The Snake Lord's massive body was suddenly sent flying high into the air, struck by a single punch from Zygarde as it soared upward.
With Zygarde's power, it didn't even need to use any special skills.
The sheer physical force contained within its body was enough to send the Snake Lord reeling with a single blow!
Even if the Snake Lord's true form had been present, the outcome would have been no different.
The Snake Lord felt as though every bone in its body had been shattered, the excruciating pain radiating from the point of impact throughout its entire form.
Its already illusory body began dissipating at an alarming rate, and simultaneously, the thunder and dark clouds in the sky gradually faded.
Gritting through the agony, the Snake Lord's eyes brimmed with a storm of emotions—fear, hatred, confusion—all swirling chaotically in its heart.
It couldn't remember the last time it had felt such intense emotional turmoil.
Ever since it had entrenched itself deep within the continent, reigning as a sovereign [Lord], it had rarely experienced such fluctuations.
In its eyes, there were only two kinds of beings in the world:
First, the [Lords] like itself.
Second, mere ants.
It arrogantly believed that all things in existence were either [Lords] or insignificant insects not worth mentioning.
Yet today, it was one of those very "ants" that had effortlessly crushed it, shattering the pride it had cultivated over countless years.
"What kind of joke is this?"
"You're nothing but a lowly insect!""Do not think that by using some terrifying restricted trump card to destroy one of my avatars, you can be smug!"
Before dissipating completely, the Snake Lord erupted with another surge of intense dark energy, endless black smoke completely enveloping its body.
In an instant, the sky that had just cleared after the dark clouds dispersed was once again swallowed by darkness, followed by a sudden transformation in the air.
A tornado composed entirely of black smoke rampaged across the ground, charging straight toward Akira.
Don paid it no mind, casually preparing to disperse the black tornadoes. However, the Snake Lord seized this opportunity.
Its massive Snakeine eyes took on a bloody hue, as if dripping with blood, staring unblinkingly at Akira.
Two blood-red curses, clinging like maggots to bone, shot straight toward Akira, aiming to latch onto him.
Just as they were about to hit, the Snake Lord finally revealed a smirk, believing that no matter what tricks this insignificant ant pulled out, he would still die by its hand.
Or rather, it considered it an honor for him to have forced it to use this move.
Once stained by this blood-red curse, any being below the level of a [Lord] would meet only one fate—being corroded into a pool of blood.
Every [Lord] possessed a Rule Ability aligned with their domain.
And its rule was—Assimilation and Corruption.
Assimilation meant that anything tainted by its aura, whether living or dead, would transform into Snakes.
And not just any Snakes—Snakes with bizarre abilities, [Calamities].
Corruption meant it could effortlessly decay anything. Even a [Lord] struck by this ability would be left in dire straits.
As the blood-red curses drew closer to Akira, he showed no reaction, appearing as though he had resigned himself to fate.
The Snake Lord, still wracked with excruciating pain and its massive body continuing to dissipate, now brimmed with amusement in its eyes.
And intense anticipation.
It eagerly awaited the sight of Akira dissolving into a pool of blood.
However, that smirk froze on its face.
A faint green barrier suddenly materialized around Akira, protecting him flawlessly from all angles.
The blood-red curses were completely blocked by the seemingly fragile yet impossibly powerful barrier.
Normal-type move—Protect!
Before the Snake Lord could react, the sky, earth, and void trembled with even greater intensity!
The next moment, two utterly distinct beams of light shot into the sky!
Painting the heavens in two different colors.
One was the azure blue of the ocean.
The other was the deep green of nature.
The two beams intertwined, generating terrifying fluctuations, their boundless energy surging outward.
Then, the void was torn open, revealing a pair of eyes filled with absolute fury.
They were yellow eyes, framed by red rims, exuding an aura of authority without needing to rage.
Under that gaze, the Snake Lord felt an overwhelming surge of terror!
Simultaneously, an ancient and vast oceanic presence spread outward.
Radiating at incredible speed, every creature that sensed this presence prostrated themselves, overcome with fear, dread, and reverence.
For this was the aura of a deity.
Rain poured from the sky like an ocean, and in moments, the entire world became a realm of water.
Everywhere the eye could see, torrential rain poured down, expanding outward in all directions as time passed.
If this state persisted much longer, the entire swamp would be submerged, eventually transforming into a vast lake.
Kyogre was furious!
Furious that the Snake Lord dared to lay a hand on Akira!
And this—this was merely the effect of Kyogre's presence alone!
Even without any deliberate action, its mere appearance would inevitably bring about a devastating downpour.
If Kyogre was enraged by the Snake Lord's audacity to strike,
then Complete Forme Zygarde was incensed that the Snake Lord had the gall to attack despite its presence.
It hadn't even been given a second thought!
Zygarde clenched its fists, unleashing its full Aura without restraint.
In an instant, two overwhelming pressures from Legendary Pokémon descended upon the Snake Lord.
At this very moment, the Snake Lord was being crushed under the might of two top-tier deities!
Its jaws gaped, desperately trying to scream—but no sound came.
Its body felt as though countless mountains were pressing down upon it.
One could say the Snake Lord was unfortunate, yet also fortunate.
Unfortunate, because a mere [Lord] like itself was facing two top-tier Legendary Pokémon at once.
One was the [God of the Sea], Kyogre, evolving toward its Primal form.
The other was the legendary Zygarde, the guardian of ecosystems in its Complete Forme.
Either one of them possessed the power to annihilate it with a mere gesture.
