Its strength had changed.
But far more than just its strength had transformed.
The Toxic-type Giant's mindset had undergone a significant shift.
Some beings were like this—when faced with a crisis, they would cower in fear.
But after a sudden power boost, the rapid increase in strength would delude them into thinking they could turn the tables.
This abrupt shift in mentality made it impossible to accurately assess the gap in strength.
The cautious Toxic-type Giant, in its final moments, had ultimately miscalculated.
Even if it hadn't, the outcome had long been decided.
Glancing at the small creature that had suddenly appeared, the Toxic-type Giant kept its focus on Gengar.
It dismissed Poipole entirely, treating only the enigmatic Gengar as its true foe.
Now, it understood clearly—it was trapped, with enemies both ahead and behind.
There was only one option left!
And that was to fight downward—where its chances of survival were higher.
Perhaps it should even thank these invaders.
Without them, it wouldn't have been able to break through to this level.
Maybe one day it could surpass those few and take their place!
Its eyes darted about restlessly as the corners of its mouth curled up slightly, revealing a sinister grin.
Those inverted triangular eyes were filled with malice as it stared coldly at Gengar, its expression growing increasingly arrogant.
The Toxic-type Giant suddenly widened its eyes, slashing its hands through the air as countless black toxic liquid shot out like frenzied water pillars!
The black venom seemed endless—for every portion it fired, another surge would well up from within its body.
It didn't even bother aiming.
All it needed was to flood the entire battlefield with poison!
It was confident—no creature could remain unharmed under the might of its proud venom.
Sizzle, sizzle...
The toxicity had indeed made a significant breakthrough, causing even more terrifying destruction upon hitting the ground.
The supposedly indestructible Black Tremor Rock was corroded away in an instant, thick plumes of purple smoke rising from the surface.
The smoke was so dense it filled the spacious passageway.
Meanwhile, Gengar—the true target—was bombarded with an especially concentrated barrage of poison, even catching Poipole in the crossfire.
What happened next left the Toxic-type Giant utterly shocked.
Gengar suddenly opened its mouth wide and inhaled sharply, creating a powerful gust of wind.
The intense wind pressure stirred up violent gales, sending ripples through the air.
Countless streams of venom flew into Gengar's mouth like swallows returning to their nest, sliding down smoothly as if they were nothing more than jelly.
Not to be outdone, Poipole on the other side merged its purple body with the venom, rapidly absorbing it.
At the same time, its experience points steadily climbed.
Against Toxic-types like Gengar and Poipole, this venom was nothing more than a free meal.
The Toxic-type Giant's heart pounded wildly, its stone body trembling faintly.
The arrogance it had displayed mere moments ago vanished in an instant, replaced once again by uncertainty.
It saw clearly—its venom wasn't dealing any damage. If anything, it was just wrecking the battlefield.
"Geng gaarrr!"
Gengar shouted, its Aura bursting forth as eerie black Aura dyed the entire area.
Moments later, large purple-black Aura orbs materialized, floating up and down in the air.
Though the Toxic-type Giant didn't understand Aura, it could still sense the presence of these orbs.
At that moment, its mind went blank.
The venom secretion from its body ceased entirely, as if it had completely given up on survival.
Gengar swung its stubby arms forcefully, sending countless energy-packed Aura orbs flying from all directions!
The spheres traced sleek arcs through the air, accompanied by the howling of wind.
As it felt the overwhelming assault closing in, a sudden doubt arose in the Toxic-type Giant's mind.
Why hadn't any of its kin arrived yet?
Though they lived deep underground in a network of long, branching tunnels, they were highly sensitive to disturbances in rock and earth.
With such a massive battle raging, at least some of its kin should have come to investigate by now.
Yet, aside from the three of them, no others had appeared.
This wasn't normal at all!
The core of the Toxic Giant suddenly jolted, its expression drastically changing.
If it weren't made of stone, it would have been drenched in sweat by now.
Something had gone wrong!
From the moment of its birth, it had never trusted "premonitions," believing that action was the only way to determine outcomes.
It was all up to itself.
But in this moment, it finally believed...
"BOOM!!"
The Ghost-type move Shadow Ball!
The Toxic Giant's last flicker of consciousness vanished amidst the explosions of countless Shadow Balls, swallowed by the deafening blasts.
Its shattered body fragmented into countless pieces, mingling with the thick, black, viscous poison.
A massive spatial rift appeared, bathing the surroundings in a warm white light as the scattered poison was drawn into it.
Though the poison itself was useless, it could serve as "Exp. Candy" for Poipole, a snack for it to munch on.
Some time later...
"Crunch! Crunch! Crunch..."
Steelix opened its massive jaws and swallowed the Toxic Giant's core whole, its indestructible steel teeth mercilessly grinding it down.
Its experience points visibly surged.
After devouring three Silver Giants and their cores, Steelix's power skyrocketed as if riding a rocket.
Among them were also two mutated Stone Giants—an unexpected windfall for Steelix.
Current ore abilities: Counterforce, Flame Burst, and Toxic.
If this continued, Steelix would keep accumulating abilities, evolving into an all-rounder Pokemon.
Any ability that ores possessed, Steelix had the potential to obtain.
At the same time, its strength officially rose from S- rank to S rank.
"Tap! Tap!"
Ging, hands in his pockets, casually stomped the ground twice and sighed.
"This poison is terrifying."
"Such hard rock, yet it melts like paper in fire when exposed to the poison. If a person got splashed..."
