Ch.96: Descent into Darkness! Invasion on Ironworks Kingdom Pt.2!

The battling outside…the crumbling castle…they were all buzzes in the back of their heads. Sounds that were drowned out to make room for the fear filling up their senses. Nothing held them, except for the darkness wrapping around their legs. It was gentle, yet also cold and lifeless. The touch of Death.

Wes and Gwyn couldn't stop gawking, nor could they find the voice to scream. It was pointless. Any attempt to escape was futile. They were standing before a force beyond them. It was something they couldn't comprehend, nor could they beat the way they are now.

Staring into those red eyes was like staring into a future where death was certain. Hallucinations of their own demises played on repeat in their minds. They felt so real…so certain…the longer they stared back.

The Shadow King exhaled a breath of cold mist, showing the temperature had dropped around him. "…Don't make this harder on yourselves. This was destiny. Like the natural law of death, it is a fate you must accept." He channeled magic through his arm, concentrating at the tip of his finger. "And I will be the one to guide you to your destiny."

Gwyn had to really force herself to look away from him, taking subtle glances at the Key of Metal. Its presence was incredibly obvious from the aura alone. Securing it had to be top priority. She couldn't do too much in the state she's in, but there might be some sliver of hope she can get away with it. Callista wanted her alive, right? Either the Shadow King will carry out his own agenda or heed to the request of his herald. Either way, complying to the kind meant certain death.

The Shadow King raised his finger, crackling with black magic, and pointed it for Wes' head, whose body was still overcome with petrifying fear. "And now…I shall bring an end to this infuriating bloodline. This is where the Ravenfield family meet their end." Wes' eyes widened as the magic's power intensified, ready to fire.

"Turris Metallum!" The Shadow King felt the sudden spike of magic and leaped back from the spire shooting up from the floor. Spires continuously shot out and tracked the fleeing king. His eyes slowly moved and traced to Margo. She was on her knees, shaking from her injuries, yet still had the fight in her.

The king raised his finger and fired a single shot into the floor. After the briefest delay, the floor exploded apart, ending the trail of spires on the spot. He turned his attack on Margo and fired. She casted her Wall of Adamantine, but it barely withstood the blast. She was blown back by the pressure after the attack blew a hole through the barrier.

"Impressive," the king commented. "That first blast should've left you for dead, yet you continue to get up." And again, Margo was pushing herself up, using the wall for support. "So…this is one of the Mages of Origin who proudly protect the relic. As expected of such fine warriors." His eyes fell on Gwyn, who froze up under his gaze. "She must've been your previous opponent. Hmph…I see why Callista would need her for a ritual. A mortal Mew, yet I sense great power inside her. Fascinating."

Gwyn's legs felt like jelly. She willed herself to stay on her feet. That basically confirmed her suspicions. The Shadow King might want to keep her alive at the request of Callista. She had the best hope of not dying here. Which meant…

She turned on her heel and raced to the Key of Metal. She snatched it out of the safe and raced for the window. Wes gasped at the sound of the king charging another attack.

"Don't run off just yet." He fired and shot through her side. Gwyn exhaled a silent gasp, struck with an overwhelming pain. She tumbled across the floor, clutching her burning hip. She kept hold of the key in her other hand. "I can't have you making off with that key."

Wes stared at the fallen Mew in horror. He could see the burnt skin from the beam. He could see her tearing up from the pain. If that went through her stomach or chest, it could've been fatal. Even in her weaken state, the beam broke so easily through her protective aura, like she was like any other Pokémon without magic.

The Umbreon clenched his teeth together, his voice cracking as he breathed. "Y-You…You…" He curled his digits into the floor.

The Shadow King walked towards Gwyn, raising his hand, which was wrapped in a dark mist. "I'll be with you in a moment, Ravenfield. I must dispose of this Mew first. If Callista can bring about a powerful demon to aid in my conquest, then so be it."

The black fox's eyes shrunk into pinpricks. He vented through his teeth, showing off his canines. His throat grumbled under his growls. "You…You…" Anger welled up inside him. Red clouded his vision.

The face of his professor was fading from his mind. All he could see was the monster before him. Fear wracked in his mind, but he wouldn't let this monster take his teammate away from him. The others…Flint…they'll be crushed if he just let this happen!

What kind of leader…?

"What kind of leader…" Wes pressed his paw against the amulet hiding under his jacket. His fur washed over with magic and turned purple. "…would let their teammate down without a FIGHT?!"

The king stopped as he felt a newfound power exploding outward from Wes. He looked over his shoulder, raising his brow in a curious fashion. The ground around Wes was cracking against his magical pressure, along with rubble lifted in reverse gravity. The Umbreon's eyes glowed red behind the wisps of purple flowing from them.

This sight made the Shadow King smirk. "Oh? You want to fight?" He turned away from Gwyn, much to Wes' relief, and focused all his attention on the Ravenfield. "You're absolutely right. I shouldn't be wasting my time with this half-god…" Magic crackled in his hand. "…when I should be putting an end to the Ravenfield bloodline-"

"Shut the hell up, you bastard!" Wes rocketed straight at him with the power of his Warp Pad. He slammed his forehead into the king in hopes of cracking his skull wide open. Even if it was Geno or Ghostwind inside, he knew this attack wouldn't be fatal.

However, it didn't matter, for the attack was halted by the king's hand. Their magic rippled between them, like a clear pond refracting the light off its surface. A distinct crackling came from the collision.

The Shadow King smirked. "This remind me of when I faced your father." Wes clenched his teeth. "A fool like him thinking he could best a god. He was wracked with the same grief. You both…have the same eyes." The possessed Scrafty's lips curled into a frown. "Those eyes made me sick."

With just the flick of his finger, he sent Wes flying upward and crashing through the ceiling. Tiles came raining down onto the floor. He could feel the Umbreon's magic flicker weakly.

"Learn your place, mortal…"

"RAWR!" He spun around and caught Margo's sword between his fingers. He felt the magic rippling through it, like tiny razor blades tearing at his skin. "If you're a god…then I'll pray for your demise!" She formed a second sword and swung it for his head.

The Shadow King swiped his hand and shattered the blade on impact. He then clutched around her throat and choke-slammed into the floor. Margo spat out in response, feeling the increasing need for air all of a sudden.

"Do not act out in front of the one true god, mortal." He raised his brow as he watched her choke. "You have great power…too bad it was wasted. Now be a good little mortal…" He aimed his hand, aiming the finger wrapped in black light. "…and bow."

Margo's vision was overcome with a sudden darkness before being pushed through the floor of her castle. After hitting the bottom floor, the beam detonated and incinerated the entire room in mere moments.

The king blew on his finger, then sighed. "…Hopefully that killed her. I'd hate to have anymore interruptions." He glanced over at Gwyn, who was still curled in the fetal position as she clutched her burning side. "Now…I'll be taking that key and you with me. Then I'll raid that Umbreon's lifeless corpse for the remaining keys-"

"Care to repeat that, you bastard?!" Shadow King turned and blocked a strong right hook from the black fox. Wrapped in his Mystic Burst, he pushed on the king and sent him flying back, for what little that did him. He didn't let up, using Warp Pad to rocket into the Shadow King and slam him into the walls.

The dark ruler made no reaction. "Like your father…he was a stubborn one. You just can't seem to find a way to put him down." He slammed both fists down on the fox's back, taking him to the floor, then rammed his foot into his jaw. Wes ricocheted off the ceiling and walls before hitting a column, which was taken down from his impact. "That is only one of the thousand reasons I hate you Ravenfields." An aurora of darkness cascaded over his body. "And it is for that reason I refuse to let you live."

Wes burst out of the rubble. "Guess my father left one hell of an impression on you! Infernius!" He fired the white-hot fireball down the room.

The Shadow King flicked his finger. "Shadow's Law."

The fireball suddenly turned dark, with a refraction of light coming off it. The Shadow King twisted his wrist and caught the flaming orb in his hand. Wes stepped back, gritting his teeth. "The hell?"

"Your magic is not impressive. Any magic that can't match or surpass my will…will not do harm under Shadow's Law."

The color in Wes' face drained away. "You're kidding?!"

"This is a true Infernius." He flung the fireball back at Wes, which had magnified in size. It took up the whole dang room.

Wes quickly pulled something from his bag. "Dark Mirror!" He held it up, but was thrown back as the fireball slammed into the mirror. The magical item made quick work of absorbing the fireball, even with the power behind it. The strain was hard on Wes' forelegs, but nothing he couldn't handle.

The Shadow King scoffed. "So…you rely on magical items in battle? Does your strength truly not match up to mine? I'll give your father what little credit he deserves…he fought with his own power."

"Like hell I'm going to be honorable against a sick bastard like you!" Wes turned the mirror upside-down. "Screw morals! And screw you!" The fireball was reflected back at the Shadow King, more so a massive beam of fire.

The Shadow King held his hand out and blocked the raging fire. He grunted as the surface of his hand stung a little. My own power reflected back at me. I'll be sure to remember that accursed mirror. Even so…I doubt he can keep that up more than once.

Wes stumbled onto his rear and panted. Shit! That took a lot just to hold! Another attack like that and I'll be sent flying out of the castle! He tucked the mirror back into his bag. I wish the Star Amulet could just bring out more of my magic, but this is the best it can do. It amplifies magical power, but it can only do so much when used by someone with my condition!

"I wouldn't daze off so soon, boy." Wes' eyes widened, feeling the Shadow King's presence right in front of him, with his fist pulled back. "Unless you wish for your end without knowing." He threw his fist right into the Umbreon's cheek.

At the last second, while it felt like the king hit solid matter, it suddenly felt like his fist passed through smog. He examined the dark mist that wasn't his own coming off his fist, then glared at the transparent shadow of the Umbreon standing before him. He could hear Wes panting in a distorted manner.

"Hmph. Your visage of my kind is both flattering and infuriating. However…" He lunged and grabbed Wes by the neck! "Do you honestly believe some cheap imitation of the shadows can surpass my will?!"

Wes' eyes widened as he reached for his neck. Shit! I knew this was a risky gamble, but he could've decapitated me if I didn't move! I never thought I'd meet someone who could choke me as a shadow! I didn't even think I had lungs in this form!

The king pulled his hand back and channeled magic through it. "This body was modified by the Puppet Master, Reuben. The skill of Alex Ghostwind is mine to use, combined with my overflowing magic. Once I obtain the Idol of Origin, I will become the one true god of this world!"

Wes reverted back to normal while trying to pry the king's hand from his neck. "Sounds…a bit…overrated! Why the hell…would you want this?!"

