Bloodhowl sneered coldly at the sight growing grasses. A charge of a thousand cavalry—on this battlefield, such force was unrivaled, invincible!
"Petilil, use Giga Drain!"
Aven's gaze locked tightly on the Rhyhorn that were barreling forward, his expression suddenly sharp and focused.
"Lil!"
Responding to his command, Petilil's body immediately began radiating with a dazzling white light.
In that instant, Giga Drain was unleashed. Yet, it did not target the charging knights directly—instead, it enveloped all the Grass-type Pokémon within the battlefield.
At once, a verdant glow burst forth from each Grass-type Pokémon. Energy streamed outward continuously, converging together, flowing toward Petilil as if drawn by some unseen force.
Above Petilil's head, a sphere of pure energy was forming, radiating an overwhelming aura of life itself. All the absorbed vitality gathered into that orb, growing larger and denser with every passing second!
"Lil! Lil!"
Petilil continued channeling, unceasingly condensing normal energy into the sphere.
The very space around them seemed to tremble, as though the ambient energy itself was being pulled toward that one point. When the sphere finally reached its critical limit, Petilil launched it forth in a blazing beam of light—hurling it straight toward the onrushing knights!
Rumble, rumble, rumble—!
Wherever the energy sphere passed, it was as if the fabric of space itself was on the verge of collapsing.
"What is that?" Bloodhowl's pupils contracted sharply as he watched the massive energy orb streaking down like a comet with a blazing tail.
Yet, even as he felt the immense power radiating around him, his eyes hardened once more. The Thousand Ironblood Charge was invincible!
BOOM!
A split second later, the energy sphere collided head-on with the charging knights.
A terrifying force erupted instantly, thunderous roars shaking the entire battlefield. The overwhelming clash caused the space itself to wail under the unbearable strain.
Then came the next wave—the two forces broke apart, energy scattering wildly in all directions before erupting into a cataclysmic explosion, birthing a violent storm of destructive energy that swept outwards in all directions!
"Did it succeed in pushing them back?" The knights of the Pokémon Domain wore grave expressions.
Even as they watched the chaos, they could not help but feel awe for the Ironblood Knight Order's sheer might. Indeed, this was worthy of its reputation as the strongest knight order in Aspiration City.
Yet the Grass-types of the Pokémon Domain also filled them with confidence. Nothing, absolutely nothing, was beyond the power of their Grass Pokémon to overcome!
"What incredible fusion of power… so this is the strength of the Pokémon Domain?" Kale muttered under his breath, his tone tinged with both awe and disbelief.
For a knight order to fuse all of its strength into one unified strike—that was what allowed them to exert power to its absolute limit.
And judging by the terrifying might of that energy sphere, even an Empoleon that had reach to king-level strength would likely have no way to withstand it head-on!
"Wait… impossible!" Suddenly, cries of shock erupted from the knights.
From within the lingering smoke of the explosion, the figures of the Ironblood Knights surged forth once again, charging still toward the Pokémon Domain forces as if nothing had happened!
Seeing this, the knights of the Pokémon Domain instinctively gripped their weapons tighter, bracing themselves fully for battle.
"They survived that?!"
"Then let's unleash it again, Petilil!"
Aven narrowed his eyes slightly. At his signal, Petilil began to condense another sphere of energy ball once more.
But just then, Kale suddenly stepped to the very front of their formation. "Lord Aven, leave this to Empoleon!"
In the distance, the Ironblood Knights surged forward like a blood-red streak of light across the battlefield.
"Hahaha! Crush everything before us!" Bloodhowl bellowed in triumphant laughter.
Their enemies' strongest strike had already been shattered—before the charge of his knights, the enemy was nothing more than helpless lambs awaiting slaughter!
"Rhyyy!"
At that moment, the Rhyhorn beneath him let out a deep roar.
Bloodhowl instinctively raised his head, his gaze shooting forward, and froze in shock.
For standing alone at the forefront of their charge was Empoleon.
Its steel wings spread wide, its solitary figure braving the full might of the knight order's assault, as though intending to resist the charge of the Ironblood Knight Order with its own body alone!
"You think one beast can halt us ironblood knights? Crush it to pieces!" Bloodhowl snarled coldly.
From afar, water suddenly surged around Empoleon's form.
