The tips of those tentacles morphed into weapons like swords and hammers, making him even deadlier. Each swing of his numerous tentacles whipped through the air with a sharp, violent sound. The entire arena was never silent.
Along with his many arms, Youpi was covered in countless eyes, seemingly as numerous as the tentacles themselves. No matter which way you looked, front, back, left, or right, Youpi was covered in eyes, leaving no blind spots.
To keep up with the swift Lucario, Youpi had added more arms and more eyes, but it did not seem to help much. Despite this, Youpi was still struggling and gradually losing ground.
Lucario's body glowed with a dazzling azure aura, faint waves rippling around him. This was the power of the aura, focused and controlled to the extreme.
Thanks to it, Lucario could continuously dodge Youpi's fierce attacks. But he was not just dodging; he was building up strength with each movement, preparing for a decisive counter.
If you looked closely, you'd notice that after some punches, Lucario's fists would flash a deep red light. The next punch would hit even harder. This was his fighting skill in action, Force Palm. It didn't just damage the opponent but also boosted Lucario's own power.
During the fight, Lucario used this ability several times, and that's what Youpi felt the most. While he started off stronger, now the tables had turned. To compensate for his weakening strength, Youpi kept adding arms, trying to overwhelm Lucario with sheer numbers.
In other words, Youpi was relying on his anger to fuel his strength. Without it, he would have already been defeated. But this power boost came at a cost, making him lose control and attack wildly without any strategy.
That recklessness gave Lucario, who was analyzing every move with his aura ability, the perfect opening. Lucario finally spotted a weakness in Youpi's movements. With a sudden flash of brilliance, his right fist burst into radiant light.
Guided by his sharp mind, the punch struck like a meteor streaking across the sky, leaving a sparkling trail behind. The dazzling display looked beautiful, but it hid a deadly attack beneath, his Steel Skill: Meteor Mash.
Because Youpi was overwhelmed, struggling to manage all his arms, he lost focus again. Naturally, Lucario seized the moment, delivering a blow so swift that Youpi couldn't even defend himself in time.
Despite the multiple eyes covering his body, Youpi couldn't react in time to Lucario's lightning-fast attack. The moment the Meteor Mash landed, a deafening bang echoed louder than any sound before.
Suddenly, Youpi's right waist twisted in an unnatural, terrifying way, his red skin folding over like a cooked prawn. The massive creature was hurled backward with the force of an actual meteor strike.
He crashed violently into the nearby wall, smashing through it and continuing to barrel backward, tearing through one wall after another. The intense battle had already reduced the building to a crumbling ruin.
Lucario calmly shook his right hand, his gaze locked on the spot where Youpi had been thrown. He knew that one powerful blow wouldn't be enough to finish the beast.
Deep inside the ruined wall, Youpi's body was lodged, his right waist shattered with bones broken and a gaping hole revealing his internal organs. Pain and fury mixed inside him, fueling a rage so intense it felt almost tangible.
Veins bulged on his head as he unleashed an even more terrifying aura. Suddenly, a surge of bloody nen burst from Youpi, as if he was rising from a sea of blood and corpses. The wall beside him crumbled to dust under the force of the scarlet aura.
At the same time, his body underwent a drastic transformation. The wound on his waist healed completely, and his lower body writhed, shifting from two legs to four, turning him into a centaur-like figure.
His upper body muscles thickened, forming a tough, flesh-like armor over his skin, making him look even more monstrous than before.
Though still furious, this new form brought a flicker of clarity to Youpi's mind. But his obsession remained. he had to kill Lucario.
Nearby, Meleoron swallowed nervously and whispered to Knov, "Is it dead?" as they watched the series of shattered walls and the aftermath of the brutal fight.
Before Knov could reply, the distant sound of horse hooves pounding against the ground reached their ears.
Tramp, tramp…
With each step Youpi took, the ground cracked like a spiderweb and trembled beneath him. Suddenly, the centaur-like creature appeared right in front of Lucario, moving at more than twice his previous speed, materializing in the blink of an eye.
Clutching a spear made of flesh, Youpi looked like a charging knight, ready to strike. There was no way for Lucario to dodge now.
Enraged, Youpi's face twisted into something hideous and terrifying, radiating a fierce, bloody aura that made him resemble a hellish warrior.
The sharp, blood-red spear he wielded glowed with a chilling light, as if it could pierce through anything.
With a loud bang, the spear struck a green protective barrier surrounding Lucario, cracking it but failing to break through.
At that moment, a white light burst from Lucario's body, revealing a constantly shifting form within his Guard skill. The sight was so intense that both Neferpitou and Youpi felt genuine fear.
Seeing Lucario's rising power, Youpi regained a sliver of clarity and desperately tried to end the fight before Lucario could complete his transformation. But Guard acted like an unbreakable moat, keeping Youpi at bay.
When the light faded, Lucario's new form was revealed. a Mega Lucario. His black stripes had multiplied, his fur darkened, and his feet had turned red.
The milky white fur on his body grew longer, his thighs slimmed down, and sharp thorns appeared on the backs of his hands and soles. Even the wave sensors behind his head were tinged with red, a symbol of courage.
This was Lucario's first Mega Evolution. Compared to before, he looked more heroic and imposing, every move radiating power. As the Guard shield quietly shattered, Youpi's eyes widened in terror.
Mega Lucario stretched out both hands, and a glowing beam of light appeared between them. With a firm grip, he condensed it into a shining bone-like sword. This weapon was unlike any ordinary blade. it felt peerless, able to weave sword flowers with a casual wave.
Holding it, Mega Lucario's aura grew sharper, and Youpi felt his body stiffen. The anger in his heart faded, replaced by a deep, crushing dread. It seemed his fate was already sealed.
Far from the palace, in a deserted expanse, a golden dragon of radiant light suddenly dissolved into countless glowing particles. The Ant King, tail hooked on the dragon's claws, and Netero, seated calmly on its back, both looked prepared for what was to come.
They plummeted toward the ground like meteors, landing with two heavy thuds. Dust billowed around them, but their bodies remained untouched, shielded by lingering aura.
The disappearance of the golden dragon had been carefully calculated by Zeno, the amount of aura used was fixed, allowing it to fly only a set distance. It happened to vanish right here, in a location carefully chosen by Netero.