Onamuchi's enormous fist came crashing down.
Lucy twisted in midair, narrowly avoiding the blow as it tore past her shoulder. The shockwave struck her from behind, sending her hurtling through the air with Sasaki still in her arms.
She spread her black wings and flapped sharply, regaining control before she could lose her balance.
But Onamuchi wasn't giving her a moment to recover.
His metallic body blurred across the sky. Both arms expanded, steel plates sliding over one another as his fists grew larger. He unleashed a relentless barrage of punches, each strike powerful enough to shatter boulders and send shockwaves ripping through the clouds.
Lucy had no choice but to defend herself.
Six spectral arms burst from her back. Two intercepted Onamuchi's right fist, three blocked his left, while the remaining arm stretched around her body to shield Sasaki.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
Each collision forced Lucy farther backward.
Onamuchi's attacks were growing faster, leaving her with less time to counter. Even with six additional arms, defending against every strike while protecting Sasaki was becoming increasingly difficult.
One punch grazed her cheek.
Another slammed against her crossed arms, forcing her lower.
Onamuchi roared and swung both fists simultaneously.
Lucy crossed four spectral arms to block the first strike, then redirected the second with the remaining two. Even so, the combined impact sent her crashing through a sandstone pillar.
The structure shattered around her.
Lucy emerged from the debris, her expression darkening.
"This is getting really annoying."
Her voice grew quieter.
"I'm starting to get really angry."
She stopped moving.
Her wings dissolved into black mist as she slowly descended toward the ground. The six spectral arms behind her remained outstretched, while the Renshi surrounding her body began to fluctuate.
Onamuchi pulled back, preparing another attack.
Then Lucy's aura erupted.
BOOOOOOM.
An overwhelming wave of Dark Renshi burst from her body, sweeping across the battlefield. The remaining sandstone structures crumbled instantly, their surfaces breaking apart before the fragments could even reach her.
The ground beneath Lucy cracked.
The air trembled.
Even Onamuchi was forced to halt his advance. His metallic body shuddered as Lucy's oppressive aura washed over him, making it difficult to maintain his position in the air.
"YOU THINK THAT'S ENOUGH TO STOP ME?"
He raised both arms above his head.
Metallic Renshi surged from his body, gathering between his hands. The energy expanded rapidly, forming an enormous fist that continued growing until its shadow swallowed the surrounding forest.
A mountain-sized fist now hung above the battlefield.
Its surface gleamed with layers of compressed metal and Renshi. The immense pressure it released crushed the trees below, while the clouds parted around its enormous silhouette. Sunlight gradually disappeared beneath its shadow.
Pascal looked up.
His expression changed the moment he realized what Onamuchi was preparing to do.
"You absolute idiot."
He glanced toward the unconscious Voldigo and Fushira before looking back at the colossal fist.
He didn't even warn us.
Pascal immediately rushed toward them. He seized Voldigo with one arm and pulled Fushira up with the other before activating Switch Mode.
He vanished.
A moment later, he reappeared much farther away.
Then he switched again.
And again.
Each teleport carried him farther from the battlefield as he desperately tried to escape the attack's range.
"That damn fool is going to bury all of us."
Above the forest, Onamuchi roared.
He brought his arms down.
The colossal fist began its descent.
At first, its movement seemed almost slow. But the air beneath it compressed violently. Trees bent toward the earth, loose stones shot into the sky, and the ground groaned beneath the overwhelming pressure.
Onamuchi's face twisted with exertion as he poured even more Renshi into the attack.
The fist accelerated.
Its shadow swallowed the battlefield.
And the tremors didn't stop at the forest.
Far beyond the immediate area, across the two closest kingdoms bordering the region, the earth began to shake.
In towns people rushed into the streets as buildings rattled and dust fell from rooftops. Some stared toward the distant horizon, where an enormous shadow had begun swallowing the sky.
No one knew what was happening.
