, his expression growing cold.
"Tch… Still nothing?"
His fists tightened.
I don't know what's happening to Master and Rebekah, and I don't know where everyone else is. But if these creeps separated me from them just to waste my time, then they've made a serious mistake.
Alfie's muscles tensed.
Force Energy surged through his body.
The air around him seemed to vibrate as he pushed himself beyond his previous limits.
He moved.
His first punch struck a wooden Darkside Spirit squarely in the head.
BOOM.
Its skull exploded into splinters.
Alfie pivoted and struck the next creature before it could complete its attack.
CRACK.
Its upper body shattered.
He continued forward, his movements becoming faster and more direct. Rather than wasting energy on unnecessary dodges, he began striking the instant an opening appeared.
One creature fell.
Then another.
Each punch landed with enough force to break through their wooden bodies.
Within fifteen seconds, twenty of them lay scattered across the forest floor.
Three remained.
Before Alfie could finish them, ten spiked ropes shot toward him from different directions.
He leapt into the air, twisting between the incoming attacks. As he passed the remaining spinning creatures, he grabbed two of them by their wooden bodies and dragged them off course.
Then he drove both into the ground.
CRAAACK.
Their skulls broke against the earth, and their bodies fell apart.
The final creature rushed toward him, its jagged limbs spinning like blades.
Alfie waited until it was close, then landed a powerful punch that shattered its body.
At the same moment, he sidestepped an incoming spiked rope and caught it before it could pull away.
He wrapped it around his hand and pulled hard, dragging the rope-wielding creature toward him.
"Caught you."
The creature flew straight into his waiting fist.
BOOM.
Its body shattered.
Alfie released the broken rope and landed on the ground.
One down… How many more?
The answer came almost immediately.
From the shadows between the trees, twenty-three more wooden Darkside Spirits emerged. Their arms stretched outward, transforming into spiked ropes that lashed toward him from above, below, and both sides.
Alfie stared at them for a moment.
"You're kidding me."
The ropes struck.
He dashed forward instead of retreating, slipping between two attacks before leaping over a third. One rope grazed his side, but he ignored the fake pain and grabbed another before it could pull away.
With a sharp tug, he dragged its owner toward him.
His fist struck the creature's face.
Its head shattered.
The remaining creatures quickly retracted their ropes, reshaping their arms into jagged swords.
They advanced toward Alfie.
He lowered his stance, keeping his eyes fixed on the approaching enemies.
Good. Come closer.
His Force Energy surged again.
The first creature swung.
Alfie dodged the blade and struck its ribs.
The second attacked from his left. He turned, blocked its arm, and smashed his fist into its head.
The third tried to stab him from behind, but Alfie twisted away and drove his elbow into its chest.
One after another, the wooden creatures fell.
The battle became a relentless exchange of attacks. Alfie blocked when he had to, dodged whenever he could, and countered the instant his opponents left an opening.
He fought as though his life depended on it.
Thirty seconds later, the final wooden Darkside Spirit collapsed beneath his fist.
Alfie stood among the shattered bodies, his chest rising and falling as he struggled to catch his breath. Sweat dripped from his face, and blood ran from several cuts across his arms and torso.
He finally staggered toward a nearby tree and sank against its trunk.
"Hah… Hah… Damn pests."
He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to steady his breathing.
I need to get out of here. That wall of darkness I saw earlier… Maybe that's the only way forward.
Alfie slowly pushed himself to his feet.
But as he stood, he noticed something strange.
All his injuries were gone.
The cuts across his arms and torso had vanished completely, leaving no trace of the damage he'd suffered.
---
Meanwhile, near the border between the Kingdoms of Sunflower and Eminence…
Lucy, Sasaki, Bash, and Lyon continued moving through the forest.
The unfamiliar Renshi signature Lucy had sensed earlier was growing stronger. There was no longer any doubt that someone was nearby.
Lucy slowed her pace, her expression turning serious.
"The aura is close. There's no mistake about it. Stay alert, all of you."
Sasaki nodded, his eyes scanning the trees.
"Understood."
Bash tightened his grip on his weapon, while Lyon carefully watched their surroundings.
Then the air above them began to distort.
A massive teleportation circle appeared in the sky, its edges glowing with an eerie light. The space around it twisted as three men stepped through.
Before Lucy and the others could react, another teleportation circle opened beneath their feet.
A figure emerged from it.
Pascal.
He straightened his clothes and looked at the group with an amused smile.
"You people really need to stop making such flashy entrances. The kid is already in our grasp. There's no need to make such a big deal out of it."
Lucy's expression changed instantly.
"What did you just say?"
Before Pascal could answer, another voice came from among the trees.
"Indeed."
The voice was calm, almost amused.
Everyone turned toward the sound.
A lone figure stepped out from behind a nearby tree.
Lucy froze.
Her eyes widened as recognition struck her.
Lyon, Bash, and Sasaki immediately became alert.
Lucy took a step forward, anger flashing across her face.
"You bastard!"
Her voice echoed through the forest.
"What kid are you talking about? What have you done to Alfie?"
The man looked at her with a mocking smile.
"Lower your voice, Lucy. Shouting won't change anything."
His expression darkened slightly.
"Your precious student is already inside my Limbo Mundo. There's nothing you can do about it now."
Lucy's eyes widened further.
"Limbo Mundo…?"
She stared at him, disbelief slowly turning into fury.
"No. It can't be…"
Her fists clenched.
"Wait… It's you?"
The man said nothing, but the smile on his face confirmed her suspicion.
Lucy looked at him, then at Pascal and the three men who had gone to Guhan earlier.
"The five of you… You actually betrayed Golden Katana after all huh?"
Her voice trembled with anger.
"What a disgrace. After everything, you dare to show your faces here?"
The newcomer's smile widened. His dark aura began spreading through the forest, twisting the air around him like rising black smoke.
"Betray?"
He let out a quiet laugh.
"You're still as foolish as ever, Lucy."
His gaze hardened.
"We never served Golden Katana in the first place."