Chapter 864: Glory Coexists With Destruction
Looking at the humans and Pokémon behind him scrambling to escape, transferring onto Samiya beneath the waters one after another.
Lucario's heart settled with resolve.
He raised his head to face the towering King of the Giants, Regigigas, before him.
In the past.
Master protected them.
Today.
He would protect everyone.
"So you came. You don't need to bother; focus on slaughtering those humans, end this quickly. Leave that dog to—"
Shadow leaned His upper torso forward, seemingly preparing to dive toward Lucario.
Yet right at that instant.
A dazzling, multicolored radiance abruptly illuminated the interior of a nearby cave.
"That is..."
Shadow frowned, narrowing His eyes.
In that single split second.
His scalp actually tingled with dread.
Instinct warned Him that He had to distance Himself from this position immediately, and Shadow acted on it without hesitation.
He trusted His instincts.
However.
He was still a step too slow.
A beam of light far more incandescent than any rainbow tore open the sky, crashing against Shadow like a Zepellion Ray carrying the weight of countless hopes.
"Aaargh!!"
A shriek of pure agony tore from within that swirling vortex of dark energy.
Under the violent impact of that rainbow light.
Shadow vanished from the airspace above Sootopolis City in the blink of an eye, blasting away toward the distant ocean before disappearing from sight.
"Ahahaha! The results are even better than I calculated! Surprised, aren't you, Shadow!!"
Colress's wild, frantic laughter rang out.
Just as he had declared earlier.
They had hardly spent these decades idling away.
Silver had successfully cloned the powerful Mewtwo Mark III.
Colress and AZ had joined forces to reforge the Ultimate Weapon.
When the Ultimate Weapon, the Ange, the Rainbow Stone, the Legendary Giant Stone, the Sun, and a century's worth of accumulated life energy from the Hoenn continent converged as one.
They coalesced into this singular strike: the Rainbow Ray.
Originally, they planned to use this shot to attempt a one-hit obliteration against Regigigas.
However.
Since Lucario had already arrived and Shadow was poised to strike.
They simply switched targets.
Severely wounding Shadow.
Buying time for Lucario to take down a few Demon Gods, and securing precious moments for the rest of Sootopolis City's survivors to escape.
"Lucario, that blow just now is likely insufficient to kill Shadow; it can only buy you a sliver of time. My apologies, this is the absolute limit of what we can achieve."
AZ turned toward Lucario, speaking with helpless resignation.
Lucario did not look back.
He raised his arm and gave a slight wave.
Immediately, dozens of Aura Spheres were hurled toward the colossal titan ahead.
Boom, boom, boom!
A tempestuous torrent of Aura Spheres bombarded Regigigas's body like a violent squall.
With death in battle as his singular purpose, Lucario held nothing back this time, giving free rein to the torrential energy coursing through his frame.
"Regi!"
Regigigas planted its feet and absorbed the entire barrage head-on.
Such a turbulent, furious assault.
Felt virtually painless when slamming into its hardened shell.
Having been forcibly awakened by Shadow long in advance.
The Regigigas of today had long surpassed the threshold of its Slow Start; both its combat strength and consciousness were at absolute peak capacity.
Consequently.
After enduring that volley of strikes, Regigigas launched an immediate counteroffensive.
Whoosh——!
Hammer Arm!
A colossal arm swung downward from the sky.
The concussive boom of torn atmosphere rattled the ears like thunder.
Once Regigigas's raw strength was entirely unshackled, it was unquestionably at the T0 apex among all Pokémon, a realm where only Mega Mewtwo X could stand shoulder to shoulder with it in pure brute force.
Lucario bared his fangs.
Lifting both arms, he resolved to take the blow directly!
He could dodge it.
Yet he could not afford to!
Samiya had not yet submerged to depart from the waters beneath his feet.
Countless humans and Pokémon were still in the midst of boarding.
If he stepped aside.
What would become of them?
Think carefully, and look closely. At who still stands behind you.
Clang!
The screech of colliding steel echoed across all of Sootopolis City.
The ground beneath Lucario's paws caved in from the immense kinetic shockwave, blasting open a massive crater.
The crushing weight forced his legs to buckle, bringing him down to a single knee.
"Awoo!"
Lucario gritted his teeth, holding his ground against the excruciating pressure.
Remembering that day in the cavern over two centuries ago.
The fury burning within his chest grew wilder and hotter.
Not toward Regigigas.
