THE REBORN WORLD OF THE CHRONICLES

Marco leapt into the air, his movement so swift it sent the first two Darkside Spirits flying back with double kick from both legs. In the same breath, he swung his blade downward, slicing off the third darkside spirit's arms. But before the limbs could even hit the ground, they regenerated instantly.

Landing several feet away, Marco drew a second blade from his sheath. His eyes narrowed.

"Playtime's over," he said coldly. "Let's finish this."

In response, the Darkside Spirits unleashed their Renshi. The first of them summoned a storm of dark rain—corrosive drops of pure acidic Renshi falling like needles toward Marco. This time, the rain sizzled as it struck the ground, melting through stone.

Marco dashed through the downpour, weaving between the droplets with perfect agility. These attacks are more dangerous than before, he thought. Looks like they were holding back with Alfie.

As he ran, the second darkside spirit extended his arms. From his hands, three monstrous snakes formed—constructed entirely from dark, shadowy Renshi. Two dove underground, while the third slithered toward Marco from the surface, maw wide open.

Marco's eyes flared with light. With a sharp chant, his third sword pulsed with divine energy. Light enveloped the blade as a sacred triangle—the Renshical Crest—glowed on his forehead.

The snake lunged.

With one clean, blinding swing, Marco cleaved it in half. The creature disintegrated into dust. But no time to rest—the other two burst from beneath the earth, snapping at him from both sides.

Marco leapt into the sky—and wings of light erupted from his back.

"He can fly?" the second darkside spirit hissed, taken aback. "Then my Renshi serpents are useless in the air."

"I'll handle him," the third Darkside Spirit growled, his form beginning to change. Talons tore through his feet, massive wings sprouted from his back, and his blade extended to match the size of his body. He took off to the sky.

"You can fly too? Impressive," Marco said.

Without warning, the third spirit folded his wings around himself and began spinning like a cyclone, his aura disrupting the atmosphere, creating an oppressive, dark storm.

Marco raised his glowing blades, crossing them.

With calm resolve, he chanted:

> "Light erase all darkness. Evil is born from good. Evil is destroyed by good.

Absolute Erase."

A blinding explosion of light burst from Marco's swords, swallowing the battlefield. The three Darkside Spirits cried out as they were incinerated, their forms wiped from existence by the holy blaze. The light stretched far across the horizon, painting the sky with its brilliance.

When the light finally faded, the sun had already set.

Alfie stepped out from the shadows, shielding his eyes with his hand as he approached the figure standing in the middle of the smoldering battlefield.

But instead of the old man he expected, a young woman now stood there—slim, graceful, her hair shimmering with the remnants of Renshi energy.

"W-who are you? What happened to Mr. Shinra?" Alfie stammered, stunned. "Where is he?"

The woman sighed. "You idiot. I am Marco. Or rather... that's the name I used. Now, stop gawking and go get me something from your mother's wardrobe."

Alfie blinked. "Wait—what? I'm... I'm sorry, I couldn't see you properly with all that light. But… you're clearly a girl now?"

"And you can tell that, huh? Don't tell me you're some little pervert," she snapped.

"No! No way! I just… how come you're suddenly a young girl?! What happened to the mustache and the grumpy old man look?"

"I was posing as that form, you rockhead," she groaned. "I can change my appearance at will. That form just consumed a lot of Renshi I have been with that form for decades now,you can't imagine how uncomfortable I've been all this time. This is my real form."

Alfie's jaw dropped. "So all this time, Mr. Shinra was… a young girl?"

"Don't call me Mr. Shinra again, got it? My name is Lucy. That 'Mr.' thing disgusts me."

"But... you can still fight like that, right?" Alfie asked nervously. "You'll still train me to use my Renshi, won't you?"

Don't tell me you can't fight anymore."

Lucy flicked him on the forehead. "I'm stronger in this form, you moron. If I'd fought like this from the beginning, those weaklings would've been erased in a blink. That male form drained too much of my Renshi because I've been with it for too long,do you get that."

She walked past him and into the house.

"Hurry up and get me some clothes," she said. "And start getting used to calling me Lucy. We've got a long road ahead—and you're going to need someone stronger than you've ever known to get through it."

Alfie stood still for a second, trying to absorb it all.

"…Lucy, huh?" he muttered, following her inside.