Sasaki's eyes twitched.
Lucy's Iaido strikes were growing faster. Every time he blinked, she seemed to draw closer, leaving him barely enough time to react.
She's right there...
He forced his eyes to track her movements, but concentrating on her position left openings in his defense. Lucy took advantage of every one.
Shhhk! Shhhk!
White flashes streaked across his vision as her blade cut through the air.
His body was covered in wounds, but his regenerative ability closed them almost as quickly as they appeared. Even so, keeping up with Lucy's relentless attacks was becoming increasingly difficult.
For two full minutes, she gave him no opportunity to counterattack.
"Nukitsuke Iaido..."
Sensing another strike approaching, Sasaki immediately activated Switch Mode and dropped out of the air. The red tornado beneath his feet dissipated as he descended.
He landed several meters away, his breathing slightly heavier than before.
"You're impressive, young lady. I underestimated you."
Lucy hovered before him, her sword raised and her expression calm.
Then, a massive white Renshi circle appeared above Sasaki.
His eyes narrowed.
Before he could move, countless Renshical swords poured out of the circle, descending upon him from a single direction within its boundary.
Clang! Clang! Shhhk!
Sasaki summoned a miniature red Renshi tornado around himself, attempting to deflect the incoming blades. Several swords were swept aside by the violent current, but the rest broke through, slicing into his arms, legs, and torso.
He gritted his teeth and increased the tornado's speed.
It wasn't enough.
The swords continued to rain down until he was forced onto one knee beneath the relentless barrage.
At a distance, Bash and Lyon watched the battle while remaining locked in their own confrontation.
"Amazing... She's actually pushing Sasaki back," Bash muttered.
Lyon's expression remained serious.
"Don't celebrate just yet. He still hasn't shown us everything."
Eventually, the rain of swords came to an end. The white Renshi circle faded, leaving Sasaki kneeling amid the battered ground.
His body was riddled with wounds, and blood ran down his skin. One by one, the injuries began to close.
Sasaki slowly rose to his feet and reached into his elbow, pulling out his forged sword.
"Ready to get serious, or should I keep pissing you off?" Lucy asked with a faint smirk.
Sasaki chuckled.
"Such confident words. Good. You'll need to show me more."
A massive reddish-metal sword materialized in his hands, its polished surface gleaming beneath the sunlight.
His gaze shifted to Lucy's blade.
"You even gave your sword a name. You're no ordinary Renshi user. Let's see how your blade compares to mine."
He vanished with Switch Mode.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Sasaki launched a series of attacks from multiple angles, using continuous Switch Mode movements to strike before Lucy could fully turn toward him.
But she maintained her position in midair, meeting each attack with precise movements and perfectly timed blocks.
When their blades clashed again, Lucy poured white Renshi into her sword and drove forward.
The force of her counterattack sent Sasaki flying several meters backward.
He steadied himself with Switch Mode as the red tornado surrounding him expanded.
Then he extended his free hand.
Fifteen enormous shurikens formed from pure Renshi, their sharp edges spinning violently.
"Let's see you handle these."
The shurikens shot toward Lucy from different directions.
Shhhk! Shhhk! Shhhk!
Lucy deflected the first few with her sword, but the remaining projectiles forced her to change her footing. She twisted aside as one passed her shoulder, then knocked another away before it could strike her from behind.
That brief distraction was all Sasaki needed.
He appeared behind her and drove his fist into her back.
BOOM!
Lucy was sent crashing toward the ground. She rolled once before digging her feet into the dirt to stop herself.
Sasaki gave her no time to recover.
The shurikens curved around and attacked again as he closed the distance, swinging his massive sword while striking with his free hand.
Lucy blocked his blade, but one shuriken grazed her side. Another cut across her thigh as she twisted away from his punch.
She leapt into the air to escape the surrounding projectiles.
Sasaki immediately followed, forming tiny red tornadoes beneath his feet to keep himself airborne. He slashed at her while the shurikens closed in from both sides.
"What's the matter? Is that all you've got?" he taunted.
Nearby, Alfie glanced toward the battle while cutting down another Darkside Spirit.
Master... How is she being pushed back?
Rebekah fought off an approaching enemy and shouted, "You can't lose, Master. Kick his ass."
Lucy's eyes narrowed.
She folded her wings and dropped toward the ground, allowing Sasaki to follow her.
Above him, the fifteen shurikens suddenly changed direction. They gathered together, their spinning edges merging around a central point until they formed an enormous blade of compressed Renshi.
Sasaki raised his sword.
"This will end it. You're strong, and I'll remember your name."
Lucy reached behind her neck and concentrated her Renshi into a single fingertip.
Fshhh!
A paper seal covered in ancient writing appeared beneath her touch.
She stared at Sasaki without a trace of fear.
"You've underestimated me."
Her fingers caught the edge of the seal.
Then she peeled it away.
BOOM!
An enormous wave of Renshi erupted from her body, sending dust and debris flying in every direction.
Her aura surged to five times its previous strength. The ground trembled beneath her feet, and the surrounding trees bent under the overwhelming pressure.
