Year 880 – Verde Kingdom Capital

"Aaaaaagh…"

"It's going to hurt, Matthias, but you need to stay strong."

The sixteen-year-old Monferno panted heavily, clenching his smoking fists. Burns traveled up his arms to his bare shoulders. Smoke hissed through his teeth, carrying remnants of the black embers he attempted to ignite. His skin boiled from the torture he subjected himself to, but he persisted.

Tightening his fists, he concentrated and ignited them first in normal flames. He steadily applied Nasty Plot through his flames, darkening their color until they turned black. His skin burned again, but he maintained the form and increased their output along his arms.

Artur watched over his son from a distance, yet ready to jump in if the flames got out of hand. "This was the method our ancestors from the Arcania Kingdom used to create this technique. It's unlike any form of training ever conceived. To use alchemy as a means to increase your power. As such, the secrets to the technique stay within the Blackfire Clan. Once you've achieved evolution into an Infernape, that's when the real test starts: using Punishment as the base. For now, we're getting your body used to the alternations by using Nasty Plot as a substitute."

"It hurts…so much…" Matthias growled.

"If you can master Blackfire Soul, you'll never lose to anyone again. The power to turn a stronger foe's power into fuel for your flames. Under normal circumstances, Punishment has a limit to how much it can grow. But with the use of alchemy, we can break that limit. You can defeat any opponent at their base, and you'll burn anyone who can increase their power."

Matthias amped up the flames, burning them even hotter off his arms. "I'll keep practicing. I'll surpass your flames one day, and then I'll protect the Penworth family with all my might!"

Artur smiled. "Spoken like a true Blackfire. You'll become the greatest knight of the Verde Kingdom, son. I know you will."

Amongst the sea of flames taking hold of the battlefield, a new battle had waged. With New Chariot's forces being kept at bay by the alliance, the only obstacle left to overcome was the enemy commander. A task easier said than done, for now they've entered the harrowing task they dreaded since the assault commenced.

Now they must overcome Commander Manlius.

The earth trembled in the Snorlax's presence. With a simple stomp on the ground, the land shifted and uplifted around him, throwing his opponents back. Each step he took, the ground repeatedly changed shape, more and more of the earth sinking below the surface while the rest overturned itself like a rising tsunami aiming to swallow a city.

Noel and Darby raced out from the rising rockslide, barely escaping into the open. Ivone charged through the arching earth wave, his defensive aura sponging much of the damage, while Fulbertus teleported above it. Matthias, meanwhile, charged his way through with a torrent of flames surging off his heavy broadsword. He created a molten tunnel through the rock and ejected himself out the other side before the earth came crashing down.

"RAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Matthias leapt through the air and brought his flames sword down on Manlius.

The Snorlax lazily lifted his hammer and intercepted the attack. The weapons clash, expelling heaps of energy that reshaped the land and scorched the air with heat. Matthias pressed his weight down on the hammer as the black flames amplified against Manlius' aura.

Manlius laughed. "Ah, so these are the rumored flames of the Blackfire Clan! The power to burn a god, right?" He slammed his foot down to steady his balance and tensed his muscles. "What a joke!"

He pushed back against Matthias' swing and sent him flying back. The Infernape flipped through the air before crashing down on his hands and feet. Immediately after landing, he rushed the commander down, clutching his sword in both hands as the flames built up off the blade.

"Blackfire Extinction!" He dragged his sword over the ground, then slashed forward. Black light ruptured through the earth before expelling a geyser of flames.

Manlius swung his hammer against the surging flames, striking with such force that the fire parted around him and reflected back at their caster. Matthias extended his hand and stopped the reflected flames, not wanting them to spread to his allies still fending off New Chariot's army.

However, with the flames obscuring his vision, he was taken aback as Manlius rushed him down with his hammer reared back. "Another trophy for the glory of the emperor!"

He swung at Matthias' head, the hammerhead an inch from connecting with his face, but the Infernape vanished at the last second. The force of Manlius' swing shattered the earth in front of him.

"The teleporter," Manlius groaned, immediately spotting Matthias reappearing with Fulbertus by his side. "I'll have to kill him first—"

"Dark King Rend!" Manlius turned and blocked Darby's attempted back strike. The dark energy crackled off his sword as he tried to break through the commander's guard. "Kneel before your king!" Darby growled.

Manlius smirked. "I kneel to no king." He flicked his wrist and effortlessly shoved Darby away. He rushed the fallen penguin and aimed to crush him.

"Dark King Aura!" Darby focused his aura around the area, paralyzing Manlius on the spot.

"Gah! Wha—"

Darby flipped back onto his feet and jumped away. "Barbarian woman! Kill him!"

Manlius felt heat rising behind him and spotted Noel rushing him from the corner of his eye. She swung her flaming axe at his neck. "Magma Cleaver!"

Manlius pushed through the paralyzing aura just enough to block her axe with the pauldron on his shoulder. Thanks to his empowered aura, it staved off Noel's strike just enough to overcome the rest of Darby's aura. He shoved the Typhlosion back and swung her hammer at her stomach.

Once again, she teleported out of the way, leaving the earth to fold under the pressure of his swing. Annoyed, he spotted Fulbertus reappearing with Noel. He brought his hammer down and split a fissure through the ground.

Noel gasped and stumbled back, barely jumping away from the fissure. Fulbertus channeled dark-silver energy through his hand and fired a laser. "Twilight Cannon!"

Manlius effortlessly disrupted the attack and charged the Beheeyem down. Fulbertus teleported away before the Snorlax could get halfway toward him, reappearing high above the ground. As long as I maintain my distance, I can prolong as many fatalities as possible. I won't let your sacrifice be in vain, Jael.

"Fight me like a man, you coward!" Manlius roared at the hovering knight. "Have you no honor?!"

"Blackfire Soul Blade!" He took his eyes off the Beheeyem as Matthias rushed him down with his ignited sword. Manlius blocked with his hammer, but the flames erupted against his aura and increased the force of Matthias' strike. The black knight pivoted off his heel and swung for the bear's back.

Manlius reached around with his other hand and slammed his fist down, deflecting the blade into the ground. However, he leapt back and waved his hand as it smoked from the brief contact he made with the metal.