But everyone could feel it.
In the Kingdom of Eminence, the Pro Darkside Knights abandoned their positions as the oppressive Renshi reached the kingdom's outer defenses.
On a watchtower, Metro stood motionless.
Beside him, the Special Darkside Knight clenched his fists, staring at the distant sky.
"Metro," he said gravely. "Should we intervene?"
Metro swallowed.
For a moment, he considered the possibility.
Then he shook his head.
"No. We can't."
He pointed toward the colossal silhouette in the distance.
"Look at the size of that thing. It's practically large enough to crush an entire town. What exactly are we supposed to do against something like that?"
The Special Darkside Knight remained silent.
He knew Metro was right.
Farther away, Fladigo and Zanagi were already retreating.
Zanagi kept glancing over his shoulder as they ran.
"Hey, Fladigo. Do you seriously think that woman can survive that?"
Fladigo didn't slow down.
"How should I know? She's not from my kingdom, and I'm not interested in dying to find out."
"You really are a heartless bastard."
"Call me whatever you want."
Zanagi cursed under his breath but continued running.
Neither man wanted to be anywhere near the battlefield when that fist finally landed.
---
Back in the forest, Lucy remained perfectly still.
The colossal fist descended through the clouds, its enormous shadow swallowing everything around her.
She glanced down at Sasaki.
His breathing was faint. His Renshi had nearly run dry, and although his damaged body had already recovered from the injuries Romero and Pascal had inflicted, he remained unconscious.
Lucy gently lowered him onto a relatively clear patch of ground.
"Stay here for a little while."
She brushed some dirt from his face.
"Try not to die before I finish this."
Then she straightened.
The approaching fist continued shaking the earth, but Lucy didn't immediately look up. Instead, she closed her eyes and took a slow breath.
When she opened them again, her appearance had changed.
Her eyes had turned completely black, and intricate Renshical markings spread across her skin like veins of dark ink.
The air around her became unnaturally still.
Lucy raised one hand.
Dark Renshi spiraled around her palm, twisting into a long black wand covered in intricate, vein-like runes.
The weapon solidified with a low hum.
She grasped it and finally looked toward the sky.
The colossal fist was almost upon her.
From a distance, Pascal stopped switching.
He stared at Lucy, unable to understand what he was seeing.
What is she doing?
He had watched her dodge Onamuchi's attacks repeatedly, even while carrying Sasaki. She clearly had enough speed to escape.
Yet now she stood completely still.
She can avoid that attack. So why is she waiting?
His stomach tightened.
Romero, who had already joined him, watched in silence.
The colossal fist tore through the remaining clouds.
Lucy raised her wand.
Its tip touched the descending mass.
And everything stopped.
The fist froze above her, its enormous metallic surface hovering just beyond her reach.
The shockwave ceased.
The wind fell silent.
Even the debris caught in the air seemed suspended in place.
Pascal stared in disbelief.
"What...?"
Lucy spoke softly.
"Second Bloodline Technique..."
The black markings across her skin began to glow.
"Zero Gravity Field."
The laws governing the enormous fist changed.
Its weight vanished.
The colossal mass, which had been descending with enough force to devastate the entire battlefield, suddenly became weightless. Its momentum was halted within Lucy's field, leaving it suspended in the sky like a meaningless object.
But Lucy wasn't finished.
She concentrated her Renshi at the tip of her wand.
The air around it began to distort.
The immense fist trembled as an invisible force took hold of its structure. Its outer layers compressed inward, metal folding into metal as the entire mass was squeezed toward a single point.
Onamuchi's eyes widened.
"W-Wait..."
A horrible realization struck him.
He tried to withdraw the Renshi sustaining the attack.
It was already too late.
Lucy gently rotated her wrist.
The colossal fist collapsed.
It didn't explode outward or simply break apart. Its enormous structure compressed until the accumulated metal and Renshi could no longer maintain their form.
