The Ant King's pupils contracted sharply, and his aura receded like a retreating tide.
Instinctively, he took a step back, only the second time he had done so today.
"Impossible..."
His face darkened, fists clenching tightly as disbelief filled his eyes.
The massive beast that suddenly appeared before him matched his strength perfectly - no, its aura was even a bit stronger, filled with a more overwhelming presence.
What on earth was this?
The Ant King, who was now visibly panicked, was facing the mega-evolved Tyranitar.
Like the Ant King, Mega Tyranitar's strength ranked between S+ and SS-, but there was one major difference: Mega Tyranitar had the ability called "Dragon Dance."
This clever move was Larry's idea.
Normally, mega-evolving mid-battle is tricky and requires coordination with a guard to avoid surprise attacks.
But Larry had anticipated the right moment and had Tyranitar mega-evolve ahead of time in the online world, repeatedly using "Dragon Dance."
That's why, even though Mega Tyranitar and the Ant King were equally strong, the Ant King felt the other was stronger, thanks to the continuous boosts from "Dragon Dance."
Just then, Larry's teasing voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Hey, King Ant, why are you backing down? Aren't you the king who rules the world? Aren't you going to eat us all?"
It was like a switch flipped, and Mega Tyranitar sprang into action.
With a sudden stomp, the ground beneath them exploded, sending rocks and dust flying high into the air.
But when the dust settled, the giant beast had vanished.
"Where did it go?"
The Ant King stared at the massive crater, unable to detect any sign of Mega Tyranitar or track its speed.
In an instant, Mega Tyranitar reappeared right in front of the Ant King, its right arm wrapped in a massive aura.
With a fierce strike powered by brute strength, the Ant King's body was deformed and blasted backward like a speeding cannonball.
It crashed through countless pillars, finally getting pinned inside one, bleeding heavily.
The fight was over, the winner was clear.
"Isn't this a bit too much?"
"Does love really hold such a powerful advantage?"
Ging stared at the imposing Mega Tyranitar on the battlefield, his jaw nearly dropping in disbelief.
He had known Larry for a long time and had explored the Ancient Labyrinth City alongside him, so he was well aware of Larry's strength.
He knew Larry commanded a variety of powerful nen beasts that appeared one after another without end.
Yet, even facing the enhanced Ant King, Ging still felt uncertain deep down.
That was until he saw Mega Tyranitar knock the Ant King aside the moment it appeared; only then did Ging finally breathe a sigh of relief.
He recognized this nen beast; it was called Tyranitar, though its appearance and power had clearly changed.
Compared to Ging's relief, Netero paused thoughtfully as he stroked his beard before resuming his calm demeanor.
In truth, the strength Netero had in mind wasn't this one, but a far more terrifying creature, one that was countless times stronger than this "Desert Monarch."
But for now, it seemed Larry didn't need to unleash that beast.
Was this evolved form of Tyranitar enough?
Both Ging and Netero marveled at Tyranitar's incredible power, while Larry quietly admired the heroic and commanding appearance of Mega Tyranitar.
After its mega evolution, Tyranitar's look had changed slightly, becoming more dominant overall.
Its back had cracked under the intense aura of mega evolution, creating six uneven spikes along its sides.
The she'll covering its abdomen and back had shifted from blue to a fierce red, radiating violent aura and boosting its strength.
Now armored in tough plating from head to tail, Tyranitar truly deserved the title of "Steel Behemoth."
Bathed in soft moonlight, its metallic sheen sent chills down the spine.
Standing firmly where the Ant King had just halted, the ground beneath its feet cracked and splintered under its immense weight.
At the same time, as if heralding the arrival of the desert king, piles of yellow sand suddenly rose up from the surrounding earth.
Mega Tyranitar's signature move, Sand Stream, remained intact.
But compared to its normal form, the environment shifted more rapidly and dramatically after its mega evolution, making its presence even more overwhelming.
In the past, only tiny grains of yellow sand would suddenly appear out of nowhere, but now the ground itself was being transformed, everything from stone to sand was changing.
It's similar to the devil fruit abilities in One Piece, where after awakening, the power can absorb and alter the surrounding terrain.
This is a true transformation of the environment!
It doesn't matter what the original terrain was; once Tyranitar shows up, the whole area turns into a vast "yellow ocean" made of yellow sand.
Meanwhile, at that very moment, the Ant King embedded in the pillar was busy repairing his body.
His muscles twitched and writhed as if bugs were crawling beneath his skin.
Countless muscle fibers gathered in front of his chest, instantly restoring his broken ribs to their original state.
This was his unique ability; no matter how hard he was hit, he could recover by flexing his muscles.
After devouring three guards, the Ant King not only gained a massive boost in his mental power but also absorbed their abilities.
In the original story, the Ant King used this power to grow a pair of wings on his back.
However, Mega Tyranitar's enhanced brute strength was so overwhelming that even the Ant King had to expend a huge amount of aura just to recover.
"What kind of monster is this?"
The Ant King's eyes were clouded with disbelief.
He couldn't believe anyone could be this strong.
Mega Tyranitar's sudden appearance shattered the Ant King's dream of world domination; he was not as invincible as he had thought.
But because of that, he knew he had to kill these intruders.
They were obstacles that had to be eliminated.
Larry watched from a distance as the Ant King slowly emerged from the depths, surprised that his body showed no sign of injury.
It was as if Mega Tyranitar's powerful attack hadn't even touched him.
"After eating those three guards, his recovery ability has become terrifying," Larry muttered, recalling the Ant King's behavior in the original story.
Perhaps this rapid healing was also linked to the guards' abilities.
The Ant King strolled out with a cold expression, like he was simply taking a walk.
Suddenly, with lightning speed, he vanished from his spot and shot toward Mega Tyranitar like a drawn arrow.
His fist was wrapped in dark purple aura, an aura so powerful it far exceeded the destructive punch of Wo Ging.
Even from a distance, Larry and the others could feel the wind generated by the Ant King's punch.
With a deafening boom, his high-speed strike shattered the air, aiming directly at Mega Tyranitar.
If this punch landed on a mountain, it would probably blow the whole thing apart.
The enemy they faced was none other than Mega Tyranitar.
His scarlet eyes gleamed with a hint of cruelty as condensed aura surged through his powerful arms.
With a roar, he launched his signature move, the million-ton punch.
Just as their fists were about to clash, a dark green figure suddenly dropped from the sky.
It was the second Ant King.