What the…? I actually felt that. He glared at Matthias cautiously. Those flames are no joke. I need to kill him quickly.

Matthias lifted his sword and yelled, "Nathaniel, now!"

Before Manlius could react, Nathaniel rushed it and clobbered him across the head with his Bone Rush staves. He kicked off the commander's back, leaving him open for Sir Trapper to fire a stream of web fluid, binding his arms and hammer together.

Sir Solon rushed past, leapt, and cracked his glowing pincer across Manlius, face. "Strong Hammer!"

The attack rattled Manlius for a moment before he attempted to break loose from the webbing, which was surprisingly durable even with his empowered state.

Noel rushed in, igniting her axe once more. "Magma Cleaver!" She pounced with the propulsion exuding from her weapon and drove it into Manlius' neck. "Burn and DIE!"

Manlius growled, tightening his neck muscles to keep the blade from breaking the skin. "Titan—" The outline of his body shined in a silver aura, then erupted with heat. "Helios Form!"

The heat of his body burned away the web binding, and he flexed his body to deflect Noel's axe. He grabbed her by the face, lifted her, and slammed her into the earth. Noel's eyes glazed over briefly as the ground exploded open under her back. She felt the wind being knocked out of her. Even with her armor, her body wracking with pain.

Manlius lifted his hammer to finish the job, but Darby raced in and sliced across his head. He barely nicked the Snorlax, drawing a miniscule line of blood, but it did its job of distracting him long enough for Fulbertus to come in and teleported Noel out of danger.

"RAAAAH!" Manlius whipped his hammer around and attempted to get Darby, but something drew his attack in. He was forced to spin around and swing into Nathaniel instead, taking the attack with his vacuum barrier.

"Knight's Guard!"

Ivone dove from the air and bashed across Manlius' back with Purified Luster. He flew back and forth, chipping away at the Snorlax with each impact. "Fulbertus!"

Fulbertus teleported Noel far away from the fight to recover. He checked her pulse and found she was still alive, though was clearly rattled from the attack. I need to get to a combat medic, but I can't risk leaving the battle for a second. Not with the prince fighting as well.

Manlius tried to strike Ivone out of the air, but Nathaniel's barrier kept drawing in his attempts. Instead, he turned his attention onto the barrier itself, striking his hammer down with all his might. Though the damage was nullified, Nathaniel trembled from the blow, straining to maintain the barrier.

Ivone realized this and concentrated his prismatic aura directly through the wings. "Purified Luster: Shining Blade!" He dove down and delivered a fierce chop to the back of Manlius' head. Over and over, he flailed his wings brutally into the Snorlax's head, but Manlius continued to strike down on Nathaniel.

Nathaniel collapsed to his knees and panted heavily, watching as cracks spread along his barrier. "N-No—"

"FALL!" Manlius struck down one last time. The barrier shattered, knocking Nathaniel backwards in the backlash. He lunged at the Lucario, concentrating his aura greatly through his hammer. "Got you!"

Ivone reapplied Purified Luster over his body and rushed Manlius down. "Hang on!" He extended his foot and kicked Manlius in the back of the head.

However, the commander was waiting for this. He faltered with the momentum of the kick, throwing Ivone off balance. Manlius spun on his heel and whipped his hammer around. "Join your comrade in death, western scum!"

Ivone wildly flapped his wings to escape the swing, but the hammerhead caught against his armor. Normally such a graze would do nothing to his defensive aura, but the energy erupting around Manlius overcame his prismatic armor. A mere fraction of the hammer's power exploded against Ivone's chest, blood bursting from his beak, and sent him skyrocketing into the air.

"IVONE!" Matthias screamed.

Fulbertus immediately teleported in the Corviknight's pathway and caught him. However, upon doing so, his eyes widened as a stone hurtled through the air and nailed him in the forehead. With everyone's eyes inadvertently on Ivone, they missed Manlius striking a stone with his hammer into Fulbertus, having expected the predictable rescue.

Manlius smirked. "You all…lack balance."

Blood oozed from Fulbertus' forehead as he lost consciousness, plummeting with Ivone toward the ground. Manlius rushed in, rearing his hammer back and laughing as he went for the kill.

"Sir Trapper!" Nathaniel screamed.

"Maximum Web Stream!" Trapper desperately fired a beam of webbing into Manlius to stop him, but was instead pulled along for the ride before he could anchor the Snorlax down.

"Oh no, you don't!" Darby raced in to cut Manlius down, but one stomp on the ground knocked the Prinplup off balance in a wave of earth.

With Fulbertus and Ivone nearing ground level, Manlius concentrated his energy through his hammer and swung. "All hail Emperor Nero—"

"Iron Smashing Current!"

A silvery vortex of water whipped into Manlius' range and struck his hammer. The flowing water threw off his aim and redirected his strike into the air. His eyes widened, spotting the watery Vaporeon spinning on her front paws below him.

Sir Gaufroi, I'll prove to you I'm worthy of being a Senbo knight. Wherever you are, lend me your encouragement! Rikmai spun on her back and whipped her swirling tail across Manlius' stomach, throwing him backwards.

Right before Fulbertus and Ivone hit the ground, Serell barely caught them in time and shielded their impact with his body. "GAH!"

"Excellent timing, you two!" Matthias praised before igniting his sword once more and rushing down Manlius. "Blackfire Soul Blade!"

Manlius recovered and reared his hammer back. "Don't get cocky—"

"Gelid Prison!" Rikmai surged ahead and whipped her tail against his shoulder and arm, locking them down in ice. "Doesn't matter if that only holds you for three seconds! That's all we need!"

Matthias flared his sword up another degree and slammed it across Manlius. The scorching heat of his black flames burned through the bear's fur and seared into his flesh, his Thick Fat barely able to withstand the raging heat. He then tossed his sword in the air and concentrated his flames through his knuckles.

"Blackfire Impact!" He furiously hammered his fists into the Snorlax, each strike releasing stronger waves of dark haze. Imprints of Matthias' fists burned into the skin as the temperature rose.

Manlius attempted to regain control of the fight, but was suddenly struck from behind. Linota barreled herself into his back with bucklers roaring with electricity. "Wheel of Frenzy!" She then yelled, "Jakke, now!"

