Four light swords coalesced into a massive beam of light, hurtling toward Rope.
Rope had already anticipated the complexity of this move. Therefore, he had already prepared to flee. However, while he may have fled, would Arceus allow him to escape so easily?
The four light swords circled the beam of light, pursuing Rope relentlessly.
Rope, now flying ahead, could only curse under his breath.
Come on, this skill's tracking is a bit too much, isn't it?
After some basic thinking, Rope took action, flames erupting from his body. A golden-red dragon charged at the beam of light, igniting it directly.
Rope's flames possessed many characteristics, but the fundamental burning energy always remained the dominant force.
Rope knew that Arceus' move wasn't something that could be dodged with mere positioning; it could only be met head-on. Fortunately, Rope could still handle it.
After the fire dragon had burned the light column to ashes, it charged toward Arceus again. However, before it could go far, it was cut down by a casual light blade from Arceus.
Rope was panting heavily. He hadn't exerted much effort with any of his skills, but he didn't want to slack off like before. The current situation was that Rope was beginning to feel exhausted.
Arceus was in the same condition. To be honest, he was also exhausted.
No, how could this guy be so difficult to deal with? And unfortunately, the only plate he had summoned so far was the Meadow Plate, so he dared not use the plate's power.
If he were to become a Grass-type, then Rope hitting himself would deal double damage—who could withstand that?
Arceus and Rope were both panting heavily. They had been fighting for so long, yet neither had managed to land a hit on the other. But they both knew that if either of them were to land a hit, the game would be over.
It wasn't about high attack or low defense; it was mainly because their damage output was severely overflowing. Even with high defense, neither could withstand the other's powerful move.
The two stared at each other, both feeling a bitter taste in their mouths.
Rope had never fought such a tough battle before. He had severely underestimated Arceus' strength. More importantly, he never expected that he and Arceus wouldn't even have a chance to talk. He couldn't even set up any traps or anything like that.
"Hmm, so this is what a head-on clash feels like... No wonder so many people enjoy being assassins."
Rope wiped the sweat from his forehead, looked at Arceus across from him, and once again swung his long spear, charging toward Arceus.
Arceus also condensed a ball of light again and blasted it towards Rope.
Their attacks clashed, with flashes of light and shadows. There was plenty of room to maneuver, but few effective attacks.
Rope's flaming spear thrust, stabbed, and slashed in rapid succession. Arceus, however, simply spammed shields and light cannons.
Neither could overpower the other.
However, Rope was nearing his limit. As mentioned earlier, Rope's current state was akin to overheating. Sustaining this pressure was already challenging. If he continued to push himself, Rope might lose control.
This was something Rope could not accept.
During another brief retreat, Rope sighed inwardly. It seemed there would be no gains today.
He didn't know if he'd have another chance to subdue Arceus if he missed this opportunity. But it was unlikely. After all, he was taking advantage of Arceus's weakness after waking from a long sleep, and Arceus's angry aura. Otherwise, Rope doubted Arceus would have fought him at all.
After all, Rope is just an ant—he shouldn't even be worth Arceus' attention.
His sole objective is Al.
He went there, charged forward, got beaten up, and now has no idea where he'll be sealed away.
Rope feels frustrated by Arceus's relentless pursuit. However, Arceus looks at Rope with a hint of fear...
[Humans—have they already reached such a level of power? Did my existence truly suppress their potential for growth?]
He had already fallen into self-doubt.
Arceus naturally hoped that Pokémon and humans would grow closer.
After all, he was the spokesperson for the world, which was why Arceus didn't think solely from the Pokémon's perspective.
The world's will loved both humans and Pokémon. Therefore, Arceus didn't have such a clear stance.
Unlike Rope's lament over lost opportunities that can never be regained, Arceus' self-doubt is a serious issue.
This problem is difficult to resolve, and more critically, it's easy to become consumed by it.
This led to a very bad situation...
Arceus had zoned out.
Rope began to lose focus, but he quickly snapped back to reality. After all, it was just a moment of tactical consideration. But Arceus was different.
Rope noticed Arceus' reaction, unconsciously licked his lips, and quietly released a small dragon behind him. The dragon coiled around Rope's thumb, its body agile and its eyes lively. It looked like a living dragon.
As the dragon appeared, Rope's face visibly paled.
Though not to the extent of being as pale as gold paper, it was akin to the feeling of being coated with three or four layers of powder by an amateur makeup artist.
Rope moved his thumb, and the small dragon detached itself from his thumb, flying downward toward Arceus. Rope struggled to maintain his composure, refusing to show any signs of weakness.
Arceus continued to question his own existence. However, he didn't dwell on the issue for too long.
After all, he understood that if this creature was involved with Al in such a murky manner, it meant he was an anomaly in this world.
If this world were to produce another native being with Rope's power in the future, it would prove that the world still had immense potential for development even without him.
But he wasn't stupid. Such things were easy to say, but if he were to actually do them, he couldn't go about it that way. Throwing himself back into the cage just to see if the world would develop better without him... Only a fool would do such a thing.
At the very least, Arceus should avenge Al's wrongdoing.
If that vengeance cannot be achieved, then he truly will not find peace even if sealed away.
But he wasn't thinking about anything else. Arceus looked at Rope, who was breathing heavily, and asked, "You seem very tired. Do you still wish to continue?"