Chapter 13: The Fading King

As Sato issued his commands, he was forced to flee in disarray.

The underground tunnels were Sandslash's domain, and at this moment, his left arm was completely disfigured, blood running down his arm and dripping onto the ground.

The charging Arbok was once again intercepted by Gastly, and though the repeated Shadow Balls failed to cause significant damage, Curse activated once more!

Finally, Zorua, who had been lurking in the shadows all this time, struck.

A Dark Pulse, far stronger than before, smashed into the Green-rank assassin, sending him flying!

"Scree—scree!"

Sandslash panicked, trying to rush back to support its trainer, but Sato took advantage of the opening, closing in.

With his dagger wrapped in Dark Energy, he plunged it deep into Sandslash's soft underbelly, flooding its body with corrosive energy!

"Screeeee!"

With the last of its strength, Sandslash swiped at Sato, sending him crashing away, but it was already doomed.

Its body convulsed violently before collapsing to the ground.

"Cough… Gastly, use Sucker Punch! Zorua, Dark Pulse!"

Despite his caved-in chest and broken arm, Sato remained calm, issuing orders against the barely-standing Arbok.

Gastly, having recently leveled up, had learned Sucker Punch, the perfect move to counter Arbok's final attack.

"Kehehe!"

Gastly struck first, throwing Arbok off balance just long enough.

Curse activated.

Dark Pulse followed immediately.

Arbok's body twitched before it collapsed for good.

"Cough… Gastly, finish it off!"

"Kehehe!"

Forgetting its fear of the 'cursed hand,' Gastly gleefully absorbed its soul.

"Zor…"

Zorua whined softly, licking the wounds on Sato's bloodied arm.

His injuries were severe—his chest was dented, his left arm was broken—but now that his enemies were eliminated, he had plenty of time to recover.

Just as he had healed Zorua before, Sato now treated himself in the same manner.

Dark Energy pulsated violently, triggering rapid cell regeneration.

Before long, his arm had returned to normal, and only a faint red mark remained where his wounds had been.

Even his caved-in chest had gradually healed, leaving no visible damage.

But the pain was unbearable—even for someone professionally trained, the agony left him pale and trembling.

The rapid healing process consumed an immense amount of energy, and the moment Sato stopped channeling Dark Energy, a ferocious hunger overwhelmed him.

For a brief, irrational moment, he thought even Arbok's corpse looked appetizing.

Clinging to his last shred of sanity, Sato ripped open his backpack, stuffing high-energy rations into his mouth, devouring them relentlessly.

Just as he finished, Gastly approached.

Its glowing red eyes were filled with excitement, but also a dangerous, almost feral gleam.

The dense Ghost-type energy in Gastly's body agitated Sato's Dark Energy, forcing him to regain his composure.

Wiping the leftover food from his lips, he extended his right hand, grabbing Gastly without hesitation.

Dark Energy erupted once more.

"Kehehe!"

This time, Gastly had devoured four souls—the Green-rank assassin, Misdreavus, Sandslash, and Arbok—each stronger than the Houndoom it had absorbed before.

Misdreavus, being of the same typing, acted like a high-tier elixir for Gastly, but consuming so much power at once had left it completely unstable.

Sato watched silently as Gastly shrieked in agony.

It had been too greedy, thinking that with Dark Energy purification, there were no limits.

Sato showed no mercy.

If Gastly wanted to absorb power recklessly, then it had to endure the pain that came with it.

The floating, unabsorbed energy, as well as the chaotic spiritual remains, were brutally purged by Dark Energy.

"Hummm!"

A brilliant glow enveloped Gastly—its body morphing as it evolved.

With the massive influx of spiritual energy, Gastly had finally reached the threshold for evolution.

Had Sato not intervened, it might have transformed into a true, uncontrollable specter.

"Kehehe!"

Gastly was gone—replaced by a Haunter.

Its head and hands now floated separately, and the surrounding gaseous mist had vanished.

It could no longer release Poison-type moves through its body, but its detached claws gave it greater attack flexibility—meaning Sato needed to adjust its training.

"Keeeh…"

Haunter let out a nervous sound.

Despite evolving, its fear of Sato had only deepened.

Dark Energy, after all, was one of the few forces that directly countered Ghost-types.

The purification process had been just as painful as Sato's own healing.

Sato sighed internally.

He had given Haunter permission to consume souls, and the method had indeed worked.

But because of that, his bond with it had become even harder to nurture.

Haunter feared the power inside him, and Sato feared that one day Haunter would lose control.

"From now on, I need to strictly regulate Haunter's soul absorption. Unless absolutely necessary, it should grow at a steady pace."

As he thought this, Sato stood up to clean the battlefield.

But when he turned toward the corner of the cave, he saw a three-meter-tall Tyranitar standing silently—staring at him coldly.

"When did it get here?"

Sato's mind froze.

In his past life, he had come to this cave not as a trial participant, but as a Red-rank assassin assigned to observe.

At that time, Tyranitar had been on the verge of death.

Not from battle, but from natural causes—its lifespan had simply reached its end.

But now, a full year before that moment, it was still alive?

Something was wrong.

If Tyranitar had died of old age, then within a single year, its physical condition should not have deteriorated this much.

Tyranitar's lifespan was on par with Dragon-types—it shouldn't be dying so soon.

Dark Energy stirred within him.

Facing Tyranitar, an overwhelming sense of excitement and sorrow flooded his body.

It was like a dying king standing on the edge of its ruined kingdom, knowing its end was near—but refusing to abandon its throne.

That's why it hadn't attacked.

Tyranitar was territorial by nature, yet it had allowed Sato to cause such havoc in its domain—choosing only to observe?

It was a king at its twilight.

Sato confirmed his suspicions.

Raising a hand, he signaled Haunter and Zorua to stay put while he stepped forward.

Each step was firm—unwavering.

Larvitar, perched on Tyranitar's shoulder, gazed at him silently, its red eyes unblinking.

Tyranitar's massive presence alone exerted an oppressive force, even in its weakened state.

Stopping two meters away, Sato could see the countless scars across its armor, testaments of its past battles.

"ROAR!"

A thunderous bellow shook the cave.

Fierce, ancient pressure pressed against Sato, winds of sand and stone whipping at his body.

Zorua tensed in alarm, but obeyed the order to stay put.

Sato didn't step back.

Lifting his right hand, he opened his palm—Dark Energy surging forth.

At the same time, Tyranitar's body was shrouded in black energy.

A silent standoff.

The third ability of Dark Energy—Soul Connection.