Two assassins from the remaining nine lunged at Alfie's back. Their knees slammed into him, sending him flying.
"Ugh—!" Alfie crashed through the air, rolling into one of the abandoned tents where Shinras once lived.
Before he could even rise, Lucy's blade glimmered.
—
Two heads dropped to the ground, their bodies collapsing seconds later.
"No one dares hurt my student!" Lucy's voice rang out, sharp and commanding.
The surviving assassins immediately regrouped, their movements eerily synchronized as shadows swirled into a single spot.
Sasaki switched to Lucy's side, grabbing Alfie and pulling him upright. Jackson sprinted toward them, his voice echoing.
"Alfie! Are you hurt?!"
"I'm fine—just got caught off guard," Alfie grunted, clutching his ribs but forcing himself to stand.
"These guys…" Sasaki's tone was low and sharp. "They're odd. I tried questioning them—nothing. Not a word, not a sound. It's like they're puppets."
Lucy's right grip tightened around her sword. "Listen closely. Don't hesitate to kill. These things aren't human anymore. They're constructs—beings made only to hunt and erase threats. They're weak, not even close to top-class assassins, which means someone is controlling them. And that controller…" She glanced toward the forest. "…is nearby."
She stepped forward, vanishing toward the trees.
"That's too dangerous!" Sasaki barked. "I'll come with you—"
"You idiot. Who's going to protect the boys if you follow me?" Lucy's reply cut like steel, leaving Sasaki standing in silence.
Alfie clenched his fist. "Don't worry, Mr. Reaper. Master's unstoppable. What we should worry about is this mess right in front of us."
Jackson scanned the silent assassins. "Strange… why did they suddenly stop? Doesn't it feel like they're… preparing for something?"
"And what about the other Shinras who were captured?"
Sasaki spat, his voice grim. "Gone. They panicked and switched back into the Kingdom of Ashura instantly. Too fast for you to notice."
The assassins began shifting. Fifteen of them moved like cogs in a machine, forming a tight circle. One stood outside, silent and still, while the others arranged into two smaller rings within.
"What the hell are they doing now?" Sasaki muttered. His brows furrowed, his hand tightening on his blade.
"Stay close," he ordered sharply. "We can't afford to slip."
A pulse of light ignited. Threads of Renshi connected the assassins, weaving into a massive circle that pulsed with unstable energy.
"W-what's happening with that circle?!" Alfie's voice cracked, panic bleeding through.
"This is bad." Sasaki's eyes burned with intensity. "They're channeling all their Renshi into that one outside the ring. Look—see the tiny streams flowing into his feet?"
In a blur, Sasaki appeared before the chosen assassin, his blade flashing down—
BANG!
A solid Renshi barrier erupted, blocking his strike. Sparks scattered.
"Damn it!" Sasaki hissed, flipping backward into the dirt, his stance resetting.
Alfie and Jackson sprinted toward him.
"Don't move another step!" Sasaki's roar cracked across the battlefield. His glare froze them in place.
The channeling finished. The assassin outside the circle inhaled sharply as every drop of power converged into his body.
BOOM—
His aura exploded—violent, black Renshi pouring out like a storm.
In a blink, he switched.
CRACK!
His fist buried itself into Sasaki's gut, folding his massive body in half.
"Grrrhhhaah!" Sasaki spat blood, skidding back. He stabbed his blade into the ground to stop himself, knees buckling under the force.
But there was no pause.
The assassin was already there, fists flying, blow after blow hammering Sasaki like thunder.
"Mr. Reaper!!" Alfie screamed, rushing forward.
But a shimmering dome of energy snapped open. Sasaki's domain engulfed Alfie and Jackson, locking them inside.
"Damn it, damn it!" Alfie slammed his fists into the barrier. "Why is he fighting alone?! We could help him!"
"Calm yourself!" Jackson barked, though his own hands trembled. "If we step out, we'll drag him down. That domain—it's his ace. But now he's using it just to keep us safe."
Alfie grit his teeth so hard blood seeped from his gums.
Out in the battlefield, Sasaki's body blurred with fury. Every strike shook the ground, his blade slashing, fists smashing, but the assassin absorbed each blow with monstrous resilience. With thirty-three assassins' strength merged into one body, the pressure was suffocating.
Sasaki roared, his body swelling. Muscles tore through fabric, his frame doubling in size. His skin glowed faintly as his second form activated.
BOOM!
The ground cratered beneath him. His power skyrocketed.
His fist rocketed forward—
CRASH!
The assassin's head snapped sideways as the punch launched him like a cannonball. He smashed through rocks, dust exploding in waves.
But before the dust even settled, SWITCH MODE!—he was back, fists already flying, not allowing Sasaki to breathe.
But in those precious two seconds, Sasaki had already prepared.
Above them—five massive Renshi shurikens spun in the air, each humming with lethal energy.
The assassin's strikes blurred against Sasaki's arms, their collision shaking the ground like constant explosions.
Then Sasaki's eyes blazed crimson, his aura surging.
FWOOSH!
Five spears of fire Renshi erupted, each the size of a tree trunk, heat shimmering the battlefield.
"Four down!" Sasaki roared, his voice deep and monstrous.
The fiery spears hurled downward, colliding with the spinning shurikens in midair. The clash detonated— KA-BOOOOM! —a storm of flame and energy ripping the earth apart.