The ice broke off around Manlius' arm, but his hammer started to slide out of his hand. He frantically looked around and saw the Alolan Golem knight focusing his Magnet Pull ability on the hammer. Manlius tightened his grip to keep it from flying loose, but Matthias and Linota's endless barrage of attacks caused his grip to weaken little by little.

"Burning Hunt!" The final straw came when Lionel rushed in and sank his teeth into the Snorlax's arm. Manlius released his grip, and his hammer went flying out of his hand.

"WAH!" Jakke stopped his Magnet Pull and jumped away from the flying hammer, which embedded itself into the ground. He sighed in relief, then shouted, "Hammer secured!"

Rikmai surged around Matthias and coiled herself over Manlius. "State of Matter: Ice! Gelid Prison!" She transformed her body into ice, then whipped up her icy-cold Aqua Tail. Matthias and Linota pulled away as Rikmai, in one swift strike, locked down Manlius in a thick shell of ice.

Matthias stepped back to catch his breath. He kept his sword up, refusing to lower his guard, and yelled, "Serell, get Sir Ivone and Sir Fulbertus to a medical officer! Now!"

Serell had already tied to the two together before grabbing Ivone and flying off, buzzing his wings like mad. "Aaaaagh! So…heavy!"

"Sir Trapper and Sir Solon, join with the rest of our allies in quelling the enemy army!" Matthias ordered. "You two are at a greater risk against this one."

"Yes, sir!" The Ariados and Crawdaunt rushed off to rejoin the knights in battle.

Matthias, Nathaniel, Darby, Linota, Rikmai, Lionel, and Jakke kept their distance from the frozen Snorlax, watching as cracks started forming through the shell. "Sir Nathaniel, when I give the signal, redirect all of his attacks into your barrier. The rest of you? No mercy."

"Right!" they shouted.

The ice continued to splinter and crack. Manlius' Atlas Unbound technique stayed strong, flowing with unending power even in his confined state. He powered through his frozen prison, flexed his muscles, and let out a ferocious battle cry as the ice shattered off him.

"Fall to the mighty New Chariot!" he screamed.

"NOW!" Matthias yelled.

Nathaniel rushed in and activated Knight's Guard. "No more of that!" As he did, his allies rushed in behind him.

However…

"Don't think so low of me, filth." He slammed his foot down, raising the earth around him in a terrible shockwave. "Titan: Gaia Shatter!"

Everyone immediately braced themselves as the landslide of earth uplifted and crashed into them, throwing them back in a sea of rock and dirt. Rikmai navigated through the wall of earth with ease and lunged at Manlius, striking back and forth in her water form.

"Titan: Helm Rupture!" Channeling his power through his fist, he performed a direct strike onto Rikmai's head on her return attack. Her head exploded into water particles, but her body kept moving and zipping around the flattened terrain. Manlius winced as she continuously nicked as his skin with her whip-like movements. "Wha—"

"Sorry, jerkface!" Rikmai shouted as her head reformed. "Physical opponents like you mean nothing to me!"

Manlius scowled. She was one of the raiders that contributed to Auster's death. Her mastery of this technique. As long as she has a fresh supply of moisture to syphon from, killing her is virtually impossible. Even still…

"Iron Smashing Current!" She spun on her front legs and whipped her swirling tail of silvery water.

"Titan: Helios Form!" Heating up his body once again, he guarded against Rikmai's attack. The water evaporated on contact. "Now!" He stomped the ground once before lunging forward.

The short Earthquake knocked Rikmai off balance, allowing Manlius to strike her with a straight jab. Her body exploded into hot steam, aggravating Manlius' eyes. Rikmai recompiled herself into the air and retook her water form. "What did I just say—" Her eyes widened, and her form briefly shifted back to normal. "Aaaagh…" She fell out of the air and crashed onto the ground.

Manlius smirked. "One of the components to Atlas Unbound is Chip Away. I may not be able to kill you with a direct strike, but your body is still feeling their energy. That hit you took to the heat is finally catching up."

Rikmai stumbled around, holding her head and panting as she continued shifting between liquid and flesh. It's a lot harder to take hits like that without a larger supply of water. If I was closer to a lake or something, definitely, but there's only so much moisture in the air.

"How long do you intend to hold me off, huh?!" Manlius rushed her down with laughter. "Titan: Helm Rupture!"

She smirked. "Long enough."

"Wheel of Frenzy!"

Manlius faltered from a sudden surprise strike from Linota, smashing her electrified bucklers across his cheek. He staggered and rolled across the ground before bouncing to his feet. However, electrified stones erupted from the earth and barreled into his stomach.

"Demon Thunder Mountain!" Jakke shouted, having gotten over the wall of earth.

Rikmai bought everyone time to recover from Manlius' last attack, breaching the crater of sunken earth and dogpiling on him with attacks. Nathaniel ignited his bone staves with energy and threw them down, stabbing into Manlius' back. "Hero's Light Storm!"

Darby landed in the crater and dashed forward, his sword bursting with dark energy. "Dark King Armament!" His feathers turned pitch black, and his speed increased dramatically. He zipped around Manlius in circles, dragging his sword through the ground until a ring of raging dark energy solidified. "Dark King Collapse: Penance!" With one with of his sword, the energy ring compressed around Manlius and erupted in a violent geyser of darkness.

"Burning Beast: Rage!" With Manlius paralyzed by the torrent of darkness, Lionel rushed in cloaked in an aura of heat and unleashed a brutal onslaught of kicks, each one shooting beams of pure heat through the Snorlax with each heavy impact.

Attacks from all sides blasted down on the commander, paralyzed to the ground and forced to endure the onslaught. Despite it all, his mind was forever operable, taking in the rush of attacks with calculated grace. They think they're safe because they've disarmed me of my weapon? How foolish. I didn't earn my name just to fall to a mere handicap. These fools…are nothing.

Matthias leapt over the earth wall, his sword blazing in an inferno of black flame. "Blackfire—" He dove down, the wind whipping and stoking the flames in a wild curtain that melded with the night sky. "Soul Blade!"

Right as he brought his sword down, his eyes widened as Manlius suddenly seized Lionel's neck and lifted him in the path of Matthias' blade. The black knight immediately extinguished the flames and swung his sword just out of range of hitting the blind Arcanine.