The king narrowed his eyes. "That's my only desire."

Wes' eyes widened. "Only desire?" He narrowed his eyes seriously. "Who the hell…what are you?"

"A question you won't receive, even in the afterlife. Now, prepare to die, Wes Raven-" Looking over the Umbreon, he took notice of the Umbreon's bare chest. While the Amulet of Umbra was in plain view, one important amulet was missing. "…Weren't you wearing-?"

The ground cracked under his feet. The Shadow King turned down for a second before getting slammed by a massive root that bashed him into the ceiling. He used his hand to form a barrier around him. The root was pushing hard against it, actually requiring him to put some effort into holding it back.

Wes picked himself up. "The Star Amulet…amplifies magic. For me, it only brings out what I can't do on my own. But if someone else were to use it…they would have its power. And I only needed to get one shot off on you."

Knelt down behind the black fox, Gwyn lifted her head and glared up at the ceiling. The Star Amulet was clutched in her fingers, turning her fur a light shade of purple. The magic emanating around her was greater than before. Right when Wes was about to get hit, and when he used the Amulet of Umbra, he threw the Star Amulet to Gwyn at the last second.

Wes grinned uneasily. "Learned that one from an old pirate I know. Granted, more of a cheat in poker, but whatever works."

Gwyn stood up and handed back his amulet. "I put everything I had behind that attack. Do you think it worked?"

"It was certainly strong." They froze. In the blink of an eye, the Shadow King's murderous aura was radiating behind them. He narrowed his unsettling eyes on them. "That could've actually wounded me…if I let it hit me. You have power…but frankly, you're nowhere near your maximum potential. And we're going to keep it like that."

Gwyn turned to attack, but the Shadow King backhanded her across the face. Before she went flying, he snatched the key off her person. Gwyn slammed into a fallen column, splitting it in two.

"GWYN!" Wes cried out before getting decked in the face as well. His back took the impact with the wall, but blood sprayed from his agape mouth. "Gah…!" He collapsed onto his stomach and held his stinging face.

His eyes wandered up to the king, as he spun the Key of Metal between his fingers. "Would you look at that? I got one key." He clutched it in hand, then glared at Wes. "How about you hand over the rest?"

Ella swung Daybreak and battered away three grunts ganging on her. She spun the staff, creating a psychically charged windstorm that cleared the space in front of her. "Krystal, your move!"

The penguin leaped over her and threw magic bombs into the wind tunnel. They were carried into the crowd of grunts before detonating on impact. She took herself high in the air, then arched a dozen magic bombs over her head. "Magno Chain!" She fired an endless chain of explosives down on the grunts, sending them flying all over the place.

Some of the flyers flew for her, but Ebony caught them by the ankles with her scarf. "Pretty birdies~!" she sang, yanking back to the ground before decking a Swanna in the beak, breaking it into a deformed shape.

"GAH!" the swan screamed as she fell onto her side, cradling her injured beak.

Several other grunts came running at Ebony from behind. She smirked and swiped her hand across the air. "Friction Theft!"

All of a sudden, the ground had the traction of a sheet of ice. The grunts slipped off their feet and went sailing across the ground. Ebony leaped over them, hands tucked away in her pockets. She laughed mischievously, always enjoying the reactions she got from that. They were so funny.

An Ambipom pulled out a gun and trained it on her. "Stupid rabbit!" He fired a shot.

Ebony's next move left the grunts shocked. She literally bounced off the air to avoid the shot. She sprung around in the air like they had tiny platforms for her feet. In actuality, upon closer inspection, the air under her feet almost appeared to have the moldability of rubber.

Ebony snickered. "The friction I stole off the ground is now being displaced into the air. It has just enough hold to get me a good jump. Friction Theft: Sky Hop!" She bounced around, leaving behind bursts of air in each hop.

The grunts tried to stand up, finding the ground to be slowly returning to normal with each hop Ebony took. A Grumpig used a grappling claw on a roof and pulled himself to safety, then pulled out a gun to take out the rabbit. However, a bullet came flying from under him and shot him dead instantly, taking him back to the ground.

Ebony held her hand over her eyes. "Ooh~! I think I can see Cybil from up here! Looking good, Cybil!"

Saffiro and Griffin, back on the ground, clashed with any of the sword-wielding grunts or shadows. They kept close to each other's backs, blocking off any unwarranted strikes aimed for the other's blind spots. Griffin locked his blade with a shadow while Saffiro was in a clash with a Poliwrath.

Saffiro grunted through his teeth for a moment, then smirked. "Gee, this is quite the predicament~."

The Poliwrath merely grunted in a hostel manner. "I will cut you to pieces in the name of the glorious Count Aeternus…"

"A count? Ooh, fancy~! Sounds like a swell guy, minus the murder~!" Saffiro narrowed his eyes. "Fuoco Blu: Barra Incantata!" Flames erupted from Salamander before shooting out in a straight, concentrated beam.

Poliwrath had to jump back as the sword cut cleanly through his own in one swipe, leaving the remaining half melted and dulled. He swung with the dulled part again, but Saffiro slashed that part out of his hand, too. Armed with a blade wrapped in a heated blue light, Saffiro lunged and slashed the Poliwrath down the middle.

He cried out in pain, with the slash leaving behind a diagonal burn mark across his chest. He fell straight onto his back, taken out of the fight. Saffiro raised his sword again and glared back at the advancing grunts.

"More of them are coming~," Saffiro warned.

Griffin impaled one guy and kicked him off his sword, then pulled out Pride of Leones. "Getting tired?"

Saffiro smirked uneasily. "You kidding? I'm just getting heated up~!" He then glared seriously. "I'm more worried about the damage being done. You sure your guys are getting everyone to safety?"

Griffin blocked an axe with the shield. "Flint and Sparks know what they're doing. They won't let anymore people die while they're on watch."

Saffiro smirked, mostly out of relief. "That's all I wanted to hear." He glared around at the crowds. "Huh…hey, have you seen Oswald?"

Their attention was drawn to a lot of screaming in the center of a large group. Grunts were being thrown and kicked into the air, with blasts of wind pressure taking off after every attack. "Dual Shoot!" Five guys blown out of the crowd, with Oswald's feet planted firmly into them from an overpowered drop kick. He kicked of them and struck a pose. "ULTIMATE…POWER!"

Griffin blinked. "…Found him."

Over with Hugo, the priest raised his staff high above him and shouted, "Away with you, vile sinners!" With a swing of his staff, a blade of holy light slashed through a dozen grunts. No physical damage was left, but the impact sliced deep into their souls, burning them in an external white and yellow flame.

A Shiftry stumbled back, grabbing his gut. "How is…some stupid preacher…kicking our asses?!" He fell unconscious, unable to take the holy vibes emanating off the priest.

Hugo held out his staff and stomped his multiple legs down. "As the priest who represents all that is sacred in this kingdom, I shall not allow anymore of you to go past this point! It is my duty under the watchful eye of our lord, Arceus, that I vanquish each and every one of you sinners!"

"Fake god!" Hugo glared up as shadows came diving down with enlarged claws. "Arceus is not the true god! Only the Shadow King's will is all!"

Hugo growled furiously. "You opprobrious demons! How dare you speak such ignominious trite of the lord?!" He held his hand out, with a holy light illuminating off his wrist leaves. "I shall right these wrongs by erasing you of your sins!"

A shadow sped up past its brethren and morphed its arms into blades. "Fake god! Fake god!" The shadow performed a powerful cross slash into the priest's chest.

Hugo, however, didn't react. "You dare speak of such power, yet this is the folly of your self-destructive nature?!"

Suddenly, the shadows behind the lead shadow were blown to pieces near instantly after Hugo was struck. The shadow was greatly confused, until it saw something on each of them. A talisman construct that was slapped onto each of them, glowing in the same light as Hugo's holy magic.

"Redirection Talisman," Hugo answered the unspoken question, before grabbing the shadow by the head. "I despise the use of violence for personal amusement and game. I can only tolerate it in certain areas, but this? This is unforgivable." He glared. "Even so, I wish you nothing but promise of a better path in the next life, if you shadows are in fact just spirits. Now…BEGONE!"

The shadow cried out as it was burned in Hugo's holy light. It disintegrated into nothingness instantly. Hugo glared back at the army, then raised his staff. He emitted a powerful flash that illuminated the area once again, pushing the enemy further back.

Excadrill got behind a wall, breathing heavily from the burns sustained. "Shit!" He punched the ground. "Where the hell is that back-up we need?!"

Ella jumped over the battle to get a better view of everything. She narrowed her eyes. "Okay, we're thinning out the herd. That's good. If we keep this up, we might actually win this one." She glared up at the ship. "Still…why am I getting this weird vibe?"

On top of the Wasteland, Arid was glaring with feigned interest, trying to hold back the grieving he felt inside. While there were no reports of the pirates below getting injured, it did little to ease his nerves. Jeffery landed atop his shoulder and patted his head. "Is all well, Captain?"

"Don't touch me." Jeffery retracted his wing. "The status of the crew?"

"They're staying out of the main fight and causing damage across the kingdom. We have shadows with them to fight off any of the knights or treasure hunters that are too much trouble."

Arid grumbled. "Lovely…"

"Well, I say we've hung out up here long enough." Arid and Jeffery turned as the heralds walked to the edge of the boat. Aeternus cracked his knuckles. "Why don't we join in the festivities? Should be fun."

Callista nodded, then glanced behind her. A ring of darkness was at the center of the ship, with something rising up from a portal. "It seems Reuben's delivery finally arrived."

Voss placed his foot onto the ship's edge. "Captain Arid…you will remain up here and keep watch of the battle. Is that a problem?" Voss asked plainly.

Frankly, with how he was feeling, Arid wasn't in any mood to duke it out in a battle. "No…I'll be fine up here."

Aeternus smirked. "Kehehehe. Then let's start the party." He leaped off first, followed by his two fellow heralds. The figure that had come out of the shadow portal tagged behind and leaped down with them.

Ella had her eyes on the ship when she saw the heralds leap down. That was enough to make her blood go cold. Shit, this is bad. As if we're already going all out to keep things under control. It just had to get worse with those three! But that wasn't the end of her worries. Something else dropped from the ship, a large bulky creature of some kind that she couldn't identify. It didn't look like any kind of Pokémon she had seen before. Now what…?

Aeternus laughed and spread his arms out in a grandiose fashion as he fell towards the ground. "Knights, treasure hunters, and all you foolish mortals alike!" He smirked menacingly. "We thank you for joining us on this special occasion! You're about to witness the return of your one true king!" He pressed his hands together. "And we'll be sure to give you all just what you heathens deserve!"

