Chapter 886: Slaves of Emotion
The moment Shadow sprang into motion.
The colossal black hole suspended in the heavens began contracting violently, continuously devoured by the Pokémon resting at its very epicenter.
When the abyssal radiance of Dark Void dissipated completely.
The ash-gray silhouette of Arceus had been stripped of every trace of vitality, plummeting headlong from mid-air toward the ocean below.
"How is it?"
The voice of the blonde Champion called out from behind him.
"Frighteningly smooth."
Kazuya nodded, glancing down at his right hand.
Pure, incandescent white light flickered across his ink-black palm, looking strikingly jarring against his dark frame.
[Power of Creation (Fragmented)]
This authority offered little direct combat potency in the ongoing clash.
Yet this did not catch Kazuya off guard.
If this Arceus had possessed game-breaking combat authorities, It wouldn't have been defeated with such clean efficiency.
At the end of the day.
This avatar was merely a vessel left behind by Arceus to stabilize the equilibrium of this reality.
It hadn't been gifted with combat-oriented divine authorities.
It had stood at the apex of the world purely through raw, unadulterated base stats.
Thus, this [Power of Creation (Fragmented)]...
Would only reveal its monumental utility after the dust settled.
It held little relevance right now.
Aside from this.
Two aspects left Kazuya genuinely astonished:
First.
Arceus carried not a single Plate upon Its body.
This defied the expectations of everyone on their side.
It seemed Shadow had never placed Her trust in Arceus from the very beginning.
Refusing to entrust It with even a single Plate.
Second.
After devouring Arceus via Dark Void.
Kazuya felt his overall caliber undergo another qualitative breakthrough; checking his panel, his level had indeed reached Lv. 101.
In truth, his native baseline level was Lv. 100.
That extra level was forcefully elevated by Victini's Power of Victory.
Lv. 100.
Ought to be the absolute ceiling of any singular world.
The definitive, true maximum level.
However.
For Kazuya, who now commanded the [Power of Creation (Fragmented)].
Lv. 100 was no longer an insurmountable cap.
This divine authority possessed two distinct properties:
Shattering his ceiling, stripping his level of any concept of a hard cap.
Right now, Kazuya felt an unprecedented lightness throughout his entire frame.
This body seemed to have shed all biological bottlenecks, akin to snapping the genetic limiter clean in half.
Theoretically speaking.
From this day forth.
He could level up and grow stronger without restraint.
Consuming eighteen Plates of distinct typings—or a single legendary Plate encompassing all eighteen energies—to forge a world belonging entirely to himself.
This was precisely where the flaw of being [Fragmented] lay.
Kazuya surmised.
Had this been the complete Power of Creation.
Forging a world would not only consume zero Plates, but would naturally birth eighteen pristine new Plates alongside the genesis of that nascent reality.
Naturally.
A cosmic power of that magnitude was beyond Kazuya's present reach.
So there was no need to dwell on it.
"Kazuya!"
His daughter's voice instantly snapped Kazuya back to the present.
Compared to Arceus's divine authorities.
His daughter took absolute precedence.
Regaining his focus, he looked around.
Family, companions.
At this very moment, all had converged by his side.
A boundless surge of courage and strength welled within Kazuya's chest.
That was...
The power of the heart.
Otherwise known as the power of bonds.
The most wondrous, formidable, and supreme force unique to the Pokémon world.
The most universal, yet indestructible law governing this reality.
Pikachu could revive a faded Ash through pure tears.
Wobbuffet could deflect Giratina's Aura Sphere to shield its Team Rocket comrades.
These were all tangible manifestations of the heart's power.
Now, Kazuya felt that exact resonance coursing through his veins; he truly believed that in his current state, he was invincible under the heavens.
The corners of his mouth curled into a fierce grin.
He raised his head.
Gazing upon the billowing dark tide surging from afar.
This time, only cold defiance remained in Kazuya's eyes: "Everyone, charge with me——!!"
"Ooorah——!!"
A chorus of roars shook the firmament like thunder.
Trailing behind him, the vanguard tore through the displaced atmosphere, charging headlong into the darkness that swallowed the light of the heavens.
With you by my side.
I fear no abyss.
"Right now..."
"I lack nothing at all——!!"
Kazuya's silhouette shattered the boundaries of space and time.
The golden radiance of Focus Punch cleaved through the light and parted the air.
Shadow summoned a sky-blotting tempest of falling blossoms and a serpentine leaf dragon, throwing Herself resolutely toward Kazuya.
In this split second.
Space and time seemed to grind to a halt.
Within Shadow's trembling eyes.
The golden radiance ahead teemed with incalculable, overlapping silhouettes...
The crimson-haired woman crowned in majesty.
The gentle grandmother with silvering hair.
The comically spirited Corphish.
The steadfast, unyielding Lucario.
By his side.
Stood an endless multitude of family and companions.