"Fool." Manlius hurtled Lionel into Matthias, sending them both flying across the flattened crater.

"Demon Thunder Cannon!" Jakke jumped down to ground level and fired an electrified rock from his back.

Manlius reached out and caught/destroyed the attack in his grip. He then kicked his leg forward, splitting the earth ahead with Earthquake. The uplifted of rock knocked Jakke into the air, violently tossing him away.

"Scald Raging Current!" Rikmai jumped in and slammed her tail of boiling hot water across Manlius' back. However, to her dismay, the water instantly evaporated off the Snorlax, who was shielded in an aura of heat.

"Titan: Helios Form. And…Helm Rupture!" He whipped his fist around and backhanded the watery Vaporeon, his energy rattling her form before splattering her over the ground.

"RAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Manlius staggered from a heavy blow to the head. Linota, with her bucklers wrapped in electrified flame, wildly beat down on his head. "Wheel of Eruption!"

Aside from a stinging bruise, Manlius brushed off her attacks and reached around, wrapping his grip around her head. "Suffer." He swung her through the air before driving her head into the ground.

"GAAAAAHHHHH!" Linota screamed.

Manlius attempted to smash her head again, but Nathaniel sailed in and kicked him across the head. He let go of Linota, prompting the Lucario to grab her and run off. "Crap, crap, crap!" he yelled as he channeled Heal Pulse through her.

Manlius massaged his sore cheek and sneered at the fleeing Lucario. "That one is getting on my nerves, too." He lifted his foot to perform Earthquake, but a dark presence descended and locked him in place. "Gah!"

Straining to look over his shoulder, he found Darby standing alone, yet staunchly before the imposing commander. Darkness crackled off his blackened sclerae, and the burn scars visible around his neck carried the same dark glow.

The paralyzing aura ceased, and Manlius faced the lone prince with a smirk. "You're not that stupid, are you?"

Darby glared. "Those who oppose my rule shall face unending torment."

"You westerners…" Manlius ignited his fists in golden aura and lunged forward. "You're all so predictable!"

"Dark King Aura—" Darby put one foot forward and swung, expelling a dark atmosphere from his blade. "Imperfection!"

The dark haze engulfed Manlius and clung to his body. Unlike before where the technique kept him from moving, his body now felt like it was marching through an atmosphere of molasses. Each movement he made was a herculean effort, reminding him of his days as a rookie soldier training his body. He remembered the days strapping weights to himself and overcoming the heavy burden.

This was thousands of times worse than the worst of his training.

Darby deftly spun his sword and confidently approached the slowed Snorlax. "I've awakened to my true potential. You can thank that no-named centurion for his contribution, though that's too much credit for a nobody. I've grasped the flexibility of my dark heart, and I shall use it to drag my enemies down!"

He rushed in, slicing at the commander's thick hide with hit-and-run strikes. Manlius tried to guard himself, but the heavy aura continued to impede his movements. Darby took full advantage of his vulnerability, dashing and slashing across the durable Snorlax and cutting little by little into his skin.

Dark King Aura keeps my opponents from moving, but I need to concentrate to maintain the effects. But this variant gives them the freedom of movement, though not much. In exchange, the effects last far longer without my input. A smirk crawled over his beak. I wonder how well this'll impede that stupid rat!

Excited by the prospect, Darby's movement hastened even greater, zipping around Manlius like a bolt of dark lightning. Thousands of shallow cuts appeared over the commander, digging deeper and deeper into the skin with each passing strike. All the while, Darby slipped from his cold persona, cackling like mad as he embraced his inner darkness.

I have evolved beyond my weakness! I'll keep growing stronger and stronger! I'll never reach the peak of my evolution! My potential is endless!

Manlius grew frustrated with each failed attempt to catch the speedy Prinplup. Now I understand how Liber was killed. This is the spoiled prince of the Wick Kingdom? He resembles his father in demeanor. He's truly a monster at the peak of his awakening. However, no matter what potential you've awoken, I have something you don't, boy: experience.

Enduring the storm of cuts, Manlius feigned his collapse, falling to his knees and pressing his hands to the ground. That seemed to irk Darby into acting with greater ferocity, waves upon waves of dark slashes beating down on the fallen Snorlax. However, this was all Manlius needed.

He could feel his speed returning, and he knew Darby wouldn't waste a second reapplying the same effect. The slow, methodical approach reigned supreme.

"Titan—"

He waited, feeling out the rhythm of Darby's attacks and searching for an opening. A pattern of movement where the prince was at his most vulnerable.

"Crius Grip!"

In a surprise move, Manlius whipped his arm around and caught Darby's sword, snapping and crushing it with one flick of his wrist. The shockwave of his catch trembled through Darby, traveling through his wings and through the rest of his body. Blood burst out from his face, and previous injuries split open across his body.

"Aaaaagh…!" Darby wheezed.

Manlius caught him by the face and lifted him as the dark aura faded off both of them. "Like I've been saying, you westerners lack balance." He clenched his claws around the Prinplup's head. "Allow me…to educate you on your inferiority."

Darby clenched his teeth, showing no fear even as he felt his skull being squeezed. "Go…to Hell."

"I already have. Now die—"

FWOOOOOSH!

Moments away from crushing the penguin's skull, black flames slammed into Manlius' back, causing him to let go of Darby. Annoyed, he turned around to face his assailant, only to get nailed in the face by a heavy punch. Blood spurted from his face. The punch twisted against him, tensing up and launching him across the flattened crater.

Manlius used his rotund body to roll with the momentum and bounced back onto his feet. Before he could catch his breath, another surge of black flames raced toward him. He ignited his fist in aura and punched straight through them.

"Titan: Helm Rupture!"

The flames parted around him, giving him a clear view of Matthias hunting him down. His body carried wisps of black flames erupting from his shoulders, elbows, and knees. Flames spewed from his teeth and eyes, matching the raging scowl permanently affixed to his face.

"Blackfire Extinction!" He sliced across the ground, jettisoning a wave of concentrated black flame through the rupturing earth.

"Titan: Earth Splitter!" Kicking forward, he met the rupturing earth with his own, cancelling the two forces out and expelling the heat skyward instead.

