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At this moment—
On a small yacht two kilometers off Ashen Isle.
Maxie stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his flame-red hair rippling faintly in the sea breeze.
Behind the stern lenses of his austere glasses, his eyes gazed intently at the distant island crowned by its towering volcano.
The beastly roar echoed across the empty sky, sending faint ripples racing over the sea's surface.
"Heh…"
A low chuckle escaped him.
On Maxie's weathered face, lined with age, a trace of a smile played.
Accepting the tall glass handed to him by his secretary, he swirled the dark-purple liquor within, watching it shimmer against the glass wall.
He drained it in one motion.
A few drops slipped down from the corner of his mouth, staining the white collar of his suit with ugly blotches.
He wiped it carelessly with his sleeve.
Then, without hesitation, Maxie tossed the empty glass overboard. It struck the calm water with a crystalline splash.
"It's time."
He beckoned to his secretary, and together they stepped into the cabin.
Vrrrm—
The engines roared to life. The small yacht surged ahead, leaving a wake of foaming waves as it sped away from Ashen Isle.
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On the island itself—
Kael, in his Ampharos form, remained near Max to help him recover.
Suddenly, the ground beneath their feet trembled violently, cracks splitting through the earth as if torn by some vast unseen force.
"An earthquake?"
Kael's brows furrowed, but almost instantly, his instincts screamed.
No—something worse.
His evolved Ampharos senses prickled sharply, warning him. His eyes snapped toward the looming volcano in the distance.
Chunks of rock tumbled from its slopes as the shaking dislodged layers of dirt and dust.
It was as if the mountain had shed its skin, revealing the pale, scarred stone beneath.
Thin white smoke rose in threads from the crater, curling upward into the sky before vanishing into the high winds.
Kael swallowed hard, his pupils narrowing. Every hair on his body stood on end.
From deep beneath the earth, he felt an energy so vast, so overwhelming, it defied comprehension.
"What… what is that?"
Terror flooded him, stiffening his muscles, slowing even the rush of blood in his veins.
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion shattered the mountaintop.
A colossal shockwave burst outward as white smoke surged from the crater, climbing furiously into the sky.
The gale swept up ash and grit from the ground, swirling them into a storm that blackened the heavens.
It spread and spread—
Like a monstrous, formless beast made of smoke and stone, the cloud expanded at terrifying speed, engulfing the land in its choking embrace.
A gray-white rose of ash and dust blossomed in the sky.
After centuries of silence, Mt. Largon had awakened.
Its fury, stored for ages, now erupted unchecked.
Lava gushed upward in brilliant orange streams, flaring sparks into the storm.
The searing heat devoured everything it touched, leaving behind only blackened cinders.
Amidst the roiling ash, darker streaks spread thick, suffocating black smoke devouring the lighter gray like ink spilled across water.
Magma sprayed violently, molten rocks raining down like burning meteors.
It was the image of the world ending.
Even as panic swept through them, the Dark Star advance team struggled to follow Max's commands, searching desperately for shelter.
"Ampharos—go!" Max shouted hoarsely beside him.
"It's useless…"
Kael shook his head. He muttered, perhaps more to himself than to Max, "There's no running from this."
That crushing presence smothered the entire isle. No matter how far they ran, it would catch them.
His gaze locked on the volcano, through the thick curtains of black smoke.
Within the darkness, something moved.
A deeper shadow loomed, accompanied by crimson lightning flashing within the smoke. Molten rock burst into the air like veins of fire.
And then—
A massive claw, wreathed in flame, burst out of the crater and clamped down hard on the rim.
The impact shook the mountain, shattering stone and melting it instantly into streams of red-hot magma.
From within the smoke, a pair of scarlet eyes flared open. Rage. Madness.
The winds screamed as the smoke was blown apart, revealing the monster within.
A colossal beast clad in crimson armor, magma coursing down its plated body like rivers of fire.
Rows of white, conical spikes jutted from its head, back, and tail, making it look like some apocalyptic war machine.
Its head bore serrated crimson ridges like the teeth of an earth-moving saw.
Golden pupils blazed with fury and cruelty.
The one spoken of in legend—
The god that created the land—
Groudon had awakened.
ROAR!
It's below shook the world, spreading waves of crushing power. The seas themselves heaved in response.
Kael stood frozen, staring, eyes wide in awe and terror at the godlike figure towering above.
His heart thundered, blood racing with excitement despite the danger screaming through every instinct.
He had seen Groudon countless times in games and anime in his past life. But this was real.
And it was terrifyingly beautiful.
Groudon's fury rippled outward in waves of energy.
A golden aura burst from its body, surging out like a shield.
The earth answered. Power surged from its depths, exploding across the land.
"Earthquake!"
The ground split apart, webs of cracks racing outward. Lava geysers spewed into the sky.
The whole of Ashen Isle shook violently, as if carved apart by unseen blades.
Groudon's magma-coated armor glowed fiercely. Blinding energy crackled along its body, ready to be unleashed.
The legendary titan gathered its strength, forging it into a cataclysmic technique.
"Precipice Blades!"
The heavens tore open.
Blinding light. Unbearable heat.
Air screamed under the pressure, stone disintegrated into dust, and even the clouds above split apart to reveal the stars beyond.
And then—
Ashen Isle, which had stood for thousands of years, was erased from the world.
In Groudon's wrath, it ceased to exist.
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