The balance of victory tipped once again. When the battle reached a stalemate, it became the Zoan's time.
For powerful Zoan-type Ability Users, lacking the power to heavily injure their opponent in one strike puts them at an innate disadvantage. Opponents of the same realm cannot possibly compete with Zoan for stamina.
Yamato was merely borrowing Zekrom's power. Before he truly acknowledged her, she had yet to reach the peak power of the Golden Lion, but the current Golden Lion was but a half-crippled version of himself.
Even if he removed the rudder from his head, over a decade of impact remained within his body, and along with his missing legs, there was still a significant gap to his prime self.
After rounding up, the two were effectively on the same level.
As time passed, the precision of the battle was gradually declining, turning into more of a beastly brawl, with the Golden Lion becoming a bloodied figure.
If it weren't for his ability similar to Life Return, the wound on his head would have been enough to take his life.
His body was also affected by Yamato's lightning during the battle. Although his Armament Haki blocked the direct damage from the first round, the Cold Thunder caused irreversible damage to his body.
Unlike ordinary lightning burns, her electricity left frostbite.
Besides the special ice thunder, her attacks also contained ordinary lightning, and the complex composite nature of her attacks caused the Golden Lion considerable distress.
"Slash Wave!"
Advanced Haki mixed with golden slashes, turned into black-golden color, charged straight downwards.
The speed of Slash Wave was extremely fast, surpassing any previous attack, and its power had greatly increased. The might of this slash couldn't compare to anything before!
The Golden Lion's stamina was continuously draining, but his state seemed to be improving, like a resurgence, triggering the lost powers.
He had been passive for over a decade, and this battle seemed to have truly awakened him.
The slash charged towards Yamato, and she also prepared her own countermeasure.
"Bolt Strike!"
Guided by the Wolf Fang Club, thunderbolts from the sky gathered, affecting a wide area and even enveloping herself, but with Zekrom's power, the electricity had no detrimental effect and instead accelerated the engine's rotation.
Zekrom's unique Bolt Strike is completely different from ordinary lightning strikes, and simultaneously, a Dragon's Breath was aimed at the Golden Lion's chest by Yamato, with various attacks pounding on him one after another.
...
"Huff... Huff..."
The Golden Lion panted heavily, the scattered small islands around had disappeared from view, even the largest island had begun to fall. Give the Golden Lion some time to heal his wounds first, and he would display the power of his former Overlord Level again to the world.
But he wouldn't have that opportunity; Yamato had no intention of letting him leave like this.
The electric engine behind her gave Yamato nearly infinite strength, and the somewhat fatigued Golden Lion was heading towards failure.
After a long battle, the Golden Lion's stamina was reaching its limit.
"You old bastard, you're finished after all."
"Kehahaha! It's far from over! Taking care of a few of you is more than enough!"
"Oh really... I won't give you that chance."
Buzz!
Engine-like sounds resonated, blue currents on Yamato's skin began shifting to purple, and in the Overclocking Drive, the power of Dragon Dance started merging into her body.
The sky went completely dark. Due to the electric engine brought by Zekrom, thunderclouds had long gathered above and, with the ongoing battle, gradually turned into a thunderstorm.
Rumble!
A bolt of lightning illuminated the gloomy sky, rain eventually poured down, and behind Yamato, the shadow of a pitch-black dragon expanded steadily.
This time it was his true form, Zekrom, the legendary Pokemon described in myths as using lightning to burn the world, meant to assist those who would create an ideal world.
In mythical descriptions, if humans lost their sense of justice, he would destroy their kingdom with furious lightning.
This is the greatest distinction between Divine Beasts and ordinary Pokemon; they aren't merely a part of an "ability user's" abilities but akin to tailed beasts actively cooperating with humans, capable of fighting independently.
Zekrom's actual size isn't large, yet the current shadow soared into the sky, gradually condensing into an entity.
"What terrifying power, but I am... the Golden Lion!"
Rain soaked the Golden Lion's hair and beard, but they still flew wildly under the impact of his aura, and the surrounding matter started to gather, gradually forming a roaring lion.
The Golden Lion stood atop the lion's head, pointing his blade at Yamato.
"Come on kid, let me see if you're just a naive fool or something else! Lion's Might·Imperial Earth Scroll!"
Using Kogarashi as a blade, the giant lion leaped into the air, waving its claws at Yamato.
With Kyurem's power in Yamato's body, what was condensed behind him was purely Zekrom. At this moment, he too was enveloped by lightning, swinging Dragon Claw downward as Yamato swung her club.
...
"Has Yamato already grown to this extent?"
Jack and Maria struggled to stabilize their stance. The battle between these two behemoths had left them completely outmatched; they knew there was a gap between them and Yamato, but they never imagined it to be so terrifying.
A massive earthquake occurred on the island, but it calmed down shortly, dust dispersed, and the stone-and-earth lion halted mid-swipe on the island.
Meanwhile, the Golden Lion was entirely encased in ice, unmoving in his sword-wielding posture.
"Alright, that old guy's dead. From the moment he swung his sword, his life force was exhausted."
"Father? Why are you here?"
"Just passing by. Did you think this island is still floating in the sky without reason? Your insight isn't sharp enough."
Kaidou, at some point, had arrived on this floating island. Thanks to his flame clouds, the island continued to soar, while the surrounding islands had already plunged into The Sea.
That's why Yamato hadn't relaxed; she thought the Golden Lion was still alive, which kept the island floating in the sky.
The fully unleashed Golden Lion was a world apart from before; she hadn't had the energy to spare, so she didn't notice Kaidou's arrival. Yet, she noticed something amiss.
"Wait, Father, why are you holding a weapon?"
"To assess your recent achievements. While it's not the full-strength Shiki, getting to this level against him, you must have learned quite a bit. In this state, you'll find it easier to gain insights."
Kaidou came up with a somewhat reasonable excuse, but the reality was he just had an itch to fight.
"Alright! I'm ready!"
With Zekrom's power, she also wanted to try something, but after she was prepared, she realized Zekrom's power was gradually fading away.
"Zekrom? Zekrom! Hey, don't joke with me at a time like this!"