Unsatisfied, Matthias rushed over the crumbling earth and swung his flame sword down. Manlius stepped back and narrowly avoided his swing. Without a weapon to protect himself, he couldn't risk too many close encounters with the Infernape's flames.

I need to find my hammer, and soon!

"Titan: Crius Grip!" He thrusted his arm forward, attempting to grab Matthias and crush his chest.

Matthias backhanded into his wrist and redirected the attack away. Holding his sword in his other hand, he spun it around and struck into Manlius' exposed back. "Blackfire Soul Blade!"

"AAAAAHHHHHH!" The flames were getting hotter. Manlius could feel his flesh burning away. They reached a point where they exceeded the resistances of his Thick Fat. "BLACK KNIGHT MATTHIAS!"

"Blackfire Impact!" Not giving the commander a second to counterattack, he used his free hand to punch Manlius in the face again, expelling concentrated black flames into him. I can't lose! I need to keep fighting! I need to protect them all!

"RAAH!" Matthias gasped from a heavy blow to the stomach, crushing his armor.

Manlius dug his claws through the armor and gripped into Matthias' stomach. "Crius Grip!"

He clenched his claws into the black knight, sending agonizing shockwaves through his body. Matthias screamed out in pain, feeling each pulse of the commander's maddening grip. Each consecutive pulse rattled his organs and bones, threatening to tear them apart and reduce them to jelly.

He dropped his sword and took hold of Manlius' arm with both hands. "Get…OFF!" Matthias ignited himself completely in black flames, scorching the air around him.

"GAAAH!" Manlius tried to hold out, but the continued growth of Matthias' flames proved too great. He released his grip and threw Matthias off.

Matthias extinguished himself and immediately rebounded. "Blackfire Impact!"

Manlius raised his guard and endured the onslaught of ballistic punches from the enraged Infernape. More and more of his flesh burned from the monkey's unyielding ferocity. It was beyond anything Manlius faced in combat, especially not from the Umbra Clock Kingdom. What drove such animalistic spirit from this wild knight?

"How unsightly!" Manlius wound his fist back and hammered it into Matthias' chest wound. "Titan: Divine Hyperion!"

Matthias coughed up blood, but continued his assault. His arms didn't slow down even as burns started to crawl over his fur. In fact, he was striking with even greater speed and rage, steadily pushing the Snorlax back.

"S-Still moving?" Manlius growled. "You've irritated me enough, Black Knight Matthias! Titan: Divine Hyperion!" Putting more gusto into his attack, he hammered his fist into Matthias again, this time knocking him away. "And…Earth Splitter!" He kicked forward on the ground, sending forth a rushing wave of earth.

Matthias sprung off his hand before he crashed onto the ground, catapulting himself over the surging earth. "Blackfire Domain!" Once cleared of the earth wave, he smashed his fists into the ground, creating rings of expanding flames with pillars rising out from the ground. The stretched along the earth rapidly.

"Titan: Gaia Shatter!" Stomping the ground, Manlius broke apart the flaming field and let it scorch the rest of the area behind him. He smirked. "You think you have any right calling yourself captain of your kingdom? You think you can protect all of them? You're nothing but a raging lunatic! You have no balance in your life—"

"Oh, will you just shut up ALREADY?!" Matthias lunged across the flaming ground with fire bellowing off his fists.

"Not this again! Divine—"

However, Matthias turned his fists toward the ground, sending out cracks of black lights. "Blackfire Extinction!"

Manlius immediately braced himself as the ground erupted under him, catching him in a haze of black flame. Matthias lunged through flames and unleashed his fury upon the burning Snorlax. A storm of punches descended upon him, each targeted with the express purpose of dealing the maximum amount of damage as possible.

"BURN TO DUST!" Matthias screamed.

"…Titan—"

Matthias briefly lost consciousness as Manlius breached the flames and clobbered him across the head.

"Helm Rupture!"

He arched his arm and slammed Matthias onto his back. The Infernape coughed blood, and his flames extinguished off him. The impact left him dazed and confused, seeing nothing but an endless sea of stars. He could barely make out the Snorlax looming over him.

Manlius raised his fist, channeling his energy through it. "How tragic. All that bravado, and you die on your back. What a pathetic sight. I expected better from you, Black Knight Matthias—"

"MAGMA CLEAVER!"

Manlius barely braced himself in time for the flaming axe striking against his shoulder. However, it came so suddenly that it managed to knock him away, slicing a bit into his skin thanks to the damage he took previously from Darby. He kept himself upright and skidded to a stop, panting heavily.

"You've got to be kidding me…"

Noel stood guard over Matthias, clutching her battle axe and panting equally as ragged. Dried blood stained the fur under his chin, and her stance indicated she was only standing through pure aggression. Her mane flared up, building with heat in response to her inner rage.

Matthias finally found his bearings and gazed up at the injured Typhlosion. "Ugh…you good?"

Noel huffed a plume of smoke. "Nathaniel gave me a quick boost from Heal Pulse. Not much…but enough. You?"

He pushed himself up and wiped the blood off his lips. "Nothing but fury."

"Good."

Manlius grimaced. This is getting annoying. However, as he looked around the two fiery warriors, his eyes spotted something glistening in the soft light of the fire. To his surprise, it was his discarded hammer, partially buried in the side of the crater. A confident smirk stretched over his face. But now it's getting interesting.

"Now DIE!" Matthias and Noel burst forth, fists and axe blazing with flame.

Manlius stomped the ground and shook up the land around him. The rising plates of earth extended in front of the duo, but they pressed on through. Noel sliced through rock like melted butter, and Matthias destroyed everything in his way, intensifying the fury of his fire.

Breaching through Manlius' attack, the warriors lunged at him, bringing down the full might of their rage. Manlius blocked against Matthias' flaming fists and caught Noel's burning axe, seething in pain. He tossed Noel aside and backhanded Matthias across the face. The Infernape rolled with the punch and returned in kind, striking Manlius' face with his elbow.

"GAH!" Blood gushed from the Snorlax's nose, but he kept upright. "Divine Hyperion!" He grabbed Matthias' arm to keep him from fleeing and hammered his fist into his chest.