With a mighty swing of its blade-like fin, it unleashed a colossal wave of compressed water, slicing forth as a terrifying aqua blade!
BOOM!
The Rhyhorn collided directly with the aqua blade, their bodies glowing with a blinding white light.
The white radiance flickered twice under the pressure, then shattered the aqua blade completely!
Yet Empoleon did not relent. Again and again, its wings cut through the air, sending out blade after blade of roaring water, striking endlessly at the glowing white light!
Each impact rang out with deafening thunder. The radiant white glow trembled violently, until at last a crack split across its surface—then, with a resounding boom, it completely shattered, dispersing back into Earlless fragments that returned to the bodies of each Rhyhorn!
"This… impossible!"
Bloodhowl's eyes widened in disbelief as he watched Empoleon shatter the fused radiance of his knights.
The next instant, Empoleon launched forward like a torrential surge of water, crashing headlong into the Rhyhorn cavalry.
The oppressive aura suffocated Bloodhowl, making his chest tighten until he could hardly breathe. His mind buzzed with confusion, and for a moment he felt his entire body lifted into the air. A cry of agony rang in his ears, stabbing into his very heart.
Forcing his eyes open, he realized he was soaring high above—his Golbat clutching his back with its claws, carrying him aloft.
He glanced down, and what he saw made his eyes bulge wide with utter disbelief.
Empoleon's figure flashed like a phantom within the knight formation, every strike of its blade cutting down a Rhyhorn in a spray of blood.
The once-unbreakable Ironblood Knights was being torn apart like helpless livestock, powerless before the king-level might of Empoleon!
"A king-level beast… this is a king-level magical beast!"
"How could this be? Why does the Pokémon Domain have a king-level magical beast?!"
Bloodhowl's voice broke into incoherent fragments, his mind collapsing under the relentless sight of his knights being slaughtered.
His very consciousness felt like a frail boat adrift upon a raging sea, on the verge of capsizing and sinking into eternal darkness…
His consciousness was like a small, fragile boat adrift in the boundless sea, swaying helplessly as though it could capsize at any moment and sink into eternal darkness!
Screee! Screee! Screee!
Behind him, the Golbat shrieked over and over, its sharp cries piercing through the chaos.
This Golbat, whose strength had already reached advanced level, was now just as bewildered and at a loss as its master.
Its gaze darted anxiously toward its companions—the fierce melee in the skies still raged on. From the corner of its eye, it caught a glimpse of a Mismagius drifting ghostlike at the edge of the battlefield.
Yet the aerial battle was clearly nearing its end. Little by little, some of the Golbats began snapping out of the frenzy that had consumed them.
As their senses returned, they saw their companions and foes alike falling one after another. Terror filled their eyes. With shrill cries, they turned tail and fled from the battlefield at high speed.
"Don't be afraid! Get back here, all of you, come back to me!" Bloodhowl roared in fury, his voice raw and desperate.
But the Golbats, already broken in spirit, had long lost the courage to obey his orders. Within moments, they vanished into the distant sky.
With their flight, it was as if the battlefield itself had declared the battle over. Bloodhowl had arrived in great momentum, leading the unstoppable charge of the Ironblood Knights—yet now he had suffered a crushing and complete defeat.
"Lord Hormay… what sort of enemy have you provoked this time?" Bloodhowl closed his eyes in anguish, his heart writhing in pain.
He did not wish to recall this war—it suffocated him, as if he could no longer breathe. Their opponent was far too terrifying; Ironblood Fortress could never withstand such a force!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
On the battlefield, the fight still raged on.
With Empoleon's strike successfully scattering the knight formation, the Nidoking tribe and the Drapion tribes—who had long been waiting for this chance—charged forward with unrelenting force.
Now the battlefield had turned into a one-sided massacre. The ironblood knights had already lost all courage. Countless knights clung desperately to their Golbats, attempting to flee the battlefield in panic!
Screee! Screee! Screee!
Bloodhowl's own Golbat circled anxiously above, restless and unsettled.
Watching its kind scatter and flee, it could endure no longer. With a powerful beat of its wings, it wheeled around and bolted toward Ironblood Fortress!
"Trying to escape?" Jorah, watching the fleeing Golbat, let out a cold snort.
The Yanma at his side beat its wings furiously, preparing to pursue Bloodhowl and his mount.
