Chapter 649: Battle of the Overlords, the World Changes Color
As one of the remarkably rare Steel/Dragon-types, Duraludon commanded an exceptional typing advantage.
Even though their base stat total wasn't overwhelmingly high, the Pokédex officially documented them as a lineage capable of contesting territory directly against Tyranitar.
Furthermore, Kazuya actively targeting them as his third operational objective wasn't solely due to their remote geographic coordinates, but also because their combat baseline was genuinely formidable.
Truth be told, any draconian species capable of carving out an existence within the central nexus of the Rocky Mountains wasn't weak.
Take the recently subjugated Hydreigon and Salamence clans as primary examples. Their demographic scale was modest; combined, their total population barely exceeded a hundred. However, their raw combat power was undeniably terrifying. Each clan fielded a minimum of five Elite Four-tier individuals. The Alpha patriarchs—the Hydreigon and Mega Salamence—sat at Lv. 82 and Lv. 83, respectively.
Yet, despite this sheer martial concentration, Kazuya still mathematically sequenced the Duraludon clan behind them.
This alone was a testament to the absolute power commanded by the Duraludon clan.
It could be stated with certainty: across the entire Rocky Mountain range, the only clans possessing the absolute martial capital to wipe out the Duraludon clan without leaving a single egg behind were the Tyrantrum Overlord clan and the Dragon Clan's Rocky Mountain branch.
However, Kazuya hadn't mobilized his forces to execute an extermination. His companions absolutely wouldn't disobey their King's explicit directives to launch a rogue operation.
And considering the Tyrantrum's disposition... unless it was strictly for the purpose of biological sustenance, he likely wouldn't even bother lifting a claw against a defeated opponent, let alone orchestrating a systematic genocide.
So the bottleneck variable emerged:
Who the hell had quietly and utterly wiped out the Duraludon clan?
It absolutely couldn't have been any of the other resident clans; their baseline combat parameters were roughly identical, none possessing a significant structural advantage over the Duraludon.
This enigma plunged Kazuya into deep thought.
Suddenly, the image of a massive swarm of bugs flashed across Kazuya's mind.
He recalled the Bug-type swarm that had violently tunneled out from the subterranean depths two years ago. Those Bug-type Pokémon hadn't been exterminated over the past two years; instead, they had successfully secured a foothold within the Rocky Mountain range, seemingly establishing a massive hive in the northwestern sector.
Because the geographic distance was substantial, Kazuya hadn't allocated much surveillance bandwidth toward that coordinate.
He genuinely didn't know if they could be the culprits.
"Tsk, what an absolute logistical nightmare. Withdraw to the vanguard camp for now. Prepare to launch the offensive against the Garchomp clan instead."
Kazuya massaged his heavy skull, a dull ache throbbing in his temples.
The operational parameters seemed to be spiraling slightly out of his control. For a third sovereign power capable of rivaling an Overlord-tier clan to suddenly manifest within the Rocky Mountains was a variable that somewhat exceeded his initial calculations.
However, it wasn't enough to force him into a state of paralyzed apprehension.
If nothing else, the Dragon Clan's Rocky Mountain branch alone, factoring in Kazuya, currently anchored a staggering four Champion-level powerhouses. The other three being Mega Salamence, Hydreigon, and Mega Aerodactyl.
Four Champions.
Three Mega-evolved individuals.
Even the non-Mega Hydreigon was undeniably a pseudo-legendary titan.
By contrast, the Tyrantrum clan merely fielded a single Champion-level entity: the Tyrantrum himself.
Granted, the Tyrantrum's individual combat output was in an absolute league of its own. Sitting firmly at the upper-tier Champion level, he could likely battle three lower-tier Champions from the Dragon Clan simultaneously without an issue.
But evaluating the holistic military strength, the Dragon Clan was undeniably, mathematically superior to the Tyrantrum clan.
Therefore, regardless of the origin or identity of this third unknown Overlord faction, the Dragon Clan felt absolutely zero systemic dread. They merely needed to reallocate a portion of their martial bandwidth to actively defend against this unidentified threat, preventing a catastrophic ambush while their main forces were exhausted post-combat.
Just as Kazuya was leading his flying vanguards back to their staging ground...
The Tyrantrum, residing in the absolute center of the range, had also discovered the identical anomaly while casually strolling through his domain.
Within his sovereign territory, several highly formidable clans had been systematically annihilated.
This reality caused the Tyrantrum to frown deeply. He could definitively confirm that this wasn't the work of the Dragon Clan.
Just as Kazuya possessed a thorough psychological profile of the Tyrantrum's behavioral patterns, the Tyrantrum possessed a relatively accurate calculation of what kind of dragon Kazuya was.
Over the years, although they hadn't physically crossed blows, their paths had crossed on numerous occasions. If making prolonged, intense eye contact counted as a form of spiritual communication, the two dragons had practically conversed dozens of times.
