Lucy voice thundered through the ruined skies. She shouted in rage, channeling torrents of Renshi into the cracks she had opened earlier. The immense energy spread upward like a storm, crawling and branching through the fissures until they reached the top of the giant hand looming in the universe above. Her aura flared brighter with every breath—pure will and strength.
"Now this is getting interesting," Watanabe murmured with a gentle smile, eyes narrowing in admiration.
"It seems you've got a lot of hope and trust in that woman," Suzuki said beside him.
"Of course I do," Watanabe replied simply.
Lucy's wings unfurled wide, shimmering with light and darkness intertwined. She beat them powerfully—one swing at a time, rising higher and higher into the air. Each movement carried her closer to the breach in the sky. When she reached midair, half of the giant hand was already buried within the fractured space.
She roared, pouring a mad surge of Renshi into the cracks—
BOOOOM!
A blinding explosion consumed the universe above her. The shockwave split the clouds apart, and the blast was visible from every corner of the country.
Her body, drained of strength, tumbled helplessly from midair. Her wings vanished, her aura faded—her mode deactivated.
She hit the ground. Unconscious. Motionless.
"Don't tell me she's…" Suzuki whispered.
"No. Impossible. She's still alive—I can feel it," Watanabe said firmly.
He leapt down from the tree where the two had been watching.
"I'll take out the trash," Watanabe said calmly. "You'd better bring out the kids and that guy—they'll be suffocating in there."
With that, he vanished in a blur.
Far away, hidden in the shadows, Yaki stood with SUSA and Ikanami, watching from afar.
"There's no way she's going to survive that," Yaki muttered.
Before they could take another breath—SWISH!
In a blink, their heads dropped from their shoulders. Their cores tried to flee, but Watanabe, knowing all their tricks, merely snapped his fingers—
BOOM! The cores exploded into dust.
"Heh… what a day we're having in Wuhan," Watanabe exhaled, switching out of sight.
Meanwhile, Suzuki opened his special domain, bringing out Alfie, Jackson, and Sasaki—the latter still unconscious.
Alfie and Jackson blinked in confusion, staring at the unfamiliar forest around them.
"What's with this place…? Where the hell are we?" Alfie muttered, eyes darting around.
"Hey, Jack, are you okay?"
Jackson stood near Sasaki, who rested motionless against a tree. Before he could answer—
"Above us!" Jackson shouted suddenly.
Alfie's head snapped upward—Suzuki was watching them from the treetop. Without hesitation, Alfie leapt upward, fists blazing with fighting spirit.
He launched into a flurry of rapid strikes, each blow packed with skill and fury.
"What the hell are you doing, Alfie!?" Jackson shouted from below,I just notified you,don't attack carelessly.
Suzuki dodged each punch effortlessly, smiling.
"If that's your way of saying thank you," he said calmly, "then you've still got a lot to learn. I'm not your enemy here."
Alfie froze mid-motion. His eyes widened as realization dawned.
"Oh no… Master…" he whispered, face tightening in fear.
He dropped back down, scooping Sasaki onto his back.
"Where do you think you're going, Alfie?" Jackson asked.
"I don't know… But we can't stay here while Master's out there somewhere! I don't even know if she's okay or not… we need to find her!" Alfie shouted, running blindly forward.
Suzuki switched to his front in an instant.
"Calm down, kid. You're being too naive. Just from those few decisions, I already know what kind of hot-blooded kid you are," he said.
"If you know anything about our Master, please help us," Jackson pleaded.
"Yo—she's looking really bad," Watanabe's voice came from behind.
They spun around—Lucy lay unconscious in his arms.
Alfie froze, disbelief flooding his face.
"What the hell did you do to my Master…" he muttered, walking forward slowly, eyes cold.
"Calm down, kids—we're the good guys here. Don't get the wrong idea," Watanabe said, landing softly.
"She's just unconscious. Nothing life-threatening."
He stepped closer, still carrying Lucy gently.
"So, what's the plan now, kids? Your Master, and… I don't know who that man is to you," he nodded at Sasaki, "but they're both unconscious. What are you kids going to do?" Suzuki asked.
"What we plan to do? That's not the question… The question is if our Master's going to be okay here."
Alfie's voice trembled.
"She's unconscious… but what if she never—" He clenched his fists. "Everything is just so messed up… Why does nothing ever go right?"
He lowered his head, voice cracking.
"Since those damn darkside spirits took my father… our journey's never been easy. Leaving my family, fighting to survive, every few months… every few days. My best friend—taken away because I was too weak…"
His breath hitched.
"This… this was never the dream I had, becoming a Shinra. I wanted to protect everyone important to me. But it seems… the more I grow, the more I lose those I care about…"
Tears rolled down his cheeks.
"And today… I won't lose my Master. Or Mister Reaper. Even if it costs me my life… I'll find any technique—any way—to bring them both back. We can't do this alone."
Jackson remained silent beside him. He knew the weight behind Alfie's words—he had seen parts of that pain before.
Watanabe sighed softly.
"Here's the thing, kid. Growing stronger… it comes with burdens. With sacrifices. With loss. But one thing stays true—never take your eyes off your target. The more you grow, the higher your chance to protect the people you love."
He looked at Lucy, her breathing faint but steady.
"Your instincts… they're something even I can't comprehend. But your Master's situation… it's not looking good. Her Renshi connection—it's severed from her human body. Her spirit form is… barely an inch from returning."
"...I see," Alfie whispered.
He looked up, resolve burning in his eyes.
"What are the conditions to bring her spirit back into her body?"