They had watched over him through every step, shielding him through every storm.
And what about Her?
That was warmth She had never once possessed.
Shadow's pupils quivered faintly, tears welling uncontrollably in Her eyes.
In this single heartbeat.
She lost even the will to resist.
Yet strangely enough...
The storm of petals and the leaf dragon behind Her did not collapse.
Across from Shadow.
Reflected in Kazuya's gaze...
Behind Shadow's frame, he caught the faint silhouette of a blackened Sceptile.
She.
Was not truly alone either.
A flicker of emotion stirred in Kazuya's eyes.
Yet it hardened into absolute resolve a split second later.
The golden fist slammed right before Shadow in an instant.
Rumble!!
Bearing the collective will of everyone, the radiant golden brilliance engulfed the emerald leaf dragon whole, pulverizing this Leaf Song with unstoppable, overwhelming force.
In this world of Pokémon.
A solitary wanderer.
Could never walk far.
This was an existence where one had to hold hands with companions to reach the horizon beyond.
Kazuya's base level already exceeded the structural limits of this world, and around him clustered the unified strength of so many comrades.
Therefore.
Shadow was destined to fall before Kazuya.
Standing alone in isolation.
She could not withstand even a single unified clash against him.
Squelch!
The sound of flesh tearing was remarkably faint.
Faint as the quiet sigh of a creator.
Carried by the golden brilliance, the blackened fist punched clean through Shadow's chest.
"It is over," Kazuya whispered softly, staring into Shadow's dimming, ash-gray eyes.
"Father..."
The corners of Her mouth tugged into a faint, bitter smile as She raised a trembling claw to grasp Kazuya's arm. "This counts as the very first time you have ever touched me."
Black blood trickled from the corners of Shadow's mouth.
The dark energy cloaking Her form roiled erratically, gradually wrapping around Kazuya's arm.
Kazuya's eyes narrowed.
He attempted to pull his arm back.
Only to discover that his limb seemed to have grafted directly into Shadow's flesh.
The dark energy scaled along his arm and flooded into his body, violently igniting the dormant dark energy that had lurked deep within his frame all along.
Simultaneously.
Around them, every Demon God and magical beast tainted by dark energy.
Withered like dying blossoms, their lifeforce draining away in an instant; like moths drawn to a flame, their bodies ignited in black fire, hurtling down toward the sea below.
And the dark energy coating their frames.
Surged like hundreds of rivers converging into the sea, pouring entirely into Shadow's body.
Not merely the surrounding beasts.
Even those further out...
Across the entire globe...
Every scrap of dark energy in this world was summoned at this moment, cascading relentlessly into Shadow's broken vessel.
"What?!"
Kazuya's brow furrowed tightly, staring down at his body in bewilderment.
Yet his instincts screamed.
That something terrible was about to unfold.
"Though I know not why dark energy could never corrupt your mind, it was never going to vanish from your body because of that..."
"A blight that even Arceus could never purge—on what grounds did the feeble you of back then think you could cleanse it?"
"You were already terminally blighted long ago; you simply remained oblivious to it."
"Father..."
"I care not for your other lifetimes, but in this life, your remaining time must belong entirely to me."
"I want you to never forget me, even after you reincarnate."
"So..."
"Please, die alongside me."
A tragic, pitiful smile spread across Shadow's face.
The very next second.
Fwoosh——!!
Towering, pitch-black flames erupted violently from Shadow's body.
Every drop of malice and agony across the world condensed into the most blistering inferno of the underworld, immolating Shadow, and immolating Kazuya.
Agonizing pain tore through both Kazuya and Shadow in an instant.
Yet both gritted their teeth.
Refusing to let out a single groan.
Enduring the searing torment within the flames, Shadow widened Her eyes to stare at Kazuya.
Originally.
She had believed that witnessing agony upon Kazuya's face would bring Her boundless vindication, granting Her profound satisfaction and fairness.
Yet now She realized that wasn't true.
Looking upon the grimace of pain across Kazuya's features, Shadow felt a hollow void collapse deep within Her chest.
A feeling emptier than a bleeding wound.
More searing than the flames themselves.
Her jaws parted, letting out a soft, helpless sigh: "Ah..."
In the end, She chose to loosen Her grip.
Channeling the final embers of Her strength, She shoved Kazuya far away from the inferno.
I am a counterfeit.
Even these memories of mine are counterfeit.
My very existence was an error from the start.
Yet...
My hatred was never counterfeit.
And neither was my love.
Boundless black flames swallowed Shadow whole.
The darkness receded from Her frame.
Like an ebbing tide retreating into the abyssal depths, carrying away every trace of Her existence along with it.
From beginning to end, She had never escaped being a slave to emotion.
Only.
In the beginning, She was a slave to hatred.
And in this final heartbeat...
Before hatred could take root again, love had already stepped forward to make the choice.
She had become a slave to love.
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