"Pathetic," Lucy repeated, her expression remaining calm. "That's all you are, Sasaki."
Sasaki's eye twitched.
"...Pathetic, you say?" His voice trembled with anger. "I can't believe you'd call me that."
He clenched his teeth, tightening his grip on his swords.
"I don't know who brought me here or why, but I won't accept being insulted by someone like you, you lowly life."
"Pipe down, you moron," Lucy replied without flinching. "You think I've been using my full potential against you? Don't get the wrong idea, kid. You've still got a long way to go before you can defeat me."
Sasaki's face twisted with rage.
"I'll cut off your tongue."
He lunged forward, all four swords raised. The two Alpha Darkside Spirit lookalikes attacked alongside him, attempting to surround Lucy from both sides.
Lucy brought her twin swords together.
Their blades merged, forming a single, gleaming silver greatsword.
"Let's get back to business, Damascus," she whispered.
Her eyes narrowed as she activated Switch Mode.
In an instant, she appeared directly in front of Sasaki. He barely had time to raise his swords before Damascus came crashing down against them.
The impact forced him to brace himself, but before Lucy could follow up, one of the Alpha lookalikes struck at her from behind.
She twisted around and blocked its blade.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Sasaki attacked with all four swords while the two lookalikes tried to exploit every opening they could find.
Lucy's movements remained precise. She blocked Sasaki's strikes with Damascus, redirected the force of his attacks, and countered whenever his defences opened. Whenever the Darkside Spirit lookalikes closed in, she turned her greatsword against them, forcing them back before they could land a clean hit.
Then she began increasing her speed.
Damascus swept through the air, cutting into the lookalikes with powerful, well-placed strikes. Their movements grew sluggish as their bodies began to break apart. One attempted to retreat, but Lucy closed the distance and struck again.
Within moments, both creatures had been cut to pieces.
Their bodies dissolved into drifting dust, leaving Sasaki to face her alone.
However, Sasaki was no longer recovering from his injuries.
The wounds Lucy had inflicted remained open, and a slash across his chest glowed with a faint silver light. He staggered backward, struggling to keep his balance, before dropping to one knee and clutching his head.
The two extra arms of Renshi extending from his back dissolved into mist.
Lucy rested Damascus against her shoulder.
"I told you I was never serious," she said coolly. "Damascus possesses several abilities. Don't assume we were fighting on equal terms. I can help you regain control of yourself, if you want to become human again."
Sasaki looked up at her, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"Hahahaha... You think I've lost?"
Despite his injuries, he forced a grin.
"You're too optimistic. That kind of attitude will get you killed, even if you're stronger than me."
With a furious snarl, he launched enormous, flaming shurikens toward her from above. Dark Renshi burned around their spinning edges as they descended.
Lucy let out a tired sigh.
"Always fighting until the very end, huh?"
The shurikens suddenly stopped in midair, hanging just a few metres away from her.
Sasaki's eyes widened.
"What...?"
"There's no way such weak dark Renshi could overcome my light Renshi," Lucy said.
She snapped her fingers.
FWOOSH.
The enormous shurikens crumbled into dust, their remaining Renshi dispersing into the air.
"Now you understand the difference between us, Reaper," Lucy continued. "Devouring Darkside Spirits has made you stronger, but you've relied too heavily on your Renshi. You haven't even learned how to use all your abilities properly. If I were your enemy, you'd already be dead."
She turned and began walking away.
"Wait..." Sasaki called out, his voice cracking. "Who the hell are... you?"
"There's only one way to find out, Reaper," Lucy replied without looking back. "Come with me. I'll help you control your Renshi and teach you techniques you've never imagined."
Sasaki slowly pushed himself to his feet, wincing as he struggled to steady himself.
"I'm more interested in that last technique you used," he admitted. "The one that stopped my regeneration."
"Oh, that?" Lucy glanced over her shoulder with a smirk. "It's one of Damascus's abilities, called Range Absolute Erase. It erases any weaker dark Renshi it touches. Yours was weaker, so every cut I made with Damascus erased the dark Renshi in the affected areas. That's why your wounds stopped healing."
Sasaki frowned, looking down at the wound across his chest.
"Does that mean my Renshi is gone?"
"You moron," Lucy replied flatly. "If your Renshi were gone, we wouldn't be having this conversation. I've only suppressed the excess dark Renshi, the part that was fueling your rage, hatred, and hunger for power."
She studied his face for a moment.
"What you're feeling now is the human part of you."
Her expression softened slightly.
"I suppose I can stop calling you Reaper now. You're still sane enough to act like a man."
Sasaki lowered his gaze, his expression growing distant.
"...I don't understand why I kept doing those things. Killing, devouring... I enjoyed all of it. But now, it feels unnecessary."
As he spoke, his long tail slowly retracted into his spine. The crimson glow in his eyes faded, leaving them black and white once more.
"If you want my help controlling your dark Renshi, then come with me," Lucy said, turning away. "We need to leave quickly. Powerful Shinras will be here soon... and a greater threat might come after this."
She activated Switch Mode and vanished in the direction of Alfie and the others.
Sasaki followed without hesitation.
---
Back at the Battlefield
Alfie remained locked in fierce combat with the Alpha Darkside Spirit. His bare fists met the creature's blade strikes as he dodged, blocked, and countered, constantly searching for an opening in its defences.
Above them, Lyon descended from the edge of the TIK TAK barrier. The fireballs that had threatened the forest were no longer falling, and the flames spreading through the trees were gradually dying down.
Lyon watched Alfie exchange another series of blows with the creature and frowned.
"This battle is going nowhere," he muttered.
Before he could move, a hand caught his wrist.
"Stop it, Lyon," Bash said firmly.
Lyon turned toward him.
"Leave it to the kid," Bash continued. "He needs to grow stronger, and fast. Greater trouble is coming for him, sooner than you think."
Lyon's jaw tightened as he looked back at Alfie.
"...Okay, okay. I understand," he muttered. "I just hate standing here doing nothing while a kid is fighting for his life."