The sky erupted in a blinding flash.
The collision between Miyamoto's Absolute Erase and Alaska's Golden Pierce unleashed a devastating shockwave across the battlefield. The remaining trees were flattened, and enormous chunks of earth were hurled into the air. The force swept through the surrounding forest, reaching the borders of the neighbouring kingdom. Buildings shook violently, while distant mountains trembled beneath the pressure.
At the centre of the explosion, the air itself seemed to collapse.
Far below, the jade talisman in Amanda's possession began to crack.
"Lucy, look..."
Lucy immediately turned toward the pendant, reaching out to touch it. But before she could, another tremor ripped through the ground.
The jade shattered.
The teleportation spell sealed within it activated instantly. A circle of light formed beneath the two girls, enveloping them in a spiralling current of energy.
"Wait, what...?"
In the blink of an eye, Amanda and Lucy vanished, transported directly back to the Kingdom of Purity.
The claws of the two peak Special Darkside Spirits tore through the air, striking the exact spot where the sisters had been standing moments earlier.
A moment later, the explosion consumed the town.
Buildings disintegrated beneath the overwhelming force. The surrounding forest disappeared beneath a wall of fire, dust, and shattered earth. The two peak Special Darkside Spirits were caught directly in the destruction. Neither had enough time to escape before the blast swallowed them whole.
By the time the shockwave finally subsided, the town had ceased to exist.
Had the jade talisman not activated, Amanda and Lucy would have suffered the same fate.
---
Amid the devastation, Miyamoto descended slowly toward the shattered ground.
An invisible layer of Renshi surrounded his body, shielding him from the lingering heat and flying debris. Even with that protection, his breathing was ragged, and his arms trembled from the strain of maintaining his technique.
His swords hung heavily in his hands.
"Damn..."
He exhaled, surveying the destruction around him.
"I really went overboard."
Lowering one sword, he struggled to steady his breathing.
"That was nearly everything I had."
His gaze shifted toward the enormous crater where Alaska had been standing.
An attack of that magnitude should have finished him. Even if he had somehow survived, there shouldn't have been enough strength left in his body to continue fighting.
Miyamoto began making his way toward the crater.
Then his instincts screamed.
He looked up.
A colossal golden blade was already descending toward his head.
"Shit!"
"Switch Mode!"
Miyamoto vanished a split second before the blade struck.
BOOOOOOM!
The enormous sword smashed into the earth, splitting the ground apart and sending a wave of debris across the ruined battlefield.
Miyamoto reappeared several dozen metres away, skidding backwards as the shockwave caught up with him.
He steadied himself and stared at the enormous blade embedded in the ground.
His expression darkened.
"You've got to be kidding me."
A familiar laugh emerged from the dust.
"Hahahaha... HAHAHAHA!"
The smoke slowly began to clear.
Alaska stood at the centre of the destruction.
His golden scales were cracked and hanging loosely from his battered body. Blood ran down his face, and his breathing was uneven. The right side of his body had been reduced to a bloody wreck, with his right arm completely severed.
Yet he remained standing.
His remaining hand gripped the enormous sword, forged from the last reserves of his golden Dark Renshi. Its brilliance had faded considerably, but its edge still radiated enough energy to make the surrounding air tremble.
Miyamoto stared at him in disbelief.
"How the hell are you still alive?"
Alaska lifted his head, revealing a savage grin.
"Disappointed?"
"More like annoyed."
Miyamoto wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Look at yourself. You've lost an arm, your scales are falling apart, and you're barely able to stand."
He raised his twin swords.
"Give it up, Alaska. I don't feel like wasting any more time beating a half-dead opponent."
Alaska said nothing.
Then he burst into laughter.
"Half-dead? HAHAHAHA!"
His laughter turned into a violent cough. Blood spilled from his mouth, but the grin never left his face.
"You really are an optimistic fool, Miyamoto."
Golden Dark Renshi gathered around the stump of his missing arm. His remaining scales shifted and tightened, compressing around the wound to prevent further blood loss.
But the arm itself did not regenerate.
Alaska's eyes narrowed.
"That cursed light of yours has ruined my ability to heal. I can seal the wound, but I can't grow the arm back while your Renshi continues burning through my body."
He tightened his grip on the enormous sword.
"Still, you haven't killed me yet."
The golden blade began to brighten.
"And I'm taking you with me."
Miyamoto's expression turned cold.
"So that's how you want it."
He adjusted his stance, holding one sword forward while keeping the other close to his body.
Alaska lowered his centre of gravity.
For several seconds, neither moved.
Then Alaska vanished.
"Switch Mode!"
He reappeared above Miyamoto, bringing his massive sword down with one hand.
Miyamoto crossed his blades to block.
CLAAANG!
The impact forced him down onto one knee. The ground beneath his feet cracked, and his arms shook as he struggled to withstand the enormous weapon's weight.
"Damn! Even in this condition, he's this strong?"
Miyamoto twisted his swords, redirecting the blade just enough to escape its full force.
He immediately switched backwards.
Alaska followed.
Their weapons collided again, sending sparks scattering across the ruined battlefield.
Despite having only one arm, Alaska compensated with brutal and unpredictable movements. He used the enormous sword's reach to keep Miyamoto at a distance, then activated Switch Mode whenever his opponent attempted to escape.
Miyamoto was forced to defend with both blades, parrying the heavy strikes while searching for openings that became increasingly difficult to exploit.
Alaska was no longer fighting to win.
He was fighting to make sure Miyamoto died alongside him.
And that made him more dangerous than ever.
Five minutes passed.
The battlefield continued to change with every exchange.
