"Well, Jack…"
Alfie looked toward Jackson.
"You see, Master is one of those humans who possesses Dual Renshi."
"The light and dark Renshical sides."
Jackson listened quietly.
"Some people call them witches."
Alfie shrugged.
"But to me, that's just a stupid name."
"Possessing Dual Renshi doesn't automatically make someone bad."
Jackson stood there without much reaction.
"No surprise there."
He shrugged.
"No wonder she's so powerful."
Alfie nodded.
"And for me as well, I still....."
"I know about you already."
Jackson interrupted lazily.
"That guy literally just said it."
"Stop repeating stuff."
Alfie looked at him.
The masked man suddenly spoke again.
"Listen carefully, all three of you."
His tone had become more serious.
"Don't think I'm here to persuade you to believe everything that comes out of my mouth."
"I have other things to do."
"The only reason I came after you…"
"Is because I owe Lucy."
"That is the only reason I came after receiving her message."
Sasaki stepped closer to him.
"Listen here, Mister."
His expression became serious.
"If by any chance you're making any of this up…"
He stared directly at the mask.
"I promise you…"
"When I find out…"
"Don't think you can escape with that trick of yours."
"I'll end you before you can get to the boys or get away."
The masked man remained silent for a moment.
Then he chuckled.
"That sounds exactly like what I wanted to hear."
Sasaki narrowed his eyes.
The masked man continued.
"If you let me go after giving me that warning…"
"Then you're a coward who doesn't keep his word."
Sasaki didn't respond.
The masked man turned away.
"If we can proceed…"
"Let's get out of this place."
"Going to Ashura won't make you stronger since Lucy isn't there."
Alfie looked at him.
"Then where are we going with you?"
"A better place."
The masked man looked back.
"A place where you can become stronger in a few months."
Jackson looked toward Alfie.
"Listen, Alfie."
"I don't know anything about this guy."
"But he seems to have good intentions toward us."
"We need all the help we can get right now."
The masked man looked impatiently toward them.
"You three have to decide quickly."
"I need to get out of here."
Sasaki walked toward Alfie and Jackson.
"I don't think we have much of a choice right now."
He looked at them.
"How about we check this out?"
Jackson nodded.
"I'm ready to risk it."
Alfie remained quiet.
Then he finally looked toward the masked man.
"If this is some kind of trick…"
"I won't hesitate to fight you."
"Because you're a human."
The masked man chuckled beneath his mask.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Alfie."
"You're far from capable of fighting me."
"None of you are."
He raised one hand.
A teleportation portal suddenly appeared.
Sasaki's eyes narrowed.
Such an advanced teleportation technique.
He's not using the usual circle.
The masked man stood in front of the portal.
"In less than five seconds after I enter…"
"This portal will close."
He stepped forward.
"Choose quickly."
The masked man walked into the portal.
Sasaki immediately grabbed Alfie's and Jackson's hands.
"Let's go."
They stepped into the portal after him.
The Hidden Town
A few seconds later....
They emerged in front of a strange town.
Alfie immediately looked around.
Tall, ancient buildings surrounded the entire area.
Everyone walking through the streets was dressed differently from ordinary humans and Shinras.
They wore black clothing.
Some wore masks that completely hid their faces.
Others left their faces visible.
Fire lanterns provided light throughout the streets, glowing from nearly every corner.
The busy street suddenly became completely still.
Everyone stopped the moment Alfie, Jackson, and Sasaki appeared.
"What…"
Alfie slowly looked around.
"…is this place?"
He noticed several strange statues of assassins.
Fountains were scattered throughout the town.
The entire place seemed to have its own ecosystem.
"I don't know."
Jackson looked around.
"But this place definitely isn't giving Wuhan vibes."
Sasaki carefully scanned the surroundings.
He noticed people disappearing into buildings and hiding from their sight.
Alfie and Jackson didn't notice.
"This is definitely Wuhan."
Sasaki's voice remained calm.
"You can't bring people out of this country without going through the proper procedures."
He continued scanning every angle.
"Where's that weirdo?"
Alfie looked around.
"I don't see him either."
"Me neither," Jackson added.
Sasaki remained still.
"I don't know about any of this…"
"But the situation isn't completely bad."
He paused.
"Or good."
Jackson looked at him.
"What do you mean by that, Mr. Reaper?"
Sasaki didn't answer.
The three remained standing in the middle of the street, confused.
Then....
"There's no need to stand still."
"Come on."
A voice came from behind them.
They immediately turned around.
A man stood there.
He wore black sleeves and black trousers with black shoes.
A large scar ran along the left side of his neck.
His expression was completely calm.
Sasaki stared at him.
"Are you the guy behind the mask?"
"No."
The man turned around.
He began walking away.
"I'm not."
"Come with me."
Sasaki, Jackson, and Alfie exchanged glances.
Then they followed him.
They walked through the quiet streets.
Alfie and Jackson kept looking at the strange buildings surrounding them.
They continued walking for more than ten minutes.
Eventually....
They arrived at the foot of a massive mountain.
At the top stood a temple.
It was hidden among thick fog and dark clouds.
A long stone staircase stretched from the ground all the way to the temple gates.
Lanterns lined the staircase, providing a warm glow through the mist.
Large traditional buildings stood at the top of the mountain.
The entire area was surrounded by an eerie silence.
Jackson stopped.
"What…"
He stared upward.
"…is this place?"
Alfie looked forward in disbelief.
"I've never seen anything like this before."
Sasaki looked toward the temple.
"I haven't either."
As they stood before the stone staircase.....
One by one…
Men began appearing behind them.
Step.
Step.
Step.
They were all dressed in black cloaks.
Their faces were hidden behind different masks.
Each mask had its own unique design.
Sasaki noticed them immediately.
The man leading them continued staring toward the temple.
"I guess they think you don't deserve to enter the temple just yet."
Sasaki looked at him.
"Why is that?"
"We'll get into the details later."
The man turned toward the stairs.
"Let's go."
He placed one foot onto the first step.
Sasaki followed.
Alfie and Jackson walked beside him.
They continued climbing.
And climbing.
And climbing.
The temple didn't seem to get any closer.
Jackson eventually became exhausted.
"These stairs take forever."
He looked toward the temple.
"Why can't we just Switch there?"
The man leading them didn't answer.
Jackson sighed.
"Hey, Mr. Sasaki."
"Tell him to let us use Switch Mode and get into that temple."
"I'm tired from all the stress today."
Before Sasaki could answer....
The man finally spoke.
"You're not a Shinra."
Jackson's expression changed.
"And with that mindset…"
"You never will be."
Jackson frowned.
"You're incapable of using Switch Mode…"
"But you want to gain access to it through another person."
Jackson stared at him.
"What do you know about being a Shinra?"
Alfie immediately stepped in.
The man glanced at him.
"Don't think having a lot of Renshi automatically makes you strong."
He looked toward Alfie.
"You're just a weakling."
Alfie's expression hardened.
The man continued climbing.
"The moment you started walking on these stairs."
Sasaki looked between them.
"It's best you ignore the kids."
He continued walking.
"Let's keep climbing if that's what you want."
The man looked at Sasaki.
"You will never be of any good to them…"
"If you think protecting them is only about swinging that sword of yours."
Sasaki stopped.
Alfie and Jackson also stopped.
All three stared at the man.
They were surprised by his words.