The rain poured from the sky like an ocean, instantly transforming the entire world into a realm of water.
Everywhere one looked, torrential downpours raged, expanding outward in all directions as time passed.
If this state persisted for much longer, the entire swamp would be submerged, eventually turning into a vast lake.
And all of this was merely the side effect of Kyogre's appearance!
Even without any deliberate action, its mere presence was enough to bring about a cataclysmic storm.
Legends said that whenever Kyogre swam through the sea, the ocean's expanse would double in size.
This was the origin of its title—[Creator of the Seas]!
Kyogre was the undisputed god of the ocean.
Moreover, these raindrops were anything but ordinary—they shimmered faintly with a fluorescent glow, capable of influencing the black mist.
As the rain continued to fall, the black mist on the battlefield rapidly diminished, replaced by crystal-clear water.
The Demon King's pupils abruptly contracted, its massive shadowy form trembling involuntarily. The indifference in its eyes had completely vanished, replaced by disbelief, confusion—even panic!
It couldn't comprehend it—how could such an existence exist in this world?!
An existence with such overwhelming power!
With just a cursory assessment, the shadow could roughly gauge the disparity between Kyogre's strength and that of the Demon King.
After all, it was merely a fragment of the Demon King's will.
[Almost there…]
[No—perhaps even stronger than the main body!]
[But… how is that possible?!]
The more it analyzed Kyogre's aura, the more shaken the shadow became, its expression growing increasingly human-like.
It simply couldn't fathom that something in this world could surpass its true form.
Where had this thing even come from?!
Stunned by this sudden revelation, the shadow froze, rooted in place.
It couldn't accept reality.
Even with only a fraction of its main body's power, it was certain of its judgment.
The opponent's strength was absurdly high.
Akira quietly observed the subtle shifts in the shadow's demeanor, knowing full well that its earlier composure had shattered.
It was probably racking its brain, trying to figure out just what Kyogre was.
But no matter how much the Demon King's shadow pondered, even if it tore its mind apart, it would never uncover Kyogre's true identity.
Unless he revealed it himself, who could possibly know that his Aura Beasts hailed from another world?
And that this enormous, round-headed creature was one of that world's most revered Legendary Pokémon?
Never mind confronting the Demon King itself.
Dealing with a mere shadow of the Demon King was child's play.
...
In the void, Kyogre's body slowly emerged from the fractured space.
To it, there was no distinction between ocean and sky—it could swim freely through both, its flight through the air taking the form of this graceful movement.
From what Akira knew, most Legendary Pokémon possessed the ability to fly.
Except for…
Kyogre's majestic eyes gleamed with a deep azure hue as countless raindrops around it surged violently.
They swirled around its body, the oceanic blue glow intensifying with every moment.
In this process, Kyogre unleashed the full might of its status as a Legendary Pokémon of the highest order, its aura skyrocketing!
Kyogre slightly raised its head, and a massive blue sphere of light materialized before it, containing an utterly terrifying amount of energy!
At this moment, sensing the violent energy fluctuations, the phantom finally snapped out of its dazed state.
It hastily mobilized the energy within its body, preparing to defend itself.
Even though the gap in power between them was vast, it couldn't possibly surrender without a fight.
Its identity as the Demon King did not permit such an act.
Even as a mere wisp of a phantom, it possessed the same pride.
In an instant, wisps of grayish-black mist dispersed, and the phantom's form suddenly expanded several times over.
For a brief moment, two vastly different energy fluctuations collided.
The azure oceanic waves and the grayish-black energy of death intertwined in the air.
The sheer force of the clash created a spectacle in the sky, rivaling the grandest scenes of a Hollywood blockbuster.
Immediately afterward, gusts of wind surged forth—the aftermath of such immense energies colliding.
The violent gales caused many to stagger, yet their gazes remained fixed on Kyogre and the phantom.
Their eyes brimmed with Hope.
They naturally recognized Kyogre.
Before landing on the Dark Continent, they had encountered a perilous crisis.
Surrounded by countless terrifying sea monsters, it was Captain Akira's Aura Beast that had intervened.
With just a single move, it had saved them.
So if anyone were to ask, the one most likely to resolve their current predicament was this overwhelmingly powerful Aura Beast!
Unlike the hopeful crowd, the phantom's mood had sunk to its lowest point.
In all its long existence, this was the first time it had felt such crushing defeat.
To those unaware of the truth, the two seemed evenly matched, locked in a stalemate.
But the phantom knew better—this was far from the truth.
Merely maintaining this false equilibrium had drained all its strength, leaving it with nothing more to give.
Moreover, the power summoned by the Twin-Tailed Snake was finite; it wouldn't last much longer.
Yet, it could clearly sense that its opponent hadn't even begun to exert its full force.
In other words, merely resisting its aura had already left the phantom in a pitiable state!
[Has the main body gone completely mad?]
Even now, the phantom couldn't accept reality, wondering if the Demon King had finally lost his mind.
Perhaps that was why its own mental state had deteriorated, conjuring scenes that should never have been possible.
It desperately wanted to believe this was an Illusion.
But every detail screamed at it—
This enemy was real!
[Main body... you're on your own.]
Facing the increasingly radiant light, the phantom sighed inwardly, its emotions a tangled mess.
The next moment, countless beams of dazzling blue-white light shot forth from the energy sphere.
Each intense beam carried vast amounts of Aura, leaving no doubt about their destructive power.
Water-type move—Origin Pulse!
"BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM..."
Countless explosions rang out simultaneously.
The Demon King's phantom proved utterly fragile, like paper, disintegrating into ashes the moment it made contact with [Origin Pulse].
