When the silver and stone giants arrived one after another, they found three massive beasts standing proudly side by side, looking at them with disdain, as if they were nothing more than an after-dinner snack.
The aura radiating from these giants was far more terrifying than the others, casting them as grim harbingers from the depths of hell, ready to drag their foes into an endless abyss.
The strongest warriors of the tribe had vanished without a trace, as if they had never existed.
Only the battlefield, scarred and silent, seemed to tell the tale of what had transpired.
The ending awaiting the newcomers was already sealed.
Meanwhile, Lucario and his team continued their fierce battle.
Sharp stone blades sliced through the air with loud, echoing bangs, scattering flames as they hurtled toward Ging with the force of rushing wind.
Ging's heart skipped a beat, his face darkening slightly.
'Was he about to extinguish the sea of flames directly?'
Ging thought for a moment, then waved his right hand, twisting his wrist to draw an arc in the air with his blade.
The fiery arc wasn't just a simple slash. It quickly transformed into a fierce, blazing strike that shot forward.
The half-moon-shaped sword aura targeted the flying stone blades with precision, and in an instant, the stone blades were engulfed in flames.
This time, the fireworks weren't as overwhelming as before, perhaps because they had already been extinguished once.
With a loud clash, the fiery slash and the stone blades canceled each other out.
Ging glanced down at the sparks scattered on the ground, a twitch forming at the corner of his mouth as a tightness settled in his chest.
He had been thinking he could not only destroy the stone blades but also keep attacking the enemies behind them.
Who would have guessed it would end in a stalemate?
Tyranitar snorted coldly, his expression icy and intimidating, a thick aura radiating from the metal armor covering his body.
Suddenly, several large rocks appeared in the air and hurtled toward Ging.
It was Tyranitar's rock-type technique: Rock Blockade.
Feeling the sudden shift in aura above him, Ging looked up with a clear, surprised expression on his sharp face.
'How could it be so fast?'
At such close range, dodging was nearly impossible.
Ging frowned but didn't panic like Shi Zuan and the others might have in a sudden crisis.
He was confident, confidence born from his strength and hidden trump cards.
One after another, four massive rocks fell, positioned perfectly to block him from all sides.
Even if he wasn't overwhelmed, he would be trapped and squeezed, his movements severely restricted.
The Rock Blockade technique used rocks to attack and block the opponent's actions, slowing them down.
The whistling sound of the rocks grew louder overhead, but Ging stayed calm and steady, his body unmoving.
Then, with a thunderous crash, all four huge rocks slammed into the ground at once, leaving deep dents and sending clouds of dust into the air.
In a spot Ging couldn't see, a streak of earthy yellow aura touched his body.
Suddenly, a sharp gleam flashed in his eyes, and he vanished from where he stood.
Just before disappearing, his hand made a quick gesture, reaching toward his abdomen.
The sky was thick with dust, but Ging, the target, vanished suddenly.
Larry narrowed his eyes, his curiosity piqued.
There were only two explanations for what he'd just witnessed: either Ging moved so fast that he was impossible to see clearly, or he teleported.
It was like Gardevoir's teleportation, vanishing from one spot and appearing instantly in another, with no visible movement in between.
Although a blur caused by extreme speed can create a similar visual effect, Larry didn't believe that was the case here.
His strength had reached an S+SS level, thanks largely to the powerful foods from the Dark Continent like Purple Poison Honey and Fiery Sunflower Seeds, as well as his Snorlax, which had recently leveled up to S-level.
Previously only A+ level, Snorlax gained experience battling the relentless S-level enemies on the Dark Continent, pushing him to S-level.
As Snorlax grew stronger, his ability to enhance the effects of these special foods improved too.
Combining these factors, Larry had managed to reach the borderline between S and SS levels in a relatively short time.
While there could still be differences in strength between opponents at the same level, it was generally possible to track their movements clearly.
That's why Larry was convinced this wasn't just fast movement. It had to be teleportation.
Just as this thought crossed his mind, a golden figure suddenly appeared above and behind Tyranitar.
It was Ging, a sly smile playing across his face, holding a different knife than before.
He aimed to chop Tyranitar's head off in one swift strike.
This wasn't the Flame Blade from earlier. Both its look and the sensation it gave off were entirely different.
The Flame Blade felt like the heat of a volcano's crater, burning intensely.
But this new knife was razor-sharp to a terrifying degree.
Just looking at it made you feel as if your body could be sliced in half, and even your eyes ached from the sheer sharpness.
This was the Hundred Slash Knife, forged from countless ores and the core bones of the Bone Clan, one of a kind in the world.
When it was first made, it was simply an exceptionally sharp blade, nothing more.
But by chance, it gained a special power: the wielder could cut through anything as long as they had enough aura to fuel it.
If they tried to cut without sufficient aura, the knife would instead drain all their aura completely.
'Is the Hundred Slash Knife made from ores and bones? Judging by its appearance, the material does seem somewhat bone-like, with an overall grayish-white color.'
Larry was really curious about the knife itself, but what caught his attention even more was Shijin's ability to teleport.
Now he was completely convinced that Shijin had used teleportation to suddenly appear behind Tyranitar.
'Putting that together with the way Shijin pulled the flame knife out from his body earlier... maybe Shijin has some kind of space-related power?'
On the battlefield, Tyranitar sensed movement behind him.
He quickly spun around and leaned to the side just in time.
He was
Always on high alert, especially for something like teleportation!
But it seemed Shijin's teleportation was just a bit faster.
Holding the knife tightly with both hands, Shijin swung it down with the force of a powerful strike aimed at Tyranitar's head.
Tyranitar's eyes narrowed as a faint green aura appeared on his body.
That aura quickly formed into a protective barrier surrounding him.
Just as the knife was about to hit, the barrier firmly blocked the attack.
"Bang!"
A loud, solid sound echoed, like two incredibly hard objects colliding.
What was this strange power at play?