The Buddha's chest shattered with a deafening explosion. Golden fragments burst from the wound as his enormous body began dissolving into light.
The entire domain trembled.
Mountains crumbled, the stone altar split apart, and cracks spread across the sky. The world surrounding Miyamoto was gradually collapsing, its very existence coming undone.
"You… should have accepted my deal…" the Buddha growled.
His voice distorted as more of his body disappeared.
"You won't be able to leave this place without me…"
Miyamoto remained unfazed. He raised his golden sword and slashed through the air.
SHING!
A brilliant fissure opened before him, cutting through the collapsing domain and creating a passage back to Earth's domain.
"Don't worry about me," Miyamoto replied, stepping toward the opening. "There are plenty of things I can do that you could never imagine."
The Buddha stared at him for a moment before a faint grin appeared on his fading face.
"What a man you are… May we meet again."
His body dissolved into golden dust, and his domain vanished with him.
Miyamoto stepped through the fissure with Clark's unconscious body slung over his shoulder. The boy remained motionless, having lost consciousness when the Buddha's spirit was severed from his body.
With a flicker of Switch Mode, Miyamoto disappeared from the collapsing space.
A moment later, he reappeared outside, where Lucy and Peaches were waiting.
"You're finally back, Master."
Lucy hurried toward him.
"What do we do now?"
Peaches glanced at the unconscious boy resting over Miyamoto's shoulder.
"Is that the guy you were fighting?"
Miyamoto scoffed.
"Fighting? You think this kid could stand a chance against me, you moron? I kept him alive long enough to remove the spirit he'd summoned. That's all."
He adjusted Clark's weight on his shoulder before turning a stern gaze toward the two of them.
"But you did well. Not bad."
Peaches frowned.
"We had no choice. They were trying to kill us. Lucy defeated the girl without killing her, but the man nearly split me in half. I had to defend myself."
"Alright, that's enough catching up," Miyamoto interrupted. "Our enemies have abandoned their hideout because we exposed its location. Next time, we'll approach carefully instead of charging in and destroying everything."
Lucy lowered her head.
"Understood, Master."
Peaches sighed and gave a reluctant nod.
"Yeah, yeah. I get it."
Then…
THWIP!
A sharp whistle cut through the air.
Miyamoto's eyes widened.
An arrow shot past him and pierced Peaches straight through the chest.
"Ugh!"
Peaches staggered backward, blood spilling from his mouth. He stared at the arrow protruding from his body, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
Then his knees gave way.
THUD!
"PEACHES!"
Lucy screamed and rushed forward, catching him before his head struck the ground. She dropped beside him, pressing both hands against his wound as blood began soaking through her fingers.
"What the hell?"
Miyamoto spun toward the direction of the attack, his expression turning murderous.
"Damn it. I let my guard down!"
THWIP! THWIP!
Two more arrows came flying from above.
Miyamoto activated Switch Mode and vanished just as they reached him. He reappeared beside their flight path, catching one arrow in his bare hand before crushing its shaft.
The second flew past his shoulder.
Renshi surged around Miyamoto's arm, forming a glowing bow. He pulled back its energy string, concentrating destructive power into a single arrow.
He released it.
BOOOOM!
The energy arrow tore through the air and struck an invisible figure hiding above them.
A scream rang out.
The camouflage flickered before breaking completely, revealing a cloaked assassin. The figure fell from the sky and struck the ground, motionless.
Before Miyamoto could search for the remaining attackers, a woman's mocking voice drifted down from above.
"Well, well. I never expected that from you, Master."
Miyamoto looked up.
Several figures emerged from their camouflage, led by Amanda. Five Shinras dressed in black cloaks stood behind her, their expressions cold and their attention fixed on Miyamoto.
Amanda smiled.
"The noble swordsman who refuses to take a life… Yet here you are, shooting people out of the sky."
Miyamoto tightened his grip on the Renshi bow, his eyes burning with anger.
But Lucy wasn't listening.
She held Peaches in her arms, desperately trying to stop the bleeding.
