Chapter 880: I Will Never Let Him Cry Again
"..."
What is the deal with that woman?!
Hovering in the heavens, Shadow stared at the returned Mewtwo and Cynthia, Her entire scalp tingling with sheer dread.
Mewtwo's return alone.
Had already irritated Her to no end.
Yet now, an extraordinary human woman had appeared as well.
Had she been a mere mortal, so be it.
Yet this human actually enabled Kazuya to achieve some mysterious, unprecedented evolution—not only multiplying his offensive might, but restoring his state completely to its absolute peak.
With things turning out like this.
Wasn't Dialga's sacrifice entirely in vain?
The more Shadow thought about it, the more furious She grew, bordering on outright madness.
She had no desire to waste another word.
Directly commanding the boundless tide of beasts, She ordered them to trample toward Sootopolis City.
Slaughter, slaughter, slaughter!
She would butcher every single one of these humans and Pokémon!
Plunging Kazuya into total despair!!
"Mewtwo, stay behind to help everyone hold off the beast tide in the sea. Leave those in the sky to me."
The excitement in Kazuya's eyes gradually leveled into calm.
He swept a glance across the current battlefield.
He had to admit.
Mewtwo was right.
Even though Cynthia's arrival had multiplied his combat prowess, giving him the confidence to crush either Arceus or Shadow in a true one-on-one duel.
The problem lay in the fact that there was no one-on-one environment right now!
Whether Demon Gods or magical beasts.
Their sheer numbers were simply too overwhelming!
Even though.
Because of the appearance of Sootopolis City's defenders.
Shadow had diverted at least half of the magical beasts to deal with them.
The situation was hardly much better.
With Mewtwo's strength.
Coordinating with the others to hold out for a short while posed no issue.
Yet over a protracted clash, they were destined to be overwhelmed.
Hundreds of thousands of Gym and Elite Four-tier beasts attacking in unison was no laughing matter.
Just as Kazuya was racking his brains.
Cynthia vaulted up, wrapping her arms securely around Kazuya's neck from behind: "Kazuya, we must shatter the surrounding barrier first."
Judging by her stance, she had no intention of getting down.
Naturally.
Kazuya held the exact same thought.
He had no desire to let Cynthia leave his side.
Staying on his back was infinitely safer than remaining down in Sootopolis City.
Shadow had already locked Her sights onto Cynthia.
If Cynthia were left alone, Shadow would inevitably target the blonde Champion, attempting to force Kazuya out of his Bond Phenomenon and back into his base form.
Since that was the case.
It was far better to keep Cynthia right with him.
Shielded beneath his Aura and psychic barriers, she would be vastly more secure.
"Alright!"
Kazuya nodded firmly.
He didn't waste time probing for details.
At this juncture, they had no luxury for leisurely conversation anyway.
He knew Cynthia inside and out.
She was a brilliant, unflappable woman.
Especially after rising to the throne of Sinnoh Champion.
No matter how perilous the crisis, she always maintained absolute composure, keeping her mind razor-sharp.
Therefore.
Since Cynthia said this.
She unquestionably had her reasons and calculations.
Furthermore.
Even though Cynthia and Mewtwo hadn't elaborated.
Kazuya could clearly see the deep exhaustion lingering beneath Cynthia's eyes.
Just how much grueling effort and energy she must have expended to cross worlds and reach his side.
Since that was so.
What more was there to say?
Absolute, unyielding trust was all that was needed.
"Hold on tight, close your eyes, take deep breaths. Dizziness is completely normal."
Kazuya offered a brief word of warning, then raised a hand.
Accelerating his temporal flow.
The crackling arcs of the Power of Racing Thunder streaked behind him.
In the blink of an eye, he plunged headfirst into a spatial wormhole.
Before a second could even tick by.
Kazuya materialized a hundred meters directly above Arceus's head, rocketing downward like a blazing comet straight toward the Alpha Pokémon.
Accelerated Swords Dance, Accelerated Swords Dance...
Extreme Speed Laser Focus Focus Punch.
Fighting.
Was the sole typing that inherently held an advantage over Arceus.
And likewise.
The typing Kazuya was most proficient in!
Boom!!
A leaden, devastating punch hammered squarely onto the crown of Arceus's head.
The identity of the falling comet flipped instantaneously.
Crash, splash~
Pummeled by Kazuya's fist, Arceus blasted straight into the ocean, plummeting uncontrollably toward the abyss of the deep sea.
The other Demon Gods reacted a beat too late.
Belatedly launching a barrage of attacks toward Kazuya.
Even Shadow hurriedly moved to strike.
Yet relying on their speed.
How could they possibly keep pace with a Kazuya wielding both the Power of Time and the Power of Racing Thunder?
The moment Arceus was sent hurtling downward.
Kazuya had already clung to It like a shadow, diving into the deep waters right on Arceus's tail.
As the King of the Sea.
There was no battleground more suited to Kazuya than the abyssal depths.
Conversely, among the other Demon Gods, those truly adept in aquatic warfare—Primal Kyogre and Lugia—had long since perished. What hope did the survivors have of halting him?
"Pursue him! All of you! Don't let Arceus die!"
Shadow screeched in panic.
Commanding the host of Demon Gods to plunge into the deep ocean like dumplings dropping into boiling water.
Even if They were utterly inept at underwater combat, down They went.
So long as They could serve as minor fodder, it was enough.
Just as Shadow was preparing to dive in pursuit Herself.
Rumble——!!
The entire world shuddered violently.
"What is happening?!"
Shadow halted abruptly in mid-air, Her eyes widening as She scanned the surroundings in alarm.