Furthermore, the innate aura radiating from Kazuya's physical silhouette naturally commanded absolute respect and trust from other draconian species. Thus, the Tyrantrum deduced that absent a blood feud, Kazuya absolutely wouldn't orchestrate the unprovoked genocide of a resident clan.
So the same question materialized:
Who annihilated these clans?
In stark contrast to Kazuya's logistical frustration, discovering this variable actually ignited a surge of profound excitement within the Tyrantrum.
Another powerful adversary to fight.
The more he processed the data, the more his blood burned. He even began to feel an intense, overwhelming physical thirst for battle.
Consequently, he decided to stop restraining himself.
He mathematically couldn't pinpoint the coordinates of this suddenly manifested enemy.
But he knew exactly where Kazuya was.
After waiting for so many years, his patience had completely evaporated.
The Tyrantrum spun his massive frame around and marched with long, earth-shattering strides toward the southeast.
I'll crush that Fire Dragon first, and then I'll drag that hidden bastard out from the shadows.
When Kazuya, resting within the Salamence clan's sovereign territory, watched the Tyrantrum march right up to their doorstep completely alone, he was absolutely dumbfounded.
Bro.
You genuinely came to pick a fight completely solo?
Are you mathematically devoid of fear that we'll just swarm you and beat you to death?
Kazuya couldn't help but marvel at the Tyrantrum's sheer audacity—or perhaps, his absolute, staggering foolishness.
As the absolute patriarch of the Tyrantrum clan, if he were swarmed and killed right here, how would his clan—lacking a secondary Champion—survive the cutthroat environment of the central nexus? Wouldn't they be instantly liquidated by the surrounding predators?
Kazuya didn't believe the Tyrantrum was an irresponsible leader. Otherwise, given his battle-crazed disposition, he would have abandoned his territory ages ago to sprint around the globe hunting for opponents, rather than confining himself to the Rocky Mountains to guard this single patch of dirt.
It was highly likely he simply hadn't processed that specific tactical variable. His absolute thirst for combat had completely blinded his cognitive faculties.
There was a secondary probability.
The Tyrantrum was exceptionally confident. Confident in his own absolute strength, and confident in Kazuya's character as a dragon.
On that final point, the Tyrantrum had genuinely miscalculated.
In the wild, Kazuya had never hesitated to orchestrate a mass swarming to rapidly execute an enemy.
However, today... he wouldn't deploy that protocol.
Kazuya didn't classify the Tyrantrum as an enemy. He classified him as a rival.
Say what you will, regardless of whether the Tyrantrum was foolish or not, his straightforward, unwavering disposition left a profoundly positive impression on Kazuya. The sheer courage to march directly into a hostile camp completely alone was a display of absolute resolve that Kazuya, as a Dragon King, refused to answer with underhanded tactics.
Furthermore, sitting at a formidable Lv. 85 baseline, Kazuya no longer needed to evade combat as he had in the past. He possessed absolute confidence that in a strict one-on-one duel, he wouldn't lose to the Tyrantrum.
Regardless of the underlying calculations, at least for today, the Tyrantrum's gamble had paid off.
Kazuya genuinely wouldn't command the Salamence to swarm him. Even though executing that maneuver would cripple the Tyrantrum clan and drastically streamline subsequent operations.
Not only that, but Kazuya intended to fight a completely honorable duel, dismantling the Tyrantrum in the very domain he excelled at the most.
He would ensure his rival accepted defeat with absolute conviction, walking away from this battle fully satisfied—regardless of the final outcome.
And the domain the Tyrantrum excelled at the most... was undoubtedly close-quarters physical combat.
The biological blueprint and move pool of his species were practically entirely allocated toward physical melee strikes.
Coincidentally, Kazuya also specialized in that exact operational parameter. He fundamentally rejected the notion that he would lose to any other Pokémon in a brutal, close-quarters brawl.
Even if the adversary was a God.
Kazuya slowly rose to his feet from the center of the Salamence territory. Seeing this, the surrounding Salamence simultaneously stood up, sweeping their collective gazes toward the Tyrantrum.
"Rua-ooh!"
The Tyrantrum unleashed a deafening roar directed solely at Kazuya, showing absolutely zero fear toward the sixty-plus dragons surrounding him. His gaze was locked dead onto Kazuya; not even the silhouette of the Mega Salamence reflected in his pupils.
He had fought all these other dragons before. They were merely a pack of defeated opponents.
Only Kazuya remained.
He hadn't crossed blows with him yet. And he possessed an overwhelming thirst to do so.
He had waited for this battle for an agonizingly long time.
The Tyrantrum anchored a deep, primal intuition that he was going to thoroughly enjoy this clash.
"All of you, fall back. This is an exclusive duel between him and me. Not a single one of you is permitted to intervene."
Kazuya swept his thick tail, taking two heavy steps forward before launching himself into the air.
