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"…Strange."
Kael frowned.
Releasing such an immense amount of life energy without restraint was a foolish act.
It would drain the source severely.
And worse, it would harm the surrounding ecosystem.
No Pokémon with even basic intelligence would do such a thing.
Yet the growing density of life energy surrounding him proved it was real.
Its concentration was so extreme that, if not for the defensive barrier formed by his Ghost-type and Fighting-type energies, it would have already seeped into his body through his pores and begun destroying him from within.
Something was wrong.
The closer he approached, the stronger his sense of unease became.
Instinct warned him.
This enemy would not be like the Ultra Beasts he had faced before.
Five minutes passed.
The once-distant silhouette of the Sandalwood Forest came fully into view.
And what he saw—
Was grotesque.
The towering trees still stood.
But they had changed.
Their once brown bark had darkened into a lifeless gray.
Countless branches twisted outward, intertwining with neighboring trees in unnatural formations.
The canopy had grown so dense it completely blocked out the sun.
Not a single ray of light penetrated the forest.
Darkness swallowed everything.
The entire forest resembled a massive nest of iron thorns.
Cold.
Hostile.
Dead.
Kael stood at the forest's edge, attempting to peer through the thick layers of branches and leaves.
He saw nothing.
Some unknown force blocked his vision.
Inside his mind, his Aura and psychic perception screamed warnings.
Danger.
Death.
Something waited inside.
At the same time, Gaia's will urged him forward.
Enter.
Continue.
Fulfill your purpose.
Kael paused briefly.
Then made his decision.
He would trust Gaia.
His instincts served as warnings.
But Gaia's will served as guidance.
He had felt danger before.
And survived.
Besides, he had not come this far to retreat.
Fear would only weaken his resolve.
And Gaia would not send its chosen agent to meaningless death.
Even if he encountered something beyond his ability—
With Zamazenta's power, escape was still possible.
His four massive arms rose simultaneously.
They grabbed the gray, thorn-like branches blocking his path.
And tore them apart.
SHRRK!
CRASH!
The intertwined branches shattered instantly.
Splintered wood and leaves fell to the ground, returning to the cycle of nature.
His arms moved rapidly.
Too fast for human eyes to follow.
He carved a path straight into the forest.
Yet even as he advanced, unease grew.
What kind of existence could release enough life energy to corrupt an entire forest?
He did not have time to think.
Because suddenly—
A beam of brilliant blue-pink light pierced through the trees.
"Aurora Beam!"
It was like the aurora dancing across a polar sky.
Beautiful.
And deadly.
The freezing ray shot toward him with terrifying speed.
Everything it touched froze instantly.
Branches crystallized into ice.
And shattered.
Kael froze for a fraction of a second.
The attack had come without warning.
Without killing intent.
Without presence.
It had simply appeared.
His body reacted on instinct.
He twisted sideways and raised his arms defensively.
Since mastering Aura, he usually sensed attacks before they began.
But this—
This was different.
It was silent.
Invisible.
Unpredictable.
Fortunately, the beam's power had weakened slightly after passing through the forest.
And the passive protection granted by Zamazenta's Heart reduced the damage further.
His right arm suffered minor frost damage.
Nothing serious.
His regeneration would repair it within minutes.
But the attack changed everything.
His body tensed.
His focus sharpened.
He turned sharply.
Ghost-type energy gathered in his four arms.
He pushed forward.
And unleashed a storm.
Hundreds of Shadow Balls exploded outward like artillery fire.
BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions echoed throughout the forest.
Smoke and debris filled the air.
He had chosen Shadow Ball for two reasons.
First.
It was a long-range attack.
Second.
It would force the enemy to reveal itself.
Kael specialized in close combat.
He needed to locate his opponent.
If even legendary Pokémon were struck by hundreds of Shadow Balls—
They would not escape unharmed.
His enemy would be forced to move.
Forced to reveal itself.
But when the smoke cleared—
Nothing was there.
"…Impossible."
Kael's Aura Field was fully expanded.
At maximum sensitivity.
Every movement.
Every vibration.
Every change.
Should have been detected.
His Aura perception formed a perfect map of his surroundings.
Yet—
There was nothing.
No presence.
No life.
No enemy.
Only shattered ice fragments remained on the ground.
Proof that the attack had been real.
But his senses found nothing.
It was as if his attacker had never existed at all.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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For early access to advanced chapters on P-atreon:
P-atreon/iamxeno
(Just remove the - hyphen to access normally)
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!