Callista and Voss landed on the ground and took off into the crowd of knights. The knights raised their weapons, but were dispatched in seconds. Shadow arms flaying and clawing up metal while a flash of silver cut down the middles of several others. Blood sprayed all over as the duo continued their charge through the forces.

Aeternus grinned as magic channeled between his hands. "Don't hold it against me, though." He opened his palms and fired his Particle Eraser straight down.

Several knights turned up before being engulfed in the light. Those without magic were erased near instantly while the others experienced an unbearable burning to their bodies. Stay under the beam long enough and they would've ended up like those other knights.

Aeternus' lips curled further into his depraved grin. "We're just here in the name of the true god."

Ella bit her lip. "Shit…I've got to get back to Griffin and the others!" She turned herself around before hearing a roar in the distance, which was gradually growing louder in volume. In fact, it almost sounded like it was coming straight for…

She never turned around so quickly to place up a barrier.

Griffin slashed a grunt down the middle right when Aeternus fired his Particle Eraser in the distance. He jumped back and growled. "Shit, now they're joining in!"

"Should we engage them?" Krystal asked, raising her magic bombs.

Griffin held his arm out. "Under no circumstances does anyone fight them! We fought these guys before! They're too strong for any of us! Our best hope is to keep our distance!"

Saffiro growled. "Great, just greeeeeat~."

Oswald punched the air. "Ah, let me at them! I can take those big palookas!"

Griffin glared, then turned towards the sky. "Wait…does anyone else hear something?"

Krystal glared. "Sounds like…screaming."

Ebony peered around, then gasped. "Oh shit! It's Ella!"

They all turned towards the sky at once, seeing the Espeon rocketing straight towards them. Judging by how she was flying, she was attacked by something. Ebony stole some friction off the ground and hopped through the air before catching Ella. Applying the stolen friction through the air, she created a cushion that slowed their fall until they reached the ground.

"Phew…that was close…" Ebony sighed.

Griffin ran over to Ella and helped her up. "Ella, what happened?"

She held her head. "I barely know myself, but…" She glared ahead. "I think Reuben's been busy."

Griffin didn't need any further explanation. Right as she said it, something came crashing down on the battlefield. A swift turn of the heads and they faced the newcomer: a hulking creature unlike anything they've seen before.

How to describe such a monstrosity? It looked like it had the body of a Snorlax…with a ton of muscle and limbs that didn't belong to a Snorlax. Stitching went all over its body with different shades of skin, like a patchwork from Hell. The arms that did belong had Scyther blades fused into its arms, extra sharpened. The left side of its body had two other arms: that of a Magmortar, slightly deformed, and one of a Kingler's large pincer. The other side was creepier: disgustingly green slime of an Alolan Muk and…the body and head of an Eelektross.

The monster didn't have a Snorlax head, not that they could tell. It was covered in a metal contraption with a grate over its face. It roared at them as tentacles of various kinds sprung from its back.

Ebony grinned nervously. "Oh, wonderful! It has tentacles! As if it couldn't get creepier! Hopefully this thing isn't in some sort of freaky mood!"

"Really Ebony?!" Krystal shouted.

Hugo stepped forward. "This vile abomination shall not dare step upon our land!" He shined his holy light onto the area, burning those nearby, friend or foe. However, to Hugo's horror, the creature wasn't affected by his light. "What? How can this be?"

Griffin growled. "That thing doesn't have a soul! There's no sins or evil to burn!" He kicked off the ground and slashed across the creature's stomach.

All it managed was to aggravate the creature onto the attack. It wrapped its tentacles around Griffin, pressed him into the ground, then proceeded to wail on him with its fists. The Grovyle steeled himself against its relentless attacks, feeling just how strong this puppet was modified.

"Even so…" he grumbled to himself. "…That just means I don't have to be as gentle like the rest!" He ripped his arm from the tentacles and caught its pincer before breaking the arm. He knew that wouldn't stop it, but it was distracted enough for Griffin to get his attack off. "Exosus Release!" Channeling the magic through his hand, he blasted the creature off with a violent blast of unstable magic.

The creature stumbled back, but didn't fall onto its back. It turned up, then roared at the group. It charged headfirst, but Ella blocked it with a psychic barrier. It roared and wailed on the barrier, putting a mental strain on Ella.

"Shit…" she groaned as she put more power through her gemstone.

Cybil's eye widened after pinpointing the creature. "What the hell is that?" She glared and changed her trajectory until she lined up a shot for its head. "Whatever it is, I'll just skewer its brain. If not, then I'll just riddled it with holes until something important breaks."

She loaded up her shot and prepared to pull the trigger, but suddenly found her face slammed into the roof she was perched on. A pair of talons were wrapped around her skull and forcing her down into the roof, smearing her face against it. She tilted her head enough to get a good look at her assailants.

A Fearow and a Swellow. The Fearow, the one pinning her down, smirked. "It seems we found the sniper…" He clutched down tightly on her head, making the ferret wince. "She's not so tough without her little rifle."

Swellow scoffed. "Even so…best to end things quickly." She pulled out a knife from a holster wrapped around her leg.

Cybil growled. "Please…don't do it…it'll be murder…"

"Who said you could give me orders, punk?!" She swung the knife down in a stabbing motion.

"Ricochet Mirror!" The transparent barrier appeared before Cybil's face. The knife stabbed into the mirror, then was repelled right from the Swellow's talons and into her chest.

"GAAAAH!" Swellow flailed backwards, hitting her wing across Fearow's face. It threw him off of Cybil, who calmly picked herself up and dusted off her clothes.

"Tch. I warned you that it would be murder," she reminded before picking up her rifle. "My Ricochet Mirrors work well in case some asshole tried to backstab me." She spun her rifle around, now wielding it like a halberd. The blade at the end glistened in the light. "While I heavily prefer long distance combat, I designed Divine Seeker for just this sort of occasion. I'm not letting anyone get away with thinking they can take on the hapless sniper."

Swellow pulled the knife from her chest and roared. "You BITCH!" She soared into her with a spurting chest wound, talons extended to rip the ferret's face off.

Cybil sidestepped her and swung Divine Seeker into her. The blade hooked into the open wound and…well, suffice it to say, it wasn't pretty. Cybil pulled back her blade as the bird's dead body went crashing into the ground. She swung down and splashed the blood off before turning to the Fearow.

He squawked in disbelief. "You're insane!"

Cybil scoffed. "I'm a sniper. If I have a target in mind, I really don't care how I go about offing them, so long as their heart stops beating or their brain stops thinking." She settled Divine Seeker over her shoulder. "To add on…you assholes have no leg to stand on."

Fearow growled through his beak. "You little…!"

Cybil narrowed her eyes. "So, to be frank…your army is now marked for an assassination." She loaded a bullet into the chamber of her rifle, giving him a demonic glare that spelled death in his future. This girl wasn't just pissed. She was out for blood.

"Consider your death atonement for what you've done to my home."

Tony brought some elderly folks to the last wagon in sight. After setting them down, he told the knights, "I've got everyone cleared out of this area! You're free to head off!"

"Right!" The knight boarded the wagon. "Hiya!" he shouted, commanding the Rapidash to take off down the road with the newly rescued Pokémon.

Tony cracked his knuckles, then glared up at the smoke rising in the distance. A fight was breaking out and he wasn't invited. "Tsk. Guess I'm off work for now. When the workload is gone, it's time to party," he said as sparks crackled between his fingers.

He squatted down to get a jumping start, but his senses went on high alert as an arrow came from the left side of his head. He caught it just in time, then took off into the air as more arrows fired on him. He examined the arrow in his hand and recognized the craftsmanship. He grunted before snapping it in two.

"Should've figured. With the pirates here…" He landed on the chimney of a building and crossed his arms. "Indigo! I know you're there! Don't play coy with me!"

As he thought, she was there, but she didn't reveal her location. "You sound upset still."

He cocked his brow. "I can only imagine why I would."

"Tony, please, I can't abandon my crew…"

"The shadows aren't worth it." Tony glared over his shoulder, then dodged a blast from the pirate Crawdaunt. "All of you don't know what you're doing!"

Julius jumped from hiding and aimed his cannon pincer. "We're pirates, boyo! Not exactly saints!" He fired multiple shots at once.

Using his scalchops, he deflected the shots around him to hit destroyed buildings. "I don't give a flying damn about your occupation! I'm a thief, for crying out loud!" He turned and blasted a Lightning Shot at a wide chimney. "But you all are making yourselves out as something worse!"

Indigo jumped out from behind the chimney and fired an arrow in retaliation. "If you were in my shoes, you would understand why we just can't say no!"

Tony dashed around, avoiding the explosive-tipped arrows. "I perfectly understand what's going on, yet I'd still give that mad clown and his shadow goods a piece of my mind!"

"Talking big doesn't prove us wrong!" Tony slid on his knees, narrowly avoiding a surprise swipe from Leigh. She brandished her battle claws and chased down the Dewott. "This is what we're after! Power beyond measure! We're going to take our place as the pirate overlords of this region!"

Tony stopped her blades with his water blade. "What's there to 'overlord' over?! You're going to be ruling over a wasteland of nothingness! Do you even know what you're working for?!" He pushed her claws off and kicked her in the stomach.

Two bodies came from behind. He flipped off his hand, avoiding Malcolm and Rico's attacks. Upon landing on his feet, he kicked into them and socked them in the guts before blowing them away with his Ventusphere. The wind orbs pressed firmly into their stomachs and tackled them into the walls.

Tony spun around and blocked Indigo's axe kick. He could see the guilt wracked in her face for fighting with a long-time friend. "We don't exactly have the luxury to disobey, especially now that the Shadow King is here!"

The Dewott sneered. "Bullshit." He threw her off, then caught her by the wrist, pulling her into him. "What kind of pirates just let some higher power tell them what to do? Your captain must be one hell of a pushover if this is how he manages his crew."

"Don't you dare speak ill of our captain!" Tony caught Leigh's claws in his hand, unfazed even as they broke the surface of his palm.

"Light Speed!" He spun her around with his immense speed and chucked her into Julius. He then grabbed Indigo and zipped up onto the roofs. "Indigo, don't let those guys have their way with you. Your crew can't be this easy to manipulate."

Indigo clenched her teeth. "Easy for you to say…I don't have magic like you. I can't survive half the things you can put up with. What would you do if you were in my shoes?!"

Tony narrowed his eyes. "…Learn."

"…Learn?"

