Lyon exhaled sharply, his voice cutting through the fading sounds of destruction.
"Hey, Alfie! You better crush that thing and get back here! The attacks from above are over, and Master's battle is probably finished too. You remember what she told you before she left to fight that man-monster, right?!"
Rebekah's shout followed, firm but tinged with worry.
Alfie didn't answer out loud.
(I can't waste any more time with this monster… I can't fail my second training under Master…)
He pulled back from the Alpha Darkside Spirit lookalike, ceasing his assault.
The creature didn't charge in as he expected. Instead, it retreated a few meters, its blackened eyes watching him, calculating.
(Huh? It's keeping its distance? I thought it would take advantage when I let up… but it's the other way around?)
Without warning, the Alpha darkside spirit's arms twisted and warped. Blood-red Renshi surged from them, forming long, razor-tipped ropes — the same kind of creation technique Sasaki had once used to build his own body. The two limbs split into dozens of whip-like strands, writhing and snapping in the air like the tentacles of some nightmare beast.
In an instant, they struck. From the sky, from beneath the earth, the ropes lashed toward Alfie, each tipped with a killing edge.
Alfie dashed in a circle around the beast, dodging the barrage as the ground erupted and shadows whistled overhead. The rain of strikes was relentless — until his eyes narrowed on a single opening.
He lunged forward, catching one of the ropes just behind its sharpened tip. His muscles flared with strength as he yanked hard, pulling the Alpha Darkside Spirit lookalike straight toward him.
The moment it was in range—
CRACK!
His fist slammed into the spirit's face, sending it skidding backward through the dirt. But Alfie didn't release the rope. He kept his grip, hauling the creature back again like a fisherman pulling in his catch, only to deliver another brutal punch. Then again. And again.
Each blow rang with the sound of bone and shadow shattering.
But the beast adapted. The ropes coiled around Alfie's torso, pinning his arms to his sides. It yanked him forward and—
BAM!
A brutal headbutt connected. Alfie grunted, his forehead splitting open with blood.
The ropes writhed again, merging into two monstrous fists, each the size of a boulder. They pummeled Alfie again and again while holding him tight, the shock of each strike jolting through his ribs.
Lyon had seen enough. He appeared before the Alpha Darkside Spirit in a blur, his sword already swinging in a killing arc—
"STOP IT, OLD MAN!" Alfie's voice tore through the chaos. "DON'T INTERFERE! I'LL DO THIS ALONE! YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO HELP ME!"
Lyon froze mid-strike, his blade inches from the creature's neck. Shock flickered in his eyes before he pulled back and vanished, reappearing beside Bash, Rebekah, Marcel, and Jackson.
Rebekah's voice cracked with panic. "Why are you listening to him?! Kill that thing before it kills him!"
Jackson just slid his hands into his pockets, stepping forward at a slow, steady pace. "Don't interfere. If that's what he wants, let's see it through… Hey, kid—" His tone softened. "I know you're strong. From today on, you're my rival. Don't you dare die before we even get started."
Marcel chuckled under his breath. "That's more like you, Jack. Always pushing someone to hit their limit."
Something shifted.
Alfie's aura twisted into something darker — deeper. The ropes binding him began to smolder and hiss before disintegrating entirely, burned away by a violent energy that surged from within him.
The Alpha Darkside Spirit roared, merging its colossal fists into a single overhead smash. It swung down with enough force to shatter the earth—
But Alfie leapt toward it, his feet coated in dense, dark Renshi. His kick detonated the giant fists in a shower of gore and shadow.
The beast pulled its Renshi back into its body, reshaping its arms into twin crimson blades. It blinked forward, slashing in a frenzy—
And Alfie… didn't just dodge. He flowed around each strike, his movements inhumanly precise. His once-white eyes were now pure void, and his veins pulsed visibly beneath his skin, black with corrupted power.
In a sudden burst, he caught one of the creature's blade-arms, his dark veins stretching outward to grip the hilt of his own sword.
The world blurred.
One slash.
The Alpha Darkside Spirit lookalike split cleanly in two, its body unraveling into black dust before the wind could even catch it.
"Alfie!" Lucy's voice cut through the air as she landed gracefully atop one of the few surviving trees. "I never permitted you to use that much dark Renshi! Forcing yourself will harm the seal!"
But it was too late.
The darkness inside Alfie flared violently, his aura swelling eightfold in an instant. He collapsed to his knees, clutching his head as pain ripped through him. His eyes were now completely black — no whites, no light, only the abyss staring back.
The shockwave from his aura blasted outward in every direction. Lyon barely had time to raise a barrier around Rebekah, Jackson, and Marcel before the ground itself began to crack beneath their feet.
Bash tensed, ready to move. "I'm going to—"
"Leave him to me," Lucy said, her voice calm but absolute.
She was gone in a flash, reappearing at Alfie's side. He was still on the ground, trembling, his fingers digging into the dirt as if trying to hold the darkness back.