Miyamoto's blades carved glowing trails through the air, while Alaska's enormous sword tore trenches through the ground whenever it missed. Each collision unleashed another shockwave, sending fresh waves of rubble scattering across the ruins.
Miyamoto's breathing grew heavier. His earlier attack had drained much of his Renshi, and his body was beginning to feel the strain.
Alaska was in even worse physical condition, but desperation kept him moving. His remaining scales flickered with unstable energy, and the wound where his arm had been continued bleeding despite the layers of armour sealing it.
Still, he refused to retreat.
"WHY WON'T YOU JUST ACCEPT YOUR FATE?" Miyamoto shouted as he deflected another crushing blow.
Alaska snarled.
"FATE? I'M NOT LOSING TO YOU!"
He swung again.
Miyamoto ducked beneath the blade and slashed at Alaska's exposed side. His sword cut through several layers of scales, drawing blood before Alaska managed to twist away.
The wound refused to close.
Alaska staggered, his expression twisting with fury.
"No..."
He glanced at the blood running down his side.
Miyamoto's light Renshi continued eating away at the corrupted Dark Renshi within his wounds, preventing his regeneration from taking effect.
Every successful strike made the damage worse.
Miyamoto noticed Alaska's hesitation.
Tightening his grip, he thrust one sword into the ground.
The earth beneath Alaska ruptured.
Two enormous fists formed from compressed rock and soil, rising on either side of the Darkside Demon before swinging toward him from opposite directions.
"Renshi manipulation..."
Alaska's eyes widened.
"Not again!"
He summoned his remaining scales, forcing them together to form a massive golden shield.
BOOOOOOM!
The first stone fist slammed into it.
Alaska's feet sank into the ground beneath the impact, and cracks spread across his armour.
Before he could recover, the second fist struck from the opposite side.
CRAAACK!
The shield fractured.
Alaska barely managed to reinforce it with Dark Renshi before the stone fist shattered into fragments.
But Miyamoto was already moving.
"Switch Mode!"
He appeared in Alaska's blind spot, both swords drawn back.
"Too slow."
Miyamoto slashed across Alaska's chest.
Blood sprayed across the broken ground.
"GHAAAAH!"
Alaska stumbled forward, his remaining arm dropping momentarily as pain tore through his body.
Miyamoto landed several metres away and turned to face him.
He didn't pursue recklessly. Instead, he watched Alaska's movements, waiting for the Darkside Demon to expose himself again.
Alaska's breathing became increasingly ragged.
His scales trembled as he forced more energy into them, desperately trying to stabilise his failing body.
I can't lose.
His fingers tightened around the sword.
Not after everything I've done. Not after all these years.
He raised his head, his eyes burning with hatred.
"I WON'T LOSE TO YOU!"
"Switch Mode!"
Alaska vanished.
He reappeared to Miyamoto's right and swung.
Miyamoto blocked.
Alaska teleported again, attacking from the opposite side.
Miyamoto parried the strike and countered with a thrust, forcing Alaska to twist away.
Again and again, Alaska changed positions, unleashing a desperate barrage of attacks. His movements were becoming less precise, but his sheer aggression made every exchange dangerous.
Miyamoto retreated across the shattered battlefield, defending against each strike while searching for an opportunity to end the fight.
Then Alaska made a mistake.
Desperate to land a decisive blow, he committed himself to a powerful overhead strike.
Miyamoto slipped to the side.
The enormous blade crashed into the earth, burying itself several metres deep.
Alaska immediately tried to pull it free.
But the ground beneath him began to move.
His eyes widened.
The first stone fist had been destroyed, but the second was still suspended above the battlefield, held in place by Miyamoto's Renshi.
Alaska had completely forgotten about it.
BOOOOOOM!
The colossal fist came crashing down.
Alaska was driven into the earth, the impact creating a deep crater beneath him. His sword slipped from his grip as the ground collapsed around his body, burying him beneath a mountain of shattered stone.
For several seconds, nothing moved.
Miyamoto stood at the edge of the crater, breathing heavily.
One of his swords slid back into its scabbard.
"It's over, Alaska."
He looked down at the wreckage.
"Your time is up."
Suddenly, a hand emerged from beneath the rubble.
Alaska dragged himself out, coughing blood. His remaining scales were cracked beyond recognition, and his body trembled so violently that he could barely remain standing.
"Impossible..." he rasped. "I can't lose... not now... not ever!"
He reached for his sword, but his fingers failed to close around its hilt.
Still, he refused to accept defeat.
With the last of his strength, Alaska activated Switch Mode.
He vanished from the crater and reappeared directly in front of Miyamoto, launching himself forward with a desperate roar.
Miyamoto didn't draw his second sword.
He simply shifted his weight and drove his fist forward.
BAM!
His punch struck Alaska squarely in the face.
The impact snapped the Darkside Demon's head backwards and sent him crashing into the dirt.
Alaska tried to move.
His fingers twitched against the ground, but his body no longer responded.
Miyamoto stood over him, his expression grim.
"If only you'd fought me without throwing everything away on that final attack," he said quietly. "You might have had enough strength left to keep fighting for another two hours."
He glanced at Alaska's shattered scales and the wound where his arm had been.
"But you exhausted yourself trying to kill me in one blow. After that, you had nothing left."
Miyamoto exhaled, his shoulders sinking with exhaustion.
"You were strong, Alaska. Strong enough to push me further than I wanted to go."
He turned away.
"But strength means nothing to you Darkside Spirits. You're an abomination that only wants more and more, always thinking you're stronger than everyone else."
His expression hardened.
"I despise your existence."
Behind him, Alaska's fingers slowly stopped moving.