He nodded. "I've been through a bit on this journey and I've begun to realize that I need to control my temper and my attitude. I don't have it easy like any other normal joe. I'm out here risking my life just to get revenge on some stupid clown. If I want to survive this war, I've got to get wiser and smarter. I'll learn and take what I've learned to get through this. And you should do the same."

Indigo bit her lip. "And how exactly do you expect us to do that?"

"That's, unfortunately, your problem." Tony glared as the other Desert Beasts were getting their second wind. "…Arid doesn't want this either. Maybe he needs a push as well." He zipped down to fight off the other Desert Beasts.

Indigo remained on the roof, occupied with the thoughts swimming in her mind.

Mack and Pain Train traded punches with each other, blowing away the scrapped metal and wood surrounding them. Mack's entire face was covered in the purple tattoos of his limiter, increasing his power by a decisive margin. Being the physically superior of the two, he threw Pain Train across the room before chasing him down.

"I don't need my Timor Persona to kill you!" Mack exclaimed as he whipped out Eclipse. "I'm often too reliant on that thing anyway!"

Pain Train opened his eyes and growled. "Air Door!" He used his key to enter the invisible space just before Mack could whack him with his three-section staff.

Mack spun the weapon around himself, then draped it over his neck. "Oh, that's just great. Disappearing off into your little safety world again." He heard the click and dodge another gunshot right as the space closed. "That little key bastard is starting to piss me off!" He smirked. "The second you reveal yourself again, I'm going to kick your ass!"

Meanwhile, Pain Train was floating around in a blue space that overlapped the real world. He floated behind Mack as he got his gun loaded. He glared seriously. A shot between the eyes ought to do the trick. He won't even see it coming.

A small door opened up and the gun barrel peaked through. Pain Train narrowed his eyes and pulled the trigger.

A smirk curled on Mack's face. "Tell me…does that little world of yours transfer sound over from this one? If not…then you should've realized I meant my threat literally!"

Without warning, Mack's Eclipse elongated from under his arm and struck through the air hole, latching onto Pain Train's arm. He was pulled into the small hole, unable to squeeze through due to its size. Only the arm being pulled managed to get through, but he ended up dropping his gun because of it.

"OW, OW, OW!" Pain Train cried as the chained staff kept drawing him towards Mack. He could feel his arm being slowly stretched out.

Mack smiled like the madman he was. "Does it hurt, knowing that you're going to have your arm ripped off? You better let yourself out and take your beating like a man, chump! And while we're at it, you can get these stupid chains off me, too!"

The Klefki drooped his eyes into a sharp glare at the Sudowoodo. "I have had it with you!" He slid a key off his other arm and grabbed it. "Key-Port!"

A beam fired from the tight hole, past Mack's head. It stopped in midair and took the shape of a Klefki. The pink light shattered off, revealing to be Pain Train. In that second, Mack was sent backwards with nothing for Eclipse to latch onto. He smashed into a crate.

Pain Train slid the key back on. "I should've realized how much of a pain you were going to be. Now I'll have to take this fight seriously."

"Oh? In that case…" Mack sprung from the crate debris, spinning Eclipse expertly. "Allow me to bring Hell to you!"

Perhaps it was because of the battling going on down below, but it only now just occurred to Arid that something was going on below the ship. He glared. "For heaven's sake, how hard is it to load cannons?" He narrowed his eyes. "…Wait, when was the last time the cannons fired?"

Ray glared. "Too long."

The floor suddenly burst open, with Graham flying out. He landed and jumped back a fair bit as Holly jumped to the top as well. She held Last Breath over her head, with one arm held up for her guard. Both fighters were bruised and cut up. Graham wiped a trail of blood coming from his lip.

"Tch. You've got moves, woman."

Holly glared. "And you're not quite as half-assed a fighter as I mistaken."

"Graham!" Arid called out, gripping the railing of the deck. "Where did she come from?!"

"We had stowaways on the ship," he answered, spinning his axes in preparation for the next clash. "I don't know when they got on, but I'm not letting them getting off with their heads attached to their necks."

Holly bent down and pulled her fan back. "A man can dream big, for as impossible as it is." She swung down and kicked up a large gust at them.

Arid slammed his hand down, commanding sand to spring up from under the ship and form a barrier around him, Ray, Jeffery, and Ambrosine. Graham planted his feet down firmly and held up against the wind. Holly wasn't using it at full power, otherwise she could've easily blown everyone on the ship off. Reason she won't is because that would take out the ship and send them all crashing.

Graham couldn't quite move through it, but he had an idea. He smirked and jumped up, allowing himself to get thrown back. "Warp Tunnel!" A spiraling green funnel popped up behind him and sucked him in.

Holly glared. "Wha-?" A green light illuminated behind her. She turned, but received a kick across the face. Graham, upon touching the floor, backhanded her across the face, too, throwing her off her feet.

Graham smirked. "I'm often doing my own thing while these idiot pirates are off trying to do some shit. So, I placed a return point on the ship and just head off to the stores. You just happened to be standing in front of where it was set up."

Holly rubbed her face, feeling for any bruises, then glared. "Lovely…" She folded up Last Breath and placed it onto her back.

Graham glared. "Doing away with your weapon?" He raised his axes. "What are you up to?"

Holly narrowed her eyes. "Nothing particular. I just haven't had a good brawl in a long time." She raced right for him.

Graham sighed. "I'm not as kind to play along." He swung for her approaching head.

She ducked under it and kicked him straight in the jaw with a rising foot. She spun on her head and slammed her leg across his neck, taking him to the floor. She sprung up and swung her foot down, which he rolled out of the way of. Graham rolled to his feet and threw his axes at her. Holly deflected them, but was thrown into the side of the ship with Graham's elbow blade pressed against her neck. He readied to use the other one, but she blocked it with her own blade-like appendage.

She threw him off and swung against his biological swords. He blocked her relentless attacks, growing increasingly weary. Not from exhaustion, but because he didn't enjoy getting into fights like this. He was more used to fighting out of self-defense. Prolonged fights like these were a major drag for him.

He parried one of her hits and socked her square in the face, giving him time to pivot around and place her in a chokehold. "Play nice…we're finished with this fight."

Holly grunted. "Sorry, but I only know how to play rough. Sensitiva Cultro: Tange!" She kicked him right in the leg while applying the illusionary trigger into him.

Graham hollered in pain as the pain rapidly multiplied despite being such a menial kick. This gave Holly the opening to strike him repeatedly. For each hit he received, the spells kept amplifying the pain and letting it linger. It was unlike anything he ever felt before.

"And now, Adluci Armis!" Illusionary knives appeared around her, then fired onto the Gallade.

Graham barely got his focus in check as the knives came flying. He jumped out of the way, but the stream of knives followed his movements like a panning turret. Ignoring the rapidly increasing pain in his senses, he dashed away from the knives.

Holly followed his movements with her eyes, then lunged across the ship and dropkicked him in the side. He grunted as the pain amplified through him, but he willed himself to ignore the pain, for how difficult and impossible that may be. He grabbed her legs and tossed her over the side of the ship.

"Whoa!" She hooked her raptorial arm onto the cannon window of the ship. She sighed in relief, then looked down at the fighting going on below.

In the midst of it, her eyes trained on a red blast of magic erupting into the sky. She could feel it, even from this height, and sensed the hatred behind it. That's Griffin's magic! She glared. "He must be in trouble…"

"Whoever he is…he's not the only one." She turned up and stared at the barrel of a rifle aiming down on her. Graham wrapped his finger around the trigger. "Say goodnight."

"Buenos noches!" Eclipse sprang around Graham and whipped the rifle from his hands. He turned around as the gun was dropped into Mack's hand. He looked worn and tired out, but the chains around him were finally off. Pain Train lay right at his feet, weary and beaten from the fighting.

With the Gallade turned around, Holly flipped herself to the top of the deck and kicked Graham in the head, knocking him into the ship stairs. Holly got down and sighed. "Your timing could've been better…"

Mack grinned. "I like to do things in style." He paused, then looked down at his feet. "Huh?"

Holly and Mack then realize that something was streaming at their feet. If they were correct, it was sand, being drawn towards the upper deck of the ship. They turned their heads and faced up at Arid as he stood perched over the wheel, gauntlet raised over his head.

He showed his teeth in a snarl, clenching the gloved fist. "On second thought…I could burn off some steam now."

Flint has fought many opponents before, but that was always with the aid of someone else. In this instance, it felt like fighting his equal. His superior equal.

Flint was constantly jumping backwards as his Guardian protected him from the rapidly approaching purple Guardian, followed not too far behind by Zaros. The Watchog had this laxed smugness on his face that made the Flareon's skin crawl. It was something he would see from Aeternus, but it felt different coming off him. He remembered how Tony would often say that the Mr. Mime was someone he personally hated, that after seeing his face when they formally met was when he decided to despise that face.

Zaros must be giving him that same feeling.

In terms of their Guardians, they were evenly matched, for as much as that told him. Flint's threw a strong punch that was countered by Zaros'. The same would repeat, only vice versa. One would go on the offensive with a rapid blow of punches, or the other would try to go for a kick to the head. This was the first time Flint ever faced another Celestial Guardian. It would be fascinating if it wasn't so terrifying.

Zaros and his Guardian clenched their fists. "Take this!" They both swung, with the Watchog basically mirroring his Guardian.

Flint's blocked the punch, but was thrown back by the power, taking Flint along with it. "GAH!" Flint cried out. He went tumbling across the ground, knocking his hat off in the process. He turned up as Zaros came flying down. He grabbed his hat and rolled away from the evil construct's stone-shattering punch.

Flint used this brief window to have his Guardian go on the offensive. It threw a rapid barrage of punches for the Watchog's head. In retaliation, his Guardian's hand quickly manifested out from him and blocked all of Flint's punches, all with a single hand.

How strong is this guy?! Flint thought frenetically. He jumped back before the Guardian could grab his neck. He used his Guardian's legs to jump into the air.

Zaros smirked. "Evading me in the skies won't stop me." He mirrored Flint's escape move and gave chase after him.

Flint freefell back to earth, landing on a roof and using his Guardian's physical power to leap vast distances across the kingdom. Zaros was in hot pursuit. The Flareon looked back for a moment before focusing back on the path ahead. So…what were his options again, because he sure could use them!

He's like a better me! I can't do much to this guy unless I spontaneously learn a new spell! Arceus knows I don't have that kind of luck! He narrowed his eyes. Alright, if I can't outmuscle him, I need to outthink him. Quick, what would someone like Tony do in this situation?