What was that tremor just now?
An earthquake?
Yet She was hovering high in the sky.
And beneath Her stretched the vast ocean.
"The aftershock of Kazuya's clash with Arceus?"
Shadow frowned, glaring down toward the ocean floor.
Then She shook Her head immediately.
Impossible.
Kazuya and Arceus had traded blows countless times prior; an aftershock of that nature wouldn't have delayed until now to erupt.
Then what was that tremor?
Shadow refused to believe it was a mere illusion.
As if in direct answer to Her doubts.
Rumble——!!
The world convulsed violently once more.
And this time, the amplitude of the tremor was far more violent than the last, causing even Shadow's field of vision to sway erratically.
The swarms of magical beasts drifting across the ocean below tumbled over one another, losing their balance entirely.
At this moment.
Shadow finally pinpointed the root of the disturbance.
"The space-time barrier is under siege?!"
She snapped Her head toward the far edge of the horizon.
A bleak expanse of gray and black.
Seemingly untouched by any change.
Yet She trusted Her own senses.
On the other side of that space-time barrier, some terrifying entity was relentlessly bombarding the wall, striving to shatter it and breach through.
"Who is it?!"
Shadow's thoughts raced in overdrive.
Yet She could not fathom who could possess such terrifying might.
That space-time barrier had been personally forged by Arceus utilizing Its own divine power.
Its durability was such that other Demon Gods couldn't even scratch it.
Even Shadow Herself.
Could never hope to smash it in short order.
Which meant.
Beyond the space-time barrier right now.
The sheer ferocity of that assault had unquestionably approached—or even matched—the caliber of Arceus.
Either there was a Pokémon out there every bit as mighty as Arceus.
Or a terrifyingly vast legion of formidable Pokémon was bombarding the barrier simultaneously.
Yet neither scenario.
Seemed remotely plausible to Shadow.
In this world, there were only two Pokémon standing on the exact same plane as Arceus.
One was Her.
The other was Kazuya bolstered by the Power of Victory.
As for an immense swarm of mighty Pokémon?
That was even more impossible.
The last surviving remnants of this world were virtually all gathered upon the shattered remnants of Sootopolis Island.
"Wait."
Shadow suddenly recalled Arceus.
If Arceus's state deteriorated, a corresponding drop in the barrier's stability was entirely a matter of course.
Could it be that because Arceus was currently enduring Kazuya's savage onslaught, those ants outside had found an opening to fracture the barrier?
"There is definitely something out there—it must be reinforcements brought from another era by that woman who looks like a butterfly orchid!"
Shadow's brows knitted tightly.
She remembered Cynthia urging Kazuya to take down Arceus first moments ago.
Connecting the dots, the reality of the situation beyond the wall crystallized in Her mind.
If that were the case.
She could afford to let Arceus die even less.
Once the space-time barrier shattered.
The entire war would flip completely out of Her favor.
Suddenly.
Boom!
Crash, splash~
The ocean beneath Shadow's feet ruptured wide open, tearing an abyss of bottomless depths through the waves.
Shadow looked down.
Arceus was rocketing toward Her like an artillery shell.
Tilting Her body aside, She allowed Arceus to shoot past Her face.
Immediately after, She saw Kazuya and Cynthia dart past Her vision.
As their paths crossed, Kazuya actually paused for a split second, flashing Her a disdainful smirk alongside Cynthia.
Watching the retreating silhouettes of Kazuya and Cynthia.
"..."
Shadow clenched both paws until the knuckles cracked.
She felt everything spiraling out of control.
Ever since that woman arrived...
No.
From the very second Kazuya reappeared in this world.
Everything had slipped beyond Her grasp.
He had gathered those cowards who should have hidden away in desolate corners to rot, igniting a blaze of hope across this world, marching all the way to this very day.
From that first step.
All of this had broken free of Her dominion.
Yet She had smugly believed Herself to be the grand conductor orchestrating it all.
"Damn you!!"
Gritting Her teeth, Shadow glared murderously at that soaring silhouette.
He was still so radiant and dashing.
Still the coolest, mightiest father in the world.
He had once been the idol She worshipped most.
And that spot upon his back should rightfully have belonged to Her.
Yet...
"You were the one who abandoned me first!!"
Kicking off with explosive momentum, Shadow shot forward like an arrow, pursuing Kazuya and Cynthia at blistering speed.
"Get out of my way, you worthless trash! You think you're worthy of barring my father's path?!"
Shadow snarled at the throngs ahead, "Even with both his hands and feet bound, you lot couldn't hope to match him!"
A single swipe of Her claw batted a blocking Lunala into the distance.
A vicious kick booted aside an Yveltal attempting to channel Oblivion Wing.
At this moment, every lingering doubt and confusion evaporated from Shadow's heart.
What became of this world.
She no longer cared in the slightest.
She only wanted to make Kazuya pay the price.
To make him drown in suffocating, bitter remorse for casting Her aside.
"I will make you apologize to me in tears!"
Shadow trailed right behind, grinding Her teeth in feral rage.
Reaching above Her brow.
A slender sprig blooming with dark blossoms whipped straight toward Kazuya and Cynthia.
"Kazuya, behind us."
"Got it."
Kazuya tilted his frame aside, dodging the strike effortlessly.
He didn't spare a single backward glance at Shadow.
While Cynthia pushed her upper torso upright, her arms wrapped securely around Kazuya's neck, her eyes boring down into the relentlessly pursuing Shadow behind them.
Her gaze was unbending and fierce.
As if declaring to the world:
I will never let him cry again.
~~~
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