The fortress was complete chaos. All across the city, magical beasts raged uncontrollably.
Worse still, countless Golbat swarmed through the skies.
What had once been regarded as the guardian beasts of Ironblood Fortress were now hunting down the civilians with savage delight. To them, this chaos was nothing but a grand feast of blood.
Screeeeech screeech screeech!
The Golbats were drawn irresistibly to the scent of blood. Even civilians hidden inside their homes could be found.
"What… what has happened to this city!?" A civilian's heart wailed in despair.
The life that had once been so ordinary and stable—why had it suddenly been overturned in the blink of an eye, turned completely upside down!
BOOM!
At that very moment, the great gates were suddenly smashed open by something.
Immediately afterward, the shadowy figure of a Golbat thrust its way inside, its scarlet eyes gleaming with a greedy hunger as it swept its gaze over the defenseless civilians within.
"It's over…" The hearts of the townsfolk plummeted into the depths of despair.
Faced with such a powerful magical beast, there was absolutely nothing they could do to resist.
Just as hopelessness was about to completely consume him, a thunderous roar suddenly sounded at the gate. In the very next instant, a Mightyena lunged out from the entrance, pouncing straight at the invading Golbat!
"Captain Zira!" Seeing the figure that appeared before them, the civilians instantly lit up with joy.
"Don't call me captain. I've already withdrawn from the Ironblood Knights!" Zira's expression was grim and dark.
As his eyes fell upon the Golbat before him—magical beast that were once comrades and battle companions—his heart filled with turmoil. When he spoke of the Ironblood Knights, a look of bitter hatred flickered in his eyes.
He could not understand why the Marquis had issued such a monstrous command—to slaughter the very civilians they had sworn to protect. Were these people not once his loyal subjects?
Why… why!
His heart howled with madness, and in his mind's eye flashed the unforgettable image of the woman he loved most lying lifeless in a pool of blood.
When he opened his eyes again, his gaze had turned frenzied. He slowly drew his longsword as his eyes locked onto the Golbat being pinned to the ground beneath Mightyena's fangs.
Chaos spread like wildfire through the city—chaotic civilians, chaotic beasts, chaotic knights, chaotic order itself!
Even the knights, who had once sworn to defend this very city, were thrown into confusion. They did not wish to defy the Marquis's command, yet they could not bring themselves to raise their blades against the helpless townsfolk.
"What are you still waiting for?"
"These are the people we swore to protect! Have you forgotten your knightly vows?"
At that moment, a furious roar resounded across the streets, causing the dazed knights to raise their heads.
And then, they saw a familiar figure appear, hovering in midair—it was none other than their former vice-captain of the Ironblood Knights!
"Captain Matthew!" one of the knights gasped, his voice trembling.
Matthew's tone was grave and resolute: "Knights, take up your weapons! The civilians are waiting for you to save them!"
"As for that Ironblood Marquis… ask yourselves: is such a man truly worthy of your loyalty?"
Hearing Matthew's words, the knights' eyes flickered with hesitation and struggle. Then, suddenly, the sound of clattering steel echoed out as weapons fell to the ground.
"Captain Matthew, I'll follow you! If we cannot even protect the civilians, then what right do we have to call ourselves knights?"
"That's right! What kind of lord slaughters his own people and forces others to rescue them? Such a lord is not worthy of our allegiance!"
One after another, the knights shouted in agreement. In unison, they cast aside the blood red iron armor that once symbolized their glory, seized their blades, and charged after their former vice captain, racing into the streets.
"Tch, truly nothing but beasts!" Kale snarled as he darted through the streets, flanked by Empoleon and his Luxray squad.
Although Marina City had never grown prosperous under his governance, as its lord he would never abandon his duty to protect its people.
In his eyes, the Marquis's actions were no different from those of a beast—such a man was utterly unworthy of being a ruler!
"Empoleon, let's head straight to the granary!"
"After this ordeal, the city will surely be flooded with refugees. They will desperately need that food to survive."
Shaking his head grimly, Kale urged his Luxray mount forward, galloping swiftly toward the granary's location that scouts had already marked.
But before he could reach it, a plume of thick smoke suddenly rose from the granary's direction. His expression shifted drastically.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A series of explosions shook the air.
Outside the granary, a fierce battle was raging.
Clearly, some knights had chosen betrayal. They knew all too well how vital the granary was to the survival of the city.
If the food stores were destroyed, then even if the civilians of Ironblood Fortress somehow survived the invasion, they would never endure the coming winter!
In the midst of the brutal clash, part of the stored grain had already been set ablaze. Smoke billowed upward as flames began devouring the reserves.
"EMPO~LEON!"
Just in time, Empoleon arrived, raising its flipper to unleash a razor-sharp Water Cutter.
The pressurized blade of water tore across the heaps of grain, slicing them apart to halt the spreading fire.
At the same time, Empoleon opened its beak wide and released a torrent of Hydro Pump, dousing the blazing flames, suppressing them in a surging wave of water.
"You dare!"
Seeing Empoleon begin to extinguish the fire, a knight roared in fury.
At his command, a Mightyena lunged forward, charging straight at Empoleon!
Yet in the very next heartbeat, Empoleon merely cast a cold glance at the beast—and the Mightyena's body shuddered as though struck by an invisible hammer.