Fortunate, because few creatures ever had the honor of being targeted by two top-tier Legendary Pokémon simultaneously.
Hmm…
Akira thought the Snake Lord should take pride in this.
Yet, at this moment, the Snake Lord was utterly lost, questioning its very existence.
Why… why is there a second one of these beings?!
This makes no sense!
Is he even human?!
No—is any of this even real?!
Is this… an Illusion?!
All the arrogance it had shown upon arrival was gone, replaced by the crushing weight of an immovable force.
The next moment, Zygarde flashed before it, hands brimming with dense blue Aura.
This was its signature move!
A Dragon-type technique—Core Enforcer!
In an instant, the Snake Lord was engulfed by terrifying blue Aura pillars, their colossal radiance visible even from great distances.
Trapped within the Aura, it felt as though it were being flayed alive, its dark energy rapidly dissipating.
This was Akira's "parting gift."
Since the Snake Lord had tried to curse him before its clone dispersed, he couldn't possibly be impolite—naturally, he had to return the favor.
[Core Enforcer] was his gift to it!
In the games, [Core Enforcer] nullified the opponent's Ability—but in Zygarde's hands, it was far more potent.
It could erase the Snake Lord's Rule Abilities!
Assimilation and Corruption.
Since this was only a clone, permanently erasing them wasn't possible—but it could render them unusable for a time.
Even if it couldn't kill the Snake Lord, Akira was certain this would make it suffer.
After this ordeal, the already crumbling clone finally dissipated, its expression one of relief and liberation.
Rather than rage, it felt only the lingering dread of a narrow escape.
Just before vanishing completely, it heard a voice—soft, yet piercingly clear.
"Wash your neck clean and wait in that filthy abyss for me to claim your head, you insignificant worm."
"And also, I hope you like the gift I sent."
At the last moment, the Snake Lord only saw Akira's smile—a simple grin that in its eyes felt like a declaration from hell.
...
Deep within the Dark Continent,
This was a place devoid of light, as if shrouded in perpetual black night, where brightness was a rare sight.
The vast territory sprawled endlessly, dotted with countless city-like structures inhabited by all manner of bizarre Snakeine creatures.
Strangely, these beings possessed intelligence and lived on this land in ways eerily similar to humans.
And in the deepest reaches lay an abyss of absolute darkness, where anything that entered would be utterly devoured.
Yet this place, usually steeped in eerie silence, suddenly erupted with a roar that shook the heavens.
"How is this possible?!"
The Snake Lord resided in its dwelling—a void-like cavern deep enough to accommodate its massive form.
It had just received all the memories from its clone.
What it discovered was unimaginable: even its true form would stand no chance against one of them.
Among the many [Lords], its strength was far from weak, yet it had never felt such overwhelming helplessness.
It took the Snake Lord a while to calm down, but recalling Akira's final words sent a chill down its spine.
It knew—that man would come here one day!
And then...
Take its life.
Even for beings of their stature, death was nearly impossible, yet an unshakable dread filled its heart.
It had to act. With an existence of that level appearing, it had no choice but to seek out the other [Lords].
Only through unity could they defeat that man.
But... what was that "gift" Akira mentioned?
The Snake Lord was puzzled, as it hadn't sensed anything unusual—except...
Its Rule Ability was gone?!
The Snake Lord's already grim expression darkened further, as if ink could drip from its face.
At the same time, fear surged uncontrollably in its heart.
If it was just a temporary loss, that would be manageable.
But if its Rule Ability was gone forever...
Then the Snake Lord doubted it would live long enough for Akira to claim its head.
Before that day came, it would likely be hunted down by the other [Lords].
After all, there was no camaraderie among them—only competition, each eager for the others' demise.
Rule Abilities were crucial.
Without them, its strength would plummet to less than half.
Perhaps it was better not to venture out just yet...
In the end, the Snake Lord abandoned its plan to ally with the other [Lords] against Akira.
It feared that stepping out would reveal its weakness, inviting disaster sooner rather than later.
Now, it could only hope Akira would forget about it—or abandon his plans to venture deeper into the Dark Continent.
...
In a desolate corner of the Dark Continent,
Don stood motionless, his weathered eyes fixed on the distant horizon, where two pillars of light now pierced the sky.
One was a newly emerged dark green pillar.
The other was a familiar azure-blue pillar he had seen before.
So...
That really was Akira?!Who knows what kind of enemy he encountered that would require such power.
No, what's truly astonishing is that Akira actually possesses more than one such being?!
Don's gaze darkened slightly, his thoughts racing as he couldn't help but recall his conversation that day with his junior.
"By the way, do you know how many Aura Beasts Akira has? He summoned several when fighting me."
"I assumed that was all of them?"
"You think that's all?"
"No, no, no. Akira's Aura Beasts are always a mystery. Just when you think you've seen them all, he pulls out new ones."
"From what I know alone, the number of Aura Beasts Akira has far exceeds what you've witnessed."
"You only need to remember one thing."
"Akira is invincible!"
"His Aura Beasts—limitless in number, limitless in power."
Don could still remember the serious expression on his junior's face and those utterly outrageous words.
Back then, he hadn't paid much attention, thinking his junior might have been exaggerating.
But now, it seemed the problem lay with him.
"Invincible, huh..."
Don gazed at the sky until the two beams of light slowly dissipated, then smiled faintly and murmured to himself.
With that, he turned and resolutely continued on his original path.
Humanity is fortunate to have Akira.
He is the only one among humans qualified to understand the truth of the world, to step beyond the chessboard known as the "Dark Continent."
To become a player of the game.
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