"Bit for your thoughts?" Flint's eyes widened as Zaros appeared above him. He had used Tempus Point to stop time and appear right over the stunned Flareon. His Guardian pulled its fist back. "I bet you're thinking 'Is there a way I can outsmart this guy?' Tell me I'm wrong." He swung down.

Flint's Guardian used its arms and took the hit, sending them both into the street. Flint dug his paws in and kept standing. He glared and materialized his Guardian once more. "Blockade Reflector!" The orange humanoid punched its fists together and formed two crystal shields over its arms.

Zaros came down with his Guardian and went on the attack. Flint's raised its arms and stopped two of its punches, reversing the force back onto the enemy's arms. Cracks formed in the fists, but Zaros willed them to seal. He grinned. "Ah, is that your plan? Turning my own power against me?"

Flint's Guardian went for a strong right hook, but Zaros had stopped time and zipped around Flint instantly. A purple fist went for Flint's head, but his Guardian deflected the punch at the last second. Flint jumped back and kept himself relatively distanced.

Zaros narrowed his eyes. "You're avoiding using Time Halt. Why is that?"

Flint bared his teeth. "Does it matter?"

"Someone like you seems reliant on that spell. I'm curious as to what you plan on accomplishing." Zaros curled his fingers. "What little trick do you have planned?" He extended his arm, commanding his Guardian to go on the offensive again. It lunged for Flint and threw its punch.

The orange Guardian appeared and deflected its punch. It was a battle of the evenly match Guardians, clashing their fists with one another, whether in single strikes or brief barrages. Sparks flew with each hit, rippling the air under the intense stress of their connections. While Zaros looked calm and confident, Flint was sweating bullets. This was a clash of the minds and grit now. He couldn't tell if Zaros was holding back or not just for kicks, but Flint prayed the distance between them was a hair's length apart.

A final clash of fists pushed both humanoids back. Flint's reached for the ground and punched a rock into its counterpart at high speeds. In response, the Guardian reflected the rock off its wrist and into the air. Zaros laughed out loud. "And now you're throwing rocks? How cute." He and his Guardian held their palms out. "Vento Nero." Dark wind expelled from both their palms.

Flint, however, wasn't deterred. "I wasn't trying to hit you with it! Now!" He and his Guardian vanished instantly, with a rock suspended in place of their disappearance.

Zaros glared. "Location swapping." He turned up and saw the approaching fist coming for his head. His Guardian reacted and blocked it with its arm. Magic crackled off the exchange, which got Zaros excited. "Ha! Now THIS is what I was after! Are you truly a man of history, Flint Ravenfield?! Are you an explorer or are you afraid to brave the unknown?!"

The Flareon's brow sunk down. "All I care about…is getting rid of you!" He forced his Guardian into maximum efficiency to push past the enemy Guardian's block and sock it in the face. His direct hit on the humanoid sent it spinning off like a top.

Zaros flinched from a fraction of the impact to his cheek. He saw the orange Guardian swing its leg at him. "Shit!" He stopped the leg with a small shield, only thrown back by the swing, but unharmed. He landed gracefully, then aimed his hand. "Ignis Cast!" He snapped his fingers and sent a torrid of flames for Flint.

Flint jumped out of the way of them, then had his Guardian break up the ground and throw stones around Zaros' feet. "Verto!" He and his Guardian rapidly teleported between the stones, switching places with them to throw off Zaros. "Try to figure out where I'm coming from! You won't see it coming!"

Zaros, however, wasn't amused. "He gets a clean hit off and suddenly he thinks he has me pinned." He glared. "Useless." His body blurred and flickered out of sight.

Flint gasped. "Oh-!" The world turned monochrome, but Flint couldn't perceive it.

Zaros stood behind him with his arms crossed, gripping the Flareon's mane. "You don't even know how close I am to you. You remember…how the Shadow King's will left you and your friends in a tizzy, right?" He slid his finger across Flint's neck. "You hallucinated death before your eyes. You could feel his presence." He gripped the Flareon's shoulder blade tightly. "But me? I can do whatever I want and you won't even know within a millisecond of time passing. While the Shadow King can use fear on his enemies…I can do as I please and no one has to know I exist." He stepped back, then snapped his fingers.

His Guardian appeared and rammed its fist into Flint's side. Zaros turned his back to him. "And now, time will flow as usual."

Time resumed. "-shit!" Flint finished before the attack on his side registered. He was sent flying away by the forceful attack and slammed into a lone wall, taking it down with him. He clutched his side and groaned. "He's fast…"

"And now…!" The flame fox's eyes widened as the chipmunk came down above him with his Guardian ready to strike. "I'll enjoy every second of bashing your face into the ground!"

Flint's jaw locked up, but he managed to get something out. "Time Halt!"

Zaros' eyes widened as time drastically slowed around him. "Tempus Point!" He flowed with the stopped time, but Flint had just enough elbow room to speedily get out of the way and avoid the downward punch before it sped up to normal speed.

Flint rolled across the ground and coughed as time resumed again. "That was close…!"

Zaros stood motionless for a moment, analyzing what the Flareon just did. I see…he held off on using the time stop to let me think he wasn't planning on using it anymore. That brief window of time would give him a speed boost while I would only lag by a second until I used Tempus Point. Something like that for an escape is pointless…so he must've been looking for the right moment to use it for an attack. I forced him to reveal his hand then.

Zaros smirked. "Clever, clever Flareon…" His Guardian rose up behind him. "It seems I will have to acknowledge you for some worth after all. Even so…" He tutted the fox with a wag of his finger. "We won't be having anymore of those little tricks around here."

Flint got to his feet, legs wobbling with exhaustion. I didn't want to pull that off until later, but now he's expecting it. Shit, if I did let that hit me, I could've gotten seriously hurt. He steeled his aching body and stood tall. "You…won't…defeat me…"

Zaros grinned. "You are truly persistent, but I've already made my prediction." He pointed at the Flareon and stated, "Flint Ravenfield, you're destined to be killed by me! I'll make sure that I'm the one to put an end to your pathetic life!" He licked his lips creepily. "And I'll take my time with it…"

Flint shivered, getting a flashback to when he stood before the Shadow King. How could this guy also project the same thoughts of death without an overwhelming aura? Flint's only hope was reaching the others. Zaros' Guardian was on par with his, though he wasn't sure if that was a ploy or not.

Regardless, Flint wasn't about to let him have his way. He wasn't above back-up.

Turning his eyes to left, he could spot the auras of Griffin and most Team Shatter Star. He could go to them for help, but something about the fluctuation in their auras told him they had their own problems. Turning to the right, he spotted his only other option.

Tony was on rescue duty like him. If there was one Pokémon among his friends that could multitask against multiple opponents, it was him.

"So…" Flint turned back to Zaros as he slowly approached him. He held up his fist and asked, "What's your next plan of attack?"

Flint narrowed his eyes, then got into an attack stance. "I still have one trump card left." He reached into Gwyn's bag and rifled around for a particular item.

Zaros smirked. "Oh? Do tell."

"A clever plan that I've been saving in case things got too hectic."

"Now you have my full attention. What is this tricky little plan of yours?"

Flint smirked with false confidence, getting ready to unleash an attack with his Guardian…

…by having his Guardian throw five vials of potions at Zaros' feet and exploding into a thick cloud between them.

"RUNNING FOR MY FREAKIN' LIFE!" Flint screamed as he made a mad dash for Tony's location. "SOMEONE HELP ME!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.

Zaros was, understandably, shocked by the unexpected move. He waved the smoke out of his face while following the Flareon's fleeing aura. "I knew he was a bit of a coward, but this is just shameful…" He glared and chased after the Flareon at full sprint.

Flint panted as his legs moved faster than ever before. This is so demeaning, but there's no way I can take him on the way I am now! Maybe if I finally got the Mystic Beam down, I could've gotten something useful off on him! No, this really is my only other option! I still don't know what other tricks he has up his sleeves! Shit, shit, shit! I really hope Tony catches on that I need serious help!

"AAAHHH!" Ella screamed as she was slapped away by the horrific creature.

The puppet roared and went for Ebony with its tentacles. The Buneary leaped out of them and held her hand out. "Viribus Swipe!" Red energy seeped off the monster and into Ebony. However, with her suspended in the air, she was left wide open for the monster the spin around and backhand her with its pincer.

Ebony croaked out a gasp as she flew through several demolished buildings. The stolen energy provided a cushioning for her body. She pushed a slab of stone off her and wiped the scuff mark from her cheek. That usually leaves them incapacitated for a moment. Damn, this thing's stronger than I thought.

Krystal ran around the creature, chucking bombs into its face while avoiding the slimy grasp of its tentacles. "How about this bomb?!" She stopped and jumped backwards, holding out her wings parallel to each other. "Stun Cannon!" Blue magic crackled between her wings and exploded into the monster's face.

It roared and cried out from the blinding flash, swinging its arms about haphazardly. Krystal smirked in success, then gasped as it aimed its Magmortar arm with a heated glow building inside. She barely had time to raise her guard as a big blast burst from the arm. Krystal cried out from the incendiary blast and was smashed through walls in a flaming ball.

The puppet banged on the metal mask over its head and roared and ear-splitting screech that could be heard all across the kingdom. Everyone in close proximity covered their ears. Griffin could feel blood coming out of his head from the noise.

Hugo growled as he covered his ears. "Monstrous creature…I would bring down the divine wrath of my lord if you were a true sinner…"

"My, my…can't even handle a simple little creature like this? And with backup?" Ella and Griffin's eyes widened as the noise dropped. "It's a miracle you survived after our last encounter, but is this truly all you have to show for your troubles?"

Their heads cocked upward, eyes either filled with hate or dread. Standing above them on the destroyed roofs were faces they have come to despise. Aeternus held his hand over his face, one menacing eye peeking through the gaps in his fingers. Callista hissed through her clicking mandibles while a dark vapor cloaked her. Voss, not in his armor, held his arms over his chest and glared down at Griffin, specifically.

Aeternus grinned wildly. "If it were us, that creature would've been dead a hundred times over. It's almost no fun that it's causing you this much trouble-"

"VOSS!" Griffin screamed, rocketing off the ground and taking a swing for his exposed head.

Voss quickly manifested the armor over his right arm and caught Endless Regret in his hand. The blade didn't make a scratch in the armor. "Why can't you break through my armor?" Voss narrowed his eyes in disappointment. "Is this the extent of your rage?"

Griffin bared his teeth as his limiter started spreading over his face. "You haven't seen me at my peak!" He pulled back his sword and channeled a mass of magic through it, but was interrupted when the puppet grabbed his ankle and dragged him to the ground. Just as he turned, he was pulled into the same attack that took down Krystal a moment ago, burying him into the ground.