Toward himself.
"Damn it all——!!"
With a ferocious roar, Lucario channeled strength through every sinew and drove upward with all his might.
Bang!
The massive arm was shoved aside.
In the span of a breath.
Lucario kicked off with blinding speed, racing up along Regigigas's arm and sprinting toward its head like a streak of lightning.
"Regi."
Regigigas swept its other arm horizontally.
Knock Off!
"Hmph."
Lucario cast a cold glance at the titanic hand sweeping toward him.
With an agile mid-air flip, he evaded it with ease.
Then brought his fist slamming straight into the massive face before him.
Focus Punch!
Boom!
A single direct impact sent Regigigas reeling, its vision swimming; it clearly was no longer indifferent to the damage.
He was far from finished.
With Lucario's speed.
There was no way he would conclude the assault with just one strike.
Spinning sweep.
Extreme Speed Close Combat!
Smack!
A crisp, brutal kick completely shattered Regigigas's balance, sending the titan toppling backward toward the sheer cliffside behind it.
Lucario flipped backward through the air.
Touching down lightly upon the ground.
Every punch.
Every kick.
Struck not only at Regigigas.
It battered the cowardly self of his youth!
The fallen titan didn't even push itself fully upright before hurling its entire bulk forward at Lucario with absolute momentum.
Giga Impact!
This move.
Wielded by different Pokémon, yielded entirely different realities.
For Regigigas.
A Giga Impact.
Was equivalent to a second signature technique.
A single direct landing.
Possessed enough catastrophic force to grind all of Sootopolis City into dust.
However...
"If you assume I harbor the same fear toward you as I did back then, you are dead wrong!!"
Veins of blood burst across Lucario's eyes.
He surged forward and vaulted high into the heavens.
Launching an exquisite flying dropkick straight into the legendary progenitor of giants who had once dragged continents across the seas.
Rumble——!!
Space shuddered, the atmosphere violently compressed.
Rings of cerulean Aura radiance coiled between the two combatants.
An apocalyptic shockwave surged outward in all directions, grinding stone to ash.
Yet at this very moment.
The survivors of Sootopolis City had already boarded Samiya, voyaging eastward toward the Johto continent.
The only souls remaining upon this island.
Were Lucario, AZ, Colress, and the Eternal Tree.
All of them were individuals who had already embraced their demise.
Therefore.
Even if Sootopolis City crumbled to nothingness in this instant.
It mattered not.
Crack, shatter!!
Layers of earth were violently uprooted, buildings ground to powder, and the natural rock walls encircling Sootopolis collapsed with a deafening roar.
"Kazuya..."
"Take care."
The Eternal Tree standing at the center of Sootopolis City and AZ were the first to be erased into dust within the shockwave, followed immediately by Colress's brain resting deep beneath the earth.
They held no regrets.
Only a quiet sorrow.
That they would never see the day the sun hung high in the sky once more.
The battle raged on.
With the departure of Sootopolis City's survivors.
Lucario completely shed all restraint, fighting with wild, unrestrained abandon.
He held only one remaining purpose.
To use this battered husk to slaughter as many foes as possible for his companions, making amends for his failure to stand at their side.
At one critical juncture.
Regigigas's hand clamped down around Lucario's arm.
Crushing down!
Rip!
Lucario's left arm could no longer endure the pressure, bursting instantly into mangled pulp.
This fragile flesh and bone.
Could not match the formidable caliber of Lucario's soul after all.
Yet.
A mere severed limb.
How could it halt a brave warrior whose heart burned with righteousness?
A frontline resolve.
Holding death without clinging to life.
Lucario raised his remaining claw, cleanly and decisively shearing away the shattered arm.
The next second.
Unbending, brilliant Aura surged forth from the exposed sinew.
Instantly weaving into a brand-new arm of pure condensed Aura!
He flexed his fist.
Lifted his gaze.
And launched another charge straight at the towering Demon God.
Half an hour later.
The giant, pitted and gouged across its entire frame, finally collapsed, toppling heavily forward.
The seven glowing red dots across its face completely lost their illumination at this moment.
And this.
Marked the definitive conclusion of the duel.
Amid the ruins of Sootopolis City, flattened by the aftershocks of battle.
A blood-drenched silhouette looked around in confusion, muttering belatedly: "Where are the two dragons? Did They pursue Samiya? Damn it..."
Lucario struggled to keep his eyes open.
