◉◉◉◉◉
"SKREEE—!!!"
A hollow, ethereal cry echoed through the forest.
Xerneas faced Kael and lifted both forelegs high before slamming them down.
"Misty Terrain."
Hiss… hiss…
A vast surge of pale pink mist erupted from its blue-black body.
Driven by gusting winds, it rapidly spread through the entire woodland.
Kael had barely steadied himself from the previous clash when the next moment he was already engulfed in the seductive rose-colored haze.
In the games of his past life, Misty Terrain merely prevented status conditions and halved Dragon-type damage.
Situational.
Hardly overwhelming.
But here—
Under the will of Xerneas—
It was something entirely different.
Ssszz—
The mist clinging to Kael's skin felt alive.
Like countless tiny serpents attempting to burrow into his body through every pore.
It was corrosive.
Hallucinogenic.
Even with his natural defenses and the passive resistance from the energies within him, he could feel his internal reserves draining.
Second by second.
His stored power was being consumed at an alarming rate.
He had to act.
His mind raced.
In less than a heartbeat, dozens of strategies flashed through his thoughts.
Then—
His eyes hardened.
Across the previous exchanges, he had been at a disadvantage.
Environment.
Mobility.
Domain.
He lacked an advantage in most areas.
But he had learned something critical.
Xerneas' strength, in its current state—
Was not unreachable.
They were closer than he had feared.
There was a chance.
Originally, he had intended to probe further.
Search for weakness.
Wait for a decisive opening.
But this Misty Terrain changed everything.
If he allowed the situation to deteriorate further—
The battle would slip from his control entirely.
It was time.
"Shield of the King Form—Activate!"
ROOOOOAR—
A primordial, ancient bellow erupted from the battlefield's center.
His blood ignited.
Battle intent surged like a rising inferno.
Crimson divine flames intertwined with radiant silver metallic light.
The sharp resonance of colliding steel rang through the air.
Across from him, Xerneas stiffened.
It felt it.
A presence equal in divinity to its own.
But different.
Where it embodied nature, life, wisdom—
This was sharper.
Hotter.
War.
Courage.
Challenge.
Its blackened pupils darkened with caution.
Instinct screamed.
End this quickly.
Its antlers flared with brilliant multicolored light.
Life energy condensed violently at their branching crown.
A massive emerald sphere formed between them.
"Nature's Force!"
BOOM—
The enormous green projectile launched toward Kael.
As it flew, it absorbed surrounding life energy, swelling to a tremendous size.
At the same moment—
The metallic resonance around Kael reached its climax.
"ROOOAR—!!!"
Golden light erupted skyward.
A massive arm clad in ornate dark-gold armor burst through the crimson glow.
It reached forward—
And caught the incoming emerald sphere as if grasping a physical object.
CRASH—
The battlefield trembled.
The titanic orb of life energy shattered like a fragile balloon beneath his armored grip.
Green energy dispersed violently, scattering back into the twisted forest.
As the dust settled—
Kael's Shield of the King Form stood revealed.
Dark gold armor encased his evolved Machamp body.
Engraved patterns of sacred elegance adorned his shoulders and greaves.
Compared to his earlier form as Machoke, this armor was more refined.
Less flamboyant.
More complete.
The once-flaring crimson and silver energies now glowed subtly between the seams of his plating.
Contained.
Controlled.
Majestic.
Across his chest, layered armor plates overlapped like a noble's shield.
Unbreakable.
Even his additional pair of arms was fully armored.
Perfectly integrated.
Under Shield Form, his system level rose from 75—
To 91.
And with his enhanced base potential factored in—
He now stood at the true summit of the Pokémon world.
Ignoring divine law authority—
His raw combat power rivaled certain Legendary Pokémon.
The sixteen-level increase may have appeared modest.
But based on his already immense foundation, the amplification was exponential.
Far beyond what it had been during his Machoke phase.
The completed Zamazenta's Heart revealed its true might.
Transforming a Machamp—
Into something that could challenge gods.
Even Terrakion's Shatter-Shoulder Plate now functioned at peak efficiency.
Its twenty-point strength enhancement, stacked upon his already overwhelming power, was fully realized.
Before Xerneas—
Kael now stood as something unprecedented.
A mortal ascended.
A warrior clad in divinity.
The true manifestation of his power.
◉◉◉◉◉
~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
◉◉◉◉◉
For early access to advanced chapters on P-atreon:
P-atreon/iamxeno
(Just remove the - hyphen to access normally)
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!