Aeternus laughed and hopped into the air with his legs crossed. "Kehehehe! I was hoping to find Tony with your miserable worms, but I guess I'll have to find him myself later! Shouldn't be too hard once I raze the rest of this useless kingdom!" He clapped his hands together and channeled his magic between them.

Ella glared. I know that move! "He's going to erase everything in sight!" Especially me since I can't defend against it.

Aeternus laughed and opened his hands. "Now die! Particle Eraser!" A wide flash emitted from his hands…then vanished in a green vapor. "…Eh?"

"Greed's Reach!" The three heralds, eyes still locked on the ground, felt the presence of the rabbit behind them, with Particle Eraser held between her hands. It was rapidly expanding since the magic was quite more powerful than she anticipated. "Here you GO!" She thrusted her hands out and fired the Particle Eraser into their backs, releasing it into a wide beam that covered the sky above them.

Saffiro covered his eyes. "Shit! That's strong!"

Ebony smirked triumphantly, only for her joy to die as a hand reached out and grabbed her by the face. The magic was dispelled instantly by a semi-burned Aeternus, who was grinning with interest. "Theft Magic?" He wagged his finger at her. "Tch…naughty girl. I've seen this style being developed in my five centuries of life. If you happen to know that spell, I can't risk letting you live." The hand holding her lit up in his magic. "Disintegrating you would take too long, so we'll go with the next best thing.

"Particle Incinerator!"

The pale-yellow flames exploded from his hand and took Ebony with them. She was thrown back, engulfed in the incinerating magic that ate away at her own magic. Ebony didn't cry out, only bit down on her teeth against the pain. She came crashing down through a shop, landing on glass shards from bottles. Best guess, she landed in a pub.

Callista had herself covered in darkness after taking Aeternus' stolen attack. "I don't remember magic being this intense in our day…damn, if something like this was around then, we would've been killed."

Aeternus smirked. "True…but I see this as a learning opportunity." He turned and pointed down at Ella, who flinched under his gaze. "For instance, we could start by eliminating the small fry next."

Ella glared and crouched down. "I'm not afraid of you…"

Aeternus grinned. "Yes, that's why your legs are quivering with excitement. Those are the bravest of jitters, are they not?" Ella growled.

Voss grabbed his shoulder and shoved him out of the way. "I don't care what happens to the girl. All I want is to have my go with Everfall."

Griffin pulled himself out of the ground and shot a furious stare in his direction. Damn you! "VOOOOOOSSSSS!" He took off into the air again.

Aeternus snapped his fingers. "Monster, if you would!"

The puppet elongated its tentacles and stretched them after Griffin. They stopped an inch from his ankles when the monster received a crippling blow to the gut, curtesy of Oswald. "Impact Star!" The force shot through the creature's body as a visible shockwave, pushing it backwards. Oswald took in a long, deep breath. "And now…Dual Combo!"

He rushed down the creature and struck again with the same force, only now channeled through a rapid series of punches. The monster roared out in pain, visible shockwaves shooting right out of its back. Oswald slowly exhaled in time of his punches, sweating as he was reaching on empty in his lungs. His arms were gradually slowing down. He managed three more seconds before having to jump back.

He took some relieving breaths, then breathed in another strong one. "Now…Pillar Impact!" He rushed under the monster again and shot his foot upward into its stomach. The force sent it flying off its feet.

Saffiro's eyes flashed at the set-up and took off into the air. He gripped down on his hilt, eyes trained on the monster's bruised body. "Fuoco Blu: Angelo Caduto!"

With the swift, fluid motion of his sword, he slashed three times at the monster's body, then lifted his sword over its head and struck down. He sent it careening back into the ground, slamming it onto its back. Upon impact with the ground, the slash marks erupted and exploded off its body in the form of a pair of massive angel wings before breaking into pieces.

Oswald panted, hunched over with his hands on his knees. He sighed, then held his head up. "Please tell me that did-"

The Eelektross arm sprung from the smoke and coiled around him. Oswald froze up as the monster hand gave him its dead-eyed stare before opening its large, gaping mouth. Oswald shrieked as a potent acid dripped from its mouth, burning the ground under them.

Saffiro gasped. "Oswald!" He tried to run, but a shadow arm struck down and swatted him away.

Callista retracted the arm, stating, "You've done quite enough, boy."

Ella pulled herself together and darted for the entrapped Breloom. "Hang on, Oz!" From the smoke, she saw a light breaking through. She made a heptagonal barrier with her staff and blocked a concussive blast from the monster, which threw her away from Oswald.

Oswald's eyes were shrunk with fear as the Eelektross got its mouth over his head. His breathing was out of synch. He couldn't draw a steady breath. The Ultimate Fist doesn't work if I can't get a handle on my breathing! Shit, shit, shit! I'm going to be a puddle of mush in a second!

Aeternus was laughing his ass off as he watched. "Oh, this is just too wonderful! I always wanted to see a kid get melted alive with acid! Callista, your Puppet Master knows how to make a deadly creature! Kehehehehe!"

Ella recovered from the blast and held her paw out to Oswald. "Oswald!" she cried, unaware that her gem was lighting up.

Oswald clenched his eyes shut, unwilling to witness his gruesome fate, when he suddenly felt the tension around his body disappear, like it was deleted from existence. His eyes snapped open, now finding himself on the ground in front of Ella.

Both the Espeon and Breloom blinked in bafflement. "…What?" was all Ella could get out.

Oswald pulled himself up and shook his head. "Hey, hey, hey! Did you just teleport me out of there?!"

"I…I think so?" She wasn't completely sure herself. Had she done it without thinking and brought him over to her? Not much else to explain it away. "I…guess I did."

Oswald grinned. "So AWESOME! You've got the power, girl!"

Ella blinked, then rubbed her head bashfully. "Oh, it was nothing-!"

They stopped talking as the creature jumped up from its hole and landed in front of the two. It roared in their faces and struck with its tentacles. Oswald instinctively got in front of Ella and drew a deep breath, now able to focus again.

However, his breath was cut short when the tentacles were swiped out of his face. The sudden jut of the tentacles threw the puppet off-balance and teetered on its legs. With a low grumble, its red eyes tracked down the tentacles and found their way to a burned Krystal, who held them tightly in her wings.

Her face was hidden, but her beak was twisted into the makings of a scowl. "You may not be affected by Hugo's light…but you've committed two sins in front of me." She pulled hard on the tentacles and pulled the monster to her.

"You tried to kill my comrades!" She socked the monster across its metal mask, cracking the side open. "And you've gone and pissed me off!" She grabbed the helmet and slammed its head down in the ground. She formed two large magic bombs and slammed them down atop its head, blowing back all free rubble around them.

She jumped back as the monster rose up and tried to grab her with its pincer, only for its pincer to be shot through. It cried out in pain and cradled the pincer, but ended up getting riddled with a single bullet with a yellow trail, piercing in and out of its body as invisible mirrors bounced the bullet around. It was like watching the most brutal display of sewing without the needle or thread.

Krystal stepped back and smirked up at a building. "What took you?"

Cybil stepped into view, with some blood stained on her clothes. She didn't seem to care. "I got sidetracked." She loaded another bullet into the chamber. "This thing causing you guys trouble?"

The monster faced her direction and roared. It aimed its hand cannon at her, but received a burning ball of light into the side, singing off the new skin and melting it into a blackened goop.

"Heavenly Sun!" Hugo shouted, with his staff aimed at the puppet.

The puppet tried to aim with its hand cannon, but found itself in yet ANOTHER round of pain when Ebony came out of nowhere and bashed her foot into its neck. She looked drunk on power. "Stole some strength from a lovely group of guys~! Now let's break that fat neck of yours, fatso~!" She pushed hard with her foot and knocked him back.

The monster staggered backwards, wrapping an arm around its side and neck, before finding itself completely surrounded by all of Team Shatter Star. The six members of the team had their weapons and fists raised to it, glaring with an unwavering determination.

"Comrades!" Krystal called out to Ella and Griffin. "The beast will now be our responsibility! You take care of their generals and those other three!" She formed her magic bombs. "We'll show you just why Team Shatter Star is a team to be feared!"

Ella gawked at them in awe, then smirked. "Heh…go all out, you guys!" She glared up at the heralds. "Griffin, you ready?"

The Grovyle cracked his knuckles. "I've been ready for over thirteen years…"

They leaped into the air and towards the heralds, raising their weapons and charging them with power. Callista glared and sent out a shadow arm at them. Griffin pulled out his shield and blocked the impact while Ella came down with Daybreak. The spider narrowly dodged, setting Aeternus up to swing in and strike Ella in the jaw, grab her by the neck, and bring her into the sky.

Griffin tried to go after her, but had to block Voss' sword. He only remained armored on his right arm. "This should suffice for our battle."

Griffin growled. "Don't you dare mock me!" He pushed back and went into a wild frenzy with his slashes. Voss blocked each of them, deflecting the Hatred Anima radiating off the blade.

Meanwhile above, Ella was struggling against Aeternus' tight grip. She gagged when the clown licked his lips creepily. "Do you know what I enjoy about my life?" He reached behind his back. "I can never get enough satisfaction from the kill. It gives me one hell of a high, then it fades after." He pulled out a dagger from behind his waist. "You'll be no different."

The Espeon flailed her body around and kicked him in the stomach, but it did nothing to free her. "Grr…"

"Are you trying to free yourself? I must admit, you've provided quite a deal of trouble back in the library." Aeternus grinned. "But that was only because you were fighting that fool, Nightmare." He raised his dagger over his head, appearing quite demonic to the Espeon. "I'm on a whole other level!"

Ella tilted her narrow-eyed stare at him. "Then how about we take you down a level?"

Just as Aeternus got his arm to the apex of its rise, a sudden force came down on his body. It was so unexpected that the dagger slipped from his hand and embedded itself into his shoulder. His arm bent behind his back while his body went down like a meteor. "What the…?" he mumbled.

Ella peeled his fingers off and kicked off his stomach, catching herself in her own psychic field. She watched as the clown crashed into the ground head first, with the gravity she applied over him creating a wide crater that gradually kept getting bigger. She held her paws out and focused on applying as much psychic power on his personal gravity as possible.

Aeternus lay sprawled out in the crater, without a sign of pain or discomfort in him. He blinked, then smirked. "This kid is just full of surprises…" He pressed his hand down and forced himself up against the gravity. His foot sank under the ground, but he kept persisting. "Heh…this is actually working up a sweat…"

Ella was dumbfounded that Aeternus was putting up against the immense weight he was experiencing. Granted, he wasn't getting out like he would from a long nap, but this was still absurd.

