"Watch the battle, Alfie. There's no time to talk," Lucy's sharp voice cut through the tense air. Her eyes never left the arena. "You will learn a lot from this today. And that includes you too, Jackson. I know you're observing already, but you need to concentrate harder. Learn from grown-ups—this is not a game."
The two boys stiffened. Alfie gulped and nodded, while Jackson clenched his fists, eyes fixed on the clash before them.
Forty long seconds passed with Sasaki still locked in relentless offense, his blade moving with deadly precision. Yet Robert stood calm, unmoving, his face unreadable.
"I hate it when Robert toys with the weak," Memphis muttered from the stands, his jaw tightening. "It pisses me off."
"Calm yourself, Memphis," a pro Darkside Knight beside him replied, one of those who often support Memphis and Riazer. "He'll be humbled today. I can feel it."
In the arena, Robert stopped his swift movements. Planting his feet firmly into the ground, he stood still, sword poised. Each of Sasaki's strikes crashed against his defense but failed to push him even an inch back. The sound of clashing steel rang out again and again—clang, clang, clang!
Then, in a blur, Robert angled his body, avoiding Sasaki's downward strike. With a casual motion, he flipped his blade, presenting the blunt side, and pressed it against Sasaki's throat.
"Checkmate," Robert said, his calm expression unshaken.
Lucy allowed a small smile as she stepped forward toward the arena. Sasaki froze, his chest rising and falling heavily, sweat dripping from his brow, his eyes clouded with rage.
"You did well, Sasaki," Lucy said, her voice calm but firm. "Head back to the boys."
Sasaki's hands trembled as he gripped his sword tighter. His lips curled. "Allow us one more round. I won't let him humiliate me in front of them!" He lunged forward in fury, preparing to attack again.
But before he could take another step, Lucy switched in a flash, her hand gripping his wrist tightly. Her eyes were sharp.
"Head back, Sasaki. That's an order—from a master to her student," she said coldly.
Sasaki's teeth ground together, but he obeyed, switching away from the arena in a storm of anger, his pride burning.
Robert chuckled lowly, his eyes narrowing with mischief. "Ohhh… you're his master. Not bad, not bad. A master and student at such a young age—it makes a nice cover for a private relationship."
The pro darkside knights around gasped at the provocation, but Lucy didn't flinch. Her calm aura remained unbroken.
"I'll give you thirty seconds," she said, unsheathing the sword given to her for the duel. "Show me your best. I won't hold back during my thirty seconds."
"I admire your confidence, miss," Robert replied, his voice smooth but mocking. "Let's see if you're still this confident after I make my move."
He rushed forward, his sword flashing in his right hand. Mid-swing, he let it drop into the air, summoning another blade from his Renshi in his left. In a single instant, he redirected his strike toward Lucy's blind spot.
Lucy's lips curved slightly. Her eyes sharpened. In the same moment, she vanished—switch mode!—and reappeared behind Robert. Her foot shot forward like a hammer, connecting with his back.
BOOM!
Robert's body rocketed across the arena, crashing against the far wall. Dust exploded into the air.
"What a move! She countered flawlessly," one of the Pro Darkside Knights exclaimed in awe.
Memphis smirked proudly at the praise, his confidence in Lucy only strengthening.
Robert staggered to his feet, his calm expression slipping into raw frustration. His aura flared as he switched closer to her, his sword skills intensifying. His blade danced with fury, striking again and again. But Lucy didn't move a single step—parrying every strike with elegant precision.
"You're such a child," she mocked, her voice smooth, deliberately baiting him. "A Pro Darkside Knight using his Renshi against a human during a spar? What a coward."
"Don't speak to me like that, woman," Robert growled, though his voice strained to stay calm.
He leapt high into the air, landing behind her. His blood surged, and in an instant fifty-five shurikens burst from his bloodline technique, scattering across the arena.
"Oh? You plan to fight me with techniques? Bad idea, kiddo," Lucy said with a confident smile.
Robert snapped his fingers, and the shurikens glowed, merging into deadly laser beams capable of slicing a human clean in two. They fired at once, converging on Lucy like a storm.
ZUUUMMM!
Each beam ripped through the arena floor, leaving craters and holes twenty feet deep. But Lucy's figure blurred, weaving gracefully between the blasts. Switch mode carried her from one side of the arena to the other, her movements sharp, controlled, almost playful.
As the last beam crashed down, Robert switched directly in front of her. His face twisted with desperation as he conjured dual swords of Renshi, slashing in a furious storm of strikes.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
But Lucy blocked them all, her body flowing like water.
"Sorry, boy… but your time is up," she said, eyes narrowing. "In fact—you've already stolen ten extra seconds. Now it's my turn."
Her aura flared. In an instant, her sword blurred with unimaginable speed. She attacked with precision, forcing Robert back step after step. His calm demeanor cracked under the relentless pressure.
"She's incredible," one of the pro darkside knight whispered in awe. "This strength… this speed… this skill. She is the one from the past. There's no way an ordinary young woman could wield such power."
"Should we stop it before Robert gets injured?" Memphis asked quietly, though his eyes never left the duel.
"No," Riazer said firmly. "Lucy won't harm him. She's too experienced to harm someone in a duel. This is just the difference between them—strength and experience against pride."
Robert's eyes burned with frustration. "I can't fall back now…! This is my chance to test my limits!" He pushed himself harder, his swordplay becoming frantic, desperate.
But Lucy's attacks only grew faster, sharper, more precise. His blade trembled in his grip as his defense crumbled.
Jackson clenched his fists from the sidelines, his eyes filled with awe. "Master… she's too powerful. Leave it to her to shut up any running-mouth Shinra."
The arena shook with their clash, sparks flying with each strike—yet only one stood unshaken. Lucy.