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The Shield of the King Form flooded Kael with power. His strength surged, confidence rising with it but so did a crushing sense of urgency.
He had thirty minutes.
Thirty minutes to end this fight.
When the time limit expired, the armor would disengage automatically. What followed would be a catastrophic backlash and an aftereffect severe enough to nearly paralyze him. Against Xerneas, that kind of weakness would be fatal.
He had no time to waste.
All four of his thick arms, clad in dark-gold armor, bent sharply. Dense muscle swelled beneath the plating as immense force gathered in his limbs.
His fists clenched.
A reddish-brown Fighting-type aura ignited from his knuckles, solidifying into radiant light that flared along his bones.
"Dynamic Punch!"
There would be no holding back.
The moment he moved, it was with full output four overlapping Dynamic Punches unleashed at once.
The dark-gold figure tore across the forest floor like a battering ram. Red-brown flames trailed from his arms, carving four brilliant streaks through the air.
Across the clearing, Nightmare-corrupted Xerneas watched his transformed state and felt danger surge within its fractured instincts.
If it failed to fight seriously now, the outcome would be disastrous.
Its hooves struck the ground.
It charged.
Its head lowered, massive antlers aimed forward as blinding white energy of pure destruction spread from the branching crown and engulfed its body.
"Giga Impact!"
BOOM—
Raw force and condensed energy collided with such ferocity that the entire forest shuddered.
A tidal shockwave rolled outward. Grass was ripped from the earth. Interlocked branches shattered instantly, exploding into splinters that spiraled through the air.
Even from beyond the treeline, the swirling surge of energy above the canopy was visible.
Friction between clashing energy particles birthed a searing blast wave that scorched everything nearby. The ground blackened into a dead zone of charred soil.
"—ghh!"
Kael dropped to one knee.
Both hands trembled against the earth as blood surged uncontrollably from his throat, dripping onto the burned ground.
Under the divine infusion of Zamazenta's power within Shield of the King Form, his blood was no longer red.
It shimmered pale gold.
The dark-gold armor bore no cracks but its luster had faded, dimmed as if drained.
Beneath it, he knew, his body was ravaged.
His crimson-lit eyes trembled slightly as he lifted his head and looked across the battlefield.
Xerneas had not emerged unscathed.
Many of the branching prongs along its immense antlers had snapped. The once-brilliant multicolored radiance had faded into lifeless gray.
Its blue-black fur was marred with scorched wounds. Burning blood poured continuously from torn flesh.
Though Kael still looked battered, he had not been casually blown away this time.
But against an Xerneas fighting at full seriousness—
It was still a draw at best.
Both sides were wounded.
Both sides are bleeding.
"Ha… ha…"
Heavy breathing echoed through the shattered forest.
In the strange lull between exchanges, the two mortally wounded combatants stood in tense silence, regaining strength for what would come next.
Kael's crimson-reflecting eyes fixed on Xerneas.
In this moment balanced on the edge of death, something stirred in his mind. Perhaps it was Gaia's will.
A faint premonition surfaced.
He might die here.
Though Xerneas was fully corrupted by Nightmare Seeds, its mind broken and instincts dulled, and though it had only recently awakened from slumber in its weakest state—
It was still the sovereign of natural life.
A supreme Legendary.
If Kael intended to end it here, the cost would likely be his own life.
…Was it worth it?
His gaze blurred.
The question echoed in his heart.
Right now, in Shield of the King Form, he could escape.
Xerneas would not catch him.
Should he run?
Xerneas was only weakened—and already this powerful. If Kael retreated and allowed it time to recover, there would be no force left in the world capable of opposing it.
Under the devastation of its life energy, the entire world might fall within two years.
Two years.
What could two years accomplish?
He asked himself that honestly.
As much as he hated to admit it, this Machamp body had reached its potential ceiling. Leveling further would bring incremental improvement—no qualitative breakthrough.
Even if he somehow reached Level 100 within two years, based on his projections, he still would not surpass Xerneas.
Even with the system accelerating his growth, the gap between them would widen over time due to inherent limits.
If he wanted to defeat Xerneas—
Now was his only chance.
But the cost would be his life.
By burning his own life force, he could trigger a single overwhelming surge of power.
One decisive explosion.
Enough to shatter his opponent.
So—
Should he sacrifice himself to save the world?
In that split second where life and death hung in balance, a quiet emotion flowed through him.
Kael could admit it plainly.
He was selfish.
From the world of Ampharos to this broken, darkened world, his actions had always revealed that truth.
If this Machamp body were his last life—
If there were no second chances—
Then knowing the world was doomed regardless, he would retreat.
He would enjoy his final two years.
Don't throw them away fighting Xerneas just to slow the inevitable.
If destruction was certain, what difference did two years make?
But was his situation really that simple?
No.
There was another crucial factor.
The system.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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