Rope sensed Arceus's condition from afar, and the relief and calmness in his eyes vanished completely. All that remained was vigilance and confusion.
He thought of how Arceus still enjoyed the world's favor.
But he never imagined that this favor could reach such an extent.
This world was no longer just the world that once belonged solely to humans and Pokémon.
The entry of any outsider would cause nearly irreversible impacts on the world's environment and order.
Among these, the world's favor and the robustness of the world's barriers would be greatly affected.
Sometimes, the world favors you not because you are exceptional, but because the world has no other choice.
Arceus was once such a case. The world's will had almost channeled all its affection for Pokémon into Arceus.
It shaped Arceus into an invincible Pokémon in this world.
But unexpectedly, Arceus was quickly defeated by Al, who had returned from the outside world.
Then came Rope's entry. As the savior, the agreement between the world's will and the company was essentially a joint cultivation arrangement.
This is also why saviors are rarely poached by other factions.
If they were to leave, they would lose not only the company's support but also the support of the world where they rose to power.
This alone is the greatest punishment for the saviors. A place that allows them to leap from obscurity to greatness holds far more significance than meets the eye.
This is also why everyone in the void tends to conceal their origins as much as possible.
"This guy is a bit over the top."
Rope looked at Arceus over there, licked his lips, and spoke with a touch of resignation.
However, there was no one around him to respond, so the crisis before him could only be borne by himself.
But in the end… this was indeed his own problem.
He had caused the trouble, so he had to resolve it himself. There was no issue with that.
The flames on Rope's upper body armor had nearly dissipated, revealing his muscular physique. The dragon patterns on his body reappeared. The crimson-gold eyes of the divine dragon emitted an intimidating glow.
Rope didn't know why the dragon patterns appeared. Whenever he activated all the power within his body, the patterns would emerge on their own, further enhancing his strength.
Rope had never actively sought to understand it, as he sensed it was likely uncommon. If he could keep it confidential, it was best to do so.
He had never even mentioned this to Year, though he suspected Year had already guessed as much.
The flames that had once danced atop Rope's head had returned to black hair, though flecks of gold now shimmered within the thick black locks.
Rope's eyes turned a golden-red color, like molten gold. The golden flame armor on his lower body became increasingly solid, with distinct details emerging. In a sense, the flame armor was no longer merely a condensation of fire elements. It could now exist independently of Rope.
From this perspective, Rope could also be considered a weapon smith.
The upper body was left with only a piece of armor on the left shoulder. The shoulder armor was shaped like a dragon's head. The dragon's head was exceptionally lifelike, giving the impression that it could roar at any moment, its voice deafening.
Upon seeing Rope's posture, Cynthia, Whitley, and Daisy all realized that Rope was now serious.
After all, even when facing the massive explosion last time, Rope had not adopted this posture.
Of course, this was also because this posture was not suitable for defense.
If the full set of flame armor emphasizes defense and restraint, then this current state emphasizes all-out offense.
Previously, the focus was on suppressing the temperature of the flames, but now it's about unleashing their raw power.
Of course, this state cannot be sustained indefinitely. After all, too much of a good thing can be bad. Indulging in the desire to destroy and burn too much could lead Rope into another unfavorable situation.
A person with power isn't necessarily a strong person. Only someone who possesses power and can control it, and master themselves, can be called a strong person.
So Rope is very restrained in using this state. He has no interest in losing control and becoming a madman. If possible, he would prefer to fully control every ounce of his power.
However, Rope himself knows that this is difficult.
Rope understands this principle, but he wonders if Arceus on the other side does as well.
Rope looks at Arceus and can't help but feel a little worried.
"Don't let your anger control you, Arceus... if you truly want to gain the power to defeat that bastard..."
Anger is a form of power. But often, anger doesn't solve all problems.
If there's something you can't stand but can't change, then hold onto your anger.
Because only by holding onto your anger can you maintain the perseverance to oppose it.
Thinking of this, Rope suddenly understood why Arceus was so angry about being sealed.
Because if he couldn't sustain his anger, growing accustomed to bowing down before Al's power—that would be the greatest punishment for Arceus.
Such a thing, Arceus absolutely refused to accept.
So he would rather fly into the flames like a moth or shake a pillar like an ant—he had to teach Al a lesson first.
This was not only to tell Al that he had returned. More importantly, it was to remind himself not to forget the humiliating past that Al had left him with.
Good, it had that Goujian flavor to it.
On the other side, Arceus simply watched Rope's figure indifferently. He was angry, but not at Rope. His anger was still directed at Al.
What is needed to ascend from a secondary world to the main world is uniqueness. That is, all other versions of oneself in a secondary world will become clones of that self. But this is not voluntary; it is because he was the first one.
When a secondary world is about to ascend, everything in that world will become unique, meaning that all other worlds will overlap and be consolidated into a single timeline, becoming parallel worlds.
At this point, the parallel worlds remain independent of each other. It is not a relationship where one ascends and the other becomes a vassal.
Currently, this world is about to ascend. As a result, Arceus has gained a certain degree of freedom. He can now resist Al's control.
