The Dread of Comparison

If it had only been Tang Chen, the original tactics would have been enough to deal with him.

But since Asura God's Divine Thought had entered the fray, they had to give him a little welcome gift.

He wondered whether this divine thought could return and let Asura God experience the charm of this combo for himself.

The rankings were already handing out super divine artifacts. It felt like the rewards later on would only become more and more overpowered.

He still had to hurry and improve his strength. With moves derived from the power of rules extended by the Plates, as long as he paired them with suitable First-Level Gods, dealing with God Kings should not be much of a problem.

Even if he could not defeat them, holding them off should be possible. He just did not know how far the situation would develop.

Lu Feng thought to himself.

Beside him, Mewtwo felt its scalp go numb as it watched the outrageous torture unfold. It was immensely grateful that, back when it had still been Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, it had surrendered so quickly.

God Lord was not merely powerful; his tactics were sinister to the extreme.

He had not used them before only because he was too strong to need them. Now that the Arena Tournament had begun, each match grew more elaborate than the last.

After being tortured by a setup like this once, even the toughest bones would break.

Outside, in the Heaven Dou Empire.

Qian Daoliu, who had only just recovered somewhat and was regulating his breathing, saw Tang Chen's fate through the Sky Screen. The gloom and frustration on his face vanished completely, and even the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

He suddenly felt that although his own "cheese" battle earlier had been stifling, at least... his opponents had shown a little "martial virtue."

They had not used Iron Balls to lock his feet, Spikes to cover the ground, a Dynamax mountain of flesh to block the way, or slapped his face from both sides...

Qian Daoliu subconsciously touched his face, then looked at his intact limbs and his ability to still fly. He suddenly felt that, in his previous battle—

the Pokemon had been downright "gentle" and "fair" to him!

Nothing was more frightening than comparison.

At least they had not made him slap himself or lose too much face.

Compared to what Tang Chen was suffering now, he had practically been having a "friendly" tactical sparring session.

A strange sense of "comfort" and "balance" quietly welled up in Qian Daoliu's heart.

So it was not that he was too weak. It was that the "cheese" tactics of the Pokemon World... had no limit to how disgusting they could get.

Tang Chen's ordeal had raised the word "cheese" to an entirely new and terrifying height.

In the God Realm, within the Asura God Temple, Asura God, who had been watching the battle all along, now had a face as black as the bottom of a pot.

The God-Chosen upon whom he had bestowed divine power was actually being toyed with and tortured in such a... unbearable manner! This was practically blasphemy against a god!

Finally, after who knew how many rounds of self-harm amid confusion, Mega Gengar felt that it had played enough.

It bared its teeth at Tang Chen below, who was covered in blood, barely breathing, his eyes unfocused, and his body almost reduced to instinctive spasms.

Meanwhile, Dynamax Snorlax slowly raised its right leg, which was like a pillar supporting the heavens.

Max Quake!

Snorlax's enormous foot slowly rose into the air as a terrifying earth-yellow energy, powerful enough to shatter continental plates, frantically gathered beneath it! The gravity throughout the entire arena space seemed to descend into chaos, and space itself let out a groan of unbearable strain!

Tang Chen blankly raised his head and watched the colossal foot, which blotted out all light, filled his entire vision, and carried an aura that could end everything, slowly descend.

The last light in his eyes was the crumbling rocks on that enormous foot and the roaring energy wrapped around it, as though it had risen from the depths of the earth.

There was no sound.

Because sound and light, along with Tang Chen's broken body and faint consciousness, were utterly swallowed and annihilated by the destructive energy of Max Quake.

Golden light descended, taking away Tang Chen, who had completely lost consciousness like a rag doll. Before he fell, a relieved smile appeared on his face.

It also took away the three Pokemon, who had returned to normal after their Dynamax forms ended but were still full of life and energy.

The arena returned to calm, leaving only Spikes scattered across the ground, charred burn marks, and the two shattered Iron Balls.

