"Hello, humans. It's nice to meet you," the special Darkside Spirit said with a gentle smile, his appearance eerily human—long hair, piercing green eyes, and a body that resembled human form so closely it seemed clothed even though he wore nothing.
"He... he can speak?" the captain of the other court stammered. "How is this even possible?"
Fear gripped the Shinras. They stood frozen, unable to move a muscle, as the darkside spirit calmly walked toward them.
"Now then… who should I devour first?" the spirit mused casually. "You Shinras? Or perhaps your precious Renshi orb?"
"Don't freeze up!" Falco shouted, snapping the others from their daze. "We either stand and fight—or die. But giving up is not an option!"
"A noble speech… for a worthless trash without any Renshi," the darkside spirit sneered. With a flick of his fingers, an unseen force launched Falco into the air, sending him crashing far from the rest.
Groaning, Falco staggered to his feet. Should I run? he thought—but then clenched his fists. No. If he defeats them, catching me will be effortless. I'll meet the same end. It's better to fight together than die alone.
He sprinted back into the fray.
"Mages! Pour all your Renshi into boosting our defense—we attack now!" the captain of the other court commanded.
"Y-Yes sir!" the mages responded, their voices trembling as they formed protective spells around the Shinras.
"Come to think of it…" one mage whispered to another. "The head captain immediately interferes, they encountered both a Special darkside spirit and an Alpha darkside Spirit. But we're only seeing one."
"That must mean they sent both strong ones to face the head captain… They knew a single Special darkside spirit wouldn't be enough against him," another mage replied grimly.
"You insects dare to resist against me?" the darkside spirit growled. "Then die… and become my meal."
With a snap of his fingers, the ground split open. Some Shinras plummeted into the chasm, screaming. Falco managed to leap in time from where he's running from,with some of the Shinras in same location where the earth splitted including mega, landing just as the earth slammed shut—crushing those who had fallen.
"We just lost half our unit… from a finger snap," the captain of the other court muttered in horror. "How can we fight something like this?"
"I have an idea!" Falco shouted, rushing over. "Mages—cast a floatation spell! Just one meter off the ground. It'll stop the earth-splitting trick from working!"
"You're alive?" Mega, the second-caped Shinra, blinked in surprise. "Didn't think you'd come back."
"Oh, garbage boy returns," the Special darkside spirit sneered. "You really must want to die."
"I'm not a boy, you imposter human. I have three boys of my own. So keep that trash talk to yourself," Falco snapped.
"Floatation spell complete!" one of the mages yelled. "You'll hover a meter off the ground for over an hour. But while it's active, we can't cast support spells—you're on your own now."
Suddenly, the ground cracked again. "Rocks!" a Shinra cried. Massive boulders, fifty times larger than a man, tore from the earth and launched at them.
"Don't waste your Renshi! Dodge!" the captain ordered.
As he sidestepped one, another slammed into him from behind. He hit the ground hard, shattering the floatation spell—and triggering a chain reaction. All the Shinras fell back to the ground.
"This is your end," the Special darkside spirit whispered with glee. He raised his hand, preparing to hurl the massive rocks at the downed warriors—then stopped.
He tilted his head, eyes wide. "This… this Renshi... What is this power?"
A dark aura surged across the battlefield.
From the dust and destruction, Falco stepped forward—his body cloaked in a swirling mass of Renshi so dense, it distorted the air around him.
"What… How?" Mega whispered, struggling to stand. "Falco doesn't have any Renshi… So how… how is he wielding ten times more than me?"
The captain of the other court watched in awe. "This isn't a reawakening. It feels like something he's kept hidden all along. Look at how he controls it—so precise. He's lived with this power his whole life."
Falco's voice echoed in his own mind. I swore I'd never use this power again. Since I was twelve… I tried to live like a mage without Renshi. Because this power—this darkness—shouldn't exist. But I don't care anymore. I'll use anything to get back to my family.
"A jackpot," the Special darkside spirit whispered, trembling with hunger. "Devouring this dark Renshi… will push me to the next level!"
He threw his head back and laughed maniacally.