However, his Plate clones are not his creation at all. They are traps set by Al. The Plate clones are clones created based on the rules of the world. The method is ingenious, and if the original being can subdue these clones, its power will also increase further.
Strictly speaking, Al has also provided Arceus with a good opportunity. As long as Arceus can recover all these clones, his power will instantly rise to a new level.
Unfortunately, Rope was unaware of this. Otherwise, he would have easily made the connection to another matter.
That's right... it was Al's origin.
Did Al really have no other thoughts when he scattered his origin?
Unfortunately, Arceus was unaware that Al had scattered his origin. Rope was unaware that Arceus' Plate clone was not his own doing. It was quite a coincidence.
Arceus remained silent for only a moment before a green streak of light flew toward him from the distance.
The Meadow Plate has arrived...
Rope watched the streak of light from afar, his heart tightening. He had indeed overlooked this point earlier—Arceus is not in his complete form yet!
His Plates haven't been retrieved yet.
Though he didn't know why Arceus had only retrieved one Plate so far, once the first one was gone, the second would surely follow. There was no need to even think about it.
Arceus sensed the Meadow Plate's weakness and furrowed his brow.
He didn't know what was going on. The Meadow Plate was unusually weak, even showing signs of damage. No wonder it had been so easy to retrieve it.
After all, the other Plates were all struggling violently. Some Plates he couldn't even sense anymore. Of course, it was only temporary. After all, the Plates were his property; if he really wanted to find them, he would definitely be able to.
In the distance, Aki looked at the five colorful Plates inside the psychic barrier and suddenly felt that this thing had turned from the hope of reviving his world into a hot potato.
"If I insist on keeping these things, won't that little sun over there crash down on my head?"
Aki muttered to himself unconsciously.
He said it without meaning to, but Espeon, who was desperately maintaining the psychic shield, shuddered.
Don't say such scary things!
However, it wasn't a big deal. After all, Espeon wasn't exerting much effort. It felt more like the Plates were desperately trying to stay within the shield.
The shield wasn't very effective, but it was better than nothing.
Arceus wanted to retrieve his Plates, but he knew now wasn't the time to think about that. The most urgent matter was to deal with this guy in front of him. Even though he had been strengthened, he still felt a slight pang of anxiety when looking at Rope.
This proved that Rope could still threaten his life at its core.
This was ridiculous!
His current state is powerful enough to defeat two of his past selves. Yet facing Rope, he still feels like he might lose.
This is nonsense! Does that mean his past self truly couldn't defeat Rope?
However, Arceus didn't dwell on such thoughts, as overthinking wouldn't accomplish anything. It's better to focus on the situation at hand. Thus, Arceus began to gather his energy for a powerful attack.
With the addition of the Meadow Plate, building up the ultimate move was noticeably easier this time. Under the sky, as the energy continued to gather, a tiny black dot in the sky began to expand.
Soon, that black dot appeared before everyone in a breathtaking manner.
"That's Judgment, Arceus' strongest move..."
Hoopa watched the meteorite falling from the sky, as if talking to himself, or explaining something to someone else.
Meanwhile, the people watching the battle fell into a deep silence.
But moments later, there was an uproar...
"What the hell are these two idiots doing? Are they trying to destroy this planet!?"
"Quickly notify the people in nearby cities to evacuate! No, first have someone predict the meteorite's impact site! Organize a rescue team!"
"The emergency plan doesn't mention this! How do we respond to an asteroid impact?"
"Who the hell knows…"
The entire League command center was in complete chaos. It wasn't that everyone was overreacting or lacking experience; it was simply that they had never encountered such a situation before. While Rope's previous move had exceeded their imagination and left them feeling detached, the asteroid impact caused by Judgment was something they had all once imagined.
"Who the hell knew that what we imagined would come true—and in such a brutal way!"
The League staff were at a loss.
If they didn't do something, would they end up without heads soon?
Thinking this, they suddenly felt that being able to feel a headache was a blessing.
Rope, meanwhile, stared at Judgment plummeting toward him with a solemn expression. Flames gathered in his hands, and a long spear materialized in his grasp.
The spear was intricately designed, with a lifelike coiled dragon on its shaft.
Rope held the spear and closed his eyes.
Flames danced on his body.
A spark, a cluster, a ball…
The flames coalesced behind Rope into the form of a divine dragon. Rope opened his eyes, and the divine dragon behind him also opened its eyes. His eyes were filled with majesty, along with a touch of defiance and pride.
"Ah!!!"
Rope roared, his fiery wings flapping, charging toward Judgment without hesitation.
The gun shot out like a dragon, charging forward without hesitation.
The divine dragon behind him followed closely, letting out a mighty roar. It seemed to be venting something, yet also narrating something.
But there was no hesitation—it collided with the meteorite.
The divine dragon and the meteorite collided.
The heavens and earth fell silent. Moments later came a powerful shockwave and explosion.
And just as everyone was blinded by the intense light,
a brilliant firework bloomed in the once-serene sky.
The firework exploded, its brilliance scattering in all directions.
Though it was merely twilight, everyone clearly saw that beautiful firework.
As if they had all witnessed the falling star.