Extreme North, core region.

Even the glaciers that had not melted for ten thousand years seemed to tremble soundlessly.

Snow Empress and Ice Empress had already been deeply shocked as they watched Tang Chen go from his initial berserk domination to being trapped layer by layer by those bizarre "cheese" tactics.

Then Asura God appeared and escalated the battle, followed by the arrival of the supreme being known as Arceus.

The battle had been thoroughly dragged into a malicious game at the level of rules. Even gods seemed helpless before the Pokemon World.

"Is this truly the power Spirit Masters should possess? Have we been pursuing ultimate strength along the wrong path...?"

Snow Empress's voice carried unprecedented shock and a trace of yearning that even she had not noticed. After all, the levels of those Pokemon were not high at all.

By real-world standards, this absolutely counted as godslaying.

She thought of the plight of the soul beast race, hunted by human Spirit Masters and suppressed by the laws of the God Realm, unable to become gods.

No matter how much power soul beasts accumulated, in the end, they were nothing more than soul rings for soul beasts.

Perhaps what they lacked was not merely power, but also this profound understanding of and ability to wield rules.

What the Pokemon World had revealed was an entirely different path, one that might bypass the God Realm's blockade.

Ice Empress stood beside her, her petite body trembling slightly, her emerald eyes filled with lingering fear and relief.

Star Dou Forest, deep within Lake of Life.

Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena's cool voice echoed through their consciousness, carrying a rare gravity and... interest.

"So that is the supreme existence standing at the peak of the Pokemon World. Even Asura God could not seem to gain any advantage against him and was instead toyed with in the palm of his hand."

Dragon God had been cleaved in two by the Asura God Sword, splitting into the Golden Dragon King and Silver Dragon King.

Even after separating, both still retained the combat power of God Kings, and their understanding of God King-level power far surpassed ordinary beings.

Golden light flickered in Di Tian's enormous dragon eyes as he said in a low voice, "My Lady, the conflict between the human gods and this otherworldly existence is growing fiercer. To us, it is both a crisis and an opportunity. Perhaps we can make contact in secret..."

"Not yet." Gu Yuena interrupted him. "My injuries have not yet recovered. We do not know the Pokemon World's attitude toward us. If we expose ourselves too suddenly and they do not accept us, the God Realm may step in and attack me."

Sea God Island, before the Sea God Temple.

Bo Saixi stood there for a long time. The sea breeze brushed against her blue dress and long hair, yet it could not disperse the deep concern and complexity between her brows.

She had seen Tang Chen's miserable state, the confrontation between beings who seemed to be at the God King level, and the suffocating suppression of rules behind the battle. All of it far exceeded her understanding of "battle."

"Tang Chen... Even after receiving the blessing of divine power, you still ended up like this..." Bo Saixi's feelings were a tangled mess.

There was sympathy and heartache for an old friend's plight, but also deep concern for Sea God Island's future.

Although Lord Sea God was likewise a First-Level God, compared to Arceus, whose very appearance caused the rules to be rewritten—

it seemed... that the absolute power and Sea God glory Sea God Island had always worshipped appeared so frail before another kind of "strength."

"High Priest." Sea Dragon Douluo's voice sounded beside her, equally grave. "The struggles of the God Realm have already reached this place. What should Sea God Island... do? Should we seek instructions from Lord Sea God?"

Bo Saixi remained silent for a long time. Gazing at the vast sea, magnificent on the surface yet filled with undercurrents, she slowly said, "Lord Sea God has his own arrangements. But we must remember that while faith is important, understanding the times and discerning advantages and disadvantages are also necessary to protect that faith.

Pass the order to the Seven Sacred Pillars. Strengthen patrols and closely monitor all spatial disturbances and foreign auras. Especially... if creatures similar to those 'Pokemon' approach, report it immediately. Do not attack without authorization."

She already had a faint premonition that the order and balance of power on this continent were being shattered by an irresistible torrent.

Sea God Island could no longer remain closed off.