But just then, Aven's voice rang out as he lifted his hand to stop Jorah. "Jorah, don't chase a beaten enemy. Right now, what matters most is securing the battlefield."
Then, raising his voice so all could hear, Aven shouted toward the enemy lines: "Your commander has already abandoned you! Lay down your weapons now, and you may yet be spared!"
His voice cut across the battlefield like thunder. Immediately, numerous knights threw down their weapons. With the flight of their commander, the last trace of resistance in their hearts had shattered completely.
"The battle is over. Ironblood Fortress has suffered a crushing defeat!"
At that very moment, all the powers across the northern domains were watching the outcome of this great war at the border.
And when news of the result reached them, shock appeared on every face.
Though they had guessed that the Pokémon Domain might seize victory, not one of them imagined it would end so quickly!
Before the Pokémon Domain, the Ironblood Knight Order—boasted as invincible—had collapsed in a frighteningly short span of time.
"It seems… the northern frontier is truly about to change." All the northern lords murmured in unison, each lost in their own thoughts.
But in their hearts, decisions were swiftly made. Since Ironblood Fortress had been defeated, they would not hesitate to strike at it while it was down.
With new orders issued, their knight orders—already armed and waiting—now set out in grand procession, surging straight toward Ironblood Fortress.
The debts that the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild owed them would now be paid in full. This was their rightful due. For this, they would offer their thanks—to the Pokémon Domain, and to Earl Aven.
…
Within Ironblood Fortress itself, Marquis Hormay swirled the wine in his glass leisurely, watching the faint crimson liquid catch the candlelight.
His gaze drifted toward the horizon. Midnight had long since passed, and the faint glimmer of dawn was already appearing.
"The battle should be nearly over by now," he mused.
"This time, those Golbats should have feasted to their fill."
The marquis was in excellent spirits, utterly confident in his knight order's strength.
Whooosh!
Just then, a sudden gust of wind swept in from afar.
"Lord Marquis, the Golbats are returning!" The scribe attending him exclaimed in delight, pointing to the distant sky where shadows were approaching.
If the Golbats were returning, then the battle must surely be over. In fact, it had ended even faster than expected.
But moments later, the scribe's expression froze. He realized only a small handful of Golbats had come back—and several carried knights who were severely wounded, their armor broken and bloodied.
"What's going on? Could it be that the Golbats carried the knights back first?" Confusion spread across his face.
But then he spotted the figure of Bloodhowl himself appearing in the distance—and his heart plummeted. A dreadful premonition crept up in his chest.
"Lord Marquis, we must withdraw immediately!"
"We cannot defeat them—we cannot defeat the forces of Pokémon Domain! Run, we must run at once!"
The knight who stumbled back looked dazed and delirious. His voice mumbled endlessly, his eyes unfocused, as though his very soul had been crushed.
It was clear—the so-called invincible knight order had been utterly destroyed. His spirit had been shattered. Now all he wanted was to flee this place as fast as possible.
Shrrk!
But before he could finish speaking, his voice stopped abruptly.
A line of blood suddenly bloomed across his neck. His body collapsed to the ground, lifeless, as blood gushed from the wound.
At once, the Golbats perched on the fortress walls swooped down in frenzy, greedily lapping up the fresh blood that pooled on the stones.
"If anyone dares spread such panic again, drag them out and execute them on the spot!"
Marquis Hormay coldly sheathed his sword, his eyes glinting with chilling malice as he turned to face the distant horizon.
Though his tone carried the weight of authority, the scribe standing nearby clearly saw the marquis's hand trembling uncontrollably upon his hilt.
There was no longer any need for words. The truth was already clear—defeat. The so-called invincible Ironblood Knightx had been utterly crushed, and only a pitiful few knights had made it back alive.
The scribe's heart quivered at the realization. A wave of panic rose within him, and he too felt suddenly at a loss. What should they do next?
"Lord Marquis," Bloodhowl landed heavily in the fortress courtyard, his face ashen and grim.
"There is nothing more you need to say—I already know everything."
"But it doesn't matter. We have not been defeated, and we never will be defeated!"
Marquis Hormay's voice was laced with icy determination. Turning sharply, he strode deeper into the fortress.
With each step, his pace grew steadier, his expression firmer, as if he had already reached some inner resolve. In his heart, a new decision had crystallized, and once more his will hardened like iron.
(End of Chapter)