It had already guessed that the former king, Calyrex, would not be easy to get along with. In order to avoid any conflict with him, it had been extremely cautious—after all, they had always stayed out of each other's business and had barely interacted.
The relationships between Legends were far from the harmonious bonds people imagined.
"You, a former king, should be well aware of the danger Eternatus poses to this land."
The Sword Hero, Zacian, spoke in a deep voice. Although Calyrex had not yet been born three thousand years ago, Zacian believed Calyrex must understand how dangerous Eternatus was.
"That has nothing to do with me. At present, Eternatus is a guest of mine. Zacian, I do not wish to make things difficult for you. Leave now, and I won't hold it against you."
Calyrex's intentions were already very clear—it wanted to protect Eternatus!
Originally, it hadn't intended to intervene in the grudge between Zacian and Eternatus. But now that both parties had arrived in the Crown Tundra, it couldn't simply avoid the matter.
So, Calyrex had chosen to fight Eternatus for a while, planning to use that battle as a way to send both of them away afterward.
Because, truthfully, it already had a slight inclination toward Eternatus. Once the battle was over, it wouldn't allow Zacian to make a move against Eternatus here.
After all, as a benevolent king, how could it possibly stand by and watch Zacian attack Eternatus, who had just fought an exhausting battle?
As for what happened after they left—well, that was no longer Calyrex's concern.
But what Calyrex truly hadn't expected was that Zacian would actually take the opportunity to ambush Eternatus. This sort of underhanded action had undoubtedly enraged the former king.
"Absolutely not."
Zacian rejected the suggestion without a second's thought.
It had finally tracked Eternatus down—how could it possibly just sit back and watch Eternatus escape from right under its nose once again?
"This menace, Eternatus, must not be allowed to remain. Calyrex, I will offer you my apologies later—but not now."
Zacian's gaze grew colder and colder. As expected, things had reached the worst possible outcome it had feared.
Calyrex's "unreasonable meddling" was also starting to wear on its patience. Did Calyrex really think it was afraid?
"Eternatus, I absolutely won't let you go today!"
What was that supposed to mean, 'Leave now, and I won't hold it against you'?
Even if you were a king, you were the king of the past! Besides, it—Zacian—was the Sword Hero! Its brother was the Shield Hero!
You think just because it showed you a little respect, you could treat yourself as the ruler again? How utterly absurd!
"Zacian, don't push things too far."
Calyrex's expression turned cold. What did this mean? Was Zacian acting like it didn't exist?
"Who's the one pushing things? If you truly cared for this land, then you should know exactly what must be done."
Zacian's tone was icy. It had the gall to say she was going too far? It was acting for the safety of the entire Galar region!
And Calyrex? How many years had passed since it lost its kingdom? Times had changed long ago. Yet it was still flaunting its kingly authority in front of Zacian.
Who was it trying to intimidate?
"Are you trying to teach me how to rule?"
The pressure radiating from Calyrex atop Glastrier grew heavier and heavier. Under that immense force, the air around them became heavy and suffocating.
"I'm only speaking the truth. I never thought that the so-called King of Bountiful Harvests would be so ruled by emotion."
Zacian responded without flinching, its divine aura flaring out coldly and indifferently.
At that moment, Eternatus—still lying on the ground—looked up at the two legendary Pokémon, whose pressure was escalating and on the verge of erupting into battle. In its draconic eyes was a look of utter bewilderment.
What the heck was going on?
Why weren't they fighting me, and instead starting to fight each other?
But in the very next second, Eternatus broke into a grin. Whatever the reason—who cared?
Let them fight, let them fight!
Lying on the ground, Eternatus was silently cheering them on with all its heart.
"I wouldn't mind experiencing firsthand the strength of the Hero of the Sword."
Calyrex's gaze was calm yet commanding, locking tightly onto Zacian.
Ruled by emotion?
Calyrex had truly never imagined that such words would ever be used against it.
It was the King of Bountiful Harvests! Gentle and benevolent. In the days when it ruled, it had won the love and admiration of all living beings!
But now, Zacian was accusing it of acting emotionally?
"Calyrex, do you truly wish to fight me?"
Zacian's eyes were now completely devoid of warmth. It was clear that the Ice Read Calyrex was absolutely set on opposing it.
"Glastrier!"
The only answer Zacian got was a beam of cold, dazzling light.
"Neighhhh!"
Glastrier raised its head and neighed loudly with excitement. Centered on Calyrex, the already snow-covered tundra's temperature began to plummet rapidly.
Glacial Lance!
A massive beam of icy energy suddenly burst forth, hurtling straight toward Zacian.
Compared to the earlier Glacial Lance that had been used during its fight with Eternatus, this time Calyrex was clearly serious. Both the range and the intensity of the attack were on a different level.
"Then I'll fight you to the bitter end."
Zacian's eyes gleamed with a fierce, icy light. Since Calyrex wanted a battle, it wouldn't back down!
Dense blue energy gathered at Zacian's mouth. Its Behemoth Blade formed into a massive sword of brilliant light, which it brought down directly upon the incoming Glacial Lance.
Behemoth Blade!
Boom!
Behemoth Blade collided violently with the Glacial Lance. The resulting explosion of terrifying energy sent shockwaves roaring outward in every direction.
Zacian was pushed back several steps by the force of the blast. It glanced downward—Eternatus had already risen again, though it hadn't taken to the air and was instead resting quietly on the ground.
Was it seriously just watching the show?
