"Hahaha! Then I guess we'll let the kids decide who their master's gonna be," Bash said with a grin, turning his back on the special darkside knight.
The special darkside knight folded his arms, don't take that too personal. "Hold on, old man. I can help you get to the battlefield directly. No need to waste more Renshi."
"I appreciate that," Bash replied, pausing. "But I can't interfere with another kingdom's affairs outside my own. I'm only here for support. If you and the boys can't handle that pro darkside knight and his accomplice—retreat immediately."
Bash nodded, smirking. "Roger that, brat."
He walked over to Jackson and bent down to meet him at eye level. "You did well, kid. Keep it up."
"Stop that, old man! I'm not a kid—quit petting my head!" Jackson snapped, blushing in embarrassment.
Bash chuckled. Marcel and the special darkside knight laughed too,mind your words around me old man,I'm the special darkside knight of this kingdom,I won't allow you call me a brat in my home,the special darkside knight said still smiling.
A female mage suddenly entered, holding a Renshical Rod with a glowing green orb atop. She struck it against the floor—BOOM! A massive Renshi teleportation circle appeared beneath Bash, Jackson, and Marcel, activating with a powerful hum.
---
Meanwhile… at the border of the Kingdom of Eminence and the Kingdom of Sunflower…
Sasaki's wounds had completely healed. His clothes were torn from the previous fight. With a grunt, he ripped off what remained of his shirt.
All across his body, veins bulged like crimson rivers, threatening to burst. His muscles began to swell and expand, stretching and tearing through his trousers until the fabric slacked and shredded entirely around his legs. His eyes turned blood red—no whites remained.
Alfie and Rebekah stood frozen, watching as the monster known as Sasaki the Ripper returned to life.
"He's evolving again…" Alfie murmured.
"Now Sasaki the Ripper is back," Lyon muttered darkly.
"What do you mean by that?" Lucy asked, squinting at Lyon.
"He's far beyond your league, woman," Lyon said. "And I'll try to forget you called me a 'boy' just now."
He turned his gaze to Sasaki, grim and serious.
"The beast you see now is a predator of darkside spirits. He kills them, eats them… and uses their Renshi to grow stronger. He's devoured hundreds of Beta and Alpha-darkside spirits. Once, he even took on a special darkside spirit by himself—killed it… ate every trace of its flesh. There was nothing left."
Lyon looked Lucy dead in the eyes.
"Now imagine the Renshi of all those creatures—Beta, Alpha, and Special darkside spirit—all compressed into one man. That's what you're facing."
Lucy was silent for a beat… then smirked.
"Well, this is perfect," she said. "Absolutely perfect. I finally meet the idiot who cost me a fortune on a mission years ago. This is fate."
Her smile grew cold, dangerous.
"I'm going to repay you ten times the embarrassment you caused me."
Lyon blinked. What the hell? She's not even scared?
His thoughts churned. She's underestimating Sasaki. Not just because of the spirits he consumed… Sasaki also has an immense reserve of Renshi of his own. I'm not sure even Exca could handle him now.
---
Sasaki's body finished its grotesque evolution, now twice the size of his former self. A blood-red Renshi aura rose around him like a tornado, swirling from his feet to his waist.
Then—it vanished.
The vortex of energy sank into the earth… only to erupt again—this time surrounding Lucy, Lyon, Alfie, and Rebekah.
"A domain…!" Lyon muttered, stunned.
The blood-colored tornado soared higher than the forest trees, spinning at such velocity that a human body would be torn to shreds on contact.
"What the hell is this?!" Rebekah screamed, rushing to Lucy.
Alfie stood firm, readying himself for combat.
"Alfie, get back," Lucy ordered, her tone sharp. "It's time your master showed you what she can really do."
Alfie hesitated—then saw the seriousness in her eyes. He nodded and stepped back slowly.
With a flash, Lucy activated Switch Mode, appearing beside Alfie in a blink. She grabbed his wrist—SWOOSH!—and warped back to her original spot, just in time.
A massive Renshi circle burst open within the domain, and from it—Bash, Jackson, and Marcel emerged.
Lyon didn't move. His wide eyes trembled in disbelief.
"No… this can't be…!"
He suddenly shouted, "WATCH OUT! THIS FIELD—IT'S CAUSING HALLUCINATIONS!"
Sasaki let out a booming laugh.
The echo of his voice alone caused their ears to ring in pain. Everyone grimaced, clutching their heads. The intensity of his presence was overwhelming.
Jackson and Marcel sprinted toward Lyon, who stared at them like he'd seen ghosts. When they stopped in front of him, Jackson stepped forward, speaking softly.
"I know you don't want to do this," Jackson said. "But you need to stop."
He narrowed his eyes at the looming predator.
"There's no way we're letting you kill an innocent woman… or take that boy back."