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Kael staggered as he forced himself back to his feet.
The internal injuries caused by forcibly reversing his energy flow were severe.
But against the backdrop of his evolved Pokémon body, they were not enough to rob him of his ability to fight.
Still—
The truth was unavoidable.
Guzzlord's strength far exceeded his expectations.
This was not an opponent Kael could defeat at his current stage.
But surrendering himself to death had never been his way.
Even if he was going to die—
He would die like a cornered predator, tearing a chunk of flesh from his enemy no matter the cost.
"Focus Energy."
A sharp hum rippled through the air.
Pinpricks of white light bloomed around Kael's body like scattered starlight, then surged inward, sinking into his muscles and bones.
"Bulk Up."
Thoom!
A deep, drum-like vibration echoed outward as Kael's physique swelled visibly.
Muscle fibers tightened, hidden reserves awakening as his attack and defense surged upward.
The stacked effects of both status moves forcibly suppressed his injuries, pushing his body into a short-lived peak combat state.
Dark, ghostly energy rose like smoke from his skin, intertwining with red-brown Fighting-type Aura.
The two forces collided, overlapped, and ignited.
Kael poured power out without restraint.
The radiance grew so intense that even his physical outline began to blur, as if his body itself were dissolving into raw energy.
Only his crimson eyes remained clearly visible.
Cold.
Feral.
Burning with madness.
Once Kael fully accepted that survival was impossible—
He stopped holding anything back.
He would gamble everything.
In the distance, Guzzlord continued its steady advance.
Part of that was necessity.
Its immense size limited rapid movement.
The rest was deliberate.
Each heavy footstep sent tremors through the ground, crushing Kael with invisible pressure.
After nearly being caught off guard earlier, Guzzlord no longer treated Kael as a toy.
The mockery was gone.
Playtime was over.
This was a kill.
Seeing Kael's Aura surge, a flicker of interest flashed through Guzzlord's silver-blue eyes.
"Oh?"
"So you're choosing desperation."
Its massive secondary tongues swayed slowly through the air, coiled and alert.
Guzzlord would not allow Kael to gather strength freely.
A blinding gray-white light ignited in front of its body.
The air warped violently, saturated with annihilating energy.
"Hyper Beam!"
Kael's instincts screamed.
An overwhelming sense of danger surged toward him, forcing him to shift his stance and prepare to evade.
But before the beam could fire—
Something else caught his attention.
High above.
A brilliant streak of golden light.
"What… is that?"
Zzzraaa—
The next instant, the sky split open.
A pillar of lightning descended like divine judgment.
Branches of electricity exploded outward, fracturing the air itself as the atmosphere ionized violently.
The thunder arrived late.
Deafening.
Bone-deep.
The golden lightning struck Guzzlord before it could react.
The charging Hyper Beam collapsed instantly, dissolving into useless gray motes.
Guzzlord howled.
Its massive blue-black body convulsed under the blinding electric assault.
Claws spasmed.
Tongues lashed wildly.
"Aaaarrrgh!!"
For the first time, its rubbery, near-indestructible hide failed it.
The golden lightning tore straight through, scorching flesh and leaving behind a choking stench of burned material.
Yet strangely—
The lightning did not continue.
After the initial strike, the sky still crackled with power, but no second bolt followed.
The attack felt deliberate.
Measured.
A warning.
Guzzlord panted heavily.
Its claws drooped.
Its tongues withdrew.
Its gaze shifted between Kael and the distant electric glow in the sky, greed giving way to unwilling restraint.
For once—
The Ultra Beast hesitated.
Normally violent beyond reason, Guzzlord now resembled a scavenger forced to back away from a superior predator.
After glaring viciously at Kael, it turned.
Its massive body retreated, vanishing into the deep shadows of the ruined city.
Kael stood frozen.
The sudden reversal left him stunned.
But one truth was undeniable.
He had survived.
The moment his tension broke, the Aura surrounding his body collapsed.
Pain surged back all at once.
His legs trembled.
His body nearly gave out.
Still—
He wasn't worried.
The greatest threat was gone.
With his Pokémon physiology, these injuries would heal completely in a matter of days.
Slowly, Kael lifted his head.
His crimson eyes locked onto the fading golden light high above.
A being even stronger than Guzzlord.
Had it intervened by chance?
Out of principle?
Or simple goodwill?
Kael didn't know.
But one thing was clear.
Even from this distance, the presence radiating from that electric light felt unmistakably righteous.
Powerful.
Heroic.
A force of destruction driven not by hunger—
But by protection.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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