"Damn parasite!"
Zacian's breath turned frost-cold. If it weren't for this damned creature, would it ever have found itself clashing with Calyrex? Would it have come to the point where a winner needed to be decided?
This was absolute madness!
And now, with Eternatus right in front of it, Zacian couldn't make a move—because if it did, the already-enraged Calyrex would absolutely attack it from behind.
To simultaneously fight both Eternatus and Calyrex?
Even as the proud Sword Hero, Zacian wasn't arrogant enough to believe it could do that.
That wouldn't be bravery. That would be a lack of self-awareness!
"Neighhhh~"
Glastrier neighed angrily once more. Zacian refocused and saw that Calyrex was now charging toward it with a savage assault.
Zacian crouched slightly. Right now, the most important thing was its battle with Calyrex.
Calyrex atop Glastrier was by no means inferior to it. If it lost here—while Calyrex might not go out of its way to harm it, the humiliation of defeat would be unbearable.
If it lost to Calyrex, what face would it have to remain in the Crown Tundra?
Zacian's pride would never allow such disgrace!
-----------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, atop a distant mountain, watching the intense battle erupting in the sky between the Sword Hero Zacian and Ice Rider Calyrex...
"They really started fighting!"
Marnie's delicate face wore an expression of stunned disbelief. These two top-tier Legendaries were actually fighting!
This was... quite the unexpected development.
Just a short while ago, Calyrex had refused to intervene. It didn't want to get involved in the grudge between Eternatus and Zacian, and had even gone as far as to challenge Eternatus.
"Even though he's no longer king, Calyrex still retains a king's pride. Zacian must've touched a nerve."
Lucas grinned slowly as he spoke.
When Zacian had suddenly appeared behind Eternatus and launched a surprise attack, Lucas had already predicted this would happen.
Calyrex was a true king. Though gentle and kind, it remained a ruler.
A king's pride and dignity could not be violated. Zacian's ambush on Eternatus had undoubtedly put Calyrex in a deeply awkward position—especially since, at the time, Eternatus had just fought a battle with Calyrex as an evenly matched opponent.
So, from the moment Zacian struck, there was no longer any chance of it making another move on Eternatus in front of Calyrex.
Calyrex simply wouldn't allow it.
"Lucas, if Eternatus joined the fight now and teamed up with Calyrex, they could probably defeat Zacian, right?"
Marnie's clear eyes sparkled faintly as she looked to Lucas.
Zacian was a Hero of Galar, a legendary protector of the region from three thousand years ago.
As a child, Marnie had grown up listening to the tales of the Sword and Shield Heroes.
But what did that matter?
Now, Eternatus had been subdued by Lucas, while Zacian clearly regarded Eternatus as an enemy. Wasn't it obvious which side she should be on?
"Of course. Zacian is strong, but there's no way it can handle both Eternatus and Ice Rider Calyrex together."
Lucas nodded, pulling out his phone and casually recording the legendary battle unfolding above.
This was a clash between two top-tier Legendaries—Zacian versus Calyrex! A once-in-a-lifetime event, possibly their only confrontation ever.
Saving a recording to watch again in the future would be well worth it.
"However, Calyrex won't agree to that. It won't allow Eternatus to interfere in its battle with Zacian."
Seeing Marnie's eyes light up, Lucas glanced at her and added with a chuckle.
Calyrex was proud. If Eternatus tried to take to the skies and attack Zacian now, it would be met not just with Zacian's counterattack—but also with Calyrex's own intervention to drive it away.
"Well, that's really a shame."
Upon hearing that, Marnie's expression settled into calm composure.
If Eternatus had been able to join the battle, then no matter how strong the Sword Hero, Zacian, was, it would have been impossible for him to fight two opponents at once and win.
Especially considering that Zacian was originally evenly matched with the Ice Rider Calyrex.
If Eternatus had joined forces with Calyrex, the outcome would have been obvious—Zacian would have been utterly defeated.
In fact, with the power Eternatus possessed, the two of them together could have done more than just defeat Zacian.
They might have gravely injured him and forced him into a retreat!
And if that had happened, then at the very least, for the foreseeable future, they wouldn't have to worry about Zacian pursuing them anymore.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as ideally as they had hoped.
"In this world, things rarely go exactly the way you want. Even so, the outcome we have now is already close to perfect."
Lucas, however, wasn't too caught up in regrets. Instead, a faint smile lingered at the corners of his lips.
He was already more than satisfied.
This expedition to the Crown Tundra had yielded huge rewards.
Eternatus had absorbed a tremendous amount of energy, and even better, it hadn't been entangled or pinned down by Zacian during the process.
That alone made the mission a major success.
Meanwhile, high in the sky above them, the fierce battle was still raging on.
Unlike Eternatus, the Ice Rider Calyrex wasn't completely countered by Zacian, and so the battle between them remained intense and closely matched.
Calyrex was holding his own with formidable strength.
However, Zacian's speed was astonishing. Not only was he incredibly fast, but his movements were agile and hard to track. Compared to him, the massive Eternatus looked like a slow and clumsy giant.
But that was only natural.
Eternatus was over twenty meters in length. It was simply impossible for a Pokémon of that size to adopt an agile, speed-based combat style like Zacian's.
Instead, Eternatus was a Pokémon that relied on overwhelming, surging power—dominating his enemies head-on with sheer force.
That was where his true strength lay.
And it was also what made him terrifying.
This was a direction determined by their natural physique.
(End of Chapter)