Facing this Overlord of the Rocky Mountains—who had shrunk considerably since their first encounter—Kazuya didn't dare underestimate him in the slightest.
Since he had resolved to engage in a brutal, head-on collision, he had to unleash his absolute maximum output. Even a microscopic shred of carelessness... would result in agonizing pain.
The other Salamence exchanged glances, scooped up their young, and rapidly took flight, retreating toward the absolute peak of the mountain.
When these two titans clashed, they absolutely didn't dare linger too close to the epicenter.
Consequently, the entire mid-section of the mountain was entirely evacuated, leaving the battlefield exclusively to Kazuya and the Tyrantrum.
"Rua-ooh!" Seeing this, the Tyrantrum unleashed another excited, thunderous roar.
He inherently recognized Kazuya as a kindred spirit, elevating his anticipation and thrill for this battle to absolute maximum capacity.
Whoosh—
Kazuya crossed his arms and gently closed his eyes.
In the very next second...
A cataclysmic torrent of blue flames violently consumed his entire frame. As the flames dissipated and his eyes snapped open, a pitch-black dragon hovered majestically in the high altitude.
A streak of ghostly blue light flashed across his irises as his golden pupils quietly stared down at the Tyrantrum.
Facing Kazuya's intense gaze, the Tyrantrum glared right back without a single shred of fear.
Seeing this, Kazuya cracked a sharp grin. A heavy trace of genuine admiration surfaced in his eyes.
It had been a remarkably long time since he had encountered an entity capable of remaining entirely unaffected while staring directly into his Aura-infused pupils.
One had to remember that even Giratina in his previous life—despite maintaining a calm and composed exterior—had experienced a distinct ripple of genuine fear deep within its core when subjected to Kazuya's gaze.
This Tyrantrum possessed an extraordinarily, terrifyingly resilient willpower.
"If you're too polite to strike first, I'll provide the opening demonstration."
Kazuya raised his claw and violently snapped it forward. A Sacred Fireball, shimmering with radiant rainbow light, plummeted downward like a miniature sun.
Just as he stated, this was merely a casual, low-output strike. It functioned purely as a referee's starting pistol—the official signal initiating the combat. Even if it scored a direct hit on the Tyrantrum, it mathematically wouldn't inflict any substantial biological damage.
"Rua!"
The Tyrantrum's response was equally straightforward and brutal. A pale purple shockwave violently roared from his jaws, instantly obliterating the fireball and aggressively radiating toward Kazuya in the sky.
"Rua!"
Kazuya countered with the exact same technique—Dragon Pulse.
Boom—!
The two pale purple shockwaves violently collided in mid-air. The aggressively compressed atmosphere detonated with an ear-piercing, supersonic screech.
Although the Tyrantrum held a two or three-level mathematical advantage, Kazuya wasn't merely operating in his Mega-evolved state; he also commanded the structural multiplier provided by the Dragon Fang.
Therefore, regarding raw kinetic output, the two Dragon Pulses were flawlessly, absolutely deadlocked.
As the shockwaves dissipated, the preliminary greetings were officially concluded.
The apocalyptic war detonated.
Kazuya utilized Extreme Speed, initiating a hypersonic dive. In the blink of an eye, he materialized directly in front of the Tyrantrum's face.
An icy blue radiance violently flared around his right fist. The Ice Punch inherited from his previous life finally secured its absolute spotlight!
Facing Kazuya's aggressive, close-quarters charge, a flash of profound respect crossed the Tyrantrum's eyes. Without a single shred of hesitation, he violently swung his massive skull forward, executing a brutal, head-on collision.
Since you refuse to evade my absolute strike, then I absolutely refuse to evade yours!
BANG!
CRACK—!
Fist and skull violently collided.
The absolute epicenter of the impact generated a cataclysmic, howling hurricane. The entire world seemingly changed color in this exact split-second.
The cloud deck directly above Kazuya appeared to absorb a devastating kinetic shockwave, violently tearing open a massive, deep chasm across the sky.
The earth beneath the Tyrantrum's feet absorbed a volume of crushing pressure it was mathematically incapable of sustaining. An endless web of jagged fissures instantaneously spider-webbed across the entire mid-section of the mountain.
The Salamence observing from the mountain peak were completely, absolutely paralyzed with shock.
Is this the true magnitude of a battle between Overlords?!
Feeling the violent, apocalyptic gales crashing against their faces, they couldn't help but swallow hard. They immediately executed a secondary evacuation, relocating their young to the neighboring mountain peak to continue observing.
The visual clarity might degrade slightly, but under these apocalyptic parameters, preserving their biological existence mathematically took absolute priority.
Furthermore... they didn't know if it was merely a psychological illusion, but they were beginning to experience a deeply ominous, unsettling premonition.
~~~
Get early access to 30+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
~~~
Every 5 new reviews = 1 extra chapters
Every 150 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter