Chapter 240: Ashes to Ashes

From beyond this world, the Black Phoenix (Ho-Oh), Mega Rayquaza, Primal Kyogre, Zygarde, Mewtwo, and nearly ten other Mythical Pokémon descended.

Their mere presence collided with the forces of Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina, the gods of time, space, and antimatter, unleashing an atmosphere of overwhelming dread.

Though no blows had been exchanged yet, the sky howled with cyclonic winds. The desolate realm itself seemed to whimper in despair.

"Do not let them distract Me," came Arceus's telepathic command to Its three divine aspects, even as It continued absorbing the primal energy.

Giratina surged forward with a roar.

A suffocating shadow unfurled behind It, like a cosmic shroud blotting out the heavens, crashing down upon the invading Mythical Pokémon.

Palkia and Dialga repeated familiar tactics, unleashing their powers to bend time and space in an effort to lock down the invaders.

But these were no ordinary legendaries, each one had been augmented by the Old One Virus. They would not be sealed so easily.

In a flash, Mewtwo teleported past the swirling vortex of temporal loops that entrapped the native Mythical Pokémon.

Psystrike.

A blade of psychic energy, honed to an edge by boundless will, carved through the very fabric of time, slicing the endless loop apart.

Lugia, Ho-Oh, and the others broke free instantly, merging ranks with the otherworldly legendaries who had emerged from the blood-hued wormholes.

The Dark Trinity's attacks came fast and furious, yet they could barely hold back the pressure.

Even wielding the primordial authorities of time, space, and antimatter, facing an onslaught from enemies that outnumbered them many times over was a losing battle.

This was no mere skirmish, each blow from the virus-empowered Mythical Pokémon tore rifts through the sky, shattered continents, and sent shockwaves across the firmament.

Yveltal's Death Aura clashed violently with the Black Phoenix's Fallen Flame, contaminating vast stretches of the yet-unabsorbed primal energy.

The once-golden ocean of power around Arceus now shimmered with taints of ashen black.

The purer the essence, the more vulnerable it was to corruption. The Primal Energy, the most fundamental, unaligned force of creation, was especially susceptible.

It was precisely this neutral energy, in concert with Arceus's elemental Plates, that had birthed all things.

But now, vast portions of it had been defiled, and Arceus would have to purify it before absorbing further.

Lucius wouldn't allow that.

The real goal behind summoning these interdimensional legendaries was not just to suppress the Dark Trinity, it was to compete with Arceus for control of the Primal Energy.

Indeed, as the world reverted back to its first essence, Lucius stood as a second claimant, one who, unlike Arceus's all-encompassing draw, had opted for a silent, insidious infection spreading from the planet's far side.

Now that so much of the energy had been tainted, Arceus had no choice but to pause Its absorption.

Eighteen radiant Plates burst forth, each gleaming with a different hue, forming a luminous ring that rotated slowly in the air.

Divine light like an ocean. Divine light like a blade.

The Black Phoenix, Mega Rayquaza, Primal Kyogre, and the rest began to tremble under its glow, not out of fear, but from rejection.

This world itself was resisting them. It wanted them gone.

Their bodies began to waver and blur as ripples in space unfurled around them.

Invisible forces surged, casting them into dimensional eddies, banished from this plane.

Arceus had invoked the authority of world-will, using divine radiance to return them to their original realms. The virus-infected native legendaries, however, remained.

Lucius wasn't fazed by the loss of these summoned allies. While Arceus was busy expelling them, he had silently infected nearly one-third of the Primal Energy.

With the invaders driven off, Arceus flung Its eighteen Plates skyward, each transforming into a glowing replica of Itself.

Suddenly, eighteen Arceus forms filled the heavens, identical in all but the colored rings at their waists, each ring denoting a different elemental type.

Each Plate-formed Arceus carried a singular elemental power and targeted the Mythical Pokémon it countered.

The Dark-type Arceus with its black ring attacked Hoopa Unbound.

The Water-type Arceus with its blue ring targeted Ho-Oh.

The Ice-type Arceus with its greenish ring went straight for Rayquaza.

Though these single-type avatars lacked resistance to multi-type strikes, their offensive might remained undiminished.

The virus-altered legendaries, beings who could raze civilizations and reshape continents, were now overwhelmed, unable to keep up with the Creator's onslaught.

Rayquaza, caught by a frigid wind around its tail, was momentarily stunned, and that was enough.

Dragon-, Ice-, and Fairy-type techniques rained down like a meteor shower.

Its emerald body was shredded, torn into three bloodied segments midair.

Knowing the virus granted enhanced regeneration, Arceus didn't relent.

Only when Rayquaza was reduced to fine ash in a burst of dragonfire did Arceus shift Its focus.

The sky's sovereign, Rayquaza, had been obliterated in less than a minute by several Arceus avatars.

And Rayquaza wasn't alone in its fate.

Once it fell, the Ice and Fairy avatars turned their might on other Mythical Pokémon. The next to face their wrath was Zekrom, another dragon.

At that moment, Lucius activated the Spacetime Key.

The rebel remnants brought back from Oblivia may have been few in number, but together, trainers and Pokémon, they were enough to fuel another set of portals.

A new blood-red wormhole ripped open a hundred thousand miles away from Arceus, and once more, the interdimensional legendaries returned.

Despite the distance, their overwhelming aura couldn't be masked. The Creator and the Dark Trinity sensed it instantly.

They just won't quit...

Arceus cursed inwardly, ordering the Dark Trinity to intercept while It finished off the infected legendaries here.

Though reluctant, Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina surged into the void.

They'd learned during the last battle: these foreign legendaries, especially the blackened Ho-Oh and Yveltal, were more powerful than even themselves.

Still, with no better option, they charged ahead, bracing for injury.

Watching the trio warp away, Lucius gave a cold command.

"Full assault."

To destroy this world, the three gods of time, space, and antimatter, pillars of existence, had to fall.

Meanwhile, Arceus unleashed even more divine wrath. Though it slowed the absorption of the Primal Energy, exterminating Its foes, especially the corrupted native legendaries, took precedence.

Hoopa, with its Psychic/Ghost typing, was utterly suppressed by the Dark-type Arceus. And with the collapse of reality severing its summoning links, even its "Transfer" authority had been drastically weakened.

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