"Please, don't die…"
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
"You finally made me feel special after all those years of emptiness. I can't lose you now…"
Peaches coughed weakly. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he slowly raised one trembling hand and touched her cheek.
"You're… allowed to cry for me, Lucy…"
His breathing grew weaker.
"But don't… don't spend your life being sad because of me. Live your life. Find happiness…"
His fingers slipped from her cheek.
"I'll always… be with you…"
His hand fell limp.
For a moment, Lucy simply stared at him.
"Peaches?"
There was no answer.
"Peaches…?"
Her voice broke.
"PEACHES!"
Her scream echoed across the ruined battlefield.
Above them, Amanda watched with an amused smile.
"Oh, little sister. Crying over the man you loved? How pitiful."
Lucy's entire body trembled as she pulled Peaches closer.
Amanda continued casually.
"That arrow was meant for Master Miyamoto. Unfortunately, the boy got in the way."
Miyamoto's expression darkened.
"You're going to regret that, Amanda."
The five Shinras stepped forward together.
"At your command, young master."
Amanda raised one hand, stopping them.
"No need. I didn't come here to fight. You guys stand no chance against him anyway."
She looked down at Lucy.
"I came to say goodbye to my little sister."
Her smile faded as she turned toward Miyamoto.
"I owe you for teaching Lucy and me swordsmanship. For that, I'm grateful. One day, I'll repay that debt."
She paused, her eyes growing colder.
"But listen carefully, Master. Stop searching for our hideouts. You may be powerful, but there are countless ways to kill a rat without spilling its blood."
Miyamoto's jaw tightened.
Amanda continued.
"Let me follow my own path. If I succeed, perhaps I'll return to you someday. But if you keep chasing us, you'll only get yourself and everyone around you killed."
She turned away.
"Remember this, Master. Today, I was never here."
Miyamoto tightened his fingers around his sword, ready to respond. But before he could speak, Lucy slowly rose to her feet.
She gently closed Peaches' eyes with trembling fingers before standing between his body and Amanda.
"Don't answer her, Master."
Lucy's voice was quiet, but the anger beneath it was unmistakable.
"Let me speak to my sister."
She raised her head and stared directly at Amanda.
"Amanda… Oh, Manda."
Her lips trembled as tears continued streaming down her face.
"Mama and Papa would be so proud of you. Running around with killers, all for revenge against the kingdom that took them from us."
Amanda's smile faded slightly.
Lucy took a shaky breath.
"Do you remember Papa's poem?"
She looked into her sister's eyes and recited the words their father had once taught them.
"The king is the son of a king.
The queen is the daughter of a nobody.
The queen bears a prince…
And makes him a son of somebody."
Lucy fell silent for a moment, allowing the words to settle.
"Tell me, Amanda. How does that poem fit the person you've become?"
Amanda's expression hardened, but Lucy continued before she could respond.
"The big sister I knew would never laugh at someone's death. She would never look at a dying person and call their suffering pitiful."
Lucy's voice shook.
"But today, you killed Peaches. You killed the man who filled the empty space you left behind all those years ago. He did that in just the few days I knew him."
She clenched her fists.
"And with that… there's nothing left between us."
For the first time, Amanda's expression faltered. Her jaw tightened, and something uncertain flickered in her eyes.
"You fool!" she snapped. "I already told you the arrow wasn't meant for him!"
She pointed toward Miyamoto.
"We never even knew that man when we were living under Mama and Papa's roof. My plan was simple. Kill Miyamoto, then take you back with me."
Her voice grew louder, but beneath her anger was something she refused to reveal.
"I never wanted that Peaches guy dead, Lucy."
Lucy stared at her in silence.
Amanda looked away briefly before forcing her expression back into a cold smile.
"But I've chosen my path. I won't abandon everything I've done just because you refuse to understand."
She turned her back on Lucy.
"One day, you'll understand why I made this choice."
Lucy remained motionless, tears running down her face as she looked at the woman who had once been her closest family.
"Understand?" she whispered.
Her gaze fell to Peaches' lifeless body.
"How am I supposed to understand you now, Manda?"
Amanda didn't answer.