Sasaki's eyes widened.
Then his lips curled into a wild grin.
"That's what I've been waiting for. Stop holding back and give me everything you've got..."
His laughter echoed through the forest.
"Hahahahaha!"
The Renshi he had concealed until then burst from his body, spreading outward in a violent crimson wave.
Their auras collided.
The resulting shockwave tore through the surrounding trees, while cracks spread across the ground between them.
Lucy's aura was stronger.
Sasaki's expression tightened as he struggled against the overwhelming pressure.
---
MEANWHILE, IN THE KINGDOM OF GUHAN
From his castle, Exca watched the distant battlefield through his connection to Sasaki's eyes.
"Such power... I never expected that woman to be this strong."
His hands clenched.
I've been a careless father. I didn't even notice my own son's absence. How did those boys manage to follow Lyon and Sasaki without being detected?
A mixture of emotions crossed his face.
If Lyon is behind this, I'll cut his head off myself.
Exca exhaled slowly, forcing down his frustration.
With my current strength, I stand no chance against that woman.
Inside a locked meeting room, he sat cross-legged within a mind-control Renshi circle. His connection to Sasaki's consciousness pulsed like a living thread.
Through that link, he could feel the strain building within his own Renshi.
The stronger Sasaki becomes, the more Renshi he draws from me. If this continues, I'll lose control of the connection.
He tightened his fists.
End this now, Sasaki.
---
BACK ON THE BATTLEFIELD
Lucy glanced at Sasaki, a small smirk returning to her face.
Keeping all this Renshi sealed inside me was exhausting. Now I can finally release some of it.
She lowered her sword slightly.
"Try to keep up, brat."
Before Sasaki could respond, Lucy activated Switch Mode.
She appeared behind him and drove her heel into his back.
BOOM!
Sasaki slammed face-first into the ground, carving a shallow trench through the dirt.
Lucy landed nearby, already preparing to follow up.
But before she could strike, the enormous shuriken blade hovering above them split apart. Its individual pieces spun through the air, redirecting themselves toward her.
Lucy turned and swung her sword.
SHHHK!
One clean slash cut through the enormous projectile, splitting it into two halves.
The force of her strike tore through Sasaki's red tornado domain.
The vortex collapsed, and the countless Darkside Spirit lookalikes scattered across the battlefield vanished with it.
Alfie dropped to his knees, breathing heavily.
"What a relief... They just kept coming. I was almost out of energy."
He glanced toward Jackson.
"You were a great help, Red Head. We made a good team."
Jackson smirked.
"Not bad, huh?"
Nearby, Marcel collapsed onto his back.
"Finally... I thought they'd never stop."
Alfie suddenly sprang to his feet and ran toward Lucy and Sasaki.
"Hey, come back here..." Rebekah shouted.
Jackson's expression changed.
"You idiot. That fight is way beyond your level. You'll only get in her way."
Alfie ignored him and continued forward.
But before he could get any closer, the remains of Sasaki's blood-infused tornado began to gather.
Crimson Renshi twisted around a dark, humanoid figure, gradually forming a massive body with jagged limbs and a menacing silhouette.
An upgraded Alpha Darkside Spirit lookalike emerged.
Alfie stopped in his tracks.
Sasaki slowly stood, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"This little pet of mine will take the boy back to Guhan while I finish dealing with you."
Lucy's gaze remained fixed on him.
"Alfie!"
He immediately straightened.
"This is your second training session under me. Defeat that thing before I'm finished here."
Her voice rang across the battlefield.
"Failure is not an option."
Lucy vanished with Switch Mode.
She reappeared directly in front of Sasaki and swung her sword diagonally, cutting from his shoulder down to his waist.
SHHHK!
The strike tore through his defense.
The impact hurled Sasaki across the forest. He smashed through several trees before crashing into the ground, carving a deep path through the earth.
Lucy spread her wings and shot after him.
MEANWHILE, LYON AND BASH
Lyon suddenly stopped attacking.
"Bash, that's enough."
Bash turned toward him, his expression furious.
"What are you doing? Our fight isn't over."
"We need to conserve our Renshi," Lyon replied calmly. "If she fails to defeat Sasaki, we'll need enough strength left to deal with him ourselves."
Bash glanced toward the forest, where the shockwaves from Lucy and Sasaki's battle continued to rumble.
Reluctantly, he lowered his weapon.
---
BACK IN GUHAN
Exca slammed his fist into the floor.
"I won't let that kid escape..."
His voice echoed through the locked room.
I can't even check on Lyon while Sasaki is being pushed back. After everything I've done, I refuse to let it all go to waste.
He gritted his teeth.
"NEVER!"
For several seconds, he stood motionless, struggling to regain his composure.
Then he reached for his cape and removed the badge pinned to it.
The Special Darkside Knight badge was a prestigious relic forged by Wuhan's top Mages, a symbol of his position and authority.
Exca stared at it briefly before dropping it to the floor.
CRACK!
He crushed it beneath his boot.
"Forgive me for disturbing all of you..."
His gaze hardened as he turned toward the door.
"But I have no other choice."