Then it disintegrated.
Billions of tiny fragments scattered across the sky, dissolving into glittering particles before they could reach the ground.
The clouds above the battlefield were swept away by the released energy, revealing the vast sky beyond.
For one brief moment, the heavens stretched unobstructed above the ruined forest.
Then the wind returned.
The remaining fragments vanished.
And Lucy stood alone beneath the open sky, her wand resting casually in one hand.
Onamuchi stared at the empty space above her.
His mouth opened, but no words came out.
"Impossible..."
His metallic arms trembled.
"That was my... strongest... attack..."
He looked down at his hands, then back at Lucy.
"How... how did you destroy it so easily?"
Lucy turned her black eyes toward him.
"You've grown stronger, Onamuchi. Your control has improved, and your Renshi output is far greater than it was when I taught you."
She raised her wand slightly.
"But you've made one mistake."
Onamuchi swallowed.
Lucy continued, her voice cold and measured.
"You've spent so many years trying to increase your destructive power that you've forgotten the difference between having strength and knowing how to use it."
She lowered her wand.
"Your limit ends here."
Onamuchi tried to move.
His body wouldn't respond.
A thin layer of Dark Renshi had already spread across his limbs, restricting his movements before he even realized she had attacked.
His eyes widened.
Lucy flicked her wand.
Onamuchi's body went limp.
His enormous metallic arms lost their shape as he fell from the sky, unconscious before he struck the ground.
BOOM.
The impact sent dust rolling across the battlefield.
Lucy glanced at him briefly before turning toward Pascal.
Far away, Pascal's face drained of color.
"You're kidding me..."
He tightened his grip on Voldigo and Fushira.
Onamuchi is down. Voldigo can barely move. Fushira is unconscious, and Romero...
He looked toward his remaining ally.
Romero was still standing, but barely. His wounds were severe, and his breathing had become uneven. He had spent too much Renshi fighting Sasaki and defending himself against Lucy's earlier attacks.
Pascal activated Switch Mode.
A teleportation circle formed beneath his feet.
He didn't even wait for the formation to stabilize before pouring Renshi into it.
But the circle shattered.
CRACK.
The formation broke apart beneath an invisible pressure, its runes scattering into sparks.
Pascal froze.
Lucy hovered above the battlefield, her wand pointed directly at him.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Damn you."
He tried to activate Switch Mode again.
The moment Renshi gathered around his body, Lucy tilted her wand.
The energy dispersed.
Pascal stared at his hands in horror.
She wasn't merely destroying his teleportation circle. She was interfering with the Renshi he needed to activate his technique.
Lucy drifted closer.
"Hand over Alfie."
Her voice carried across the ruined forest.
"This is your last chance. Surrender, and I'll let you live."
She paused.
"Resist, and I'll put you to sleep permanently."
Pascal's jaw tightened.
He looked at Onamuchi's unconscious body, then at Voldigo and Fushira in his arms.
His mind raced, desperately searching for a way out.
Onamuchi is down. Voldigo is almost dead. Fushira might not even wake up. Romero is barely standing.
His hands trembled.
How did this happen?
Pascal lowered his head.
"I never thought..."
His voice cracked.
"After all these years of training, the five of us still wouldn't be enough to defeat our former master."
Lucy appeared beside him.
Pascal barely had time to turn.
Her wand brushed his shoulder.
His eyes widened.
Then his body went limp.
He collapsed without another word, leaving Voldigo and Fushira lying beside him.
Lucy caught Fushira before his head struck the ground and gently lowered him beside the others.
"Three down."
She turned toward the final figure still standing.
"One left."
Romero stood amid the wreckage.
Blood ran from his forehead and down his chin. His breathing was laboured, and his legs trembled beneath him. His form had already deactivated.
"Do you still believe you stand a chance against me?"
Romero spat blood onto the ground.
"Go to hell."
His eyes burned with hatred.
