Xuan Qiu pushed Stephen's face away with one hand and turned back to the looming threat. "Even though that entity is just a copy created by a Lord Ravager, the sheer power Nanook just poured into it makes it as dangerous as a real Emanator. I don't know why she's targeting me, but given the circumstances, I have to ask all of you to stand and face it with me."
The presence of Yveltal had warped the very space surrounding the docks. Dark, corruptive energy rippled through the void, sealing them in. Anyone attempting to break out and flee would be touched by that rotting power instantly.
"Wait, you're kidding, right?" March 7th stammered, clutching her bow tightly as her face paled. "Us? Fighting a Lord Ravager's envoy?"
Dan Heng and Welt didn't answer, their faces turning incredibly grave as they stared at the shadow outside. Only Stelle, whose memories were still completely missing, looked around at the tense, silent huddle with a look of quiet confusion.
None of the trailblazers thought to blame Xuan Qiu. No one argued that this disaster was his fault, or that they were suffering because of his business. After all, trying to predict the chaotic whims of the Antimatter Legion was impossible.
"Looking at the situation, Mr. Xuan Qiu seems to have the strength to hold the line for a short while," Himeko analyzed calmly, her hand tightening around her case. "Is there any way we can contact Madame Herta?"
This facility was, after all, Herta's personal property. If anyone had the weapons to wipe out a rogue general at their docks, it was the master of the house.
Stephen shook his head, his small shoulders dropping. "Asta has been trying to signal Herta ever since the Antimatter Legion breached the perimeter, but she hasn't received a single reply. Right now, our only choice is to buy time and wait for her to notice the message."
Himeko shot a brief glance of surprise toward the short boy. To address one of the most powerful scholars in the cosmos so casually meant he was far from an ordinary person, but she shoved her curiosity aside; the battle was already starting.
"Then we do what we must," Himeko nodded firmly.
"Everyone, let your minds rest," Xuan Qiu shouted, stepping up to stand beside them. "As long as you stay within Xerneas's radiant barrier, even a fatal injury won't end your lives. The light will heal you instantly."
"I forgot to introduce it earlier. This is Xerneas, the Life Pokémon. In its own world, its main purpose is to suppress and stop Yveltal whenever it loses control."
"To keep this absolute defense standing, I have to pour all my energy into maintaining Xerneas's field. That means the attacking, the distractions, and wearing the enemy down will have to be left entirely to your weapons."
Xuan Qiu felt a bit helpless. If he could, he would have called down Arceus directly, but his current strength couldn't even conjure a bare-bones version of the creator god. He couldn't even summon the legendary trio of time and space yet.
While he wasn't strong enough to match a true Emanator on his own, he still had enough cards to force a brutal stalemate. But because he needed to protect the fragile space station and the people inside, he had to focus entirely on defense. Otherwise, he would have already pulled out Zygarde's Complete Form and ordered a head-on charge. Summoning a second giant titan would drain his energy far too quickly, throwing away his ability to stall the clock.
The air grew heavy. Though the initial burst of Xerneas's life energy had pushed back the enemy's field, the dark, rotting aura of the Destruction sovereign was already clawing its way back, slowly reclaiming its lost territory across the platform. The enemy was starting to use its full power.
"In that case, everyone—let's move," Himeko commanded.
At her word, the crew unleashed their unique abilities, launching a coordinated attack against the massive, Y-shaped monster hovering outside the station.
"I'll help too!" Yanqing roared, his fingers moving in a fluid motion as his flying swords tore through the air, screaming straight toward the beast's crimson chest.
"Don't forget me! Although Herta isn't here, I still have permission to use some of the station's security grid," Stephen shouted. He gestured with his small hand, and a glowing display appeared before him. After a few quick taps, dozens of automated defense drones swarmed out from the hangar bays, surrounding Yveltal, while hidden turrets rose from the external walls to unleash a continuous barrage of laser fire.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of the attacks couldn't even scratch the darkness surrounding the beast. The raw destructive energy simply unmade the laser bolts and missiles before they could connect, rendering the heavy artillery completely useless.