He shook his head, leaving the thought unfinished.
Beyond adjusted his glasses—unaccustomed to wearing them—before speaking.
"The poison's potency is indeed shocking, but there's something even more worth investigating right now."
"Their behavior suggests a high level of intelligence, and..."
"Their numbers remain unknown."
Beyond's expression turned grave as his words echoed through the surroundings.
Even now, they had no idea how many of these Stone Giants existed.
Ten?
A hundred?
Or even more?
If all of them possessed such intelligence and strength, they would be formidable opponents.
No—not even opponents.
Because compared to them, their group was utterly powerless. Only Akira stood a chance.
*****
Deep within the passageway,
This was the cavern where the leader of the Stone Giants resided.
The space was vast, containing many things—some fitting for Stone Giants, others not.
The towering and robust Shi Jin stood before a stone wall, his brow furrowing before he suddenly looked up at the ceiling.
As if faintly sensing something.
But he quickly shifted his focus back to what lay before him.
The massive stone wall was adorned with a riot of colors, splashes of vivid hues against the gray-black backdrop.
Though somewhat blurred and not masterfully crafted, it was still recognizable as a mural.
Its subject was the surrounding region.
At the center of the map was the rocky terrain they occupied, while to the west lay a grassland—marked conspicuously with a red En.
Inside the red circle was drawn something—a dark green figure with an eerie smiling face, roughly resembling a tree-like creature.
Jin paused for a moment upon seeing this before continuing further.
This was deliberately marked—any creature within the red circle was not to be trifled with.
At least not for now...
A little further ahead lay the Purple Forest, where nothing was marked in red.
Then came the beach and the endless ocean.
Clearly, this was the route Akira and the others had taken after coming ashore.
Jin then turned his head to look in the opposite direction—toward the east of the rocky terrain.
There lay a landscape resembling a tropical rainforest, complete with swamps and other features.
Yet, amidst the lush greenery of this rainforest terrain, there was something encircled by a white ring.
Its appearance was somewhat abstract, but it was still recognizable as a serpentine creature.
However, the snake occupied only a small portion of the circle, suggesting something else was inside—though it wasn't depicted.
Jin stared blankly at the eerie snake and the white ring, his eyes betraying a rare flicker of fear!
Unlike the treefolk, which he merely avoided to prevent unnecessary conflict (since their strength was roughly equal), the snake in the wetlands was different.
That was an existence he absolutely must not provoke!
Among all the creatures in this region, only he knew just how terrifying that snake truly was.
The snake alone wasn't particularly formidable—its only real threat was the eerie sounds it produced, which required extra caution.
What truly unnerved and terrified him was what the snake symbolized.
Merely catching a glimpse of the faintest edge of its shadow had once plunged him into overwhelming suffocation.
The stones composing his body had even begun to crumble.
If not for his quick awareness and swift escape, he might have perished that day.
After all, as the strongest of his kind—the only one to have brushed against the threshold of that level of power—his strength far surpassed that of his kin.
Yet, when faced with the hidden force behind those snakes, his only option had been to flee in panic.
Thus, the eastern direction was immediately ruled out.
Jin turned his gaze to the other directions, his expression easing considerably.
Aside from the troublesome east, the remaining three directions posed no real threat—the most formidable opponents were merely on par with him.
However, their rate of growth paled in comparison to his own!
Jin grinned, his golden right hand—thick and powerful—casually picking up a dazzling diamond beside him.
Beneath the rocky wall lay a pile of magnificent diamonds, large and small, radiating brilliant, multicolored light.
To humans, these were priceless treasures, but to Jin, they were divine elixirs for enhancing his strength!
These were no ordinary diamonds—they were gems crafted by the lesser diamondkin, possessing unique properties.
Especially for mineral-devouring beings like him, these diamonds were nothing short of supreme delicacies.
Jin gazed at the reflection in the diamond's crystalline surface before popping the entire gem into his mouth.
Crunch! Crack!
Instantly, an incredibly pure essence of the earth surged into his body, and his aura gradually intensified.
Haaah…
Exhaling softly, Jin clenched his fists, a domineering, kingly energy rising from his form!
"Soon! Just a little longer, and I'll break through!"
"Once that happens, I'll start with that treefolk—claiming all the surrounding territory as my domain!"
As he gnawed on diamonds, Jin indulged in visions of his future reign, his ambition swelling with each passing moment.
He consumed a considerable number of diamonds daily, which was why his strength advanced at such an astonishing pace.
The other Golden Giants were merely S+-rank, but as their leader, he stood at SS- rank.
He was just one step away from SS rank!
At that time, it would lead its kin to claim other territories as their own.
As long as those creatures existed...
Its power would continue to rise!
Jin stuffed another diamond into its mouth while glaring fiercely at the various terrains marked on the stone wall—all except the wetlands.
Since the wall was primarily composed of Black Tremor Rock, its surface was exceptionally dark, making white markings stand out vividly.
This was why it had used white to circle the snakes.
This symbolized that those snakes were even more dangerous than the tree people and required greater caution.
It meant... they must never be provoked!
If Akira had been present, he would have recognized what Shi Jin meant by "snakes."
They were none other than the Helbell snakes—one of the Five Great Threats!
This known threats was far more complex than what people had concluded.
Human understanding of these disasters remained shallow, with efforts far outweighing gains.
Under specific conditions, they could exhibit abilities surpassing their normal limits!
This was related to their origins.
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