"Kill us if you want. It won't change anything. You failed to make us strong enough to protect ourselves, and now you expect us to listen to you?"
Lucy watched him quietly.
Romero took a shaky step forward.
"You weren't there when we needed you. Amanda was. She gave us a purpose, and she made us strong."
His lips curled.
"So don't stand there pretending you understand us."
Lucy's expression remained calm.
"Blame me if you want, Romero. I won't pretend I made no mistakes."
Romero's expression flickered for an instant.
Lucy continued.
All of you had to make a decision,and you did, so don't try to put the blame on me.
"But there's something you need to understand. My sister made you believe in her words because she knew exactly what you wanted to hear."
She glanced toward the unconscious Pascal and Onamuchi.
"You were children when she began manipulating you. You wanted strength. You wanted protection. You wanted to believe that someone finally understood you."
Her voice grew colder.
"And she used every one of those desires against you."
Romero clenched his fists.
"Shut up."
"You don't have to believe me. But you should at least understand what happens when you become useless to her."
Lucy pointed her wand toward the unconscious group.
"If you disobey Amanda, or if you ever become a threat to her plans, she won't hesitate to kill you. She's already shown what she's willing to do to the people around me."
Romero's face twisted into a cruel smile.
"Is that supposed to scare me?"
He coughed, blood staining his lips.
"You're talking about how she killed the man you loved, aren't you?"
Lucy's fingers tightened around her wand.
Romero noticed.
His smile widened.
"What was his name again?"
He tilted his head.
"Ah, yes. Peaches."
For the first time since the battle began, Lucy's expression changed.
Romero laughed bitterly.
"Amanda killed him, didn't she? And now you want us to believe she's someone we should fear?"
He leaned forward despite his injuries.
"Don't worry about me, Lucy. I won't end up like him."
Lucy stared at him for a moment.
Then she let out a quiet scoff.
"That's just satisfying to hear, kiddo. But it turns out you still haven't gotten what you wanted after all these years. You're still the weakest among the five of you. Have some shame, brat. You don't call the shots. They only respect you because you're the oldest."
Lucy disappeared.
Romero's eyes widened.
A split second later, she reappeared directly in front of him.
Her fist struck his jaw.
CRACK.
Romero's head snapped sideways. His feet left the ground, and his body crashed into the shattered earth several metres away.
He didn't get back up.
Unconsciousness claimed him.
Lucy remained still for a moment, her fist slowly unclenching.
"You can hate me all you want."
Her gaze drifted toward the distant horizon.
"But don't mistake your hatred for the truth."
She turned and walked toward Sasaki, her black wand dissolving into wisps of Renshi.
For a moment, the only sound was the wind passing through the broken trees.
Then Lucy knelt beside Sasaki and checked his breathing.
He was alive.
Barely.
She exhaled and carefully lifted him into her arms.
"You're going to owe me a lot for this, Sasaki."
She glanced back at her unconscious former students.
"And you brats..."
Her expression darkened.
"I hope you eventually understand what you've done."
---
But far away, beyond the boundaries of the physical world, another story was unfolding.
Alfie walked alone through an endless expanse of darkness.
There was no sky above him, no ground beneath his feet that he could clearly see, and no horizon to mark the boundary between distance and nothingness.
He simply continued walking.
His footsteps echoed through the void, each sound fading into the darkness before another took its place.
He couldn't remember how he had arrived.
He couldn't even tell how long he had been walking.
Then a whisper drifted through the emptiness.
"Alfie..."
He stopped.
The voice had come from somewhere behind him.
He turned, but there was nothing there.
Only darkness.
Narrowing his eyes, he continued forward.
Another whisper followed.
"Alfie... can you hear me?"
This time, the voice came from ahead.
Alfie stopped again.
His hand instinctively moved toward his weapon, but he found nothing at his side.
His expression hardened.
"Who's there?"
Silence.