Half of his ear, his tail, and one of his arms were completely gone.
More crucially.
An overwhelming, suffocating drowsiness surged into his mind.
He felt every fiber of his being going limp, as if he might collapse and fall into slumber at any given second.
Yet Lucario understood all too well.
If he were truly to drift off like this.
He would likely never wake again.
He was unwilling.
To stop after slaying merely a single King of the Giants.
He refused to accept it!
He wanted to help everyone just a little bit more...
Even if it meant bringing down just one more Demon God...
Thud!
Lucario's eyes rolled back; unable to resist the encroaching drowsiness any longer, he fell backward, crashing heavily onto the earth.
Right at that moment.
Darkrai emerged from within Lucario's shadow.
It had been pulling the strings from the darkness all along!
"What are you standing there for, strike already!"
Shadow's voice called out from the distance.
He was seen dragging His battered body up onto the shore from the ocean.
Having taken that direct hit from the Ultimate Weapon earlier.
Shadow had suffered severe wounds.
Terrified that Lucario might trigger a suicidal self-destruction before drawing his last breath, He had not dared to return.
Only now.
With Lucario thoroughly subdued by Darkrai.
Did He dare to surface from the sea.
"..."
Hearing Shadow's command, Darkrai raised a hand and reached down to seize Lucario's skull.
However...
[
"Hmm? What is this?"
Lucario opened his eyes, looking around in bewilderment.
Darkness stretched on all sides.
Three figures walked forward from the shadows.
Kazuya, Scizor, Mewtwo.
"Lord Kazuya! Why are you..."
"Lucario, you have failed us."
Kazuya cut him off, gazing at him with eyes brimming with profound disappointment.
"I..."
Lucario parted his jaws, momentarily speechless.
He had no rebuttal.
Because it was the truth.
Just as Lucario sank into dejection.
Kazuya's next words instantly caused crimson veins to flood his vision: "A rabble of worthless trash, their deaths mean nothing. To think you abandoned us just to save those useless fools; you are unworthy of walking this earth!"
]
Whoosh!
The sharp crack of parting air startled both Darkrai and Shadow simultaneously.
Whirling their heads around.
They saw that the Lucario who had lost consciousness was already staring with open eyes.
His pupils were entirely saturated with crimson blood, the rage burning within that scarlet hue coalescing almost into physical form.
Lucario raised his sole remaining arm and clamped down on Darkrai's head.
"That lord would never speak such vile words! I will not allow you to defile his name——!!"
A devastating kick snapped outward.
Crack!
Head severed from shoulders.
A generation's Nightmare God was slain in an instant.
"..."
Shadow froze, His mouth parting, unable to utter a single word.
He turned to look at Lucario.
Their gazes locked dead-on.
Shadow's entire body shuddered, a sliver of genuine terror creeping into His heart, freezing Him in place.
"Do you know what a hero is, and what a knight is?"
Lucario suddenly spoke.
"?"
To Shadow's ears, the question was completely incomprehensible.
He could not fathom in the slightest what Lucario was thinking at this moment.
"A hero reshapes the world with strength; a knight safeguards the world with strength."
"Courage, loyalty, glory, and love!"
"To summon forth the noblest light within the darkest age, to stake everything to defend the weak, to hold glory far above life and death—that is a knight!"
"Lord Kazuya is an admirable hero, and an incomparably magnificent knight."
"I dare not presume to become a great hero like him, but I yearn to follow closely behind his footsteps as a knight!"
Dragging his battered, broken frame, Lucario strode toward Shadow step by step.
At this moment.
Brilliant, unbroken Aura light ignited across his entire form.
From the inside out.
Piercing through the darkness.
"!"
Shadow's eyes widened, sensing imminent catastrophe.
He spun on His heel to flee.
Yet it was already too late.
"Sir Aaron, Lord Kazuya, Sir Riley, Master—they all sacrificed everything to save this world."
"Now."
"It is my turn——!!"
Lucario would never forget.
In Alamos Town over two centuries ago, the final lesson Master had imparted to them using his very life!
The final lesson in becoming an Aura Brave.
Remember this single phrase.
Glory coexists with destruction.
The glory of an Aura Brave.
Shall be defended with my destruction!
"The Aura is with me——!!"
An ocean of roaring Aura swallowed Shadow whole.
And in that magnificent moment, it tore through the gray fog choking the heavens.
Noble, golden sunlight.
Fell once more upon this darkened world.
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