Its consciousness was utterly obliterated within the blinding light.
The searing radiance illuminated the dim surroundings, the violent shockwaves tearing through the sky.
Not only was the Demon King's phantom obliterated in an instant, but the residual waves of energy continued to ripple endlessly.
But under Kyogre's precise control, there wasn't much commotion—the main target was the phantom.
Amidst the pouring rain, Kyogre hovered in the air, its body shimmering with an aqua-blue glow.
Like a deity descending, the beams it casually unleashed effortlessly shattered the enemy.
This scene would be deeply etched into everyone's minds, its image akin to that of a god.
And this wasn't the first time. Ever since Kyogre had come to their aid before, they had already committed it to memory.
As for Akira, who possessed such an Aura Beast, he was remembered even more vividly.
...
At this very moment, deep within the Dark Continent, far from this place.
The Demon King sat upon his throne, preparing to sink into slumber.
Suddenly, a ripple of awareness reached him.
The Demon King's eyes, which had just begun to close, snapped open again.
A trace of confusion flickered in those icy pupils.
[Defeated, was it?]
The Demon King was somewhat surprised.
He hadn't expected his phantom to be defeated by the enemy.
If it were in the depths of this land, a mere wisp of his phantom couldn't be called invincible, as it was the result of his power diluted countless times over.
But in those border regions, there should have been no match for it at all.
Though somewhat taken aback, the Demon King quickly returned to his usual indifferent demeanor, all emotional fluctuations vanishing.
While it was rare for a phantom to be defeated, it wasn't unheard of.
Usually, such cases occurred because the summoner provided insufficient energy, resulting in only a relatively weak phantom being called forth.
Or perhaps the summoning took place deep within the Dark Continent, and the phantom's strength wasn't particularly high to begin with.
Either scenario could lead to the phantom's defeat.
In his memory, such things had happened a few times before, so it wasn't all that strange.
[This level of strength isn't enough~ Far from it.]
[If only there were beings as strong as I am—even slightly weaker would do...]
[Then I might feel the desire to kill again!]
The Demon King lowered his eyelids, gradually closing his eyes. A final glint of bloodlust flashed in their depths before they shut completely.
The slightly seething black mist around him settled once more.
The entire region returned to deathly silence, waiting for the day in the future when the Demon King would awaken again.
...
At the heart of the marshlands,
Under Kyogre's control, the beam that had dispersed the phantom shot toward the sky, finally bursting like fireworks in the air.
Tiny aqua-blue specks of light mixed with the rain, falling to the ground before vanishing without a trace.
As a result, the thick layers of clouds in the sky were pierced straight through, leaving a conspicuous gap.
Rays of sunlight streamed through the opening, illuminating the land below, while the remaining dark clouds gradually dissipated, leaving more and more holes.
As increasing amounts of sunlight broke through, the moisture on the grassland began to evaporate.
In an instant, the battlefield returned to its sunny, vibrant state.
It gave everyone a surreal feeling, as though an era had passed.
In truth, only a short time had passed since they arrived on this grassland, yet it felt like years had gone by.
The oppressive aura of that phantom had been so overwhelming that anyone would have felt time dragging under its terrifying presence.
Though little time had passed, the changes on the battlefield were significant.
Large swaths of grassland had been destroyed, leaving only uneven, muddy ground pockmarked with deep craters.
The nearby area was naturally devastated, with only the distant grasslands spared and largely unaffected.
If there's one thing to say, it's that they were drenched in water.
Had Kyogre stayed a little longer, this grassland would have turned into a lake.
Even the depressions were filled with accumulated water, forming small "lakes."
Kyogre slowly turned its massive body, preparing to return through the void that had appeared. Before leaving, its eyes flickered.
Its gaze drifted toward a certain direction.
That direction was deep within the Dark Continent!
After giving it a brief glance, Kyogre vanished into the void, its colossal form disappearing without a trace.
Thus, both monsters on the field were gone.
Plop
Watermelon-head Mascher finally couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed onto the ground, landing right in a small puddle.
Muddy water splashed onto his safety suit, leaving round stains of dirt.
Mascher paid no attention to it, panting heavily, his chest heaving like a bellows, as he muttered fearfully:
"W-we made it!"
The phrase "surviving a disaster" was written all over his face.
No one mocked Mascher pitiful state because he wasn't the only one sitting slumped on the ground.
Many felt utterly exhausted, their aura flickering weakly, barely able to maintain it.
Similarly collapsing onto the ground.
Mascher's fall seemed to press some kind of button, triggering a chain reaction as people dropped one after another.
Like dominoes.
In the end, only a handful remained standing steadily.
Without exception, these few were the strongest in the group.
This scene alone revealed the disparity in strength within the team.
Ging glanced at the "seated" crowd, his expression shifting slightly as he sighed with emotion:
"Yes… we made it."
Like the others, Ging was also relieved to have survived.
After all, he wasn't the type to idly seek death for no reason.
Especially not when he was just one step away from his goal.
Falling at such a time would have been even harder to accept.
However, this incident also sparked another thought in him, making him reconsider his previous plans.
Their journey through the Dark Continent had been fraught with countless dangers, the most deadly among them being three.
First, the sea monster horde as they approached the Dark Continent.
Second, the stone giant tribe deep within the rocky terrain.
Third, the Hellbell Snake and the terrifying phantom they had somehow summoned, which they had just faced.
Beyond these three, there were plenty of other dangers that could have wiped them out.
Had Akira not been in the team.
So perhaps it was time to make a decision.
-----------------------------
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