Over with Griffin and Voss, they clashed their swords briefly before Voss punted the Grovyle off the roofs. Griffin bounced off the ground and landed on his feet, then fired an Exosus Release. The two heralds dodged it, provoking Callista to send out one of her demons. She called upon Matzhal, who shot down with his fist pulled back.

Griffin leaped back, away from the fist as it devastated the ground beneath them. He growled. "I have no time for you hellish abominations! Exosus Cloak!" Hatred magic burned off his body as he rammed his fist into the demon's stomach, throwing him back to Callista. She dispelled him before he crashed into her.

Callista groaned. "Alright…perhaps something more distanced." She called upon the short bird demon, Kogomor, who raised his fan and sent forth a powerful typhoon at the Grovyle.

Griffin crossed his arms and held up against the powerful storm. Tch…this isn't any different to when I sparred with Holly! He sidestepped out of the wind and pulled out Quicksilver. In a flash, he was in front of the demon and slashed right through his arm.

Kogomor screamed out in pain as his arm flopped onto the ground. Griffin swung for the head, but he vanished long before the blade made contact.

Callista stepped back. "I underestimated the strength of this one."

Voss huffed. "He's not that tough…" The remark pissed Griffin off.

Ella landed next to him and raised Daybreak. "Griffin, I don't think we can take these guys alone…"

"I don't care…I just want Voss dead," he stressed furiously.

Aeternus, after finally pulling himself up, dusted his clothes off. "The Grovyle is the only current danger before us. We should end him quickly."

"You're really pissing me off, asshole!" Ella shouted.

Callista hissed. "Too bad I don't currently need any Espeon for a ritual. You would've made for a feisty soul to sacrifice."

Aeternus held his hand out. "Now, how about a little-?" He stopped and blinked at the back of his hand. He saw something flickering off his fingers. Purple…string. "What the-AAAHHH!" The string tugged on his arm and dragged him out of the fight.

"Puck?!" the other heralds shouted in alarm. They, too, felt string attached to their bodies and were pulled off their feet, dragged away to a new location.

Griffin and Ella stood still, frozen in disbelief. They shared the same sentiments at the bizarre scene.

What the hell just happened?

Aeternus was dragged through stone and rumble, tearing up his clothes, which was probably what pissed him off more. Voss applied his armor over his back as he ran across the ground. Callista had to wrap herself in a bubble of darkness, bouncing off the demolished buildings like a bouncy ball.

Aeternus glared at the string latched to his hand. "These are…familiar…"

They were pulled off the ground and flung straight for the only building that, ironically, wasn't razed to the ground yet: a church. They were thrown through the doors and crashed into the main altar of the place. Aeternus rammed into the podium and fell onto his face.

"Gah…I give that ride one out of five stars…" he groaned. He and the heralds picked themselves up, rubbing their aching heads.

Callista glared suspiciously. "Were we just dragged here by…string?"

Voss bared his teeth. "It's him…"

The doors to the church closed. Standing at the other end of them was an all too familiar face. He adjusted the glove on his hand, then flicked his fingers out, spreading his string all around him.

Morgan glared at them, eyes glowing red with alacrity and distaste. "You should've gone to Hell like I warned you."

Wes bounced around the room with his Warp Pad as the Shadow King fired on him with a black beam. The beam closed in on his side at one point and singed the fur off. The Umbreon nearly lost focus and plummeted back down, but he retained his composure simply off the adrenaline that was being fed throughout his whole body. It was either live or die, and death wasn't an option.

Wes shot down to the floor and sped towards the king's back. "Mystic Burst!"

The Shadow King spun around and stopped the Umbreon by his head. He was unaffected by the force traveling through his arm. Wes couldn't escape from the king's impossibly fast punch to the stomach. Wes spat out blood before being picked up by the collar.

The Shadow King narrowed his eyes. "My immense magical power combined with the physical might of Alex Ghostwind…makes me an unbeatable foe." He pressed his finger against the Umbreon's forehead. "Perhaps now you understand the difference in our power. You have no hope of overcoming me."

Wes bared his teeth. "Shut up…"

"What hope do you have of achieving victory? Does that not bring grief into your heart?" The Shadow King narrowed his eyes. "Only I know the true purpose of grief. It's to serve as an outlet for the greater goal. When we are at our lowest, that is when we find our true place."

Wes glared right into his eyes. "…Who…the hell…are you?"

The king tilted his head. "You keep asking that and still expect a different answer? Mortals are so stubborn." He narrowed his eyes. "The shadows are the forces that will reign over this planet and bring forth a new age. A new age of darkness where we all shall be liberated by the light."

Wes clutched on the king's wrist, growling. "New age of darkness? Liberated by the light?! What the hell are you on about?! What possible motivation do you have for wanting to kill innocent lives?!"

The Shadow King bared his teeth. "I will not sully the name of the shadows to answer the question of a puny mortal." He grabbed Wes' bag and tore the strap off his body before throwing the fox away. "Everyone tries to hide away that anger and injustice in their hearts, pretending they're on some higher pedestal. You, Wes Ravenfield, are nothing more than a lowlife criminal who will step over others to achieve your own goals. You're the scum of the earth, yet you pretend you're better than me. No one surpasses the Shadow King."

Wes picked himself up and snarled at the possessed Scrafty. "You really think playing…that card will make what you're doing any better? Why do you even want the idol?! What purpose does it serve you?!"

The Shadow King narrowed his eyes at him. "…What else…but to remake the world as I see fit?" That answer made Wes angrier. "The power to rewrite reality at my fingertips. All I desire is to rise above the status of a mortal. The gods do not have the right to look down upon me. Only I should stand above them. They dare be blessed with the power to rewrite the universe? I shall take that idol and use its power to make the universe my domain. Only I am worthy of being called a god."

The Umbreon's hat fell over his eyes. "…Tsk. You fancy yourself some sort of god?"

"I do not fancy, boy. I am one." The Shadow King reached into the Umbreon's bag. "And I won't let that power rule over me again."

Again? Wes shook off the odd wording and stepped forward. "I don't know what brought you to this ridiculous notion, but I've just about had it with this god talk!" His eyes burned red. "You're not taking those keys!"

The Shadow King pulled the sack from the bag. "And how will the pathetic mortal overcome me-?"

"By kicking your ass, bastard!" Wes interrupted, flying in from his Warp Pad.

The Shadow King sighed and stopped his flying paw. "I've seen enough."

"That makes two of us!" Wes ripped his paw away and spun horizontally. "Lumios Storm!"

The Shadow King covered himself as the Umbreon bombarded him with light arrows. They were bright against his eyes, burning his mortal retinas. He was forced to close them, leaving him unguarded for the Umbreon's snatch of the sack. The king's eyes opened and shot at the fleeing Umbreon.

Wes carried the bag in his mouth and ran for Gwyn to retrieve her. Got to get out of here!

The Shadow King stomped his foot down. "You're not going anywhere." His shadow extended out into a massive hand.

Wes quickly rolled to the side as the palm nearly came down on him. His path towards Gwyn was blocked off, so he was forced to runaway for the time being. The Shadow King hovered in the air and fired down a straight beam in the Umbreon's path. Wes jumped back from the resulting explosion, tumbling around on his back before being met with a knee to the face.

"Hand me those keys, boy!" the king demanded. He grabbed Wes by the head and smashed it into the floor. "Dark Onero!" Shadows expelled from his body and wrapped around the entirety of the hall.

Wes peeked his eye out from under the floor to see the light diminishing around him. He felt the king's hand leave his head, but, for some reason, he couldn't move his body. A great pressure was pressing down on him. It didn't feel like the weight of gravity acting on his body, but rather…a great weight on his soul.

The Shadow King hovered above the Umbreon, arms crossed over his chest. "Try as you might, you can never defeat me. I may have been asleep for five centuries, but I still have decades of experience over the likes of you." He extended his arms out from his sides in a grandiose manner. "This is the power I possess! Magic tempered to be an unrelenting, unstoppable force! This is the magic I forged to wager war against the gods! Be fortunate you had the honor to experience it firsthand!"

Wes gritted his teeth as he tried to rise off the ground. This pressure acting through his body wasn't typical gravity, just as he concurred. It was like the king's will was suppressing him to the ground. The stronger the king's will compared to Wes', the greater the pressure pushing down on him. Maybe if Wes wasn't so frenetic right now, he could at least move through it. As it stands, the fear in his heart was still real.

The Shadow King floated down and reached for the sack clutched in the treasure hunter's teeth. "Now, relinquish your hold on that bag-" He gasped as a sword impaled through his stomach, much to his and Wes' shocked.

The king blinked in stunned silence, then looked over his shoulder. Bloodied in the face with tremors in her posture, Margo stood behind the possessed Scrafty with the sword rammed through his back. She had metal armor coated over her body, which protected her from the king's last attack.

The Dark Onero gradually faded after receiving the injury, allowing Wes normal mobility and relief.

Margo bared her teeth. "Die, monster!" She twisted the blade, tearing up everything inside the stolen body.

The Shadow King made no reaction. Upon getting over his silent surprise, he narrowed his eyes seriously. "I could've sworn I killed you." He slammed the back of his hand into her face and threw her across the hall.

"GAH!" Margo crashed through a column and fell flat on her stomach.

The king ripped the sword from his body, which regenerated under the cover of darkness. "You mages are stronger than I anticipated. Such resolve, even after I assured the definite kill." He raised his finger. "Perhaps I should be more thorough in my execution."

Wes' eyes shrunk. "NO!" He jumped up and grappled around the Shadow King.

"Grr…get off of me, whelp." He expelled a powerful pressure from his body that blasted Wes off his back. He grabbed Wes by the shirt and punched him multiple times in the stomach, forcing the bag out of his teeth.

"NO!" he shouted, spitting out blood.

The king caught the bag, then flung Wes away. "Soul Piercer!" He fired the straight black beam from his finger.

Wes straightened out and ricocheted off the wall, avoiding the king's attack. "Mystic Burst!" He exploded with magic, then began channeling it before his face. "And…Mystic Beam!"

The Shadow King narrowed his eyes as the Umbreon unleashed the powerful beam spell. He held his hands out and pushed against the blindingly purple beam. The impact did, surprisingly, push him back a great deal, forcing the king to assume a more stable stance against the spell.

"Shadow's Law!"