On their side, Dan Heng was still holding back his true power, and Welt was strictly relying on swift, gravitational cuts from his cane rather than tearing open a black hole. The veteran was clearly keeping his ultimate weapon hidden until the situation became truly desperate.
To be fair, those two were his strongest allies—one carrying the legacy of an immortal dragon elder, the other holding the unique powers of a Herrscher. Xuan Qiu actually wasn't entirely certain if Welt's body still held his full strength, but it didn't change his plan.
Xuan Qiu stayed focused, continuously directing Xerneas to counter-attack with bursts of brilliant, shimmering light. Facing the raw, super-effective energy of the life dragon, even the puppet-controlled Yveltal chose to swing its massive wings to avoid a direct hit. The monster could handle the pressure, but absorbing those specific light attacks head-on was a mistake it refused to make.
"Stephen! Doesn't Herta have any stronger weapons here? If there are no offensive ones, are there no traps to lock it in place?" Xuan Qiu shouted over the roar of the blasts, noticing the weak impact of the station's defenses. March's single arrows were doing about as much damage as the giant turrets.
"This isn't my house, Julian! I don't have permission to use Herta's high-end tech," Stephen huffed, his small fingers still tapping away at his screen. "Being able to give you this much artillery support is already a miracle, so be content with what you've got!"
The young genius showed no real fear. At the end of the day, his physical body was resting safely miles away; he was merely operating a projection. Furthermore, he knew Xuan Qiu had the spatial tools to teleport the entire group away the moment the front line collapsed.
The only reason they were standing their ground was because this station belonged to Herta, and the sudden appearance of a legendary Pokémon was tied to Julian's own creations. Running away would be a massive blow to his reputation.
Stephen was privately betting that if they could maintain the stalemate until Herta returned, Julian could use the rescue to negotiate a deal for her research. The boy's guess wasn't wrong, but for Julian, that goal was already standard. If he was going to ask for a reward from the master genius later, he was going to demand the complete secrets behind her virtual universe.
Right now, his mind was entirely occupied by a deeper puzzle: Why on earth did Phantylia spend her resources to target me?
He had been reviewing his actions, but he still couldn't find a clear answer.
However, mapping her behavior against what he knew of her past schemes, her specific talents, and her secret plotting back on the Xianzhou, he knew her main goal was to fracture the Alliance from within, plunging their society into a bloody civil war. The forces of Destruction would have to mobilize massive armies to stand a chance against the Alliance fleet in an open war, making subversion her finest tool.
But how did a game developer complicate that plan?
Wait... could it actually be that simple? A sudden realization illuminated Julian's mind.
The single greatest threat to a long-lived Xianzhou citizen was the onset of the Mara-struck condition—a total collapse of the mind triggered by centuries of emotional weight and heavy memories. But the introduction of Pokémon had provided those citizens with a perfect, unyielding emotional anchor. By bonding with a companion, their stress levels dropped significantly, lowering the chances of a person losing control of their sanity.
To lead a massive civil war, a saboteur needs an army of broken monsters. The easily swayed citizens who succumbed to the Mara were the perfect foot soldiers for her campaign.
But because Julian's games were actively stabilizing the public's mental health, her potential recruitment pool was drying up by the day. Without a steady stream of broken lives to transform into monsters, her entire grand strategy would fall completely flat.
No wonder the Lord Ravager wanted his creations deleted. He hadn't even realized his little media company had grown into a massive shield protecting the entire fleet.
Julian smiled, a thread of deep satisfaction warming his chest as he watched Xerneas deflect another wave of dark rot. I never would have guessed that my work could serve as the ultimate medicine for the General's people. With a massive contribution like this on my ledger, I should definitely demand an incredible mountain of benefits from Jing Yuan the second our starskiff docks back home.
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