Its blood-stained fur trembled uncontrollably, and before Empoleon's overwhelming presence, it lost even the will to resist!
"Useless mutt! Golbat, unleash Air Cutter!" the leading knight barked.
From the skies above, the Golbat swooped down, its wings stirring the air into a storm as it condensed razor-edged blades of wind.
This Golbat's power was formidable—it had already reached the rank of a advanced-level Pokémon. The Air Cutter carried waves of destructive energy.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The slicing winds howled as they tore through the air, all aimed at Empoleon!
With a thunderous boom, the blades of wind struck Empoleon squarely, triggering a violent explosion.
"Hmph, overestimating yourself," the knight sneered.
But just as he prepared to order another strike, the smoke began to clear.
And from within the haze, the figure of Empoleon emerged, not bearing so much as a single scratch.
"It blocked it?!" The knight's eyes widened in disbelief.
Before he could react further, Empoleon raised its flipper and slashed out a devastating Aqua Cutter!
Screech—screech—screech!
The Golbat above flapped furiously, sending its own Air Cutter crashing forward to meet the water blade.
BOOM!
The two attacks collided in midair.
But in the very next instant, to the knight's horror, the Air Cutter shattered instantly upon impact, and the Aqua Cutter smashed clean through, tearing into the Golbat's body!
Blood exploded into the sky. The crimson-slicked blade of water burst out from the creature's back, erupting into a rain of blood that showered down upon the terrified knights below!
"How… how is that possible? An advanced-level Golbat… killed in a single blow?" The knights froze, stunned into silence.
Their eyes turned toward Empoleon, wide with fear, as a chilling realization dawned on them—this was no ordinary magical beast.
This was a king-level beast.
"A king-level…? Why would a king-level magical beast appear here?"
The knight captain's face drained of color. He stumbled backward, until suddenly his legs gave out and he crashed heavily to the ground.
An instant later, a searing pain slashed across his throat. His consciousness plunged into darkness.
"Empo!"
Empoleon shook the blood from its wings and turned its gaze once again toward the granary.
Thanks to its Hydro Pump, the fire and smoke that had just begun to spread were now thoroughly subdued.
"Looks like it's safe now." Kale exhaled in relief, then shifted his eyes to the remaining knights.
With their captain dead, the rest scattered in panic. Seeing this, Kale immediately commanded the Luxrays to charge forward and drive them away.
"Thank you, my lord, for your aid!" The knights who had been guarding the granary rushed forward to bow deeply.
Their eyes, however, could not help but be drawn toward the Empoleon at Kale's side. This was a king-level magical beast—an existence they had never imagined they would witness up close.
"Leave this place to the forces of Pokémon Domain," Kale said calmly. "You all should go and rescue more civilians."
The knights blinked in astonishment. They had not expected that the one who came to save the granary would be knights from the Pokémon Domain.
But in that moment, they also realized something else—Ironblood Fortress had fallen. Completely.
The realization filled their hearts with conflicting emotions, though most of all, a deep breath of relief.
So long as the city was saved, it no longer mattered who the savior was. The Ironblood Marquis had already proven himself unfit to be its master.
"Ironblood Marquis…" Kale's face darkened.
Once other Pokémon Domain squads arrived to secure the granary, Kale issued a few brief instructions, then turned with Empoleon and strode toward the heart of the city—toward the gladiatorial arena.
That was where the Ironblood Marquis awaited them. Everything would come to its final conclusion there.
Meanwhile, beyond Ironblood Fortress, the other lords of neighboring lands had entered the city. What they saw shocked them—the streets were in chaos, civilians scattered, knights rebelling.
None of them had expected the Marquis to go so far, gambling everything on this reckless scheme. It was as if he were declaring: "If I cannot have this city, then no one shall!"
"Damn that Marquis Hormay! Head straight for the castle!" The lords gave orders swiftly.
They needed to preserve as much of the city's wealth as possible before the Marquis destroyed everything.
"What? The Marquis is at the colosseum?"
News reached them quickly. After a brief hesitation, the lords changed course, heading toward the arena as well.
They too wished to uncover what the Marquis intended. Rumor had it that most of the civilians and treasures of the city had already been gathered there.
At that same time, Aven moved swiftly through the war-torn streets with his Pokémon.
He knew the Marquis awaited him at the arena. But rather than focus on the Marquis's motives, he devoted most of his attention to saving civilians along the way.
It was not long before a knight of the Ironblood Knights approached him, delivering a sealed letter. To Aven's surprise, it was a formal challenge.
The Marquis demanded that Aven come to the arena for a duel. If he did not, the Marquis would slaughter every civilian trapped within the gladiatorial arena.
"Hmph. Does this Marquis even realize what he's saying?"
"Those are his own subjects. Why should we save them?" Sutter scoffed coldly after hearing the news. The arena was sure to be perilous—they could not allow Lord Aven to walk into such danger.
"To kill them all…" Aven closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and let the air out slowly.
His gaze swept across the ravaged streets. Without a doubt, the Marquis was the kind of man who would truly follow through with such a threat.
If not for the need to lure him to the arena, those civilians would already be dead. Clearly, this was all part of a deeper plot—to weaken Azelf's strength.
And so—for the sake of those civilians, for the sake of Azelf, for the sake of Aspiration City—he had no choice but to go.
(End of Chapter)