"Landorus was injured? How is that possible?" Watching the battlefield through the Super Capture Ring, one of the Grand Sorcerer's face changed drastically.
Earlier, Thundurus and Tornadus had been injured only because of the overwhelming number of Ghost-type Pokémon and their bizarre, hard-to-defend curse and destiny bond suicide attacks.
But now, Landorus was facing only a single Rhyperior—and yet it had still been injured, and not lightly at that. Its combat power had been greatly reduced!
On the Pokémon Domain's side, they were equally shocked by the strength Rhyperior had displayed, but what they cared about even more now was Rhyperior's condition.
Gradually, the aftermath of the explosion completely dissipated. A massive crater appeared before their eyes, and Rhyperior stood quietly within it. Even after unleashing that devastating attack, it still had not fallen!
"RHYYYY! PERIOOOR!"
Rhyperior raised its head and roared once more.
Magma surged across its body as countless strange runes appeared over its form.
At this moment, it had fully unleashed the power of the Volcanic Keystone within its body, making it resemble a volcano on the verge of eruption!
Its gaze locked firmly onto Landorus. With a single stomp, it charged forward with the might of a volcanic eruption, launching yet another attack. Its momentum was no weaker than that of a guardian deity!
Whoosh—Whoosh—Whoosh—Whoosh~
On the battlefield, the once-still Landorus finally reacted.
A terrifying aura erupted from its body as it floated higher, countless fragments of rock rushing toward it from the ground.
These fragments merged together, forming a gigantic boulder that smashed down toward Rhyperior below, its immense power causing the ground to sink!
BOOM!
The boulder collided with Rhyperior.
With a deafening roar, the massive rock was shattered by Rhyperior's punch.
Rhyperior unleashed Rock Wreaker again, magma-wreathed projectiles blasting forward, only to be smashed apart midair by Landorus's power!
The Land Deity hovered in the sky and slammed a hand downward. The power of the earth erupted completely, smashing the airborne Rhyperior back into the ground!
"RHYYYY!"
Rhyperior roared furiously, bringing its hands together as it poured all its strength into them.
Magma surged across its body as the power of the Volcanic Keystone continued to condense, transforming the Rock Wreaker into a dazzling comet trailing flames as it shot forward!
Facing such a terrifying strike from Rhyperior, Landorus's pupils shrank. It began to retreat, but was still engulfed by the explosive force of the Rock Wreaker!
"What a terrifying attack! Is this Rhyperior?" The trainers' faces lit up with excitement.
This level of power exceeded their imagination, letting them see hope. Though they faintly sensed it might be impossible, a thought still surfaced in their minds—could Rhyperior actually win?
BOOM!
But in the very next moment, a sudden sandstorm in the sky dragged them brutally back to reality.
As the sandstorm surged, Landorus's figure reappeared, and this time it held a massive boulder several meters in diameter in one hand.
With a swift downward swing, the boulder hurtled down, slamming into Rhyperior and crushing it beneath, accompanied by a thunderous impact as it was driven deep into the ground!
"It's still not enough. Guardian deities are just too strong," Mira clenched her fists tightly as the faint hope that had just arisen was extinguished in an instant.
"OOOOOONIX!"
But just as the trainers' hearts sank to their lowest point, the ground beneath Landorus suddenly split apart.
A massive Onix burst forth from the earth, charging straight toward the airborne Landorus as blinding white light erupted from its body!
Immediately after, a terrifying force exploded outward from the Onix. Amid a massive explosion, all of its energy poured toward Landorus!
And this was not the end. The ground around Landorus continued to rupture as several more Onix surged out, their bodies glowing white as successive waves of terrifying power crashed into Landorus!
Behind the Onix came countless Geodude and Graveler. These Rock-type Pokémon charged forward fearlessly, each explosion representing their final counterattack. As long as it meant protecting their home, they were willing to give everything!
"Self-Destruct! That's the move Self-Destruct!"
"Those Onix and Graveler are using their own bodies to launch their final attacks!"
A trainer said in a trembling voice. First the Ghost-type Pokémon, and now these Onix and Graveler— they truly were using their lives to protect the Pokémon Domain!
"Everyone, pull yourselves together!"
"The Pokémon Domain is not only the Pokémon's home, it's our shared home as well!"
"For the Pokémon Domain, we must defeat the enemies before us, even if it costs us our lives!"
