"Why the hell is this happening now, of all times?" Miyamoto muttered through clenched teeth. His fist slammed into the stone wall, the impact shattering part of the building with a deafening crack. Dust fell from the ceiling, scattering across the floor.
Lucy turned back, shaking her head with a faint sigh. She had grown used to her master's temper, though the raw force behind it still made her uneasy.
Without another word, Miyamoto flashed beside her, his presence vanishing and reappearing in a blink. He traced his hand across the air, and a glowing teleportation circle expanded beneath their feet. The lines of Renshi carved themselves into the ground in spirals of blue-white light.
"Come," Miyamoto said.
In a surge of energy, the world warped around them.
---
They emerged within the Kingdom of ASHURA. The land was known for its vast training halls and ascetic traditions, where warriors buried their grudges to pursue greater strength. Miyamoto had brought Lucy here with one purpose: to teach her to let go of vengeance and to rise higher.
But Lucy's heart was not so easily silenced.
For five long years, she remained in ASHURA. Training, enduring, growing. Under Miyamoto's guidance she mastered her Renshi, weaving it with force energy until she could command both with fluid grace. Her power had multiplied twentyfold. Her body no longer strained under her own strength, and the once heavy chains of her master's seal had long been removed. She had mastered half of her full Renshi, a feat few could achieve.
But beneath her discipline, the fire of her revenge still burned.
Whenever Miyamoto sent her on missions, Lucy worked swiftly, finishing the tasks with ruthless efficiency. Then she vanished into the shadows, using the remaining days to chase fragments of rumors, hidden tracks, and whispers of the Avengers. For years she searched, piecing together crumbs of information.
Finally—she found something.
---
Lucy burst into the quiet chamber where Miyamoto sat in deep meditation, his aura still and endless like a silent storm.
"Hey, hey, Master! I found a clue—about my sister!" Lucy shouted, her voice trembling with excitement.
Miyamoto's eyes remained closed. He did not move.
Lucy frowned. "Wait… you've been meditating for five days straight? No food, no water? What's going through your head, Master?" She stretched and yawned, her curiosity turning to concern.
A calm voice answered, smooth as steel. "I can hear you perfectly fine, Lucy."
"Huh?!" Lucy froze. "I didn't mean it like that, but—how can you go five days without food or water? You'll kill yourself, old man! Aren't you getting too old for this?"
Miyamoto opened his eyes at last, sharp as blades. "You fool. I cannot age anymore. I will remain like this until the day I fall in battle."
Lucy blinked, then sighed. "Fine, fine, we'll save that talk for another day. The important thing is—I finally figured out where Amanda might be."
Miyamoto's gaze hardened.
"I met a man while I was out. A friend, in a way. His family was captured by the Avengers. He gave me information about their hideouts," Lucy explained quickly.
"And you trust him?" Miyamoto's voice cut like thunder.
"It wasn't some roadside stranger, Master. He was on the same mission I was. A rogue Shinra to be precise—stronger than most Pro Darkside Knights. I taught him a little of the Art of Mojito, and in return, he gave me clues about the Avengers. We're both hunting the same enemy."
Miyamoto leaned forward slightly, studying her. "What's his name? Where is he from?"
"His name is Peaches. From the Kingdom of Berserker."
The moment the word left her lips, Miyamoto's aura flared with fury. "Berserker?! Do you have any idea how brutal the Shinras from that kingdom are? And this one is a rogue? And you trust him?!"
Lucy stood firm against the wave of pressure. "Calm down, Master. I'm not so foolish as to trust blindly. The first thing—he's a witch, like me. He wields both types of Renshi, and his control over Light Renshi surpasses mine. That's enough reason to believe he's not a liar."
Miyamoto inhaled sharply, then exhaled, the storm around him easing. "…That alone earns a sliver of my trust. Where is this hideout?"
Lucy straightened. "There are five in total. He told me the largest one holds their strongest forces. There are more across the continent, but we should investigate this one in our own country first."
Miyamoto rose to his feet, his meditation complete. "Then prepare yourself. Tomorrow, we set out."
"Yes, Master."
---
The following morning, under a blazing sunrise, Lucy and Miyamoto departed ASHURA. Their path led them to the sea, where the waves stretched endlessly toward the horizon. A lone figure awaited them on the shore, his cloak billowing in the ocean wind.
"So you're Peaches, huh," Miyamoto said flatly as they approached.
Peaches extended his hand with a calm smile.
Miyamoto ignored it, his eyes narrowing. "No respect for your elders?"
Lucy quickly tapped his arm from behind and whispered, "Master, please. Act normal. If you keep this up, he won't trust us."
Peaches crossed his arms. "Let me be clear. I don't know who you are, and you don't know who I am. But if we're going to fight against a common enemy, we need cooperation."
In an instant, Miyamoto released his Renshical pressure. The air cracked as Peaches was forced to his knees, his body trembling under the crushing weight.
"Listen carefully, boy," Miyamoto growled. "This girl is all I have left. If you ever try to harm her, I will rip your tongue from your mouth."
And mind how you talk to me from here on i don't take disrespect lightly.
Then the pressure vanished as quickly as it came.
Peaches gasped for breath, his eyes wide with shock. So strong… I couldn't even sense his aura. How can he hide his Renshi so perfectly?
Lucy stepped forward quickly, bowing slightly. "I'm sorry, Peaches. That's just how my master is. He hardly trusts anyone from Berserker. But… if he held back just now, it means you've earned a little of his trust."
Peaches wiped the sweat from his forehead, his lips curling into a smirk. "Hmph. If that was only a little test, then I'll take it. But don't underestimate me either."
He said in his thoughts.