"It's going to be easy with Sasaki not around," Lyon muttered, turning to Lucy. "So I'll tell you this—thank you. I'll make it brief when I return. I'll tell him you killed Sasaki and I escaped back to Guhan because of the boys. Even if he doesn't believe me, he has no proof. We've been through worse situations. This won't be the first time I've spun a story to survive."
Lucy nodded. "Okay… okay, that's a good plan. Stay safe, kiddos. Until we meet again." She turned to Jackson and Marcel with a faint smile before stepping away.
Jackson, still on edge, clenched his fists lost in his thoughts. I'd want to become this woman's student… but with this Sasaki guy around, it's impossible to trust him. I need to grow stronger before greater threats start flooding into this country.
"Hey, Jack! Stand up—let's get going," Marcel called.
"Ah, right." Jackson rose from the ground and followed. The two walked toward Lyon.
But then—
"Lucy," Sasaki's calm voice cut through the air. "Something just came to mind. Earlier… you mentioned a greater threat. What did you mean by that?"
Lucy froze, eyes widening. "Shit… I completely forgot—" She spun around, panic breaking her composure. "Hold on, don't leave just yet!" she shouted.
Lyon stopped mid-step, turning back in surprise.
"Come with me, Sasaki!" Lucy barked, dashing in the direction Alfie had gone. Her instincts screamed at her—Alfie's fear earlier wasn't baseless.
Rebekah, startled, ran after her master. "Wait for me, Master!" She gritted her teeth, thoughts swirling. Why is she so worried? I thought it was over… What did that monster mean by a greater threat?
"Hey, Lyon!" Bash's tone sharpened. "Something's off. We need to find that kid—now."
Lyon frowned, conflicted. "I don't know what's happening… but I have no choice." He turned to Jackson and Marcel. "Come with me. We'll discuss what we need to later. For now—first, we solve this."
Together, they sprinted after Lucy, Sasaki, and Rebekah.
---
Meanwhile—Kingdom of Guhan.
Inside a dim meeting chamber, Exca is still with the three men in white costumes. The tallest, a seven-foot figure with a grim expression, leaned forward as Exca asked,
"So… what's your business with this kid?"
The tall man's eyes glinted. "I can't give you details, Special Darkside Knight. It's too powerful for you to know. But I'll give you a hint… He's number two on the list. That alone should tell you how important he is to us."
Exca's jaw tightened.
The man stood, his aura oppressive yet calm. "I came to negotiate. I will interfere with your plans if needed. For now, I think this went well. We're keeping a low profile to avoid drawing the attention of Golden Katana. We'll take our leave."
Without moving his hands, he summoned a teleportation circle from pure purple Renshi. The two men beside him activated their own spells—one radiating dark Renshi, the other light Renshi.
Exca narrowed his eyes. These men… What the hell is this list? Number two? Are they collecting kids with powerful Renshi? For what purpose? His thoughts churned. No matter. As long as they help me awaken my bloodline, I won't need to play dirty this time.
"Hey—when will you return and awaken my bloodline?" Exca called out suddenly.
The tall man's voice echoed, calm yet commanding. "Don't panic, Exca. Very soon."
Exca clenched his fists as they vanished. Damn them… I can't force it. They're too powerful. My only option is to wait… and hope they return.
---
Meanwhile—border of Sunflower and Eminence.
Lucy and Rebekah rushed through the dense forest, searching desperately.
"Master, how come we can't find him? Can't you sense Alfie's Renshi aura?" Rebekah asked, panting as they ran.
Lucy's expression hardened. "Something's wrong. I think the second seal I placed on him was too strong—it completely suppressed his Renshi. But that shouldn't be possible. No matter how tight the seal, Alfie's aura is too overwhelming to be held back by some stupid seal. There should be leakage."
"This is bad… really bad. If he came this way, we should have already run into him," Rebekah muttered. "What was that 'greater threat' Sasaki guy mentioned? What did he mean?"
Lucy's teeth ground together. "Remember when Alfie said he had a bad feeling about us being attacked?"
"Yes, I remember."
"That threat wasn't Sasaki. And it wasn't that man either. They weren't after Alfie of their own will. They were forced." Her voice dropped, her eyes burning with dread. "The real threat hasn't appeared yet. When it does… it'll be far stronger."
Her pace quickened, her voice sharp. "I made a horrible mistake letting him run off on his own…"