Matthias winced, feeling his ribs cracking, but his flames continued to burn. He wrapped his limbs around the arm holding him and twisted himself around Manlius, bending his arm behind his back. "NOEL!"

The Typhlosion leapt off the ground, roaring with anger. "Molten Geyser!" She punched the ground, swelling a pathway of heat under Manlius, and splitting the earth open into a geyser of fresh lava.

Manlius screamed out in agony while Matthias, unfazed by the lava, continued to bend his arm back. Manlius punched the ground in return, sending out a shockwave to push Noel away. However, she returned in kind with her own Earthquake, cancelling the two shockwaves in their tracks.

"Molten World!" She stomped the ground around, causing thousands of superheated cracks to spread along the rumbling earth. Hot gases escaped the ground, and the scorching heat burned the earth black.

Manlius hissed in pain as the fiery ground traveled under him and burned the soles of his feet. He could smell his own burning flesh wafting in the air. "Barbaric woman!"

Noel's mane exploded out into a noxious smog, expelling with such force that it propelled her forward. "MAGMA CLEAVER!"

Matthias released Manlius and jumped out of the way, allowing the Typhlosion to deal a direct blow to the commander's gut. Manlius howled in pain as the blade dug through his flesh. The burning metal burned his skin and threatened to liquify his stomach. It was almost too much to bear.

…But it gave him the opportunity he needed.

"F-Fools."

Noel's eyes widened as Manlius relaxed against her momentum, letting her blast him away with her full strength. It was exactly what he wanted, using her own power to send him rolling across the burning ground and bouncing him toward his intended target.

Matthias quickly deduced the commander's glee when he spotted the discarded war hammer in the distance. "Shit! Noel!" He picked up his sword and rushed off with the Typhlosion.

Manlius bounced once more off his stomach and landed on his feet, skidding next to his hammer. "I'm always prepared—"

He grabbed his hammer, infusing his energy into the hammerhead, and lifted it high above his head.

"To do what it takes to complete the mission! Titan: Gaia Shatter!"

The warrior duo couldn't reach him in time as he slammed his mighty weapon into the earth, further decimating the ground in a rising wave of rock. They barely managed to strike back and punch a hole through the wave before it could crush them, but the single moment of blindness cost them. The moment they breached the other side, Manlius was already on top of them with his hammer primed for the kill.

"For the glory of New Chariot! Divine Hyperion!"

Matthias acted without thinking, igniting himself in his black flames and pushing Noel out of the way. "GET OUT OF—"

BAAAMMMM!

Noel's eyes widened, watching as the hammer connected to Matthias' chest. Like a moment frozen in time, she saw the vacant surprise on his face as blood sprayed from his body, as if eternally processing the pain that would never come. The hammer drove deeper into his armor, shattering it to pieces and striking directly into his squishier body. How many bones would be shattered with this attack? What organs would remain intact?

Did any of that matter?

"SIR MATTHIAS!" Noel screamed, watching as the Infernape's body rocketed across the crater in a flash and smashed into the low walls in a plume of dust. She shook in horror, tears glistening in her eyes. She feared the mangled state of his body, if there was even one left to uncover. All that remained of him was pieces of his broken armor and his dropped sword.

Manlius threw his head back and laughed. "The Black Knight of Verde has been thoroughly slain! What a mark in my legend!"

Noel clenched her teeth, the tears evaporating off her face as her mane billowed hotter than ever. He saved her, and she was the only one left standing now. She couldn't show weakness. She couldn't let this monster win, not without putting Matthias' sacrifice in vain. She had to stand and fight until the bitter end. For her kingdom! For her family!

"You're next, woman!" Manlius roared, raising his hammer again. "Now DIE—"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" With zero hesitation, Noel spun her axe around, propelling it with a torrent of flames, and hammered it into the same wound she dealt earlier. The flames she produced were expelled even harder than before, putting more force behind her swing. Her axe drove deep into his thick hide, plunging deeper than before.

"GAAAAH!" Manlius screamed.

"I won't…let you WIN!" Gripping with both hands, she roared and tore her axe loose from his stomach, tearing through with brutal intent. Blood gushed from the open wound, splashing across the ground and her face.

"AAAAHHHHHHH!" Manlius tightened his core and closed the wound with the abdominal muscles. Sh-Shit! Did she tear my stomach open?! My insides feel like they're on fire!

The flames traveled up Noel's head, burning around her face like a tattered mask. She leapt into the air, setting her entire axe ablaze in her raging flame. No hesitation. Channel all your rage into heat. Focus all your anger on a single point and turn this bastard into charcoal!

"MAGMA CLEAVER—" Fire erupted like an active volcano, and she drove the axe straight down. "INFERNAL FRENZY!"

The axe connected and sliced cleanly through Manlius' shoulder and tore it in a fiery rupture. The severed arm spun through the air in an inferno and flopped onto the ground like a beached Basculin. A red haze sprayed through the air. Manlius' blood had evaporated instantly and sprayed out from his shoulder like vapor.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHH!" the Snorlax screamed.

Noel landed and exhaled a plume of smoke as her whole body trembled with fatigue. Her fiery mane extinguished, and smoke hissed off her fur. She panted heavily, each breath exhaling more smoke. He…dodged. That was…supposed to be…his neck.

Manlius was just as fatigued as Noel, his mind waning from the overstimulation of pain exploding across his left side. It wasn't just his arm. She shaved off a chunk of his left side, leaving a smoldering scar of blackened flesh on the ground beside him. By all rights, he shouldn't be conscious at least.

But he wasn't a commander of the New Chariot Empire for nothing. If he allowed such an injury to slow him down, what right did he have returning home? He was to die like all men of New Chariot: for the glory of the empire!

"Devil woman!" Manlius raised his hammer. "You westerners just don't know when you're beat!"

Noel tried to move, but her legs were frozen in place. The effects of the Blast Burn…I interlaced with Magma Cleaver…sh-shit, move, you stupid legs!

"Your soldiers fall so easily to my hammer while your pathetic kill shots only further my rage!" Manlius brought the hammer down. "The difference in our skill is obvious!"

"Gelid Prison!"