His darkness stretched out across the Mystic Beam, though the effects were acting instantly like with the previous Infernius. He glared sharply. Tch…this spell isn't as weak as his last one. Its power has been magnified. The Mystic series, I believe it was called?

The Mystic series…something about that made his blood boil with anger.

I won't allow such magic to overpower the might Shadow King. He pulled his hand back and channeled magic into his palm. It pooled together until forming the shape of a black sun, doing the exact opposite of what a sun should do. Rather than give light, it stole it. The surroundings of the king became darker by the spell's light stealing properties.

"Dying Sun!" He smashed it into the Mystic Beam, rivaling its power in a brief stalemate.

Wes' paws nearly slipped from under him when the new force was added against his beam. Sweat dripped from his forehead as he tried to keep the Mystic Beam stable.

The Shadow King smirked as he felt Wes' struggle increasing, putting more pressure on the Mystic Beam as his Dying Sun gained more mass from the consumed light.

However, his own struggles weren't over, as a flash of metal came into sight. He stopped a blade short of hitting his face as Margo came into the picture yet again. The king growled in annoyance. Are you serious right now?

Margo's eyes blazed with her magic. "I won't let you take the Keys of Origin, monster!"

The king lit his finger up with magic. "Do not make threats, mortal-!"

A vine struck from behind and snatched the bag of keys from his waist. The Shadow King tried to grab them, but Margo pulled out a dagger and drove it into his shoulder. She slammed her knee into his face, then jumped back, slicing his Dying Sun in half as she did.

The king covered his face before seeing himself become engulfed in the Mystic Beam and the Dying Sun. Both attacks combined threw him through the castle as he held his guard up against them. He mustered his strength through one leg and kicked off to the side, letting the beam pierced through the castle and into the smoky skies.

Back to the others, the vine retracted back to Gwyn, who was clutching to her injured side. She let the bag drop into her hand. She pulled it open and smiled to see all the keys, even the Key of Metal, were inside. The Shadow King must've placed it in when he claimed the bag.

Wes ran over to her. "Gwyn, are you okay?"

She gulped. "If I wasn't running off adrenaline, I'd be rolling around on the floor in pain, but yeah…for the most part." Her ears flopped. "I'm sorry I'm not much help."

He shook his head. "You've been through enough fighting for one day. You just need to keep those safe and out of his hands." She nodded understandingly.

Margo hobbled over to them, using a sword as a cane. "You two…need to get out of here, now."

Wes glared. "And leave you behind? He tried to kill you twice already, and you're in no better shape than Gwyn!"

She scowled. "Don't undermine me, boy! I followed in my ancestors' footsteps to protect that damn relic and I would gladly give my life to keep it out of his hands!"

"But how are we going to stop him?" Gwyn asked worriedly. "He's not going to stop until he kills you, Wes."

Wes looked at the ground. "As long as everyone in the kingdom gets to safety, that's the end of my concerns. But you're right, Gwyn. I don't know how we're going to stop him like this, much less escape."

Margo bared her teeth. "He's strong, but not completely unbeatable. Your father was said to have landed grievous injuries against him when they first clashed. He was forced to hide away in that body to regain most of his strength. I just can't imagine how your father did it."

Wes narrowed his eyes. Actually…how did Dad beat the Shadow King the first time? How can someone who reigned over the world with raw power possibly be bested by my dad? I wouldn't call my old man weak, far from it, but…there's no way even he could match his raw strength. His eyes furrowed deeper in thought. Unless…

Before he could get too deep into his thoughts, a strong pressure blew through the hall. The three covered themselves, nearly thrown off their feet, as they stared through the dark pressure. Stepping out from the crumbling wall was none other than the Shadow King, pushing aside a collapsing slab of metal wall. He raised his head and glared straight at the group, completely uninjured from the blast.

Wes gritted his teeth. "Not a scratch…"

Margo raised her sword. "The shadows' healing factors are a formidable nuisance. I don't think we can overload it like any of the other spawns."

"Any suggestions?" Wes asked while Gwyn backed away fearfully.

Margo glared. "We stick to my plan. I'll hold him off while the rest of you get out of here-"

"I'm…afraid that won't be happening." With his sudden interruption, the king raised his hands and stretched out a long blanket of darkness that encompassed around the entire hall. Shadows spewed out from behind him in long wisps before taking on the flat shape melding to the walls. "Abyssal Prison."

Wes quickly turned to the outside and used a Warp Pad, snatching up Margo and Gwyn along the way. Shadows covered the large hole before he could make it, bouncing off like a kickball struck by a Hitmonlee. With the speed of his Warp Pad, the ricochet sent them flying into the opposite side of the hall and slamming into the walls.

The Shadow King waved his wrist as he approached them. "There is no escape for you. You may have prolonged your deaths, but I shall finish you once and for all."

Gwyn pushed herself up against the wall, head low while still keeping a grip on her side. "Grr…stay away…from my friends…"

The Shadow King narrowed his eyes. "I have no interest in killing you. That honor goes only to my lovely subordinate, Callista." He held his hand out, wrapped in a mist of darkness. "Make the right choice, mortal Mew."

"…The right choice, huh? Alright."

CRUNCH!

The Shadow King held his arm up as Gwyn exploded with neon green. She took her hand off her side and clenched her fists, roaring as her body gave off a powerful wave of magic that managed to push the king backwards. She sent a dark glare his way before slamming her hands down.

"I just got done with a battle not too long ago, you know!" She clenched her teeth. "And there's still plenty of plant matter left to use!"

The Shadow King looked down as the floor split open from a growing force underneath. He crossed his arms as roots, bamboo, and all types of other stuff sprung out from the ground and battered into him.

"Accelerated Growth: Grand Forest Summoning!"

Trees grew sporadically throughout the hall, pushing against the shadow border lined between them and the outside world. The speed of the growth was near instant, as was the bamboo that stabbed through the Shadow King's body. He chopped and pulled them off, then flew straight for the Mew.

Gwyn jumped back, avoiding his diving punch, then quickly ingested a Naturae Fruit: Informis Oak. After her body was modified into the elastic wood, she rapidly grew out her arms and fingers, wrapping the king into a tight cocoon. "Queen Margo, now!"

Margo snapped her fingers and summoned an entire array of knives above her. With a swing of her arm, they flew into the cocoon and impaled every single inch of it. She then summoned to spears and through them through the middle.

Gwyn quickly reached for a seed. "One Detonation Wave should be-!"

A black beam pierced through the cocoon and straight through Gwyn's stomach. She stayed motionless for a moment before her back exploded open. Blood shot from her mouth while her eyes glazed over. The elongated roots detached from her arms as she fell onto her back, motionless with a gaping hole through her stomach.

"GWYN!" Wes screamed. He knew fully well she was fine thanks to her fruit's regenerative applications, but just seeing that hole through her stomach was enough to make his own churn. He ran to her side and held her in his forelegs. "Gwyn, are you okay?!"

She was unresponsive. That attack put her over the limit of her pain tolerance. Wes clenched his eyes shut and held her close.

The same beam cut through the cocoon before exploding it apart. A darkness surrounded the Shadow King as he stepped out, like a protective armor. Not a single wound to his body or head. He dusted off his shoulders. "You know, this is beginning to get old."

Margo shot her incensed scowl at the warlord, then went on a warpath as she soared at him with two spinning blades conjured in her hands. "GO TO HELL!"

The Shadow King formed a large, single blade sword of darkness from his hand and countered against Margo's blades. The spinning weapons grinded against the dark construct, barely chipping into the blade itself. The king didn't even have to use two hands against her attack. One was enough.

"Raze Strike." He swiped his blade and caught the queen in an overwhelming, crescent-shaped beam of blackness.

Margo screamed as her body was slashed up all over, aggravating her injuries from earlier. She managed a shield to protect herself, but only resulted in getting her left arm torn up. She flew past Wes and the fallen Gwyn and collapsed against a wall.

"N…No…" she grunted as she tried to rise, but she hadn't the strength in her right arm to life herself. She collapsed, beaten and defeated.

"Queen Margo!" Wes called out. His blood froze, now feeling the king's overwhelming presence above him.

He was the only one left.

The Shadow King pressed his finger against the back of Wes' head. He could sense and feel the magic charging at the tip of it. He could've ran, but the fear from earlier was gradually returning. He couldn't will himself to run. He was frozen in place, defeated like the others, and soon to be executed.

"I can't have a nuisance like you getting in my way," the Shadow King said in a low voice. "Everything I've built up for my rise…will become reality. I will not have the Ravenfield bloodline take that from me." He glared. "With you and your brother, I shall put an end to the ones who made me suffer. That…is my destiny."

Wes clenched his eyes shut, clutching to Gwyn's motionless body for comfort. The beam was reaching maximum output.

"You're not the only one with a destiny to the Ravenfield bloodline!"

In a flash, a teal blade came down on the king. He quickly canceled his attack and struck with his own sword. The attack was so sudden and unexpected that it flung the king backwards. He spun through the air before landing back on his feet. He raised his head, then glared at the new face.

"…Where did you come from?"

Wes opened his eyes, then turned over his shoulder. His eyes widened with the utmost relief and joy to see the familiar fluttering of a starry robe adorned by the Medicham at his aid. He fell onto his rear, laughing nervously with respite.

"Madame Ava…"

Ava narrowed her eyes, ignoring the Umbreon's whimper of gratitude, as she focused all her attention onto the monster standing before her. She raised her sword to him, with her psychic third eye blazing in front of her forehead.

"I entered the castle before you sealed it up." She slashed her sword downward, striking a heroic stature. "I won't let what you almost did to Willow befall this young man. Not a finger will lay on him, nor will a hair be plucked from his skin."

The Shadow King straightened up and held his hip, curiously glaring at her. "…Your destiny, you say?"

She nodded. "That's right. A solemn promise made by the man whose life you stole from us in your battle in this very zone. Whenever the danger would arise, I would sense it and come to the aid of his offspring to carry on the very bloodline you fear."

The king could feel a blood vessel twitching in his forehead. "I don't fear them…" he growled.

"Say what you will, but I will be the one to temper their potential into the warriors of legend." She conjured a second sword and crossed them together. "I don't believe I can match you in combat, but I won't rest until I avenge the souls taken by your criminal actions…and take back the body you stole from us."

The Shadow King glowered at her, then pulled back his sword as he got ready to strike. This woman…

Psychic energy and magic flowed all around her. Her own presence was something to admire and fear. She waited for this day to come and she won't waste her opportunity to serve her dead friend's wishes.

"I will be the sentinel that protects the Ravenfield bloodline! That is the burden I carry and the destiny I shall follow!"