The trainers shouted at the top of their lungs. In an instant, the momentum on the battlefield surged once more. Countless Pokémon pushed past their limits, unleashing even more powerful moves!
At the same time, Pokémon continued to gather from all directions. Even those living deep within the Black Forest heard the call and surged toward the enemy. Even if they fell, they would make sure to leave at least one wound on their foes!
…
Explosions echoed continuously across the battlefield.
When everything finally settled down, the sand and dust that had been kicked up shot straight into the sky!
"How did it go?" Seeing this scene, all the Trainers present swallowed hard, their throats dry.
Under everyone's tense gaze, the towering column of sand suddenly reversed direction, and then the figure of Landorus appeared once more, its entire body covered in wounds.
This immensely powerful Guardian Deity after enduring Rhyperior's all-out strike and the successive Self-Destruct attacks from countless Rock-type Pokémon—had actually been seriously injured.
Before this battle, if someone had told you that ordinary Pokémon could injure a Guardian Deity, very few people would have believed it.
Yet now, whether it was the Ghost-type Pokémon or the Rock-type Pokémon, they had all proven that this was indeed possible.
If there had been just a little more Ghost-type and Rock-type Pokémon, if the power of the Curse and Self-Destruct moves had been just a bit stronger, then perhaps… defeating a deity might truly have been possible!
"We're so close—everyone, hold on!" The Trainers' morale was reignited once again.
At this moment, they truly saw hope for victory. Perhaps… perhaps they really could defeat a Guardian Deity!
"LAAAAND!"
This time, Landorus could no longer maintain its former calm.
Even Landorus, which instinctively disliked fighting, had now been completely enraged.
It continuously called upon the power of the earth, causing the ground to weather and collapse, turning into flowing sand that swept outward in all directions!
The grasslands that had been painstakingly cultivated over time in the Pokémon Domain were instantly reduced to nothing under Landorus's power. Vast deserts spread rapidly in every direction, devouring everything in their path!
On a distant hillside, the brown-robed Sorcerer finally arrived. Seeing Landorus's battered state, he snorted coldly. "A Guardian Deity isn't that fragile."
Whoooosh—!
Accompanied by raging winds, a massive tornado wrapped in countless grains of sand suddenly rose from the ground!
This tornado swept huge amounts of sand into the sky, turning it gray and oppressive as it pressed down upon everyone on the battlefield like the end of the world itself!
At the same time, Thundurus and Tornadus in the sky also unleashed their full power. Lightning flashed and thunder roared, while violent winds raged, completely dominating the other two battlefields!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
In the sky, bolts of lightning continuously struck down.
Even though many of the lightning bolts were blocked by various attacks from the Pokémon, some still made it through.
These bolts curved midair, all being drawn toward the Rhydon and Rhyhorn, enveloping the area in crackling lightning!
When the lightning finally dissipated, a scorched smell immediately filled the air. Even with their Ground typing and Lightning Rod abilities, the Rhydon and Rhyhorn were now covered in blackened scorch marks!
"RHYYyyy..."
One Rhydon let out an unwilling growl, its eyes suddenly turning white as it collapsed heavily onto the ground.
Then came the second, the third… In an instant, large numbers of Rhydon and Rhyhorn fell, yet lightning continued to be drawn toward them without end.
"Damn it… have we reached our limit?" The knights clenched their fists tightly. All they could do now was watch their companions fall, powerless to help.
Whoooosh—!
On another battlefield, fierce winds howled endlessly.
Large numbers of Poison-type Pokémon were desperately holding back Tornadus's assault.
At some point, Tornadus's body had taken on an unhealthy purple hue. Under the relentless attacks of the Poison-type Pokémon, Tornadus had finally fallen into a poisoned state.
However, the losses among the Poison-type Pokémon were equally severe. Most had already fallen, and the remaining Nidoking and Drapion were covered in wounds, barely holding on by relying on the Toxic Swamp they had set up.
Whoooosh—!
On the frontal battlefield, the sandstorm swept forward, colliding head-on with the Grass-type Pokémon rooted firmly in the ground.
In the face of such a natural disaster, individual strength remained insignificant. In an instant, vast numbers of Grass-type Pokémon were buried beneath the sand!
At this moment, Landorus, the strongest among them—had unleashed its full power. The entire land had become its domain, and all Pokémon standing on the ground were forced to endure the wrath of the earth!
(End of Chapter)