A spike of water erupted from the earth and struck Manlius' arm, freezing it instantly in a spire of ice. Before he could react, Rikmai emerged from the ground and cracked her Iron Smashing Current technique across his face. She rose above the dazed Snorlax, half of her face bruised and opaque among her watery form.

"You're the one…who doesn't know when to quit!" she snapped. "Partial State of Matter—" Her tail shook wildly, condensing the heat within the bubbling water and compressing the steam within.

I wasn't just fooling around back in the Verde Kingdom. I actually learned a bit more about this technique thanks to those blacksmiths. I'm freely able to manipulate my form in this state, and I can go beyond the three states. I understand my body better than ever. I haven't had much practice using this, but—

"Aero Sparking Slice!"

For a brief moment, Rikmai's tail transformed into a condensed blade of lightning. An artificial blade of plasma created by superheating the vapor trapped inside her tail to its limit. It was the furthest she ever increased the heat of her body, and it took all her concentration just to maintain its shape. Being surrounded by such fiery allies, however, was a strong motivator to get the technique just right.

Her tail connected, slicing through the ice pillar and across Manlius, leaving an electrified scar around his chest to his back. The Snorlax trembled for a moment, fearing that his heart stopped for a second. If it weren't for the adrenaline pumping through his body and his astronomical pain tolerance, it would've been the final straw for him.

Unfortunately, that was all Rikmai could give. She shifted back to her normal state and fell unconscious. Her tail hissed with clouds of steam. A stellar first try for her newly formed technique. A shame it lasted for a fleeting moment.

Manlius staggered back, clutching at the glowing wound sparking off his chest. Though the damage wasn't any worse than what he was enduring, it rattled his insides more than he expected. His heart was beating erratically from the brief scare, and his nerves felt even more shot than before. Her attack didn't just hit him. It passed right through and wrecked everything in its brief window of activation. He could barely move without giving himself a brief heart attack.

How…are these ingrates…overcoming us? We're the strongest of Virdis. How…How dare they flaunt such hubris?!

Noel finally caught her breath and lifted herself up with her axe. "Nice…Nice job, kid. Sir Gaufroi…taught you well…"

Manlius scowled at the defiant Typhlosion. "Don't you dare offer praise to this weakling!"

Noel scowled back. "If we're so weak, why are you the only one that's been disarmed?!"

"RAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Reaching his limit, Manlius wildly beat his chest like a Primeape taking their aggression out on a pair of unfortunate bongos. However, this wasn't some sudden break into masochism. The golden aura that had permanently surrounded Manlius turned a horrible shade of red, exuding an aura that made Noel reflexively wince.

"TITAN: ATLAS FULL RELEASE!"

Noel stepped back again, holding her axe defensively as she watched the rotund bear power himself up. There's no way he still has enough energy to do that! He shouldn't be breathing at this point!

"The hellish training I endured in the barracks to reach my status as commander! Everything I've done…to obtain this power!" Energy crackled through his hammer, igniting the stone in a harsh, surging aura that disturbed the air around it. "Any attack I release from this point on will utterly destroy my body! But in exchange, every last one of you will be turned to dust!"

Noel scowled. He's serious!

"Consider it an honor…to die by this power, westerner scum!" He reared the hammer back, the mere action whipping up a brief hurricane behind himself. "Pray to whatever god you worship, then join them in oblivion!"

Noel reared her axe back and ignited it in whatever flame she could muster. I won't survive!

"NOW WE END THIS! TITAN: DIVIIIIIIIIIIIINE—"

BA-BUM!

Manlius froze.

Something…

Something was keeping him from moving.

He couldn't move his body.

Did Darby return? Was he locked again in the dark prince's oppressive aura?

No. No, something was different about this.

Something…wasn't stopping him. Not something tangible or ethereal.

Was…Was he refusing to move? Did his body refuse his command?

What compelled him to cease attacking?

Noel felt the same eerie presence falling over her, but as someone with a better grasp on her pride, she instantly understood this terrible feeling that locked her body into place. But, of all the times, why was she feeling it now?

What is this…overwhelming fear emanating behind me?

He should've been dead. For a moment, he thought he was. Empty darkness all around. A body laying cold and numb in the ground. There was nothing but that empty oblivion. The very concept of darkness didn't even register. It was just…nothing. Oblivion. The essence of death.

BA-BUM!

A single heartbeat, echoing like a drum in his mind. The nothingness rippled with life.

BA-BUM!

A single spark ignited in the epicenter of that darkness. A tiny flame. The embers of life weakly clinging to the kindling. A single breeze could extinguish that flame, but he shielded it with his soul. Safeguarding that flame so that it may burn strong again.

BA-BUM! BA-BUM!

Why did these embers refuse to be extinguished?

BA-BUM! BA-BUM! BA-BUM!

Why did this soul fight so valiantly to protect them?

BA-BUM, BA-BUM, BA-BUM, BA-BUM, BA-BUM!

There was that heartbeat again, each pulse stoking the flames from weak embers to a majestic campfire.

Fire took on many forms. Anger. Passion. Destruction. Life. Hatred. Warmth.

What did these flames mean to him?

"We committed a grave sin abandoning the Arcania Kingdom all those years ago," his father said, patting his son on the head. "Abandoning our people to pursue a new life in the west."

"Then why do we remain loyal to the Penworths?"

"Because the Blackfire Clan lives by a code: to wage in wildfires and bring destruction, but to treasure the warmth of the lantern's light. Our enemy, during a time of devastation against the other kingdoms, saved our clan from extinction by saving its only surviving member. We wouldn't be here if not for the kindness of our enemy."

"A debt that can never be repaid?"

"A mercy we take to heart. We stay because we trust in the Penworth family to do the right thing, my son. One day, you will be tasked to protect the next generation of the Penworth family. Princess Odolina will one day marry and have a child of her own, and you must decide for yourself if her blood is worth protecting."

"Only I decide where to guide my flames."

"Exactly. The Blackfire Clan's flames are used to overpower the strong. Guide those flames, even if you must be burned by the fires of Hell itself. Unleash that chained beast within all of us and become…something truly monstrous. Show your enemies—"

"Show your enemies the true rage of the Blackfire Clan!"

"RrrrrrrrRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

Manlius and Noel recoiled as a jet-black inferno pierced from the earth, bathing the atmosphere in scorching heat. The stone around the inferno rapidly melted into molten rock. Geysers of flame escaped the earth, rocketing high into the sky as if the sheer power of the inferno could not be contained.

The sight of the flames brought unimaginable horror to the deepest depths of Manlius' soul. "That's…impossible!"

Noel stared at the flames in relief, yet also disbelief. He's…alive?

"Don't even think about how you'll do it, Matthias. When pushed to the limit, follow your instincts."

Clawing at the scorched air, a figure emerged from the inferno cloaked from head to toe in the jet-black blaze. Like a demon having dragged itself from the earth, the monster turned toward the sky with an animalistic howl, commanding the flames to rise higher and higher. A demonic monkey of pure destructive fire.

"Show them the truest shape of your soul. This technique is called—"

"BLACKFIRE…DAMNATION!"

Realizing what was about to happen, Noel moved with one last burst of strength and scooped Rikmai off the ground. This is going to get messy fast!

Manlius didn't stop her, his mind still whirling with confusion and terror. N-No. This has to be a fluke. Y-Yes, a fluke! I didn't actually hit him with my full power! Heh, that's right. I only nicked him with my hammer, just like with the Corviknight. That's the only explanation.

Piercing red eyes of flames appeared through the flames like the visor of a helmet and locked onto the one-armed Snorlax. With his target in sight, the monster advanced, bursting from the ground with a propulsive blast. Wildly sailing through the air, his demonic howl raced ahead as he reared his arm back, flames trailing off like a tapestry in the wind.

Manlius eased himself in his delusion and readied his hammer. "This time, there'll be nothing left of you to resist! Enter oblivion, you damned westerner!"

He didn't hesitate for a moment. The second the flaming demon entered his range, he swung with all his might. A mighty shower of red aura blazed off his hammer, matching the ferocity of the monster's flames. He'll guarantee that his strike hits with full force. Nothing can survive his attack.

Nothing!

"TITAN: DIVINE HYPERION—"

His hammer connected and sailed through the demonic monkey, bringing the briefest of triumphant joy to the Snorlax. However, such victories were a fleeting fancy. The truth was, though his hammer passed through the monster, it wasn't because its body was reduced to paste.

Manlius' eyes widened, finding he was now holding a molten stick that dripped over the ground. His hammer had been completely incinerated the moment it connected with the black flames. All the kinetic energy flowing through the hammerhead? It was completely negated.

A horrifying thought entered the Snorlax's mind.

I did hit him before. He shielded himself in those flames before I did. He fearfully looked over his shoulder. And those flames grow in the presence of power. That means, not only were they strong enough to keep him alive from my one-shot kill—

"RRRRAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" The demonic monkey backflipped through the air and landed on Manlius' shoulders, staring him down with his flaming eyes.

I just made his flames stronger!

"RRRRAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The demonic monkey clenched his fist and punched straight into the Snorlax's gaping mouth. His eyes widened as his throat caught fire, and smoke vented out like a chimney. The demon gripped and clawed into his throat tightly and leaned down close to his face.

N…No…

"Burn."

Matthias' fiery aura erupted and expanded around Manlius, going off like a horde of supercharged Electrode. The blast wave traveled across the crater, instantly scorching the earth in its presence.

Noel hurriedly ran on all fours with Rikmai secured to her back. She scanned the area for anyone else stuck in the crater, but it appeared that Nathaniel had rescued everyone during the commotion. With thoughts of rescue no longer a concern, she hastened up the crater wall, dragging her claws through earth hard enough to make them bleed. She barely reached the top before the blast wave reached her. She leapt onto the surface and watched as the scorching heat jettisoned skyward.

The harrowing sight put a pause of the battle waging nearby. The alliance and New Chariot all gazed at the scorching pillar of heat that seemingly reached as high as the clouds. It was like a gateway to the underworld opening up before their eyes, expelling a plume of miasma to welcome the arrival of the dark lord.

Alban stared down from his vantage point as the scorching heat rose higher and higher into the sky. Normally emotionless and uncaring of the world around him, he couldn't help raising his brow in fascination.

Matthias Blackfire. What a troublesome knight. You will have to be eliminated for the sake of Master Terrowin's ambitions.

The geyser of heat lasted as long as thirty seconds, an eternity for all observing parties. Eventually, the flames quelled their anger and dissipated into the air, leaving behind only the scorched crater that hissed with an endless fog of smoke.

A New Chariot Noctowl soldier flew over the scorched earth to observe the outcome of the battle. With his superior vision, he locked in on the two figures left standing in the epicenter of the blast.

He wished he could unseen what he saw.

Matthias' flames extinguished. All but his greaves had been destroyed in the last attack he took. His body was covered in burns, unable to withstand the full force of his own firepower. Scorched patches of flesh could been seen all over his body, the spots that had been instantly cauterized in the presence of his fire. His chest ached with agonizing pain, but it hardly did anything to close him down.

"Never…look down upon my homeland again."

Matthias pulled his arm out of Manlius' throat…or what was left of it.

In truth, what the Infernape stood on could barely be classified as a Snorlax anymore. Instead, what stood under him was a scorched mass of flesh barely recognizable to the average eye. Smoke hissed from the hot cracks chipping through the layer of carbonized flesh. It was hard to say at what point Manlius was alive during the experience, but it wasn't a quick and painless way to go out.

Matthias jumped off, panting heavily. His muscles felt like they've been torn apart, but he kept standing. His eyes turned upward and spotted the Noctowl soldier looking down at him in horror. All it took from Matthias was a single glare for the owl to fly off back to his allies.

The soldiers waited for the Noctowl to give the word of the battle's outcome. Instead, he dove down to the highest leading authority of the western alliance he could identify, which ultimately ended up being a rather confused and scared Serell. He raised his halberd right as the soldier landed in front of him.

"W-What?" Serell yelped.

"…" The Noctowl dropped whatever weapons he had on him and bowed to the confused Togetic.

"H-Huh?"

Understanding the motion and the weight of one of their own showing such humility, the rest of New Chariot's soldiers dropped their weapons and knelt to the ground. After what they witnessed, despite it going against their principles, they understood they were stuck in an unwinnable battle.

"We…surrender."