Marco bent his knees and launched himself into the air.
Before the three Alpha Darkside Spirits could react, he twisted midair and kicked two of them, sending them crashing through trees in opposite directions.
He turned toward the third and brought his sword down.
Both its arms fell from the elbows.
But before they reached the ground, black Renshi spread across the wounds. Flesh and bone regenerated, and new arms formed in seconds.
Marco landed on the cracked earth.
He drew a second blade.
"Playtime's over."
The three Alpha Darkside Spirits rose, their dragon marks glowing brighter. They had underestimated him once. They wouldn't make the same mistake again.
Black Renshi erupted from their bodies.
The first raised both arms. Dark clouds gathered overhead, releasing countless droplets of black Renshi toward Marco like a storm of needles.
Sssssss!
The droplets ate through the soil and melted exposed stone. Vegetation withered wherever the corrosive rain touched it.
Marco narrowed his eyes.
These attacks are more dangerous than before.
He dashed forward, weaving between the falling droplets. One grazed his sleeve, dissolving part of the fabric.
So they were holding back when they fought Alfie.
The thought irritated him.
Those bastards were toying with him.
Meanwhile, the second Alpha extended its arms. Dark Renshi twisted around its hands, forming three enormous serpents with glowing eyes and jagged teeth.
It thrust its hands forward.
Two serpents plunged underground, while the third chased Marco across the battlefield.
Its jaws opened wide.
Marco stopped and turned.
As the serpent lunged, his eyes flashed. He raised his third sword, and brilliant white light surged through its blade.
A sacred triangular symbol, the Renshical Crest, appeared on his forehead.
The surrounding darkness recoiled.
"You're in my way."
Marco swung.
A blinding arc of light sliced through the serpent's head and split its body in two. It dissolved into dark particles before reaching the ground.
But the earth beneath Marco erupted.
The other two serpents burst out, attacking from opposite sides.
Marco sprang upward, and their jaws snapped shut on empty air. The serpents collided beneath him, their massive bodies crashing together in an explosion of dark Renshi.
Brilliant wings of light unfolded from Marco's back.
He rose above the battlefield.
The second Alpha stared at him.
"He can fly?"
Its expression twisted.
"Then my serpents are useless against him in the air."
The third Alpha raised its head.
"I'll handle him."
Black Renshi surged through its body. Its feet transformed into enormous talons, while massive wings burst from its back. Its elbow blade extended into a sword-like weapon.
With one powerful beat of its wings, it shot into the sky.
Marco watched it approach.
"You can fly too? Impressive."
The Alpha folded its wings and began spinning rapidly. Black Renshi spiraled around its body, forming a monstrous cyclone that twisted the air and darkened the sky.
Blades of condensed darkness surrounded the rotating creature as it accelerated toward Marco.
Marco remained still.
Then he crossed his glowing swords before his chest.
His Renshi surged. The crest on his forehead shone brighter, and his wings spread wide. Light gathered around his blades, tearing through the darkness surrounding the approaching cyclone.
Marco briefly closed his eyes.
When he opened them, his gaze was unwavering.
"Light, erase all darkness."
His swords blazed with overwhelming radiance.
"Evil is born from good. Evil is destroyed by good."
The light intensified.
"Absolute Erase."
A tremendous burst of radiance erupted from his crossed blades.
The cyclone collided with it.
The sky turned white.
The cyclone shattered, and the Alpha's enormous body was swallowed by the sacred blaze. Its wings and blade disintegrated as the light consumed them.
The other two creatures looked up in horror.
They tried to retreat, but the radiance descended over the battlefield, engulfing them as well.
Their roars echoed through the forest before fading into silence.
There were no remains. The holy light erased all three Darkside Spirits completely.
Its brilliance stretched across the horizon, illuminating the forest after the cliff before gradually fading.
Silence returned.
By the time the last traces of Renshi disappeared, the sun had set.
Alfie cautiously emerged from his hiding place and approached the figure standing amid the scorched earth.
"Mr. Shinra?"
He stopped.
Something was wrong.
The old man he remembered was gone. In his place stood a young woman with a slim, graceful build and hair shimmering faintly with residual Renshi.
Alfie stared at her.
"W-who are you? What happened to Mr. Shinra?"
The woman sighed and rubbed her forehead.
"You idiot. I am Marco."
Alfie froze.
"Or rather, Marco was the name I used while pretending to be that old man." She glanced at him. "Now go find me something to wear from your mother's wardrobe."
Alfie blinked.
"Wait... what?"
He looked at her again, then quickly looked away as his face turned red.
"I'm sorry. I couldn't see you properly because of all that light. But... you're clearly a girl now."
The woman's eyebrow twitched.
"And you can tell that, huh?"
She narrowed her eyes.
"Don't tell me you're some little pervert."
"No, absolutely not." Alfie waved his hands frantically. "I just don't understand. How did you suddenly become a young girl? What happened to your moustache and that grumpy old-man appearance?"
"I was pretending to be that form, you rockhead."
She pressed a hand against her forehead.
"I can change my appearance at will. Maintaining that old-man form consumed too much Renshi, especially since I'd been using it for decades. You have no idea how uncomfortable it was."
She glanced down at herself.
"This is my real form."
Alfie's jaw dropped.
"So... Mr. Shinra was actually a young girl all this time?"
"Don't call me Mr. Shinra again."
Her voice sharpened, making Alfie flinch.
"My name is Lucy. That 'Mr.' nonsense disgusts me. Got it?"
"Y-yes."
Alfie hesitated.
"But you can still fight like that, right?"
Lucy gave him a strange look.
"Why wouldn't I be able to?"
"I mean..." He rubbed the back of his head. "You'll still train me to use my Renshi, won't you?"
His expression grew anxious.
"Don't tell me you can't fight anymore."
Lucy stared at him for a moment before flicking him hard on the forehead.
"Ouch."
"I'm stronger in this form, you moron."
She folded her arms.
"If I'd fought those weaklings like this from the beginning, they'd have been erased in a blink. That male form consumed far too much Renshi, especially after I'd maintained it for so long. Understand?"
Alfie rubbed his forehead, still trying to process everything.
Lucy turned and started walking toward the house.
"Hurry up and get me some clothes. And get used to calling me Lucy."
She glanced back at him.
"We've got a long road ahead, and if you want to survive it, you'll need someone stronger than anyone you've ever known."
Alfie stood still for a moment.
He'd spent the day fighting for his life, discovered a mysterious new ability, and nearly been consumed by his own Renshi.
None of it had prepared him for this.
He glanced toward the battlefield where the three Alpha Darkside Spirits had vanished, then hurried after the strange woman.
"...Lucy, huh?" he muttered.